Gert

Lore & Background

Gertrude, known as Gert, was six years old when she fell into Fairyland. She spent twenty-seven years searching for a key to escape with her assigned insect guide Larrigton Wentsworth III (Larry), but never aged, resulting in her becoming a violent sociopath. After terrorizing Fairyland, Queen Cloudia—the secretly evil ruler—sent villains like the witch Horribella after Gert. Each attempt failed, so Cloudia invited another child, Happy, into Fairyland to make Gert a citizen. Gert confronted Happy but was easily defeated. Later, Gert visited Cloudia, who admitted helping Happy find the key. Gert then found Darketh Deaddeath, who gave her dark magic powers after she survived his dungeon. Gert defeated Happy and killed Cloudia, but Larry informed her that killing the Queen made her the new Queen herself, forcing her unhappily to take the throne.

In Their Own Story

After a disastrous year as Fairyland's evil queen, Gert was impeached and resumed looking for a way home. She met Duncan, a human boy in a dragon costume, and abandoned him in the Tower of Battle. One hundred years later, Duncan became a giant dragon and laid waste to Fairyland, killing all but a few survivors. Larry used the last magic to send an older Gert back in time to warn her younger self, but the younger Gert ignored every instruction. Later, Gert met Maddie, a fan who idolized her violence. Gert murdered Maddie and resolved to become a better person, but repeatedly failed. Larry told her of a labyrinth whose master, Loveth Lovelord, offered a deal: reach the center before the next Lover's Moon and touch the Balls of Redemption to purge all evil, or become his wife. Gert found the center, defeated Duncan (now a dragon guarding the Balls), and touched them, becoming perfectly good. She found her key and headed to leave, but tripped on a lollipop, causing it to penetrate her brain and kill her instantly.

Reader's Guide

Gert is the central figure of *I Hate Fairyland*, appearing across storylines including *Madly Ever After*, *Fluff My Life*, *Good Girl*, *I Hate Image*, *Sadly Never After*, *Fluff This World*, *Gert's Inferno*, *The Last Gert Standing*, *In the Mean Time*, *Happy End Game*, *Back On My Bull Ship*, and *Monsters Gonna Monster*. Role: Main protagonist. Gert is a violent, un-aging adult trapped in a child's body, constantly seeking a way home from Fairyland. Arc: Gert's journey spans from her arrival as a six-year-old through twenty-seven years of failed escape attempts, her reign as evil queen, her temporary reformation into a good child, and her accidental death by lollipop. Defining Moments: Killing Queen Cloudia and becoming Queen herself; being sent back in time to warn her younger self; murdering Maddie; touching the Balls of Redemption and becoming good; dying when a lollipop penetrated her brain.

Did You Know?

• Gert was originally conceived by Skottie Young while working on 2009's *The Wonderful Wizard of Oz* limited series at Marvel Comics, with the idea that Dorothy would eventually 'be super annoyed by all these characters.'
• The idea of Gert being an adult stuck in a child's body came from Young's experiences as a new father, repeatedly reading and watching the same picture books and preschool shows with his child.
• Young cites *Mad Magazine*, the DC Comics character Lobo, and Tank Girl as significant influences on the series.
• The first issue of *I Hate Fairyland* was released on October 14, 2015, sold an estimated 50,300 copies, and was the 42nd best selling issue of the month by units.
• The revival series, which began in November 2022 with a new #1 issue, initially featured Gertrude returning to Fairyland under William Wiggan's orders to turn it into an amusement park.