Who says Garfield isn't funny anymore?

[Starkist]

Posters at some other forum did an experiment, removing all Garfield's dialogue from the strip. In most cases, it's an improvement. In some, it is a reminder of how repetitive the strip is these days. Either way, it's fascinating.

http://www.truthandbeautybombs.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=4997&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0&sid=4f6c7ca439e0bcea50e44d11ef27d8a3

A few examples, if they don't mind me remote linking:

http://home.comcast.net/~tembre/gar5.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~tembre/gar7.jpg
http://www.autumndreams360.com/garfield1.gif

[Lilith]

I miss the old animated series, that stuff was awesome.

The comics are always exactly as pictured above...I remember maddox doing a version of one that was so accurate and hilarious I almost died.

[Beldaran]

I miss the old animated series, that stuff was awesome.

The comics are always exactly as pictured above...I remember maddox doing a version of one that was so accurate and hilarious I almost died.


http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=garfield_sucks

[ZTC]

Even I've noticed that it's getting repetitive, though, I still find it funny most of the time.


I miss the old animated series, that stuff was awesome.
I remember that; once in a while I set up the VCR to record it late a night, other than that; I'll prolly get the DVD set(s)

[ONeilcool]

I have to say the movie pretty much just sucked


I don't read comics garfield regularly, but I check them out sometimes and they are pretty funny.

[Tygore]

I think that when the strip went downhill was when Lyman left and Jon's primary interaction was with Garfield. We seem to constantly forget if Jon can hear Garfield's thoughts or not, and the exaggerated styles have just made everything silly. It used to be that the extent of Jon's dorkyness was that he was a single cartoonist, and now he just gets stranger every day, to the point where the character is no longer believable.

[Bender]

"Forget" Garfield! ("forget" being a substitution for another word)
The Farside was the best weekly funny. Anymore, the weekly "funnies" are just a waste of paper.

[Rainman]

I saw this at SA and they did a few more strips. It seems quite effective. It shifts focus on Jon and portays him as an insane loser. (rather than just a loser)

[Orion]

You know, the old Garfield cartoons are on DVD now. Granted, I only have the 4th volume, but in my opinion it's the best (because it has the episode with the creature that lived in the refridgerator behind the mayonaise next to the ketchup and to the left of the coleslaw).

[Tygore]

You know, the old Garfield cartoons are on DVD now. Granted, I only have the 4th volume, but in my opinion it's the best (because it has the episode with the creature that lived in the refridgerator behind the mayonaise next to the ketchup and to the left of the coleslaw).

I remember that episode. Distinctly how the SWAT guy couldn't find it because he looked to the RIGHT of the Coleslaw.

[KJAZZ]

I read about this on another forum that linked to the SA Thread, and was told about it twice; once by a friend who visited last Saturday, and again by an online friend yesterday. It seems to be quite popular. ;P

Nevertheless, I still find it very hilarious, very brilliant, and yet so simple at the same time.

[Shadowblazer]

I seem to recall reading somewhere about how Jim Davis intentionally made the strip just good enough to be marketable and intentionally avoided anything that might be considered edgy in any way. He came up with a handful of gags (Garfield is fat, Garfield is lazy, Garfield hates Odie) and repeats them over and over and over. The result is a strip and character that's familiar to everybody and maintains popularity by offending as few people as possible.

[Tygore]

I seem to recall reading somewhere about how Jim Davis intentionally made the strip just good enough to be marketable and intentionally avoided anything that might be considered edgy in any way. He came up with a handful of gags (Garfield is fat, Garfield is lazy, Garfield hates Odie) and repeats them over and over and over. The result is a strip and character that's familiar to everybody and maintains popularity by offending as few people as possible.

If you read several interviews, you can piece that together quite clearly. Davis has stated that he does leave politics out of the strip, and that he wanted to develop a character that would be easily likable. Read enough, and the idea becomes prevalent that Davis started the strip from a business perspective, and has clearly succeeded. Although he's certainly angered those who view the comic medium as an art form, you have to admire the work that he put into developing his empire. He set out fro the beginning to create a highly recognizable, popular icon, and has succeeded immensly.