The basic premise of this is that we all suffer, but what happens when you suffer alone? What would happen if we took a hard look at Garfield comics and the life that Jon lives? Underneath it all, as Dan Walsh found a schizophrenic man "and the empty desperation of modern life" (Walsh). I truly think that it speaks volumes of our modern world. It is really easy to find yourself falling in love with Jon and the pain he goes through without Garfield or Odie. The desperation, the loneliness, everything just screams existentialism. And, as I heard from TIME Magazine, Jim Davis never really thought of Garfield this way.
As I remember, Garfield Minus Garfield was brought to Davis' attention and he loved it. He had never intended Garfield to be a commentary on the loneliness of suburban life, much less for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
But garfield Minus Garfield exposes us to thoughts and feelings that we all experience. So, as Walsh says on the website: "Let's laugh and learn with him [Jon] on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb." I couldn't have said it better myself!
Find Garfield Minus garfield here.
1 comment:
yes, no, yes, no, maybe, I don't know. Shut up! No, you shut up:)
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