Garfield at Large

(His 1st Book)
by
Jim Davis

Ballantine, March 1980, 126 pp.
ISBN: 0-345-28779-7

Genre: Comics
Subgenre: Comic Strip / Humor
Reviewed: 3/8/2010

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Comic Strip

Synopsis

Garfield at Large is the first collection of Garfield comic strips. All of the comic strips appear in black and white. The 126 pages consist of either two daily comics per page or one Sunday comic. Most of the strips are single shots, but a few storylines appears.

This collection contains the following storylines: To Declaw or Not to Declaw, Here's Pooky, Nap Attacks, Garfield Has a Cold, Cat Hair Everywhere, and A Sweater for Garfield.

This book contains comic strips from 6/19/1978 through 1/22/1979.

Garfield at Large by Jim Davis is a collection of Garfield comic strips. Garfield became very popular in the late-1970s and continues on today, although the character now looks a little different. It is seen daily in thousands of newspapers and enjoyed by millions worldwide. Garfield is a quirky cat that is quite fat, lazy and loves his lasagna. He loves to pick on Odie, the dog, and give Jon, his owner, a hard time. He hates diets and loves food . . . any type of food, especially lasagna.

Review

Garfield at Large contains the very first comic strips of Garfield and Jon. Boy, does Garfield ever look different in the first few pages. He changes quite a bit, bit is still pretty fat by the end of the book. His eyes were really small and round, as were Jon's. Odie's ears are black and Lyman lives with Jon. I had forgotten that Odie is Jon's dog. Pooky, Garfield's teddy bear is also introduced. We also learn that Garfield love lasagna.

I really enjoyed reading the very first book of Garfield comic strips. Although I never laughed out loud, I found myself amused most of the time and smiled on occasion. Even at the beginning of his life, I found Garfield to have quite the attitude. Poor Jon, he will never win with Garfield in the house. He is constantly outsmarted by a cat!

Jim Davis has created a highly entertaining feline character in Garfield. I love the pure stupidity of Odie and how pitiful Jon is.

Overall, Garfield at Large is a terrific book. So, you you are looking for a Garfield book to pick up, this first one in the series is a must.