| 2/10/95 – This strip shows a hint of self-reflexivity. The characters are long since established enough that their traits are utterly taken for granted. Thus, a traditional Garfield theme of a hungry cat is played upon to once again come in with a ludicrous punch line, “Sure [I’m hungry], and by the way, your car’s on fire.” 5/8 2/11/95 – This blunt depiction of Garfield as a truly indiscriminate glutton is worth a laugh or two. I’m amused seeing him dig in to, “some disgusting glop…made from who knows what.” 4/8 (Perennial Garfield fans may note the internal contradiction in this strip. Early strips had regularly portrayed Garfield as frustratingly finicky in his eating habits. I guess all our standards drop eventually.) 2/12/95 – Another strip whose value derives solely from the physical gag. Seeing Garfield ensconced in a cocoon of spider web is out of the ordinary enough to be funny, but not very. 1/8 2/15/95 – This strip isn’t particularly funny, but I can’t help smirking a little as Jon derides Garfield for his disgustingly gluttonous eating habits and Garfield displays a little sensitivity with, “just don’t call me ‘Mister Lardo.” 1/8 2/24/95 – The diet theme was also an established cliché at this point in Garfield history, but the new and bizarre twist of Garfield rubbing himself with doughnuts another example of the physical humor being just entertaining enough to catch my notice. 1/8 2/25/95 – This diet strip warrants mention simply because it makes me ask, “were cartoon cats allowed to talk about wearing bikini briefs in 1995?” 1/8 2/27/95 – Maiming is a subject not often mentioned in comic strips for good reason. This is the second Garfield strip I know of to make use of its rarity to make a joke that much funnier. The humor of this strip comes from the implied mental image of a cartoon cat going for a walk to cool off and taking his anger out on various cartoon squirrels. It’s funny. 5/8 3/9/95 – The lame pet owner attempting to elicit approval from his pets by way of even lamer puns is funny here. The joke in the second panel is terrible, and the satirical context is where the humor emerges. 3/8 3/10/95 – This strip really isn’t even funny, but I like it. Seeing Jon discover Pooky watching a “When Bears Attack” show is an amusing thought. 1/8 3/16/95 – This is elevated beyond a mere physical joke by a few factors. The physical aspect in itself is possibly the funniest in the entire book, but Jon’s performance cements the comedy. It’s obvious that he offers Garfield cream for his coffee in order to show of his new pitcher – that and the offense he takes afterward score big points in the “nerds are funny” category. This one took me by surprise and made me laugh out loud, thus earning: 5/8 3/27/95 – Akin to the previous “bikini brief” strip, this one amuses me by introducing something risqué I hadn’t seen yet on the comics page. Jon’s “Aloha, dude!” getting an obvious raised middle finger in response is a funny mental image for the comics page of 1995. 2/8 3/31/95 – Just like the above strip, it’s the imagined impropriety occurring offstage that makes this strip comical. There’s just something funny about a guy’s grass skirt being eaten by leaf weasels. Admit it. 2/8 4/3/95 – The Arbuckle family’s heralding of the changing seasons falls with many strips into the category of “inhumanly goofy enough to be considered funny.” Jon’s dressed as a giant flower shouting, “Hello, Mister Springtime!!” What’s not to like? 2/8 |
| 1 or 2: These comics are usually simple phsyical jokes. They are amusing, but not funny. This is the most basic level of comics that are at least worth reading. 3 or 4: Usually somewhat more sophisticated humor than just funny drawings. These usually don't make you laugh out loud, but should make you smile wide or chuckle under your breath. This is where the funny begins. 5 or 6: If you find one, you're lucky. These must engage the reader in such a way to generate a truly satisfying belly laugh. They can often be simple jokes, but generally construct a situation to frame and enhance the comedy. 7: One of the best comic strips you will ever see. Either outright hilarious or for some reason a master work in the field. 8: Comic perfection. These exceedingly rare strips offer not only superior content, but artistic style as well. To me, they make the argument that comic strips don't have to be just entertainment - they can be art as well. These will probably only come from Calvin and Hobbes or Bloom County (if i ever get that far). |