Gunnerkrigg Court

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Gunnerkrigg Court
The front cover of Gunnerkrigg Court: Orientation, published by Archaia Studios Press
The front cover of Gunnerkrigg Court: Orientation
Author(s)Tom Siddell
Websitehttp://www.gunnerkrigg.com/
Current status/scheduleUpdates Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
Launch date2005-04-04
Genre(s)Science Fiction, Fantasy

Gunnerkrigg Court is a science-fantasy webcomic, created by Tom Siddell, which was launched in April 2005. It is updated online three days a week, and has been published in print format by Archaia Studios Press.

The comic tells the story of Antimony Carver, a young girl who has just started attending a strange and mysterious school called Gunnerkrigg Court, and the events that unfold around her as she becomes embroiled in political intrigues between Gunnerkrigg Court and the inhabitants of the forest outside the school. The comic's style and themes include elements from science, fantasy creatures, mythology from a variety of traditions, and alchemical symbols and theories.

Publication

Gunnerkrigg Court was first posted online on April 4, 2005,[1] on the free webcomic hosting service Drunk Duck,[citation needed] and was originally updated two days per week. The comic began updating three days per week on December 25, 2006. The end of the seventh chapter in May 2006 marked the end of the "first book,"[2][3] which Siddell published through Lulu.com in 2007.[4][5][6] As of 2008, that book is no longer in print.[7] In August 2008, Tom Siddell announced that he would be publishing the first fourteen chapters of the comic in hardcover format through Archaia Studios Press.[8][5]

Despite these publications, Gunnerkrigg Court is not a self-sufficient webcomic and, as of September 2008, does not sell merchandise like some large webcomics do, and therefore Siddell has stated[6] that he does not foresee Gunnerkrigg Court becoming his full-time job in the near future.

Siddell has stated that he keeps a buffer of comics, such that he works on pages about three months ahead of the "current" story online at any given point: as he explained in one interview, "If I was to keel over and die right now, there would at least be another three months of pages for the readers to follow."[9]

Format

Gunnerkrigg Court is told in a series of chapters that each, while forming part of the overall storyline, also function individually as stand-alone plot arcs.[7] The themes and topics of the chapters vary widely: as one reviewer describes, "You are also not subjected to 400-plus pages of intricate plot movement. While there is an overall story arc, there are also lighter chapters that focus on unusual classes ... or small moments that build the main characters."[10] Each chapter begins with a title page and ends with one or more "bonus pages," which are not integral to the main storyline but often offer ancillary details about the world of Gunnerkrigg Court or about minor characters.[citation needed] The chapters have varied in length from nine pages to over forty. Each page is drawn in traditional (8.5" x 11") page format[11] and divided arbitrarily into frames.[12] At the bottom of the most recent page is a link to a comments thread for that page, in which readers may comment on and discuss that day's comic.

Influences

File:Antimony-symbol-traditional.gif
The alchemical symbol for antimony.

Siddell has stated[13] that he enjoyed reading Alfred Hitchcock's The Three Investigators as a child, and that is has heavily influenced the literary style of his comic. His artistic style is influenced by many artists, among which he cites as his favorites Jamie Hewlett, Yukito Kishiro, and Mike Mignola,[13] as well as the mangas Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Dragon Ball.[9]

One notable feature of the comic is the blending of mythological elements from many different cultural traditions, especially from the British Isles and Native American mythology.[14] Siddell attributes this style to his experience as a child: "I moved about a lot when I was younger and had the opportunity to grow up hearing stories from different parts of the world and I've always been fascinated by them."[15] In addition to mythology, Siddell makes heavy use of alchemical themes; for example, the main character is named Antimony, after a toxic chemical element,[16] and many pages feature artistic depictions of alchemical symbols.[17] The symbol for antimony appears frequently in Gunnerkrigg Court: the character Antimony wears a necklace shaped like that symbol,[18] and the character Reynardine, a wolf, has the symbol imprinted on his body.[19]

The school in which Gunnerkrigg Court takes place is modeled after Siddell's own secondary school.[13][11]

Synopsis

Setting

Gunnerkrigg Court is set in a boarding school in a country that resembles the United Kingdom, identifiable from the grey skies and mandatory uniforms.[20] The comic contains other clues about the setting, such as the house system that is described at the end of the first chapter. This system is similar to that used by many UK schools, including the one the author attended.[13]

File:Gunnerkrigg plant.JPG
An scene from the comic, showing a power plant within Gunnerkrigg Court.

Gunnerkrigg Court, the fictional school around which the story revolves, is a mysterious and vast establishment that many characters suspect hides much more than just a school.[21][22][23] The school appears to actively recruit many talented or extraordinary students (the characters Zimmy and Gamma, for example, were approached before the opening of the main story by mysterious men who offered to take them to the school).[24] As the story progresses, it is soon revealed that the school is inhabited by a wide variety of both supernatural creatures, many of which become characters involved in the story's plot, and ultra-modern technology.[5] One character explains that "the Court was founded on a union between technological and etheric design."[25]

The court is built on the edge of a great chasm, on the other side of which lies the Gillitie Wood, which is inhabited by "etheric" or magical creatures. At the time when the main story takes place, the two sides exist in a kind of truce, with the Court as the realm of science and technology and the Wood the realm of nature and the etheric.[21][26] The denizens of the Gillitie Wood do not allow technology in the Wood,[27] and the rules of the Court forbid students from leaving school grounds.[28]

Characters such as Robot and Shadow 2,[20] as well as other science fiction and fantasy elements, make common appearances, placing this webcomic squarely within the science fantasy genre.

I'm using this page in my userspace to work on writing a Plot section for the Gunnerkrigg Court article. If you somehow happen to stumble across this page, please don't edit it. You are more than welcome, however, to edit the Gunnerkrigg Court article itself. Thanks, Politizer (talk) 02:29, 18 September 2008 (UTC)

Plot

File:Gunnerkrigg Treatise.jpg
"Treatise," an image by Tom Siddell, posted at the end of Book 1.

The story of Gunnerkrigg Court has several different ongoing plot arcs (see Format). The main story is that of the protagonist, Antimony, and her deepening involvement in the intrigues between Gunnerkrigg Court and the Gillitie Wood.

"Book 1"

The story opens as Antimony is first arriving at the Court and notices that she has obtained a second shadow, which she names Shadow 2. Unable to leave the Court herself, she builds a robot (which she names Robot) to take the shadow back to the Gillitie Wood, its home, and sends the pair across the long bridge that connects the Court to the Wood.

While Robot and Shadow 2 are gone, Antimony befriends Kat Donlan, a classmate of hers. In Chapter 3 ("Reynardine"), she also acquires another friend, Reynardine, who is demon that takes control of its victims' bodies; in a moment of confusion, Reynardine moves into the body of Antimony's stuffed animal rather than Antimony herself, and thus becomes apparently harmless and is under Antimony's control.

Several chapters later in the comic (Chapter 7: "Of New and Old"), and apparently several months later in the story's timeline, Robot and a shadow reappear on the bridge outside Gunnerkrigg Court. Antimony goes out to meet them, but Robot becomes hostile towards Reynardine and tries to seize him. Ultimately, Robot and the shadow are destroyed when Mr. Eglamore, one of Antimony's teachers, comes to the rescue, but Antimony is pushed off the bridge.

"Book 2"

In the beginning of Chapter 8 ("Broken Glass and Other Things") Antimony is rescued by a flock of "tick-tock birds" that seem to stand watch over the bridge, and lands safely at the banks of the Annan Waters below the bridge. One of the birds dies in the process, and Antimony dissects it to discover that the bird is actually a machine; she leaves its remains at the riverside. There she is soon visited by Muut, one of the psychopomps that she has been able to communicate with since she was a child; Muut gives her a "blinker stone" that can be used to make fire or light a signal, and also warns her about a ghost on the opposite shore. After Muut leaves, the ghost manages to cross the shore while Antimony is sleeping. The ghost attacks Antimony, but she is rescued by her friend Kat, who arrives in an anti-gravity ship that she built after Antimony fell from the bridge. Antimony returns to Gunnerkrigg Court and is reprimanded by Mr. Eglamore, but does not appear to suffer any serious consequences.

"Second Treatise," an image by Tom Siddell, posted at the end of Book 2.

Later, in Chapter 12 ("Mainly Involves Robots"), Antimony and Reynardine recover Robot's CPU, which was left intact when Mr. Eglamore destroyed Robot's body on the bridge. Kat connects the CPU to a docking station, whereby they are able to communicate with Robot and learn what transpired when he was in the Gillitie Wood. He explains that he had been approached by a man, who helped him get a new arm, and that later his body was taken over by a shadow similar to Shadow 2, causing him to attack Antimony on the bridge and ultimately be destroyed by Mr. Eglamore.

Not long after these events (Chapter 14: "The Fangs of Summertime"), the inhabitants of the Gillitie Wood request an audience with the Court. Antimony and Reynardine are summoned to a meeting, where they meet Parley and Smith&emdash;a pair of students training to be mediums, individuals who moderate disputes between the Wood and the Court and communicate with etheric beings&emdash;and the headmaster of Gunnerkrigg Court. The envoys who arrive from the wood are Coyote, a powerful god, and General Ysengrin, a being who apparently was once a wolf but has since modified his body so as walk erect and have sinuous limbs made of some kind of wood. Ysengrin criticizes the Court for having killed one of the forest people (the shadow on the bridge, which died when Mr. Eglamore destroyed Robot) and goes on to explain that the machinery of the "tick-tock bird" Antimony left by the river had grown into the cliff face and caused significant damage. After Antimony explains the circumstances of her experience at the riverside, Reynardine makes his presence known, speaking briefly with Coyote and revealing that he had been expelled from the Wood for breaking a law (the exact nature of this law has not yet been revealed to the readers). Coyote suggests that the real reason Reynardine may be remaining at the Court might have something to do with Antimony. After an exchange with Ysengrin, Coyote whispers to Antimony, telling her that she cannot trust anyone in the Court, and inviting her to visit him in the forest. Coyote and Ysengrin leave soon afterwards, saying that everything had been "a grand misunderstanding"[29]; as they are on the way out, Ysengrin leaves a handful of seeds on the floor, which Mr. Donlan (Kat's father) offers to examine. After the meeting, the headmaster nominates Antimony to join Parley and Smith in training to be a medium.

"Book 3"

In Chapter 17 ("The Medium Beginning"), Antimony begins her training to be a medium. Jones, the enigmatic instructor, recommends that Antimony take Coyote up on his offer to meet him in the forest; with respect to Coyote's warning that the people of Gunnerkrigg Court are not to be trusted, she also tells Antimony "Coyote is no liar."[30] Jones explains to Antimony the relationship between the Court and the Wood, and how mediums have negotiated between the two ever since the Court and the Wood split long before.

Later (Chapter 18: "S1"), Kat decides to build a new body for Robot, and convinces her parents to give her space in an empty warehouse to set up a lab. In the warehouse, Kat, Antimony, and Reynardine discover a secret room full of high-tech robots, one of which is of the same design as Robot's original body. They are able to activate the robot by hooking Robot's CPU to it. The robot mentions a woman named Jeanne, and begins fighting against a much larger robot; Reynardine and Kat, however, observe that the fight is scripted, "a morbid play acted out by these machines."[31] After winning the fight, the robot with Robot's CPU goes into an alcove and kneels before a shrine, the centerpiece of which is a portrait of a woman, Jeanne, whom Antimony identifies as the ghost that attacked her by the Annam Waters. The shrine, the discover, had been erected by a man named Diego, who had also built the robots in the warehouse; Kat speculates that he may have also created the "tick-tock birds" that saved Antimony when she fell from the bridge, but none of the other characters are convinced. The connection between Robot, the ghost at the river, and Antimony remains a mystery at the end of the chapter.


Main Characters

This section may contain spoilers.

Annie Antimony "Annie" Carver The protagonist of Gunnerkrigg Court, she came to the school after her mother's death. Has a way with the "etheric" or magical beings that inhabit the Court and the Gillitie wood.[32] She is able to see and communicate with the "guides," spirits that lead humans into the afterlife. Recently began training under Jones to be a medium.
Kat Katerina "Kat" Donlan Antimony's closest friend. Daughter of two teachers at the Court, Mr. and Mrs. Donlan. Gifted at building machines and robots, and other scientific endeavors. Has a soft spot for good-looking boys, Mr. Eglamore, and, more recently, birds.
Reynardine Reynardine A demon that lives in others' bodies,[33] he is now trapped in the body of Antimony's doll and is subject to her command. He is very protective of Antimony. In addition to inhabiting Antimony's doll, he may also take the form of a white wolf. Reynardine is related to Coyote (renard is the French word for fox), but was expelled from the Gillitie Wood for breaking their laws.[34]
Mr. Eglamore Mr. James Eglamore The instructor for physical education classes. He is skilled with swordfighting and was known to Reynardine as "the dragon slayer."[35]
Zimmy Zeta "Zimmy" A student at the Court. Zimmy never sleeps.[36] She sees things that "ain't supposed to be there."[37]
Gamma Gamma Zimmy's friend. Gamma is able to calm Zimmy when she is seeing things (as can Antimony, to a lesser extent).[37] She and Zimmy share a telepathic link. Speaks only Polish.
Shadow 2 Shadow 2 A second shadow that began to follow Antimony when she first came to the Court. Kat taught him how to speak English.
Robot Robot An anthropomorphic robot Antimony built. He is a model S13, with S standing for "Seraph" in the comic.[38] His original body was a highly complex design created by Diego;[39] he was later destroyed by Mr. Eglamore, and currently resides in the body of a robotic mouse.
Ysengrin General Ysengrin A creature from the Gillitie Wood. Was once a wolf, but has modified his body so that his limbs are more humanoid and he has power over the trees of the forest.[40]
Coyote Coyote A god of the wood. He is also known as the Trickster,[41] although Jones claims that he never lies.
File:Gunnerkrigg Jones.jpg Ms. Jones The instructor in charge of training mediums. May be romantically involved with Mr. Eglamore.

A complete list of Gunnerkrigg Court characters is available at the Gunnerkrigg Court website.

Reception

In addition to being officially recognized at the Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards, Gunnerkrigg Court has also been critically acclaimed in a number of online reviews, and has a large readership and an active forum.[11] Author Tom Siddell has been interviewed about his work numerous times, mostly by non-mainstream online magazines such as ComixTalk. See External Links for a partial list of interviews with Siddell and reviews of Gunnerkrigg Court.

The comic has received praise for its artwork, dark mood, slowly revealed mysteries, and pacing.[10][21] Some reviewers, on the other hand, have criticized it, calling it "depress[ing]"[16] and "dreary,"[42] and pointing out the fact that none of the characters seem to be surprised or impressed by the strangeness of the world in which the comic takes place;[16] others see this feature of the comic as a plus, explaining that "Annie's world is a place where it's given that anything—truly anything—can happen."[15]

In 2006, Neil Gaiman mentioned Gunnerkrigg Court in his blog,[43] which brought the comic to the attention of many more readers.[11]

Awards

Gunnerkrigg Court has been nominated for and has won a number of Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards,[44] shown in the table below. It was also nominated in 2006 for a Clickie award in the "International Clickie" category at Stripdagen Haarlem, a webcomics festival in the Netherlands.[45][46]


Gunnerkrigg Court at the Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards
Wins Nominations
2006
  • Outstanding Newcomer
  • Outstanding Use of Color
  • Outstanding Long Form Comic
  • Outstanding Story Concept
2007
  • Outstanding Environment Design (tie)
  • Outstanding Comic
  • Outstanding Long Form Comic
  • Outstanding Fantasy Comic
2008
  • Outstanding Dramatic Comic
  • Outstanding Writer
  • Outstanding Long Form Comic
  • Outstanding Layout
  • Outstanding Use of Color
  • Outstanding Character Rendering
  • Outstanding Environment Design

Books

  • Siddell, Tom (2008-08-19) [2008]. Gunnerkrigg Court: Orientation. Gunnerkrigg Court (1st ed.). Kearny: Archaia Studios Press. ISBN 1932386343 ISBN 978-1932386349. Diamond Code: FEB08 3463. Retrieved 2008-09-11. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonth= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |origmonth= ignored (help)

References

  1. ^ Chapter 1, Page 1. Gunnerkrigg Court mirror.
  2. ^ Bonus Page 7, the last page in the first book, was posted on May 22, 2006.
  3. ^ See the author's comment on Chapter 7, Page 23.
  4. ^ "Gunnerkrigg Court, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1-7)". Goodreads. Retrieved 2008-09-18. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ a b c Tramountanas, George A. (2008-08-07). "Gunnerkrigg Court: The 'Harriet Potter' of Webcomics". CBR News. Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2008-09-13. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= and |work= (help)
  6. ^ a b Payton, Ross (2008-02-08). "School's In!". Broken Frontier. Retrieved 2008-09-13. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ a b "Alpha Rant#292: Gunnerkrigg Court review". Alpha Shade. 2008-02-24. Retrieved 2008-09-13. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ Anthony, P. Ryan (2008-08-08). "Gunnerkrigg Court Webcomic Goes Unplugged". Earth's Mightiest. Retrieved 2008-09-18. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ a b Burke, Jiffy (2008-02-11). "Holding Court with the Fantastic and the Mythological". Sequential Tart. Retrieved 2008-09-17. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ a b Cardno, Anthony R. (2008-08-08). "Where Wolf? There Wolf..." ComicFencing.com. Retrieved 2008-09-10. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ a b c d Davies, Will (2008-08-14). "All Star Demon Tea Party". Fourth Panel Estate. Septagon Studios. Retrieved 2008-09-13. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ See, for example, Chapter 19, Page 14 and Chapter 6, Page 5 for examples of different styles.
  13. ^ a b c d Schroeder, Al (December 2006). "An Interview with Tom Siddell, Creator of Gunnerkrigg Court". Comixtalk. Retrieved 2007-12-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  14. ^ The comic contains characters such as the Black Dog and the Mallt-y-Nos of Welsh mythology, for example, as well as Muut (from Cahuilla) and Coyote (a legend shared by many Native American cultures). There are also characters based on Old French folklore, such as Reynard and Ysengrin.
  15. ^ a b Sunu, Steve, and Kate Napolitano (2008-08-18). "Webcomics of the Week: Gunnerkrigg Court". WizardUniverse.com. Retrieved 2008-09-10. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ a b c Woodruff, Delos. "Gunnerkrigg Court". ComicFencing.com. Retrieved 2008-09-10. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ See, for example, Chapter 5, Page 12.
  18. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 3, Page 5. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  19. ^ In real-world alchemy, the wolf was once used as a symbol for antimony. See Helmenstine, Anne Marie. "Antimony or Stibnum". About.com: Chemistry. About.com. Retrieved 2008-09-18. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= and |work= (help)
  20. ^ a b Siddell, Tom. Chapter 1, Page 10. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  21. ^ a b c "The Webcomic Overlook #25: Gunnerkrigg Court". The Webcomic Overlook. 2008-01-10. Retrieved 2008-09-10. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 8, Page 27. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  23. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 19, Page 8. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  24. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 11, Page 11. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  25. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 17, Page 10. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  26. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 17, Page 11. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  27. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 12, Page 25. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  28. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 1, Page 6. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  29. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 14, Page 28. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  30. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 17, Page 6. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  31. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 18, Page 32. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  32. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 17, Page 22. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  33. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 3, Page 23. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  34. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 14, Page 24. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  35. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 3, Page 11. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  36. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 11, Page 7. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  37. ^ a b Siddell, Tom. Chapter 11, Page 9. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  38. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 18, Page 23. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  39. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 18, Page 39. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  40. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 14, Page 23. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  41. ^ Siddell, Tom. Chapter 14, Page 28. Gunnerkrigg Court.
  42. ^ "Court is adjourned, finally…". ComicFencing.com. 2008-08-08. Retrieved 2008-09-10. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  43. ^ Gaiman, Neil (2006-06-11). "Sunday tabs etc..." Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  44. ^ "WCCA Awards". Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  45. ^ "International Clickie nominees: Allison, E-Merl, Gurewitch, Mudron and Siddell". ComixTalk.com. 2006-05-04. Retrieved 2008-09-17. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  46. ^ Mirck, Jeroen Mirck (2006-05-02). "Nominaties Clickies 2006 bekend" (in Dutch). Comicbase.nl. Retrieved 2008-09-17. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)

External links

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