Garfield Minus Garfield facts for kids

Garfield Minus Garfield, sometimes called Jon Arbuckle, is a special comic published on the internet. It was created by Dan Walsh, a technology manager from Dublin, Ireland. This comic became very popular in 2008.

Each comic strip starts with an original Garfield comic. Then, Dan Walsh removes all characters except Garfield's owner, Jon Arbuckle. Dan Walsh has said he wasn't the first to think of this idea. However, he was the first to make it widely known.

Paws, Inc., the company that owns Garfield, also publishes a similar comic. They started their version on certain days of the week.

What is Garfield Minus Garfield About?

Since Garfield is not in these comics, the strips mainly show Jon Arbuckle. He often seems to be talking to himself instead of to Garfield. The comic's website describes it as a look into Jon's mind. It shows him dealing with loneliness in a quiet American town. It's like watching Jon's everyday life without his famous cat.

How Garfield Minus Garfield Was Published

On October 28, 2008, a book called Garfield Minus Garfield was released. Ballantine Books published it in full color. This book included both the original Garfield comics and the edited ones.

Jim Davis, the creator of Garfield, officially allowed the book to be published. Dan Walsh wrote the introduction for the book. Most of the book features Dan Walsh's Garfield Minus Garfield strips. It also includes a short section where Jim Davis shares his own attempts at making these unique comics.

Paws, Inc. started publishing their own Garfield Minus Garfield comics too. They ran from November 3, 2008, to July 21, 2010. They later started publishing them again on April 25, 2012. Unlike Dan Walsh's version, the Paws, Inc. version also shows the original Garfield comic strip underneath the edited one.

• Dan Walsh's personal blog, Travors.com