Over the Hedge by Michael Fry, T. Lewis (1996, Paperback)

Okay, so you saw the movie, and wonder what warped minds could have thought up such a concept. Well, the answer is: Michael Fry and T. Lewis. 10 years ago.

This is where it all began, with a raccoon name R.J. and a turtle named Verne.

The plot of the comic strip is slightly different than the movie. You won't see too many warm fuzzies (other than a caterpillar or two, artfully placed on a homeowner's ice cream).

Basically, this is a picture of suburbia - from the point of the view of the animals who are on the fringe and over the hedge. You may think of them as displaced animals. They tend to view themselves as extra-privileged suburbanites. They get the benefits of the lifestyle (trash-can cornucopias, free barbecues and full spectrum cable television) without the inconvenience of a mortgage.

As always, the use of animals allows us as readers us to step out of ourselves and see how we must look to others. In this case, about half of the strips deal with the animals' direct view of suburban living. How do they see the homeowner's association? And what in the world do we keep in our refrigerators? The other half shows this pair (and their friends) in their "natural" environment. Of course, that environment includes 100 inch televisions, mismanaged bungee jumps, unlimited credit cards and leaf-free swimming pools.

The humor is generally enjoyable and, well, unique. However, the "artistic" placement of many panels add a lot of whitespace and make this a shorter book than you would expect (based on number of actual comic strips). And they do tend to overuse a few storylines, such as R.J. the raccoon's dangerous infatuation with Dotty the dog (it's tough love; mainly because she sees him as nothing more than a chew toy).

Still, there's more than enough material to make a book. And there's more than enough smiles and laughs included (with a few times that you will be shaking your head in bemusement). It promises a good read, and it delivers.

So, have you ever wondered who had that luau in your swimming pool while you were gone? Well, don't blame the neighbors. It's those loveable, neurotic animals who live just Over the Hedge.

I would rate this a definite buy.