“Conflict resolution” may seem like an odd focus for a hilarious comic strip series like The Far Side makes an effort to throw an absurd filter on the entire world, and that includes moments such as these.

Every stand-off, every disagreement, every conflict in The Far Side is heightened and exaggerated to an extreme degree, making these moments that would otherwise be mundane (or, at least familiar) utterly ridiculous - and absolutely hilarious. There’s no shortage of situations that fall into this category, but out of them all, these are definitely the 10 all-time most hilarious Far Side comics that deal with “conflict resolution”!

10 Dog/Cat Stand-Off

A Dog & a Cat Have a Violent Way to Resolve their Conflict

A cat and a dog face each other in the living room of their owners' house, each armed with a machine gun that's pointed directly at the other. This is a tense stand-off between two mortal enemies, and all their owners can do is watch in horror. Then, the two pets pull the trigger on their respective guns, but they soon learn that there are no bullets in their guns. One of their owners had the foresight to not arm them with armed weapons (though it's still unclear why he gave them guns at all). However, if these guns did have bullets in them like the cat and dog thought, both pets would have died gruesome deaths.

The cat and the dog were ready to 'resolve' their conflict in the most violent way possible: a shoot-out to the death. Thankfully, they didn't get that chance, but they proved they were willing to kill each other right then and there in this Far Side comic.

9 Headless Knight

This Medieval Far Side Conflict is Already Resolved

Two knights are in a brutal conflict, their swords drawn, fighting each other to the death. Except, it seems this conflict has already been resolved, with a very unlucky outcome for one of them. One of the knights had been decapitated by the other, yet his body kept fighting. However, the living knight is trying to reason with the dead knight's body, telling him that he's already lost. But, whether this conflict has been resolved or not, the headless knight continues to fight, even though it's totally pointless.

This is like something someone would see in Monty Python, as the utter absurdity is absolutely hilarious, and perfectly reflects The Far Side's humor. It paints an interesting picture of a unique stand-off, one where it seems the conflict is resolved, yet continues anyway despite there being a clear loser.

8 Cowboy vs Clown

This Far Side Clown Brought a Pie to a Gunfight

A clown lies dead on the ground in an old Western town, with a gunslinger standing a few yards away with his pistol drawn, and pie splattered on his face. The caption of this Far Side comic makes it clear that the gunslinger did, in fact, win this duel with the clown, as the clown is the one who is dead while he remains standing. However, it also says that that fact could be disputed, as the gunslinger got hit in the face with the clown's weapon of choice, and should be considered a loser in this duel as well.

It seems this clown brought a pie to a gunfight, and even if he managed to hit the gunslinger before the cowboy got the chance to shoot him, the clown was still always going to lose this conflict.

7 Caveman Conflict

One Far Side Caveman Clearly Has the Edge in This Conflict

A caveman has another one cornered in his cave, a bow and arrow in his hand, ready to use it on the caveman if he doesn't follow directions and stays still. However, there's a club next to the caveman that's being kept there against his will, and the caveman is thinking about taking his chances and using it. At that point, the captor takes the bow and arrow and draws back, threatening the other caveman with serious action. But, more harm than good comes of that threat, as it becomes clear the caveman with the bow and arrow has no idea how to use his weapon.

The caveman with the club has the clear advantage here, since the one with the bow and arrow won't be able to cause any damage with his weapon the way he's using it. In other words, this Far Side conflict is about to get a swift and brutal resolution.

6 Non-Deadly Snake Duel

These Cowboy Snakes Couldn’t Draw their Weapons if They Wanted To in The Far Side

Two cowboy snakes are in a stand-off in the middle of an Old West saloon, and the other cowboy snakes are barely paying any mind to the 'action'. One of the other snakes comments to another that neither snake in the stand-off is going to actually draw their weapon, and that this conflict will ultimately be resolved without deadly violence. If these were human cowboys back in the Old West, a peaceful resolution would have been as much of a given, but since they are snakes, that becomes a guarantee.

Why? Well, not because snakes are inherently peaceful, but because they are physically incapable of drawing their weapons. Snakes have no hands or arms, so how are they going to draw their pistols and shoot? No wonder the other snakes are staying so calm, this situation has no choice but to end peacefully!

5 Insect Inspiration

This Far Side Conflict has a Bizarre Resolution

A man is cornered by another man in a dark alley, and it is immediately apparent that he's out of options. The man that chased him into the alley is bigger than him, and seemingly wants to cause him harm for one reason or another. Does the man fight? Does he try to run past the other man? No. The man decides to take a page from the insects' book and flash the pair of fake, giant eyes he has glued to the top of his head for emergencies just like this, hoping beyond hope that it will be enough to scare the other man off.

Some insects use designs on their bodies to make it look like they have giant eyes, giving the impression to a predator that they are much bigger than they actually are. And this man hopes to accomplish something similar, as he attempts to use fear to end this conflict without anyone getting hurt.

4 Cowboy vs Chicken

A Far Side Chicken Brought an Egg to a Gunfight

Inside an Old West saloon, a murder had just taken place, but it was one that wasn't done without provocation. This death came as a grim result of a conflict between a cowboy and a chicken. The chicken threw an egg at the cowboy's face, presumably one the chicken had just laid, and the cowboy responded by shooting the chicken with his pistol. Perhaps that was an overreaction. Perhaps the chicken really did have it coming. Either way, the chicken is dead, and the conflict is resolved.

It would be hilarious if this whole thing started because the cowboy called the chicken 'chicken', and the chicken got offended by the insinuation that she was a coward. But, no matter how the conflict started in this Far Side comic, readers know how it ended.

3 Small Town, Big Cowboys

The Far Side Puts a Hilarious Spin on a Popular Western Saying

"This town ain't big enough for both of us" is one of the most famous Western sayings, as it makes it clear that two enemies cannot live in the same town, meaning one of them has to either leave or die. This saying is also usually the precursor to a shoot-out, or a 'duel at high noon', which decides who gets to stay in the town, and who will be leaving in a body bag. But, this is The Far Side, so, of course, that popular saying is going to have an absurd twist.

In this comic, that saying is used to describe two cowboys who are either giants, or who live in a town that looks like it was made out of kids' toys. The town is literally too small for both of them to live there, so it looks like one of them has to die.

2 Table Tennis Duel

These Far Side Cowboys Use Paddles Instead of Pistols

Two cowboys are having a disagreement that leads to a conflict, one that can only be resolved one way. Now, given the Western setting, most people would assume they'd be settling their differences in a bar fight, or - in an extreme case - a duel at high noon. But, instead, these cowboys are going to resolve their conflict over a game of table tennis.

Indeed, these cowboys have traded their pistols for paddles, as they're about to find out who is better at table tennis, and who will come out the victor in their conflict. This Far Side comic is about as random as it gets, but it also exhibits a non-violent form of Western conflict resolution, so that's a plus.

1 Vikings Mean Business

A Stand-Off Between a Kingdom & Vikings Has Never Been Funnier than in The Far Side

A horde of Vikings are about to storm a castle, and the guards of that castle stand at the ready, as they fully realize that these Vikings mean business. The guards come to that realization not because the Vikings have better weapons than they do, or because the Vikings are especially threatening-looking, but because the Vikings show up with briefcases. Each Viking has a briefcase with them, making it abundantly clear that they mean business.

This entire conflict is honestly just an excuse for Gary Larson (the creator of The Far Side) to exercise his skills in hilariously absurd wordplay. But, whether just for the sake of a joke or not, this Far Side comic does show a major conflict between two warring groups, and one can only hope that they'll be able to find a resolution.