15 Funniest Garfield Comics That Just Turned 30 (That Will Make You Actually Pity Jon)

Summary

• Garfield relentlessly pranks Jon, causing chaos by tearing up his mail and ruining his gardening.
• Jon’s attempts to prank Garfield backfire hilariously, highlighting Garfield’s cunning and Jon’s misfortune.
• Even Garfield’s “kind” gestures, like hand-delivering a “milkshake,” are wrapped in pranks, making Jon a constant target.

There’s a reason Garfield is one of the most recognizable cartoon characters in history, and it isn’t exactly because he’s nice. The fat orange cat doesn’t just despise Mondays and love lasagna, he’s also the very definition of a mischievous scamp. Any chance he gets, Garfield will pull a prank on those closest to him, including his fellow pets, Odie and Nermal. However, there’s one person Garfield loves to pick on more than any other: Jon.

Over the years, Garfield has made Jon’s life incredibly difficult with all the ridiculous pranks he pulls on him. From switching the labels of his cat food with Jon’s tuna, to cutting holes in the top of Jon’s umbrella right before he goes out into the rain, there’s no shortage of the amount of mischief Garfield gets up to at Jon’s expense. And the same rings true in this particular crop of 10 Garfield comic strips that just turned 30 years old, as most (if not all) of them will actually make you pity Jon.

15 Jon Has No One to Blame but Himself During 1 Unfortunate Morning

Garfield – July 1, 1994

One morning while having coffee and a doughnut with Garfield, Jon was clearly so exhausted that he mixed up which hand was holding what, and he tried to dunk his coffee in his doughnut, resulting in a nasty burn on his hand.

While Garfield was certainly there to comment on Jon’s misfortune, he wasn’t the cause of it. Admittedly, that’s a bit out of the ordinary, as Garfield would normally orchestrate a prank as hilarious as this. But, in this case, Jon has no one to blame but himself.

Garfield
had two live action movie adaptations:

14 Jon is Baffled by Garfield’s Laziness (& He’s Not Wrong)

Garfield – July 2, 1994

In a particularly impressive display of Garfield’s profound laziness, the orange cat stands in front of Jon with his eyes closed for no apparent reason. When Jon asks why he’s doing that, Garfield responds, “I was in the middle of a blink… and I lost interest“, and Jon’s face perfectly conveys how done he is with Garfield’s ridiculous levels of laziness – and he’s not wrong to be.

To not even have the drive to finish a blink is next-level lazy, even for Garfield, and Jon’s reaction is pricelessly warranted.

13 Garfield Tricks Odie into Pranking Jon (by Pretending to Be Nice)

Garfield – July 3, 1994

Garfield loves pranking Jon, that much is clear, but he also loves picking on Odie, the family dog. So, when Garfield is being nice to Odie by giving him treats, it should have come as no surprise when it was revealed that he had an ulterior motive – that being using Odie to prank Jon.

perfect example of how Garfield is always up to something, even when he’s ‘nice’

Garfield fed Odie ice cream that made the pup’s tongue multicolored, so when Odie licked Jon, those colors stained his face. Not the best payoff for such an elaborate prank, but a perfect example of how Garfield is always up to something, even when he’s ‘nice’.

12 Garfield Confirms that He’d Be the Worst Mailman Alive

Garfield – July 4, 1994

One morning, Garfield is extraordinarily chipper and energetic, which is a hilarious sight next to the perpetually exhausted Jon sitting with his much-needed cup of coffee. Garfield is prancing around him, throwing little scraps of paper all over the place as if it were confetti.

That’s when Garfield reveals what those scraps of paper are – or, once were: Jon’s mail. Jon is shocked to see that every piece of mail in his mailbox was now shredded all over him because of Garfield, proving that Garfield would be the worst mailman ever.

11 Jon Can’t Even Garden Without Garfield Messing with Him

Garfield – July 5, 1994

There are few things that make Jon genuinely happy aside from his pets and his morning coffee, so when he takes up gardening as a hobby, it’s especially mean of Garfield to ruin it for no apparent reason. Jon is excitedly digging in his soil, telling Garfield how much he loves gardening, and how he can’t wait for his plants to grow.

To that, Garfield flatly says, “I ate your seeds“. Garfield is a famously food-motivated cat, but this takes it to a whole new level, as Jon can’t even garden without Garfield messing with him.

Garfield
also had a bunch of animated movies, the last one being
The Garfield Movie
:

10 “I Don’t Do Enlightenment”: Garfield Has No Patience for Jon’s Creative Hobbies

Garfield – July 7, 1994

It seems Jon was especially willing to dive into new hobbies in July 1994, because after his failed attempt at gardening, Jon decided he’d try his hand at writing poetry. Jon excitedly approached Garfield with a poem he’d just written, hoping to read it for his orange cat.

However, Garfield states plainly, “I don’t do enlightenment” immediately after he snatches the poem from Jon’s hand and shreds it right in front of him. Jon is utterly devastated, as he’s assuredly realizing that trying to have a hobby with a cat like Garfield living with him is impossible.

9 Garfield Fulfills Every House Cat’s Dream (& Every Cat Owner’s Nightmare)

Garfield – July 8, 1994

Cat owners are all-too aware of how their cats – when left behind a closed door – will scratch and scratch until they are let into/out of any given room. If it was up to them, cats would just barge right through the door and not have to wait at all for their owners to open it for them.

Obviously, it would be horrible if cats could do that, as cat owners would be replacing doors in their homes like crazy. Well, in this comic, that’s exactly what Garfield does, thereby fulfilling every house cat’s dream (and every cat owner’s nightmare).

8 Even Garfield’s Helpfulness is a Hindrance to Jon

Garfield – July 10, 1994

When the light bulb in the fridge is out, Garfield takes it upon himself to change it. While that seems helpful on the surface, the light bulb Garfield chooses is huge, and gives off way too much light when the fridge is opened.

Garfield’s helpfulness is still a hindrance

And that directly impacts Jon negatively a short time later, when he also gets up in the middle of the night for a snack, hoping it will help him get to sleep. But, the bright light of the giant bulb only wakes him up more, proving that Garfield’s helpfulness is still a hindrance.

7 Garfield is One of Jon’s Only Friends… & That Thought Depresses Him

Garfield – July 16, 1994

One day when Jon is feeling particularly down, he decides to try and brighten his mood by having a party with all his friends. Unfortunately, Jon’s only friends are his pets, and even though everyone is wearing party attire, Jon is still just as sad as he was before throwing the party.

This comic is actually pretty sad, and shows that Jon should definitely make more of an effort to make human connections – especially since one of his only friends is Garfield, who actively roots for his downfall on a daily basis.

6 Garfield Embarrasses Jon in Front of the Whole Neighborhood

Garfield – July 17, 1994

In what is perhaps the most amazing prank Garfield has ever pulled on Jon, the fat orange cat locks the door to the house after Jon goes outside to grab the morning paper – which he decides to do in his pajamas. And these pajamas aren’t just a basic set, these are footie pajamas, complete with little bunnies on the feet.

Everyone in the neighborhood sees Jon in this embarrassing outfit, which is a sight made even more embarrassing by the fact that he’s screaming to get back inside his house, all while Garfield laughs at him through the window.

Garfield
had 15 total TV Shows between 2D and 3D animation.

5 Jon’s Attempts at Pranking Garfield Backfire Hilariously

Garfield – July 31, 1994

Garfield perpetually has the upper hand over Jon when it comes to pranks, as he messes with Jon way more than Jon ever gets him. That’s why Jon decided it was time to turn the tables by leaving a pie on the window sill that he knew Garfield would try to snatch, and then waiting to slam the window closed on the cat.

However, just when Jon thought he’d successfully pulled off this prank, his plan hilariously backfired when the pie splattered in the wrong direction, covering him in the fruity pastry instead of Garfield.

4 Garfield’s Horrible Breath Ruins Jon’s Appetite (& Maybe His Life)

Garfield – July 19, 1994

When Jon is trying to enjoy a nice meal, Garfield walks by looking especially proud of himself about something. It then becomes apparent why the orange cat is in such a good mood, as Garfield says, “Hi” right as Jon is about to take a bite, blowing his foul breath right in Jon’s face.

Garfield then says that they’re out of garlic, confirming that that’s why his breath smells so bad. However, the ‘why’ isn’t exactly Jon’s main concern, as the stench was so strong, Jon may never be the same again after smelling it.

3 Jon Goes to the Wrong Person (Cat) for Dating Advice

Garfield – July 22, 1994

Jon excitedly tells Garfield that he has a date tonight, saying that he wants to make a good first impression. Jon then starts wondering exactly how he should do that by asking Garfield a pretty absurd question, “Should I wear shoes?“.

It’s clear Jon is nervous about putting himself out there, and while his jitters are understandable, he really should have gone to someone else about them, as Garfield offered nothing but sarcastic comments that would only serve to make Jon even more nervous.

2 Jon Actually Finds a Way to Greatly Offend Garfield

Garfield – July 15, 1994

While attempting to pull pranks on Garfield hasn’t exactly worked out for Jon in the past, he does find one thing in this comic that actually offends the fat orange cat: disrespecting food.

When Garfield is sitting with Jon in their chair, Jon comments that all Garfield thinks he’s good for is getting him food, to which Garfield replies in a serious tone, “You say that as if it were unimportant“. It seems Jon really struck a nerve with Garfield on this point, which is typical, given that it’s about the one thing Garfield loves most in the world: food.

1 Jon is Blissfully Unaware of Garfield’s Casual Cruelty

Garfield – July 9, 1994

Another example showing that even when Garfield does something ‘nice’, it’s usually wrapped in a prank, this comic shows the orange cat hand-delivering Jon a ‘milkshake’, and Jon is overjoyed by Garfield’s random act of kindness. However, what Jon doesn’t yet understand is that this ‘milkshake’ is actually his blended up blazer jacket, as Jon is blissfully unaware of Garfield’s casual cruelty.

This and the other comic strips are enough to make any reader start to pity Jon. At least, if these exploits weren’t so utterly hilarious, making them the 10 funniest Garfield comics that just turned 30.