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It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

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Re: It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

#21

Post by brandmeyer »

sethammons wrote: post #8
Rallerbabs wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a kid, I always thought Garfield was absolutely hilarious. I'd cut the comic out of the newspaper and glue them into a book. Loved the cartoons. The Halloween one is my favorite. Up to my 40th birthday, I was given Garfield comics. I love what a gluttonous, selfish and slightly malevolent pig Garfield is. I especially love it when he kicks Odie off the table. I can't stand Peanuts, though.

Similar. As a kid, I thought Garfield was very funny. We had a couple books of 'em. I also enjoyed Far Side. I should revisit them :)

> I also enjoyed Far Side.

Gary Larson has started drawing again! He's still "retired" but has started self-publishing on an irregular cadence.

https://www.thefarside.com/new-stuff

Re: It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

#22

Post by derwiki »

anon9001 wrote: post #9
cptnapalm wrote: post #3

For those that do not know how enjoyable Garfield is when there is no Garfield, I present to you Garfield Without Garfield. https://garfieldminusgarfield.net/

Hah. I haven't seen that in so many years. Glad to see they're still updating.

I think I found Garfield without Garfield around the same time I found http://www.nietzschefamilycircus.com

Re: It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

#23

Post by Rallerbabs »

LeoPanthera wrote: post #12
Rallerbabs wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a kid, I always thought Garfield was absolutely hilarious. I'd cut the comic out of the newspaper and glue them into a book. Loved the cartoons. The Halloween one is my favorite. Up to my 40th birthday, I was given Garfield comics. I love what a gluttonous, selfish and slightly malevolent pig Garfield is. I especially love it when he kicks Odie off the table. I can't stand Peanuts, though.

I don't have anything to add except that I wanted to make it clear that you're not the only one. As a child (80s/90s) I thought Garfield was hilarious. I'd always ask for Garfield books for birthday/christmas presents and I would often re-read them. I don't find it quite so directly funny anymore, but it does feel very nostalgic. Read Garfield is very comforting.

Oh, I almost forgot.

Every single agenda I ever had in high school, was a Garfield agenda.

No exceptions. Ever.

No regrets, either.

Re: It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

#24

Post by lukey_q »

carls wrote: post #19
polka_haunts_us wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Were there in fact legions of people who _did_ find it funny, or entertaining? I'm sorry ahead of time if this comment comes off as strong, but I'm always confused by people who can't comprehend that there must be people who like thing it's popular to not like . I hate Adam Sandler, I think he's among the least funny human beings on the planet. I also don't question whether anyone actually enjoys his movies, because…

My question in the original comment is not meant to mock or poke fun at those who enjoyed it. I, myself, found it somewhat entertaining to read as a kid. Rather, my question is more in reference to what seem to be incongruous facts: the article points out that the comic was not written with the intention to be funny, so then what explains its popularity as a comic strip? I don't doubt that there are some (many!) who…

As someone who also remembers Garfield being funny as a kid, I don't read the OP as saying it was never funny, but that being funny was a secondary concern to Davis after being marketable. I just looked up a random Garfield strip from 1988 [1] and I have to say, it's kind of a funny visual gag. Nothing groundbreaking but for a daily strip in a newspaper, it's not bad, and I'm an adult now, as a kid I probably would have found it hilarious. Combine decent humor like that with recognizable and cute characters appearing in the newspaper daily and it's not surprising that the strip became so popular.

[1] http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ga/1988/ga880101.gif

Re: It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

#27

Post by dbspin »

Interesting that the immediate counterpoint is the New Yorker comic strips. While certainly witty, I'd question whether these are even intended to be funny. As in, do people literally read them and laugh out loud, find themselves thinking back on a particular strip and laughing and so on. I always assumed the New Yorker panels were more of an acerbic, dry, 'aha' kind of observation than anything designed to be 'funny' in the traditional sense. Meanwhile, Garfield while hackneyed (as the article points out, even intentionally so) has its moments.

The classic New Yorker panel is perhaps 'On the Internet, no one knows you're a dog' - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Internet,_nobody_knows_... Clever, timely and memorable, sure. But inducing of mirth? Questionable.

Comedians make the differentiation between 'funny' and 'funny, funny', as between a 'bit' and a 'joke, joke', something that follows the traditional structure of a joke book or cracker. It's an interesting distinction for something that isn't particularly well described by the subtleties of English.

Re: It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

#28

Post by t0mbstone »

pmoriarty wrote: post #5

So what is it that makes Garfield popular? This is the more interesting question the article does not even try to explore. My own theory: he's cute. People love cute cats. Grouchy cats are cute. Ergo Garfield is cute, and lovable, even when not funny.

"Then, he consciously developed a stable of recurring, repetitive jokes for the cat. He hates Mondays. He loves lasagna. He sure is fat."

Basically, Garfield is for people who like grumpy cats and relatable, albeit, repetitively dry and not particularly witty humor.

Re: It’s Not Just You: Garfield Is Not Meant to Be Funny (2013)

#29

Post by barkingcat »

Rallerbabs wrote: post #23
LeoPanthera wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have anything to add except that I wanted to make it clear that you're not the only one. As a child (80s/90s) I thought Garfield was hilarious. I'd always ask for Garfield books for birthday/christmas presents and I would often re-read them. I don't find it quite so directly funny anymore, but it does feel very nostalgic. Read Garfield is very comforting.

Oh, I almost forgot. Every single agenda I ever had in high school, was a Garfield agenda. No exceptions. Ever. No regrets, either.

Agreed. No regrets.
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