The Funniest Garfield Comics Starring Jon Arbuckle’s Girlfriend Liz
Summary
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By giving Jon Arbuckle a girlfriend, Liz, creator Jim Davis brought fresh, interesting new dynamics to
Garfield
several decades into its iconic run, by bringing in a new human to respond to Garfield’s antics, as well as highlighting the foibles of Jon Arbuckle in a relationship, rather than as a bachelor. -
Liz’s relationship with Jon gave
Garfield
new opportunities for comedy, most often at Jon Arbuckle’s expense. -
Jon’s clumsy attempts at romance with Liz proved to be some of the stand-outs of
Garfield
in the early 21st century, contributing to keeping the strip as relevant as it always was.
Garfield had already been one of the most beloved comic strips in the world for decades before the iconic orange tabby’s owner, Jon Arbuckle, entered into a steady relationship with the previously recurring character Liz. The romance proved to be a pivotal part of keeping Garfield fresh, and Liz became an increasingly important part of the franchise.
Though Liz knew Garfield before getting together with Jon, visionary writer/cartoonist Jim Davis got a great deal of humor out of exposing her to the true extent of Garfield’s over-the-top behavior. Just as importantly, she provided countless new opportunities for jokes at the expense of Jon Arbuckle, ranging from jabs at his masculinity to his inability to flirt effectively. Despite her appearance in several Garfield film adaptations, Liz’s contributions to the comic’s later years is at times overlooked. This list celebrates some of the strips where she played an essential role.
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Liz first appeared in 1979, three years into Garfield‘s syndicated run. She appeared in a recurring role as Garfield and Odie’s veterinarian, turning down several attempts by Jon Arbuckle to pursue her romantically. It wasn’t until 2006 that the pair became romantically involved, and Liz began to appear regularly in the comic.
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10 Garfield Can’t Resist The Opportunity For A Zinger
John Knows He’s Probably Right
The apology after a conflict is one of the most vulnerable parts of the relationship; Jon’s anger in panel three, and the visible tension Jim Davis paints on Liz’s face, can be attributed to the fact that as a couple, they are a mismatch by comedic design.
This strip seems to find Jon Arbuckle on the verge of getting a sincere apology from his girlfriend Liz, who admits to making mistakes, only for Garfield to burst into the frame in the second panel, thinking: “Like dating Jon!” The apology after a conflict is one of the most vulnerable parts of the relationship; Jon’s anger in panel three, and the visible tension Jim Davis paints on Liz’s face, can be attributed to the fact that as a couple, they are a mismatch by comedic design. Whether they know what Garfield was thinking or not, they both know he’s right, in some way or another.
9 There’s A Learning Curve When It Comes To Hanging Out With Garfield
Give Him Food, Not Ideas
As demonstrated in this Garfield strip, Liz was ahead of her time. It has become increasingly common for pet owners to equate their dogs and cats with children, as Jon’s girlfriend does her. “You know,” she says, “Garfield is almost like your child.” Garfield’s frown immediately inverts to a smile in the next panel, as he thinks: “Feed me, Daddy!I” Far from impressionable, the orange tabby is as quick to jump on an opportunity as he is an unsupervised dinner. The concluding panel features a flat-faced Jon telling Liz, “I wish you wouldn’t give him ideas,” as Garfield pretends to cry.
8 Another Example Of Liz Speaking Too Casually Around Garfield
Okay, Sometimes Garfield Is Impressionable
Finally giving Jon Arbuckle a relationship with Liz gave Garfield a fresh dynamic. Jon went from being a hapless bachelor to a beleaguered boyfriend, and Liz had to get used to her boyfriend’s eccentric cat. Liz and Garfield seem to be bonding in this strip, watching heavy snow fall from the window of Jon’s house, when she casually mentions that the snow looks like “powdered sugar falling on French toast.” Garfield swiftly disappears, and returns with an absurdly large fork and bottle of syrup, ready to head outside, to Liz’s consternation.
7 Liz Knew What She Signed Up For With Jon Arbuckle
& Garfield Loves To Remind Her
Jon’s attempt to be “rugged and manly” in order to impress Liz goes hilariously awry in this strip, as his attempt is stymied at the very basic level. When Jon attempts to pull his shirt over his head to show off his physique while mowing the lawn, he gets stuck. Garfield writer/artist Jim Davis draws Liz as being perplexed, to say the least. “Now’s your chance to make a run for it,” Garfield thinks, completely used to Jon’s foibles. Thankfully for Jon, he and Liz were acquainted for years before becoming romantically involved, and as a result, she has no misconceptions about his level of machismo.
6 Liz Gives Jon A Subtle/Not Subtle Suggestion To Ditch The Hat
Maybe Too Subtle
Though she only appears in one of the three panels, this is one of Liz’s funniest appearances, given the way she says exactly what she means without actually saying it. The punchline here, as anyone familiar with the characters might expect, is that Jon doesn’t pick up what Liz put down, while Garfield clearly does.
In this Garfield strip, Jon tries wearing a fedora, and Liz immediately shuts it down. Though she only appears in one of the three panels, this is one of Liz’s funniest appearances, given the way she says exactly what she means without actually saying it. The punchline here, as anyone familiar with the characters might expect, is that Jon doesn’t pick up what Liz put down, while Garfield clearly does. “Some men would know,” Garfield says, brilliantly mirroring Liz’s comment about the hat, while showing that Jon’s concerns run much deeper.
5 Jon Fumbles An Easy Opportunity To Make Liz Happy
Even Just A Couplet, Arbuckle
Jon sets himself up for failure here, after seemingly successfully flirting for a moment. Jim Davis draws Jon as dopey and smitten here, as he tells his girlfriend “somebody” should write a poem about her, to which she naturally responds: “How about you, Jon?” Why Jon wouldn’t think of himself as the best possible author here is unclear, but what is brutally apparent is the way he totally drops the ball, stammering that he isn’t up to the task. Liz served her hapless boyfriend an opportunity to be romantic on a silver platter, and he couldn’t even come up with a few lines.
4 Jon Doesn’t Exactly Have An Artist’s Touch
Maybe Try Another Poem
In this panel, Jon seems to have learned from his mistake with the poem, as he has taken to painting a portrait of Liz to express his love for her. Though Liz doesn’t appear in this strip herself, the looming sense of what she’d think of Jon’s painting, as Garfield gives a complete non-reaction, makes this a particularly amusing use of the character, and a stand-out installment of later Garfield. Jon, displaying a rare note of good sense, looks the painting over himself before concluding: “I don’t think I’ll show it to her.“
3 Liz Realizes She’s Trying To Tame A Bachelor
Jon Gets Her On A Technicality
Jon lived as a single individual alone with his pets, for some time, and as this strip makes clear, he’s in need of further domestication as much as Garfield and Odie. Here, Liz casts a critical eye over Jon’s shopping list, suggesting that it could use the addition of some vegetables. Jon quickly responds to her feedback by revising the list to include onion rings. Hilariously, this prompts a rare moment where Garfield is actually proud of Jon, as he pumps his paw in the air and thinks: “All right, Loophole Boy!“
2 Jon Arbuckle Is The Complete Opposite Of Smooth
Leave Out The Second Part, Buddy
Jon and Liz’s romantic dynamic is defined by strips like this one, where Jon tramples all over an opportunity to be sweet and flirtatious with his girlfriend.
Jon and Liz’s romantic dynamic is defined by strips like this one, where Jon tramples all over an opportunity to be sweet and flirtatious with his girlfriend – much like Godzilla traditionally stomps all over the place, as Jon couldn’t help but tell Liz about in this case. The truly funny thing here is that Liz is even willing to continue being cute and playful with Jon even after he moves on from dreaming about her to dreaming about Godzilla. “Different dream, I hope” she says. In response, Jon surprises her by responding, “then let’s say it was,” not realizing that he has ruined the mood.
1 Sometimes Jon Makes Things More Difficult Than They Have To Be
A Classic Relationship Problem
This is far from the first instance in Garfield history of Jon Arbuckle making things harder on himself, and those around him – though often it isn’t necessary, as he has Garfield to make things harder for him.
Jon makes a classic relationship mistake her, taking a roundabout way to say something mundane, making Liz think he’s about to say something serious. “Life is like a giant pan of lasagna,” he says, riffing on the famous Forrest Gump quote, “and Garfield got to the table before we did.” The humor in this strip comes from the fact that Jon seems to be making a sweeping metaphor, when in fact he’s needlessly circling the point – which is that Garfield ate their lasagna, meaning they’ll need to go to a restaurant for dinner.
Circuitously communicating something that should be straightforward is a common cause of minor strife in relationships. This is far from the first instance in Garfield history of Jon Arbuckle making things harder on himself, and those around him – though often it isn’t necessary, as he has Garfield to make things harder for him. This strip serves as a notable example of how making Liz a more central character allowed Garfield to update its familiar dynamics, and continue to be relevant well into the 21st century.
