Nick buys Garfield from Jim Davis!

[DanMad1977]

Why the hate for Jim Davis? I really don't understand it.

[AndrewCrossett]

Why the hate for Jim Davis? I really don't understand it.

He openly admitted that he created Garfield in order to make money and with no motivations of "making art."

Which doesn't bother me at all. But some people consider it cynical.

[BeastieRunner]

Some people hate honesty and directness.

[AndrewCrossett]

Jim Davis wanted to get rich off of Garfield, but in order to do so he had to create characters people like and tell jokes people think are funny. Which is art, anyway.

I don't think any comic strip artist -- not even Bill Watterson -- has ever created a strip without hoping to make some money for his effort.

[Vakanai]

He openly admitted that he created Garfield in order to make money and with no motivations of "making art."

Which doesn't bother me at all. But some people consider it cynical.

I consider it cynical, and as a cynical man myself I see nothing wrong with that, mad props to Jim. Millions of people have gotten enjoyment from Garfield, myself included, and there's nothing wrong with doing something to make money. That's what capitalism is all about.

[Gray Lensman]

I consider it cynical, and as a cynical man myself I see nothing wrong with that, mad props to Jim. Millions of people have gotten enjoyment from Garfield, myself included, and there's nothing wrong with doing something to make money. That's what capitalism is all about.

On top of it I believe Davis actually tried the standard route for a funny comic strip before Garfield. It went nowhere, so he went with a relatable character more than a funny one. That seems more like an indictment of the general public than Davis when I take any time to think about it.

On top of it, you have the Internet Hate Machine amplifying everything. Whatever mediocre-yet-popular band of the moment is the worst thing to ever happen to music, This restaurant chain or that one makes the absolute worst food of all time, and the guy who invented comic sans needs to be forced to re-enact the curb scene from American History X, and so on.

[AndrewCrossett]

Not just capitalism... using your talents to make a living is the basic task of all human beings and has been since we achieved sentience. The lucky few get to make people happy by doing it.

I was saying that I hope/assume he has some clause in this deal that will prevent him from being fired from his own comic strip or told what he has to draw... because corporations are soulless sociopaths and do stuff like that all the time.

[WebLurker]

Hope Nick's management of the brand goes well and that Davis is happy with the deal.

Why the hate for Jim Davis? I really don't understand it.

Yeah, I don't get it either. By all accounts, he's made an honest living, his company seems to treat its employees well (at least from what little I know), and created characters that have meant a lot to people.

[skyvolt2000]

I'm surprisingly okay with this. Hope we get a new cartoon soon then.

A cartoon was already in the works before this on NIck.

[Kirby101]

I am not a fan of Garfield. Never found it funny. But good for him. He produced a comic strip for decades that millions liked. I have never heard he wasn't a good guy. Mark Evanier, who worked on all the cartoons, has always said good things about Davis. And for what it's worth, the history of the comic strip, including some of the best and most loved was they were created to "make money".

[Joker Venom]

He openly admitted that he created Garfield in order to make money and with no motivations of "making art."

Which doesn't bother me at all. But some people consider it cynical.

If they've got a problem with that, they must have thought Charles Schulz was the Anti-Christ, considering how much money "Peanuts" has generated from merchandising over the years.

[AndrewCrossett]

If they've got a problem with that, they must have thought Charles Schulz was the Anti-Christ, considering how much money "Peanuts" has generated from merchandising over the years.

It's not that Davis made money, but that he was open about that being his reason for making the strip instead of, oh, I don't know, making our days a little less dreary with a dose of laughter blah blah blah.

It's part of a dance all artists are supposed to do that they have to apologize for not starving in an attic somewhere like a REAL artist.

[AnakinFlair]

He openly admitted that he created Garfield in order to make money and with no motivations of "making art."

Which doesn't bother me at all. But some people consider it cynical.

That makes me like him more.

[steve2275]

He openly admitted that he created Garfield in order to make money and with no motivations of "making art."

Which doesn't bother me at all. But some people consider it cynical.

doesnt bother me

[Powerboy]

Kind of reminds me of when someone applies for a retail job and they ask the ultimate BS question: Why do you want to work here?

Then you have to go into, "Well, because [name of company here] is a respectable organization that allows me to take pride in my work. BS, BS, BS" when the real answer is, "Because I need a job. Why the hell else would I be applying for some crap 10-12 dollar an hour job?"

So Jim Davis basically told the truth. Oh, and I hardly ever read Garfield but when I occasionally do, I actually think it's funny.