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On 9. July 2014, Tom's Patreon page hit a milestone so he'd make retrospective videos with commentary about each chapter.[1] He started releasing these videos to YouTube in August 2014.[2]

Chapter 1: The Shadow and the Robot[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=I9oF6ogesUA

This video was released 1. August 2014.

Notes[]

  • Tom used the first chapter to get a footing on the comic.
  • Tom wishes he had never used the Unnamed teacher at all.
  • The houses are named the same way they were in his school. Tom used to attend Queslet North, just like Annie.

Chapter 2: Schoolyard Myths[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=t48sqVVkd0A

This video was released 5 August 2014.

Notes[]

  • Tom named Anja Donlan after a teacher that he had really liked.
  • The paintings on Chapter 2, Page 7 is a reference to the movie The Peanut Butter Solution, which Tom saw when he lived in the United States of America as a child. Tom had intended the paintings to foreshadow a future plot point which he later decided to omit.

Chapter 3: Reynardine[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQhsa8Ldf3c&feature=youtu.be

This video was released 12. August 2014

Notes[]

  • Kat's t-shirt on Chapter 3, Page 5 is a reference to Aphex Twin.
  • When the chapter was first written, Reynardine was planned to be a bat.
  • On Chapter 3, Page 24 Eglamore says "Goodbye, my friend" (sic) in Slovenian. A friend of Tom translated for him.

Chapter 4: Not Very Scary[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRy0msan9rQ&feature=youtu.be

This video was released 12. August 2014

Notes[]

  • Chapter 4, Page 4 is still one of Tom's favorite pages.
  • Tom says to keep the line "Dulce et decorum est" in mind.
  • The line Janet Llanwellyn says on the bonus page, "Would thou wert clean enough to spit upon!" is a reference to Shakespeare.
  • Mort is one of Tom's favorite characters.

Chapter 5: Two Strange Girls[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hgRSPQTvdn8

This video was released on 19. August 2014

Notes[]

  • Tom was still finding the right feel for the comic, therefore there are several things he does not think fits in this chapter.
  • Tom thought off Zimmy and Gamma Czarnecki long before he made Gunnerkrigg Court. The original stories he had planned were "less accessible" than gunnerkrigg court.
  • The guy on Chapter 5, Page 9 is not Smitty.

Chapter 6: A Handful of Dirt[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GMaSm_jFdA&feature=youtu.be

This video was released on 26. August 2014

Notes[]

  • This chapter opens with more detailed background for pages than there usually was at this point. This is because Tom wanted to make a contrast to the Decontamination Habitat
  • Tom tries to give every area of the court unique color pallettes so they can be more recognizable, should they ever return.

The tree in the decon habitat is based on a tree on top of a hill not far away from where Tom lives, and a tree he had in his parent's garden

Chapter 7: Of New and Old[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgbRFdOa1OM&feature=youtu.be

This video was released on 2. September 2014

Notes[]

  • Tom played a lot more around with the narrative in this chapter than he had previously done.
  • The flashback starts on the same day as the Chapter 6 was set.
  • Tom does not like making backgrounds as he's not good at making background details.
  • While drawing the third panel on Chapter 7, Page 22 Tom realized making this comic is something he really wanted to do.

Chapter 8: Broken Glass and Other Things[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp-YIsNiOCQ&feature=youtu.be

This video was released on 9. September 2014

Notes[]

  • At this point, Tom was more comfortable with playing around with the artstyle as well as fleshing out plot relevant details.
  • Tom is disapointed in depicting the size of the Annan Waters in this chapter.
  • The way Shadow 2 speaks is a lot like a bunch of beeps and bumps. Since he's first seen on a rock it would sound like how rocks sound if they vibrated against eachother.
  • Like many other characters, Tom had made up the regional fairies long before he started making Gunnerkrigg. The main character was to be Polo, the pink-haired one in the right corner.
    • One of their stories were to be focused on a tribe of fairies living in the same city as Zimmy and Gamma.
    • Tom wanted these fairies to be very different from the ones people are already familiar with.

Chapter 9: Questions and Answers[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfpVdfLXydI&feature=youtu.be

This video was released 16. September 2014.

Notes[]

  • Annie keeps the flip at the end of her hair to show she's changed a little bit from the last chapter's events.
  • Chapter 9, Page 11 Shows the first hint at Jones's presence. Her name can be seen on the door next to Eglamore's.

Chapter 10: Doctor Disaster Versus the Creepy Space Aliens from Outer Space[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MliJpVzKEsw&feature=youtu.be

This video was released on 23. September 2014

Notes[]

  • Originally, Tom wanted Doctor Randy Disaster to be a powerful magic user.
  • When the kids have entered into the imaging chamber some of them have different streaks in their hair. Tom considered keeping this but he didn't.

Chapter 11: Dobranoc, Gamma[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXeILNEigjc&feature=youtu.be

This video was released on 2. October 2014

Notes[]

  • "Dobranoc, Gamma" means "Goodnight, Gamma".
  • Tom used this chapter to try a type of narrative he usually likes seeing in movies or TV shows.
  • The logo on Kat's T-shirt on Chapter 11, Page 4 is a reference to a band he likes.
  • The alleyway on Chapter 11, Page 6 is a real alleyway in Birmingham city center
  • The moment when Zimmy decides to go to Gunnekrigg Court is going to be the focus for one of Tom's sidecomics.
  • The line about rats on the bonus page is meant as an implication of what the two used to do when they lived on the streets.

Chapter 12: Mainly Involves Robots[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMsc0Aqapvk&feature=youtu.be&list=PLc1SIXIS9r9LtvzvUhMOwjxdH4TAaulZD

This video was released on 10. October 2014

Notes[]

  • Tom wanted to show that some character may be up to their own activities even though that might not be shown.
  • Shadow 2's speech bubble is blue because Kat was the one who tought him to speek and Tom imagines their voices are similar because of that.
  • Tom confirmed that he has made slight changes to eariler pages of his comic.
    • At the time of this chapter, Tom did'nt even have the time to redraw old pages. Besides, he knew if he did he'd keep updating it all the time.
  • Tom has a buffer of about 20-30 pages.
  • Tom really enjoyed drawing Administrator Robot.
  • Tom had been looking for an oppertunity to draw Renard in his wolf forme for quite some time. Chapter 12, Page 15
  • Tom decided to force Renard to have the Antimony symbol on his forhead while in wolf forme to make him more distinctive.
  • The Guard Bots are unfamiliar with human behaviour, which is why they expected Annie to obey when told to halt.

Chapter 13: A Week for Kat[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA6RdGS8YRo&feature=youtu.be

This video was released on 22. October 2014

Notes[]

  • There's something incomprehensible written on the table on the first page of this chapter.
  • On Chapter 13, Page 8 Allistair is making the house from Nightmare on Elm Street.
  • Tom did this chapter because he wanted to show the sort of relationship one has when they're a young kid. Also because he used to move around between countries a lot when he was a kid and wanted to show a similar type relationship he had as he usually never saw his friends again after moving.
  • This chapter got Tom into a bit of trouble as some people thought having Alistair change into a bird and fly away was hinting to child abuse.
  • This was the point where Tom decided not to comment much on his work. Mostly he'd let the work speak for itself.

Chapter 14: The Fangs of Summertime[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJMW-dn7qD0

This video was released on 31. October 2014

Notes[]

  • Tom really likes to draw Anja Donlan
  • Tom enjoyed this chapter as it let him bring in more elements of the story and show consequenses of Annie's actions.
  • Andrew Smith is named after two of Tom's best friends back in school.
  • Coyote and Renard are considered Cousins as they are both trickster myths from two opposite sides of the world.
  • Coyote changes his shape more when he's excited.
    • He also does not look much like a coyote because he can choose exactly how he wants to look.
    • His fluid changes also mirror his unpredictable nature.
  • In the print, Chapter 14, Page 31 and Chapter 14, Page 32 are accidentally switched.

Chapter 15: Red Returns[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRAI9RrOL4c

This video was released on 6. November 2014.

Notes[]

  • The view of the court on Chapter 15, Page 2 is based on a part of Tamworth castle.
    • Many parts of the inside of the court is based on real-life places Tom's been to.
      • The year 8 dorms are based on "some sort of wooden tower" he saw when he was in egypt once.
  • The inside of the dorms were supposed to have a wedge shape, but Tom is unhappy with the result as he thinks it looks like there's just a weird perspective issue.
  • Tom wanted to give the impression that forest creatures that became humans were just dumped into their new bodies without being told how anything works, just that they need to go to class now.
  • Tom enjoys this chapter because Red gets to be a jerk through the whole thing and is still right.
  • On Chapter 15, Page 25, Red is literally flipping off Annie and Kat.

Chapter 16: A Ghost Story[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5agOAjjJsc This video was released on 12. November 2014.

Notes[]

  • Tom explains the fly and spider conveying animation in Chapter 16, Page 2 was his attempt to explore the balance between prose and detailed animation.
  • At 1:26 (Chapter 16, Page 3) Tom draws our attention to the S & B carved into the tree.
  • The last panels of pages Chapter 16, Page 7 and first panel of Chapter 16, Page 8 demonstrates a scene transition into Antimony's recollection of the night with Mallt-y-nos and Moddey Dhoo.
  • At 3:03 Tom explains he originally had Moddey Dhoo be proud of the fact that he was the inspiration for The Hound of the Baskervilles, but that he ended up cutting that scene from the comic. See http://new.spring.me/#!/gunnerkrigg/q/260029775014269953 .
  • Tom originally planned to use textured backgrounds only for flashback scenes, but finally decided to use them for all interior scenes.

Chapter 17: The Medium Beginning[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbVAIt7VJzY - this video was released on 29 November 2014.

Notes[]

  • There's something uncomprehensible on the chapter's first page.
  • At 0:20 (Chapter 17, Page 2) Tom zooms into the two names carved in the desk in panel six.
  • Tom made the character Jones long before making Gunnerkrigg Court, and the concept behind her character has never changed (starting 0:46 (Chapter 17, Page 3 and (Chapter 17, Page 4).
    • Tom still wants to do other side-stories with Jones.
  • Many of the backgrounds are based on the school Tom used to attend.
  • At 1:55 Tom explains Chapter 17, Page 7 was the first he drew digitally (examples of previous workflow start at 02:11).

Chapter 18: S1[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDZWjC341oc&feature=youtu.be

This video was released on 7. December 2014.

Notes[]

  • The first page of the chapter takes place on Kat's first day at Gunnerkrigg.
  • The whole area where the workshop is set is based on a business Tom's dad used to have.
  • Tom wanted to show her as someone who won't shrug something off as magic just because they don't know how it works. But he thinks he was a little unfair on her as this is a universe where magic is an observable force.

Chapter 19: Power Station[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXiHFd_SB9c

This video was released on 18 January 2015.

Notes[]

  • Tom intended comic to be fairly lonely in that it would usually focus on only one or two characters at a time.
  • This chapter written to show how they interact in a larger group.
  • External backgrounds are all of Birmingham city centre.
  • Tom also intended this chapter to give hints as to what it's like being Zimmy,
  • and an excuse to use reference pictures taken of Birmingham city back alleys that Tom wished to use in a separate comic about Zimmy.
  • An old Toys'r'Us shop is reference for the abandoned shop where they find Gamma,
  • featuring some soft toy cameos: Jinx from Kris Straub's Starslip Crisis; Marshmallow Kitty from Josh Lesnick's Girly; Roast Beef and Ray from Chris Onstad's Achewood; and his "good friend" Wrinkles.

Chapter 20: Coyote Stories[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CiKLCERprA

This video was released on 13 Apr 2015.

Notes[]

Chapter 21: Blinking[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru5BEUlslMQ

This video was released on 19 Apr 2015.

Notes[]

Chapter 22: Ties[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETZqrN27irQ

This video was released on 26 Apr 2015.

Notes[]

  • end of the second volume

Chapter 23: Terror Castle Of The Jupiter Moon Martians[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_TsUlHat0s

This video was released on 11 Jun 2015.

Notes[]

  • Jones' pink neckscarf has no secret meaning
  • Tom intended to contrast Smitty's timidness against Parley's showing herself off

Chapter 24: Residential[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wOhmBHUbmc

This video was released on 15 Jun 2015.

Notes[]

  • Tom wished to include the other students and show Annie and Kat's interactions with them;
  • based on a week long school trip Tom took in year seven.

Chapter 25: Sky Watcher And The Angel[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU4VhtsJInI

This video was released on 22 Jun 2015.

Notes[]

Chapter 26: The Old Dog's Tricks[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8mA0KaX8h8

This video was released on 20 Jul 2015.

Notes[]

  • Tom used this chapter to experiment with visual techniques;
  • Coyote can disguise himself and greatly modify his shape;
  • Tom considers Ysengrin to be the star of the chapter;

Chapter 27: Spring Heeled[]

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q66FN07bMf8

This video was released on 5 Aug 2015.

Notes[]

  • Tom used photographs of Birmingham city centre as references for the backgrounds.

References[]

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