Garfield Fat Cat 3-Pack #9 : Contains: Garfield Hits the Big Time (#25); Garfield Pulls His Weight (#26); Garfield Dishes it Out (#27) (Garfield Fat Cat Three Pack)

Rating:
Summary: This is one cool cat!
Review: Lazy but lovable Garfield is at it again in this 3-pack of laughter, love, and lascivious locution. Master cartoonist Jim Davis pulls off this grand triumvirate with a chilling, icicle-like insight into the pathos of Everyman, invoking the spirit of Bil Keane in its depth and, dare I say, rivaling the Bible in its coded prophecies. The beauty of the Garfield series (excluding the movie) is Davis' ability to appeal to an 11-month-old's concrete operational brain while still stimulating even the most erudite of minds.

My favorite part of the Garfield mythos is Davis' masterful retelling of the trinity metaphor, with John (the Baptist?) as the befuddled messenger, Odie as the insipid follower and unwitting vessel, and our hero Garfield, ever the gluttonous cynic, preacher and puller-of-strings. But the coup de tat is the role of Lasagna as a Faustian devil bent on the seduction and destruction of America if not all of mankind. Personally, I think the character of Lasagna is the most dynamic in the series, despite its outward appearance as a simple baked pasta dish (beautifully rendered by Davis and his team of Svengali ink artists). If only we could understand the complexities of its layers, perhaps we could all take a step toward fathoming why it is we gobble up the things that matter most. Jim Davis, you have my utter awe. Two thumbs up!