"Doomed to Obscurity" is described as "a webcomic that gives the geek culture just what it deserves!" - meaning that even though the comic looks at the world from a post-geek point of view, ridiculing all it finds absurd, it also unflinchingly holds its own culture up for the same parody. It's also focused on this core audience. The philosophy is that we already have enough media dumbed down to appeal to the masses - this strip is for grown-ups who aren't afraid of a manual or a Google search and like to have some cerebral content with their entertainment. And please do feel as smug as you please while you giggle at some impossibly obscure reference that maybe 1% of the planet would even get. Yes, here, we love you for being a TRUE geek (TM)!
Besides, it's fun to chase away the intellectually-timid. If you'd rather have lowbrow humor, here's my Daily Funny.
TL;DR "Doomed to Obscurity" is a webcomic in the genre of "Hacker Gothic". You read that term here first! (But if you want to take it as a mixture of unhinged surrealism and raving nuttery, that works too.)
This page will have to be updated as circumstances change, since to tell all would spoil upcoming story lines. Take that into account.
"Doomed to Obscurity" (also abbreviated DTO) started on New Year's Day, 2009. It is set in the Midwest portion of the United States. It updates to a new strip every odd-numbered calendar day. It's come through some real development by now, so hang on, let's try 'n' get you up to speed with as little pain as possible.
Paul
Main character, the "everygeek". Linux user, consultant, works for Ambush Industries and other companies, even handling clients over the phone and Internet from home. You can tell he's the main character because he gets most of the punchlines (partly because he's a blabber-mouth). Although he's a workaholic, Paul's actually having more fun with life than he lets on most of the time. Used to be college chums and roomies with Eric, now boyfriend to Karen.
- Superpower: Sarcastic, cynical snark.
- Weakness: Something of a blowhard know-it-all.
- Random thought: "Somewhere, there has to be somebody out there with sense!"
Eric
Sidekick main character - and a counter-point to Paul in favoring BSD over Linux. Eric lives the un-examined life; he's smart but lazy. Works random tech-related jobs. He cruises through life taking what's his and not too worried about how he gets it. In spite of this, he has fantastic luck. Former college chum and roommate of Paul, now boyfriend to Sherry.
- Superpower: Cool job magnet.
- Weakness: Only half-awake; one good trauma would nuke him.
- Random thought: "I could pack up and leave at any moment and go be a beach bum."
Karen
Main character's love interest. Karen is a former psychologist who abandoned that career for graphic design, primarily at Ambush Industries. Psychology depressed her. Nevertheless, she still uses her shrink skills, becoming a kind of geek of the human brain. But do not bring up Gimp-vs-Photoshop around her - that's her berserk button!
- Superpower: 100% bullshit-proof. Try her.
- Weakness: Over-sensitive and even paranoid at times.
- Random thought: "If I can't fix all the broken people, maybe I can love them well."
Sherry
The sidekick main character's love interest. Sherry is a deliberate parody of a stereotypical computer hacker - the exact way the mainstream media portrays the "Hollywood hacker". She is a stone-cold psychopath who thinks nothing of committing the most heinous crimes with a casual smirk. She also has every hyper-exaggerated hacking skill that was ever ignorantly portrayed on TV - and more! Sherry makes her living through cyber-theft and extortion.
- Superpower: Damned near God over all of us via elite cybercrime skills.
- Weakness: Morally blind. Occasionally arrested until she finagles her way out.
- Random thought: "Ants! People are all ants to me! I could stomp on them right now! Ants! Ants! Ants!"
Mr. Ambush
Dignified and well-aged CEO of Ambush Industries, a heavy player in the technology world. Ambush Industries is Paul's biggest client; he can usually be found there among the cubicles and server rooms. Mr. Ambush is stinking rich. He's also a deliberate inversion of the "evil and stupid tech company boss" trope; he knows his technology quite well, thank you very much. He's even pretty benevolent as a boss.
- Superpower: Authority personified.
- Weakness: Too "hands-off" for his own good.
- Random thought: "Well, I have enough money. Now what do I do?"
Cherise
Mr. Ambush's right hand at Ambush Industries. Sometimes Paul's intermediate manager. Cherise is from the Bronx and never lets anyone forget it. Tough, sassy, rebellious, and given to sadistically having a laugh at other's expense. Loves weak puns, mainly for the groans she gets in response.
- Superpower: Ridiculously well-informed social media surfer.
- Weakness: As abrasive as steel wool.
- Random thought: "Why did I ever leave New York? The Midwest is full of wusses."
Plavo
Another programmer working for Ambush Industries. Plavo is from Romania, by way of explaining his funny name. As another freelance tech consultant, Plavo used to compete with Paul and undercut his prices all the time, but they've buried that hatchet long ago. Plavo isn't concerned with much beyond getting a good check.
- Superpower: Nimble and enterprising.
- Weakness: Not exactly the most tactful guy in the cast.
- Random thought: "Almost quitting time. Almost quitting time. Almost quitting time..."
Audrina
Audrina is a middle-aged "BOFH" sysadmin for mainframe "dinosaur pen" style computing. She's happy anywhere there's raised flooring, a Halon dump switch, and the constant humming drone of coolant systems. She mainly works for Datacorp, but her moonlight side is when she comes out as a BDSM Dominitrix, complete with leather teddy and riding crop. That originally started out as an ad spot for Ambush Industries for the launch of their Dominitrix Linux distro, but now she's the chief security there. She's also the former, reluctant mentor to Sherry. There's a heck of a lot more to Audrina's back-story that you just aren't allowed to see yet.
- Superpower: Confident Zen master with a kinky side.
- Weakness: Not so deft at handling mid-life crisis.
- Random thought: "nmap [Scan Type...] [Options] {target specification}"
Mr. Lowry
Big boss at Datacorp, a feckless MBA middle-manager type with little to no personality. He's also not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Datacorp is so top-heavy with management that even Mr. Lowry doesn't know the CEO. In any case, they outsource to Paul sometimes.
Sal
Working grunt at Datacorp, and a pro-proprietary technology bigot. Used to be a video game designer, now just a console jockey. Sal has a sour, cynical attitude combined with clue-proof armor.
Darlene
Newest at Datacorp, Darlene started out being a pretend-geek just to attract men, but discovered that being a pretend-suit attracted a higher caliber of men. Give her a break, she's only had one story arc so far.
Steve
Paul and Karen's neighbor, a ridiculously over-the-top right-wing nut. Also the cast asshole. Then one day he abused a magic amulet hoping for eternal life, and instead it made him a zombie. Then a magic-influenced cat scratched him, curing him of the zombie mentality but not his zombie-ism. He came back just as obnoxious as he was before, but now he's ugly, rotten, and stinking, too.
Mel and Collie
The neighborhood Goth couple, neighbors to Eric and Sherry. Fun-loving party animals, they attend a lot of concerts and just about anything else you buy tickets to go see. They're always up for an adventure. Mel is also a mystic, an adherent of "Micca", the microchip/Wicca religion. Collie is a Zoroastrian, which is why she decorates the apartment like a fire temple.
Mark
Paul's brother. Mark is an extreme left-wing goof, a fierce paladin who's all ideology and no common sense. He's an anarcho-activist and the other cast asshole, counter-point to Steve. His every waking thought is conspiracy theory and demonstrations, which has recently led him to join Anonymous. He's also a world traveler and wears the last printed Che Guevara shirt.
Karen's mom
Everybody's technology-clueless parent. Karen's mom lives with her so-far-not-shown dad, and Karen has to drop by for obligatory computer maintenance visits.
Pixel
Pixel was an abused cat flung out of a car by a male driving by Paul's house, so Paul took her in. Pixel, however, will never forgive human males, which she associates with abuse. She's affectionate with females. Yeah, it's that kind of strip - even the cat has angst and baggage!
Knuckles
Sherry's Mafia contact. Sometimes backs her up with a little muscle when she needs it.
Newt the Neutral
The infuriating opposite of a fanboy, who works at Ambush Industries.
Newberry
The perpetual wanna-be geek who always has few clues but lots of ambition. Often classmate of Paul whenever he takes a class at the E-Z Code Academy.
Miles Nordson
A spline reticulator who works for Maxis. Mr. Ambush met him at a convention in Vegas.
Joe Sharpe
Microsoft programmer, another convention-acquaintance of Mr. Ambush.
This gal...
EZ-Code Academy receptionist.
This guy...
Clerk at Big Byte's Computer Books store.
Congressman Ron Paul
Needs no introduction here, but in the "Doomed to Obscuirty" universe, he's an actual flying superhero! However, he's still a Libertarian, so he sends you a bill after he rescues you.
Consumer Cow
A mascot poofed into existence by the abuse of magic amulets. Has the power to hypnotize anyone into going shopping by repeating his mantra "Don't think! Buy stuff!"
Paul's CL9 Cloud Nine remote
A CL9 Paul bought when they first came out. Paul hacked his until it would turn anything off, but now since he's lost the manual, that's all it can do. It's a handy thing to pull right out of his butt when the situation gets too hairy.
Paul's fridge, "Fridgebot"
It talks. Paul's ex-roommate Eric installed BSD on it and tried to program it to track groceries and Twitter a shopping list; it since went wrong and now just sits in the kitchen and snarks.
Karen's +10 Amulet of Inspiration
Given to her by Mr. Ambush as part of an assignment, but it was dipped in mana and now has the power to bring ideas to life as well as inspire them. Dangerous in the wrong hands. Not even all that safe in the right hands.
Sherry's laptop
Without it, Sherry is not only powerless at hacking, but loses her mind and memory as well. Given to her by Audrina, who regrets the transaction. The laptop is running some unknown Hollywood movie operating system and won't let anyone but Sherry use it.
Sherry's robot
Given to her by Paul, who deactivated it after finding it guarding a rogue sysadmin in the basements of Ambush Industries, whom he relieved of duty.
Sherry's Time Cube
Yeah, it's related to the guy who runs TimeCube.com! Except it turns out that an actual Time Cube is a plain box filled with literal irony; upon opening it, it magically produces whatever the person opening it least expected to find - unless that person knows this about the box, in which case it produces nothing.
Sherry's (?) doll
An evil, creepy, sentient thing produced by the Time Cube. Sherry hates dolls. She's had even more reason to hate this one.