Online comic strip 'Garfield Minus Garfield' gets book deal

London, Aug 2 : The popular online comic strip 'Garfield Minus Garfield' in which tales of the cat is reprinted without him, is to be turned into a book.

And the move has been backed by the cartoon's original author.

'Garfield Minus Garfield' has developed a huge fan since its launch in February.

In the comic strips' blog, Garfield, the cat, and his thought bubbles from the original strips have been removed making it appear that his owner, John Arbuckle, is talking to himself, reports the Telegraph.

The result is an "even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life", according to the site's Irish creator Dan Walsh.

Garfield creator Jim Davis, who came up with the idea for a comic about a lasagna-loving cat in 1978, was impressed.

Instead of trying to get the site closed down he has thrown his weight behind a new book that will publish his originals and Walsh's versions side-by-side.

The book is being published by Ballantine Books, which has published collections of the original Garfield cartoons since 1980.

ANI