Davis still draws by hand, but today it is with a stylus and a tablet. His drawings on paper, however, will be offered at an auction that will span 30 years, revealed the Hollywood Reporter.
"There are so many of them, and it was a daunting task to know what to do with them so that they land where people will enjoy them," said Davis.
Dallas-based Heritage Auctions already started offering his comic strips last August, with two daily comics per week. The longer comics, those published on Sundays, will be offered during major sales this year.
The works, nearly 11,000 in total, were kept in an air-conditioned fireproof chest. They retrace 30 years of the life of Garfield, the orange cat who is known for being a bit lazy, liking lasagna and despising Mondays. The drawings go back as far as the creation of the character in 1978, and will allow collectors to appreciate his adventures until 2011, the year in which Davis opted for the stylus.
Over time, the author has offered strips to his family, friends and staff, while others are exhibited in museums, including the Smithsonian. He even tried to sell them on his website for a few years, but ended up keeping most of them. "With so many strips, the auction just seemed logical," said Davis. "It is a decision that will allow collectors and many fans to have access to the works over the years, without having to send them one by one."
Nagib Baltagi, a comic book collector, has already bought around twenty strips and plans to acquire more. The 36-year-old comic fan says that he enjoyed watching cartoons or reading Garfield books as a child and is interested in comics with several characters and those published on significant dates. "I tend to opt for those that remind me of where I was in my life at the time," said Baltagi.
According to Brian Wiedman, comic book expert at Heritage Auctions, daily strips currently sell between US$500 and $700 (£380-540), while longer Sunday strip are between $1,500 and $3,000 (£1,150-2,300). Their value is often determined by "who does what, when, and where." As a result, a strip showing Garfield eating lasagna, an act that has become his trademark, will be considered one of the most expensive, says Wiedman. Another important point, according to the expert, is the appearance of the other characters from the comics, like Jon Arbuckle, the owner of Garfield, and Odie, his dog.
Davis, now 74, says he has no plans to quit designing comics and will continue to recount the mood swings of the beloved feline.
