Gary Larson, creator of The Far Side, had a knack for making readers reconsider humans’ relationship with animals, and their place in the natural world. Larson was personally a naturalist; more than just fascinated by the animal world, he believed in protecting and preserving non-human species, a theme that often made its way into The Far Side in different forms.
It wasn’t that Larson depicted animals as wholesome, innocent creatures – far from it, in fact, as he repeatedly produced hilarious cartoons about animals plotting the downfall of humanity, or taking revenge on individual humans. Rather, he sought to undermine humankind’s assumption of their role as the