ComicWorm Speaks: The Garfield Saga

ComicWorm Speaks!

The Garfield Saga

ComicWorm is the subspecies of worm that reviews comics. Webcomics will be a favorite and follow the typical review structure, but ComicWorm wants to share the love ComicWorm has for the first books that first inhabited the library: Newspaper Comics. Garfield, Calvin & Hobbes, The Far Side, Baby Blues, and more! ComicWorm reads those books from cover to cover almost every week. ComicWorm discovers little insights and treasure in each book. So why not share the discovery?

So when the ComicWorm reads a Garfield book, ComicWorm will pick out the ten best strips from each book. The funniest, the wittiest, the ones who provide an insight into the human condition, or maybe not. Anyway, the strips will be analyzed or simply commented on. Perhaps too much is being looked into these strips, so apologies in advance for any pretentiousness. 

So with out further ado…

Garfield Rolls On! 

The strips will simply run in sequential order from the beginning of the volume.

6/27/1984

 The pure cartooniness is really engaging and just the way Odie looks to where his wayward nose has gone is subtle yet really convey’s his confusion. 

7/8/1984 

This one teaches a lesson on how pranks may be fun but they can backfire if you’re not careful. Plus, Jon’s face in the final panel, the shock before disgust, always brings a smile to my face. 

7/27/2014 

One of the things that contributes to Garfield’s lasting his appeal is his razor sharp wit, this strip epitomizes Garfield’s sarcasm more than any other. 

8/18/1984 

If Garfield was a real cat he probably would have been sent to the SPCA by now considering what he puts Jon through. Strips like this one are pretty common, but there is something I have always wondered: Does Jon just stay still while Garfield does this him. Damage like this obviously takes longer than a split second comic panel transition. Perhaps his loneliness and depression has spiraled into masochism?

8/26/1984 

Once again: pranks can backfire and in the worst possible way. Planning is the name of the game. 

9/2/1984 

Comedy requires a fall guy and in a comic strip like this, Jon and Odie are easy targets. Every once in a while though, they need to get the upper hand. This is probably the biggest gotcha moment Odie has ever had. Wish I had a chance to try it.

9/13/1984

 

Once again, fall guy gets a little payback. 

9/16/1984 

The last panel always gets me, Jon just can’t get a break. At least not very often. But this also provides a little lesson. I think we’ve all been in situation like this, where everything just seems to go wrong, you never get a break and the only way to escape is to embrace the whole thing. 

10/16/1984 

Eerily prophetic, isn’t it?

10/28/1984

 

The sooner we accept this the better off we will be.