Jim Davis' Garfield is perhaps the most successful comic strip ever created, read all over the world, to the extent that it has the Guinness World Record for the most syndicated strip. It's therefore surprising to learn that while Davis' father liked his son's creation, there was a contemporary comic that he loved just that little bit more. This fact is made all the more interesting due to the fact that Davis was friends with his 'rival' creator, who ended up shaping Garfield by prompting Davis to rename a major character.

Davis kept it quiet that his father preferred a rival comic, itting in 2014 that "Nobody else knew that until today."

Jim Davis' Dad Preferred Beetle Bailey

... But Davis' Friendship with Mort Walker Ended Up Changing an Iconic Garfield Character

In an interview with 'army life' comic strip Beetle Bailey, by Mort Walker. The strip follows its title private as he attempts to shirk his various duties at Camp Swampy while dodging the abuse of dim-witted Sergeant Snorkel. Beetle Bailey began publication in 1950, combining humor about life in the armed forces with character-based comedy and physical humor.

Jim Davis ended up renaming Odie because he didn't want to use the same name as Mort Walker's Boner's Ark character.

Apparently, Davis' father simply enjoyed Beetle Bailey's brand of humor more than Garfield's, with Davis stating, "Nobody else knew that until today."

Davis Renamed Odie to Avoid Clashing with Mort Walker's Boner's Ark

Walker's Comic Strip Used Davis' Intended Name

While fans might have forgiven Davis for being less than fond of Mort Walker, given his dad's preference for Beetle Bailey, the two were actually close friends. As recounted in Mort Walker’s Private Scrapbook, the two met incredibly early in Davis' career, right when he was about to begin publishing Garfield in national syndication. Walker talked Davis through some essentials of succeeding in the newspaper comic business, writing that, "We've been friends ever since."

The meeting ended up being significant for Garfield, as it led to Davis changing the name of his dog character Odie (originally the pet of Jon Arbuckle's roommate Lyman, later owned by Jon himself.) In explaining Garfield, Davis mentioned that he planned to call his dog character "Spot," with Walker mentioning that in his comic strip Boner's Ark, he already used a dog character named 'Spot.' Wanting to keep Garfield distinct, Davis switched to the name 'Odie.'

It's a cute detail to know that even for the creator of the internationally syndicated Garfield, parental approval can be hard to come by, though of course Davis was never in any doubt that his dad loved his strip too, even if his heart belonged to Beetle Bailey. However, it's even more fascinating to know that the creators of two of the oldest and best-loved comic strips of all time were not only friends, but that Walker ended up casually shaping such a widely known part of Garfield by prompting Davis to rename Odie.

Source: Scott Neumyer, Mental Floss