It’s Garfield–as you’ve never seen him!
Come savor the existential adventures of Jon Arbuckle in Garfield Minus Garfiel... read full description
Come savor the existential adventures of Jon Arbuckle in Garfield Minus Garfiel... read full description
reviews
Dec 05, 2009
Kimberlee
rated it: 
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, tri
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Dec 26, 2008
Heather
rated it: 
Kudos to Jim Davis. When Dan Walsh started the painfully hilarious web site www.garfieldminusgarfield.net, Davis had the legal right to insist that it be taken down as a copyright violation. Instead, he not only enjoyed the joke but also collaborated on the publication of the strips.
The process is simple: use a digital editor to remove Garfield from Garfield strips. With the cat missing, the truth is revealed: the story of Jon Arbuckle, a desperately lonely, clinically depressed m More...
The process is simple: use a digital editor to remove Garfield from Garfield strips. With the cat missing, the truth is revealed: the story of Jon Arbuckle, a desperately lonely, clinically depressed m More...
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Mar 07, 2010
Rebecca
rated it:
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 un
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(2 people liked it)
May 17, 2010
David
rated it: 
Found this one on the table by the front door. Charlene didn't know where it came from. I must admit to not being a big Garfield fan. That may seem strange coming from someone who reads the comic strip every day, but I read them all except Zippy. The premise of this book is to take a bunch of Garfield strips and remove Garfield. The result is a rather depressed Jon talking to himself. The gimmick was cute for a few strips, but then... Maybe it is like Zippy or reading teenagers' Facebook p
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Nov 16, 2008
karen
rated it: 
see, take the cat away and everything is bleak, bleak, bleak....
6 comments
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(15 people liked it)
Dec 26, 2008
Eric
rated it:
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 More...
The book includes the original strips containing Garfield, allowing comparison between versions. In 100% of cases More...
Jan 08, 2009
Richard
rated it:
The internet sensation now in book form! Removing Garfield from these strips does make them funnier and a bit disturbing. The author (that is the guy who erased Garfield from the strips) seems to think this book can change the world and help treat people with bi-polar disorder and who knows what else. I don't know about that, but it is worth browsing at a library of bookstore. Or you could read the internet sensation on the internet.
Dec 04, 2008
Ben
rated it:
Garfield minus Garfield was an internet site that simply removed Garfield from the strip, leaving Jon by himself. What I got out of this was how irrelevant Garfield really was in at least some strips, and how much better the strips were without him. I am not a big fan of Garfield anymore (not since I was a kid) but I did enjoy reading and laughing at these strips over lunch.
Apr 01, 2010
Peacegal
rated it:
Who knew Jon was such a manic-depressive? “Garfield” with the fat cat subtracted becomes a study in loneliness, pathetic effort, and ennui.
Clearly, those holding the rights to the 80s icon have a sense of humor to allow the popular blog to be published in book form. Or maybe they just realize this is the most buzz Garfield has generated in decades.
Clearly, those holding the rights to the 80s icon have a sense of humor to allow the popular blog to be published in book form. Or maybe they just realize this is the most buzz Garfield has generated in decades.
Nov 23, 2008
Marco
rated it:
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?
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May 01, 2009
Charles
rated it:
The guy responsible for G-G does little more than remove Garfield from Garfield strips leaving Jon and his characteristic eccentricity completely naked. The strips are fully made over from a series of uninspired, obnoxious sight gags into studies in despair. Highly unexpected and amusing in a very dark way.
Jan 06, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
I read this while over at Hayden and Richard's. Without Garfield this is a very, very sad cartoon. John is the most pathetic person ever! It is like the ultimate existential commentary...
Go ahead the library owns it, put it on hold. David Wright would love this.
Go ahead the library owns it, put it on hold. David Wright would love this.
Dec 25, 2008
Charlie
rated it:
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.
Mar 27, 2009
Christiane
rated it:
More sad than funny. I guess having Garfield in the picture really did disguise how lonely and horrible Jon's life really is. Maybe this is what made Jim Davis give him (finally!) a girlfriend in the current strip.
Jan 06, 2011
Nihonjoe
rated it:
I liked this, mainly because I grew tired of Garfield years ago. He just stopped being funny except for the (very) occasional gem. This brought it back to being funny. I hope more of these books are published.
Jan 13, 2010
Joseph
rated it:
A little book that removes Garfield from its comic strips and leaves only Jon who is clearly a mess at life. It's fun to look at few strips while brushing your teeth. At least that's when I look at it.
Feb 02, 2011
Tim
rated it:
it takes old garfield comics and edits out garfield. What your left with is this really sad existencial existance of Jon!!! read it it's trippy how different it is
Mar 20, 2009
Treasure
rated it:
This one is funny at any age. The idea of Jon talking to himself adds both humor and a serious touch of insanity.
Feb 01, 2011
Mike
rated it:
Garfield comic strips without Garfield. Saying it out loud sound terrible but it works, or at least I think it does. So I guess that it turns out that Jon's a bit wacko. There really isn't much else to say that everyone has already said but I could very well compare his relationship to Garfield to that of Tyler Durdin.
May 09, 2009
Michael
rated it:
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.
2 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Jan 29, 2012
Red
rated it: 
This is so stupid all it shows is what is like with garfield and John talking and then with out
Mar 01, 2011
Alysia
rated it:
THIS IS SO FUNNY! It's basically Jon talking to himself and he seems insane and it is HILARIOUS!
Jan 25, 2012
Larry
rated it:
Brilliant. Don't know what more to actually say. For fans of Garfield as well as fans of dark humor.
Jan 19, 2009
Marianne
rated it:
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/
