Re:The World of Subversive Garfield Spinoffs
by jecyll on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @01:30PM
(#12080867)
Even if Garfield Minus Garfield is a little weird,
I think it's fascinating how the absence of the cat creats such a obscure melancholia.
Some of the stripes even become philosophical.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Garfield Minus Garfield plus 4chan is weirder still
Re:The World of Subversive Garfield Spinoffs
by drzaiusapelord on Tuesday July 12, 2016 @02:10PM
(#12081178)
Or conversely shows how easy it is to make non-sense that can be interpreted as deep or meaningful. Makes me think of India's guru culture or the US's new age stuff. Its like our minds are hardwired to trip a fuse when we see something on the level of zen koan or similarly weird or meaningless. Another example is 'cut up books' where you randomly paste together strips of sentences from other books or newspapers and eventually get something interesting.
Maybe its a side-effect of being a novelty seeking species. Who knows.
I think it's more than that. The Minuses have a definite air that the others, more randomized, don't. I think it's a little Andy Kaufman like - much humor is ultimately malicious, and when you strip out the punchlines, you're left just with the setup in which Jon's loserdom can't be ignored.