10 Funniest Garfield Comics That Just Turned 30 (In August 2024)

There are few Garfield Comic strips (if any) that aren’t completely hilarious, but it could be argued that the many running gags in the series are the absolute funniest. The one-off gags are great, to be sure, but an ongoing story consisting of many comic strips built on the same joke is more than just funny, This is a rewarding experience for the reader, as it allows them to be more fully immersed in the world of Garfield.

While Garfield There’s no shortage of running gags throughout the series’ extensive history, and there’s one that easily stands as one of the funniest of all time. And the best part? This running gag is included in a month’s worth of Garfield Comic strips that just turned 30 years old, meaning there’s no better time than right now to look back and enjoy how utterly hilarious it is. Plus, it’s far from the only strip (or series of ​​strips) published in August 1994 worthy of fans’ collective attention. Here are those 10 funniest Garfield Comics that just turned 30!

11

Garfield’s ball of yarn hilariously turns the tables on him

Garfield – August 1, 1994

Like all cats, Garfield enjoys the occasional ball of yarn. However, based on the type of play all cats have with Yarn – Garfield included – it’s a safe bet that Yarn himself wouldn’t enjoy it very much if it was sentient. Unfortunately, most balls of yarn cannot fight back. However, Garfield decides to play with the one ball of yarn that can. In this passage, Garfield pokes his yarn and gets completely covered in it, and he says, “I had to challenge it“.

Although it is more likely that Garfield just covered himself in the yarn and blamed the yarn himself, It’s hilarious to consider that the yarn actually attacked GarfieldAnd by doing so, became a champion for every ball of yarn in the world that has ever been abused by mischievous cats.

10

Garfield proves to be a bad influence on Jon

Garfield – August 9, 1994

Garfield likes to tease and criticize Jon, but the comic proves that Garfield is more than just a pain in Jon’s neck, he is also a bad influence on him. As Jon stands at the counter, commenting to himself about how much he needs to exercise, Garfield pops up out of nowhere with a whole tray of fudge and offers it to Jon. while eating a piece, Jon calls Garfield “Evil“For tempting him with such a delicious and unhealthy treat.

The comic becomes even more hilarious when readers consider that there is no way Garfield—of all people— Would share a plate of food with Jon if he really wanted some. He only did it to mess with Jon after Jon said he needed to exercise, proving that Garfield is more than just a bad influence, he really is, “Evil“.

9

Garfield takes a ‘lunch break’… during lunch

Garfield – August 11, 1994

Everyone knows that Garfield is notoriously lazy and food-motivated. So, what happens when the ‘unstoppable force’ of food-motivation meets the ‘immovable object’ of laziness? Well, this comic strip solves that very difficult. Garfield leaves his food bowl half-empty while he and Jon eat lunch, a sight so strange that Jon comments on it. Then, Garfield walks back into the strip with a sandwich, and declares, “Snack time“.

Garfield is so lazy that he has to take a “lunch break” during lunch, And he is so food-motivated that he spends that break getting something else to eat. This is truly Garfield in full form, including and especially the aspect of the comic strip which is absolutely hilarious.

8

Garfield is more than just Jon’s pet, he is also his dust rag

Garfield – August 12, 1994

Usually, it’s Garfield who is absurdly disrespectful to Jon. However, in this case, it is Jon who is acting this way to Garfield. When the lazy, orange cat is lying on the counter, minding its own business, Jon walks up to him and just starts rubbing Garfield’s body against the counter. When Jon has finished, Garfield asks a question he already knows the answer to, “Dust rags, are we?“.

Using a cat as a dust rag is not great. Although in Garfield’s case, he kind of had it coming. Garfield is always mean to Jon, so when Jon sees an opportunity, he will give the cat a taste of his own medicine. In this instance, that comes in the form of using Garfield as a dust rag – One of the more practical pranks of the entire series.

7

Garfield finds something more captivating than food: himself

Garfield – August 14, 1994

One would be hard pressed to find anything Garfield would find more captivating than food – good thing the comic does that for them. When Jon is trying to enjoy a bowl of soup, Garfield stole his spoon and makes faces at himself in the spoon’s reflectionAnd Jon is forced to remind Garfield that he is trying to have a meal with company”Heaven“.

What’s interesting is that Jon is not just asking Garfield for his spoon back, he’s effectively bringing attention to the fact that he has food. Jon should know better than to pay attention to his food when Garfield is around, because the fat cat isn’t above swiping his meal. However, the thought didn’t even cross Garfield’s mind, as such It seems he found the one thing more captivating than food: himself.

6

Garfield (& Jon) cause mayhem in their house…with a toaster

Garfield – August 21, 1994

A typical Garfield comic is usually pretty understated, with a few witty insults and maybe some off-screen violence. However, this comic is a standout in this regard, as it is complete chaos from start to finish. As Garfield makes some toast, he wonders, “I wonder if Jon fixed the toaster?“, implying that the worst thing that could happen is that he doesn’t get any toast. This is not the worst thing that could happen.

Garfield’s slice of bread is shot out of the toaster and effectively chases both Odie and Jon around the house, all while Garfield ducks for cover. While it was Garfield who tried to make the toast in a toaster he knew was wrong, it was Jon’s job to fix the toaster, Making them both responsible for this mess.

5

Garfield hilariously suffers the consequences of his own laziness

Garfield – August 23, 1994

It’s been pretty well-established that Garfield is almost impressively lazy, but his actions in this comic strip take the cake. Garfield decides that he will try to hunt the birds at the local bird bath, but instead of doing any hunting of any kind, Garfield just walks up to a bird, opens its mouth, and tells the bird to jump in. The bird flips the birdbath on Garfield’s head, soaks him in the water and gives him a nice pat on the noggin Before flying away.

One would think that if someone was too lazy to hunt, they just wouldn’t hunt – but not Garfield. Garfield wanted to reap the rewards of hunting without actually doing any of the workAnd in truly hilarious fashion, he suffers the consequences.

4

Garfield learns the meaning of the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover”

Garfield – August 29, 1994

In the first comic strip of the aforementioned running gag, Garfield walks up to a sign in a yard that reads “Beware of Dog”, only to find a tiny little puppy even smaller than he is. Naturally, being the general nasty and offended cat that he is, Garfield just starts laughing at the dog, because the thought of him being wary of him tickles Garfield to no end. But, moments later, Garfield wasn’t laughing anymore.

While it happens off-board, Garfield is beaten by the ‘laughably’ tiny dogForce the mean cat to go away with his tail between his legs and a number of injuries that he definitely needs to get looked at. It seems that Garfield learned a very important (and painful) lesson in this comic, as he now understands better than ever the meaning of the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover“.

3

Garfield meets the 1st bird he doesn’t want to eat

Garfield – August 30, 1994

In the second comic strip of the running gag, Garfield returns to the “Beware of Dog” sign. Only this time, there isn’t a dog there for him to laugh at (and then get beat up by). Instead, there is a very large bird that actually wrote the word ‘dog’ on the sign and wrote ‘bird’ in its place. When Garfield asks if he should really beware of the bird, it regurgitates the collar of a very large dogIndicates that the bird ate the dog – and Garfield’s next.

After Garfield is completely convinced, and he will really beware of this particular bird. The “Beware of Dog” part of the gag is even funnier when you remember thatJust a few comics ago, it was Garfield who was trying to eat a bird. And now, he’s come to one he doesn’t want to eat (mostly because he can’t).

2

Garfield learns there’s more than 1 reason to “Beware of Dog”

Garfield – August 31, 1994

In the third and final chapter of the running gag, Garfield returns to the “Beware of Dog” sign. Except, this time, the sign actually lives up to its name, but still in a way you wouldn’t expect. Rather than a tiny dog ​​or a dog-eat-bird, Garfield actually comes face-to-face with a large canine worthy of a “Beware of Dog” sign just by the sight of him alone. However, when the dog is rude to Garfield, the cat takes a closer look at the sign, noticing that it now reads “Beware of the willing-to-share-his-feelings dog“.

Based on what he said to Garfield, the dog certainly lived up to the reputation created by his mark, and— Like every other installment of the “Beware of Dog” running gag – it’s a hilarious subversion of expectations. That’s why this is one of the 10 funniest Garfield Comics that just turned 30!

1

Key background

• Created by Jim Davis, the lasagna-loving, lazy cat was originally designed to poke fun at human habits and routines through the eyes of a cynical cat.

• Garfield’s personality quirks quickly became central to his character, reflecting his overall disdain for effort and excitement, such as his hatred for Mondays and his love for lasagna.

• In 1981, Jim Davis founded Paws, Inc. to manage all aspects of Garfield’s merchandising and licensing. Allowing him to have full control of his artwork.