[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