An early Garfield comic featured the cartoon cat’s unique chronicle of the “History of Dogs,” a hilarious take on the origin of the canine species that emphasized the role of Garfield’s self-centered perspective in the strip’s humorwhich was still evolving at the time of the storyline’s publication.
“Garfield’s History of the Dogs was published in early September 1980 and ran for almost an entire week. This comic book sequel remains entertaining even decades later, a testament to creator Jim Davis’ timeless humor.
Additionally, it offers insight into what made Garfield such a popular character, who enjoyed worldwide success as more than just a comic, but as a literal icon – all built on the cat’s unique personality. .
What makes Garfield’s “Dog Story” a monument to the Strip’s early success
First published: Monday 1 September to Saturday 6 September 1980
In “History of Dogs,” over six three-panel strips, Jim Davis takes readers on a tour of the advancement of dogs, from the first proto-dog to crawl out of the oceaneven contemporary canines, played by Odie – all from Garfield’s perspective, which means that the very loose interpretation of the real story presented in these panels is part of the joke. From the covered scale “first dog“being immediately caught by”first dog hunter,” until the invention of “the first hydrant“Garfield’s mixture of prejudice and naivety intentionally distorts the facts here, heightening the comedy.
Far from being a representation of real history, the “Dog Story” comic strip sequence is an early example of one of Jim Davis’ best comic tactics – the escape from fantasy.
Readers will delight in the anachronism of a dinosaur stomping on a Stone Age hunting dog and the tail of “Bonzo Wag,” the dog who invented tail wagging – and drooling, which readers learn “it didn’t go so well“, with prehistoric humans. As with most Garfield jokes, the simplicity of jokes is part of the joy; Far from being a representation of real history, the “Dog Story” comic strip sequence is an early example of one of Jim Davis’ best comic tactics – the escape from fantasy.
Garfield’s “History Of Dogs” was a sequel to Strip’s earlier “History Of Cats”
First published in 1979
Before “The History of Dogs” appeared in newspapers in 1980, Jim Davis started with “The History of Garfield’s Cats” the year before. This established the formula that “Dogs” would later follow, and in the process provided an early example of Davis’ ability to craft a joke over the course of several days. Ongoing stories would later become increasingly prominent as Garfield continued, and both “History” lessons should be highlighted for their role in developing this trend during the strip’s early years of publication.
“History of Dogs” is, in a sense, a refinement of the joke, showing Jim Davis’ rapid development as a humorist during the early years of Garfield run. More than that, however, is evidence of a crucial aspect of Garfield success – more than just the strip’s main character, the eponymous orange tabby functioned as its main character. In other words, the mood Garfield it is most often rooted in Garfield’s own perspective. Although sometimes Jon Arbuckle’s internal narrative is also present, the “voice” of the strip is predominantly that of Garfield.
‘History Of Dogs’ Is An Example Of How Garfield’s Perspective Is Essential To The Strip’s Humor
The importance of Garfield’s point of view to the “Story” portion – and in turn, to the strip as a whole – is evident from the title of both sequences: “Garfield’s Story.” This emphasizes that these are Garfield’s own ideas and interpretations; part of the joke is that, as human as Garfield may seem, his understanding of world events, from past to present, is necessarily limited, a humor that is exploited by the fact that the character speaks with such confidence, despite their minimal real knowledge.
Garfield humor has repeatedly relied on this aspect of the cat’s personality over the years; an amusing overconfidence that often led Garfield to some comical low point, from which he never learned any concrete lessons. This sitcom quality of Garfield The comic style is part of what made him last decades as a comic, helped Jim Davis expand his comics into a multimedia empire, and transformed Garfield became one of the most recognized figures in pop culture, a success that was foreshadowed by the success of the strip’s “History” comic book sequels.