47 Years Later, The Far Side's First Comic Is Even Funnier Than It Was In 1979

Published Nov 15, 2026, 1:13 PM EST TJ Mills is an editor on ScreenRant's Comic team, where she combines her lifelong passion for DC with her analytical background as a former Intelligence Analyst. Since joining ScreenRant in 2023, she has specialized in covering major DC storylines, character evolutions, and industry developments. Gary Larson’s The Far Side is one of the most legendary comic strips of all time, and its enduring popularity is a testament to just how timeless its humor truly is. With The Far Side approaching its 47th anniversary this December, there’s no better time to revisit the very first strip that started it all. And remarkably, this debut comic has only become funnier and more legendary with age. Before we dive into the strip itself, it’s important to first acknowledge that there is some confusion surrounding The Far Side’s first comic. The comic strip’s commonly recognized launch date is January 1, 1980, when it appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle’s newspaper and television listings. This strip featured a joke about babies and crabs, with two crabs watching babies play in the sand and one remarking, “Yes. ... They're quite strange during the larval stage.” The San Francisco Chronicle clarified in a 2019 investigation that the 1979 cartoon was actually The Far Side’s first published strip, correcting an earlier version of its article that had mistakenly identified the crab cartoon as the debut. However, the first Far Side comic was actually published on December 31, 1979, in the San Francisco Chronicle, even though it wasn't acknowledged in the television listings. As such, this strip, which features two cavemen chiseling a stone wheel, is technically the first Far Side cartoon to appear in the newspaper, and it's the one we'll explore further in this article. The Far Side's First Comic Set The Stage For One Of Its Most Legendary Running Gags Published: December 31, 1979 December 31, 1979, marked the day that one of the greatest cartoons in comic strip history began, with the very first The Far Side strip featuring two cavemen chiseling a stone wheel. The strip also comes with the caption: “This invention will change the course of man! I call it — hammer and chisel!” The joke is that, yes, while the hammer and chisel would go on to become useful tools throughout human history, the caveman fails to recognize that the TRUE invention that would change human history is what they've created with those tools: the wheel. The wheel is often considered one of the most significant inventions in human history, and the fact that the cavemen are missing what is painfully obvious to the reader is where the humor comes in. This strip was a strong start for The Far Side and already demonstrated Larson's knack for finding humor in the most unexpected of places. However, 47 years later, this strip has taken on an even greater significance, as its subject matter, cavemen, would go on to become one of the most recognizable recurring motifs in Larson's The Far Side, alongside cows, dinosaurs, aliens, and ducks. What made The Far Side's caveman comics not just a personal Larson favorite but a favorite among fans, too, was the range of humor this subject offered. From Larson's absurdist humor to his dark comedy, cavemen provided the creator with a stage to explore everything from evolution, prehistoric history, and scientific discoveries to social commentary, relationships, and downright bizarre scenarios. With this in mind, it feels fitting that cavemen were the subject of the very first The Far Side strip, as they would go on to help define the strip and contribute to the legacy that made it so legendary among readers. Writer Gary Larson Colorist Gary Larson