Liberty Meadows

I've generally been disappointed by the funny pages since the end of "Calvin & Hobbes" and "The Far Side." These days, comic strips just aren't all that clever or even, in my humble opinion, that well drawn. "For Better or For Worse" is probably the best one that sees major syndication, but even that is hit or miss with the funny.

A few months ago I ran across a little strip on the internet called "Liberty Meadows." This strip no longer sees syndication, and hasn't for some time. "Liberty Meadows" is written and drawn by Frank Cho and is seriously the best thing since "Calvin & Hobbes."

It takes place at an animal sanctuary called, get this, Liberty Meadows. We follow the adventures of a motley crew consisting of people and anthropomorphic animals.

The main characters are Brandy Carter and Frank Mellish. Brandy is the resident animal psychiatrist. One of those girls that's smart, beautiful, and is the most rational and sensible one of the lot. Frank is the veterinarian who is head over heels in love with Brandy. But like myself, he's too shy or scared to do anything about it. Mostly, it is a love story between these two.

Also at the sanctuary, providing a great deal of the comic relief, are the animals that are being protected. Dean is a sexist pig and former fraternity mascot. No, really, he's a pig. And he's in detox. Ralph is a retired midget circus bear who likes to invent things. Leslie is a frog with some pretty serious hypochondria. And then there's Truman, a baby duck that was saved from an oil spill, and his best friend, Oscar the dachshund.

The comic has been labeled "adult themed," which to me means, kids won't get it. It's no more vulgar than most of what's on TV. Actually, it's pretty tame by TV standards. So if you get a chance, check it out. There are four collected volumes of the strips, and Cho is trying to put out more in comic book form in the future. Here's hoping there's more. 'Cause it'd be nice to see Frank and Brandy finally get together. Might give a shy, scared guy like me a little hope.