Tim Buckley interview - Ctrl-Alt-Del

Ctrl-Alt-Del Q&A with Tim Buckley.

Ctrl-Alt-Del has been going for almost 6 years, do you love the way it’s going or would you have done something differently with hindsight as your buddy?
Of course with hindsight there are always little things you learn and wish you could apply to your older work, but overall I have no complaints about where I’ve ended up so far. I’m able to do something I really enjoy for a living, and be successful at it, I couldn’t really ask for anything more than that.

Lilah is awesome! It’s so cool you’ve actually included a female gamer as a main character, even though it might tear the very fabric of the universe to say we actually exist. What prompted the inclusion?
Well, making Lilah a gamer was a no-brainer. Nobody but a fellow gamer would be able to understand and handle Ethan’s obsession. Additionally, around that time (though less and less with each passing year, thankfully), the idea of girl gamers was unheard of in most circles, and I happened to know they did exist, so it was a fun angle to throw into the comic.

Recently Ethan had a major storyline involving him and Lilah suffering a miscarriage. What prompted you to cover such an emotional topic? (for the record we thought it was brave and realistic of you to add in real world pain and emotion – comic or not).

Well, there are just so many reasons and so many thoughts that went into it; it’s impossible to narrow down to a single inspiration. From strictly a writing/storytelling standpoint, conflict makes for good stories. This particular crisis in Ethan and Lilah’s relationship sets up what takes place next in the storyline, and then that sets up what happens after that, etc, etc. So it’s all part of the overall story of these gamers’ lives.

As for why I chose miscarriage specifically as opposed to some other sort of relationship conflict such as dishonesty or infidelity, I didn’t want one of the two characters to end up being “the bad guy” in this situation, for the sake of what comes later in the story. Also miscarriages are (unfortunately) far more common than most people realize, and a lot of people don’t talk about it (understandably). But it is something people go through, and it happens to people regardless of race, religion or vocation. It’s something that can happen to anyone.

Zero Puntuation recently covered webcomics in an episode and Yahtzee seemed to be aiming in your general direction – perhaps because of the Lilah storyline – when he ripped into storyline arcs. Do you think maybe the gaming press – or sub press – need to show more support for one another? (lately it seems that more often than not we don’t support one another’s endeavors, which is a little sad since we all love the exact same thing).
If you’re going to do a storyline like I did, in a comic strip that you know most people perceive as “strictly humorous”, you have to know that not everyone is going to like or agree with it. You make the choice to either do the same thing day in day out, so you don’t ruffle anyone’s feathers, or you make the choice to just tell the stories that you want to tell.

I think that if everyone shared the same opinion the world would be a pretty boring place.

The Sillie’s are cool will they be getting their own spinoff page? (like you’re not busy enough!! Ha)
Yeah, it looks like they’re going to become a permanent addition to the site. Pierre is working on the code now.

You’re into a bit of figurine painting. Long ago when I played – gasp – tabletop RPG’s (long live Ral Partha!) my friends and I had an ongoing debate which was ‘Drybrushing, inking or both?’ What do you prefer?
I use both, but in very limited applications. There are only certain things that I’ll drybrush and certain things I’ll wash or ink. For most stuff though I use blending, to get smooth lighting transitions.

Do you spend any time reading other webcomics and if so which are your favorites? Other than the Lesbian Gamers Comix, of course ;o)
I used to read a lot of webcomics, but over the years my free time and hence my bookmarks list has dwindled until finally I don’t really follow any. I check in on Brian Clevinger’s site from time to time, but that’s about it.

You seem like you love your Xbox (yay!). Do you seriously let people add your gamertag and play with randoms? Isn’t your friends list full to brimming?! What’s the worst experience you’ve had stemming from that – if any?
Yes, I accept friend requests from fans, but the biggest problem is the cap on friends. I think you can only have like 100 friends, so my friends list is constantly full, and constantly requiring pruning so that other people can get on it and play some games with me.

I’m happy to report all of my experiences gaming with fans has been pretty positive.

What would your dream storyline in a comic be or have you already done it?
I’ve got a few fun storylines coming up in CAD that I’m pretty excited about. I’ve also got a fantasy-steampunk project that I’ve been working on (for about 7 years now) and that I’m hoping to finally have something to show for later this year.

What’s your favorite movie and why (we know, that is one hell of a tough question, you can name a few if you like).
Yeah, that’s a tough one. Boondock Saints has always been one of my favorites. One of my more recent favorites would be Sweeney Todd. I think the score is great, and Tim Burton’s visual take on the stage play is fantastic.

Do you watch the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica? If so, who is your favorite character and why? Any clues on who that last cylon is? (we think Ethan and Lilah  totally watch BSG!!).
I do, but I haven’t watched this current (and last) season. I’m just going to wait for it on DVD and then blast through all four seasons. So I have no idea about the Cylons, I’ve remained spoiler free.

We always finish our Q&A’s with Inside the Actors Studio questions and a final question that Australia’s ‘Jay Leno’ – Rove McManus – always finishes on. So here goes:

1. What is your favorite word?
Banana.
2. What is your least favorite word?
Meal.
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Rainy days indoors, thunderstorms.
4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Stress.
5. What sound or noise do you love?
The sound of water.
6. What sound or noise do you hate?
Metal silverware scraping together. It gives me chills.
7. What is your favorite curse word?
Bugger, but I can never use it because I’m not british.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Firefighter.
9. What profession would you not like to do?
Anything with customers.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
“Just kidding”

Rove’s question:
Last Question: Who would you turn gay for?
Hmm… Ryan Reynolds.

For those outside Australia, here's Rove asking guests that question.

Thanks so much to Tim Buckley for giving some of his time to us here at LesbianGamers and LesbianGeek. We hope you've enjoyed this Q&A and if you're not familiar with Ctrl-Alt-Del (where have you been?!), be sure and check it out.