Line #25 ComicStrip/LibertyMeadows


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Liberty_Meadows.jpg]]
2
3	An award-winning [[NewspaperComic newspaper comic strip]] – and later [[ComicBook comic book]] – created by Frank Cho, ''Liberty Meadows'' was syndicated in newspapers from 1997 to 2001, and subsequently collected in comic book form by Insight Studios and Creator/ImageComics.
4
5	The strip centers around the denizens (both human and animal) of Liberty Meadows, an animal sanctuary and rehabilitation clinic. Said denizens include Brandy Carter, a beautiful animal psychiatrist; Frank Mellish, a nerdy veterinarian with a huge crush on Brandy; Al, the often-injured handyman; Julius, the beleaguered owner; Ralph, a former circus bear and mad scientist; Dean, a lecherous sexist pig (literally, a pig); Leslie, a bullfrog with hypochondria; Truman, a cute and naive duckling; and Oscar, a mischievous dachshund (and one of the few animals not to talk). Other characters include Al, an over-qualified bartender with a penchant for conspiracy theories; Jen, Brandy's rocket-scientist roommate with a fondness for toying with men; Roger, Brandy's former fiancé who constantly schemes to win her back in that RomanticFalseLead kind of way; and Frank Cho, the author who [[AuthorAvatar appears as a monkey]].
6
7	The strip is notable for how Cho freely mixes visual styles in the strip, drawing the majority of the cast like [[ComicStrip/{{Pogo}} Walt Kelly's anthropomorphic animals]], borrowing [[ComicBook/TheRocketeer Dave Stevens's]] pin-up look for Brandy, Creator/FranklinBooth's lush landscapes and routinely throws in the styles of whatever artists and cartoonists Cho feels like homaging at the time.
8
9	Though it started its life on the comics page, after four years Cho pulled it from newspapers, claiming to be tired of dealing with newspaper censors. Most of the censorship concerned the large amounts of ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''-esque violence, as well as Brandy and Jen, who were drawn in a style notably sexier than just about anything else on the comics page (with tons of MaleGaze to boot) and who were written (specially Jen) as clearly aware of their sexuality in ways few other newspaper comics character have been. Another constant concern was Dean who, well, acted realistically lecherous and not just "newspaper comic" lecherous, if that makes any sense. Truthfully, the [[https://web.archive.org/web/20080708233042/http://www.libertymeadows.com/uncengal/index.htm censored strips]] aren't that bad... they just toe the PG-13 line in ways newspaper editors were not comfortable with. Let's just say they didn't have these problems with ''The Born Loser''.
10
11	After leaving the newspapers, Cho self-published the comic book until issue #27, with Creator/ImageComics taking over printing and distribution. The comic book went on a hiatus in early 2004 after issue #36 until June 2006 when issue #37 came out, the final issue published thus far. Cho has stated that any further revival is unlikely due to his outside work and family commitments.
12
13	The strip began as ''University Squared'', which Cho created for ''The Diamondback'' student newspaper at his alma mater, the University of Maryland. It was essentially a beta version for ''Liberty Meadows'', featuring Frank (as an anthropomorphic duck), Brandy, Dean, Leslie, Ralph and others.
14
15	----
16	!!This comic provides examples of:
17
18	* TheAestheticsOfTechnology: Leslie activates Ralph's time machine because it looks just like the coffee maker
19	* AuthorAppeal: A predilection for busty, intelligent chicks who look like Creator/BettiePage has to be a more common thing than most other AuthorAppeal examples.
20	* AuthorAvatar: Frank the Monkeyboy. Though the fact that the main character is a short man named "Frank" (and his previous "Frank" in "University-Squared" WAS an Author Avatar also in love with Brandy) seems to imply there's more than one, Cho denies it (and says Frank is partially based off of a friend of his).
21	* AxCrazy: The Cow starts out as a CloudCuckooLander, but ends up as one of these - literally. She also combines it with StalkingIsLove.
22	* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Truman.
23	* BettyAndVeronica: Brandy and Jen to Frank.
24	** Also Frank is the Betty to Roger’s Veronica to Brandy’s Archie.
25	* BigWordShout: "'''[[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan KHAAAAN!]]'''"
26	* BoundAndGagged: Happens to [[spoiler: Leslie and Ralph at the hands of the Cow]], complete with ball gags in a ShoutOut to ''Film/PulpFiction''. [[spoiler: Evil Brandy also does this, to Brandy and then to Frank.]]
27	* TheCameo:
28	** Brent and Francis from ''Webcomic/PvP'' appear at [[http://www.gocomics.com/libertymeadows/2009/03/06 a sci-fi convention]]. And Skull a few strips [[http://www.gocomics.com/libertymeadows/2009/03/10 later]].
29	** A recurring gag are appearances by characters from nearly every other comic strip from the same newspaper comic pages that had ''Liberty''.
30	* CasanovaWannabe: Dean.
31	* TheCatfish: Khan.
32	* CharacterDevelopment: Oscar at first is too little to understand TimmyInAWell. In a later arc where Frank ends up in a mineshaft, Oscar understands the trope, and apparently knows semaphore to explain a dangerous situation.
33	* CheekCopy: Dean tries this, and cracks the glass.
34	* ClassicallyTrainedExtra: Al holds a [=PhD=], but still just tends the tavern.
35	* ComicallySmallBribe: Dean tries to bribe Frank to perform liposuction with [[http://www.gocomics.com/libertymeadows/2005/12/26 a five dollar bill]].
36	* ComicBookFantasyCasting: Brandy is very clearly based on Creator/LyndaCarter of ''Series/WonderWoman'' fame. In the same vein, her father John Carter was originally supposed to be a dead ringer for Franchise/{{Superman}}, which can be seen in a panel from [[spoiler: Brandy's wedding]] that must be gold to all Superman/Wonder Woman shippers (he eventually ends up looking an awful lot like Creator/TomSelleck).
37	** Brandy's resemblance to Wonder Woman is parodied in the strip itself several times. One instance is when Liberty Meadows [[spoiler:catches on fire]] and the cartoonist fantasizes about Brandy saving the day by turning into Wonder Woman (this is scrapped when he decides it's too ludicrous). Another time is at the comic convention, when geeky fanboys continue to insist that Brandy is Lynda Carter and ask how many times she spun around to turn into Wonder Woman. When she finally convinces them that she is ''not'' Carter, they immediately start insisting that she is Creator/LucyLawless, the actress who played Series/{{Xena\|Warrior Princess}}.
38	* ConspiracyTheorist: Al the bartender, though his theories tend to be a bit further back than normal. Like his rant about Francis Bacon writing Shakespeare's plays every time someone mentions "bacon".
39	* ContestWinnerCameo: Dave Colombo, "a huge fan from the Midwest" who pays Monkeyboy Cho a shoebox full of twenties for a 30 second appearance.
40	---> '''Dave''' ''(facing the fourth wall):'' "Ladies, I'm a lonely, lonely man..."
41	* {{Crossover}} with PlayerVersusPlayer while many other characters sneak in now and then. In fact, the webcomic reveals that Brent "rescued" what he thought was Skull from Liberty Meadows. It was actually the Panda.
42	* EroticEating: Brandy can tie a cherry stalk in a knot with her tongue (a'la Creator/SherilynFenn in ''Series/TwinPeaks''). This revelation renders Frank incapable of coherent speech.
43	* EvilTwin: One plotline involved the arrival of an evil Brandy from a parallel universe - followed, in a ShoutOut to ''Series/RedDwarf,'' by the arrival of "Ace," an alternate-universe Frank who is her arch-nemesis.
44	* ExecutiveMeddling: Frank Cho has since spoken of how often his editors wanted to make the strip "[[LowestCommonDenominator Five-Year-Old Accessible]]" which lead him to switch from syndication to Image Comics. He did however note they made the positive suggestion of turning Leslie into a bullfrog rather than as a living lima bean as he'd originally envisioned.
45	** Happens in-universe a number of times. Notably, [[spoiler: Evil Brandy's Evil Pikachu monster is conveniently deleted from existence at the urging of his editor.]]
46	* {{Fanservice}}: Brandy and Jen were walking fanservice while wearing ''ordinary'' clothing, much less the skimpy outfits and underwear Cho sometimes drew them in. Censorship got to most of it, but let's just say that this is Frank Cho's most notable artistic quality to comic fans for a reason.
47	* FormFittingWardrobe
48	* FunnyAnimal
49	* GoingColdTurkey: Brandy makes Dean go without cigarettes for his own good. He only lasts a few days, not helped by surreal hallucinations.
50	* GoodAngelBadAngel: When Jen is trying to seduce Frank, his shoulder angel and devil appear, with the devil telling him to jump her bones and the angel telling him to resist. But when Jen drops her robe, even the angel says: "Dude, jump her bones."
51	* HomemadeInventions: Ralph
52	* {{Hypochondria}}: Leslie the frog is a hypochondriac who diagnoses himself with anything from lead poisoning (from a pencil) to "ovarian cysts", much to Frank's frustration.
53	* IHaveBoobsYouMustObey: [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/cbc5e3ac64da44a9b116f6ec908c24b7/tumblr_mpb4fzqSUO1qhg4cco1_1280.jpg Jen demonstrates the technique.]] She wants to go dancing. Frank initially doesn't. She places her boobs right in front of his face and he changes his mind.
54	* ImAHumanitarian: At one point, our heroes are trapped and among the foodstuffs they have is Film/SoylentGreen.
55	* ImmuneToSlapstick: Rarely is Jen ever the victim of any, and then usually in only some Sunday color strips.
56	* JeopardyThinkingMusic: The Words "Jeopardy Music" literally appear over Leslie's head when Frank tells him "That's not an ''oral'' thermometer."
57	* LandingInSomeonesBathtub:
58	** In one strip Ralph is shot into Dagwood's bath in the strip below. Frank changes the gag so that Ralph lands in Blondie's bath.
59	** There's another, where Ralph is testing a device he invented that makes teleporting possible. He ends up teleporting himself into the shower, while Dean is in there. He does this, incidentally, just as Dean [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything drops the bar of soap he was cleaning himself with]].
60	* LetsGetDangerous: When Frank falls down a mineshaft that is rapidly filling with rainwater, Brandy ties back her hair, grabs a safety line, and orders the animals to pull them up when she finds him. The problem is that the water floods too fast and an injured Frank slips out of Brandy's grip. She lets go of the safety line and keeps Frank's head above water. When they end up in the woods, she tends to him to the best of her ability until help can come via her signal fire. Frank is actually disappointed when they get rescued because of how awesome she is.
61	* LikeBrotherAndSister: Despite knowing Brandy for so many years than Frank, Tony the repairman mentions that the former is like a little sister to him.
62	* MadScientist: Ralph tends to make stuff like self-warming toilet seats and instant bacon fryers, which then explode. In one arc though he made a teleportation device for shortening his trip to the bathroom, during one of the tests it opened a portal to an AlternateUniverse and allowed Brandy's evil twin in.
63	* MaleGaze: Remember, this is Frank Cho.
64	* MarshmallowHell: Jen's (obviously successful) [[http://www.libertymeadows.com/uncengal/pages/217.htm tactic]] for [[IHaveBoobsYouMustObey persuading Frank to accompany her to Tom's art show]], among other occasions. Notably of the "soft and gentle" variety, as opposed to the "forceful, suffocating" type.
65	* MeatGrinderSurgery: Once Frank is forced to use "Moby Dick" as anaesthesia due to budget cuts. And then there's Ralph and Leslie's attempt at liposuction.
66	* MeatOVision: At one point Dean succumbs to [[http://www.gocomics.com/libertymeadows/2003/02/07#.U1RfMPldU0J this]], after 30 minutes without food.
67	* MsFanservice: Brandy and Jen.
68	** InnocentFanserviceGirl, in Brandy's case. She's certainly bright enough to understand why males react so enthusiastically to her; however, she's idealistic and professional enough to not intentionally flaunt it (unlike Jen). Indeed, one of the classic gags is Jen asking for Brandy's opinion on an outfit, being told it's trashy or too revealing, and then liking the outfit even more because of the disapproval.
69	* MyBelovedSmother: Brandy's Mom. Frank's mother on the phone
70	* NakedPeopleTrappedOutside: Jen seduces and strips Frank, only to toss him outside and lock the door leading to a number of awkward and embarrassing situations.
71	* NewspaperComics
72	* NiceCharacterMeanActor: Downplayed with Mark [=DeRail=]. On-camera, he's described as a rugged manly-man that educates the public about nature. Off-camera, while he's a bit narcissistic and vain, he's pretty civil to all of the animals that he meets at Liberty Meadows. It helps that Brandy as the TeamMom is trying to get everyone to behave for the shoot, and encouraging them to try and ''not'' kill Mark by accident.
73	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Al the Bartender refuses to serve Jenna Bush.
74	* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Dean the pig gets clobbered every single time he hits on a woman. On one occasion he is savagely beaten for ''five strips''. By the end of the fourth strip, it's getting a bit intense and you're fearing for his life.
75	* NostrilShot: Leslie mimicked this close-up shot from below when he and the guys were lost in the woods.
76	* PrisonRape: This almost happens to Frank when he gets arrested after a bar fight, but his friends bail him out just in time.
77	* RelaxOVision: the "graphic and nonpolitical correct" panels have been replaced by a picture of a bunny, who says, "[[http://www.libertymeadows.com/uncengal/pages/238.htm Gosh, I'm so cute and nonthreatening.]]"
78	* RomanticFalseLead: Brandy's ex-fiance, Roger.
79	* SchmuckBait: Don't ask Ralph the former circus bear if he can do tricks. At best, he'll show off his armpit solos.
80	* ShipperOnDeck:
81	** Brandy’s mother, Barbara, is a [[MyBelovedSmother smothering type]] for her daughter and [[RomanticFalseLead Roger]].
82	** Tony the repairman, encouraged Frank to ask Brandy out on several occasions, knowing full well of Frank’s feelings for the latter.
83	* ShooOutTheClowns: The animals disappeared during [[spoiler: Brandy’s wedding.]]
84	* ShoutOut: A massive amount of pop culture references.
85	** There are also several references to landmarks in and around College Park, Maryland, home of Frank Cho's alma mater, the University of Maryland. These were even more frequent in University Squared, when Jen was rarely seen without her "Beltsville USDA" t-shirt (such as when she just wasn't wearing a shirt).
86	** Characters in the strip would occasionally be seen reading ''[[MythologyGag University Squared]]''.
87	** On a recurring basis, [[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan Khan]] the biggest, meanest catfish in the tri-county area. And Julius and his arch-nemesis Augustus.
88	* SlowLoadingInternetImage: Dean has a problem with [[http://www.gocomics.com/libertymeadows/2008/01/23 it]].
89	* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
90	** More than once, the heroes try to invoke TimmyInAWell by asking their dogs to run and get help, or to track down someone lost. One dog leads Leslie to a fire hydrant instead, while Oscar rolls over for belly rubs as Truman realizes they need to get adults to stop The Cow.
91	** Usually, the ZanyScheme land of Liberty Meadows is just a place where the animals have wild adventures. After the Cow kidnaps Mark [=DeRail=], however, he ends up diagnosed with PTSD. Julius mentions that the scandal has caused bad publicity for Liberty Meadows when the shoot was supposed to promote the residents' well-being and the location itself. In fact, the evening news alleges that the residents tried to kill Mark on purpose.
92	* TakeThat: Many a NewspaperComic such as ''ComicStrip/{{Cathy}}'', ''ComicStrip/TheFamilyCircus'', ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'', ''ComicStrip/MarkTrail'', ''ComicStrip/DickTracy'' and much more
93	** Which lead to some of the [[ExecutiveMeddling censoring]], such as one making fun of ''[[ComicStrip/{{BC}} B.C.]]''[='s=] [[AuthorTract evangelical turn]].
94	* TeamMom: Brandy is this to all of the animal residents. It's her job as one of the vets on staff.
95	* TheTease: Jen is this. She loves provoking Dean and Frank's [[MaleGaze male gazes]].
96	* ThermometerGag: "That's not an ''oral'' thermometer!"
97	* {{Wedgie}}: During the longest beat-down in the comic's run, Dean gets an atomic wedgie as a coup-de-grace.
98	** Also, Frank gets one when he's BoundAndGagged.
99	* WillTheyOrWontThey: Frank and Brandy. Possibly a [[spoiler: MaybeEverAfter at the end of The Wedding Album.]]
100	* WhatsHeGotThatIAintGot: In one strip, Frank complains after seeing Brandy with her boyfriend:
101	-->'''Frank:''' Look at the way Brandy's fawning over Roger. It's just disgusting. [[YouAnsweredYourOwnQuestion Take away his height, his good looks, his bulging muscles, his piercing eyes, his perfect teeth, his rock-hard abs...]] What does he have that I don't?!\
102	'''Ralph:''' Brandy.
103	* WholePlotReference: When a celebrity animal photographer Mark [=DeRail=] comes to visit Liberty Meadows, the Cow kidnaps him and acts out the part of Annie Wilkes from ''Literature/{{Misery}}'' and acting like Mark is Paul Sheldon. Fortunately, Ralph and Leslie find them and accidentally save Mark before the cow can use a sledgehammer to break Mark's legs. Leslie would accept the thanks, except he still has the hammer stuck in his face.

Context ComicStrip / LibertyMeadows