[Rallerbabs]

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.

[LeoPanthera]

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.

[Rallerbabs]

Oh, I almost forgot.

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

No exceptions. Ever.

No regrets, either.

[barkingcat]

Agreed. No regrets.

[dkarl]

I was a Peanuts fan as a kid and still am. Rereading books of the old strips was centering and calming for me the way the bible is for some people. It reassured me that it was... safe?... to wish for justice in the world and to want to be a better person. I liked Garfield, too, but it appealed to something meaner in me. There's suffering in both strips, but the way the Charlie Brown endures despite his dignity being stripped from him again and again is realistic, while the fact that Jon always bounces back is meant to be understood as unrealistic. A realistic Jon would be a crushed, hopeless, miserable person. Often the only purpose of putting a smile on his face seemed to be to make it possible to enjoy the cruelty directed against him. (Same with Odie.) Not saying I'm above enjoying it, but it's hard to put a positive spin on it.

My favorite Garfield cartoons are the ones where I can read John as self-aware, like this one: https://www.mezzacotta.net/garfield/?comic=2351

[sethammons]

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 :)

[brandmeyer]

> 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

[sp332]

Some Garfield strips are really funny. The first couple years had a higher density of actual jokes I think.

[bitwize]

Oh, kids think he's a scream. But the humor wears thin as you get older. I've noticed the same about Mad Magazine. When I was 11 and 12, it was hilarious. But as I got older I realized that half the reason I found it so funny is because I was a kid. The nonstop puns, pop-culture parodies, and low-key raunchy humor pushed the envelope for me. But as an adult I realized that whatever wasn't forced obvious humor, was boomers who haven't moved on, didn't understand new phenomena like video games at ALL (certainky not enough to competently make fun of them), and were fighting 60s and 70s ideological battles in the 80s and 90s. They dedicated an entire section of one issue to moralizing about smoking, for instance.

That said, some of the art -- especially Al Jaffee's -- was excellent. I can't say the same about Garfield.

[ksaj]

Mad Magazine was comedic gold for what goes on in the margins (the little mini-cartoons) and the self-referencing jokes. I was a fan of spy-vs-spy, too. It very well might have influenced my career.

The last page (the one you fold) was pretty innovative, too.