Garfield Minus Garfield (garfieldminusgarfield.net)

Article summary

Garfield Minus Garfield is a website that removes Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, revealing the existential angst of Jon Arbuckle. The site is a journey into the mind of an isolated young everyman fighting loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb. The website was created by Dan Walsh and has been active since 2008.

Main themes

• Garfield comic strips
• Existential angst
• Loneliness and depression
• Comic strip interpretation
• Internet culture
• Remixing media

What commenters say

• The removal of Garfield from the comic strips reveals a deeper, more nuanced character in Jon Arbuckle, highlighting his struggles with loneliness and depression.
• The concept of Garfield Minus Garfield can be applied to other media, such as podcasts, to create new and interesting interpretations.
• Some people find the idea of removing a main character from a story or show to be entertaining and thought-provoking, while others see it as a waste of time.
• The ambiguity of certain characters' existence, such as Hobbes in Calvin and Hobbes, is a deliberate choice by the creators to leave interpretation open to the reader.
• The Garfield Minus Garfield concept has inspired similar projects, such as removing the host from podcasts or creating alternate versions of existing media.
• Some commenters relate to Jon Arbuckle's struggles with loneliness and depression, finding the Garfield Minus Garfield concept to be a powerful commentary on mental health.
• The idea of removing a main character can lead to humorous and creative outcomes, such as the hypothetical 'Rogan minus Rogan' or 'Lex minus Lex' podcasts.
• The concept of Garfield Minus Garfield challenges the traditional notion of character interpretation and highlights the complexity of comic strip storytelling.