The Beat is reporting that Ballantine books will be printing a collection of the Garfield Minus Garfield strips by Dan Walsh.
From their press release:
The full-color book format will give readers the experience of having both the original and doctored Garfield strips together on the same page for comparison. Dublin, Ireland-based Garfield Minus Garfield creator Dan Walsh will provide the foreword to the book.
Garfield creator Jim Davis was intrigued by-and pleased with-the concept. “I think it’s an inspired thing to do,” Davis said. “I want to thank Dan for enabling me to see another side of Garfield. Some of the strips he chose were slappers: ‘Oh, I could have left that out.’ It would have been funnier.”
Garfield Minus Garfield site creator Dan Walsh says, “When I looked at Jon and laughed at his crazy antics I thought ‘He’s just like me.’ As it turns out, I wasn’t the only one saw myself in him: millions of visitors from all over the world visit Garfield Minus Garfield and tell me they think the same thing. Now, thanks to the awesome generosity and humor of Jim Davis, Garfield Minus Garfield is going to become a book and I’m absolutely honored to be part of it.”
Fabulous! And kudos to Jim Davis for being so gracious and encouraging.
It’s nice to see Davis has a sense of humor about this.
GMG is a fun diversion, but I really don’t see the need for a collection where both strips are laid side by side. Seems a little pretentious. GMG is a funny idea, but is there really something to be gained by studying these two strips?
Oh wait, I can here it now: GMG brilliantly deconstructs the form to its bare essence, revealing the pacing, minutiae, and emotion captured in a three panel strip about a fat cat that eats lasagna. John’s loneliness is our own.
It’s nice to see Davis has a sense of humor about this.
GMG is a fun diversion, but I really don’t see the need for a collection where both strips are laid side by side. Seems a little pretentious. GMG is a funny idea, but is there really something to be gained by studying these two strips?
Oh wait, I can here it now: GMG brilliantly deconstructs the form to its bare essence, revealing the pacing, minutiae, and emotion captured in a three panel strip about a fat cat that eats lasagna. John’s loneliness is our own!
My opinion of Jim just went up about a million points. That’s very cool. This is how the world works differently when human beings run things instead of boards of directors.
Ah, Garfield minus Garfield, where would we be without you? Now there’s a paradox…
You’re right, that is refreshing. Personally, I love GmG.
YES!!! Garfield Minus Garfield gave me a new respect for Jim Davis (because of his great attitude towards it) and a renewed interest in the genius that is the Garfield comic strip! I will definitely be in line for that book!
fantastic…. way to go Jim Davis, you just encouraged everyone else to find their own comics to doctor!
Beetle Bailey minus Beetle Bailey anyone?
How about Dennis the Menace – Dennis
or
The Lockhorns Minus Loretta
or hey… Family Circus minus the family!
Yeah it’s nice that Davis didn’t sue and all, and it was funny as a web comic or how Matt put it, a diversion, but cashing in on it? Really? At least give all the profits to an animal charity, or something…
Introducing:
Family Circus Minus The Family
http://flickr.com/photos/52355820@N00/sets/72157606475803389
book deal please!
Family Circus w/o the Fam is a revelatory strip. Brilliantly, it shows us the urban American landscape–sans inhabitants–thus satirizing the sham that is human civilization. Also, it’s witty!
While this is a hoot, clever and all that, who would want to buy a book or even visit the web site when all you have to do is simply read Garfield and leave out Garfield? I don’t see the marketability of it.
I love GMG, but does Jim Davis make any money from this book since it is his strips being used?
He is being cool about the whole deal. It’s refreshing. Jim Davis is thankfully no Lars Ulrich…
it doesn’t say it in this article but on the GMG website it says:
Paws, Inc. and Ballantine Books, a division of the Random House Publishing Group, announced last week at Comic-Con International that Ballantine will publish a book inspired by the popular webcomic Garfield Minus Garfield.
Ballantine Books has been publishing Garfield books since 1980
so yes it’s actually Jim Davis who will be capitalizing off this.
The only reason for a book like this would be if all the profits went to a charity.
I believe it’s a unique marketing idea which Jim Davis recognizes. Ultimately, GMG sells Garfield.
If a strip without Garfield sells Garfield, all he really has to do is:
give Garfield a disease, play that out for a few months-a year.
kill off Garfield(making headlines far greater than Captain America’s death)
then he is free to pay people to doctor Garfield out of all his old strips.. thus able to…resell… all 30+ Garfield books without Garfield.
Then they can rerelease the two Garfield movies, digitally remastered without Garfield! The same can be done with the TV show.
and then he could kill off Jon and resell all 30+ books again with just the table in each panel. “A minimalist masterpiece” they will call it!
Jim Davis is in for a cut of this, obviously.
The guy is prepared to make money out of anything, remember Mister Potato Head?
Sure, he’s a nice guy, but Garfield has been a naked commercial venture right from the start.
I don’t read Garfield anymore, but looking through the GMG stuff, since when did Jon become such a loser? For those who say he always was, you’re wrong. He used to be a dry-witted, laconic everyman who could hold down a relationship. He had a steady girl at one stage.
Now he’s more like someone with intellectual disability.