8 Perfect Far Side Comics About Spiders, Ranked

Screen Rant has compiled a list of the eight best The Far Side comics starring spiders, showcasing Gary Larson's unique use of arachnids as comedic characters. The outlet ranks them by construction, impact and memorability.

The Eight Comics

• A tough, biker-style spider sits in a web of chains, smoking a cigarette with a "Mom" tattoo, captioned "tough spiders." Screen Rant calls this an example of a stock character remixed.
• One spider puts a bag over its head to scare another, causing it to lose its webbing in a panic. The source notes this is a rare instance of scatological humor in The Far Side.
• A spider mafia scene: a doomed spider has cement blocks on all eight legs as it falls from a bridge, a variation on Larson's repeated "cement boots" joke.
• At the Old Spiders' Home, one spider tells a story about a fly flying down its throat in 1954, a tale another spider says has been repeated "about 900 times." Screen Rant describes this as a blend of familiar and surreal.
• Two spiders spin a web in front of a lightbulb. The steady supply of food leads to a heated exchange: "Every night you ask me what's for dinner, and every night I say the same thing." The punchline is moths, according to the outlet.
• "Spider Personals" shows a spider reading classified ads from black widows, including one that ominously mentions having a male for a quiet dinner. Screen Rant points to Larson's likely knowledge of spider mating rituals.
• A spider on a psychiatrist's couch recounts a recurring dream of walking on its web and having feet stick one by one. Screen Rant suggests the underlying fear of the predator becoming prey.
• The top-ranked comic: two spiders set up a web at the end of a playground slide, hoping to catch a human child. One says, "If we pull this off, we'll eat like kings." Screen Rant calls it an all-time classic, capturing the spiders' hubris.

Screen Rant's ranking highlights how Larson used spiders to explore human behavior, from tough-guy posturing to domestic frustration and dream analysis.

• comics
• Gary Larson
• lists
• spiders
• The Far Side