| Title | : | Garfield Weighs In (Garfield, #4) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0345320107 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780345320100 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 128 |
| Publication | : | First published March 1, 1982 |
Garfield Weighs In (Garfield, #4) Reviews
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Of all the books I currently have in my collection, my Garfield compilations have been in my collection longer than any other. Most of the literature I got in elementary or middle school got traded in, sold at a garage sale, donated to the library, was used in a daycare, or was given to my niece and nephews...but, the Tubby Tabby's adventures have stayed, and, barring a serious calamity, I'll keep them for as long as I live.
However, sometimes, childhood favorites don't hold as much entertainment value when you're an adult.
Don't get me wrong; there are many funny moments in this volume: Garfield winning a cat show; the fat cat hunting down the Sludge Monster; Lyman and Jon's discussion about feline companions; and Nermal playing dress up and Garfield taking it too far. I smiled through much of the book.
However, a few of the strips were disturbing: Garfield calling Jon a "bimbo"; the fat cat looking up "hit men" in the Yellow Pages after his owner insults him; and, worst of all, the Tubby Tabby mocking Jon for imparting words of wisdom that are from the Bible. It's been said that the strip was edgier in its early years; reading this makes that rather apparent.
So, while you may not want to hand this to a kid--because what parent wants to explain what hit men and bimbos are?--for older fans, such as myself, this is mostly a treat. Just don't expect every strip to make you smile. -
3.5 stars. Book four in the excellent Garfield series. I don't want to give away any spoilers here but in this collection, Garfield does not slim down, he does not befriend Odie or Nermal, does not resolve to be nicer to Jim and does not join a gym.
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Changes in visual design to the characters aren't especially noticeable from the first comic strip of Garfield Weighs In (March 31, 1980) through the last (November 2), but a few storyline developments occur. Jon Arbuckle's romantic pursuit of Garfield's veterinarian, Liz, meets with modest success for the first time. Garfield's begrudging affection for Nermal the kitten morphs into a rivalry between them for Jon's attention. 1980 was a year of patterns being set in the Garfield universe, patterns that repeated for decades as the strip became of one America's most popular. Garfield had yet to walk exclusively on two legs, but he was already dominating his environment. Even Jon knows that Garfield runs the household, though he wouldn't admit it out loud.
Garfield Weighs In resumes right where Garfield: Bigger Than Life left off, with Garfield in a cat show. The road to victory for a fat housecat is marked with humorous asides. On April 11 (page eight), Garfield's self-satisfied smile has Jon worried the cat has done something wrong, but the final panel reveals the real reason for his oversized smile. A couple of weeks later, Jon takes Garfield to Liz for a checkup. She agrees to Jon's request for a date, and he doesn't even have to trick her! The date might have gone better if Garfield hadn't tagged along, though. May 3 (page seventeen) is a good gag about the water in Garfield's bowl needing to be changed, and two days later Nermal visits for a week. Garfield resents how Nermal exploits his own cuteness, but Nermal has the sharp wits to hold his own against Garfield. For a few weeks there are miscellaneous comedic bits, no stories, until early June when Garfield's sweet tooth prods him to swipe cookies from Girl Scouts who are out selling them. That is, until he meets a tough Girl Scout who doesn't fall for his tricks. June 9 (page thirty-four) kicks off a week of Garfield pretending to be a variety of predatory cats on the prowl. The first strip, Garfield "hunting" the food in his bowl, is good for a laugh. Garfield's second birthday (June 19) passes with a small party, and then Garfield is freaked out by a scary movie featuring the "sludge monster." His imagination has him overreacting in all sorts of ways. Jon uses an "attack doll" to train Garfield to fight, but Garfield isn't interested. His verbal combat tactics on July 23 (page fifty-two) are funny, though, and there are other good strips that week. On July 29 (page fifty-five) Jon is reminded in comical fashion that Garfield can't speak, human though he often seems. It's too bad Jon can't read his thought bubbles!
There's a brief interlude with Liz, who accepts another date with Jon, then a new attempt by Jon to restrict Garfield's diet. The first strip (August 4) that week, showing what happens after Jon tells Garfield he can only have food he's able to suck through a straw, is hilarious. The rest of the week is pretty funny, and August 5 rings true as a description of how diets can feel. Then it's off to the farm to see Jon's parents. Garfield's romps around the farm are amusing, and August 20 (page sixty-four) is one of my favorites jokes of the book, as Garfield learns the shocking secret of where milk comes from. August 26 (page sixty-seven) is a quintessential Garfield moment, Garfield observing that "It's not the valleys in life I dread so much as the dips" while staring at Odie. Zing! September starts with "Garfield's History of Dogs", and the first three episodes are among the best of this collection. September 1 (page seventy) has the world's first dog being confronted by its timeless comical foil immediately after crawling "out of the sea". September 2 contrasts the tail-wagging and slobbering of dogs, and September 3 is a humorous play on the idea of dogs hunting the only prey available...dinosaurs. Garfield's History of Dogs is arguably the highlight of this book. National Fat Week is next, a Garfield staple. It's only Garfield, no other characters all week, but he sure is entertaining. September 23 (page seventy-nine), Garfield has a hilarious reaction to a joke Jon cracks about his weight. After another week, Jon takes Liz to a fancy restaurant, and shoves a baseball cap low on Garfield's head to convince the waiter he's a kid, not a cat. Liz is never warm toward Jon, but she's thawing a bit. As he's done before, Garfield gets caught in a rollup window shade, a three-day adventure. In October Nermal visits again, and Garfield tries to prove he's as cute as Nermal all while sabotaging the gray kitten. Odie's flea problem spreads to Garfield, then to Jon, and the following week a run-in with a big canine lands Garfield in a full body cast. Being unable to move is infuriating, but Garfield gets a measure of revenge once he's out of the cast. The book ends with a visit to Liz, Garfield eager to prove he doesn't need a vitamin shot.
I like Jim Davis's humor. It's comfortable and funny but doesn't push the barriers of good taste, which is why Garfield works as children's literature. You know for the most part what you're getting, but that's part of the appeal. It's lasagna jokes, Garfield's rivalry with Odie, and trying to outwit Jon. It's hating Mondays and exercise. It's Liz shooting down Jon's romantic overtures, but giving a glimpse of hope now and then. The first two and a half years of Garfield are fun, and Garfield Weighs In is a good compilation of the daily strips. I look forward to more of these books. -
Garfield is always quite the pick-me-up. Jim Davis is quite talented, a picture is worth a thousand words!
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Fun!😺
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Garfield envies Nermal.
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Goodnight are these some dumb gags.
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library copy
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I started reading Garfield over 40 years ago as a child, over the years, collected all the Garfield strips books where they have lingered on a shelf for years, now I decided to re-read them, and I am so glad I have! While some of these older strips are dated, in general, Garfield still brings a simple smile and joy that many of the more complicated strips of today simply cannot. In Garfield Weighs In, we continue to see the development of the strip's various charcters and the drawing of Garfield, John, Odie and the rest appear more like they came to be and remain today than the cruder versions seeen in the earlier strips. Garfield's nemesis, Nermal the cute kitten makes his appearance. Garfield fights the "sludge monster." John continues to romantically pursue Liz the vet. Personally I found back then and still find today, Garfield's "National Fat Week" where he celebrates fat people (and fat cats!) hilarious, though I doubt such strips would be written in today's politically correct snowflake feelings era (and I say that with a bit of a belly on myself today at 50!). If you can't laugh at life, poke fun at yourself and simply enjoy, what is life! Maybe the secret is Garfield is always a good sport, and never a victim! Any fan of the Garfield strip will enjoy this volume and its contribution to the history of the strip!
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Bueno, los Garfields, uno de los compañeros de nuestra infancia (y adolescencia y parte de la vida adulta). Recuerdo haberme encontrado el primero en casa de un amigo y habérmelo devorado de una sentada, con 5-6 años, sin entender varios de los chistes pero disfrutando mucho de los más obvios. Esta sensación de saber que siempre iba a encontrar unos cuantos graciosos la tuve durante las dos décadas posteriores en las que Garfield iba apareciendo periódicamente en mi vida. No es una obra culmen de la literatura, pero nos ha alegrado muchos momentos.
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I mean, it's a Garfield book, so it's more or less what you'd expect. My stepdaughter had it lying around, so I went ahead and read it. I didn't have a bad time while doing so, but it's not exactly comedic gold.
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I've been waiting for the 4th translated collection of Garfield comics for ages! I must say, though, that the best comics ever in the whole 44 years are the ones from 1981-1989, in my opinion.
Neither am I fat, I'm short as well! :-) -
Okay, not as funny as I was hoping.
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Didn't really think much of this. I just needed to pass some time. Not as funny as I thought it was going to be.
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3.5 is a more accurate rating.
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Love Garfield! Reading through all the books with my eight-year-old son who is a new fan.
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We stan a man who obviously has a cat. Go Jim. Also, Garfield is me.
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Ok I lied I had one more in me
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Good stuff!
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Dead
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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. -
I don't ever remember laughing at Garfield. Reading it was like re-watching an episode of a sitcom you've already seen ten times and know all the plot threads and punchlines. There's a bland comfort to it and, for a stretch in early Middle School, bland comfort was preferable to none.
I consumed all the Garfield books in the Middle School library, idly wondering when something new would happen to shake up the Groundhog Day-esque loop in which they lived their lives, for a character to maybe grow or change. As the library's stock dwindled, so to did my desire to wade through any more of Garfield's doldrums.
In some ways the world of Garfield seems to represent some primal desire to keep everything safe by maintaining the conformity of each new day to the mold fixed by the last, but such a life seems more like death by whimper.
