Video Profile: Jim Davis and Garfield

6 thoughts on “Video Profile: Jim Davis and Garfield”

1. Jim Davis is a great guy.
   Our trip to his studio is a memory I will never forget. We were treated like we had been friends all our lives.

   Not only is Jim a nice guy, but he’s smarter than the average bear … uh, cat. You can’t deny his success as a cartoonist and business man.

   And he also got David Reddick off the streets, which makes us all safer.

2. geat video clip from one of the greatest! I was wondering though… Jim was doing a mr. potatohead comic strip a while back.
   Just was wondering what happened to it?.

3. Nice video and good insights into the characters’ development. I only met Jim Davis once briefly but sure seems like a very nice guy. Garfield is consistently funny and high quality (IMO) and this video gives a nice glimpse into why.

4. Is “Garfield” an example of drawing style and character conception trumping the writing? The creation of the cat character (I’m speaking about the drawing) is excellent. The drawing style is simple, clear and funny. But the writing (IMO) is subpar. It’s slap-stick stuff and not especially clever or even very interesting. Yet this strip is a huge success. Or is “Garfield” supposed to appeal only to kids? I don’t know.

   Isn’t it true that most big winner strips – “Peanuts,” “For Better, For Worse,” Doonesbury,” “NonSequitur”etc. – feature excellent writing. I can’t think of another over-a-thousand-papers strip besides “Garfield” where the art is more important than the writing. Can anybody think of one?

5. Carl, I think Garfield has worked because it has always been a very charming strip featuring a great central character that has feelings that everyone can relate to. The genius of the writing is its brevity and its simplicity, while capturing every aspect of Garfield’s personality. And I wouldn’t call the art simple. It’s just very well drafted and not overdone. The strip itself captures elements of what makes a strip great: not much text, good clean art that’s easy on the eyes, a very interesting and funny character with human-like emotions that everyone can relate to.

6. I agree. I used to love Garfield when I was a kid and had all the books. I hadn’t really read the strip in years so the other week I picked up the lastest collection to take a look through. And yes, while some of the writing may be very slap-stick and maybe more appealing to a younger audience, there were a bunch of times I laughed out loud– just because it’s mostly slapstick and sight gags doesn’t mean the writing is sub-par; it’s just a different style. Cul de Sac, Pearls Before Swine, Get Fuzzy, Pooch Cafe– these are some of my favorite strips, all are extremely well written though the styles and heart of the comedy differ greatly in each of those strips.

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