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Revision as of 18:10, 30 July 2008 view sourceKnowledgeum (talk | contribs)Rollbackers1,459 edits add sillies← Previous edit Revision as of 00:15, 31 July 2008 view source Kuzain (talk | contribs)139 edits Please remove what you feel is unsourced in a seperate edit. Given that you are likely to be the creator of this comic, you probably should not be editing anything not fact based.Next edit →
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==Criticism== ==Criticism==
] of Zero Punctuation has criticized Ctrl+Alt+Del on a few occasions. A CAD comic was briefly displayed in the review of ], comparing the game's abundance of dialogue to that of some webcomics<ref>{{citeweb| url = http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/18-Mass-Effect | title = Zero Punctuation on Mass Effect | publisher = Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw |date=December 2007| accessdate = 2007-12-19}}</ref>. Later, Croshaw presented a critical analysis of Ctrl-Alt-Del on his personal website ''Fully Ramblomatic'', where he says he feels the strip's slow comic pacing, excessive use of dialogue, and static art style are some of its biggest problems.<ref>{{citeweb| url = http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/ | title = 23/3/08: You Cad | publisher = Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw |date=March 2008| accessdate = 2008-07-06}}</ref> A following Zero Punctuation episode about ], while addressing abrupt shifts in comic genre and tone, appears to make visual reference to a Ctrl+Alt+Del storyline in which Lilah miscarries.<ref>{{citeweb| url = http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/108-Webcomics | title = Zero Punctuation on Webcomics | publisher = Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw |date=July 2008| accessdate = 2008-07-02}}</ref> ] is a critic of the comic. A CAD comic was briefly displayed in the review of ], comparing the game's abundance of dialogue to that of some webcomics<ref>{{citeweb| url = http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/18-Mass-Effect | title = Zero Punctuation on Mass Effect | publisher = Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw |date=December 2007| accessdate = 2007-12-19}}</ref>. Later, to explain why he called CAD "the Rubbish King" in an interview with ]<ref></ref>, Croshaw presented a further critical analysis of Ctrl-Alt-Del on his personal website ''Fully Ramblomatic''. He mentions in particular the strip's lengthy comic pacing, excessive use of dialogue, static art style (pointing out Tim Buckley's personal art blog as evidence that he is capable of other styles), and says that Buckley also appears intolerant of such criticism.<ref>{{citeweb| url = http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/ | title = 23/3/08: You Cad | publisher = Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw |date=March 2008| accessdate = 2008-07-06}}</ref> A following Zero Punctuation episode about ] included a parody of CAD called "Bontrol+Bolt+Belete" and referenced the Ctrl+Alt+Del storyline event of Lilah's miscarriage, saying that such a twist of direction is unfitting to a humor-oriented comic, and possibly distasteful towards the subject matter.<ref>{{citeweb| url = http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/108-Webcomics | title = Zero Punctuation on Webcomics | publisher = Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw |date=July 2008| accessdate = 2008-07-02}}</ref>

] made an ] comic, entitled ''Bee Up Arrow You'', parodying Ctrl+Alt+Del's gratuituous gaming references, excess dialogue, indifferent facial expressions and lack of comic timing.<ref>{{citeweb| url = http://www.vgcats.com/cadaprilfools/ | title = Bee Up Arrow You | publisher = Scott Ramsoomair |date=April 2008| accessdate = 2008-07-06}}</ref> The title is in reference to a ] known as 'B^U', which, when viewed as an ], is meant to resemble the homogeneous facial structure of CAD characters.{{Fact|date=July 2008}}


==Events, interviews and public appearances== ==Events, interviews and public appearances==

Revision as of 00:15, 31 July 2008

This article is about Ctrl+Alt+Del, the webcomic. For other uses of the term, see Control-Alt-Delete (disambiguation).
Ctrl+Alt+Del
File:CADs1DVD.jpgThe cover of the DVD release of the first season of the series.
Author(s)Tim Buckley
Websitehttp://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com
Current status/scheduleUpdates every Monday, Wednesday, Friday (Saturday updates suspended since May 2008)
Launch dateOctober 23 2002
Genre(s)Video game, Humor

Ctrl+Alt+Del (CAD) is a gaming-related webcomic and animated series written by Tim Buckley. The name of the comic refers to the Windows command Control-Alt-Delete. It premiered on October 23 2002, and is currently updated every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, although Tim Buckley has put Saturday updates on hiatus starting May 10. The comic's focus has gradually shifted away from single strip gags towards longer story arcs and greater continuity. Tim Buckley makes a living from Ctrl+Alt+Del, placing him in a very small group of web comic artists devoted to their creations full-time. As of 2005, Ctrl+Alt+Del attracts more than 300,000 readers to its website each day.

Main characters

Ethan and Lucas
Main article: List of Ctrl+Alt+Del characters

Ethan (2002-present)

Ethan Ryan MacManus, a 25-year-old of Irish descent, is a game fanatic, a recovering Everquest addict, and an amateur artist. His often nonsensical, off-beat, or even moronic antics are the focus of the comic and the source of many of its plotlines. Ethan currently works at GameHaven, a video game store, as a clerk.

Ethan is also the creator of Winter-een-mas, a seven-day celebration of video games, and founder of the Church of Gaming.

Lucas (2002-present)

At 26 years of age, Lucas Davidowicz is more level-headed and down to earth than Ethan. He is something of a slacker, prepared to enjoy a good video game over actual work. Cynical and sarcastic, Lucas is a programmer and works at a computer store, where he offers technical assistance.

Lilah (2003-present)

Lilah Monroe defied Ethan's preconceived notion that girls (or at least, cute ones) don't play video games, after which they began dating. Lilah is 25 and formerly worked as a secretary, but is now working as a professional gamer. She is currently engaged to Ethan, and was pregnant with his child, but miscarried after three and a half months.

Zeke (2003-present)

Zeke (short for Ezekiel), formerly known as the "Xbot", is a creation of Ethan's - a sentient, Xbox/Xbox 360-based android.

CAD Sillies

In June 2008, Buckley began making small black and white comics which he called "Sillies", to replace the Saturday update that was removed in May. The sillies are not connected by a plot and involve mostly gaming-related humor.

CAD Premium

In late 2005, CAD Premium was announced. For a monthly or yearly fee, fans are able to access exclusive "members only" content, such as wallpapers and strips, as well as the flagship of CAD Premium: Ctrl+Alt+Del: The Animated Series, which made its debut in February 2006.

While CAD Premium is a subscription service, Buckley has made it clear that the comic will remain free, and that although the episodes have now come to DVD, they are being offered at a discount to subscribers.

Ctrl+Alt+Del: The Animated Series

Main article: List of Ctrl+Alt+Del: The Animated Series episodes

Episodes are released at the beginning of each month. All 12 episodes from the first season have been released. Among the extras on the DVD release is an FAQ session with the artist.

In January 2008, it was announced that the Animated Series would return for a second season of 12 episodes, beginning in March of the same year.

Books

File:AnalogandDPad1.jpg
Analog and D+Pad #1 (February 2007). Cover art by Zack Finfrock.

Collections

  • Insert Coin: Ctrl+Alt+Del Volume One
  • Press Start: Ctrl+Alt+Del Volume Two
  • Critical System Failure: Ctrl+Alt+Del Volume Three

These books feature comics found online, along with commentary and bonus material exclusive to the book.

Analog and D+Pad

Analog and D+Pad is a comic book written by Tim Buckley with art by Zack Finfrock based on the Ctrl+Alt+Del characters, but set in a parallel universe where Ethan and Lucas are the superheroes Analog and D+Pad, respectively.

Criticism

Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw is a critic of the comic. A CAD comic was briefly displayed in the review of Mass Effect, comparing the game's abundance of dialogue to that of some webcomics. Later, to explain why he called CAD "the Rubbish King" in an interview with GameSpot, Croshaw presented a further critical analysis of Ctrl-Alt-Del on his personal website Fully Ramblomatic. He mentions in particular the strip's lengthy comic pacing, excessive use of dialogue, static art style (pointing out Tim Buckley's personal art blog as evidence that he is capable of other styles), and says that Buckley also appears intolerant of such criticism. A following Zero Punctuation episode about video game webcomics included a parody of CAD called "Bontrol+Bolt+Belete" and referenced the Ctrl+Alt+Del storyline event of Lilah's miscarriage, saying that such a twist of direction is unfitting to a humor-oriented comic, and possibly distasteful towards the subject matter.

VGCats made an April Fools comic, entitled Bee Up Arrow You, parodying Ctrl+Alt+Del's gratuituous gaming references, excess dialogue, indifferent facial expressions and lack of comic timing. The title is in reference to a meme known as 'B^U', which, when viewed as an emoticon, is meant to resemble the homogeneous facial structure of CAD characters.

Events, interviews and public appearances

Digital Overload is a yearly LAN party hosted by Ctrl+Alt+Del. Run since 2006, it is held in Providence, Rhode Island, and is jointly organized by Ni Networks.

There was an interview with Tim Buckley on CBSNews.com.

In October of 2006, Tim Buckley gave a lecture at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

Other publishing

Ctrl+Alt+Del is a featured comic on Game Revolution.

Twelve issues of the City of Heroes comic book featured a comic strip by Ctrl+Alt+Del creator Tim Buckley, called Underwear On The Outside.

EQuinox, the official Everquest 2 magazine, includes Ctrl+Alt+Del comic strips.

In 2007, Ctrl+Alt+Del partnered with 2K Games/Firaxis Games to produce a series of comics for Sid Meier's Civilization Daydreams.

References

  1. Ctrl+Alt+Del
  2. Ctrl+Alt+Del
  3. Web Comic Creators Take Charge - 10/2/2007 2:24:00 PM - Publishers Weekly
  4. Will Strip For Games: Gaming Comics Online from 1UP.com
  5. (December 18, 2005). "Business People". The Union Leader Pg. D10
  6. Ctrl+Alt+Del "Well Done"
  7. Mertes, Micah (January 29, 2008). "Happy Winter-een-mas! OK, get back to playing". Lincoln Journal Star Pg. 1D
  8. Ctrl+Alt+Del
  9. Ctrl+Alt+Del
  11. Ctrl+Alt+Del
  12. Ctrl+Alt+Del
  13. Ctrl+Alt+Del
  14. "Zero Punctuation on Mass Effect". Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw. December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
  15. GameSpot News: The definitive source for video game news, announcements, ship dates, rankings, sales figures, and more
  16. "23/3/08: You Cad". Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw. March 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  17. "Zero Punctuation on Webcomics". Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw. July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
  18. "Bee Up Arrow You". Scott Ramsoomair. April 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
  19. Alex Billington (2006-03-14). "Welcome to Digital Overload!". ThinkComputers. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  20. "Digital Overload - info". Retrieved 2007-11-21.
  21. A Q&A On Violence With Tim Buckley Of Gaming Comic Ctrl+Alt+Del CBSNews.com.
  22. Around Campus for the Week of Oct. 16, 2006 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
  23. Sans tweed jacket Ctrl+Alt+Del News for 2008-10-4
  24. Game Revolution Comics - CTRL ALT DEL
  25. City of Heroes comic book
  26. Ctrl+Alt+Del
  27. Ctrl+Alt+Del
  28. Sid Meier's Civilization Daydreams
  29. Ctrl+Alt+Del
  30. Civilization Daydreams: Beyond the Sword Indeed - Planet Civilization

Bibliography

  • Buckley, Tim (2004). Insert Coin: Ctrl+Alt+Del Volume 1. Ctrl+Alt+Del Productions. ISBN 0-9764678-0-1.
  • Buckley, Tim (2005). Press Start: Ctrl+Alt+Del Volume 2. Ctrl+Alt+Del Productions. ISBN 0-9764678-1-X.
  • Buckley, Tim (2006). Critical System Failure: Ctrl+Alt+Del Volume 3. Ctrl+Alt+Del Productions. ISBN Unknown.

External links

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