A memorable early Garfield storyline featured the feline's version of "the history of cats," a sequence of comic strips published in the summer of 1979; as the week progressed, series creator Jim Davis took readers on a tour of the past from the dawn of life on Earth up through the modern era all from Garfield's perspective.

Garfield's "History of Cats" offers a great insight into how a single one of Davis's jokes could evolve over a span of days; coming in just the second year of the strip's publication, it is a clear example of the author flexing his creative muscles, by planning an extended gag.

The strips also gave Davis the opportunity to step outside the comic's usual setting, Jon Arbuckle's house, and go to some unexpected places all while adding to what made Garfield such a lovable, enduring character.

Garfield's Hilarious Take On The Origins Of The Species,...