Goats (webcomic)

Goats
Author(s)	Jonathan Rosenberg
Website	http://www.goats.com
Current status/schedule	New strips daily Monday - Thursday
Launch date	1997 April 1, [1]

This article is about Goats, the webcomic. For other uses, see Goat (disambiguation).

Goats is a webcomic written and illustrated by Jonathan Rosenberg. It has been in existence since April 1, 1997. On April 03, 2006, after nine years drawing the strip, Rosenberg became a full-time cartoonist making his living drawing Goats.

Goats follows a (loose) plot surrounding the adventures of Rosenberg's cartoon alter ego, along with his friend/drinking buddy Phillip, and many characters including animals, celebrities, aliens and villains. Most of the strips are separated into story arcs, which have very different, though still coherent, plots. Except for the time that the world was destroyed, all of the strips fit into one continuous timeline.

The strip originally took place entirely in Manhattan, New York, and mostly within either Jon and Phillip's apartment or their favorite bar (the Peculier Pub, mirroring a genuine Manhattan pub). After several years, the strip has expanded significantly; recent strip settings include Xibalba, the psyche of Fish, and the infinite monkey dimension.

Diversification began after what Rosenberg has referred to as "the soft reset" of the Goats multiverse when the Earth was destroyed.

Goats and Rosenberg are part of the Dumbrella collective. Goats is hosted by Phillip Karlsson's Dumbrella Hosting service.

Locations

Manhattan 3

Manhattan 3 is very similar to our universe in many regards (save for the existence of Satanic chickens, extra-terrestrials and talking animals). The Earth was destroyed once, but no-one batted an eyelid. It is unclear as to whether that happened in Manhattan 3 or a very similar and much less complicated universe.

The Peculier Pub

The inspiration for the Peculier Pub is a pub with the same name that is located in Manhatten on Bleeker St. between LaGuardia Pl. and Thompson St. It is a museum of the brewing arts that simultaneously explains the evolution of the aluminum can and serves host to numerous students during busy weekend hours. The pub has two beer menus, one domestic and the other imported. With over 300 different bottled beers and an extrememly knowledgable bar-staff, the Peculier Pub has been a solid inspiring force for the Goats comic.

The Peculier Pub of Manhattan 3 has been host to zombie invations, alien sexual maturing, amorous goats, fish who live in beer, plane crashes, philosophical drunken debates and numerous other disturbing events. Each of these have shaped the most formative years for the characters and the comic growth since 1997.

Pub Stub

Levels of existence exist along dimensional axis in the Goats multiverse. Access to these axis are allowed by way of pub stubs that are often tended by Alfred, the self-proclaimed "bartender to God."

Time within the pub stub is not synced with other levels and though Alfred had been in the pub since the 1980s, 19,000 years had passed for him. All objects within the pub do not have any color and visitors become grey if in the pub stub for a suitable amount of time.

Crab City

Crab City is a City made by Crabs, for Crabs and of Crabs. The Crabs are very proud of this.

Characters

Main Characters

Jon

Technically the level-headed one, Jon is possessed of a wry sense of humor and seemingly limitless patience. In the beginning, many of the strips relied on mocking his pathetic life, but eventually he got the girl and became a respectable character. He always wears a thin black tie and drinks IPAs. You could sort of call him the main character, but the strip has effortlessly managed to ignore him for weeks (months?) at a time.

Phillip

Jon's drinking buddy, a programmer, Swedish, and very fond of Hefeweizen. Phillip views the world through the bottom of a glass that is permanently full of beer, and seems to be completely incapable of pursuing a logical train of thought, or even a coherent one. Nevertheless, this approach seems to pay off, as Phillip is a multi-millionaire, having invented "Sporkle" brand pork and apple drink, and the colour Blern. Has also successfully overclocked a lemon. Also enjoys the life of a petty supervillain in the guise of the Chaos Pope. A member of the International League of Pedants. Known as "The Programmer" in many prophecies, he is to save the universe from ending on December 12, 2012.

Toothgnip

The Goat of the title, although actually something of a minor player of late. Was one of Thor's chariot-pulling goats, and his name was created during a drunken conversation about Norse mythology. Until recently, he possessed the Panties of Potency, which gave him the power to pick up women in bars. He currently appears to have some other powers, granted by the Demon Fire of Xibalba, but they are still unclear.

Diablo

Originally, a satanic chicken, introduced long ago to spice up the comic. Generally causes outrageous violence and mischief, but is still cute. Has been decapitated and dismembered a number of times (and, on one occasion, actually buried). Longtime poker buddies with a man who he calls Satan, but is actually named Stan, but makes convincingly good hummus dip.

Fish/Fineas

Once just a simple goldfish who lived in a mug of beer, Fish has evolved somewhat during the series. His other personality, Fineas, is a hyperintelligent immortal cyborg assassin USB device.

Neil and Bob

Two immature, irresponsible, violent, lovable aliens. They have a spaceship which is powered by an engine which converts kittens into pop-tarts, and are the focus of the brilliant "Dungeons and Hamsters" strips.

Oliver

Diablo's son. Evil genius. Possibly created by Gus and Steve. Wants to take over the world. Currently "driving" the corpse of Khan, Jr.

Minor Characters by Location

Manhattan 3

Gregor Mendel

The father of modern genetics. His twin obsessions of vegetables and fascism resulted in the creation of a sentient pea plant army which he directed towards Germany in an attempt to form the Fourth Reich. This nefarious scheme was foiled by the combined efforts of Diablo and his mentor Shazam Twix, a shotgun toting, hard drinking ten pin bowler. Mendel's inclusion in the strip has been mentioned as an effort to make some use of Rosenberg's degree in Biology. Mendel is also the reason for the creation of the Fineas personality within Fish. Is one of the few supervillains within the Goats storyline.

Jerrell

A programmer who previously worked with Phillip, his dialogue usually consists of "die die die", "fornicate", and "666".

Stan

Currently lives in NJ and played poker with Diablo regularly. May or may not be Satan.

Space Mummy/Spummy

Has appeared in several other comics. Apparently after the (zombified) Fish in order to make his cat immortal.

The Peculier Pub

Stephanie

The senior bartender at the Peculier Pub.

Siobain

A bartender at the Peculier Pub.

Tommy

Owner of the Peculier pub.

Pub Stub

Alfred

Alfred has been called "God's Bartender". Formerly a resident of Switzerland, Alfred was snatched way from his current existence back in 1982 and woke up in charge of the Pub Stub. He has refined his craft over the last 19,000 subjective years (time runs differently in the Pub Stub).

Infinite Monkey Dimension

Steve

An assistant editor in charge of Manhattan 3. Infinite monkey.

Gus

An assistant editor in charge of Manhattan 3. Infinite monkey.

Woody Allen

Senior editor in charge of Manhattan 3. Not an infinite monkey.

Topeka Prime

Farmella Cummington-Bloomers

Farmella comes from the advanced farming dimension of Topeka Prime. A Farmer's Daughter, she has been trained in the Knack, an ability that allows her to slide up and down the central "pub axis" of the multiverse. Of her own accord, she retrieved Phillip from the Pub Stub, in the belief that he is the Programmer, whose arrival was foretold in the Great Farmer's Almanac, a Topekan holy book.

Wheatina Bloomers

Farmella's mother and Farmer.

Clara

A biologically driven quantum DNA computer. Phillip's workstation. Cow.

Yakmeat

A programmer originally from Brooklyn 19.

Cornhusk

Originally from one of the Monsanto Worlds, she is a corn programmer and lesbian.

Middle Pangaea

Toshi Diplo

Toshi Diplo kidnapped Jon from the Pub Stub, mistaking him for a programmer. It is thought that she may be from the weapons-world of Middle Pangaea.

Grif Pentax

Grif Pentax assisted Toshi Diplo in Jon's kidnapping. He would appear to have the Knack.

Glock

Glock appears to be a lizard-man from Middle Pangaea; he also assisted with Jon's kidnapping.

Xibalba, Mayan Underworld

One Death

Seven Death

Crab City

Samuel Greeley

Crab, accountant.

Rococo Wattles

Crab, socialite, heiress.

Knowledgeable Pete

Fish's Mind

Reese Witherspoon

Old Characters

Megan

Jon's on-again, off-again girlfriend. They originally met in college. She has not been seen in the strip since early 2005.

Lauren

Phillip's wife.

Lori

An old bartender. She progressed from being a sadistic object of Jon's affection to zombie, back to life.

Frank Coffee

A lawyer. Was crushed to death by the space mummy.

Biff Wellington

Shazam Twix

The hero of many of Diablo's extended stories.

Brief Appearances

Howard the Eggplant

One of the earliest characters drawn by Jon Rosenberg, he is a sarcastic eggplant.

Bruce the Sleestak

From another dimension. Gay. Depressed.

Sentient Citrus

Created by Phillip. A conscious, alive, and unsurprisingly depressed lemon.

Staropramen

Arch-nemesis of the International League of Pedants. Poops a lot. Super-villain.

Business model

Goats has thrived mostly on revenue from advertising and merchandise, especially t-shirts.

As a "pioneer" of sorts in the web-comics industry, Rosenberg once experimented with micropayments, and produced strong evidence that no business model involving them as a primary source of income could be feasible.

Previously, "Premium" and "Super-Premium" services could be purchased which allowed access to extra content (including another Rosenberg comic, "Patent Pending", and a collection of bonus strips) for one year. These services have been discontinued indefinitely, although all the content is still on the site for previous customers. Those who would very much like to catch up on that content now seem to be out of luck.

Forum

Goats also has a lively forum filled with a diverse range of readers (including webcomic artists and critics) and with a variety of topics.

Controversy and bouts of avid and frantic discussion often ensue, partially due to the Slashdot-style moderation system.

See also

• Hefeweizen
• Dumbrella

External links

• Goats