First there's Dom. He's my favorite, and the smartest one on the lot. He'e really in charge, but he lets me pretend that I run things. Isn't he smart? He's from Sicily, and if anyone remembers The Princess Bride, as Vizzini says, "You fell victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia.' But only slightly less known is 'Never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line.'" Dom is the enforcer.
Then there's Patrick, my second favorite. Patrick and I are both Italian by association. We also got into Notre Dame on our good looks. Pat is the strong & silent type, and is also an aspiring poet. Becks and he went to high school together.
But of course, we can't forget Becks, my third favorite, and without whom all this wouldn't have happened. We met during freshmen orientation, known as fish camp to Texans and Frosh-o to Yankees. Just between you and me, Dom and I suspect him of being the AntiChrist. But he's really very nice, when he isn't making up stories for gullible people to fall for, flavoring our beverages with salt, and teasing me about my spelling abilities. He has some interesting views on Yankees, too.
My Mafia and I are the inspiration for the comic strip "Pearls before Swine." Dom is Goat, "the wise and calm one of the group." I'm Pig, "the humble hog who lives for the moment, dining on han sandwiches." Becks, who was affectionately known to us as Rat long before this strip made its debut, is "the egotistical rat, who wants fame and fortune, and who won't touch a book unless it has to deal with making money." And Pat? He's Zebra, "a onetrick pony trying to save the engineers... er ... zebras." [excerpted from the Houston Chronicle article]