Garfield

Sometimes I discover little things about myself that seem to resemble Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, although I don't think I have full-blown OCD, just a hint here and there. One of these things is that when I'm reading the comics in a newspaper, I have to read every strip on the page, even the ones I know I won't like. They take each mere seconds to read, and bits and pieces of them appear in my peripheral vision while reading the good ones, so part of me keeps thinking that I should just go ahead and read them. As such, a few years ago I got into the habit of reading the ones that I dislike first, that way there's a higher chance of "ending on a high note" (I don't have any compulsions about what order I read them in).

This is my long-winded and sort of wimpy way of justifying why I read Garfield. Both of my local papers carry it, and every once in awhile a strip does make me laugh slightly. I won't bother setting up the back story, but today's strip took me by surprise. Not because of the humour (there's very little), but because of the plot point.



Years ago I watched the Garfield and Friends cartoon, and there was one episode where Jon finally convinced Liz to actually go on a date with him. Jon tried to leave Garfield at home, but of course he managed to join them. And of course, he ruined the whole night, but Liz's reaction was that if Jon cares about the cat enough to put up with his crap (remember, she's a veterinarian), then he can't be all bad. I don't know if that plotline was worked into the comic, but I think it has a lot to do with her revelation in today's strip. Aside from the introduction of Nermal, the Garfield comic has introduced very few plot-influencing elements over the years, choosing instead to rely on recycling the same six gags with barely detectable variations. I have a feeling a change is finally on the horizon. Whether this will be a good or bad thing remains to be seen.