But, in 1997, fans of cutting edge satire rejoiced at Frank Cho, the mad genius who had previously set the comics' world on its' ear with the legendary but not widely viewed UNIVERSITY2, unleashed LIBERTY MEADOWS as a syndicated newspaper strip. In those markets where it appeared, it was an overnight sensation.
Now Insight Studios has begun collecting these great strips and releasing them, eight weeks per issue, to the known comic world.
AND IT'S LONG OVERDUE! And impossible to find as issue #1 sold out within five weeks of its' initial release.
As with all well created comics, you have to start with characters. And this one if no different. We have Ralph: the midget circus bear. There's Leslie: the hypochondriac bullfrog. Here's Truman the duckling and Dean the male chauvinist pig(literally). And let's not forget spineless doc Frank and the absolutely stunning psychiatrist Brandy who we are all waiting to see nekkid some day!
Please understand that this IS a comic strip which means, with the exception of the Sunday pages, all the jokes come at you in only four panels. Don't blink or you'll miss something.
Set in Liberty Meadows, a "sanctuary for animals who lost their natural habitat to man", the tale begins with Frank praying to get the job as the doctor at Liberty Meadows. He even swears to give up dating...until he sees Brandy, at which point he changes that to giving up Bingo. He gets the job and takes an immediate liking to Brandy...so much so he picks Poison Ivy for her.
We next meet Ralph and Leslie, who are prone to practical jokes and Dean, who is wrapped in a strait jacket and screaming "I WANT MY CIGARETTES, NURSE RATCHED!". Dean, we learn, is here for Detox. Truman the duckling, is the only survivor of the worst petroleum accident on the coast(what coast, we can only assume). He fears water, needs swimming lessons and screams "FIRE IN THE HOLE!"
Nope...no post traumatic stress syndrome here!
So it's off to group therapy, where a poor cow is convinced that William Shatner is trying to come out of his head and starts shouting things like "KHAAN! There's a gremlin on the wing!" He'll get drug testing! Frank and Brandy go out on a date and, besides having to get prompts from the waiter, he gets the crap beat out of him by Brandy very muscular ex-boyfriend. What are the cops going to do about it? Lends a hand...after they put on the music from COPS first("bad boys...bad boys...whatcha gonna do")
And let's not forget about Khan-the biggest catfish ever, who takes his revenge of those who try to catch him by sinking the boat. And Ralph, who tries his damnedest to be the winged avenger, with disastrous results. Or the haircutting incident, which leads to even MORE disastrous results.
The bits, gags and storylines collected in the first three issues are far to involved, humorous and time consuming to relate here. There's the salute to France, the flaming beehive incident, and the defense against the mad poachers. There's the Tarzan parody, the Prince valiant parody and the wonderful image from THE GRADUATE. There's the battle with the game SIMON, the excellent adventures of the stud monkeys and you even get to watch Brandy tie a cherry stem with her tongue.
What more could you want in comic fun?
This book truly is one of the funniest reads of the year. The gags are so cutting and so timely and so well delivered, that you will find yourself laughing out-loud, causing friends and family members to wonder just what drugs you're on. It slaps at life, politics, religion and pop culture with a brutally swift sword. The characters are fresh and well defined. By the end of issue #1, you will know each of their quirks intimately. And Cho's artwork is all over the board, which is EXACTLY where it needs to be for this title. His animals are cute, psychotic and funny. His human males are either nerdy, geeky or tough bullies. And his women, specifically the lovely Miss Brandy, is every man's dream. Looking like she was drawn by Dave Stevens in his prime, she captivates every panel she is in.
This book is required reading for anyone who fits the following: 1) lover of classic cartoon humor like POGO, BLOOM COUNTY or BUGS BUNNY. 2). follower of the classic issues of MAD and PANIC. 3) the jaded comic fan who needs to walk away from superheroes in tights for a while. 4) all of the above.
Of course, the answer is #4!