| 8th | Top webcomics in print |
| VG Cats | |
|---|---|
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| Author(s) | Scott Ramsoomair |
| Website | http://www.vgcats.com/ RSS web feed  |
| Launch date | September 1, 2001[1] |
| Genre(s) | Video game, Parody |
VG Cats (short for Video Game Cats)[2][3] is a webcomic written and drawn by Canadian cartoonist Scott Ramsoomair. Published on its own website, it features the adventures of a pair of anthropomorphic cats, who often play the roles of characters in popular video games that are parodied in the strip.[4] Strips are usually presented in a large format and in full color. The author generally sets Mondays as days for updating the comic, however, the current update schedule is once a month or even less; he frequently mocks his tardiness in updating in various strips due to personal reasons.[5][6]
The VG Cats website also hosts Adventure Log, the official Final Fantasy XI webcomic written and drawn by Ramsoomair, and Super Effective,[7] a webcomic parody of the Pokémon game series.
The comic series often includes video game-based humor and satire targeting the video game industry.[8][9]
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Ramsoomair said that he began the strip due to boredom at work; he created comics during his lunch breaks.[10] The first VG Cats strip was released on September 1, 2001. (His answer on the FAQ page said it was a bad timing, probably in reference to the September 11 attacks that happened that same year)[1] Prior to taking the VGCats.com domain, the comic was hosted at www.vgcats.cjb.net.[11] For a period, VG Cats was affiliated with BuzzComix.[12] During April 1 (April Fools' Day), Ramsoomair replaces the regular home page with fake pages, like a "Krug" page in 2003 [13][14] or a Myspace profile for Solid Snake in 2007. [15]
In 2006, Ramsoomair made a strip depicting creatures from Maxis' videogame Spore, and Maxis created a version of the strip replacing all the drawn characters with in-game versions, and sent him custom figurines of the creatures.[16]
VG Cats is not a storyline-based comic, though there are several characters that are staples of the comic. Ramsoomair said that all of his characters "relate" to him "at some point."[17]
Joystiq has defined them as "adorable characters who feel most at home with violence, language, and sexual innuendo".[18] Recurring characters in VG Cats include:
A blue-eyed female cat with pink fur, Aeris was introduced on September 4, 2001 in Strip 2, "Pika?".[19]
Leo Leonardo, The Third[20] is a green-eyed male cat with grey fur. Leo was named after one of Ramsoomair's real cats; Ramsoomair describes the association as "in name only."[2] Leo was introduced on September 4, 2001 in Strip 1, "Feelin' Gassy".[21]
The alter ego of Scott Ramsoomair, Pantsman is an incompetent superhero who conceals his identity by wearing trousers and sometimes underpants on his head. His greatest weakness is vodka cooler, which causes him to drop his trousers and transform into "Peter Pantsless".[22] He also wears a pair of jeans around his neck, to provide a two tailed cape. He was introduced in Strip 37, "I Like Bunnies", to help explain the inconsistent updating of the comic.[23]
Chris Boe, a friend and associate of Ramsoomair, created an animated version of VG Cats.[24][25] Boe wrote and animated the episode. Only the first half of the first episode, "Episode 1: A Tale of Two Kitties", has been produced, it was released on January 21, 2006.[26]
Bad Mushrooms, a sprite comic created by Ramsoomair prior to the creation of VG Cats, is hosted on VGCats.com.[11]
Adventure Log, the official Final Fantasy XI webcomic written and drawn by Ramsoomair.[27] It has not been updated since 2008.
Super Effective, also done by Ramsoomair, began in April 2008 as a comic parody of the popular game series Pokémon.[7] It is also hosted on the VGCats website. It is currently updated infrequently.
In 2003, Ramsoomair designated CafePress as the provider of the VG Cats store; Ramsoomair soon ended the relationship with CafePress. On June 16, 2004 Ramsoomair announced that he established his store on Hyperion Press.[28][29] Afterwards ZeStuff hosted the VG Cats Store.[30] As of 2008 Shark Robot hosts the VGCats store.[31] As of 2008, Ramsoomair is no longer affiliated with CafePress, but it still sells VG Cats merchandise on its website.[32]
VG Cats has been nominated for several Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards, winning 2 awards in 2005 and 1 in 2006.
VG Cats is a webcomic by Scott Ramsoomair.
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VG Cats (short for Video Game Cats[1]) is a webcomic written and drawn by Canadian Scott Ramsoomair. Published on its own website, it features the adventures of a pair of anthropomorphic cats, who often play the roles of characters in popular video games that are parodied in the strip.[2] Strips are usually presented in a large format and in full color. The author generally sets Mondays as days for updating the comic; the author mocks his tardiness in updating in one strip [3].
The VG Cats website also hosts Adventure Log, the official Final Fantasy XI webcomic, also written and drawn by Ramsoomair.
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The first VG Cats strip was released on September 4, 2001 [4]. Prior to taking the VGCats.com domain, the comic was hosted at vgcats.cjb.net on Cjb.net [5].
For a period, VG Cats was affiliated with BuzzComix [6].
During April 1 (April Fools' Day), 2003, Ramsoomair posted a "Krug" page in place of the regular home page [7] [8].
Some guest strips are no longer available on VGCats. They include:
VG Cats is not a storyline-based comic. There are several characters that are staples of the comic. Recurring characters in VG Cats include:
Leo Leonardo, The Third [9] is a green-eyed male cat with grey fur. Leo, enthusiastic but credulous, is typically the more foolhardy of the two cats. While he usually projects a general air of idiocy, he has shown signs of a deeper intelligence, or at least marginal quantities of common sense. In some strips, including strips involving Leo starring in the roles of other video game characters [10] [11], he reveals a passion for killing other living creatures. [12] [13] Leo suffers from parasite worms in "Worms" [14]. In "The Dynamic Duo" he has an alter ego named "Brief Boy" and is Pantsman's sidekick [15]. Leo was named after one of Ramsoomair's real cats; Ramsoomair describes the association as "in name only." [1]. Leo was introduced on September 4, 2001 in Strip 1, "Feelin' Gassy" [4]
A blue-eyed female cat with pink fur, Aeris is friends with Leo, though she hardly ever tolerates his stupidity. Though easily the most sensible character, she has a look of cuteness about her but a quick temper and little patience for the foolishness that surrounds her, and is almost always upset with the other characters. She is typically depicted as a sardonic voice of reason, or a sadist when encountering people who she feels are annoying. She is a fan and writer of slash fan fiction [16], and yaoi [17]. Aeris is also named after one of Ramsoomair's real cats; Ramsoomair describes the association as "in name only." [1] Aeris was introduced on September 4, 2001 in Strip 2, "Pika?" [18].
A horned red demon of limited intelligence, a childlike demeanor, and a voracious appetite (occasionally eating companions), Krug can act in a violent manner at times and tends to talk in the third person. His alter ego is Dr. Van Kruglor, and is the arch-nemesis of Pantsman [19]. Krug was introduced in Strip 26, "The Incredible Krug" [20].
The alter ego of Scott Ramsoomair, Pantsman is an incompetent superhero who conceals his identity by wearing trousers and sometimes underpants on his head. His greatest weakness is vodka cooler, which causes him to drop his trousers and transform into "Peter Pantsless" [19]. He also wears a pair of jeans around his neck, to provide a two tailed cape. He was introduced in Strip 37, "I Like Bunnies." [21] to help explain the inconsistent updating of the comic.
Johnny Evilguy is a greedy and unscrupulous antagonist named after an example character in the Neverwinter Nights scenario creation guide [22]. He usually appears as a shop owner, in various circumstances, often trying to rid himself of a surplus of testicle-based produce [22]. He was introduced in Strip 52, "Nutsack" [22].
In strips 64 through 183, Dr. F.G. Hobo[23] is an alley-dwelling lunatic given to telling absurd, rambling stories. He tends to speak with a drunken slur. Dr. Hobo was introduced in Strip 64, "Oh Canadia!" [24]. In Strip 183, "Gin City," some men find Dr. Hobo during a snowy night. One man touches Dr. Hobo's hand. The next several panels portray Dr. Hobo's body being placed in a body bag and taken into an ambulance [25].
Ternaldo is a collectible card game fan oblivious to the finer points of social interaction. He is a Galka, a playable character race in Final Fantasy XI. Ternaldo enjoys Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, Beyblade, [26] and other collectible trading card games [27]. Ternaldo is often used to represent the ubiquitous newbie or neophyte in gaming circles - someone who is overenthusiastic and completely clueless. Ternaldo was introduced in Strip 90, "Card Sharks" [28].
Ramsoomair has stated that the print book, scheduled to come out in early 2007, will instead be postponed to the holiday season, due to work on a new project. The same comixpedia.com interview indicates that the project in question is something that fans have often tried to do [42].
Chris Boe, a friend and associate of Ramsoomair, created an animated version of VG Cats [44] [45]. Boe writes and animates the episodes. The series, VG Cats: The Animated Series, is produced by Boe and VGCats.com.
As of 2008, the first half of one episode, Episode 1: A Tale of Two Kitties, has been produced. The first episode was released on January 21, 2006. [46]
On November 16, 2006, Boe said that he halted production so he could focus on his other works. [47]
Voice actors include:
VG Kitties, a 2003 spinoff, consists of three comics and a wallpaper portraying Leo and Aeris as talking domestic cats [49] [50] [51] [52]. As of 2007 CafePress sells VG Kitties merchandise [53]. Ramsoomair posted VG Kitties as a reward [54] for voting for the strip in BuzzComix [55].
Bad Mushrooms, a sprite comic created by Ramsoomair prior to the creation of VG Cats, is hosted on VGCats.com [5].
VG Cats has been nominated for several Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards, winning 2 awards in 2005 and 1 in 2006.
In 2003, Ramsoomair designated CafePress as the provider of the VG Cats store. Ramsoomair ended the relationship with CafePress. On June 16, 2004 Ramsoomair announced that he established his store on Hyperion Press [56] [57].
As of 2008 ZeStuff hosts the VG Cats Store [58].
As of 2008 CafePress sells VG Cats merchandise even though Ramsoomair is no longer affiliated with CafePress. [59] [60] [61] [62] [63]
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This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at VG Cats. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Wikia Gaming, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 (unported) license. The content might also be available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. |
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