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Garfield #34
Garfield Life to the Fullest
MAKE WAY FOR GARFIELD!
The tubby tabby is back, and he's livin' larger than ever! So whether he's enveloping Pooky in his Herculean hug, arguing with the talking scale, or munching on his masterpiece, the Leaning Tower of Pizza, GARFIELD's motto is always the Bigger IS better!
The tubby tabby is back, and he's livin' larger than ever! So whether he's enveloping Pooky in his Herculean hug, arguing with the talking scale, or munching on his masterpiece, the Leaning Tower of Pizza, GARFIELD's motto is always the Bigger IS better!
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 18, 1999
About the author
Jim Davis
2,444 books648 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 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 13, 2022
Bueno, qué decir de los Garfields, uno de los compañeros de nuestra infancia (y adolescencia y parte de la vida adulta, recuerdo haberlos leído hasta bien después de acabada la carrera). Recuerdo haberme encontrado el primero en casa de un amigo y habérmelo devorado de una sentada, con 5-6 años, sin entender varios de los chistes pero disfrutando mucho de los más obvios. Hoy en día, en casa, a los ojos entrecerrados con mezcla de desprecio y aburrimiento los seguimos llamando ojos de Garfield:
Esta sensación de saber que siempre iba a encontrar unos cuantos graciosos la tuve durante las dos décadas posteriores en las que Garfield iba apareciendo periódicamente en mi vida. No es una obra culmen de la literatura, pero nos ha alegrado muchos momentos.
Esta sensación de saber que siempre iba a encontrar unos cuantos graciosos la tuve durante las dos décadas posteriores en las que Garfield iba apareciendo periódicamente en mi vida. No es una obra culmen de la literatura, pero nos ha alegrado muchos momentos.
December 7, 2017
I always enjoy reading Garfield. What an obnoxious, yet entertaining cat.
July 12, 2021
Ever reread a book and wonder why you once loved a franchise at all. I remember as a kid, first learning to read, I would get the funnies out of the newspaper every day. I didn't read all of the comic strips but one of the ones I followed everyday was Garfield.
And yeah, I was an 80s Kids. Garfield was everywhere. T-Shirt, lunchboxes, suction cup dolls, video games, stickers and every so often... and until I was about seven usually only at Holidays or on Friday nights in the summer- TV.
Revisiting Garfield as an adult you realize the series has maybe six jokes in its entire run. A lot of strips have recurring motiffs they come back to time and again. But they expand on them, show us something about the characters. (For comic strips that have done this right see Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Bloom County/Outland and even Big Nate.) However- Garfield never does. You don't get beneath surface level on these characters because that's not the point.
Jim Davis has said, in interviews, that saw how much Peanuts was making from it's TV and theatrical outings. He set out to create the mascot type character... and he did.
And reading Garfield as a kid you see cat do mean things to the dog and the human and go year, this is funny. But then you grow up and want something a little more high brow and whatever it is you're looking for Garfield just doesn't have it. Whereas you can visit Peanuts or Calvin and Hobbes again and again... Garfield wasn't really that funny to start with and is less funny now.
Controversial statement-- the stuff Mark Evanier did with Jim Davis's creations on TV in the last 80s through the 90s is a hell of a lot funnier than Jim Davis ever did with Garfield. Maybe it's because Evanier tried to infuse something beyond a surface level to a character who was designed to be toyettic.
And yeah, I was an 80s Kids. Garfield was everywhere. T-Shirt, lunchboxes, suction cup dolls, video games, stickers and every so often... and until I was about seven usually only at Holidays or on Friday nights in the summer- TV.
Revisiting Garfield as an adult you realize the series has maybe six jokes in its entire run. A lot of strips have recurring motiffs they come back to time and again. But they expand on them, show us something about the characters. (For comic strips that have done this right see Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Bloom County/Outland and even Big Nate.) However- Garfield never does. You don't get beneath surface level on these characters because that's not the point.
Jim Davis has said, in interviews, that saw how much Peanuts was making from it's TV and theatrical outings. He set out to create the mascot type character... and he did.
And reading Garfield as a kid you see cat do mean things to the dog and the human and go year, this is funny. But then you grow up and want something a little more high brow and whatever it is you're looking for Garfield just doesn't have it. Whereas you can visit Peanuts or Calvin and Hobbes again and again... Garfield wasn't really that funny to start with and is less funny now.
Controversial statement-- the stuff Mark Evanier did with Jim Davis's creations on TV in the last 80s through the 90s is a hell of a lot funnier than Jim Davis ever did with Garfield. Maybe it's because Evanier tried to infuse something beyond a surface level to a character who was designed to be toyettic.
October 29, 2018
I love Garfield
March 15, 2019
Reading through the Garfield books with my 8.5 year old son. We're both fans of the fat cat.
July 13, 2024
Fun collection, with the traditional strips about decorating for Christmas, Jon trying to get a date for New Year's, and Garfield's birthday.
August 24, 2024
Garfield will never not be funny
June 17, 2025
Garfield kills a lot of spiders, makes a lot of sarcastic jokes about Jon, boots Odie, etc. Some of these books have more memorable strips than others. I miss when sometimes there were storylines.
May 25, 2026
own in 3 pack
May 10, 2010
Garfield watches the Binky the Clown show.
December 11, 2010
Very funny
April 3, 2012
Book #34 Typical Garfield. The fat cat turns 20.
September 6, 2012
Legomeister loves the Garfield books.
April 25, 2014
Gotta love "Jon's scariest dates" section in the back! Poor guy so unlucky in love! But too funny for the rest of us :) haha!
October 13, 2009
comic lovers this is the best garfield ever! cocentration on holiday and season.
February 16, 2014
Lots of laughs.
April 16, 2017
Garfield eats remote control by mistake.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews