Garfield Haters Unite! Fat Cat Backtracking After Veterans Day Diss

Cartoonist Jim Davis apologizes after running a strip proclaiming "National Stupid Day"

This little kitty is in big big trouble.

Jim Davis, the creator of the inexplicably ubiquitous Garfield, issued an apology today to members of the armed forces and others who were offended by a cartoon that ran on Veterans Day that implied the the holiday was "National Stupid Day."

Talk about bad timing.

In the strip, the spider-averse fat cat confronts an eight-legged critter who warns, "If you squish me, I shall become famous...they will hold an annual day of remembrance in my honor, you fat slob!"

Garfield stares at him, nonplussed, but it's clear the arachnid's remarks have no effect. The final panel shows a classroom of spiders being asked, "Does anyone here know why we celebrate National Stupid Day?"

That didn't go over so well with Garfield's massive syndicated audience, including many vets who wrote in to their newspapers slamming the strip, prompting the mea culpa.

"Dear Friends, Fans and Veterans," writes Davis. "In what has to be the worst timing ever, the strip that runs in today's paper seems to be making a statement about veterans. It absolutely, positively has nothing to do with this important day of remembrance."

Davis blamed the controversy on the fact the 'toon was drawn months in advance and that he had no idea it would be published when it was.

"It was written almost a year ago and I had no idea when writing it that it would appear today—of all days," he continued. "I do not use a calendar that lists holidays and other notable days so when this strip was put in the queue, I had no idea it would run on Veterans Day. What are the odds? You can bet I'll have a calendar that lists everything by my side in the future."

The cartoonist also noted that his brother, Dave, served in Vietnam and his son, James, has completed two tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"You'd have to go a long way to find someone who was more proud and grateful for what our Veterans have done for all of us," Davis says. "Please accept my apologies for any offense today's Garfield may have created. It was unintentional and regrettable. "

Garfield, which Davis launched in 1978, runs in more than 2,600 newspapers and is one of the most popular comic strips in the world, spawning TV shows, feature films, video games and merchandise.