The Garfield Special Thread (June 19 2013)

Today, i'll let you inform that today this year is the 35th anniversary of Garfield (which started in June 19 1978), and 10 years ago was the famous 25th anniversary, this is also good to caclucate how the strip was doing in it's debut, hoq it did in 2003 and how the strip is doing right now, it's also good to demonstrate the rise and fall of Jim Davis own doing and work, and the creativity and the eventual decline...

In 1988, that was Garfield's 10th anniversary, and it was an entire cheater storyline from past strips all in one big SUNDAY!, this was also the last time Lyman appeared, sadly (and THAT was also a very missed oppurtonity for Mr Davis, Jon and Lyman expressed a Ernie and Bert and Swifty and Shorty traingle and that was actually something good!).

In 2003 Jim Davis did something very clever, he had the 1978 Garfield meet the then current Garfield, it had a creative storyline and it was funny how Garfield told the Classic Garfield, when did i see of those itty bitty eyes, but then the Classic Garfield said First, explain how you stand on those spindly legs......

And right now, Jim Davis hasn't a clue, the storyline has the whole age nightmare hallucation that has been done on so many strips prior and it's not really going anywhere, today's strip dosen't have a bang to it, right there, it's clear how slow the timing got, and since last year, i've noticed a drop in the drawing style, i can't tell if it's new assistants, new artist or Jim Davis' heart clearly isn't in it anymore, and the birthday cake strip today is not clever at all, rather than a vet character, Liz became a ditzy sorry replacement for Lyman....

WAIT, if Jim Davis wanted to pick up again, why not simply bring back Lyman and also give both Lyman and Jon proper girl roomates, that'd be a WAY more charitable apporach and give the strip a REAL adult feel, Garfield right now at times since around 1999 has felt very Kids-ONLY territory by using tried and true mudane plots over and over again (Bungee Dog anyone) and the Ms Feeny plots.....

In fact Jon has become to the point were i just can't hear the great Thom Huge or even Eddie Lawrence (Swifty voice) anymore, he has actually become quite retarded and too silly, in the specials and Friends, Jon was actually quite mature and lived to being a cartoonist, in fact in the 1978-1983 strips i can hear Thom Huge to begin with instead of Sandy Keyon from the first special, in fact i can also hear Eddie Lawrence (Myron and Shorty voice) as Lyman as well......

Any chimes or thoughts?, i await.

P.S: when did they stop the U.S acres segments in the later seasons of Garfield and Friends......