Ctrl+Alt+Del (webcomic)
| Ctrl+Alt+Del | |
|---|---|
| File:CtrlAltTv2.jpg Classic Ctrl+Alt+Del strip from 2005-03-07 | |
| Author(s) | Tim Buckley |
| Website | http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/ |
| Current status/schedule | Updates every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday |
| Launch date | October 23 2002 |
| Genre(s) | Video games, Humor |
Ctrl+Alt+Del (CAD) is a gaming-related webcomic and animated series written by Tim Buckley, known online as Absath. The name of the comic refers to computing's most common three-finger salute, which on Windows systems is Control-Alt-Delete. The comic was originally going to be named 'Overclocked', but there was already, at the time, a webcomic with that specific name. After finding this, Buckley decided on the name Ctrl+Alt+Del. It premiered on October 23 2002, and is currently updated every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The strip started off with a pair of gamers, Ethan and Lucas, as the main characters, but Lilah, a female gamer, has become a regular as well since she began dating Ethan (now engaged). Other characters include a Linux user, Scott, and an Xbox-based robot called Zeke. Most of the humor in the comic concerns video games, but some is also bred of violence, with more still coming from the strip's randomness.[1] As it has progressed, the comic has focused a lot more on long story arcs, which serve to add a sense of continuity and introduce new plot elements, instead of smaller one-comic gags (which still appear regularly, but generally aren't related to the main characters).
There are several running gags, the most notable concerning arrows. There are several strips in which Ethan is killed (or at least gravely injured) by arrows shot from out of frame[2][3], a homage to a gag from The Kentucky Fried Movie according to commentary from Buckley in the first CAD book. Another strip shows Ethan as he is catching the arrow, and having an elephant fall on him.[4] The February 28 2003 strip turned the tables[5], with Ethan shooting an arrow at and killing Buckley, who was present in the comic to discuss the fact that he had drawn 100 Ctrl+Alt+Del strips. There are also several story arcs that center around Ethan sneaking into a game company's headquarters to steal a copy of a game before its public release.
Ctrl+Alt+Del also features a self-created post-New Year's holiday dubbed "Winter-een-mas". Buckley has detailed the holiday: the season lasts all of January, much like the Christmas season, but the actual holiday itself is January 25 to January 31. It was created as a holiday for all things concerning gamers or gaming. Little is told about its traditions, however there are several spirits which represent the different genres of gaming (such as fighting or real-time strategy) who fly around the world on Winter-een-mas Eve in a giant ethereal gamepad.[6] Every year at Winter-een-mas, Ethan has donned a crown and proclaimed himself king.
The comics began to be translated into Spanish, French, and German on January 16, 2007.
Characters
Main
Ethan MacManus (2002-present)
A 25-year-old of Irish descent, somewhat crazy game fanatic and amateur artist. His antics and plans - usually very-off beat, often nonsenical, sometimes straight-out moronic - are the focus of the strip, and have resulted in many a story arc. He has always thought he is good at video games, until he is beaten very easily, even by Scott on an Xbox. Once, he has tried to play Lucas' game, Warhammer 40,000, but quits after eight comic strips because of the presence of a video game of it.[7] He is engaged to Lilah, after proposing to her on Valentine's Day in 2006, having done so by getting all seven high scores on a video game in the arcade to read "LIL" "AH_" "WIL" "YOU" "MAR" "RY_" "ME_".[8] He notionally works as a sales clerk at Game Haven. Author Tim Buckley, a fellow hardcore gamer of Irish descent, has admitted in the FAQ setting that Ethan was initially loosely based off him.
Ethan is also the king and creator of the gamers holiday that is known as 'Winter-een-mas'; see below for more information.
Lucas Davidowicz (2002-present)
At 26 years of age, Lucas 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 has worked Customer Service at two computer stores. At Lucas's current job, his boss, Mickey, shares his distaste for ignorant people.[9] He only plays video games on the Xbox console and the PC, and sometimes plays Warhammer 40,000, and is responsible for keeping Ethan out of trouble (although he often fails at it), even to the point that he instinctively yells at Ethan when he hears a waiter drop plates on a date. He has a habit of calling 911 in advance when he suspects Ethan is up to something. He is slightly jaded towards the concept of romance, mostly due to bad dating experiences in the past, one of which was so bad that he was forced to get a restraining order and another of which culminated in his girlfriend attempting to murder him. A current story arc places Lucas on a blind date with an overweight woman named Kate after Zeke found Lucas attempting to get back into the dating scene via an internet dating service, though really it was Zeke that was playing a practical joke on Lucas to set him up on the date. Kate turns out to be wearing a fat suit of some sort, and is in fact a beautiful woman. Lucas is also a fan of the series a Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin.
Lilah Monroe (2003-present)
Smart and attractive, Lilah smashed Ethan's preconception 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. A long run joke is that Lilah would walk into a gaming store, only to have the men go insane at the thought of a girl buying games, and has to suffer all sad, spotty individuals drooling all over her. Though calm and responsible, she finds herself strangely drawn to Ethan's character. Online, she is known as "Black-Widow".[10] She is currently engaged to Ethan. After winning third place at a gaming tournament, she quit her job to become a professional gamer.
Scott (2002-present)
A 25-year-old web designer and Linux user.[11] He has a pet penguin named Ted, which is, appropriately, a reference to the Linux mascot, Tux. He is quiet, intelligent, and introspective, and a devout practitioner of meditation. He's also referred to as a hippie from time to time, including when Ethan asked Scott for protesting advice.[12] He appears to be working on a clandestine project in his room. He guards it by use of an electrified metal door, only ever activated when Ethan is snooping. It is a running joke that he has never really met, seen, or talked to Lilah in a comic strip, even though they currently live in the same house, constantly asking "Who's Lilah" without getting a response.
Zeke (2003-present)
Zeke (short for Ezekiel, which was the name Ethan found spray painted on his rear), formerly known as the "Xbot", is a creation of Ethan's, an anthropomorphic Xbox/Xbox 360 hybrid console. He walks, talks, thinks, plays video games (Zeke was very good at Halo: Combat Evolved until Ethan handicapped his skills), had a strange crush on Ethan's GameCube, which he wants Ethan to turn into a female robot, and was shown in one comic "eating" bandwidth. He once had a severe malfunction and attempted to destroy all of the main comic strip characters (his personality seemed to be similar to HK-47 from the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Series.) He was eventually hit on the head and returned to his old self, but not before burning Ethan and Lilah's apartment. Afterwards, due to heavy damage to his body that he got while protecting Ethan from incoming debris, he was remade by Ethan and upgraded with Xbox 360 parts when his arm was severely damaged from a bullet. Prior to the upgrade, he was worried that Ethan would replace him when the 360 was released.
Supporting
- Ted is a penguin[13], in an apparent homage to the Linux mascot, a penguin named Tux. He moved in along with Scott and enjoys fish, the cold and seems to be sleeping in the fridge. Ethan and Ted have a deep relationship consisting primarily of mutual hatred, although it is mainly derived from Ethan. Ethan once found Ted standing next to his destroyed computer[14], and held a completely rigged mock trial where Ted was to be found guilty and sentenced to death. Lucas thwarted this attempt at murder by proving Ethan was responsible for the destruction of his own computer.[15]
- Barry is 26, and manages the Game Haven where Ethan works.[16] Though goal-driven, he is very easy-going. He is perpetually in a good mood, because he is living his lifelong dream of running a video game store. Barry and Ethan get along fairly well, yet sometimes they don't see eye to eye, which leads Ethan to an act of violence to get what he wants.
- Rob is a 19-year-old Counter-Strike enthusiast who works with Ethan and Barry at Game Haven.[17] Ethan, Lucas, Lilah, and even Barry to some extent despise him because all he does is talk about Counter-Strike, with constant "you-had-to-be-there" tales. They are also greatly annoyed by Rob's constant use of "Dude" and "Guy" during his stories and during his everyday small talk. Ethan's hatred for Rob grows everyday, and hit a peak when Barry took Rob to E3 instead of Ethan. He's also a very talented 3D modeler, and worked with Ethan on his game, which was never finished.
- Chef Brian[18] is the comic's non sequitur segment. With no backstory, his appearances consist of nonsensical sequences of words. Chef Brian was the end result (as Buckley explains in Insert Coin: Ctrl+Alt+Del Volume One) of too much alcohol and a deadline, though some sources state that the character is based on Brian Carroll, author of the webcomic Instant Classic, or Brian Clevinger, author of 8-Bit Theater and friend of Tim Buckley. His biography on the Ctrl+Alt+Del website lists his occupation as "Beef Potato Wheelman", and says something short and random (not unlike his rants). Because of this, it can be assumed that Chef Brian "Wrote" his own character bio.
- Players 1, 2, 3 and 4 — A sub comic which focuses on four generic gamers colored blue, red, yellow, and green, respectively. All of these characters are almost certainly in reference to the way sprites were differentiated in multiplayer games in the 8 & 16 bit era, and related gamer and gaming etiquette, typically ending with the gruesome demise of at least one of the Players, reminiscent of Spy vs Spy.[19][20]
- Player One (2002-present) Player 1 is very anger-driven and extremely violent, often lashing out at the others simply for upsetting him.
- Player Two (2002-present) Player 2 is equally violent, but whereas Player 1 showcases severe anger management issues, Player 2 seems to suffer from psychosis.
- Player Three (2004-present) Player 3 is portrayed as the rational member of the group and is often nothing more than another victim.
- Player Four (2006-present) Player 4, the only female Player, has recently been "unlocked"[21], but she seems to share the psychotic homicidal tendencies of Players 1 and 2, although in a more subtle and less gory fashion. She does not appear to be very intelligent, as demonstrated when she eats mashed potatoes that she had just poisoned. [22] She could be seen as a female version of Chef Brian, but less surreal.[23].
- Mickey — Lucas's boss. He is described by Lucas as "an Elitist Bastard" (as a compliment) and doesn't deny it. He hates Macs, AOL, and stupid people, and encourages the rude treatment of ignorant customers in order to discourage them from returning, a passion he shares with Lucas.[24]
- Tim[25] — The author of the webcomic has drawn himself in on a number of occasions, though he does not normally interact with Ethan or the other main characters in the foreground. He did kill Ethan a couple of times with an arrow from the background ghost, but Ethan found out and killed him the same way. Tim usually draws himself in special event strips, such as E3 strips, current event editorials, and major checkpoints for the webcomic (such as 100th strips or 1st year celebrations).
- Jacob[26] — Lilah's coworker and partner in two gaming tournaments. Jacob was an unseen character until the October 9th, 2006 strip.
- The Glossary Guy[27][28] — The Glossary guy is knowledgeable with gaming terms and exists to define them. He has red hair and a mustache, and wears a tuxedo. He has never been seen with his eyes open. Was part of a short filler arc and a recent comic and is sure to return again soon.
- The Mailman — The mailman only appears in a few strips to deliver something to Ethan. He delivers mail in some occasions, and in others things Ethan ordered, such as the big-screen TV he bought. The mailman is a very rare character with no known personality.
- Ethan's Brain — Ethan's brain has only appeared once so far.[29] He appeared when Ethan hadn't slept for 7 days because he was in a bulletproof glass case preventing him from leaving until Winter-een-mas was over. He brought the news that Ethan had been put on auto-pilot and threatened to strike alongside the lungs (however, the lungs haven't appeared in the strip as of yet). Ethan's Brain also had two appearances in the Ctrl-Alt-Del Animated Series. Both times he spontaneously exploded.
- Kate — A red-headed, turtleneck sweater-wearer, with whom Zeke set up a date for Lucas with out his acknowledgement, pretending to be him on an internet dating site. She turned up at Lucas' shop at closing time for their date, and was seen as a quite overweight woman, yet the spineless and polite Lucas went along with her. She works as a costume designer in television. Upon returning to her apartment, she miracuously slimmed down, apparently using a fat suit in order to test guys to see if they were worthwhile dating.
Characters who no longer appear in the strip
- Sara[30] — dated Ethan in the early strips for an undisclosed amount of time. Beat Ethan after he cancelled a date to watch a Vision of Escaflowne marathon with Lucas. Tried to get him off video games[31][32][33] but finally dumped him[34]
- Vodka Bottle[34] — Flying bottle of vodka. This is Ethan's best friend in alcohol-related times. The vodka bottle flies beside the drunken Ethan and reminds him of the reasons he's drinking, often taunting him to drink a bit more.[35] This character made many appearances in the earlier strips, after Ethan and Sara split up. Ethan has inquired the bottle as to why he wants him to drink, to which the bottle replies "Duh, why do you think?".
- Christian[36] was Lilah's boyfriend before Ethan, and his exact opposite. He is extremely wealthy and has a massive ego. Christian considers videogames to be silly and thinks that the people who play them are simpletons. He told Lilah about his offer of $5000 to Ethan so Ethan would leave Christian and Lilah to restart their relationship, which Ethan refused by punching Christian in the face. He smiles almost all the time.
- Ashley[37] — Dated Lucas after hitting him with her car. Became obsessive and stalked him. Lucas filed a restraining order against her and she hasn't been seen since. She was recently seen in the August 4, 2006 issue giving relationship advice to Lucas (in the form of a day-dream).[38]
- Josh — The impostor king of Winter-een-mas. When Ethan heard about Josh he went into a rage, snuck into the TV studio where Josh was being interviewed and promptly defeated him, proving once and for all on national TV that Ethan is the true king of Winter-een-mas.[39]
- Emma[40], — A serial killer/con artist who dated Lucas. Was fired from her job at a stereotypical electronics store, which resembled Best Buy, after refusing to help Ethan. Conspired to kill Lucas when she thought he had inherited money from his dead uncle, which he doesn't have. Currently in jail. She was recently seen in the August 4, 2006 issue giving relationship advice to Lucas (in the form of a day-dream).[38]
- Ace Conklin — Emma's real boyfriend, and partner in crime. He posed as a sky diving instructor in one of many attempts to kill Lucas. He is now in jail along with Emma.
- Gord — An extremely fat hired goon of Ace's, who was hired to kill Lucas in a skydiving accident. It has been implied that Ace may have killed Gord.
- Faceless CEO is head of a generic video game company, and is hell-bent on taking control of Winter-een-mas from Ethan and merchandising it. In 2005, he sent Josh to usurp the position of "King of Winter-een-mas."[41] In 2006, he kidnapped Lilah, and held her for ransom.[42] Both times, he was thwarted by Ethan.
- Miranda — A nurse who offers to drive Lucas home after Ethan and Lilah leave him at the hospital. Lucas and Miranda seem to hit it off,[43][44] however Lucas receives some relationship advice from Emma and Ashley (in the form of a day-dream) after speaking with Ethan.[38] Last we saw Miranda, Lucas was throwing her number into the garbage bin.[38]
- Spirit of Retro Gaming[45] The Spirit of Retro Gaming has only appeared in three strips (two he is heard but not seen). He is a representation of all gaming genres. He sends Ethan to play a game of Pitfall! in which failing will cost him his life. The Spirit of Retro Gaming is not expected to return.
CAD Radio
CADRadio was a SHOUTcast based internet radio station, at one time the official radio station of the Ctrl+Alt+Del webcomic by Tim Buckley. It was started by Insomniac and Aliendragon, two of the CAD forum members. Originally started on a simple rented SHOUTcast server that provided 8 concurrent listener slots at 24 kbit/s mp3. Starting off relatively unpopular, it soon gathered quite a following and soon the 8 person server was no longer adequate and a series of relay servers were setup by listeners who volunteered to help. An integral part of the CADRadio shows was the IRC channel, originally found on XNet. This was the main hub of operations for CADRadio, and a meeting place for listeners, both at times when shows were being broadcast and when the station was off-air.
After a period of success, Absath (the artist of Ctrl+Alt+Del) gave the station "official" status, and even appeared on a show hosted by DJ FIRE|STARTER in the form of a phone interview.
Creative differences and personal disagreements caused problems within the management of CADRadio as time went on though, and led to the resignation of Insomniac and, at a later date, Aliendragon.
The station was taken over by FalconX and MZXGiant, but eventually abandoned.
The station is currently being redeveloped and is preparing for a relaunch, under a new name.
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 on February 2006.
While CAD Premium will be a subscription-based service, Buckley has made it clear that the comic will remain free, and that although the episodes will come to High Definition DVD, they will be offered at a discount to subscribers.
Ctrl+Alt+Del: The Animated Series
An animated series based on the comic strip was announced to the public in November 2005 and the first episode was released on February 1 2006. It is produced and distributed by Blind Ferret Entertainment. Rather than animating existing strips, Buckley has opted to create new storylines for the animated series. This means that the comic strip and comic episodes will not have intersecting storylines, so a viewer will not need to see the animation to understand the comic's plot. Viewers are required to pay a fee to join "CAD Premium" to be able to view these cartoons. It costs $29.95 a year or $2.95 per month. The first season ends in January 2007, it is not known when more episodes will be produced as there is no plan to directly progress to a second season. Template:Spoiler
| Episode | Release | Run time | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006-02-01 | 5m 29s | The episode begins with Ethan playing a PSP at his store. A customer asks if he can play Halo on his PS2 and Ethan ignores him. The customer gets mad and leaves the store, vowing never to return. The theme song plays. Ethan goes home having used his paycheck to buy more video games and Lucas is using the Xbox. Lucas encourages Ethan to do something else for a change (read a book or ride a bike, for instance) and Ethan leaves, angry. Ethan instead decides to lure Lucas away from the Xbox through a variety of tactics such as a pretend suicide and attempted homicide, and Lucas fights back by gluing Ethan's hand to a door and distracting with pictures that the audience assumes are of naked women. In the end, a cooking knife ends up embedded in the controller and they resolve to play a co-op. Lilah comes in and asks if she can play Halo. Roll credits. |
| 2 | 2006-03-01 | 5m 25s | Ethan and Zeke are playing a video game which seems to be Fight Night: Round 3 from the sounds. Barry calls Ethan to remind him that he is supposed to be working, and after Ethan tries (and fails) to pretend that he is someone else, convinces Ethan to come in to work. Ethan asks Zeke to call in to work and fake a family tragedy to get Ethan out. The theme song plays. At the store, Ethan is told to manage the store while Barry does some paperwork in the back room. Ethan manages to ignore a long line of customers, assault a customer looking for an N-Gage, and scare a woman into a heart attack while Zeke wastes time at home rather than call to get Ethan out of work. When the store closes, Ethan goes home and gets angry with Zeke for forgetting to call in and decides to destroy him at Fight Night. Ethan loses the match, curses, and credits roll. |
| 3 | 2006-04-01 | 5m 28s | A short paintballing match between Ethan and Zeke starts, in which Ethan lands one shot, and Zeke, aided by computer aiming, hits with all of his. The theme song plays. Cut to a scene of Everquest 2, where Ethan's character kills a 'monster' and reaches Level 30 after three weeks. Zeke steps in and notes that he reached Level 60 in one day. Ethan talks to Lilah about it, and she says obviously he's going to be better at technical things. Ethan, however, takes it completely wrong, thinking she's a robot in disguise because she's siding with Zeke, along the lines of Battlestar Galactica.
|
| 4 | 2006-05-01 | 5m 58s | Intro: Lucas makes fun of Lilah for deciding to marry Ethan. Lucas also tells Lilah that Ethan can't cook to save his life. Lilah disagrees. Lucas then unplugs the phone and does not cook dinner. Ethan subsequently enters a state of confused panic as the fridge is not preparing the food for him and the "telephone people" aren't answering his pleas for sustenance.
|
| 5 | 2006-06-01 | 3m 26s | Begins with 'Player 2' being chased and then killed in a fantasy game, while standing in front of 'Player 1's character shouting "Heal me" over and over, while Player 1 does nothing. It then cuts to a view of player 1's computer, where he is returning with a snack, shortly before player 2 enters and slaughters him with an axe (while player 1 cries "Heal me")
The scene switches to a dark room, which Chef Brian then enters, and begins reciting his usual nonsense. His hat then opens and smoke pours out from the opening and his ears, and a carrot flies out.
In the next scene, a pair of male PSPs are sitting at a table, when a female DS walks past holding a tray of burgers, trying to catch their attention, to which the PSPs reply 'Fat-ass!'. The DS then goes into the toilets and starts throwing up. She then comes back, slimmer and sleeker (a-la DS Lite) and gets plenty of attention.
|
| 6 | 2006-07-01 | 5m 5s | There is a power outage, and Ethan becomes upset and frustrated over the lack of video games. Lucas tries to entertain him with a game of chess, but Ethan compares it to a video game, and leaves because he can't find the "options menu". Ethan tries using Zeke and having him describe what's going on instead of using a TV output, but Zeke has no battery power left. A clip of Ethan's mind exploding is then shown, and you then see Lucas go to the fridge, and Ethan is seen in tribal clothing, with a PlayStation Button layout painted on his face stopping him, saying the food box has been claimed for the tribe of the 1st controller. To be continued... |
| 7 | 2006-08-01 | 5m 7s | Continuing from the previous episode, Ethan explains to Lucas that the end of the world has come and that it was his duty to ensure the survival of the gamer species. Lucas ignores him and tries to get ice cream out of the fridge before it melts, Ethan hits him with his staff and says that he may use him as a slave worker, Lilah enters with a flash light wondering what's going on, the light scares Ethan and he runs away hissing. Lilah is now confused and Lucas simply says "I'm just here to eat ice cream. Roll Credits.
Ethan mocks the others for "Clinging to the past" and sets about writing the new gaming bible for the new world using his own blood as ink (even though he used a pencil to prick his finger). Lilah is now worried about Ethan while Lucas eats ice cream. Ethan sneaks up and grabs Lilah from behind threatening her with, as Lucas puts it, "A blunt object" and taking her to join his tribe. This however makes Lilah mad and she threatens Ethan with the "You're not getting 'any' for a month look", Ethan then runs away. Lucas then gets an idea. Ethan tries to make a love heart using a knife and paper to give to Lilah when he hears Lucas and Lilah playing on a PSP, Ethan then tries to take his "Grail" but Lucas tosses it in the air, Ethan dives and catches it. While Ethan is distracted Lucas and Lilah lock him in the room. The PSP quickly loses power and Ethan fails to barge the door down, so he crawls out the window and climbs back into another. Lucas is still eating ice cream when Ethan from the shadows lifts up his staff over his head yelling "KAAAAAHNNNN!" Lucas replies with a "neeeeerrrrddd!". A fight ensues with a classic Star Trek alien battle music being played in the background. The power suddenly comes back on in the middle of the fight and Ethan immediately returns to normal and goes ahead with his original plan of playing games and eating junk food as if nothing happened. Roll End Credits.
|
| 8 | 2006-09-01 | 6m 26s | Ethan arrives at Game Haven anxious to pick up his copy of Lego Star Wars II. Barry tells him that he never preordered it and that the last copy had just been sold to the guy that Ethan passed on the way into the store. Ethan promptly leaps onto the hood of the customer's car and offers to buy the game off of him. The customer refuses and Ethan is forced to follow the man home. Once there Ethan tries a couple of method for getting into the man's house. First he uses what appears to be a sex doll on stick to attempt to distract the man but he fails to get inside. Next Ethan dresses in a full Sam Fisher outfit from Splinter Cell and attempts to sneak into the customer's house. Ethan is of course discovered and is taken captive by the man. Ethan is forced to play a series of video games with the man and is forced to lose. Ethan eventually draws the line when the man attempts to force him play DDR with him. Ethan escapes with Lego Star Wars II and rushes home to play it. About five seconds into the game Ethan proclaims "This game sucks!" |
Episodes are released at the beginning of each month.
Collections
- The 460 pre-order Collector's Editions Hard Cover Volumes 1 and 2 sold out within 24 hours after technical difficulties with Canada Post.
Insert Coin: Ctrl+Alt+Del Volume One
- In early 2004, Buckley announced plans for a collection book of approximately the first year of strips from CAD. The book, which contains the first 150 strips, features added commentary below every comic, along with several pages of bonus material exclusive to the book.
- ISBN 0-9764678-0-1
Press Start: Ctrl+Alt+Del Volume Two
- In June 2005, pre-orders for volume two were announced.
- It is a collection book with 150 CAD strips continuing where Volume One (see above) left off, also including commentary below every comic and bonus material exclusive to the book.
- ISBN 0-9764678-1-X
Critical System Failure: Ctrl+Alt+Del Volume Three
- The book was released on February 7th 2007
- It was released in softcover and limited edition hardcover format.
- Extras include, once again, exclusive bonus material and a certificate of authenticity with the 1000 limited edition copies.
Winter-een-mas
Winter-een-mas is a week long celebration of gaming that lasts from January 25th through January 31st. The Winter-een-mas season, however, lasts the entire month of January (much like Christmas). Winter-een-mas was started by Ethan, and first appeared in Ctrl Alt Del on January 27, 2003[46]. It resurfaced[47] the year after, as well. It is the only gaming holiday that is recognized by EB games[citation needed].
The Seven Days of Winter-een-mas
According to a comic series spoofing Tim Buckley's version of The Night Before Christmas[48], each of the seven days of Winter-een-mas may be in celebration of individual gaming genres;
- The first day is for action, platform and adventure games, represented by a man dressed as Indiana Jones.
- Second day is for first-person shooters, represented by a 21 year old that needs sleep.
- Third, is the day for fighting games, represented by a martial artist with too many blows to the head and kicks to the "jewels".
- The fourth day belongs to real-time strategy games (RTSs) represented by a rather large, bearded man with a pocket protector.
- The fifth day is for racing games, represented by a racer with old fashioned racing helmet and racing goggles holding a detached steering wheel.
- The sixth day goes to role playing games (RPGs), represented by an elf-like woman holding floating dice above her left hand.
- The seventh and last day is dedicated to sports games, represented by a round, middle-aged man wearing a #10 jersey and holding a beer bottle in each hand.
- Retro Gaming is the herald for the spirits of gaming and speaks for all of them. He is represented by a man with retro attire and an afro. [49]
How to celebrate
Celebrating Winter-een-mas is very laid back because it is such a new holiday, and because of the laid back culture with which it is associated. Most people play video games and some buy cheap games for friends (though gift giving is not encouraged). People also dress up to celebrate this holiday, usually wearing a paper crown and holding a scepter with a console controller strapped to the top. Though dressing up is not necessary to celebrate this holiday, it is a fun way to join in.
Often, Winter-een-mas parties are held, which are held either in real space locations, or on MMORPG servers, such as World of Warcraft, Everquest, or RuneScape. Celebrators are asked to write letters to companies and other sources that are related to video games in order to thank them for their contribution(s). The holiday serves to dedicate the last week in January (25th-31st) to spend time with your friends and enjoy and celebrate the entertainment and joy video games have brought to your lives.
Winter-een-mas-related external links
- Official Winter-een-mas Website
- 2003 Story Arc
- 2004 Story Arc
- 2005 Story Arc
- 2006 Story Arc
- 2007 Story Arc
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. The first issue was released on February 7, 2007, but the first 6 pages were previously released as a preview on the CAD website. [1]
Reception
By 2003, Ctrl+Alt+Del had become successful enough for creator Tim Buckley to live exclusively off of the strip's profits, one of the big successes in gaming comics after those of the mid-to-late 90s.[50]
References
- ^ "Civil Servant"
- ^ "What The?!"
- ^ "Damn Strays"
- ^ "The Swift"
- ^ "Revenge... Best Served Cold"
- ^ "A Winter-een-mas Story, Page 7"
- ^ "Pastimes"
- ^ "Top Score"
- ^ "Price Check?"
- ^ "Black Widow"
- ^ "My Thoughts Exactly"
- ^ "A Peaceful Demonstration"
- ^ "The Last Straw",
- ^ "Lost Composure"
- ^ "So Cold. It's Hot"
- ^ "Strike Thre-- Oh..."
- ^ "Zip It"
- ^ "Road Lines"
- ^ "Wanna Play?"
- ^ "Power-Leveled"
- ^ "A Very Players Thanksgiving: Part 3"
- ^ "A Very Players Thanksgiving: Part 4"
- ^ "Overzealous Support"
- ^ "Self-Styled Kings"
- ^ "Life In A Jar"
- ^ "Green-Eyed"
- ^ "Glossary: Squeaker"
- ^ "Glossary: Kill-Stealing"
- ^ "Special Attention"
- ^ "Priorities Man... Priorities"
- ^ "Yes'm"
- ^ "Explain That One!"
- ^ "Say Not Those Words!"
- ^ a b "Uh-Oh"
- ^ "Peer Pressure"
- ^ "Enter The Ex"
- ^ "Knocked Off His Feet"
- ^ a b c d "Dodge The Gamble"
- ^ "Thar She Blows"
- ^ "To The Point"
- ^ "There Can Only Be One"
- ^ "Face To Face"
- ^ "Like Pins And Needles"
- ^ "Risk Versus Booty"
- ^ "Chest of Choice"
- ^ "Winter-een-mas"
- ^ "It Begins Again"
- ^ "A Winter-een-mas Story, Page 1"
- ^ "Chest of Choice"
- ^ Will Strip for Games, 1UP.com
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 Failiure: Ctrl+Alt+Del Volume 3. Ctrl+Alt+Del Productions. ISBN Non known.
External links
