The story is told visually, with little or no dialogue. Gags frequently involve the supernatural, alien invasion or mass destruction of many sorts, creating a surreal, disturbing atmosphere. Some of the strip's recurring themes involve Liō getting even with grade-school bullies, helping animals (most of which are non-anthropomorphic but display obvious intelligence) defend themselves against humans or their predators, and performing mad scientist style experiments. He is often seen using robots that he constructs himself for causing mischief. Another recurring gag in the strip is parody of other famous comic strips, including "Cathy", "For Better or For Worse", "Garfield", "Zits", "Calvin and Hobbes", "Blondie", "Peanuts", "Pearls Before Swine", "The Family Circus" and Berkeley Breathed's strips.