A memorable start Garfield the plot featured the feline version of “the story of cats,” a graphic novel sequence published in the summer of 1979; as the week goes by, Series creator Jim Davis took readers on a ride through the past – from the beginning of life on Earth to the modern era – all from Garfield’s perspective.
Garfield “History of Cats” offers an excellent look at how a single Davis joke could evolve over the course of a few days; Coming in only the strip’s second year of publication, it’s a clear example of how the author flexes his creative muscles, planning an extended joke.
The strips also gave Davis the opportunity to step outside of the comic’s usual setting, Jon Arbuckle’s house, and go to some unexpected places – all of which adds to what made Garfield such a lovable and enduring character.
Garfield’s hilarious take on the origins of species, from his old “Cat Story”
First published: August 6-11, 1979
“The Story of Garfield’s Cats“starts when”the first cat came out of the sea ten million years ago“when a cat with the face of Garfield, but with long fangs and the body of a fish, walks the earth for the first time – and immediately finds”the first mouse.” This comic book was published from Monday to Saturday, Garfield’s talk covered prehistoric times, the Dark Ages, explorers Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus’s cats, and finally the contributions of cats to society in more modern times.
How was the point Garfield humor, the “Cat Story” comic strip was deliberately broad, designed to connect with the widest possible audience. In practice, for artist Jim Davis, this meant choosing eras and historical figures to reference carefully, to maximize his reach. Although on a conceptual level the joke’s premise shows that Davis was interested in history – or at least considered it fertile ground for comedy – it avoids being too intellectual, running the risk of losing readers.
The key to success with the extended Garfield segments was the comedic escalation
How “History Of Cats” exemplifies this
“Cat Story” provides a strong example of the quality that makes a week-old joke work in a cartoon like Garfield; that is, the vital thing is to keep taking the joke to the next level in each successive strip. “History of Cats” offered Jim Davis a linear path along which to create his string of jokeseach becoming more ridiculous in a way that reflects the increasing complexity of the historical era to which it refers. The joke stretches and builds day by day – but the essential structure remains the same.
As far as the strip’s history goes, “History of Cats” helped set the precedent for how Garfield Week-long extended jokes would work.
In each strip, Davis tells the reader about the era, then introduces the “Garfield-centric” twist on the real story, before finally delivering a punchline that ties the joke to the modern world. Also worth noting is the way the cats in the illustrations come to look more and more like Garfield as they approach modernity – a strong visual touch that works to further connect the joke to the character. Overall, as far as the strip’s history goes, “History of Cats” helped set the precedent for how Garfield extended jokes would work.
Exploring what made Garfield one of the most successful comic books in history
Jim Davis’ sense of humor
In the years and decades after the publication of “History of Cats” in 1979, Garfield became a worldwide phenomenon, solidifying itself as one of the most successful cartoons in the history of the medium. It’s endlessly debatable whether Snoopy or Garfield are more recognizable, but the point is that both have transcended their original status as comic book characters to become cultural symbols. As a character, Garfield may be remembered for his hatred of Mondays or his obsession with lasagna, but What led to this pop culture success was Jim Davis’ comedic style and approach to storytelling.
Davis’s work is rightly praised for its appeal to all age groups and its ability to be simultaneously funny and deeply insightful. Any single Garfield the cartoon may be a representation of this specific type of humor, but “Cat Story” shows how humor can go beyond a single strip. Garfield success, as far as it can be quantified, was linked to the tireless ambition of Jim Davis, and that ambition is evident in this beginning Garfield gag, which remains one of the funniest of comics’ formative years.