Garfield Weighs In

(His 4th Book)
by
Jim Davis

Ballantine, March 1982, 126 pp.
ISBN: 0-345-30262-1

Genre: Comics
Subgenre: Comic Strip / Humor
Reviewed: 3/23/2010

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Comic Strip

Synopsis

Garfield Weighs In is the fourth 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. The last page is entitled "About Jim Davis, creator of GARFIELD" where he talks about himself and the Garfield comic strip. Most of the strips are single shots, but a few storylines appears.

This collection contains the following storylines: Cat Show, Girl Scout Cookies, The Sludge Monster, The Attack Cat, Diet Time, Visit to the Farm, Garfield's History of Dogs, National Fat Week, Jon and Liz Go Out for a Date . . . with Garfield, Nermal Pays a Visit, Fleas, and Garfield in a Body Cast.

This book contains comic strips from 3/31/1980 through 11/2/1980.

Garfield Weighs In 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 Weighs In is only the fourth book of Garfield comics. The book is packed with that crazy cat doing "mean things" to both Jon and Odie. Come on, you must admit that Garfield isn't a very nice cat. He is always smacking Jon around, shredding the furniture, kicking the dog, and rarely in a good mood. Makes you just want to go out and get a cat, doesn't it. On the other hand, he can occasionally be loving . . . but that is usually just him loving himself. Okay, can you tell that I like dogs a lot more than cats? Yeah, I'm not too hard to read.

Still, I do enjoy reading Garfield comic strips. Every once in a while he makes me give a chuckle and brings a smile to my face. I know it doesn't happen often, but I like it when Odie outsmarts Garfield. I have often wished that Odie had thought bubbles just like Garfield. I wonder why he doesn't. I think it would make the comic strip even funnier. As for Jon, he is his usually passive self. Man, there is no way I would let a cat boss me around like he lets Garfield do to him. No way!

Overall, Garfield Weighs In is a book packed with entertaining comic strips that are appropriate for all ages. Reading Garfield comic strips is quick and makes me happy that I don't have a pet like that. Jim Davis grew up with 25 cats on his parent's farm. Can you imagine? Twenty-five cats? Wow! That sure is a lot. Having watched cats during his youth really let him understand the cat psyche. So, if you are thinking about getting a cat and want to know more about them before you go out and buy one, read Garfield Weighs In. Maybe it will cause you to change your mind.