» About     » Archive     » Submit     » Authors     » Search     » Random     » Specials     » Statistics     » Forum     » RSS Feed     Updates Daily

No. 5228: Odie's Least Favorite Dog Story

First | Previous | 2023-09-11 | Next | Latest

Odie's Least Favorite Dog Story

First | Previous | 2023-09-11 | Next | Latest

Permanent URL: https://mezzacotta.net/garfield/?comic=5228

Strip by: Muchacho1994

Garfield: Odie, I'm hungry. Go make me a sandwich
{Odie shakes his head, refusing}
Garfield: "Edinburgh in the 1860s was a city of contrasts..."
{Odie, in a panic, rushes to the kitchen}
SFX: ZOOM!
Garfield {to the reader}: I hate having to do that to him, but it works

The author writes:

For context, there's a couple of pages in an old Garfield magazine containing what is purportedly Odie's "favorite dog story". The story is called "Greyfriars Bobby", and it is about a dog named Bobby whose human friend, Old Jock, passes away. Bobby, despite the protests of the townspeople, stands guard by his grave and becomes a local celebrity of some sort. He eventually succumbs to death as well and is buried alongside Old Jock. It's a beautiful, rather poignant story.

There's just one small problem. I don't believe the person who compiled the annual did their research.

Odie would be traumatized by this. Two characters die in it. He would read it once and then would want nothing to do with it, ever again.

"But, author," you say, "we as humans watch fictional characters die all the time and we usually aren't traumatized by it. Why would he be?"

As someone who is well-versed in Garf lore, let me explain. Odie is just a puppy and, on top of that, is extremely empathetic. In an episode of the cartoon, he burst into tears when a prince in a fairy tale Garfield was reading lamented that the woman of her dreams would not marry him because she was a commoner, and then flat-out gave up on the story when the same woman passed out from eating poisoned spaghetti, having to be persuaded by Garfield to come back in and hear the rest. With that being said, it's not out of the question that a story in which characters actually die would leave poor Odie with nightmares for a long, long time.

So I drew this. I hope you all enjoy it.