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Garfield Minus Garfield
It’s Garfield–as you’ve never seen him!
Come savor the existential adventures of Jon Arbuckle in Garfield Minus Garfield. Based on the phenomenon ignited by Dan Walsh’s hilarious and wildly popular webcomic (beloved by The New York Times and The Washington Post, and hailed as “inspired” by Garfield creator Jim Davis), Garfield Minus Garfield takes everyone’s favorite fat cat out of the picture, leaving us with only the lonely ennui of Jon as he’s left to voice thoughts about his own existence into an empty void.
With a Foreword by Dan Walsh, creator of www.garfieldminusgarfield.net
Come savor the existential adventures of Jon Arbuckle in Garfield Minus Garfield. Based on the phenomenon ignited by Dan Walsh’s hilarious and wildly popular webcomic (beloved by The New York Times and The Washington Post, and hailed as “inspired” by Garfield creator Jim Davis), Garfield Minus Garfield takes everyone’s favorite fat cat out of the picture, leaving us with only the lonely ennui of Jon as he’s left to voice thoughts about his own existence into an empty void.
With a Foreword by Dan Walsh, creator of www.garfieldminusgarfield.net
128 pages, Paperback
First published October 28, 2008
66 people are currently reading
535 people want to read
About the author
Jim Davis
2,356 books634 followersJames Robert "Jim" Davis is an American cartoonist who created the popular comic strip Garfield. Other comics that he has worked on are Tumbleweeds, Gnorm Gnat, Slapstick, and a strip about Mr. Potato Head.
Jim Davis was born in Fairmount, Indiana, near Marion, where he grew up on a small farm with his father James William Davis, mother Anna Catherine (Carter) Davis, brother Dave, and 25 cats. Davis' childhood on a farm parallels the life of his cartoon character Garfield's owner, Jon Arbuckle, who was also raised on a farm with his parents and a brother, Doc Boy. Jon, too, is a cartoonist, and also celebrates his birthday on July 28. Davis attended Ball State University. While attending Ball State, he became a member of the Theta Xi fraternity. He earned the dubious honor of earning one of the lowest cumulative grade point averages in the history of the university, an honor incidentally shared with Late Show host David Letterman.
Davis as of 2007 resides in Muncie, Indiana, where he and his staff produce Garfield under his company, Paws, Inc., begun in 1981. He was married to Carolyn, a singer and elementary teacher whom he met while both were attending college, and has a son named James with her. However, the couple divorced, and Davis since 2000 has been married to Jill, Paws' senior vice president of licensing, who has worked there approximately 25 years.
Ironically, Davis did not own cats when he started Garfield because of Carolyn's allergies, but they owned a Labrador retriever named Molly. With Jill, the family has expanded to include children Ashley and Chris; three grandchildren, Chloe, Carly and Cody; cats, Spunky and Nermal; and a dog, Pooky.
Jim Davis was born in Fairmount, Indiana, near Marion, where he grew up on a small farm with his father James William Davis, mother Anna Catherine (Carter) Davis, brother Dave, and 25 cats. Davis' childhood on a farm parallels the life of his cartoon character Garfield's owner, Jon Arbuckle, who was also raised on a farm with his parents and a brother, Doc Boy. Jon, too, is a cartoonist, and also celebrates his birthday on July 28. Davis attended Ball State University. While attending Ball State, he became a member of the Theta Xi fraternity. He earned the dubious honor of earning one of the lowest cumulative grade point averages in the history of the university, an honor incidentally shared with Late Show host David Letterman.
Davis as of 2007 resides in Muncie, Indiana, where he and his staff produce Garfield under his company, Paws, Inc., begun in 1981. He was married to Carolyn, a singer and elementary teacher whom he met while both were attending college, and has a son named James with her. However, the couple divorced, and Davis since 2000 has been married to Jill, Paws' senior vice president of licensing, who has worked there approximately 25 years.
Ironically, Davis did not own cats when he started Garfield because of Carolyn's allergies, but they owned a Labrador retriever named Molly. With Jill, the family has expanded to include children Ashley and Chris; three grandchildren, Chloe, Carly and Cody; cats, Spunky and Nermal; and a dog, Pooky.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
November 16, 2008
see, take the cat away and everything is bleak, bleak, bleak....
December 5, 2009
Every once in a while, a book surprises you with depth and insight you never suspected. This was one such book. I've heard about it & seen it around, & thought, "oh, how clever", or "cute". While working at the library today, it came across my desk & when I checked it in,& since it didn't have a hold on it, I decided to flip through. What I found startlingly touching, sad & very familiar. Take Garfield away from Jon & he's talking to himself. You see a man who works hard, tries hard, & experiences the emotional highs & lows of life in relative isolation. As someone who has struggled with mental disabilities throughout my life, I suddenly recognized in Jon a kindred spirit. Someone lonely enough to cheer himself up with sock puppets. Someone who can go from ecstatic to despondant without any apparent cause. Jon Arbuckle has long been a friend of mine. Garfield comics have on many occasions drawn me out of depressions with an easy laugh & a familiar pun. Thanks to Dan Walsh, I now understand why - 'I' am Jon Arbuckle. Luckily, Garfield is around to make our lives more tolerable.
December 29, 2013
Book #39 for 2013
I've popped over to the G-G site on occasion to get a schadenfreudenistic chuckle out of Jon Arbuckle's existential angst, so I was already familiar with the concept of removing the sarcastic cat from his own comic strip in order to expose his owner's many vulnerabilities. It's really a brilliant demonstration of how the strip is not about its title character at all, and I found the commentary from Davis and Walsh, who both identified a great deal with Jon, quite interesting. Placing the focus squarely on Jon is at once hilarious and sadly disturbing.
I have mixed feelings about this book, though, both in its general existence and in its specific format. Without the book, I would just occasionally read one or two of the G-G strips at a time. I think that is ideal. Collecting a whole bunch together like this, in a manner designed for scarfing down in a single sitting much the same way Garfield would consume an entire pan of lasagna, creates a depressing sense of repetition that makes Jon seem even more pathetic than he is. That makes it hard to find them as amusing as I once did. And I'm not sure I like the original strip being displayed right there at the bottom of the G-G strip's page. It's nice to have the context, so I can compare and contrast Jon's psyche with and without his feline companion. But it feels kinda like cheating. Or analyzing a punchline.
Did I like this book? Oh, yes. And it was a good, low-stress pick for a book club meeting in the busy holiday season. We actually got some good discussion out of it. It wasn't a lengthy discussion, but it was interesting to hear what things other readers picked up on the most. Would I recommend this book to others? Yes, but with the advice to take small bites and chew slowly. I suspect I would have given the book another star if I'd just limited myself to two or three pages a day.
I've popped over to the G-G site on occasion to get a schadenfreudenistic chuckle out of Jon Arbuckle's existential angst, so I was already familiar with the concept of removing the sarcastic cat from his own comic strip in order to expose his owner's many vulnerabilities. It's really a brilliant demonstration of how the strip is not about its title character at all, and I found the commentary from Davis and Walsh, who both identified a great deal with Jon, quite interesting. Placing the focus squarely on Jon is at once hilarious and sadly disturbing.
I have mixed feelings about this book, though, both in its general existence and in its specific format. Without the book, I would just occasionally read one or two of the G-G strips at a time. I think that is ideal. Collecting a whole bunch together like this, in a manner designed for scarfing down in a single sitting much the same way Garfield would consume an entire pan of lasagna, creates a depressing sense of repetition that makes Jon seem even more pathetic than he is. That makes it hard to find them as amusing as I once did. And I'm not sure I like the original strip being displayed right there at the bottom of the G-G strip's page. It's nice to have the context, so I can compare and contrast Jon's psyche with and without his feline companion. But it feels kinda like cheating. Or analyzing a punchline.
Did I like this book? Oh, yes. And it was a good, low-stress pick for a book club meeting in the busy holiday season. We actually got some good discussion out of it. It wasn't a lengthy discussion, but it was interesting to hear what things other readers picked up on the most. Would I recommend this book to others? Yes, but with the advice to take small bites and chew slowly. I suspect I would have given the book another star if I'd just limited myself to two or three pages a day.
January 3, 2024
It is a funny concept, and at times relatable, but overall a little disappointing. Most of the strips chosen for this book involve Jon trying to get a date or some other pathetic endeavor, while Garfield speaks up in the last panel to punch up the joke. With Garfield removed from the equation, the jokes aren't really transformed that much, if at all.
The best edits are the ones where you're forced to think about it in a different context. For example, the physical comedy ones where Jon stares silently and maniacally at an ice cream cone or a snowball for a panel or two before smashing it in his own face. Why'd he do that? What's going through this crazy man's head? To me, that's peak comedy.
I chuckled at the "upcoming Garfield Minus Garfield merchandise" page, too. If you've ever wanted your very own plain mug or a tee shirt with nothing on it, they're available now!
The best edits are the ones where you're forced to think about it in a different context. For example, the physical comedy ones where Jon stares silently and maniacally at an ice cream cone or a snowball for a panel or two before smashing it in his own face. Why'd he do that? What's going through this crazy man's head? To me, that's peak comedy.
I chuckled at the "upcoming Garfield Minus Garfield merchandise" page, too. If you've ever wanted your very own plain mug or a tee shirt with nothing on it, they're available now!
January 19, 2025
Irlantilaisen Dan Walshin nettihupailusta alkanut "Karvinen miinus Karvinen" (Egmont, 2008) sisältää joukon strippejä, joissa kissanretale on poistettu kokonaan kuvista ja niinpä vaikuttaisi siltä, että Esko on vajonnut syvän masennuksen ja hulluuden syövereihin. Sinänsä oivaltava perusidea jaksaa hymyilyttää pienen hetken verran, mutta ei koko albumin vertaa. Lopputulos muistuttaa kyllä siitä, miten älyttömän ilkeä ja julma sarjakuva Karvinen pohjimmiltaan on.
January 8, 2024
Very possibly the single funniest thing I have ever seen in my life.
Warning: Results may vary. A lot.
Warning: Results may vary. A lot.
April 30, 2012
While I do really like the idea of Garfield Minus Garfield as well as the very fact that it's been made into an actual officially sanctioned physical book, I can't help but wonder if the book misses the point a bit. Under each "sans Garfield" strip is its original version. Though I can understand that this helps satisfy the curiosity of anyone wondering what the heck the gag was "with Garfield," to me it comes across like a joke book with footnotes explaining why each joke is funny. I also can't help but notice that a very few of the comics are changed in slight ways other than removing Garfield, like rearranging the order of the panels or removing one of Jon's thought bubbles.
So I guess what I'm saying is, this book is best enjoyed by training myself to completely ignore the bottom half of every page. Except the "A Word From Jim Davis" pages. That's nice and interesting.
So I guess what I'm saying is, this book is best enjoyed by training myself to completely ignore the bottom half of every page. Except the "A Word From Jim Davis" pages. That's nice and interesting.
March 8, 2010
These are selected Garfield comics...but without Garfield. The text is the same, but it's just Jon Arbuckle, alone in his house, trying to get a date and dreading Mondays. The resulting comics reveal Jon to be a pathetic, borderline insane man whose existence is meaningless and absurd. And then you realize he was talking to a cat all along, and that Jon could never hear Garfield's thought bubbles to begin with, and so really, Garfield has always been a horribly depressing comic...disguised underneath hackneyed lasagna jokes. Garfield Minus Garfield removes the comforting one-liners and snarky comments of Garfield to reveal some really interesting and often highly disturbing images/scenes. This book is comedic gold and existential genius.
July 5, 2012
Dumb!!!!
May 27, 2019
I saw a version once where Garfield wasn't missing, he was just a perfectly normal unintelligent cat. I somewhat preferred those.
But this is still good. Funny and depressing.
But this is still good. Funny and depressing.
January 22, 2020
This is a wacky one. Dan Walsh gained a lot of attention online when he started posting Garfield comic strips with Garfield removed. Garfield creator and artist Jim Davis noticed, and liked what he saw. This book is the result.
Removing Garfield from strips involving his owner Jon results in a darkly existential comic about a sad, lonely, twisted man talking to himself. This collection is hilarious, and even includes some new Garfield Minus Garfield strips by Jim Davis himself.
Removing Garfield from strips involving his owner Jon results in a darkly existential comic about a sad, lonely, twisted man talking to himself. This collection is hilarious, and even includes some new Garfield Minus Garfield strips by Jim Davis himself.
March 21, 2016
This is such a strange concept for a book, but the more that you read, the more you realize that it's more than just taking Garfield out of the story. It is a philosophical look on life, very existential, and surprisingly deep. When you stop to think about it, Jon has always been talking to himself. And in many of these comics, it doesn't really matter if Garfield is there or not. His thoughts are all in his head. He's a cat; he's not really talking, so Jon is never really getting a response. If his cat weren't a lasagna-loving, sarcastic furball, we would probably have felt the same way about Jon as we do seeing him without a cat at all.
December 27, 2008
I like how it says it's still by Jim Davis. The strips are indeed his art-- Jim Davis creates these lukewarm strips containing Garfield, which is one step above Family Circus or Marmaduke and one below The Lockhorns in humor level. Dan Walsh makes Garfield go away, and suddenly they're funny, poignant, and interesting vignettes of the world's loneliest man, Jon Arbuckle.
The book includes the original strips containing Garfield, allowing comparison between versions. In 100% of cases, elimination of that dumb fat cat makes these comics much better.
The book includes the original strips containing Garfield, allowing comparison between versions. In 100% of cases, elimination of that dumb fat cat makes these comics much better.
November 23, 2008
Take away the talking cat and this strip becomes a brilliant dissection of the modern American male in the suburbs. That awkward painful hilarious vibe we love in The Office? Multipy that by a thousand and that's just a little moment in Jon Arbuckle's day. Excellent stuff and how cool is Jim Davis to let this exist and be published?
March 15, 2013
It’s an ingeniously simple concept – take Garfield out of the Garfield strips. What’ve you got left? His mad owner, Jon Arbuckle wandering about his house making bizarre statements and doing nutty things. And it’s both utterly hilarious and startlingly sad. Full review here!
December 25, 2008
How is this by Jim Davis???? I'm ecstatic that this could be put into a book and that legal battles were not waged but Jim is taking credit for another persons idea. This is why I think it works better on the internet, the book seems to trivialize the whole thing.
January 20, 2009
What a fantastic and surprising book. Jon, minus Garfield, is such a fascinating, pathetic, and complex character. It's like Curb Your Enthusiasm in cartoon form, or Woody Allen's biography as a graphic novel. Brilliant. http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/
January 25, 2012
Brilliant. Don't know what more to actually say. For fans of Garfield as well as fans of dark humor.
July 6, 2012
Simply brilliant. Should be on every coffee table.
October 27, 2020
Very relatable...
February 3, 2016
Wow, when you do this....Jon is a miserable man.
July 22, 2018
“Someone sent me a link to Garfield Minus Garfield one day, and I was immediately struck by the simplicity and the honesty of the concept. Essentially, Garfield does the color commentary in Jon’s hapless existence. Strip away Garfield’s superfluous comments, and you’re left with the stark reality of Jon’s bleak existence.” Garfield creator, Jim Davis
Jim says it best. But because what I have enjoyed most and related best to in this comic was Garfield and his superfluous comments, reading page after page of what (I hope) are Jon’s bleakest strips . . . It didn’t enthrall me. But an interesting concept, nonetheless.
Jim says it best. But because what I have enjoyed most and related best to in this comic was Garfield and his superfluous comments, reading page after page of what (I hope) are Jon’s bleakest strips . . . It didn’t enthrall me. But an interesting concept, nonetheless.
February 22, 2024
Really well done
I remember happening across Garfield Minus Garfield online a few years ago, and for a while afterwards if I was reading a regular Garfield strip I would try and figure out what it would be like sans Garfield. This book is a well curated collection of some of the best strips, and the addition of the original for extra context only adds to the humour. If you're a fan of Garfield and/or Garfield Minus Garfield this is well worth a look.
I remember happening across Garfield Minus Garfield online a few years ago, and for a while afterwards if I was reading a regular Garfield strip I would try and figure out what it would be like sans Garfield. This book is a well curated collection of some of the best strips, and the addition of the original for extra context only adds to the humour. If you're a fan of Garfield and/or Garfield Minus Garfield this is well worth a look.
September 6, 2022
These strips reminded me so much of how people post on social media now. They're home, bored, no date, so they start getting morose, or being silly, for their followers. A tweet about being single leads to introspection, or maybe a small existential crisis, until they call it a day and start over tomorrow.
May 15, 2023
7.5
Wspaniały dziennik prezentujący historię o schizofrenii, depresji i popadaniu w szaleństwo codziennej samotności, które w obecnym świecie zdaje się być już tylko normą. Usunięcie Garfielda z pola widzenia pozwala lepiej spojrzeć na prawdziwy przekaz pasków Jima Davisa. A tym samym pozwala ujrzeć w nich nas samych. Geniusz.
Wspaniały dziennik prezentujący historię o schizofrenii, depresji i popadaniu w szaleństwo codziennej samotności, które w obecnym świecie zdaje się być już tylko normą. Usunięcie Garfielda z pola widzenia pozwala lepiej spojrzeć na prawdziwy przekaz pasków Jima Davisa. A tym samym pozwala ujrzeć w nich nas samych. Geniusz.
July 27, 2017
This collection of web-comic shows that John's life without Garfield is a very dull one. Every comic strip displays how John struggles with his boring life that's why he tries everything to entertain himself.
June 28, 2025
I don’t usually do a casual Garfield read, but I found this book recently at an antique mall and I knew I had to check it out soon. So, having read it, it’s pretty cool. Nothing really note-worthy; it’s just a really cool idea for a book. 8/10.
May 6, 2017
Poor Jon. :(
September 1, 2017
Enjoyed the intros by Dan Walsh and Jim Davis.
April 10, 2018
Masterpiece.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews