What do you think?
Rate this book
Garfield in Disguise
Garfield's Halloween Adventure
Halloween is Garfield's favorite holiday -- you dress up ina costume and next thing you know it's candy, candy, candy! So, disguised as an Old Pirate Cap'n and his First Mate, Garfield and Odie hit the sidewalks of suburbia -- and find themselves in a real-life, very scary ghost story!
Halloween is Garfield's favorite holiday -- you dress up ina costume and next thing you know it's candy, candy, candy! So, disguised as an Old Pirate Cap'n and his First Mate, Garfield and Odie hit the sidewalks of suburbia -- and find themselves in a real-life, very scary ghost story!
460 pages, Paperback
First published September 12, 1985
2 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Jim Davis
2,294 books628 followersJames Robert "Jim" Davis is an American cartoonist who created the popular comic strip Garfield. Other comics that he has worked on are Tumbleweeds, Gnorm Gnat, Slapstick, and a strip about Mr. Potato Head.
Jim Davis was born in Fairmount, Indiana, near Marion, where he grew up on a small farm with his father James William Davis, mother Anna Catherine (Carter) Davis, brother Dave, and 25 cats. Davis' childhood on a farm parallels the life of his cartoon character Garfield's owner, Jon Arbuckle, who was also raised on a farm with his parents and a brother, Doc Boy. Jon, too, is a cartoonist, and also celebrates his birthday on July 28. Davis attended Ball State University. While attending Ball State, he became a member of the Theta Xi fraternity. He earned the dubious honor of earning one of the lowest cumulative grade point averages in the history of the university, an honor incidentally shared with Late Show host David Letterman.
Davis as of 2007 resides in Muncie, Indiana, where he and his staff produce Garfield under his company, Paws, Inc., begun in 1981. He was married to Carolyn, a singer and elementary teacher whom he met while both were attending college, and has a son named James with her. However, the couple divorced, and Davis since 2000 has been married to Jill, Paws' senior vice president of licensing, who has worked there approximately 25 years.
Ironically, Davis did not own cats when he started Garfield because of Carolyn's allergies, but they owned a Labrador retriever named Molly. With Jill, the family has expanded to include children Ashley and Chris; three grandchildren, Chloe, Carly and Cody; cats, Spunky and Nermal; and a dog, Pooky.
Jim Davis was born in Fairmount, Indiana, near Marion, where he grew up on a small farm with his father James William Davis, mother Anna Catherine (Carter) Davis, brother Dave, and 25 cats. Davis' childhood on a farm parallels the life of his cartoon character Garfield's owner, Jon Arbuckle, who was also raised on a farm with his parents and a brother, Doc Boy. Jon, too, is a cartoonist, and also celebrates his birthday on July 28. Davis attended Ball State University. While attending Ball State, he became a member of the Theta Xi fraternity. He earned the dubious honor of earning one of the lowest cumulative grade point averages in the history of the university, an honor incidentally shared with Late Show host David Letterman.
Davis as of 2007 resides in Muncie, Indiana, where he and his staff produce Garfield under his company, Paws, Inc., begun in 1981. He was married to Carolyn, a singer and elementary teacher whom he met while both were attending college, and has a son named James with her. However, the couple divorced, and Davis since 2000 has been married to Jill, Paws' senior vice president of licensing, who has worked there approximately 25 years.
Ironically, Davis did not own cats when he started Garfield because of Carolyn's allergies, but they owned a Labrador retriever named Molly. With Jill, the family has expanded to include children Ashley and Chris; three grandchildren, Chloe, Carly and Cody; cats, Spunky and Nermal; and a dog, Pooky.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 31, 2022
Fun. Scary clown plus pirate ghost story. The embroidered skull on Garfield’s pirate costume hat had reactions of its own, which was funny. Garfield & Odie row a boat to an island where lightning is striking and an old man tells a creepy tale. Effective. Nice camaraderie here between Garfield and Odie. Ideal Halloween read.
October 1, 2022
2.5 stars.
October 19, 2024
I'm going off memory with this one since this book and many others went away several years ago. The read date is a wild stab in the dark, but I know I read it several times in middle school. However, the story remains fresh in my mind since I watch the show every October. It's a shame they don't show it on TV anymore. In fact, I believe holiday network specials for kids have just about gone the way of the dodo.[1] Getting to stay up on a school night to watch one was a real treat, and the excitement really ramped up as soon as you saw this:
Oh, yeah. Bring it on!
Anyway, my best friend up the street and I loved Garfield, and although we don't talk but maybe once a year or so now, and even then for just a few minutes over the phone, we still throw out old running jokes, and a few come from this.
"If you don't exercise with Binky, you're gonna grow up to be... WORTHLESS!"
Oh, so that's how I ended up this way... Coulda, shoulda, woulda. Woops!
And I don't care what anybody says, this is one of the scariest images I ever saw in my childhood.
You can see Garfield and Odie giving my exact reaction. That old man is on the top tier with Large Marge...
...the Ghostbusters library ghost...
...and the Wicked Witch of the West.
(I know this is technically the Wicked Witch of the East, but it comes to the same thing. Ye Gods, that cackle!)
As for the book, it's pretty much the show in comic strip form. The plot is there, as are most of the jokes, but it misses something without the music, such as the dramatic musical stab when you first see the old man sitting in the chair shown above. Also, some of the exchanges don't translate well to the page. Take this one for example:
A still picture doesn't convey the humor of them staring at each other then looking down; motion is required. It also helps if you can imagine Lorenzo Music's voice for Garfield. I can manage that, but sound doesn't come off the page.
One thing I do remember about the book that apparently stuck with me through the decades is that the skull on the hat was pretty active with its facial expressions. This happened occasionally in the show (as you can see in the picture above), but more so in the book. My favorite part was when Garfield fell in the river, and the skull and crossbones swam away as the hat sank.
This is a fun Halloween read for kids if you can find it cheap at a used bookstore. The ones I saw online were averaging around $18. It's not worth that. There were a few around $9, but it's not worth that either. Good luck.
[1]: Don't even get me started on the Apple assholes denying the networks and PBS the Peanuts holiday specials.
Oh, yeah. Bring it on!
Anyway, my best friend up the street and I loved Garfield, and although we don't talk but maybe once a year or so now, and even then for just a few minutes over the phone, we still throw out old running jokes, and a few come from this.
"If you don't exercise with Binky, you're gonna grow up to be... WORTHLESS!"
Oh, so that's how I ended up this way... Coulda, shoulda, woulda. Woops!
And I don't care what anybody says, this is one of the scariest images I ever saw in my childhood.
You can see Garfield and Odie giving my exact reaction. That old man is on the top tier with Large Marge...
...the Ghostbusters library ghost...
...and the Wicked Witch of the West.
(I know this is technically the Wicked Witch of the East, but it comes to the same thing. Ye Gods, that cackle!)
As for the book, it's pretty much the show in comic strip form. The plot is there, as are most of the jokes, but it misses something without the music, such as the dramatic musical stab when you first see the old man sitting in the chair shown above. Also, some of the exchanges don't translate well to the page. Take this one for example:
A still picture doesn't convey the humor of them staring at each other then looking down; motion is required. It also helps if you can imagine Lorenzo Music's voice for Garfield. I can manage that, but sound doesn't come off the page.
One thing I do remember about the book that apparently stuck with me through the decades is that the skull on the hat was pretty active with its facial expressions. This happened occasionally in the show (as you can see in the picture above), but more so in the book. My favorite part was when Garfield fell in the river, and the skull and crossbones swam away as the hat sank.
This is a fun Halloween read for kids if you can find it cheap at a used bookstore. The ones I saw online were averaging around $18. It's not worth that. There were a few around $9, but it's not worth that either. Good luck.
[1]: Don't even get me started on the Apple assholes denying the networks and PBS the Peanuts holiday specials.
December 7, 2016
Garfield in Disguise (my copy is an original printing with the original name) was one of the many Garfield television specials that used to run throughout my youth. This one was my favorite, it incorporated two of my favorite things at the time; Halloween and pirates!
Here we find Garfield on the quest for candy on Halloween night, conscripting Odie into his service to get twice the haul. Of course, what Halloween special would be complete without a legit ghost story, which the two soon find themselves right in the middle of.
Like I said, this was one of my favorite of the Garfield TV specials growing up, so I had to have a copy of the book when I saw it was a thing. I also remember using this book to draw pictures of Garfield as a pirate. I remember being very proud of those drawings, as I think they were fairly accurate.
Here we find Garfield on the quest for candy on Halloween night, conscripting Odie into his service to get twice the haul. Of course, what Halloween special would be complete without a legit ghost story, which the two soon find themselves right in the middle of.
Like I said, this was one of my favorite of the Garfield TV specials growing up, so I had to have a copy of the book when I saw it was a thing. I also remember using this book to draw pictures of Garfield as a pirate. I remember being very proud of those drawings, as I think they were fairly accurate.
May 31, 2017
What can you say? Good old Garfield pretends to be a pirate and strange adventures ensue. Perfect for the kid inside all of us. The illustrations are perfect and so old-school it makes me wish to be a kid again. When I re-read this, I caused a small time-warp resulting in me turning into a nine-year-old on Halloween night sailing along with Garfield and Odie. Good times indeed!
November 23, 2018
It just wouldn't be Halloween without rereading this book (for maybe the 40th time) and seeing the holiday special!
And, in this story, Odie is the hero! I just love Odie! He is the best!
I used to teach and Garfield was my theme! I had dozens of Garfield plush hanging in my classroom, posters, books, etc!
Long live that orange cat and his sweet canine sidekick!
And, in this story, Odie is the hero! I just love Odie! He is the best!
I used to teach and Garfield was my theme! I had dozens of Garfield plush hanging in my classroom, posters, books, etc!
Long live that orange cat and his sweet canine sidekick!
January 28, 2018
In this Garfield adventure Odie is the hero! YEAH for Odie! LOL!!! Such a cute story.
October 24, 2023
One of my all time favorite animated TV specials, the book reveals itself to be just as great! With a comic-book layout, the book moves fast, covers the entire TV special plus a few extra tidbits that make the book even more special! One of my favorite children's Halloween reads this year!
March 8, 2024
This was a great halloween special comic. It had the typical Garfield gags, it had the typical halloween traditions and a decent ghost story. The artwork is also probably the best Garfield has ever looked.
November 5, 2017
the first Halloween story I remember
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2021
Away with ye, Garfield haters. Halloween is never over and books like this keep the candle in the jack-o'-lantern of our hearts forever burning.
January 3, 2024
This was one of my favorite garfields stories.
+ they also made an anime short movie of it I love watching it when October/Halloween comes around.
+ they also made an anime short movie of it I love watching it when October/Halloween comes around.
January 25, 2022
Recently took this out of my book shelf for spooky season. Very short read as usual from the story-based Garfield comics.
I do love the artwork and little details scribbled in (like the crossbones on Garfield pirate hat reacted to things like Garfield does).
I grew up with Garfield. I won’t act like it’s a groundbreaking book or series, but it was a fun little read and I do enjoy Odie getting nice comments from Garfield!
I do love the artwork and little details scribbled in (like the crossbones on Garfield pirate hat reacted to things like Garfield does).
I grew up with Garfield. I won’t act like it’s a groundbreaking book or series, but it was a fun little read and I do enjoy Odie getting nice comments from Garfield!
October 11, 2024
The animated film is my all time favorite Halloween adventure story.
It was well overdue for me to check out the source material in Jim Davis classic story.
Small differences but overall nearly exact.
It was well overdue for me to check out the source material in Jim Davis classic story.
Small differences but overall nearly exact.
January 11, 2008
Ah, Garfield. Garfield and his spooky Halloween hi-jinx.
September 19, 2008
Yes, I know this is a comic book. Being a childhood Garfield fan, thought I would give this one a "shot out"!
September 13, 2011
The book was cute. The cartoon still gives me the creeps!
May 6, 2012
this comic book had lots of adventure but it wasn't as good as the christmas one or the thanksgiving one.
November 23, 2014
Funny and cute. Brings back a lot of good memories. I definitely recommend.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews