EPTThe subject is Gunnerkrigg Court, a webcomic by a young englishman by the name of Tom Siddel. As far as I know, It's a solo project and it's done in his spare time, like many other webcomics, but what sets it aside is the sheer talent Siddel is showing for the medium and his improvement over time. As a measure of just how much this is showing, his first published compilation of the comic comes with an endorsement quote from neil gaiman.
This is a 23 year old guy working out of his basement who is getting perhaps the most influential modern fantasy author giving him a shoutout on his *first* try.
![[image loading]](http://www.gunnerkrigg.com//comics/00000560.jpg)
So what's it about and what makes it special?
The comic itself centers around a fairly familiar plotline in modern fantasy, a school for kids with special talents (though this doesn't come up immediately). Two factors make it stand out- first, the protagonists are girls, where typically in this style of book the lead is decidedly masculine. Second, the setting is breathtakingly well set, a strange mix of english boarding school, ghormenghastian estate and postapocalyptic industrial park, all surrounded by a mysterious and foreboding forest borderland. It is mysterious and distinctive, lending itself incredibly well to comic narrative where Siddel's artwork can draw you in.
And boy does it. The comic, like many webcomics, gets off to a bit of a rocky start technically, but somehow this doesn't matter. The style of the first strips is angular, eerie, with disjointed proportions that only add to the setting. Over time however, Siddel shows off something remarkable. For most artists drawing a work is done in a single tone of complexity, the methods of colouring, linework and detailing remain similar. But not here. The comic is simple, almost ridiculously simplistic at some points, little more than abstracted outlines of characters, but during some scenes it blossoms into an incredible detail and intricacy of character that emphasises mood not just in colour and tone, but in the visual style of the page, while still maintaining coherency.
From this:
![[image loading]](http://www.gunnerkrigg.com//comics/00000660.jpg)
To this:
![[image loading]](http://www.gunnerkrigg.com//comics/00000681.jpg)
This dexterity of content is throughout the comic. In the art, in the writing and in the characterisation, Siddel somehow manages to balance Opposing themes so they do not conflict but emphasise each other. The humor only makes the horror cut deeper, and vice versa, the darker parts make the jokes more welcome when they come. The characters represent a diversity of personality wide enough that I think any reader will have a few characters to fixate on.
As the pages show, it's a comic that blends dry, almost pedantic humor with awesome mythological forces, cute and quirky snippets interchange with incredibly creepy ones and tension is always building on a grand scale. Every character is memorable, and they play off each other beautifully, every scene has a purpose, every line holds more than one meaning. Mystery is layered on mystery and, like the very best, every answer yields ten more questions.
So go check it out. It's free, it's a work of passion by an incredibly talented individual. Obviously, I'm a fan, but rarely do you get an opportunity to sample this sort of skill with no other commitments than a potential to get seriously hooked. It's the sort of thing that made TL great, and I feel obligated to support a guy who's giving his all and making a spectacular job of it.
For those of you too lazy to dig up the reference:
![[image loading]](http://www.gunnerkrigg.com//comics/00000604.jpg)
The artwork is just great (and sometimes absolutely adorable ![[image loading]](http://www.gunnerkrigg.com//comics/00000913.jpg)
