In which Brokentooth expounds on the unfunnies.
Perhaps there's nothing more inspirational than banality.
I can't think of another way to explain the unmitigated surreal lunacy that Jim Davis and Garfield inspire. And I continue to be amazed by the undying spirit that drives people to make this strip funnier (or, at the very least, suck less).
Can a feces machine be art, someone once asked. And by much the same coin, a more profound question - can Garfield be funny?
Apparently, yes.
______________________________
First, there was the Garfield Randomizer. A student at U Wash cobbled together a webpage that fetched strips from the online Garfield archives, but combined and reorganized individual panels from different strips. An inspired idea, to be sure. The result? A truly surreal take on the life of the otherwise eminently predictable cartoon cat.
The original Randomizer is, sadly, now offline. But its spirit lives on here.
______________________________
Shortly following this came the incredible Silent Garfield. In an idea born, perhaps, on the Truth and Beauty Bombs forum, Garfield's thought balloons were gently excised from the strip, producing an altogether funnier - and more subtle - comic. A wonderful idea which works splendidly; and by doing so, illustrates perfectly one of my biggest gripes with Garfield - not only does it go for the obvious joke, it tries to beat you over the head with it.
Folks, I present to you the case of the unnecessary punchline.
Here's an original Garfield strip, which I pulled off the archives. Published in April 1990.
And sans Cat Thought Balloons, it turns into
It's the same joke. But ah - this time, it's more subtle; an eminently forgettable punchline isn't forced down your throat. What remains is simply the expression on Garfield's face, which in turn leaves the last panel a wee bit more open-ended. The result - you bring your own interpretation to that quizzical look, and that makes the strip stronger.
A whole new dimension emerges by simply eliminating the redundant visual and textual underscoring of the punchlines. Garfield becomes oddly beautiful and surreal - and at times, almost poetic.
I suppose the moral of all this is that Jim Davis is so close to a good comic strip - but he just doesn't realise it. Or perhaps he does, and he doesn't care. Or perhaps, he's a true genius who has ingeniously cloaked a surreal and subversive comic within an admittedly formulaic one.
Who can tell?
______________________________
And now, I find the fascinating Lasagna Cat (also here), where Garfield strips are recreated in truly bizarre fashion. The hilarious short live action reenactments are followed by a rimshot and laugh-track; there's then a "tribute to Jim Davis" music montage.
In turns creepy and surreal, the Lasagna Cat videos add yet another incredible dimension to what is undoubtedly a truly unremarkable comic strip.
Bravo.
I can't think of another way to explain the unmitigated surreal lunacy that Jim Davis and Garfield inspire. And I continue to be amazed by the undying spirit that drives people to make this strip funnier (or, at the very least, suck less).
Can a feces machine be art, someone once asked. And by much the same coin, a more profound question - can Garfield be funny?
Apparently, yes.
______________________________
First, there was the Garfield Randomizer. A student at U Wash cobbled together a webpage that fetched strips from the online Garfield archives, but combined and reorganized individual panels from different strips. An inspired idea, to be sure. The result? A truly surreal take on the life of the otherwise eminently predictable cartoon cat.
The original Randomizer is, sadly, now offline. But its spirit lives on here.
______________________________
Shortly following this came the incredible Silent Garfield. In an idea born, perhaps, on the Truth and Beauty Bombs forum, Garfield's thought balloons were gently excised from the strip, producing an altogether funnier - and more subtle - comic. A wonderful idea which works splendidly; and by doing so, illustrates perfectly one of my biggest gripes with Garfield - not only does it go for the obvious joke, it tries to beat you over the head with it.
Folks, I present to you the case of the unnecessary punchline.
Here's an original Garfield strip, which I pulled off the archives. Published in April 1990.
And sans Cat Thought Balloons, it turns into
It's the same joke. But ah - this time, it's more subtle; an eminently forgettable punchline isn't forced down your throat. What remains is simply the expression on Garfield's face, which in turn leaves the last panel a wee bit more open-ended. The result - you bring your own interpretation to that quizzical look, and that makes the strip stronger.
A whole new dimension emerges by simply eliminating the redundant visual and textual underscoring of the punchlines. Garfield becomes oddly beautiful and surreal - and at times, almost poetic.
I suppose the moral of all this is that Jim Davis is so close to a good comic strip - but he just doesn't realise it. Or perhaps he does, and he doesn't care. Or perhaps, he's a true genius who has ingeniously cloaked a surreal and subversive comic within an admittedly formulaic one.
Who can tell?
______________________________
And now, I find the fascinating Lasagna Cat (also here), where Garfield strips are recreated in truly bizarre fashion. The hilarious short live action reenactments are followed by a rimshot and laugh-track; there's then a "tribute to Jim Davis" music montage.
In turns creepy and surreal, the Lasagna Cat videos add yet another incredible dimension to what is undoubtedly a truly unremarkable comic strip.
Bravo.