Also, the stories were originally slightly more based in reality; the madcap surreality that the strip has become famous for didn'

Compilations moved away from the traditional horizontal "Garfield format" to standard vertical book styles after 2001.

Focused on Garfield's arrival, his first lasagna (July 7, 1978), and his hatred of Mondays (September 18, 1978).

Odie debuted on August 8, 1978, and Pooky on October 23, 1978. Expansion & Peak Syndication (1984–1999):

Most readers access these years through the series of compilation books. Each book typically covers about 6–8 months of daily and Sunday strips. Garfield (Comic Strip) - Tropedia

In 2006, Jon Arbuckle finally began a successful relationship with Liz Wilson , the veterinarian, ending a 28-year running gag of his dating failures. Reading Order & Collections

This era saw the launch of Garfield and Friends (1988) and the character's first Emmy Award (1985).