Early yesterday afternoon, Cal was wrapping up what could have been his 20th Garfield episode of the day when he engaged me in the following conversation with him.
Cal: "Mom, if you could be in any comic world, what would it be?"
Me: "Do I get to also pick the character?" This was important.
Cal: "Yes."
Me: "Okay, Marvel, Wonder Woman." Wonder Woman kicks ass.
Cal grinned and shook his head. Clearly I don't know my superhero lines very well.
Me: "Oh, it's DC, right? I'd pick DC, Wonder Woman."
Cal was disappointed with this choice.
Me: "What, you'd pick Garfield, right?" I knew this is what he wanted ME to say.
Cal: "Yes. What Garfield character would you be?"
Me: "Hmm... I'd be Odie. He's just blissfully happy." He is.
Cal: "You wouldn't be Arlene?"
Me: "Who's Arlene?"
Cal: "The pink cat. Garfield's girlfriend."
Me: "No. And be treated like that?" Hell no.
Cal: "But you like Garfield!" I do. Always have. Why is that? I like his attitude. And that he's a cat.
Me: "Well, yeah. I just wouldn't want to be his girlfriend. Who would you be? You'd be Garfield, wouldn't you?"
Cal: "Yep." No hesitation.
I don't know how I feel about this. I mean, Garfield over Avengers, Thor? DC, Batman? Marvel, Deadpool? What does this mean? I'm not raising a kid who aspires to be fat, lazy and apathetic... am I?
Not a chance. And I don't want to be Odie, either -- I want to be Wonder Woman.
Not a chance. And I don't want to be Odie, either -- I want to be Wonder Woman.
With all due respect to your knowledge of contemporary fantasy movies, I'm with Cal. Garfield is not terribly complicated, his antics are funny, and I can identify with him more than with those goofy fantasy characters. I'll listen to that cat far more than I will to something called Thor.
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