Wait…no one is being sued? Holy s**t!

The NY Times has a nice article up about how Dan Walsh, a technology manager from Dublin, has in effect re-imagined the Garfield comic strip by removing all the other characters to isolate Jon. The effect renders Jon melancholy, introspective, even depressed. It’s a fascinating take.

The most amazing part of this story? Jim Davis, who created Garfield and wrote the original strips, isn’t suing. That must be a first, something to give IP lawyers the world over the shakes late at night. In fact, he enjoys the new take on his work:

Mr. Davis, who has been drawing Garfield for 30 years, said that “Garfield Minus Garfield” has actually prompted him to take a different look at his own work. He compared Mr. Walsh’s efforts to the cerebral approach of Pogo, the comic strip by Walt Kelly.

“I think it’s the body of work that makes me laugh — the more you read of these strips, the funnier it gets,” Mr. Davis said. As for Garfield himself, “this makes a compelling argument that maybe he doesn’t need to be there. Less is more.”

A model for artists and content creators the world over…

Side note: Interesting that the Times didn’t seem fit to throw Mr. Walsh any linklove.