Customer Reviews

Gunnerkrigg Court, Vol. 1: Orientation

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Gunnerkrigg court is, in a word, AWESOME. It is hilarious. At times, it seems to be parody-esque. At others, it seems to be very serious. The main character, Antimony (Annie), is a clever, reserved girl who has just become a student at the truly spectacular Gunnerkrigg court. It is a tale of all the truly bizarre things she encounters there--shadow creatures, robots, minotaurs, ghosts, dragon-slaying teachers, visual reality rooms... The art is original and gorgeous, and I can't wait for the second book to be finished-- I want to know what happens next in Annie's life!

Why yes, this is a web comic artist that has printed his collected strips into a printed format. However, it is very much worth owning this volume. The art starts out odd and a bit rough but the story never falters. The setting is dark and very fantastic. The protagonist starts out a bit too cold if you ask me but the reasons for this are well explained and worth overlooking at the beginning just so one can find out what is going on at this strange boarding school.

Robots, forest gods, a trickster god, an extraordinarily complicated love story that involves dead parents instead of preteen girls leading to a complicated history, unexplained technology, a dragon, ghosts, possession, death, and friendship are common in this world. This really has something for everyone who wants more than bubblegum in their reading. Please read it. You won't be disappointed.

This graphic novel has the all-round appeal of the Harry Potter series -- not to name-drop. Drawn with a quirky style that comes alive as the book progress, this series of clever stories quickly pulls you in and takes you to a world of a taciturn pre-teen alone in a English boarding school. Still waters run deep, you soon find with Antimony, as she has the knack for knowing foreign languages or beings able to throw a bully to the ground, but all with a quiet stillness that hides deep wounds. Only her close friend Kat can make her break a smile.

Together Kat and Annie (as Kat calls her) explore the strange things that are happening around them. This is not an ordinary English school, they soon find out.

This is a perfect father / daughter book, except that dad may wind up stealing it to read himself!

I won't lie to you: My very first impressions of Gunnerkrigg Court was that it was yet another story feasting on the bloated, overexhuasted corpse of Harry Potter and the obsessive buzz that the franchise generated. Magic, a mysterious school, a kid with mysteriously absent parents, a cabal of teachers who seemed to know something, lessons in untraditional crafts and skills--it all smacked of dancing around in JK Rowling's ample shadow. Pardon my suspicion.

I read deeper into the thick hardcover collection, and I was actually rewarded for the effort. There's a very distinct point around the ninth chapter, roughly 150 pages into the story, where all of the various elements coalesce into a story that the reader starts to care about. This might seem like the story requires a lot of patience, but once the foundations are set, Gunnerkrigg Court evolves into something that can be both hilarious and moving--even if that Harry Potter stuff is still clinging to its ankles. I don't think that Harry Potter ever had robots, even if it also had talking ghosts, mythical creatures, and awkward teenage romance.

The over-wise protagonist, a girl named Antimony Carver, seems to be a standard in just about every other fictional tale since Alice in Wonderland (and every Neil Gaiman story ever written), and Gunnerkrigg is no different. During the earlier chapters, she's drawn so emotionlessly and hollow that you wonder if she's human at all, but her humanity evolves as the story shifts--which I'm not sure is intentional as much as the artist finding his voice. Again, it takes some patience, but she's likable.

Because this collection consists of webcomics that were originally published online, the art reflects that unique "webcomics" aesthetic--which is occasionally rushed to meet a tight daily or weekly schedule. At first, the drawings come across as lazy and static, but Siddell evolves as an artist as the book progresses, and by the later chapters the art starts to come alive as he perfects his craft. If you pick up the book to scan it for yourself, start with the back pages, as they're more visually impressive.

The story itself hasn't yet reached any revolutionary points, but the 14 chapters within the collection are definitely sequential and hint at larger things in the Gunnerkrigg universe, establishing a mythology that mixes in a certain element of science, a larger conflict, and a fondness for the characters involved.

Parents and librarians should note that there's references to demons, use of the word goddamn, and a brief instance of a demon-possessed doll indicating that he'd like to see two of the young, female characters kiss. I'd still feel comfortable giving it to my nine-year-old niece to read, and I think she'd love the idea of these empowered young girls forging their way through a strange school and building weird flying machines to rescue each other from fairies and minotaurs. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in book two.

-- Collin David

I was very satisfied with my book when I got it. The pages were very well done, and since I've already read the webcomic, I know it'll be a good story. I only had one problem -- the cover became unglued the first day and I had to glue it back. Be careful turning the pages of your new book!

A British boarding school full of interesting, comical, and intelligent characters, magic and mystery. Where have we heard this before?

You just can't describe Gunnerkrigg Court with words alone to explain how amazingly original and beautiful this tale of mystery and mythos is. Each page is so lovingly and carefully drawn and colored, each plot point is so well thought out, every chapter leaves you hungering for more. No webcomic series I've read so far has hooked me so quickly and drawn me deeply into such a deep and infinitely interesting world. Reminiscent of something like a marriage of Bone and Harry Potter, Gunnerkrigg Court: Orientation follows the remarkable occurrences surrounding a young girl named Antimony Carver in her first year of school at Gunnerkrigg Court. Accompanied by her steadfast friend, Kat, and her possed stuffed animal Reynardine, she uncovers a world full of endearing characters and locations. The Court and its characters are all vaguely modern/science fiction related but also have some deep roots in world mythology and fantasy. However, it all fits together so naturally in Gunnerkrigg Court- I think it's pulled off very well.

I have a lot of respect for the artist and author, Tom Siddell. He unfailingly updated (and continues to do so!) this comic Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He has a lot of dedication to his fans on the website and has put a lot of time and effort getting this volume out, and it really shows. He also answers questions from his readers on the site, so a look at [...] is highly recommended!

This book is pretty high quality - a nice heavy hardcover with lovely full-color pages. This is the first in what I hope are many more books to come. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves graphic novels, fantasy, science fiction, and wants to read a beautiful and original tale of adventure.

I bought this book because I've enjoyed reading GC as a webcomic. Overall the book is of excellent quality. It is printed well and appears to be fairly sturdy. However, there seem to be an unusually large number of misprints floating around. The first copy I received had several pages repeated and eliminated in the middle. I exchanged it for another which was normal, but internet searches suggest that I am not the only one to experience this problem. Also, pages 287 and 288 are in the wrong order in every copy. These issues cost this otherwise wonderful book one star.

I won't bother praising the content, as other reviewers have already done a good job of that. All I will say is that Siddel is an excellent storyteller. You will probably like Gunnerkrigg Court.

Gunnerkrigg Court has an amazing sense of atmosphere. We see that the Court is a vast, sprawling institution, but we're in the dark about what it does. There's a long bridge, lit by lamps, to a forest that wants nothing to do with the Court's technology. There are mysteries everywhere. Siddell knows how to tell a story, and how to build suspense (see: chapter 7). Not only is the story good, but it's a lot of fun -- there are some downright hilarious moments.

The world of Gunnerkrigg Court is by no means black and white. We know there has been conflict between the Court and the neighboring forest, but neither side is purely right. Most of the characters, too, are a mix of flaws and redeeming qualities. They're compelling and well-crafted, and oftentimes they're able to surprise you -- nothing here is predictable.

Siddell's character artwork starts out a bit rough around the edges, but improves immensely as the story progresses. Interestingly enough, his non-human and environment artwork were great to start with. The Coyote in particular is rendered amazingly.

As for the book itself, the print quality and hardcover are excellent. You get a hefty number of pages -- the first 14 out of 24 chapters, as of writing.

[...]

Summary: strong narrative, compelling characters, increasingly good artwork.
Highly, highly recommended.

Gunnerkrigg Court by Tom Siddell follows the adventures of Antinomy Carver at her time at school. The school itself is the Gunnerkrigg Court, which resembles more a gigantic industrial complex than a place of learning. Despite the scientific nature of the court, there is an element of the supernatural in the world. It deals with subjects ranging from robots to mythical creatures. There is a lot of history and mystery throughout, but nothing is spelled out to the read, leaving a world which you wish to explore. This first hardcover volume collects Antinomy's first year at Gunnerkrigg Court.

The comic is broken up into a series of stories instead of one long narrative. To be sure, there are common threads that flow from story to story and the characters and plots evolve over time. However, the episodic nature of the stories allows Tom to vary the tone of the stories from comedy to horror to love stories to tragedies, all of which he handles with great talent. The mixing of advanced science and magic also lends the series a sense of surreality and there's a dry humor running throughout.

Since the stories follow the adventures of a girl in 7th grade, the book is appropriate for children of that age. The plot lines are just a complicated enough to require attention of the read and the characters deal with issues that children of that age deal with (loss of family, beginning of independence, attraction to others, etc).

The art is planted in a cartoon style with heavy black lines and most cell shading. Since this volume collects the webcomic from the first page, the art evolves a little bit throughout the volume, but is fairly polished from the start. By the end, the art is near perfect and confident.

The volume, despite delays from Archadia Press, is high quality. The hardcover binding is top notch and the pages are thick and glossy. The book is about 6x8 inches and fits in your hands nicely and, being nearly 300 pages long, is nice and heavy. For about $25, it is a fantastic value.

Check the stories out on the web first if you have to, but you will not be disappointed with this.

"Gunnerkrigg Court" is Tom Siddell's splendid web comic about Antimony Carver and her adventures at the mysterious boarding school at Gunnerkrigg Court. It's got ghosts, robots, fairies, forest spirits, a minotaur named Basil, and a cast of very strange teachers and students. It's also suitable for the entire family.

After waiting since last June, "Gunnerkrigg Court: Orientation" finally came in the mail today. It's everything the web comic isn't: It's glossy and heavy, with a beautiful hard cover. I love the web comic, but this has that brand-new book smell and feel. If you love GC, you need to have this book in your home to share with your family and friends.