Gunnerkrigg Court

Infobox Webcomic
title = Gunnerkrigg Court


caption = The front cover of "Gunnerkrigg Court: Orientation"
author = Tom Siddell
url = http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/
status = Updates Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
began = April 4, 2005
ended =
genre = Science fiction, fantasy
ratings =

"Gunnerkrigg Court" is a science-fantasy webcomic created by Tom Siddell and launched in April 2005. It is updated online three days a week, and the first volume of the comic 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.

Production

"Gunnerkrigg Court" was first posted online on April 4, 2005, [ [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive.php "Gunnerkrigg Court" archive] .] and was originally updated two days per week. The comic began updating three days per week on December 25, 2006. [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | title=Author's Note, Chapter 10 Bonus Page | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=182 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | date=2006-12-21] The end of the seventh chapter in May 2006 marked the end of the "first book,"See the author's comment on [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=120 Chapter 7, Page 23] , in which he identifies that chapter at the end of the first book. [http://www.graphicsmash.com//comics/gunnerkrigg.php?view=single&ID=15043 Bonus Page 7] , the last page in that chapter, was posted on May 22, 2006.] which Siddell published through Lulu.com in 2007.cite web
url = http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=17630
title = Gunnerkrigg Court: The 'Harriet Potter' of Webcomics
last = Tramountanas
first = George A.
date = 2008-08-07
accessdate = 2008-09-13
work = [http://www.comicbookresources.com/news CBR News]
publisher = [http://www.comicbookresources.com/ Comic Book Resources] ] As of 2008, that book is no longer in print.cite web
url = http://www.alpha-shade.com/GAudio/Feb08/Rant2-24-08.mp3
last =
first =
title = Alpha Rant#292: Gunnerkrigg Court review
publisher = [http://www.alpha-shade.com/ Alpha Shade]
date = 2008-02-24
accessdate = 2008-09-13] 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.cite web
url = http://www.earthsmightiest.com/comics/gunnerkrigg-court-webcomic-goes-unplugged/
title = "Gunnerkrigg Court" Webcomic Goes Unplugged
last = Anthony
first = P. Ryan
date = 2008-08-08
accessdate = 2008-09-18
publisher = [http://www.earthsmightiest.com/ Earth's Mightiest] ]

Despite having been published, "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 statedcite web
url = http://www.brokenfrontier.com/lowdown/details.php?id=1180
last = Payton
first = Ross
date = 2008-02-08
accessdate = 2008-09-13
title = School's In!
publisher = [http://www.brokenfrontier.com/home/ Broken Frontier] ] that he does not foresee "Gunnerkrigg Court" becoming his full-time job in the near future. Rather, he works on the comic during weekends,cite web
url = http://www.sequentialtart.com/article.php?id=848
last = Burke
first = Jiffy
title = Holding Court with the Fantastic and the Mythological
publisher = [http://www.sequentialtart.com/index.php?issue=2008-02-11 Sequential Tart]
date = 2008-02-11
accessdate = 2008-09-17
Siddell: "I can only work on the comic at the weekends since I have a full time job, so it's my goal to do at least three pages over those two days" (p. 14).] and keeps a buffer of comics drawn ahead of time, 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."

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.cite web
url = http://www.alpha-shade.com/GAudio/Feb08/Rant2-24-08.mp3
last =
first =
title = Alpha Rant#292: Gunnerkrigg Court review
publisher = [http://www.alpha-shade.com/ Alpha Shade]
date = 2008-02-24
accessdate = 2008-09-13
"Each of the chapters individually is sort of a self-contained thing, so if you were to just read one of them it wouldn't be like you had no idea what was going on."] 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." 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. The chapters have varied in length from nine pages to over forty. Each page is drawn in traditional (8.5" x 11") page formatcite web
url = http://www.virb.com/septagonstudios/blog/880373
last = Davies
first = Will
work = Fourth Panel Estate
publisher = [http://www.septagonstudios.com/ Septagon Studios]
title = All Star Demon Tea Party
date = 2008-08-14
accessdate = 2008-09-13
Siddell: "All my pages are made in traditional page format form the start..." (p. 15).] and divided arbitrarily into frames.See, for example, [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=456 Chapter 19, Page 14] and [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=90 Chapter 6, Page 5] for examples of different styles.] 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

[
alchemical symbol for antimony.] Siddell has statedcite web |url=http://comixtalk.com/node/10122/ |title=An Interview with Tom Siddell, Creator of Gunnerkrigg Court |accessdate=2007-12-07 |last=Schroeder |first=Al |date=December 2006 |work=Comixtalk] 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, as well as the mangas Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Dragon Ball.cite web
url = http://www.sequentialtart.com/article.php?id=848
last = Burke
first = Jiffy
title = Holding Court with the Fantastic and the Mythological
publisher = [http://www.sequentialtart.com/index.php?issue=2008-02-11 Sequential Tart]
date = 2008-02-11
accessdate = 2008-09-17]

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.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.] 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." In addition to mythology, Siddell makes heavy use of alchemical themes; for example, the main character is named Antimony, after a toxic chemical element,cite web
url = http://comicfencing.com/2008/08/08/gunnerkrigg-court/
title = Gunnerkrigg Court
last = Woodruff
first = Delos
publisher = [http://www.comicfencing.com/ ComicFencing.com]
accessdate = 2008-09-10
Woodruff: "Please note that there is an element named the same as the lead character Antimony. It is metal deathly toxic (like arsenic) and one of its poisoning symptoms is depression. The alchemical symbol for Antimony looks like an upside down version of the symbol for female, as well. There is more, but I’m pretty convinced that the name of the main character was no accident". (p. 12).] and many pages feature artistic depictions of alchemical symbols.See, for example, [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=81 Chapter 5, Page 12] .] The symbol for antimony appears frequently in Gunnerkrigg Court: the character Antimony wears a necklace shaped like that symbol,cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=37 | title=Chapter 3, Page 5 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | date=2005-08-04] and the character Reynardine, a wolf, has the symbol imprinted on his body.In real-world alchemy, the wolf was once used as a symbol for antimony. See cite web
url = http://chemistry.about.com/od/alchemicalsymbols/a/alchemysb.htm
last = Helmenstine
first = Anne Marie
title = Antimony or Stibnum
publisher = [http://www.about.com About.com]
work = [http://chemistry.about.com/ About.com: Chemistry]
accessdate = 2008-09-18]

The pieces artwork that Siddell has posted every seven chapters, entitled "Treatise" [cite web | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=121 | last=Siddell | first=Tom | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | title=Treatise | accessdate=2008-09-28 | date=2006-05-25] and "Second Treatise" [cite web | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=295 | last=Siddell | first=Tom | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | title=Second Treatise | accessdate=2008-09-28 | date=2007-09-12] , demonstrate many such of Siddell's artistic and storytelling motifs: they integrate alchemical symbols and mythological figures, nature, and technology.

ynopsis

etting

"Gunnerkrigg Court" is set in a boarding school in a country that resembles the United Kingdom, identifiable from the grey skies and mandatory uniforms.cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url= [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=10 | title=Chapter 1, Page 10 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | date=2005-05-03] 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;cite web |url=http://comixtalk.com/node/10122/ |title=An Interview with Tom Siddell, Creator of Gunnerkrigg Court |accessdate=2007-12-07 |last=Schroeder |first=Al |date=December 2006 |work=Comixtalk
Siddell: "I used to be in Queslett North, the same class Carver is in, and the other House names at the Court are the same as they were in my old school" (p. 6).] Siddell has even statedcite web
url = http://www.virb.com/septagonstudios/blog/880373
last = Davies
first = Will
work = Fourth Panel Estate
publisher = [http://www.septagonstudios.com/ Septagon Studios]
title = All Star Demon Tea Party
date = 2008-08-14
accessdate = 2008-09-13
Siddell: "The school side of the Court is very much based on my Secondary school, right down to the names of the houses and various other aspects" (p. 11).] that the school in which "Gunnerkrigg Court" takes place is modeled after his own secondary school.

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.cite web
url = http://webcomicoverlook.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/the-webcomic-overlook-25-gunnerkrigg-court/
publisher = [http://webcomicoverlook.wordpress.com The Webcomic Overlook]
title = The Webcomic Overlook #25: Gunnerkrigg Court
date = 2008-01-10
accessdate = 2008-09-10
quote = The Gunnerkrigg Court complex, it turns out, resembles a giant factory. It houses more than just a school. Take a wrong turn, for example, and you may find yourself in a world populated by robots.] See [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=149 Chapter 8, Page 27] (Antimony: "This isn't just a school, is it?") and [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=450 Chapter 19, Page 8] of "Gunnerkrigg Court".] 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. See Siddell, Tom. [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=193 Chapter 11, Page 11] . "Gunnerkrigg Court".] 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.cite web
url = http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=17630
title = Gunnerkrigg Court: The 'Harriet Potter' of Webcomics
last = Tramountanas
first = George A.
date = 2008-08-07
accessdate = 2008-09-13
work = [http://www.comicbookresources.com/news CBR News]
publisher = [http://www.comicbookresources.com/ Comic Book Resources]
Tramountanas: "This place of higher learning has robots that run around alongside body-snatching demons, forest gods, and the odd mythical creature."] One character explains that "the Court was founded on a union between technological and etheric design."cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=372 | title=Chapter 17, Page 10 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | date=2008-02-29]

The court is built on the edge of a wide 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. [cite web
url = http://webcomicoverlook.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/the-webcomic-overlook-25-gunnerkrigg-court/
publisher = [http://webcomicoverlook.wordpress.com The Webcomic Overlook]
title = The Webcomic Overlook #25: Gunnerkrigg Court
date = 2008-01-10
accessdate = 2008-09-10
"The technological world of Gunnerkrigg Court and the mystical world of Gillitie Woods co-exist uneasily."] cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=373 | title=Chapter 17, Page 11 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | date=2008-03-03
Jones: "There was a great division which saw the Court and the Wood separated. Nature on one side. Technology on the other."] The denizens of the Gillitie Wood do not allow technology in the Wood,cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=226 | title=Chapter 12, Page 25 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | date=2007-04-04
Reynardine: "The people of the forest will be wanting answers! They detest all forms of technology. Why do you think there is such a divide between the Court and that damned place?!"] and the rules of the Court forbid students from leaving school grounds.

Plot

The story of "Gunnerkrigg Court" involves several different ongoing plot arcs. The main story is that of the protagonist, Antimony Carver, and her deepening involvement in the intrigues between Gunnerkrigg Court and the Gillitie Wood.

"Book 1"

The story opens (Chapter 1: " [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=1 The Shadow and the Robot] ") as Antimony is first arriving at the Court and notices that she has obtained a second shadow,cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=2 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | title=Chapter 1, Page 2 | date=2005-04-05] which she names Shadow 2.cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=5 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | title=Chapter 1, Page 5 | date=2005-04-14
Antimony: "After further questioning, I was able to ascertain that my new friend, whom I imaginatively titled Shadow 2, was unable to exist anywhere without shade."] 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,cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=6 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | title=Chapter 1, Page 6 | 2005-04-19
Antimony: "As I was forbidden from setting foot off school grounds, I could not walk Shadow 2 to the Gillitie Wood myself. There was only one sensible resolution to this problem. I must construct a robotic walking device which will provide you with transit across the bridge!"] 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 (" [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=33 Reynardine] "), she also gets to know Reynardine, who is a demon that takes control of others' bodies.cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=56 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | title=Chapter 3, Page 23 | date=2005-08-11
Eglamore: Reynardine is never to be trusted. He is a demon that steals the bodies of his victims."] The caged Reynardine tries to move into Antimony's body, but Eglamore saves her and in a moment of confusion, Reynardine moves into the body of Antimony's stuffed animal,cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=54 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | title=Chapter 3, Page 22 | date=2008-08-06] and thus becomes apparently harmless and is under Antimony's control.cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=82 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | title=Chapter 5, Page 13 | date=2006-01-10
Reynardine: "This symbol means I'm under your control. Just as you own this body I inhabit, so do you now own me. I can't even take a new body without your permission."]

Several chapters later in the comic (Chapter 7: " [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=98 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.cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=113 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | title=Chapter 7, Page 15 | date=2006-04-27] Antimony goes out to meet them, but Robot becomes hostile towards Reynardine and tries to seize him.cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=118 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | title=Chapter 7, Page 21 | date=2006-05-16] Ultimately, Robot and the shadow are destroyed when Mr. Eglamore, one of Antimony's teachers, comes to the rescue,cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=119 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | title=Chapter 7, Page 22 | date=2006-05-18] but Antimony is pushed off the bridge.cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=120 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | title=Chapter 7, Page 23 | date=2006-05-23]

"Book 2"

In the beginning of Chapter 8 (" [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=122 Broken Glass and Other Things] ") Antimony is rescued by a flock of "tick-tock birds" that seem to stand watch over the bridge, [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=125 | title=Chapter 8, Page 4 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2006-06-08] 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; [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=128 | title=Chapter 8, Page 7 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2006-06-20] 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; [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=158 | title=Chapter 9, Page 8 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2006-09-28
Mort: "You mean you could see guides just like that? That's pretty rare!"] Muut gives her a "blinker stone" that can be used to make fire or light a signal, [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=135 | title=Chapter 8, Page 13 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2006-07-11] and also warns her about a ghost on the opposite shore. [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=136 | title=Chapter 8, Page 14 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2006-07-13
Muut: "Be thankful she cannot cross the river."] After Muut leaves, the ghost manages to cross the shore while Antimony is sleeping. [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=141 | title=Chapter 8, Page 20 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2006-08-01] The ghost attacks Antimony, but she is rescued by her friend Kat, [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=144 | title=Chapter 8, Page 23 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2006-08-10] 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, [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=162 | title=Chapter 9, Page 12 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2006-10-12] but does not appear to suffer any serious consequences.

Later, in Chapter 12 (" [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=202 Mainly Involves Robots] "), Antimony and Reynardine recover Robot's CPU, which was left intact when Mr. Eglamore destroyed Robot's body on the bridge. [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=214 | title=Chapter 12, Page 13 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2007-03-07
Administrator: " [What is left of Robot's body is] a box of paperclips. The fate of the criminally inclined.... Meanwhile, while his body begins a career in paper fastening, S13's CPU has been sent to research."] 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. [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=222 | title=Chapter 12, Page 21 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2007-03-26
Kat: "This docking station has a camera, speaker and microphone, so the robot will be able to see, speak and hear."] 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. [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=225 | title=Chapter 12, Page 24 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2007-04-02
Robot: "He put a tiny seed in my body, and the next thing I knew...I had an arm of wood! .... and then, horror of horrors! A shadow man took control of my body! I don't know how, but he had control of my actuators... and made me walk to the bridge... and I saw you... and the edge... and... and now here I am."]

Not long after these events (Chapter 14: " [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=260 The Fangs of Summertime] "), the inhabitants of the Gillitie Wood request an audience with the Court. [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=266 | title=Chapter 14, Page 7 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-29 | 2007-07-06
Antimony: "What's this all about?"
Mrs. Donlan: "The people of the forest are requesting a visit."] Antimony and Reynardine are summoned to a meeting, where they meet Parley and Smith—a pair of students training to be mediums, individuals who moderate disputes between the Wood and the Court and communicate with etheric beingscite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=374 | title=Chapter 17, Page 12 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-29 | 2008-03-05
Jones: "Usually, individuals who can remain unbiased and objective are chosen as mediums. In the interests of diplomacy they undertake a negotiative role when the need arises."] —and the headmaster of Gunnerkrigg Court. The envoys who arrive from the wood are Coyote, a powerful god, [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=276 | title=Chapter 14, Page 17 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2007-07-31
Antimony: "Are you the Coyote? I heard a story once where you saw how people were created. And you tried to make some yourself...."] 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 [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=277 | title=Chapter 14, Page 18 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2007-08-01
Headmaster: "Where do you wish to begin, General?"
Ysengrin: "Perhaps with the death of one of our people. At the hands of Sir Eglamore, no less."] (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. [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=278 | title=Chapter 14, Page 19 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2007-08-03
Ysengrin: "This was recently found on our side of the Annan Waters."
Mrs. Donlan: "It's one of those birds!"
Ysengrin: "It had been there several months. By the time I discovered it, it had already rooted itself into the shore and caused considerable damage tot he cliff face."] 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. [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=283 | title=Chapter 14, Page 24 | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2007-08-15
Coyote: "Such lame excuses, Renard! I think someone isn't being serious! Perhaps it has something to do with this one...."] 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. [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=287 | title=Chapter 14, Page 28 | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2007-08-24
Coyote: "You cannot trust the people of this place. Come visit me in my forest where we may talk."] Coyote and Ysengrin leave soon afterwards, saying that everything had been "a grand misunderstanding"cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=288 | title=Chapter 14, Page 28 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | date=2007-08-24] ; 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. [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=288 | title=Chapter 14, Page 29 | accessdate=2008-09-29

Jones: "A fairly transparent ruse. Ysengrin dropped something during his attack."
Mr. Donlan: "Aye. They appear to be seeds. I'll have some people look into them."] After the meeting, the headmaster nominates Antimony to join Parley and Smith in training to be a medium. [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=290 | title=Chapter 14, Page 31 | accessdate=2008-09-29 | date=2008-08-31
Antimony: "The headmaster said I should meet with Parley and Andrew next year and maybe join them in some lessons."]

"Book 3"

In Chapter 17 (" [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=363 The Medium Beginning] "), Antimony begins her training to be a medium. [cite web | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=367 | title=Chapter 17, Page 5 | last=Siddell | first=Tom | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-10-01 | date=2008-02-18
Jones: "Have you given any thought to the headmaster's offer?"
Antimony: "Yes... Lessons in mediation sound interesting."
Jones: "Very good. We will begin today."] Jones, the enigmatic instructor, recommends that Antimony take Coyote up on his offer to meet him in the forest; [cite web | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=368 | title=Chapter 17, Page 8 | last=Siddell | first=Tom | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-10-01 | date-2008-02-20
Jones: "He specifically invited you?"
Antimony: "Yes."
Jones: "Very well, you should take him up on his offer."] 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." [cite web | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=368 | title=Chapter 17, Page 8 | last=Siddell | first=Tom | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-10-01 | date=2008-02-20
Jones: "Coyote is no liar. Therein lies the danger."] 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: " [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=397 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. [cite web | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=399 | title=Chapter 18, Page 3 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | last=Siddell | first=Tom | accessdate=2008-10-01 | date=2008-05-02
Kat: "I uh...was wondering if you knew someplace I could use as a workshop. I wanna try building a robot."] 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. [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=419 | title=Chapter 18, Page 23 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | date-2008-06-18
Kat: "Oh! Here is one that looks a little like Robot before his body was smashed."] They are able to activate the robot by hooking Robot's CPU to it. [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=422 | title=Chapter 18, Page 26 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | date=2008-06-25] 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."cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=428 | title=Chapter 18, Page 32 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | date=2008-07-09] 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. [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=431 | title=Chapter 18, Page 35 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | date=2008-07-16
Antimony: "It's her! Jeanne is the ghost by the Annan Waters."] The shrine, they discover, had been erected by a man named Diego, who had also built the robots in the warehouse; [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=432 | title=Chapter 18, Page 36 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | date=2008-07-18
Kat: "This must be the guy that made the robots. 'Diego.'"] 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. [cite web | last=Siddell | first=Tom | url=http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=434 | title=Chapter 18, Page 38 | work=Gunnerkrigg Court | accessdate=2008-09-28 | date=2008-07-23
Kat: "What if [Jeanne] died by falling off the bridge? And Diego made those robot birds to save anyone else who falls!..."
Antimony: "I'm not sure. If she died in a simple accident, why is she still down there?"] The connection between Robot, the ghost at the river, and Antimony remains a mystery at the end of the chapter.

Main characters

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 [http://gunnerkrigg.proboards75.com/ forum] . [cite web
url = http://www.virb.com/septagonstudios/blog/880373
last = Davies
first = Will
work = Fourth Panel Estate
publisher = [http://www.septagonstudios.com/ Septagon Studios]
title = All Star Demon Tea Party
date = 2008-08-14
accessdate = 2008-09-13
Davies: "It's certainly performing well here and plot speculation is rife on the Gunnerkrigg forums proving the maxim of which the Big Two survive: the most important thing is that people talk."] Author Tom Siddell has been interviewed about his work numerous times, mostly by non-mainstream online magazines such as ComixTalk.

The comic has received praise for its artwork, dark mood, slowly revealed mysteries, and pacing.cite web
url = http://comicfencing.com/tag/gunnerkrigg-court/
last = Cardno
first = Anthony R.
title = Where Wolf? There Wolf...
publisher = [http://www.comicfencing.com/ ComicFencing.com]
date = 2008-08-08
accessdate = 2008-09-10] cite web
url = http://webcomicoverlook.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/the-webcomic-overlook-25-gunnerkrigg-court/
publisher = [http://webcomicoverlook.wordpress.com The Webcomic Overlook]
title = The Webcomic Overlook #25: Gunnerkrigg Court
date = 2008-01-10
accessdate = 2008-09-10] Some reviewers, on the other hand, have criticized it, calling it "depress [ing] "cite web
url = http://comicfencing.com/2008/08/08/gunnerkrigg-court/
title = Gunnerkrigg Court
last = Woodruff
first = Delos
publisher = [http://www.comicfencing.com/ ComicFencing.com]
accessdate = 2008-09-10] and "dreary," [cite web
url = http://comicfencing.com/2008/08/08/gunnerkrigg-court/
title = Gunnerkrigg Court
date = 2008-08-08
publisher = [http://www.comicfencing.com/ ComicFencing.com]
accessdate = 2008-09-10] 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; [cite web
url = http://comicfencing.com/tag/gunnerkrigg-court/
title = Court is adjourned, finally…
date = 2008-08-08
publisher = [http://www.comicfencing.com/ ComicFencing.com]
accessdate = 2008-09-10
"Antimony takes [her acquisition of a second shadow] in stride and helps the shadow out. Excuse me? Fiction or no, isn’t that just a bit of a stretch to expect people to swallow?"] 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."cite web
url = http://www.wizarduniverse.com/082008wcotw.html
last = Sunu
first = Steve, and Kate Napolitano
date = 2008-08-18
accessdate = 2008-09-10
title = Webcomics of the Week: Gunnerkrigg Court
publisher = [http://www.wizarduniverse.com/index.html WizardUniverse.com] ]

In 2006, Neil Gaiman mentioned "Gunnerkrigg Court" in his blog,cite web
url = http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2006/06/sunday-tabs-etc.html
last = Gaiman
first = Neil
authorlink = Neil Gaiman
date = 2006-06-11
accessdate = 2008-09-13
title = Sunday tabs etc...
Gaiman: "I got to read what's out there so far of Gunnerkrigg Court, a really enjoyable webcomic.... Lots of different flavours in there -- it's a semi-gothic funny-sweet school story with mysteries and robots and so forth.... Nice stuff."] which brought the comic to the attention of many more readers.cite web
url = http://www.virb.com/septagonstudios/blog/880373
last = Davies
first = Will
work = Fourth Panel Estate
publisher = [http://www.septagonstudios.com/ Septagon Studios]
title = All Star Demon Tea Party
date = 2008-08-14
accessdate = 2008-09-13]

Awards

"Gunnerkrigg Court" has been nominated for and has won a number of Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards,cite web
title = WCCA Awards
accessdate = 2008-09-13
url = http://www.ccawards.com/] shown in the table below. It was also nominated in 2006 for a Clickie award in the "International Clickie" category at [http://www.stripdagenhaarlem.nl/ Stripdagen Haarlem] , a webcomics festival in the Netherlands.cite web
url = http://comixtalk.com/node/8416
title = International Clickie nominees: Allison, E-Merl, Gurewitch, Mudron and Siddell
publisher = [http://www.comixtalk.com ComixTalk.com]
date = 2006-05-04
accessdate = 2008-09-17] cite web
url = http://www.comicbase.nl/nieuws.php?ID=510
language = Dutch
title = Nominaties Clickies 2006 bekend
date = 2006-05-02
accessdate = 2008-09-17
publisher = [http://www.comicbase.nl/index.php Comicbase.nl]
last = Mirck
first = Jeroen Mirck]

Books

* cite book
last=Siddell
first=Tom
title=Gunnerkrigg Court: Orientation
url=http://www.archaiasp.com/gunnerkrigg_court.php
series="Gunnerkrigg Court"
date=2008-08-19
publisher=Archaia Studios Press
location=Kearny
isbn=1932386343 ISBN 978-1932386349
id= Diamond Code: FEB08 3463
**cite book
last=Siddell
first=Tom
title=Gunnerkrigg Court: Orientation
series="Gunnerkrigg Court"
date=2008-10-24
publisher=Titan Books
location=
isbn=184856175X ISBN 978-1848561755
pages=296 pages

Notes

References

External links

*" [http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/ Gunnerkrigg Court] " ( [http://www.graphicsmash.com/comics/gunnerkrigg.php mirror] )
* [http://gunnerkrigg.proboards75.com/ "Gunnerkrigg Court" official forum]
* [http://comixpedia.com/people_of_webcomics_list_for_2006 Comixpedia's People of Webcomics List 2006]