Garfieldis a beloved comic strip that continues to stand the test of timenot just because of the widespread fame and recognizability of the titular orange cat, but because ofall the characters that make up theGarfieldfranchise. While Garfield is the obvious standout, the likes of Jon and Odie are also great reasons to read the comic strip, especially Odie, who may have been hiding a secret all along.
Odie was introduced as Lyman’s dog when he briefly moved in with Jon, but after Lyman’s mysterious disappearance (don’t look in Jon’s basement), Odie became Jon’s dog - much to Garfield’s dismay. Since then, Garfield has consistently bullied Odie, and the seemingly dim-witted dog fell for all of Garfield’s cruel pranks. However, ina crop of comics published in September 1984, there’s one that indicates that Odie isn’t ‘dim-witted’ at all, but is secretly smart - and that’s far from the only noteworthy strip in the bunch. Out of them all, these are the 10 funniestGarfieldcomics that just turned 40!
10Garfield is Not the Non-Judgmental Confidant Jon was Hoping For
Garfield- August 23, 2025
Jon is sitting in his chair with Garfield curled up behind his head, and he’s saying to himself how thankful he is that he has pets to confide in, as they never pass judgment.Jon then admits that he got a speeding ticket, and when Garfield overhears that, he smacks Jon in the back of the head, calling him stupid. Clearly, Garfield is not the non-judgmental confidant Jon was hoping for in a pet - but perhaps he’s something better.
In other words, Garfield was being a true friend by calling Jon stupid for speeding.
Garfield wasn’t just going to let Jon think it was okay that he was speeding, as that was a dangerous thing to do that (worst case) could have cost him his life. In other words, Garfield was being a true friend by calling Jon stupid for speeding. So, while he might not be non-judgmental, Garfield is still a great companion for Jon.
9Garfield Suffers the Literal Consequences of an Age-Old Adage
Garfield- June 02, 2025
Garfield decides that he’s going to open his own can of cat food rather than wait for Jon to do it, muttering the age-old adage, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat” as he does so. But then, the electric can opener goes haywire, and Garfield gets himself caught in the spinning blades' grasp.Garfield literally gets ‘skinned’ (more like shaved), before saying to himself, “How prophetic”.
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When Garfield said “There’s more than one way to skin a cat”, he was talking about how there’s more than one way to get food. Usually he waits for Jon, but another way is to just get it himself. Unfortunately,Garfield suffers the very literal consequences of that age-old adagein the most hilarious way possible.
8Garfield Adds Another Reason to Why He Needs to Lose Weight
Garfield- June 19, 2025
While Jon is sitting in his chair, Garfield happily bounds over to him with the intention of curling up on his lap. When Garfield jumps onto the chair, he doesn’t make it past the arm rest. The fat orange cat clung to the chair, but his weight proved too much for the arm rest to take, and it peeled back, prompting Jon to tell Garfield that he needed to go on a diet.
Not only wasGarfield too out of shape to fully jump up onto the chair, but his weight literally broke the arm rest when he tried to climb it. Jon has threatened to put Garfield on a diet many times throughout the comic strip, and now, another reason is added to that list with this utterly pathetic and inadvertently destructive display.
7Jon Pries Too Far Into Garfield’s Personal Life, & Suffers the Consequences
Garfield- August 10, 2025
One morning, Jon decides to wake up Garfield, which is a dangerous task in and of itself. Then, Jon pushes his luck even further by asking Garfield about all of his belongings that he keeps in his cat bed. So, Garfield shows him. One by one,Garfield explains all the little treasures he’s collected over the years, until he finally gets to the last one, a “bean-filled whack-bunk”, which he promptly demonstrates the use of on Jon himself by whacking him in the back of the head.
Garfield already wasn’t in the best mood after Jon woke him upfor seemingly no reason, so when Jon started to pry into Garfield’s personal life, the orange cat happily showed him what a huge mistake he’d just made.
6Garfield Finally Finds a Monday that He Likes
Garfield- June 05, 2025
When Garfield wakes up and notes that it’s Monday, readers could have assumed that this comic was going to be another ‘Garfield loses gag’. However, Garfield then points out that it’s raining, that he has his favorite food in front of him, and a song he loves is playing on the radio. In other words,Garfield is having a very pleasant day, despite the fact that it’s Monday.
Garfield famously hates Mondays(and Mondays aren’t too fond of him either), so it’s a rare occasion, indeed, when Garfield actually finds a Monday he likes - and this comic strip delivers just that.
5Garfield Will Not Stand for Jon’s Lies When it Comes to His Food
Garfield- August 08, 2025
It’s a well-known fact thatGarfield’s favorite food is lasagna, yet throughout his comic strip, Garfield is constantly eating regular cat food. It’s hard to imagine that anyone who loves a dish like lasagna (and much more ‘human food’ than that) could stomach regular cat food on a daily basis. Well, it turns out, Garfield can’t, and he tries to make his point to Jon by forcing him to eat the cat food and see how much he likes it.
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Jon humors Garfield, pretending to like the cat food just to keep the orange cat from refusing to eat it entirely. However, Garfield can see right through Jon’s lies, and tells him as much with the accusatory proclamation, “You lie!”, which is honestly a really cute panel, even if it wasn’t enough to get Garfield out of eating cat food every day.
4Garfield Suffers a Fate that is Irony at Its Best
Garfield- August 04, 2025
It’s no secret that Garfield loves to eat, and even though cat food isn’t his favorite, he’ll still take down a bowl like it’s nothing. However, never in a hundred years did Garfield think that food could ever do the same to him. But, this comic strip proves that he was mistaken. As Garfield is going to town on a bowl of cat food, he finds himself sitting in the food he’s eating, and he slowly starts to sink into it.
Garfield notes that he’s just been caught in “quick-food”, a play on ‘quick-sand’, and that this seems to be the end for him. Garfield presumably meets his end by getting eaten by his food, which is simply irony at its best, given Garfield’s gluttonous nature throughout his comic strip history.
3Jon Can Never Have a Moment of Peace (Not Even in the Bath)
Garfield- August 19, 2025
WhenJon tries to have a moment for himself by taking a bath, he quickly learns that’s not possible. First, Garfield comes into the bathroom, saying that his rubber chicken, Stretch, needs a bath too. Then, Odie joins them with a giant cannon-ball splash. After that, a package comes for Jon that he needs to sign for, and the delivery man asks for Jon’s signature through the bathroom window.
Then, the paperboy throws a rolled-up newspaper right at Jon’s head, causing Jon to freak out, getting the attention of his elderly neighbors (who were a little too excited about it). Jon lives in a house with two needy pets, and in a neighborhood that is seemingly always buzzing, meaning thata mere moment of peace is just not possible- not even for a bath.
2Garfield Tries to Comfort Jon with a Different Potentially Upsetting Idea
Garfield- June 21, 2025
When Garfield and Jon are staying at Jon’s family farm, and are hanging out away from everyone on the wooden fence outside the house, Jon confesses some anxieties that his family brought to the forefront of his mind. Jon says that his grandfather was bald, his dad is bald, and his older brother is balding. Therefore, Jon himself is worried that he’s going to eventually go bald. However,Garfield decides to ease his anxieties in a way that only Garfield can, telling him, “You are probably adopted”.
Finding out one is adopted as an adult can be extremely upsetting, especially if they were kept in the dark about it their entire lives. But, in Garfield’s mind, Jon experiencing that potentially upsetting idea is preferable to the anxiety he was feeling about going bald, which is kind of nice, but also mean at the same time (classic Garfield).
1Garfield & Jon Slowly Realize that Odie is Secretly Smart
Garfield- June 05, 2025
As previously mentioned, Odie has always seemed dim-witted inGarfieldcanon. He falls for all of Garfield’s tricks, he mindlessly throws himself into situations, and he just generally seems like he doesn’t have much going on up there. However, whenOdie, Garfield, and Jon go on a camping trip together, Odie proves everyone how wrong about him they really were.
When Odie, Garfield, and Jon go on a camping trip together, Odie proves everyone how wrong about him they really were.
When they finally get to the campsite, Jon and Garfield get out of the car to take in the fresh air, and Odie ‘accidentally’ locks the door. Odie becomes trapped inside the car, but after some time (and a thunderstorm) passes, Garfield and Jon slowly start to realize that Odie may have done what he did on purpose.Odie was in the car with all the supplies, and was the only one with food and shelter, while Jon and Garfield were stuck hungry and wet outside the car.
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Odie didn’t have to share any food during the camping trip, and he got the chance to pull an absolutely legendary prank on Jon and Garfield. And the best part? No one even thought Odie was capable, until he proved that he was secretly smart. That’s why this is one of the 10 bestGarfieldcomics that just turned 40!
Garfield
Garfield is the central character in Jim Davis’s comic strip, which officially began in 1978 under the same name. Garfield is an orange tabby cat with a love of lasagna and a disdain for Mondays. He tends to torment his owner and dog while trying to secure more food - and quiet.
