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Legacy as an internet meme A minimalist version of 'Loss', consisting of only seven linesĪfter the strip was published, it immediately became an internet meme, with users from sites such as 4chan and Tumblr creating edits of the strip, recreating it using scenes from other works such as Futurama and Pokémon. Buckley later remarked that, if the situation was brought up again in the webcomic, he would do more research on the effects miscarriages have on expectant mothers. He said that he told the story from Ethan's viewpoint because that was the only reference he had, reflecting that he was afraid of miscalculating a woman's perspective on the subject and was not confident in his writing abilities to do it justice. Buckley said in a 2015 interview that he did not regret creating the strip, and stated that women had told him that the story line had helped them.

The two strips that followed 'Loss' in the story showed Ethan reacting to the miscarriage with his male friends and did not show Lilah or her reaction. The strip also faced criticism for being an example of 'fridging', a term coined by the website Women in Refrigerators where an author uses the trauma of a female character as a plot device in a male character's story. In 2021, Fahey would call the strip a 'miscarriage of comic publishing'.

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Kotaku 's Mike Fahey, formerly a self-declared fan of the webcomic, agreed with Croshaw's complaints, mentioning being unable to read the series like he used to. Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw, creator of the video game review series Zero Punctuation, referenced CAD in his episode on video game webcomics, where he mentioned that having a story line where a character miscarries in a webcomic known for humor would be considered 'an awkward tonal shift at best and hugely disrespectful of the subject matter at worst'. The creators of webcomic series Penny Arcade, Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, were asked about the strip during an interview with Joystiq both men criticized it, with Holkins describing Buckley as the ' Antichrist', humorously citing 'Loss' and its storyline as the first horseman of the Apocalypse. 'Loss' was received negatively by some webcomic creators and critics. Reception Penny Arcade creators Mike Krahulik (left) and Jerry Holkins (right) Personal experience in his life inspired the strip, namely an unplanned pregnancy and miscarriage with an ex-girlfriend in college. When he published 'Loss', Buckley wrote a blog post explaining that he had planned the storyline years in advance. There were two more comics set at the hospital in the storyline, before CAD returned to typical material. The strip was a four-panel comic with Ethan entering a hospital, asking a receptionist for directions, talking to a doctor, and finding Lilah crying on her side in a hospital bed, implying that she had suffered a miscarriage. In 2008, during a storyline where Ethan and Lilah were expecting their first child, Buckley posted the strip 'Loss', a dramatic tonal shift from previous CAD strips. Brian Feldman of the magazine New York described the earlier tone of the strip as 'amusing at best and puerile at worst, resorting to violence as a punch line with noticeable frequency.' Prior to 'Loss', CAD focused on gaming humor, alternating between multi-strip story arcs and one-off gags, often featuring characters sitting on a couch riffing about the game they were playing. Created in October 2002, the comic focuses on characters Ethan and Lucas, and later Ethan's love interest Lilah. It has been adapted and parodied by numerous other creators and garnered a legacy as an internet meme.Ĭtrl+Alt+Del, abbreviated as CAD, is a webcomic series by Tim Buckley. It has received negative reception from critics and webcomic creators, especially for the shift in tone in the webcomic, and as an example of ' fridging'-showing a killed or injured female character with the intention of provoking a male character. Buckley cited events in his life as inspiration for the comic.

Set during a storyline in which the main character Ethan and his fiancée Lilah are expecting their first child, the strip-presented as a four-panel comic with no dialogue-shows Ethan entering a hospital, where he sees Lilah weeping in a hospital bed after suffering a miscarriage.

' Loss', sometimes referred to as ' Loss.jpg', is a strip published on June 2, 2008, by Tim Buckley for his gaming-related webcomic Ctrl+Alt+Del. 'Loss' by Tim Buckley for the webcomic Ctrl+Alt+Del

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