In defense of Davis

[unixronin]

I had an epiphany this morning, and realized what a great unsung hero the world has in Jim Davis.

All these years, we've been thinking Jim Davis was a no-talent hack who's been recycling the same tired Garfield jokes for thirty years (did you know there's over 45 books of Garfield?  Can even Jim Davis tell them apart?) because his strategy for staying in newspaper syndication forever involved intentionally staying firmly settled in a niche of comfortable, safe, non-threatening mediocrity.  But I've realized this morning that this great humanitarian has a nobler purpose of which he does not speak.

He didn't just fall into that rut of stagnant irrelevancy.  No, this hero of our increasingly socially isolated times willingly leapt headlong into it with both eyes open.

... So that Cathy Guisewite wouldn't be lonely there.

Comments

[rbos.livejournal.com]

At least Guisewite allowed her characters to develop a (little) bit over the series.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

The girls have been bringing Garfield books home from the library. Right now they have, among others, the 11th and 46th book here. You can flip both open on the table to a random page without looking at the covers ... and you can't tell which is which.

35 books later. And nothing has changed. Nothing has developed. The jokes haven't changed. The drawing hasn't changed. The characters haven't changed. The situations haven't changed. They're just stuck in limbo forever, doomed to repeat the same eternal Now with different dialogue forever.

[rbos.livejournal.com]

Yikes.

[danjite.livejournal.com]

I like Davis because when "Garfield sans Garfield" showed up as the meme thing site of the minute, he blessed it and allowed them to use the strips in a book for free.

[bbullock.livejournal.com]

I understand his whole point was to be so unassuming and mediocre, no one would ever be offended. And it worked. He works something like two or three hours a month, and makes millions.
If I could get away with it, I probably would, too.

[rosencrantz23.livejournal.com]

the first 5-ish years, he actually had story development and a large cast of characters. Over the next 25 years since, he's whittled the characters down and placed a CSF (comics stasis field) over it. Stories come and go, but there is no development.

Witness the huge reaction to Jon and the Vet becoming a couple.

And bbullock is right, Davis did get into comics seeking unoffensive mass-market mediocrity, and he succeeded fantastically at it.

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

PvP has a view on this, this past week...

[jilara.livejournal.com]

Well, it worked for Nancy and The Katzenjammer Kids. You can take the strips and, aside from some outdated hair or clothing, drop them into any time period. The gags still work. Not very original, but hey...