Jim Davis Has Got To Be Angry His Secret's Out

Don't get us -- or famed cartoonist Bill Watterson, for that matter -- started on the pathetic state of American newspaper comic strips. Most are terrible, few are bearable, and only about four are actually funny. But if nothing else demonstrated the awfulness of today's factory-produced cartoons, designed around empty spaces in the panels that enable writers across different language to just fill in culture-appropriate jokes, it's this: a random Garfield panel generator, our no. 26 top link today. Try it out. The thing brings up three randomly selected panels from Garfield's 845-year run, and when you've got them set, check out the strip in your local newspaper. You will likely find your randomly created Garfield gag is as good or better than the officially one disgorged by Jim Davis' manufacturing plant. Bloggers are going to town with this thing. This gratified blogger came up with his own amusing strip and wrote: "At last technology has finally reached the point that it can even make Garfield funny." Too bad it only works with recycled material.

Posted by Philip Ewing at January 11, 2006 10:35 AM

Category: Creative Endeavors