VG Cats
VG Cats is a web comic written and drawn by Scott Ramsoomair. Published once a week on its own web site, it features the adventures of a pair of anthropomorphic cats, who often play the roles of characters in popular video games. Strips are usually presented in a large format and in full color. The first strip was published on September 9, 2001.
Characters
Recurring characters in VG Cats include:
- Leo, a male cat with grey fur, enthusiastic but credulous. Named after one of the author's cats.
- Aeris, a female cat with pink fur, also named after one of the author's cats, who possibly might be named after the character Aeris Gainsborough from Final Fantasy VII. Though easily the most sensible character, she has a quick temper and little patience for the foolishness that surrounds her.
- Pantsman, the author as an incompetent superhero who conceals his identity by wearing pants on his head.
- Krug, a horned red demon of limited intelligence and a childlike demeanor.
- Dr. Hobo, an alley-dwelling lunatic given to telling absurd, rambling stories in an inexplicable accent.
- Ternaldo, a collectible card game fan oblivious to the finer points of social interaction.
- Johnny Evilguy, a greedy and unscrupulous antagonist named after an example character in the Neverwinter Nights scenario creation guide.
- Major Payne, an odd character, introduced into the comic in strip 69. Quite possibly one of VG Cats most perverted characters. According to his introduction comic, he was kicked out of the army for being a masochist.
Themes
VG Cats has no particular ongoing plot, although multipart strips occasionally appear. Most strips feature the characters acting out strange or humorous situations in various video games. Metal Gear Solid, Ragnarok Online, and the Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda series are favorite targets.
Other strips satirize video game developers or other real-world companies. One recurring theme involves anthropomorphizing video game consoles in order to poke fun at their shortcomings. Microsoft's Xbox has been a target on numerous occasions for this. Occasionally, strips focus on subjects unrelated to gaming, such as cell phones or the comic's Canadian origin.
The comic frequently makes both deliberate and subtle references to the Homestar Runner web cartoons.