Oh man.

oh noooooooooooooooooooooooooooessssssss

Poor mort. Don't look too good.

Go, Morty, go!

Oh. In hindsight, I should probably thank you for the author's note on the previous page. I realize now that I've actually been primed and subconsciously prepped for the weight of this chapter.

Long story short, he doesn't make it to safety?

Hope this won't be too graphic

OMG MORT NOOOOOO

Run Forrest, Run!!!

OHHHH, NOOO This is going to be sad, isn't it? This is where he dies

No! No, no no no, no no, no no! No!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIos0ya-yss

dont sweat it mort you're dying anyway

Scooby dooby rooooooooo

Somehow I don't think he's gonna make it. Might be the whole ghost thing.

Isn't actually an air raid siren. Is actually Coyote hunting.

Oh please get there in time Morty!

This is not a test!

I am sad already. Please make it quick, Tom. Also, update one hour early because of summer time difference! Limited time offer! Enjoy it while it lasts!

We don't know we're born.

no. not like this. nOT LIKE THIS

I got a bad feeling about his chances of getting to the shelter in time.

Predicting it now: Tom trolls all of us by having Mort die from a bomb on Page 5 when we're all prepared for a lengthy backstory.

:( And, it begins. Godspeed, Mortimer. Godspeed.

113... remember that number from somewhere else in this comic, but I'm not sure where...

Man, got to love those Silent Hill air raid sirens. They always bring such good news

Shoot! Run Mort! RUN!

This page is chalk full of NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

Fiiiiiiiiirst~ Also love the art style of this arc

How did you know the exact colour to make the siren? Perfect.

something tells me that he won't reacht the shelter/bunker in time.

Hey. That's the same number as the room where Robot's tree arm is growing. Ah, what could it mean?

Number 113. That's significant, isn't it. ;)

rooooooooooooooooooooo

You could say he will RUE this day ... Okay I'll... yeah, I'll be leaving now

Tom! Don't you dare mess with our hearts like this! >:/

Is he going to be evacuated to Gunnerkrigg Court?

Again 113? Is this number somehow ontologically important or just a recurring gag by tom?

and boom...

Uh oh this doesn't look good

Uh oh. :-( This doesn't bode well for our lad does it?

top stop no tom stop

... oh no

oh man i hope this kid's okay

Tom, noooo.... :'( Also I heard a whole bunch of internet people aggressively misunderstood some of your tweets, and I would like to give you a hug. Hug from a fan. You are one of the good guys, and are also great at comics.

In case of howling beagle, proceed directly to your assigned refuge.

Please Tom, I know he's gonna die but don't make it like this.

I'm sure he'll hide in time I am so freaking sure of that

Oh Mortie...why must you be so cute? It changes my perspective of you since the beginning of the comic and now I just want to cry...

Oh god, I hope this isn't how he dies.

KABLAM!

Is that how he died? He didnt make it to the refuge camp in time? But if thats the case how did his soul end up in Gunnerkrigg Court?

Awwwww, is this how Mort dies?

Why do I think this day will not go well for young Mort?

Could this be foreshadowing, subtly telling us Mort is doomed? Well, that and the fact that we know he becomes a ghost is a little bit of a giveaway.

Save him Howl!

Run Mort Run!!!

it's the middle of the day. they would never attack in the middle of the day, or else they'd be seen and shot down.

Anything but this chapter I CAN'T DEAL WITH THE IMPLICATIONS

I have a bad feeling about this

...oh no. ohhh no. morty is smack dab in the middle of my biggest nightmare and i have a horrible feeling this has something to do with the reason he's a ghost

Run Mort, RUN!!!

113, where's that?

WHAT COULD GO WRONG!

Hope he makes it to 113 in time.

RUN, MORT, RUN!!! O_O

Kanga-

Nooo, don't explode Morty. =(

Welp. We know how this ends.

Hope we still see human-boy!Morty for a couple of strips ^^

so i guessing world war 2?

He ain't gonna make it. :(

Major-General Suckage if he had to run past 3 perfectly fine shelters and got caught metres away from his assigned shelter :(

cant be good....

its not going to be a bomb, tis going to be something WE DO NOT SEE COMING!

might have been safer in the trenches...

Makes one wonder. What happens if you're downtown during an air raid and your shelter is near your home is on the outskirts of the city.

Called it

No nononon dont blow up Morty nonono

Oh no.

Oh christ, Mort, run. Run as fast as you can.

I have a feeling he won't make it in time...

Run Morty, Run from the roo!!!

ROOOOOOOO it's a ghost siren. This explains why he moans so.

Oh noes.... OHHHH NOES

Run, Morty, run! No... Why? On the other hand, it's good to finally see all the Mort Fun Time, or in this case Not So Fun Time, that I've waited for since the monster clowns.

Oh, no. He's going to be done in by marsupials.

The only good thing about Monday morning: Gunnerkrigg updates

Damn you tom, this is gonna be a feels trip

Well this could get dark in a hurry

...Oh no. :(

Uh-oh.

I know what's going to happen. We all know what's going to happen. So why the hell is this still managing to break my heart?

Oh god, this is terrifying, poor Morty... and we all know it doesn't end well for him which makes it even worst T_T

inb4 he meets Betty in the ether.

And here in the comments, we watch those who fear the inevitable and predestined quake and despair over the death of a future ghost.

Don't worry guys, I'm sure he'll survive!

I bet he will make it, he ends up in the Court does he? And the court is certainly not in London. I bet he gets sent out to the countryside after all.

The good news: He makes it! The bad news: so does the bomb.

Happy birthday Tom!

It's an homage to Pixar! ;) http://pixar.wikia.com/A113

uuuuuuuuhahahhahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I am filled with dread

Wouldn't it be great if Mort, instead of dying by like a bomb, were to make it to safety and Tom would catch us off guard by having him die less violently.

I remember stories of those shelters in the wars... some of them took direct hits.

Whatever you do, do NOT run towards the white light.

rooooooooo is pretty much the best description of that noise I've seen. also: everyone is worried that in the past, a person is going to become a ghost they love

I got such a Barefoot Gen flashback from this, especially panels 4 & 6: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barefoot_Gen. Commenters agree: 113 and howling siren noted. I'm not as sure as some that Mort's a victim of the bombing. I think this gives context to later transport out of London and what follows.

I can't decide if we're being trolled by Mort dying on page 5 instead of a lengthy backstory; or if we're being trolled by being made to think he's going to die over and over throughout this whole chapter.

Oh, Morty... He... he's not going to make it, is he?

We're going on a feel trip.

Nothing like an enemy air raid to really kick the kilter out of your morning.

Might we see a tie-in to the post-air-raid scene from Jones' backstory?

No doubt his parents will send him to the Court for safe keeping. (Where he will be eaten by a Grue.)

Huh. If this is it, it's faster than I expected. I guess the most interesting "final record" for Mort might be what happened after he died - WHY didn't he go into the ether? And how did he end up at Gunnerkrigg Court? Of course, Tom's chapters tend to go in unexpected directions, so we may have a good deal more of living Mort yet.

The anticipation is killing me, I hope it lasts.

The whole chapter will be Morty escaping death, until something stupid gets him when he's finally "safe".

The reactions to this reminds me of the early controversy surrounding Casper the friendly Ghost, which I am collecting. In his early appearances, he was shown sleeping next to his grave, a small headstone traditionaly belonging to a child. This bothered enough people that later on, they made his origins more vague, and deliberately avoided defining them, or ghosts until the 1996 film. That squeamishness about discussing death with children does them a disservice. The ancient respect for death as a part of life is a much more healthy and balanced attitude, and helps nurture courage in developing wills. Mortimer's tragedy is the kind of story that should have been told with Casper from the beginning.

oh no not bombs ! so that is why mort has no legs but a ghost tail thingy !

This is truly horrid. And I fear it will get worse.

Heh, it would be a dark joke if Mort survived the war and died from pneumonia aged 15. Nah, I don't see it playing out like that either - sometimes the predictable stories are predictable because they're the best - they just feel right. How did Terry Pratchett put it? "Should the third son of a king emark on a quest that has already claimed his two brothers, it is now impossible for him not to succeed." :)

He can't die from this air raid. The story has got to be longer, right?

kanga

Rut Roh.

And somehow I am still confused that his name was Morty before he died. I really hope I'm not going to end up a child-ghost.

113.... Reminds me of A-113, which appears in a number of animated films (John Lasseter, Brad Bird, and others had some classes in A-113 during their time at Cal Arts)

The Kangaroooooooooos are coming!

For additional atmosphere, readers are invited to listen to the siren from Silent Hill in the background.

I somehow doubt he's going to be killed this quickly. Might be wrong though.

Oh, Mort. *sigh*

@ Zach: You, Sir, you have a great understanding of the things of the world and immaculate humour.

If he dies in London, why does he haunt Gunnerkrigg Court?

Don't trip Mort! Whatever you do, don't trip!

...NOPE

Really the thing that will interesting and sad here (though the incident is sad in itself) is not simply Mort's death, but his attempt to transition to the ether. Why does no one come for him? Or do one of the psychopomps come, but refuse to take him for other reasons? There are Reasons Mort is a ghost, and they may not be pretty.

Option A: He dies here thus ruining our expectations for the entire chapter Option B: He escapes death over and over again pulling us through agony until he dies at like, age 78 I'm on the edge of my seat no matter what.

This storyline really gives me a different outlook on life. We're not alive, we're just pre-dead.

Wonder what's gonna happen...

Everyone check out this http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1138 page to see another instance of good ol' arc number 113. Probably important.

So did the Annan waters and Gilltie wood have Junkers and buzzbombs flying o'erhead or did Mort end up in an alternate universe?

Man, I just read from the start, and I gotta say... Gunnerkrigg Court is incredible. The story, the illustration, the character building, the intrigue - I dare say it's one of the best graphic novels out there, and it's not even done yet! Part of me wants it to be done, so I can see the whole thing in its entirety, but the other part of me never wants it to end. What madness! I put this up there with Jeff Smith's BONE, which is really saying something.

This Roo? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i1QAtET0ok

This will all end in tears, I just know it.

You know, not making it to his designated shelter, if it happens, might actually end up a good thing guys. Maybe the bomb will hit it and he won't be there. You never know. I think this is totally my first time commenting here.

Since it's daytime, it's probably going to be a rocket attack. (This is WWII, right?) I hope Mort has a chance to do something heroic, like helping an old lady to the shelter, or something. It would be interesting if Mort discovers something important about someone or something magical, but died before he had a chance to tell anyone. Especially if that information becomes critical in the present. I just looked up the definition of the English word "mort". It is "a note sounded on a hunting horn when a deer is killed. The Latin root word "mort" means mortal or death. So, the all-clear siren after the air raid will most likely be Mort's mort after his mort.

Number 113? Isn't that...s13's cage? *SQUINT.*

Lots of people died during the London bombings. But Mort explained his fate was the result of "special circumstances." So it has to be more complicated than that...

He dies in a bombing doesn't he. WHY!!??

This is like watching a movie of the Titanic. We pretty much know the ending before we begin.

If yesterday's note is any guide of Tom's plot development inclinations right now, Mort survives the harrowing raid through plucky determination and youthful resourcefulness. And then promptly gets flattened by a lorry. Along with his beloved mother, who tragically rushed into the busy street in a futile attempt to save him. (This fresh childhood tragedy will thus keep the series in the running for a Newbery Medal.) ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ...I kid, I kid. Grim joking aside, I'm interested to see how this actually turns out and in seeing how it illuminates Mort's character.

Everyone dies, in the end. Except Dracula. He's tough!

I don't see how he can die here and still end up as a ghost in the Court. There has to be more to Mort's story than this.

i love it when tom approves 'first' posts and they're like post number 218

boo

Oh dear.

Interesting fact - Page 113 of this comic happens to include a siren. Not this particular kind of siren, but a siren nevertheless.

As long as he doesn't put on a gas mask and start asking "Are you my mummy?" I think I will be fine.

This isn't the same air raid where Jones' namesake bites it too, is it?

Spoiler alert: Mort dies.

we all know that tom isn't gonna kill Mort so soon, else how could he end up at the court? he's gonna make it, get sent away, and something else is bound to happen to him instead of bombs. and we all know that the countryside is full of bears. you never know, he could get eaten by a bear. or maybe jeanne kills him. ooooh, theories.

Isn't 113 the warehouse that the seraph robots took S13 to?

Ahh, there I was. It was such a shame that I still consider what still could be...

Room 113?!? Why, that's were the artificial room is! Where robots arm is growing into a tree and where the cherry tree is!!! Annnniiee!!! Come here!!

Found another instance of 113: http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=72

Oy! Mort's got it remarkably together, doesn't he?!

:( everyone's so negative

Ah, the mysterious appearance of 113 again!

well he's dead

So this is where Mort dies? Oh was I supposed to spoiler tag that? ;)

There's that number again!

Why is he ALONE???

Hmm. There is a reason Mort is a ghost and has _not_ gone into the ether. And there is some reason why he casually offers Annie the chance to practice on him. You know as in "practice", not as in "the real thing"....

It's obvious that he is going to die soon, and we all know that he is chill with the whole being dead thing in the present, but I'm still worried D: