The Tasks

The Tasks is a mini-comic of The Amazing World of Gumball made by Jon Chad. The comic comes in a Super Nintendo cartridge. They were sold for $30 at the San Diego Comic-Con 2014 with a limited run of 550 copies.  The comic focuses on Gumball and Darwin being forbidden from going to the Renaissance Fair due to messing it up last year, and their subsequent playthrough of a video game called The Tasks, which makes them perform real-world tasks.

Plot

SPOILER AHEAD! Important details about the plot or story are up ahead (Skip section)

The story begins with Nicole, Richard and Anais preparing to go out to the yearly Renaissance Fair. Gumball and Darwin however are forbidden from going due to messing it up the year before. The two, in tears and desperate to become knights, beg and sob for their mother to let them go, promising they won't mess it up this time. Unfortunately however, she refuses to change her mind. Richard, feeling bad, reassures them that it won't be that bad having to miss out as he recently found his old Super Slamicom Game System in the basement and set it up in the living room, and they can try it out and have fun playing games on it whilst they're out. Before they boys can say anything else he hurriedly leaves, excited to go to the fair. Anais and Nicole follow, the latter stopping to add that they aren't to leave the house or touch any of the food in the fridge, as it is for her book club tomorrow.

A while later Gumball sulks on the sofa, heartbroken at having to miss the fair. Darwin, though also upset, tries to cheer Gumball by up by looking through all the Slamicom ganes. He is particularly interested in one with a picture of a castle on it, and encourages Gumball to play it with him. Gumball joins him and watches as the intro begins. Explaining that the Kingdom of Dodura is under attack and the king is asking for the bravest and strongest knights for their help to defend the kingdom the game asks if the player has the strength, guts and courage to help The King complete...The Tasks.

The boys are overjoyed at getting the chance to be knights after all, even if only in a game, and eagerly press start. After making their characters the game begins and they are greeted by the king, who assigns them their first task of drawing a picture of their knights. Wanting to get to the actual game as soon as possible the two skip the task and inform the King that they have completed their drawing. To their surprise however, The King knows they are lying and begins to doubt their loyalty to him. Darwin is freaked out by this, and suggests they simply play another game, but Gumball refuses and begins to frantically draw his and Darwin's characters. Once done he holds the drawing up to the television screen as Darwin informs the King that the drawing is complete. He is very pleased, and thanks them for their loyalty,

Moving onto their second quest, the King now tasks Gumball and Darwin with escorting him to the Ooze's keep. The two happily do so, eagerly fighting enemies and collecting experience and loot as they make the journey to the keep. Finally arriving at the keep the King stops the two outside and give them their third task, baking a royal cake for him. Darwin is reluctant to do so, as using the ingredients in the fridge would go against their mother's wishes, so Gumball agrees to just skip the task. The King again knows that they are lying and, after they attempt to skip a second time, threatens that disloyal knights might be punished. Freaking out, Darwin insists they turn the game off, but Gumball refuses to do so in fear of getting punished for abandoning the King. Giving in Gumball makes a cake and, although it is terrible, the King is very pleased with their loyalty and opens the door to the keep. Before they're able to enter however a dragon swoops by and snatches the King, flying away with him, A prompt appears explaining that he has been taken to Elmore Park, and the two must go and rescue him in order to receive the password to continue. Gumball is extremely eager to go and, although reluctant due to their mother forbidding them from doing so, Darwin agrees,

Arriving at the park the boys search for the King, calling out for him. They hear a voice call back to them and turn around to see an elderly log man sat on a bench, with a crown atop his head. The two are in disbelief and refuse to accept that he is the real King, but he proves that he is telling the truth by pulling out an old magazine promoting the game, He explains that when he was younger he was known as Tad Thunder, and he created the game in order to try and make some friends, The various tasks the player were made to do are nothing but filler to eventually lead them to the keep so they would be forced to go and find him in real life. Darwin asks how the game knew when they hadn't done the tasks it asked and Gumball, upon reading the magazine, finds out to his annoyance that the game doubts the player at random in order to trick them into doing the tasks. Scalding him for deceiving them in such a way, Gumball immediately feels bad as Tad begins to cry. Darwin whispers to his brother, suggesting that perhaps they were a little hard on him. He agrees and, to Tad's delight, offers for him to come home with them as their King and help them beat the game.

A while later Nicole, Darwin and Anais arrive home, only to find the living room trashed as Gumball and Darwin excitedly play the game with their new King.

End spoilers

Characters

Main characters

• Gumball
• Darwin
• Tad Thunder

Supporting characters

• Nicole
• Richard

Minor characters

• Anais

Videos

Game Intro- The Tasks

The Tasks Animated Intro

Trivia

• it is possible that the graphic novel Fairy Tale Trouble is a prequel to this story, depicting the previous Renaissance Fair that Gumball and Darwin messed up. This is unconfirmed however.
• An animated intro for the in-universe game of the same name was created to coincide with the comic.

Cultural references

• The Tasks is played on the "Super Slamicom," a reference to the Super Famicom, the original Japanese version of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

References

v • e The Amazing World of Gumball Comics

SCRAPPED ISSUES
Issue 9	Issue 10