Andreas Wolf :verified:Aug 14, 2023
Jon Rosenberg
In honor of Gary Larson's birthday, the two times The Far Side and Dennis the Menace accidentally had their captions switched. I laughed for an hour the first time I saw these.
Aug 14, 2023 at 4:39pmWeb
Show threadAdam Williamson Aug 14, 2023

@jonrosenberg this inspired me to look up something which has confused me every time I see this weird little blond kid:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/dennis-menace-has-evil-british-twin-180958114/

This is Dennis the Menace, darnit!

https://www.beano.com/categories/dennis

Dennis the Menace Has an Evil British Twin

Meet the lovable American cartoon character’s sinister counterpart

Smithsonian Magazine
Show threadApisNecrosAug 14, 2023
@jonrosenberg WOOOO DAYTON OHIO REFERENCE
Show threadOttoAug 14, 2023
@jonrosenberg The second Dennis one is choice.
Show threadAlAug 14, 2023
@jonrosenberg That book is so good. He talks about not liking the one panel format early in the strip’s life but being forced to stick with it making him a better artist. That always stayed with me.
Show threadJon RosenbergAug 14, 2023
@notheactualworddash Same. I learned so much from that book.
Show threadinternet_seerAug 23, 2023
@jonrosenberg @notheactualworddash
Thank for sharing! Is this from “The Prehistory of The Far Side”?
Show threadJon RosenbergAug 23, 2023
@internet_seer @notheactualworddash yup!
Show threadinternet_seerAug 24, 2023
@jonrosenberg
nice, will check it out!
Show threadSuperfreqAug 14, 2023
@jonrosenberg
Fantastic image descriptions! Thank you very much for taking the time to make them so comprehensive, it is very much appreciated. :)
Show threadJustin Hebert Aug 14, 2023
@jonrosenberg Showing these to my kids once they get home from school today. They just became familiar with the Far Side and the youngest in particular is probably going to join you in laughing for a solid hour.
Show threadᕲᗩᖇᖽᐸᘿᘉᘿᕲᑢᕼᗩSᘻAug 14, 2023

@jonrosenberg

This is my clear #1 Far Side. And there were so many that I loved!

Show threadNOYJAug 14, 2023

@jonrosenberg 1) how on earth are these two publications’ cartoon captions accidentally swapped?

2) I *love* that you laughed for an hour at some seriously un-standard, unintentional, impossible-to-explain obscurities 😊

Show threadDaniel KochanowiczAug 14, 2023
@jonrosenberg
This will be my big solid laugh for the day unless someone falls hard on tonight's episode of American Ninja Warrior.
Show threadKim WittenAug 14, 2023
@jonrosenberg that’s from The Prehistory of the Far Side! Such an excellent book, every page is pure joy
Show threadKevin Granade has movedAug 14, 2023
@jonrosenberg the far side caught my 7 year old's attention, now he regularly asks me to "read" them to him, i.e. explain the jokes.
This is both surprisingly frustrating and difficult, and really highlights the repeated themes Larson uses over and over again.
Cows. Cavemen. Scientists. Dogs vs mailmen.
Show threadCarrie NashAug 14, 2023
@jonrosenberg This is awesome!!
Show threadThe TurtleAug 14, 2023
@jonrosenberg what was the "eeny-oony-wanaaaaaah" one? A third mixup?
Show threadFardels BearAug 14, 2023

@jonrosenberg

I didn't know it was Gary Larson's birthday. This is my favourite cartoon.

Show threadphi1997Aug 14, 2023
@jonrosenberg
For those who want to confirm, these pictures are shown in the book "The PreHistory of The Far Side"
Show threadBenjamin EshamAug 14, 2023
@jonrosenberg I read that same Far Side book 20+ years ago, and “if I get as big as Dad, won’t my skin be too TIGHT?” is a phrase that lives rent-free in my head to this day!
Show threadAmbient SpongeAug 14, 2023
@jonrosenberg I have the book those are from and they make me laugh every single time.
Show threadTexan TallyAug 15, 2023
@jonrosenberg Oh man, the second set of panels makes me feel like Dennis suddenly became Stewie Griffin.
Show threadNoctisEqui 🇺🇦🇵🇸🇪🇹🏳️‍🌈Aug 15, 2023

@jonrosenberg

That was great!

Show threadSimon TemplarAug 15, 2023
@jonrosenberg As a huge Far Side fan, I can’t believe I never saw these before; these are great!
Show threadJon RosenbergAug 15, 2023
@simonsez40 It's from The Prehistory of The Far Side, a fantastic book worth your time
Show threadSimon TemplarAug 15, 2023
@jonrosenberg Thanks, I’ll definitely check it out 👍
Show threadAdrian MoralesAug 15, 2023
@jonrosenberg That last one is super dark. 😳 🤐
Show threadRanaldCloustonAug 15, 2023
@jonrosenberg Great. Although this is the very best Dennis the Menace comic (from #MadMagazine I believe):
Show threadOskar im KellerAug 15, 2023

@jonrosenberg

I find the #ALTtext for the 1st set of cartoons interesting. Especially as my interpretation of the mother is different.

Here goes my alternative #ALT4you : Dennis' mother is sitting in the foreground, totally caught up in a phone call. The boys are seen walking behind her, implying that they had to make sandwiches as she was unavailable to make hot food for them. It has undertones of misogyny, as the mother is shown as not fulfilling her motherly duty for a phone conversation.

Show threadThe Febrile MuseAug 15, 2023
@jonrosenberg Lol x 1000
Show threadChristopher WalkerAug 15, 2023
@jonrosenberg wow, that’s funny. Dayton Daily News, 1981: I probably delivered that issue!
Show threadRoonie the RabbitAug 15, 2023
@jonrosenberg I read these in one of the anthologies decades ago, and it also, quite literally, sent me into fits laughing. Especially "little, petrified skull".
Show threadJon RosenbergAug 15, 2023
@rooniecomics It's from The Prehistory of the Far Side.
Show threadRoonie the RabbitAug 15, 2023
@jonrosenberg Yes! That's where I first learned about whole Cow Tools thing too. That book made me a bigger fan of The Far Side than I had been.
Show threadDiane Ademu-JohnAug 16, 2023
@jonrosenberg Dayton Daily News for the win!
Show threadRyan, the Dad Who Loves CoffeeAug 16, 2023
@jonrosenberg I only now realized that second one dovetails amazingly with what Weird Al has described as his favorite one-panel cartoon ever (by Al Jaffee in Mad)