History Webcomic / CtrlAltDel

''[[http://www.cad-comic.com/ Ctrl+Alt+Del]]'' is a TwoGamersOnACouch {{webcomic}}, following the adventures of two guys, a girl, and a robot who alternate between sitting around playing video games and getting up to [[HilarityEnsues wacky hijinks]]. Created and written by Tim Buckley ([[Music/TimBuckley No]] [[IThoughtItMeant relation]].)

''[[http://www.cad-comic.com/ Ctrl+Alt+Del]]'' is a TwoGamersOnACouch {{webcomic}}, following the adventures of two guys, a girl, and a robot who alternate between sitting around playing video games and getting up to [[HilarityEnsues wacky hijinks]].

The comic alternated its updates between story-based strips and video game-specific ones, until on November 24, 2012 the comic [[http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/20121124 concluded its main storyline, wrapping up the stories of Ethan, Lilah, Lucas, and Zeke]]. Following this conclusion, [[{{Retool}} the comic has become almost exclusively video-game jokes]], now starring the four colored players [[AscendedExtra previously seen in occasional earlier joke strips.]] This was used as placeholder content until the main storyline was rebooted, now featuring Ethan and Lucas as a gaming-themed superhero team, with a marked change in drawing style, being much more dynamic and detailed.

* FastRoping: The sheer amount of places that you can do in the VideoGame/RainbowSix: Vegas games is jokingly explained [[http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/20080321 here]].

** Rob. Very seldom will anyone say anything remotely nice to or about him. Ethan once pushed a vending machine on him purely ForTheEvulz and then [[KickTheDog jumped on top of it with Rob still laying under it]]. Rob's hideous crime? He's a "frat boy" who only likes a handful of super-popular games like ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' and ''Franchise/{{Halo}}''.

* TheUnfavorite: [[http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/20091118 Ethan.]]

** To ''TheBigBangTheory'' in [[http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/20110919 this strip]].

Not to be confused with the three-finger-salute/[[Franchise/StarTrek Vulcan Nerve Pinch]].

** A rare subtle example is a small vocal tic for Embla, which according to seasoned gamers is a match for [[SystemShock SHODAN]].

* AloofOlderBrother: Rory.

* KarmaHoudini: Ethan, Rory, and to a minor extent, Lucas.
** KarmicTwistEnding: Ethan's years of escaping consequences for his actions end when a time machine he created is used to show him a Bad Future resulting from his creation of Zeke. When the same time machine overloads, Ethan is forced to commit a HeroicSacrifice.

* LifeEmbellished: Tim Buckley describes Ethan as a "stylized version" of himself (his avatar looks more or less like Ethan with shorter hair), and Lucas likewise of his best friend. Ethan has gradually evolved away from this (or so we hope considering how stupid he is). It's visually apparent in [[http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/20070615 this comic.]]

* ManipulativeBastard: Christian and Rory.

* NerdNanny: Lilah.

* PeekABangs: Kate; her FanNickname is "One-Eye".

* ProudToBeAGeek: Ethan

* SaltAndPepper: Embla and Zeke
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Christian.

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Ethan, through and through.

* CharacterDevelopment[=/=]CharacterDerailment: [[spoiler:Ethan suddenly acquires competence when he uses his cellphone as a wire. It's been theorized that this has something to do with Ethan and Lilah moving from boyfriend-girlfriend to married couple, where Ethan's behavior wouldn't really work. Or he did it as part of his daily seven seconds of focus.]]

* AloofOlderBrother[=/=]JerkJock: Rory.
* AltText[=/=]FootnoteFever:

* BearsAreBadNews: Poor [[ButtMonkey Faildruid]].

* TheMerch: Mostly character and Wintereenmass T-Shirts, although those [[Series/BattlestarGalactica2003 "Starbuck's Fresh Roasted Cylon"]] mugs might be a bit iffy.

** Rob. Very seldom will anyone say anything remotely nice to or about him. Ethan once pushed a vending machine on him purely ForTheEvulz and then [[KickTheDog jumped on top of it with Rob still laying under it]]. Rob's hideous crime? He's a "frat boy" who only likes a handful of super-popular games like ''WorldOfWarcraft'' and ''Franchise/{{Halo}}''.

** Faildruid, a hapless WorldOfWarcraft player/character who happens to be a {{bear|sAreBadNews}} (and later an [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons owl-bear]]). His crime is basically being a very naive newbie.

** In fact, some consider this worse than LightNovel/{{Kampfer}}, which got [[SoOkayItsAverage more decent reviews]] than Ctrl+Alt+Del. There's a legitmate reason why Ethan himself is the [[Pantheon/{{Disgraces}} epitome of this]].

* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Lucas, [[strike:concentration camp Lucas]] Barry (Ethan's old boss), [[strike:Scott]], Lucas' murderous girlfriend, Christian's agent Shannon, and Abby the GamerChick who's gaming Ethan (does the author have some kind of thing against brunette women?).

* CaptainObvious: Author's comment in the infamous miscarriage arc:
-->''"And I know that it [the miscarriage]'s often much harder on the woman than on the man."''

There is also an animated adaption, [[TitleTheAdaptation Ctrl+Alt+Del: The Animated Series]]. Its site is [[http://www.cad-series.com/ here]]. Until June 2015, [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1983987666/ctrl-alt-del-10-the-box-set you can invest money]] to get the first 10 years of the comic in one massive set.

* TheMerch: Mostly character and Wintereenmass T-Shirts, although those [[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined "Starbuck's Fresh Roasted Cylon"]] mugs might be a bit iffy.

There is also an animated adaption, [[TitleTheAdaptation Ctrl+Alt+Del: The Animated Series]]. Its site is [[http://www.cad-series.com/ here]].

* ItCameFromTheFridge: [[http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/20030204 this]] strip

** Rob. Very seldom will anyone say anything remotely nice to or about him. Ethan once pushed a vending machine on him purely ForTheEvulz and then [[KickTheDog jumped on top of it with Rob still laying under it]]. Rob's hideous crime? He's a "frat boy" who only likes a handful of super-popular games like ''WorldOfWarcraft'' and ''{{Halo}}''.

* CreatorCameo: In the animated series. HilariousInHindsight; ''CityOfHeroes'' eventually ''did'' put out a Mac Edition with special goodies and much fanfare.