Eden

This reviewer first was introduced to Liberty Meadows when she was spending one of her many hours at a Barnes and Nobles. The plotline, she had to admit, was a little strange, but seemed to work: a dorky vet by the name of Frank working at an animal shelter for some of the most eccentric animal characters known to man. There's Leslie, the hypochondriac bullfrog. Dean, the obnoxious pig who smokes, drinks, and fancies himself a ladies man (ladies pig?). Truman, the duck who cannot fly. Ralph the midget bear inventor. And so on. The comedy is often of a slapstick nature. Dean the pig's attempts to woo the ladies usually end up with Dean getting hurt (in one memorable instance, Frank has to remove a high-heeled shoe from where the sun don't shine after one of Dean's many attempts). Ralph and Leslie are constantly either pulling pranks on each other or the other inhabitants and trying out one of Ralph's cockamamie inventions. Not to mention owner Julius' obession with outsmatring Khan the catfish, Frank's clumsy pursuit of Brandy, the animal psychologist, lots of sight gags involving other comic strips, and the occasional appearance of cartoonist Frank Cho, in the form of a chimp. You have been warned. All and all, this writer doesn't know what drugs Frank Cho was on upon creation, but she wants it.

Before its voluntary departure from the Washington Post, "Liberty Meadows" had gained a loyal following that brought it back from possible cancellation more than once. In a sea of snippy animals and dysfunctional families, Frank Cho's strip brought us something fresh and original: Complete madness. But in case readers weren't lucky enough to catch Cho's strip initially, it has been immortalized in "Liberty Meadows 1: Eden." Expect nothing but madness, mayhem and a bit of wistful romance, and this kooky comic will not disappoint. Welcome to Liberty Meadows, an animal preserve overseen by vet Frank and animal shrink Brandy. Nerdy Frank is instantly smitten with busty, kind-natured Brandy, but lacks the self-confidence to ask her out. As he struggles to admit his feelings, he must get to know the residents. Unfortunately, those residents include a crazed cow, hypochondriac frog Leslie, chain-smoking chauvinist pig Dean, Truman the aquaphobic duck, and Ralph the tiny bear. This loony crew tries to deal with dates (where Brandy's crazed ex tries to kill Frank), the evil catfish Khan, camping trips with psychedelic mushrooms, falls into mine shafts, severed noses, truck-sized ticks, the insane stalker Cow kidnapping a celebrity and -- worst of all -- Dean's trip through the land of Cold Turkey. It's hard to find a comic strip that is as relentlessly weird as "Liberty Meadows," and it's amazing that Frank Cho managed to keep these off-the-wall jokes going for so long. Or, for that matter, that he managed to make them up at all. Mad Cow kidnapping William Shatner? That one was priceless, I have to admit. Cho straddles the line between realistic and cartoonish artwork -- on one hand, Brandy and Frank are very realistic looking. Especially Brandy's, um, "details." Their actions are all-too-human, and our hearts bleed whenever Frank's nerve fails him. On the other hand, the animals and some of the supporting humans are goofy-looking, and act accordingly. "Liberty Meadows" was a refreshing, too-brief reprieve on the comic page, and fortunately the stories of Brandy, Frank and the loony animals can be easily revisited in the first collection.

I first picked this book up thinking it was just another stupid anonymous comic book that I'd glance at and put down immediately, but upon browsing a few of the pages I started chuckling and then laughing out loud, and at one point I laughed so loud that I startled myself because I realized of course that I was in a book store and it was very very quiet except for my LOUD laughing. A fantastic read, with realistic and believable characters that I suspect are probably taken from either the authors life or his dreams and imagination. I'd recommend to EVERYONE, however some of the jokes are aimed at older at least teenaged people, and some adult themes are weaved throughout. The main characters are short-but-average-joe, a bunch of super-smart but WIERD animal-like characters, and the tall beauty naned Brandy that pretty much makes the book. I wouldn't say I'm anxiously waiting for the next Frank Cho book because I have other interests that take up much of my time, but really, I'M WAITING ANXIOUSLY FOR FRANK'S NEXT BOOK! lol Thanks for reading, I hope this review helps you decide on whether to purchase or not.

I first pick this book up thinking it was just another stupid anonymous comic book, that I'd glance at and put down immediately, but upon browsing a few of the pages I started chuckling and then laughing out loud, at one point I laughed so loud that I startled myself because I realized of course that I was in a book store and it was very, very quite except for my LOUD laughing. A fantastic read, with realistic and believable characters that I suspect are probably taken from either the authors life or his dreams and imagination. I'd recommend to EVERYONE, however some of the jokes are aimed at older at least teenaged people, and some adult themes are weaved throughout.The main characters are short-but-average-joe, a bunch of wierd super-smart but WIERD animal-like characters, and the tall beauty Brandy that pretty much makes the book.I wouldn't say I'm anxiously waiting for the next Frank Cho book because I have other interests that take up much of my time, but really, I'M WAITING ANXIOUSLY FOR FRANK'S NEXT BOOK! lolThanks for reading, I hope this review helps you decide on whether to purchase or not.

"Eden" contains strips from the begining of "Liberty Meadow's" syndication run in 1997 and run to about mid-1998. There are NO Sunday strips included, only the Monday through Saturday daily strips. But, since Frank never had his Sunday strips included in his serials, they aren't really required. For those who are unaware of "Liberty Meadows", this is a strip about the Liberty Meadows Animal Sanctuary. Here, several crazy animals live including a rescued midget circus bear, a LARGE frog, a hog who used to be a mascot for the University of Maryland, and other critters. You also have the shy, nerdy vet Frank, and the hot animal psychiatrist Brandy (whom Frank has a HUGE crush on but who can't seem to bring himself to ask her out). The artwork is VERY good and the humor is good but may not be for everyone. Frank Cho does a lot of parody in his strips and some of that may go over people's head.There are a few things that set this book apart from other comic strip books. The first being the paper this is printed on. This is high-gloss, heavy paper which is very nice! Second, Frank has included some new material at the beginning of the book in which a very old Ralph and Leslie are visited by someone who wants to interview them about their days at Liberty Meadows Animal Sanctuary. From there, we are launched into the classic comic strips.At the end of the book, Frank has graciously included several drawings from his sketchbook as well as the cover art from the various comic books (the strip went to comic book format after leaving syndication). This is a great addition to anyones comic strip book collection.