“When the Cat’s Away, Neurosis Is on Display.”
– Washingtonpost.com
Natalie Frigo sent us a nice tip, which works well in the context of our little ‘erasure’ program (see previous post). Garfield Minus Garfield is a web project created by Dan Walsh, dedicated to removing Garfield from the Garfield comic strips in order to “reveal the existential angst of a certain young Mr. Jon Arbuckle. It is a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb.” Surely, fans of Garfield have always found ways to tweak the strip. The Garfield Randomizer lets visitors create their own strips out of random panels. Images of strips with Garfield’s thought bubbles removed or Garfield replaced by a silent, realistically-drawn cat have been circulating online as well. But this concept, as simple as it is, became an online sensation in no time (the site started receiving as many as 300,000 hits a day). Even Jim Davis, who pens the original strip, was intrigued and pleased with the concept, calling the work “an inspired thing to do”. He even went so far as to thank Walsh, saying: “I want to thank Dan for enabling me to see another side of Garfield. Some of the strips he chose were slappers: ‘Oh, I could have left that out.’ It would have been funnier.” Dan Walsh’s reaction: “In an age when the internet gives everyone an opportunity to put their own spin on art, music and literature, it’s a pity more people aren’t as generous with their work – just imagine some of the fantastic creativity we could be enjoying.” Thanks to Davis’ involvement (and the subsequent press coverage), a book version has been published in October 2008. In the book, the original strips are published alongside the ones in which Garfield has been removed.
Go here. Hilarious!
