Garfield On The Town
by
Jim Davis

and
Lorenzo Music

Ballantine, October 1983, 64 pp.
ISBN: 0-345-31542-1

Genre: Comics
Subgenre: TV Tie-In / Humor
Reviewed: 4/24/2010

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Graphic Novel

Synopsis

Garfield and Odie are running around tearing up the house. Jon fears that there is something wrong with Garfield, as Garfield isn't usually full of energy, so they hop in the car to go to the vet. As Jon drives around a sharp corner, Garfield is thrown through the open window of the car. At first, Garfield is happy because he is free. After trying to hit on some female cats and being shot down, Garfield realizes that he misses home.

While scrounging around in a garbage can for food, Garfield meets a tough purple cat with a gold tooth and a mohawk. They sort of battle each other in a kinds of rock and roll dance battle and the purple cat runs away. Garfield follows him only to run into the purple cat's gang. Garfield flees and runs inside an abandoned building. There, he finds his mother. She tells him how he used to live here as a kitten and how the building was and Italian restaurant, which is why Garfield loves lasagna so much.

Garfield meets some of his family members and their friends. Just as they are going to teach him to be a mouser, the purple cat appears outside and demands they give up Garfield. You see, the purple cat is the leader of the cat gang, the Claws. They are not going to leave until they get the claws on Garfield.

Garfield On the Town is a graphic novel adaptation of Garfield's second television special and was written by Lorenzo Music and drawn by Jim Davis.

Review

Garfield On the Town was a television special in 1983 where Garfield is left to fend on his own after being thrown out of Jon's car. The book is in color, which is nice because all of the Garfield comic strip books I have reviewed so far have been in black and white.

The story flows along nicely, but I sometimes found the artwork to be a little awkward. It didn't happen too often, but enough that I noticed. I think Jim Davis tried to draw some of the funky angles that were in the cartoon on paper, and they just didn't work out very well.

Lorenzo Music, who was the voice of Garfield, wrote this story. I have always enjoyed his voice, as I first heard him on the The Real Ghost Busters as Dr. Peter Venkman. Unfortunately, Lorenzo Music passed away back in 2001.

It was nice to get a little history about Garfield. I have always wondered how a cat could love lasagna. Now I know. I have always wondered where Garfield came from. Now I know. I have wondered who his mother and family were. Now I know. It is nice to finally get some answers to some of my questions about Garfield.

Overall, Garfield On the Town is a good story about Garfield and his first time out on his own. So, if you have always had the same questions I have had about Garfield, you should pick up a copy of this book.

I rated this book a 7 out of 10.