UK-native Tom Siddell’s four-year hobby has become quite the online phenomenon, especially after Neil Gaiman’s praise of the comic on his blog in 2006. Residing in Birmingham as a video game graphic artist – according to Comixtalk – he can be found on Twitter sharing random responses or giving his fans updates on his newest completed pages on the weekend. Since making the comic is unlikely to ever become his day job, he only has time to work on his pages during his off-days.

From chapter 23, p. 4. Courtesy Tom Siddell, www.gunnerkrigg.com.

Gunnerkrigg Court – a work reminiscent of and/or inspired by the works of Neil Gaiman, Tim Burton, and Alfred Hitchcock – is definitely a comic that is hard to ignore. Set in a British high school divided into schools of science and magic (called “etheric sciences” in the story), Antimony “Annie” Carver learns that she has a unique fate ahead of her than just simple academia.

With the obvious name that Annie has, there’s a lot of play between alchemy and chemistry in Siddell’s story. Taking a look at chapter 21, “Blinking,” Mrs. Donlan gives an explanation of the natural and etheric sciences. It’s a great summary of what the intellectual world of Gunnerkrigg Court is like. Not only is magic as valid as technology in Gunnerkrigg Court, but they’re almost the same thing. Siddell’s splash pages called “Treatises” are usually posted after every seven chapters. They visually portray the mythology of the world with alchemical symbolism and deistic figures. As well, Annie’s ability to control fire with her blinker stone recalls the fireproof chemical property that antimony has.

Second treatise. Courtesy Tom Sidell, www.gunnerkrigg.com.

What makes Gunnerkrigg Court a higher cut from many webcomics is how Siddell writes his characters. People in the comic are more than just acquaintances or friends that hang out every once in a while with each other. Much of the main cast share a very distinct link with Annie, whether it’s a type of soul-bond between her and her friends Kat Donlan and Reynardine, or if it’s a connection between her and a mentor who was a soul-bound friend to her mother Surma. There is much more than best-friendships and romances in Gunnerkrigg Court; calling them basic romances would be a disservice to Siddell’s writing. Compassion is not only a theme but a way of life for Siddell’s characters, which helps give many of them a lot of emotional and contextual depth.

While his artwork has improved over the years, one constant feature in Siddell’s art is his use of palette. Using a limited set of earth-tones and natural colours, defined in a bold use of black lines, it has a neat parallel with the story’s themes of alchemy and modern science that I’ve never thought about until recently. While that may be pure speculation next to Siddell’s actual intention, it definitely has a foundation to be a valid interpretation.

Gunnerkrigg is nowhere near being a dry, complicated story. As I said, compassion is abundant in Siddell’s story, and so is humour. The inclusion of Reynardine, his brother Coyote, the trickster-deity, and the ghost boy and amateur frightener Mort provide a whimsical amount of comic relief. Throw in robots and a pair of pixies, and you have yourself a story that is both very Gothic yet light-hearted.

Gunnerkrigg Court is updated every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of every week, and can be found on www.gunnerkrigg.com.