Jan 12, 2010
Notes From A Far-Flung Correspondent
Welcome to Notes from a Far-Flung Correspondent, which features the weekly interests and musings of Bossy’s Son, who is currently enjoying his sophomore year at Columbia University in the City of New York.
This week: Garfield Minus Garfield.
I’ve never been much of a Comic Book Guy, but he used to have entire bookshelves full of Garfield comics, and somewhere between playing-card fights and living room hockey and underwater handstand competitions, we managed to read quite a few of them.
The driving comedic force behind Garfield comics — frankly, its entire raison d’être — is the relationship between Jon and Garfield. Jon provides the amicably pitiful, Garfield the wickedly snarky, but the two of them endure together in a life partnership of endless lasagna.
But what happens if we insert a little reality into the mix? What if Garfield is de-anthropomorphized? What if Jon is just a single man without a talking, attitude-y cat?
Here’s what happens:
And this:
And this:
And this:
This is Garfield Minus Garfield the personal project of Dan Walsh, a self-labeled Irish musician, artist, nerd, and businessman. By carefully Photoshopping Garfield-the-cat out of every frame, Walsh has begun a psychological study whose premise sounds more like the tagline of a Roth novel than a comic book. Walsh writes, 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.
For sure, Jon sans cat is a touchingly, hauntingly lonely man. But there’s a quiet humor here too, something that stretches beyond the loneliness; it calls for the viewer to fill the role of the missing Garfield, to supplement these existential crises with the necessary humor. And this, to me, seems to be the essential human condition: confronting periods of loneliness and self-doubt and positivistically enduring through them.
Or maybe he’s just a goofy guy with no friends.
Click here to read creator Dan Walsh’s charming interview with The New Yorker.
–>Dear Bossy’s son, I miss Garfield. We have the same waistline and share the same love of all things lasagna.
I’m glad to see Garfield is getting another lease on life. We used to have all the Garfield books when I was young. Personally, I always dug the ones with his nephew Nermal. Something about the name and Nermal’s wide-eyed naivete always made Garfield seem even funnier.
Obviously, I was a very sophisticated comic reader even at a young age.
Ooh. And he’s smart too! Well written AND insightful Bossy’s Son! …Though, now I am depressed. Poor Jon needs some friends, doesn’t he??
My son is obsessed with Garfield. When we found out about Garfield minus Garfield, we were hooked. He thinks it is just so silly!
Dear bossy’s son: You lost me at “existential crises” and “essential human condition” but then I remembered you were in college and read the New Yorker and I put it all in perspective. The fact is: I’m looking forward to broadening my horizons (and borrowing New Yorkers) by reading more of bossy’s son in the future…great debut!
Wait a minute… are you trying to tell me that cats don’t talk? What fresh hell is this?
It would be just as easy to insert Liz, right? Unless Liz is strictly a Garfield the Movie (1, NOT 2. 2 was crap) creation.
I don’t know from Garfield.
I think that is flat-out hilarious. I would totally talk to my cats, or nobody, if I didn’t have a million kids.
A+ Bossy’s college son.
Imagine… someone stirring up audience and income while referencing a cartoon from way back. VERRRRY INTERRRESTING, Bossy’s son.
But what about Odie?
Oh, dear – I was *just* doing that static thing, BY MYSELF, this morning. It was highly entertaining. But I’m not lonely nor am I having an existential crisis… and, and, and I do have friends! Really, I do! My oldest son turned me on to Garfield minus Garfield. You sons! Always at least one step ahead.
Maybe I’m a grumpus but I find Garfield minus Garfield to be just too depressing…
Another one of my favorites: http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/post/193494560
A friend introduced me and my daughter to this comic, but I’d not seen these gems. Thank you for the laughter.
LOVE the new feature!! Now Bossy needs side buttons from her entire posse – Martha, Bossy’s Daughter, Bobo … And of course the Artist Formerly Known as the Silver Fox, who I imagine lives with a permanently bemused expression as all these shenanigans go on…
Way to go Bossy’s son!
Nice job Bossy’s son! I know I’m living my best essential human condition now, too.
One of my favorites! Bossy’s son and I have something in common. I never liked Garfield until it didn’t have Garfield in it any more…
Just outstanding…
BH
Love the new feature. Bossy’s son is FUNNY.
I loved Garfield when i was little, but Jon always made me sad.
Oh Boy….this is going to be FUN…..
Dude. If I’d known you were subcontracting I would have snapped you up ages ago!
“Subcontracting” implies “payment,” right?
… good thought …
Welcome Bossy’s son. Hope you get a subcontracting contract inked soon.
Jaysus, that was depressing.
This could grow into an excellent term paper for your Psychology (or Sociology or Philosophy or English) class!
So Sorry, Bossys Son, I had every intention to read about Garfield, but you lost ME at underwear handstand competition….
I love Garfield Minus Garfield. And going to the article about Dan Walsh reintroduced me to Joey Sayers, who I also love, but forgot about. (Sorry Joey Sayers.) She’s hysterical.
Apparently they teach bigger words at Columbia than they taught me at Ohio State. Bossy’s son is smart!
I know you are a sophomore at Columbia and all, BUT— is “positivistically’ even a word?
Woooo, B.S — Excellent!
Wait, that didn’t come out quite right. As a long-time fan, I’m thrilled to see you getting more air time here. Go, Kid, go!
Garfield minus Garfield is like Calvin minus Hobbes. But it is interesting that there is still some humor to the strip minus Garfield.
I remember the first time I encountered a Garfield comic. I was browsing at Waldenbooks (this was back in an era where books were sold in stores at malls, ask your mom) and I opened volume number one, read the cartoon where he is hanging on the screen door and burst out laughing in the store. I bought the book and an obsession followed that lasted for nearly a decade. Eventually I either grew too old to appreciate it or the comic lost its edge, but I eventually moved on to other literary pursuits. Still, the fat, orange cat will always hold a place in my heart.
Dear Bossy’s Son,
Well, you just described my everyday, except I talk with/to 6 dogs
Please Please don’t send me back to that other link with you and your friend. I cry every single time I get to the picture of you two hugging as you go off to seperate colleges. sniff.
Well done my boy, well done!
Can my daughter and I sleep on your dorm room floor for our upcoming yearly trek out of VA and into NYC?
Do you think Garfield became fearful of those Ray Bolger/Marty Feldman eyelids of Jon’s? I’m just saying.
I know it appears that I am addicted to making comments on Bossy but I just wanted to thank Bossy’s son for this post because it was just the right amount of unusual and also because it delivered my new favorite phrase to me that was written by Liz #7 “what new fresh hell is this?”
Dear Bossy’s son:
You have just become the unofficial godfather of my 5-year-old daughter. Because I want her to grow up and be exactly-and-I-mean-exactly like you.
She will be reading and taking notes here weekly. Thank you.
K.