Garfield Books
Garfield, as one of the most recognizable comic strips, has also franchised a number of books, ranging from kid's storybooks, to comic strip collections, to mock-encyclopediac books.
Lights, Camera, Hairballs!: Garfield at the Movies
Lights, Camera, Hairballs!: Garfield at the Movies is a children's book by Jim Davis, published in 2006. It is presented as a look into different movie genres, with Garfield acting as guide. It also showcases several cartoon segments and fake reviews, spoofing big time movies.
A segment titled "Principles of Method Eating", parodying the practice of method acting, shows Garfield acting out a sort of love scene with a large hogie. By the final picture, he has managed to Devour the whole sandwhich, rewarded with a wider stomach.
A segment entitled "Not-So-Super Superheroes" show Garfield, Odie, and Jon as rejected superhero characters. This includes a shot of Gardfield and Odie as the XXL-Men, (parody of the X-Men) two crimefighters in primary-colored uniforms, shown munching on junk food and sporting big bellies supported by a mini-wheelbarrow and a skateboard respectively.
A double-feature matinee poster frame spoofs two famous teenager movies, one of which is Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The poster shows Garfield dressed as John Hamilton, only much wider then the popular schoolboy and surrounded by the litter of his fast food binge.
Located near the end of the book, this section showcases Jim Davis' drawings that did not make it to the final product. Among the doodles is a etching of Garfield dealing with a bloated belly (Deep Bloat), one of a fatter Garfield in gladiator gear (Spartaguts), and a colored picture of Garfield on a motorcycle, sporting a belly that presses against the handlebars. (Easy Wider)
Garfield's Sumo Beach Bellyball
Arriving in California for a month-long vacation, Garfield and Odie sign themselves up for a volleyball-like sport called "beach bellyball", gaining weight and becoming sumo-sized.
