Fans of The Far Side will appreciate these Heathcliff comics, which highlight the shared sensibilities of Gary Larson’s infamously absurd cartoon and the long-running edgier alternative to Garfield. For over fifty years, comics’ “original orange cat” has stirred up trouble, delivering strange and superfluous jokes that have made it one of the medium’s all-time greats.
First published in 1973, Heathcliff was created by artist George Gately, who wrote and illustrated the comic until 1998; since then, the cartoon has been produced by his nephew, Peter Gallagher. As of this year, Gallagher has matched his uncle’s twenty-five years of writing Heathcliff.
In that time, Gallagher has shepherded the strip through increasingly weird waters, solidifying Heathcliff’s reputation for bizarre humor. While the cartoon is unique in many ways, its closest peer is, perhaps surprisingly, The Far Side.
10
Heathcliff & The Far Side Both Made The Most Of Pets With Personalities
First Published: December 14, 2002
A core tenant of Heathcliff’s humor was the way the eponymous feline skewed traditional pet/owner dynamics. That is, Heathcliff was a member of the family to an extreme extent; for readers who think Garfield rules the Arbuckle household, that is nothing compared to how Heathcliff has run roughshod over the Nutmeg residence for decades, in a way that is more like the way pets and their humans tend to interact in The Far Side.
This comic is innocuous, compared to some of Heathcliff’s more over-the-top adventures, and it notably emphasizes the housecat side of him, as Heathcliff and his girlfriend are drawn into the kitchen by “their song” – the sound of “the electric can opener.”
9
Heathcliff’s Best Punchlines Are Gloriously Over The Top
First Published: August 14, 2003
“He always brings his own cabana boy,” Heathcliff’s owner Mr. Nutmeg explains to a resort employee, who skeptically watches as Heathcliff is instead served by a mouse; Heathcliff is a fundamentally ridiculous character, an irreverent and irresponsible cat whose gonzo activities sharply contrast with his humans’ placid, homebody nature.
Generally speaking, Heathcliff’s ridiculousness can be graded on a scale, and just like The Far Side, the more over-the-top cartoons tend to be the ones that stick out in readers’ minds. Heathcliff is most memorable when the title character is at his most outrageous, and this panel exemplifies, in a particularly amusing way, how he can never do things the simple way.
8
Heathcliff Is Acutely Aware That Famous Cartoons Need To Keep Up Appearances
First Published: December 1, 2004
“Have you ever considered growing old gracefully?” Iggy, Mr. and Mrs. Nutmeg’s grandson, asks Heathcliff in this laugh-out-loud cartoon, as he and Heathcliff stand out front of the “Cosmetic Surgery” clinic. Heathcliff’s routine visits to the cosmetic surgeon have been one of the comic’s best recurring riffs for decades, and this panel highlights why.
Related
Many Far Side cartoons get more attention for being confusing, but Gary Larson called one surprising 1987 panel “almost universally misunderstood.”
Hilariously, though the joke is framed as a question, it’s not rhetorical – there is an answer, and for Heathcliff, the answer is “No.” Published thirty years into the cartoon’s run, this comic is also subtly a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgment that a serial newspaper strip needs to stay fresh, and stay relevant, in some way or another, in order to keep reaching audiences, in a parallel to the way celebrities chase youth and vigor through elective cosmetic procedures.
7
Heathcliff & The Far Side Both Poked Fun At Politics And Culture
First Published: November 1, 2005
In this Heathcliff cartoon, Mr. Nutmeg goes to great lengths to get Heathcliff’s attention – that is, he lugs a podium into the living room and lectures the cat in the form of a campaign speech, because as Mrs. Nutmeg explains, “he only listens when we speak in campaign rhetoric.”
This joke subtly makes fun of the idea that Americans tune out their leaders most of the time, until campaign season rolls around, when even the most audacious rulebreaker – like Heathcliff – suddenly pays attention to politics. In this way, it is reminiscent of The Far Side, which often featured social commentary from author Gary Larson. Though Larson’s work was never overtly political, it was more politically conscious than comics like Garfield or Peanuts; ranked on a continuum, Heathcliff is closer to The Far Side than these other legendary cartoons.
6
Heathcliff Has Never Been Above A Little Casual Violence Now & Then
First Published: July 28, 2010
This Heathcliff joke has a strong Far Side vibe to it; readers will recognize how easily this could be one of Gary Larson’s cats, as Heathcliff tries to catch a pair of mice coming home from vacation by piling all their mail in a trap. The world of Heathcliff was often chaotic, and could be harsh, as its authors have never been above using cartoonish violence – or at least the threat of it – to get a laugh.
This cartoon is a great example of that; Heathcliff has a complicated relationship with the mice that occupy the Nutmeg house, and here, he’s depicted as both helpful and deadly, sending the ultimate mixed signal, though one these mice are seemingly used to.
5
Strange Humor Is The Most Natural Thing In The World When It Comes To Heathcliff
First Published: August 7, 2013
In this Heathcliff cartoon, “the North American ice cream hawk” does what it is named for, swooping down and snatching an ice cream bar out of Heathcliff’s hand, in a hilarious ecological punchline that would be a natural fit for The Far Side.
The Far Side Complete Collection
$71 $125 Save
$54
Fans of the far side can’t pass up this master collection of Gary Larson’s finest work. Originally published in hardcover in 2003, this paperback set comes complete with a newly designed slipcase that will look great on any shelf. The Complete Far Side contains every Far Side cartoon ever published, which amounts to over 4,000, plus more than 1,100 that have never before appeared in a book and even some made after Larson retired.Â
Heathcliff and The Far Side have many distinguishing qualities, but their overlap can be felt in panels like this one. Both cartoons thrived on taking the familiar and putting it in a strange new context, warping readers’ expectations and generally getting a laugh out of the incongruities between the recognizable and the unusual. Heathcliff was, naturally, the focal point for this in his eponymous comic, while Gary Larson’s comic used a revolving door cast of characters to achieve the same effect.
4
One Simple, Weird Idea & Heathcliff Is Off To The Races
First Published: April 27, 2018
In this outright silly Heathcliff cartoon, Heathcliff and Iggy poke their heads around a corner to get a look at what the Nugmeg house’s mice are up to now – which turns out to be a race with cars made out of cheese, with one of the observers commenting to the other, “My money’s on the manchego.”
Again, the Far Side-esque quality is apparent in the humor here, as the joke puts the reader in Heathcliff and Iggy’s perspective. That is, they are on the outside looking in, observing something that – entirely by design – they cannot quite wrap their heads around. This is actually a perfect encapsulation of Heathcliff’s humor, reminding readers that there are always small absurdities hiding around the corner.
3
Heathcliff Pulls Unsuspecting Readers Into Its Surrealistic Portrait Of The World
First Published: March 20, 2020
In this panel, Heathcliff paints a portrait of Mr. Nutmeg – except amusingly, he’s gone a little off-book when it comes to the details, swapping his owner’s clothes for a trash can, because as Mrs. Nutmeg explains, “he loses focus around lunchtime.”
This cartoon – and others on this list – exhibit a classic Heathcliff comedy technique, which was the outside character coming into the Nutmeg household and being exposed to Heathcliff’s jarring, absurd, unequivocally un-catlike behavior. Far Side fans will recognize this same joke set-up as a favorite of Gary Larson’s, as he often had great success finding humor in bringing innocent strangers up to speed on bizarre family dynamics.
2
Heathcliff Has Always Kept Up With The Times
First Published: December 3, 2021
Here, Heathcliff breezes down the street on a flying carpet – as a pair of neighbors sitting on a park bench remark that, “he used to ride a diesel carpet.” It is the kind of throwaway aside that The Far Side was famous for, and likewise, Heathcliff often extracted comedy from this same premise, presenting something unusual in an overly casual way, which would leave the reader somewhere in the ambiguous space between.
Readers will also recognize that Heathcliff – which has always been a strongly socially-aware cartoon – is poking fun at a social trend here, as more drivers switch away from diesel to cleaner fuel alternatives. It is a simple, observational joke, made strange and memorably by being filtered through the warped world of the comic.
1
Even In Heathcliff’s World, Garfield Is The More Famous Feline
First Published: September 14, 2024
Heathcliff remains in publication, twenty-five years and counting after Peter Gallagher stepped in to carry on original creator George Gately’s legeacy. This new Heathcliff comic is a direct reference to the title character’s longrunning “feud” with Garfield, the more famous orange cartoon cat – who first entered publication a full five years after Heathcliff
Here, even a portrait artist gets the two mixed up, painting Garfield instead of Heathcliff, much to the latter’s annoyance. It is a funny shout-out to the connection between the two, but it also sums up the more general use of pop culture references in Heathcliff, which is part of what has kept it relevant in the new millennium. Just as the Far Side skewered everything from real history to the greatest movies of all time, Heathcliff continues to find humor in the world around it, from other cartoons, to the big screen, to current events, and more.
The Far Side
The Far Side is a humorous comic series developed by Gary Larson. The series has been in production since 1979 and features a wide array of comic collections, calendars, art, and other miscellaneous items.
