(PCM) The ‘Loss Meme’ is based on an episode of a video-game oriented webcomic called CTRL+ALT+DEL by Tim Buckley. The first strip ran on October 23, 2002. In 2004 and 2005, Ctrl+Alt+Del (CAD) was nominated for the Web Cartoonist’s Choice Awards Outstanding Gaming Comic award, and in 2005 it was nominated for Outstanding Comic.
| ||
|| |_
The overall story lines of long time series regulars: Ethan, Lucas, Lilah, Scott and Chef Brian ended in November, 2012. New episodes are still published on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
On June 2nd, 2008, Tim Buckley posted a strip titled ‘Loss‘ on his online comic strip, in which the Lilah suffered a miscarriage, and boyfriend Ethan comes to the hospital and learns what happened, without any words or text used in the comic.
For some reason, Tim’s strip gets some hate ( “the Rob Liefeld of webcomics”*).
The reason for the complaints mainly being that it is drawn simply, and the overall plot just plods along, very slowly.
Other complaints included the amateurish art, simple panels and structure, excessive dialogue and a less than compelling storytelling.
So did Seinfeld, and not everybody thought that was funny either.
That’s how comedy works.
Several hundred thousand fans still read the webcomic every month, which still keeps its roots in video gaming.
The ‘Loss” four panel episode, with no dialogue, struck a cord, and thus the memes began.
That’s how the internet works.
An interesting note about the meme is that unless you are aware of the ‘joke’ most would never notice what is really going on in the picture.
It is also a technique used in secret messaging and spy coding.
Our Verdict: Genius.
TL;DR synopsis:
On June 2nd, 2008, Tim Buckley posted a strip titled ‘Loss‘ on his online comic strip, in which the Lilah suffered a miscarriage, and boyfriend Ethan comes to the hospital and learns what happened, without any words or text used in the comic. Normally humorous and light, it struck a nerve with readers.
And non-readers.
Genius.
Here are some samples, found through our friends on Tumbler, Google and Facebook. We have no idea who the original artists are, they have been shared dozens, often hundreds of times.
And, of course, the original strip that started it all.
🙁
*Rob Liefeld is the comic book co-creator of Deadpool and a nice enough guy, but was known for not drawing feet or open hands. Feet were usually out of the frame or in ill-fitting boots, and hands, when they weren’t some type of claw, were clenched fists. His characters seldom showed fingers.