Garfield: The Movie
Summary
Gnorm Gnatis a laughable strip created byJim Davisthat predates Davis ’ iconicGarfield(and eventhe original comic funnies thatGarfieldevolved into , Jon ) . Aside from sharing the same art style , Gnorm Gnatalso has the same comedic beats asGarfield . But more than that , there are sure comic strip show within theGnorm Gnatcatalog that seem like prototypeGarfieldstrips , or at the very least serve up as practice or breathing in forJim Davis ’ work onGarfieldandJon .
Gnorm Gnatwas originally published in The Pendleton Times from 1973 - 1975 . It follows the titulary cartoon gnat and his troupe of comedic bugs as they traverse their unknown life as insects together , all the while adding a bed of societal comment and relatability to their jokes - just like withGarfield . Here are10Gnorm Gnatcomics that show why Jim Davis became so beloved by the time he was publishingGarfield , and why he still is to this daylight .
The fade of Lyman is the biggest mystery in Garfield ’s long history , and a coloured joke on the computerized tomography ’s twentieth day of remembrance may have work out it .
10Garfield’s “Six Letter Word for ‘Pain’” Gag Originated in Gnorm Gnat (& was Funnier)
Gnorm Gnat- April 26, 1973
The above strip features Gnorm Gnat doing a crossword mystifier , asking his fellow bug , Drac Webb , if he knew a six - letter word for “ hurting ” . Drac answers him sedately with “ arrrgh ” , but Gnorm writes that answer off as “ silly ” . So , Drac stomps Gnorm ’s human foot , and the gnat yell out , “ ARRRGH ” . Gnorm then asks Drac if “ arrrgh ” is spell with three R ’s or four .
This jape was later re - work in aGarfieldcomic comic strip that was published on February 17 , 1979 , only it was n’t as suspicious . Jon asks Garfield the same question Gnorm asked Drac while doing a crossword , but with a different rhythm to it . or else of tell Jon , Jon spell off the result , and then Jon being proven wrong through violence , Garfield jumped directly to violence , and Jon just jazz what he meant without question . That extra round is crucial for this joke to land , making this a rare occasion whereGnorm Gnatwas actually funnier thanGarfield .
9Gnorm Gnat & Garfield Once Found Themselves in the Same Predicament
Gnorm Gnat- May 3, 1973
The above strip indicate Gnorm Gnat caught underneath a piece of taping , and he ’s do to term with his fate in an imposingly eloquent manner - a sentiment Gnorm himself clearly agrees with . The terminal panel demonstrate Gnorm proclaiming , “ Hey … you do have to suffer to write ! ” .
In the December 18 , 1979 comic comic strip of Garfield , the nominal cat comes to the same conclusion after he find himself stuck in window blind . While Garfield ’s quandary was similar to Gnorm Gnats , those who are more affectionate of dark humor would think theGnorm Gnatversion was funnier , as he was literally about to die yet thought doing so eloquently was worth celebrating , while Garfield was just momently inconvenienced .
8Both Gnorm Gnat & Garfield’s Jon Have Insufferable Tennis Partners
Gnorm Gnat- June 14, 1973
In the above mirthful strip , Gnorm Gnat is playing tennis with Lyman , who asks Gnorm what the account is . Gnorm says it ’s thirty - passion , and Lyman mistakenly thinks Gnorm called him ‘ love ’ , as he respond , “ Thirty to what ? steady . ” . Gnorm tells him that ‘ dear ’ in tennis means ‘ nothing ’ , and again , Lyman mistakenly think that Gnorm guess that their love means nothing to him , causing Lyman to coil , utterly heartbroken . Gnorm then says to himself , “ I do n’t deserve this ” .
Similarly , when Jon is playing tennis with someone in his March 17 , 1977 airstrip , the exact same interaction get hold of place , and Jon has the same response - albeit a number quieter , as Jon merely thinks that he does n’t merit this , while Gnorm says it outright . The phylogeny of this jest actually made it funnier , as it ’s far more relatable to see one soul find another ’s imbecility unsufferable than it is with two cute picayune bug .
7Jim Davis Reused 1 Gnorm Gnat Joke in Both Jon AND Garfield
Gnorm Gnat- August 9, 1973
Jim Davis must have been extremely pleased with himself as far as this joke is concerned , as he did n’t justreuse it for 1977’sJon , but also 1978’sGarfield(though the strips in bothJonandGarfieldare identical ) .
6Gnorm Gnat & Garfield’s Jon Both Fell for the Same Tennis Trick
Gnorm Gnat- August 23, 1973
Gnorm is playing tennis with Lyman , who say him that a ‘ pink and puce ’ gnat - eater was behind him , which startled Gnorm long enough for Lyman to get the winning compass point . Gnorm then flatly tell that he should have known Lyman was lying when he said “ pink and puce ” .
Jon falls for the same joke in the March 24 , 1977Jonstrip , except he twist to look at a ‘ naked Farah Fawcett ’ that was n’t actually there , and then kick himself for falling for it , saying that he should have known the person he ’s playing with was lie when they said “ nude” . This jape certainly became funnier inJon , with relatability once again being the primal element .
5Gnorm Gnat & Garfield’s Jon Have the Same Flirting Methods
Gnorm Gnat- September 13, 1973
The above strip shows Gnorm Gnat hoping to yarn-dye a girl he wish by making up poor excuse to flex his muscle while hail up with ‘ macho ’ things to say to prove his intensity and manliness . Unfortunately , this play method acting fails to impress , leaving Gnorm standing alone in the last panel . However , just because it did n’t work out for Gnorm , that did n’t give up Jon from doing the precise same affair only four years later in his own comic strip .
In the February 24 , 1977Jonstrip , Jon use the same tactic when a adult female he ’s interested in approach path him . And just like with Gnorm , he ’s leave stand alone in the final panel . In this example , this joke does influence well with human being than with sketch insects , as it ’s infinitely more cringe desirable to see this behavior from a grown man than a piffling bug .
4Gnorm Gnat’s Dr. Gougo Bears a Striking Resemblance to Jon’s Dr. Gustav
Gnorm Gnat- December 6, 1973
This comic strip was the launching of Gnorm Gnat ’s Dr. Gougo , where the heavily - emphasise doctor makes some jokes at the expense of safe and right aesculapian praxis . In the last panel , Gnorm Gnat looks directly at the reader and says , “ I foresee the A.M.A. boycott this strip ” , with A.M.A. being a character to the American Medical Association .
In the April 29 , 1976 Jon comic strip , Jon has a very similar interaction with his new doctor , Dr. Gustav , which terminate with Jon break the fourth bulwark with the same punchline delivered by Gnorm Gnat . The joke seemed to shoot down a flake better when Jon said it , as it did n’t seem likely the A.M.A. would care about germ Doctor in the flimsy ( even if they are humanlike ) .
3Gnorm Gnat & Garfield’s Jon are Annoyed by the Same Gag
Gnorm Gnat- February 21, 1974
The above strip shows Cecil Slug with an ostensible speedster - upgrade screeching to a stoppage in front of Gnorm Gnat , tout about said upgrade - “ Triple - ply , sword - belted , radiate retread ” - and then zooming off in the same direction . Gnorm Gnat is briefly start by the interaction , but ultimately unimpressed by the full thing , with the flavor in his eyes indicating that he ’s downright pissed off .
In the November 3 , 1978Garfieldstrip , the same affair happens to Jon when his booster Lyman ( the human version ) persist up to him with a fresh pair of shoes , brags about his skid , and then sprints off . Aside from any underlying humor , it seemsthe thing that made this joke curious inGnorm Gnatwas the fact that it was a slug that got an upgrade to become tight , which did n’t quite land in Garfield with some bozo getting a new dyad of shoes . But , either means , the several reactions of Gnorm and Jon were invaluable .
2Garfield & Gnorm Gnat Have the Same Reaction to a Ludicrous Gag
Gnorm Gnat- April 17, 1975
This strip shows Gnorm Gnat watching a television talk show , when the announcer says , “ We ’ll be right back after this word from our patron ” . Then , the ‘ patron ’ literally read one word : “ Aardvark ” , followed by the show Gnorm was watching right away make out back on , with Gnorm Gnat looking very unimpressed by the absurdity of what he had just see .
1Gnorm Gnat Says Goodbye Having Paved the Way for Jon & Garfield
Gnorm Gnat(the final strip) - December 25, 1975
Gnorm Gnat ’s Christmas was a bit grim in 1975 , as that was the date of his final comic strip . The strip itself was a simple farwell , with Gnorm Gnat thank Pendleton for the three geezerhood the newspaper print the cartoon strip next to a message that read , “ Merry Christmas ” . Being the finalGnorm Gnatstrip , this one had arguably the most impingement on the bequest of Jim Davis ’ Garfield , asGorm Gnat ’s ending literally gave life toJon- which , as antecedently cite , becameGarfield .
These jokes that Jim Davis spell forGnorm Gnatwere destined to be tell by Jon and Garfield , and each one is a perfect exercise of the development of a comic refining its cloth , showing it through more or less dissimilar lens of the eye , and at long last ending up with the funniest rendering of a authoritative joke . And that ’s the cause these 10Gnorm Gnatcomics show whyGarfield’sJim Davisis so darling .
Custom Image by Robert Wood (from Jim Davis)
