I just stumbled onto this site and I have absolutely no idea what is going on. What is this exactly?
In the simplest terms possible, this website is the home of Goats, a comic strip written by me, Jonathan Rosenberg. I've been drawing the strip since April of 1997 and I live in New York City with my wife and some cats. I have a Livejournal if you're interested in the particulars.
What is the strip about?
Goats started out as a pseudo-autobiographical strip and mutated into a sci-fi monstrosity. There's no good way to summarize it but basically it centers around the adventures of two bar patrons, their pets and the increasingly strange people that they meet. I recommend perusing the reader's guide, the character bios and the complete archive of the strip for an idea of where it's been and where it's going.
I don't get the jokes in this comic. Is it supposed to be funny?
Goats is meant to be entertaining. Sometimes that means funny, sometimes that means jokes, sometimes that means sly pop culture references and adventures and fighting and monsters and such. I'm writing a story that I hope people enjoy, and that's my primary goal.
It used to be better.
People have been saying that since October 1997. If it's true, I've been on a steady decline ever since. Let's see if there's a nadir!
I'm going to be starting up a new journal comic pretty soon in the vein of early Goats, so hang on for a bit and you'll be rewarded for your wait for new jokey gag comics.
How do you make the comic?
Goats is pencilled using a non-reprographic blue pencil on Bristol paper. It is then inked with specially aged pork rinds and ink made from the ink bladder of a special sort of manatee found in the Hudson River. Finally, the MCP uses a huge laser to import the whole thing into the computer so it can compete on the Game Grid.
Are the characters based on real people?
Many of the human cast are loosely based on real folks I know. They tend to take on personality traits of their own over time, though. I do not know any livestock in real life.
You make a living doing this stuff?
Strangely, yes. Life is weird, huh? My survival is entirely dependent on the whim of my readers. If you too have a whim to support the comic, please kindly do so by visiting my store and purchasing a book or t-shirt for yourself or a good friend.
Who makes your merchandise?
Kurt at Brunetto T-Shirts prints most of our t-shirts, and we get stickers from Contagious Graphics.
Can I sell your stuff in my store?
Sure thing! Contact me for bulk prices.
Can I reprint your comic strip on my blog?
Non-commercial republication of single Goats strips is generally OK as long as you re-post them to your own server and do not directly link to images hosted here. A link back to Goats (so your readers can enjoy additional strips) is appreciated. Please keep the copyright notice on the image intact as well. Non-commercial use means using them on your blog, in a 'zine or printing one to hang near your desk. Confused? Let me know and we'll make everything okay. If you want to use Goats in a commercial publication, contact me and we will work out terms.
How much beer can you drink?
Dunno, I haven't hit my limit yet.
How do I determine the membrane potential of a nerve cell?
You should use the Goldman equation for those sorts of calculations.