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No. 5140: Fat Cat

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Fat Cat

First | Previous | 2023-06-15 | Next | Latest

Permanent URL: https://mezzacotta.net/garfield/?comic=5140

Strip by: Muk

Jon {giving Garfield a bowl of food}: Here you are, Fat Cat
Garfield: The worst thing about a diet isn't watching what you eat...
{Jon and Odie are eating at the table}
Garfield: It's watching what everyone else eats!

The author writes:

As a college student, Jeff Kinney (author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series) wrote a comic called Igdoof, published in The Diamondback from 1992 to 1993. In one comic detailing different cartoon genres, he calls this a "professional example" of "The Gag Strip".

The ever-popular gag strip is actually formulaic in nature. The three elements are:
  1. Setting establishment
  2. Joke setup
  3. Punchline
("thinking animal" - important for gag strips)

In the years since this has come out, I don't think Garfield has ever actually done this joke. It feels more like a Peanuts joke to me.

Even almost 30 years ago, people were commenting on how repetitive Garfield had gotten. I have to wonder what Kinney thinks of it now, but I feel like he wouldn't have a problem with it, considering Wimpy Kid also hasn't been good since 2013 and yet has no end in sight.

Original strips: 1985-07-29, 1985-07-31, 1990-10-29, 1990-11-18.