NYT Plus Garfield Minus Garfield

The New York Times on “Garfield Minus Garfield.” [via]

Ever wonder what Jim Davis (the creator of the Garfield strip) thinks about the whole thing? Were you waiting for him to freak out and shut down the site?

Thankfully, that’s not going to happen any time soon. His comments are open-minded and refreshing:

Jim Davis, the cartoonist who created “Garfield,” calls himself an occasional reader of the site, which he calls “fascinating.” He says he is flattered rather than peeved by the imitation.

“Some of them really work, and some of them work better,” Mr. Davis said in a telephone interview.

…

Mr. Davis, who has been drawing Garfield for 30 years, said that “Garfield Minus Garfield” has actually prompted him to take a different look at his own work. He compared Mr. Walsh’s efforts to the cerebral approach of Pogo, the comic strip by Walt Kelly.

“I think it’s the body of work that makes me laugh — the more you read of these strips, the funnier it gets,” Mr. Davis said. As for Garfield himself, “this makes a compelling argument that maybe he doesn’t need to be there. Less is more.”

Kudos, Mr. Davis. And keep up the good work, Mr. Walsh.

Check out Garfield Minus Garfield here.