Jim Davis is always described as a nice, sensible, Midwestern farm boy with a good sense of humor, but every now and then he shows off a twisted side which just boggles the mind.
(Yes, I had that book when I was a kid and yes, I thought it was awesome.)
I still think your LJ icon is one of the best Garfield strips.
I also liked the early Odie encounters that ended with Garfield, say, shoving his nose into his mouth, tying him up as a ball, and bouncing him around the house.
Ha I remember that. I either had that Garfield book when I was a kid, or my mom's friend did. Davis' early stuff was genuinely funny. So sad that he didn't get out of the game while the getting was good.
It makes me feel better about the years I spent reading and enjoying it as a kid. ("No, I'm not just in denial about my lack of taste as a juvenile; it really was funny back then.")
Oh, Primal Self was the real mindfuck of the book. It was this little housecat who falls asleep at home and has a regressive dream back to the feral days -- no words, mind you, just panels of savagery and aggressive drawing, shadows, cats hunting, fighting, all kinds of nifty things... and then the dream goes away and the kitty is back at home sleeping.
Then its owner calls out to it, an elderly lady who says something like "Here kitty kitty, come sit with Gramma..."
And the last panel is the housecat leaping forward, claws out, mouth open and teeth bared.
It was kinda freaky to me, but seeing it now makes me want to read it again. I'd entirely forgotten about that book; I don't feel so ashamed about liking Garfield when I was a kid, now.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-06 02:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-06 03:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-06 04:11 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-06 04:40 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-06 08:35 am (UTC)(Yes, I had that book when I was a kid and yes, I thought it was awesome.)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-06 08:55 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-06 11:50 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-06 12:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-06 12:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-06 02:45 pm (UTC)Or something like that -- that's from memory of when I was in sixth grade or so. . .
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-06 04:26 pm (UTC)I also liked the early Odie encounters that ended with Garfield, say, shoving his nose into his mouth, tying him up as a ball, and bouncing him around the house.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-07 12:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-07 11:33 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-08 02:17 pm (UTC)Then its owner calls out to it, an elderly lady who says something like "Here kitty kitty, come sit with Gramma..."
And the last panel is the housecat leaping forward, claws out, mouth open and teeth bared.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-09 05:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-14 12:31 am (UTC)