Garfield: The Evolution of Jon and Liz's 'Relationship' in Comics Explained

Summary Jon and Liz's romance is just as important to Garfield as Garfield himself, spanning decades of will-they-won't-they moments.

Liz's evolution from her early appearance in Jon to her official debut in Garfield showcased her character's sarcastic, deadpan charm.

After almost 30 years of on-and-off moments, Jon and Liz finally start dating in 2006, much to the delight of fans eagerly awaiting their union.

The romance between at the core of Garfield deserves a deeper analysis. It's easy to assume there isn't anything more to Garfield than just Garfield, but it's easier for readers to invest in the supporting cast as much as the centerpiece orange fur ball. For instance, Jon Arbuckle is just as central to Garfield, and so is his romance with Dr. Liz Wilson.

If Garfield is the core of his comics, then Jon and Liz's relationship is often the heart of these strips. In fact, before they got together, Liz and Jon's romance had been building for almost as long as Garfield had been an active comic strip, almost since the very beginning.

This article seeks to chronicle Liz and Jon's relationship from its start - ranging from Liz's debut, how she evolved as a character within the strips, and how her bond to Jon grew with each strip. Charting the trajectory of their romance is the best way to illustrate just how important they are to Garfield's overall history.

Liz's On-Panel Debut

And the Start of a Beautiful Romance with Jon

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There are technically two appearances readers can cite as Liz's debut, the first arriving before Garfield was even created. Before there was Garfield, Jim Davis penned a comic strip called Jon, a prototype of what would eventually become Garfield. Davis' February 26, 1976 strip of Jon features Jon attempting to flirt with an unnamed woman using a pickup line so bad that she runs away by the next panel. While the woman is unnamed here, she would continue to appear in future Jon comics, officially mentioning that her name is Liz in a March 10, 1977 comic strip.

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As Liz would continue to make appearances in Jon, the title character would continue to make attempts to woo her, failing at every turn. Sometimes, she would shoot him down outright in his attempts to ask her out on dates. Other times, there would be some sort of interruption or obstacle in his way preventing him from even trying to pop such a question, like a bigger man gaining her attention and affection instead. Jon's failure to court Liz would become a running gag in official Garfield comics, to the point that some jokes in Jon would be adopted verbatim for Garfield.

It's interesting to see how different Liz looks in these early comics from her signature appearance. Even her official Garfield debut looks different from what she'd become in the future, but this version of Liz lacks her signature expressive eyes, eyelashes, lip features, or even red lip coloring. The hair is at least somewhat reminiscent of Liz's typical hairstyle, still maintaining the usual feathered look. It's still a far cry from who Liz would become, but a fascinating starting point for where Liz began.

Liz's Official Garfield Debut

Liz Wilson Becomes Garfield's New Vet

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Just over two years later, Garfield would officially hit newspaper stands in 1978. Fast-forward to a fateful week in 1979 and June 26 would mark Liz Wilson's official debut within actual Garfield lore. Over the next week, from June 26 to June 30, the next five comics would be dedicated to Jon taking Garfield to his veterinary appointment, and most importantly, creating the building blocks for a romance between Jon and Liz. Of course, Jon's attempts to woo Liz get off to a shaky start.

It seems evident that creator Jim Davis always had plans to make Liz into Jon's love interest, given how he is instantly smitten with her at first sight. However, Davis doesn't make the road to love easy for his lead human star. With each panel, he tries to make conversation with Liz, only to be shut down by her sarcasm and disinterest. Stories featuring Liz in later years would showcase a sweeter side of her, but her earliest panels highlight a more deadpan approach with her dialogue.

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While the sarcasm remains a part of her character in the future, it's even more on display in these early panels, especially in the final strip dated June 30, 1979. Readers will notice that the strip in question is a complete revamp of Liz's unofficial debut from Jon years earlier, right down to Jon using the exact same joke about rice paddies in Hong Kong. Except, this time, rather than exit stage left, Liz fires back with a scathing quip of her own to signal the end of her debut week in Garfield.

Appearance wise, not too much has changed about Liz from how she'd come to look in later years. The hair is still there, but the lips and lip coloring are not as prominent as they would become in later years, missing the red shading that gives the lips their larger shape. The eyelids are also lower than usual, giving the vet a more tired look without the pupils being as wide or prominent. The lack of detail on the eyes actually makes her sarcastic, deadpan lines feel all the more pronounced.

It's Been a Long Road to Get Here

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Much like in Jon, Mr. Arbuckle would constantly try and fail to win over the heart of Dr. Wilson. Oftentimes, he'd get up the nerve to ask her out during Garfield's vet appointments, only to be either shot down, insulted, blown off, or all of the above. The closest to success he'd come is in a series of strips published in 1981. By now, she's traded her black lipstick for her signature red shade, completing the look she's usually known to have. In a December 16, 1981 strip, after spending the last couple days worth of strips failing to ask Liz out, she finally says yes.

By the end of the week's worth of strips, the date proves such a success that Jon manages to share his first kiss with Liz in the December 19 strip. Yet, for some reason, nothing comes from it. They don't start dating after that, and there's no concrete reason on-panel as to why. Liz wouldn't appear again until the December 31 strip, where she once again assumes the role of Garfield's doctor with no mention of her date with Jon. Even stranger, Liz would be largely absent from Garfield comics for the next few years.

Liz and Jon Finally Start Dating

After Almost Three Decades

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When Liz does start appearing in Garfield stories again, her and Jon are right back into their "will they, won't they?" dynamic. The dynamic itself slows down the more that Jon starts to branch out in dating other women. Finally, 27 years after making her on-panel debut, Liz and Jon would finally start dating in 2006, coincidentally around the time that Jon proposes to Liz on the big screen in that same year's Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties. The comics reach a turning point starting in a series of July comic strips.

On July 20, 2006, after Jon agrees to a restaurant date with Ellen after finding out she's developed amnesia, he's shocked to learn that dating someone who doesn't remember him is a lot harder than it sounds. Things get worse when he finds out Liz is on a date of her own in the same restaurant. Curiosity strikes him, so he disguises himself (poorly) as a waiter, which Liz immediately sees through. However, it gives Liz the opportunity to finally admit on July 26 that she likes Jon.

The two ditch their respective dates and on July 28, they share a kiss. As Garfield says, "and they lived happily ever after." And they've lived happily since 2006, still dating (but not married) to this day. Maybe it was the years' worth of commitment, maybe the final disguise showed Liz how much Jon cares, or maybe it was just time to give audiences the fan service they'd been waiting for. Whatever inspired it, Jon was finally able to win over Garfield's vet, and they've been a couple ever since.