Right Makes Light

Several months ago, Paul Vincent and Marcus P. Meleton Jr., two political conservatives, had a wacky idea for lampooning the liberal left.

Meleton had the concept and Vincent the money. The result: Liberal Man, a comic book that satirizes the world of so-called “bleeding heart” liberals via the escapades of a caped crusader.

“The Adventures of Liberal Man,” which debuts Friday at local comic book stores, was a highlight of the recent Republican election victory gala at the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel, where Meleton sold copies from a table in the hotel’s corridor. Some 10,000 copies of the first issue have been printed, and several thousand have been sold.

“I got a lot of good responses all night long,” said Meleton, 40, of Costa Mesa.

“What we basically do is look for hypocrisy on the left,” said Vincent, 35, a real estate developer from Santa Monica. “We like to view it as low-calorie fascism under the cloak of compassion--at least that’s our definition of liberalism. You can’t believe what a great time I’m having with this comic book.”

For example: Liberal Man’s outfit is a spiffy Superman-style number with red boots, tight shorts, and cape (which always waves to the left). His emblem: a NOW logo, a red AIDS ribbon, a whale for Save the Whales and a recycling logo emblazoned on his chest.

In fact, in the first volume, Liberal Man sheds tears paring it down to those four from a host of others when sewing his suit together. The reason?

“So many causes. Not enough room,” said Liberal Man.

Perhaps Liberal Man’s essence, in Vincent’s and Meleton’s perspective, was summed up when he stands with both hands on hips to declare, “I am Liberal Man. I fight truth and justice everywhere to preserve the Democrat way.”

Both entrepreneurs hope to tap into the current wave of conservatism.

“When you have the Rush Limbaughs or G. Gordon Liddys out there on radio, they’re taking conservative politics a step further,” Vincent said. “But this is something, unlike radio, that you can keep.”

They have shipped copies of Liberal Man to Limbaugh in New York and although they have not been contacted, they did hear that Limbaugh mentioned the comic book on a recent show.

Meleton said he will attend one of Limbaugh’s upcoming dittohead barbecues in San Diego to enter a contest in hopes of winning a trip to New York to be in Limbaugh’s audience.

This is not Meleton’s first journey into publishing. The former Young Republican wrote an earlier book, “Nice Guys Don’t Get Laid,” a paperback that autobiographically follows a few chums through their hapless and humiliating attempts at courtship. He said he wrote under the pseudonym, “Marcus Pierce Jr.” to protect the family name.

He created Liberal Man using the same pseudonym.

Vincent has $20,000 invested so far and already has finished the drawings and story lines for three issues. Cost per issue is $2.95.

Bill Mitchell of Orange County Common Cause, a governmental watchdog group, said he believed it was healthy for Orange County conservatives such as Meleton to air their opinions in a publication.

“It’s better that they have constructive, creative ways of venting anger,” Mitchell said, “rather than hurling epithets for political issues.”

Meleton said they were fortunate to find artist Pete Garcia, who lives in the San Fernando Valley. Garcia answered their ad placed on a bulletin board at Golden Apple Comic Bookstore on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.

Meleton writes and Garcia, with the help of a computer, adapts the story into a cartoon strip. Printing is done in Canada.

Meleton also found a 800 number to suit their political tastes. He said the public can order Liberal Man through Advance Comics or by calling 1-800-RT WING4.