Goats is a web comic written and illustrated by Jonathan Rosenberg . It has been in existence since April 1, 1997.

Goats follows the (loose) plot of Rosenberg's cartoon alter ego, along with his friend/drinking buddy Phillip, and a loose group of characters in the form of animals, celebrities, space aliens and evil villains. Although each story arc technically has a plot, the sheer random nature of these plots tends to obscure that fact at times.

Regardless of what's happening, however, the action invariably returns, at some point, to the character's favoured bar: the Peculier, which is a genuine bar in Queens, NY, that boasts an impressively broad collection of beers and ales from across the world. Ask any reader of Goats how to pour the perfect Hefeweizen , and they will be happy to demonstrate.

Some of the notable characters:

Jon: Technically the level-headed one, Jon is possessed of a wry sense of humor and seemingly limitless patience. Generally classed as a loser, Jon works hard for not much money, only succeeded in getting the girl once, before losing her again, and basically spends his free time either drinking with his friends, or being dragged off by them along whatever thought process occurs to them next.

Phillip: Blonde, in every sense of the word. 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 succesfully overclocked a lemon, which has developed a particularly bleak outlook on life. Also enjoys the life of a petty supervillain in the guise of the Chaos Pope. A member of the International League of Pedants.

Toothgnip: the Goat of the title, although actually something of a minor player of late. Is also the most sexually active of the cast, being, apparently, irresistable to the ladies. This is due to a pair of magic underpants, which are the main reason he spends 99% of his time sitting down. Does in fact belong to the Norse god of thunder, Thor, although his somewhat independent attitude suggests that "belonging" is too strong a term.

Diablo: An evil satanist who happens to be a chicken. Diablo has had a run of bad health throughout the series, including being decapitated and dismembered a number of times (and, on one occasion, actually buried). Believes that he is poker buddies with Satan. Is, in fact, poker buddies with Stan.

Fish: Once just a simple goldfish who lived in a mug of beer, fish has evolved somewhat during the series, and has now become a hyperintelligent immortal cyborg zombie assassin USB device.

External links

• Goats