Yep, it’s that time of the year. Another Garfield book comes out and, therefore, I shell out to buy one, as I’ve done since 1980.
At this point, it’s more habit than anything else since I’ve bought every comic book edition for the past 44 years. Nor do I not expect to stop.
The price does seem to keep going up with every edition, which is pathetic because each one seems to be a little smaller than the last. This one seems to cover the period of May to September although I’m not sure what year. I had hoped it would go to Christmas, but I guess that’s coming out later in the year, which I’ll inevitably buy and which I will just as inevitably complain about the price.
That said, this series of comics is very well represented of the Garfield that we all know and love: cynical, lazy, egotistical, and of course, fat. It may seem tiring after 76 additions, but for some reason, his schtick still works for me. That’s because Garfield appeals to the part of my character that just loves sticking it to those who drone on about the value of eating well, exercise, and are hyper-concerned about their appearance. Garfield doesn’t give a damn about any of that, and we see it very clearly in this series of comics as well as the 75 previous ones.
Through him, we get to live our “best lives” of lazy self indulgence, eating, whatever we want, and mocking the pretensions of every idiot out there. Of course I’m talking about his hapless owner, Jon Arbuckle in this case. Jon is the classic Schmuck; a real genuine doofus. His optimism and pretensions, along with all the other dumb and clear idiotic things he does and wears, is the perfect foil for Garfield. Then there’s Odie, who is an innocent kind of idiot, but probably a lot smarter than he lets on as he gives it to Garfield when he deserves it. Throw in Arlene, Garfield’s erstwhile girlfriend (who really gives him the gears), and you have a bunch of comics that always seem to work.
This edition is actually pretty good, but the price is too high, hence the four stars instead of five. But whether it is good or not, if you’ve collected all the comic strips to this point, you’ll probably, just like me, continue to buy them. And like me, you’ll complain that every edition keeps getting more expensive.
So go out and buy it. I know you’re going to, so there’s no point in arguing about it.
The benefit this time is that it is a particularly good set of comics. And as long as he’s making us laugh, as long as Garfield represents that deep part of our being that enjoys cynicism and self indulgence, we will keep buying it. And that is that.

Brand	N/A
Rating	4.7 (38 ratings)
Price	$14.4
Category	Comic Strips

Garfield Donut Disturb: His 76th Book