Blaise writes...

BASH

I went to the Golden Apple at about 2pm and picked up the LAST TWO COPIES (I asked the cashier and apparently they don't stockpile in their backrooms). I pointed out to her the oddity of finding a comic with this particular cover in the "Kids" section (she said it's more of an "all ages" section...), and voiced my hopes that maybe this cover is moving more issues of the comic than usual.
But enough of that...on with the issue itself!

--I noticed "Mary" and "Finella" on page one as well. I doubt it's really them (unless there's more going on in Brooklyn's Timedancing than I suspect), but it's a nice little bit.

--We finally see Dr. Sato again, disguised as...a doctor. Very creative, doc.

--Morgan decides to bow out. He is a real good sport about this whole thing.

--Continuity Nit! Broadway's "Cowardly Lion" costume has changed. In the last issue, he just had the mane and face markings. Now he's wearing a full body costume. It's a bit jarring, unfortunately.
One thing I just noticed on Angela's costume--the modified "ruby slippers". Very fun!

--Thailog is just BRUTAL towards Goliath here. I mean, he uppercuts the guy after gut-stabbing him! He's also switched from "Father" to "Dad" and even refers to his other two parents by first name.

--Speaking of "proud papa David"...the revelation that this White House steward is apparently the same rank as "Mr. Duval" was astonishing! As was the bit that he'd been there since the days of Teddy Roosevelt (which leads to a GREAT comedic bit over which President Johnson he served under--"Now don't get smart, son."). Anybody besides me think Xanatos is REALLY looking forward to those "rejuvenation drugs?" And I am most eager to learn what Xanatos's assignment is.

--As for the reveal that there is a position above the one held by Duval...well, we all have our theories. :-)

--But back to the party. Margot is, as usual, chewing out Brendan--and dragging poor Dr. Sato into it--when Brooklyn makes his grand entrance.
...I'm not sure for how long I was laughing my ass off, but it was a long time. He even has a stylized "G" on his chest, for cryin' out loud! And both his entrance line and his pose..."Super-Garg"! Priceless. (Oddly enough, Brooklyn's pose makes me think of Daffy Duck. Maybe it's his beak.)
Of course, he immediately asks Elisa where Angela and Delilah are...oh, and as an afterthought, his brothers. That's when they notice Bruno walk by.
--Angela calls Thailog a bastard. Now, just having that word said at all in the comic made my eyes go wide. But the fact that it's ANGELA saying it! It's great! And do we need to dwell on how aptly that word describes Thailog (gotta love those archetypes)?
I also love that Thailog called Angela "sister." Creepy.

--Thailog slashing Angela and Broadway (which, oddly enough left me mourning over the damage to their costumes rather than their bodies) prompted me to wonder why Thailog had bothered retracting his wrist dagger in the first place. Of course, the reason is just a few pages away.

--Thailog has an interesting line here--"Gargoyles, protect you master!" Note, that he does not call them clones (or bother to say their names).
I did notice he seemed to wonder where Brooklyn and "the old fart with the beast" were. Kind of shows his opinion of Hudson, that's for sure. And maybe age and old people as well.

--Now we have the scene where Hudson and Jeffery have their chat. It's a nice scene to finally see in the "official Greg Weisman version," to be sure. At the same time, I will admit that it does seem a little sudden to me (and makes this issue the most crowded, yet). Still, it's probably better happening now than having it drawn out. Jeffrey's acceptance is no doubt helped by the fact that he knew Hudson before he knew about gargoyles, but it does seem that he wondered for a while. I will say, this scene was fairly similar to the one that appeared in the "Dying of the Light" episode of TGC. In fact, that "old leather and concrete" bit WAS in the episode. The "never shaking hands until now" bit, however, was a new touch that I really liked.

--The Clan fights the Clones. "Gar-girl"...okay, that's a new one.
I love Thailog's "...why does everyone insist on pitching free will to my minions." I did notice that Thailog slashed Lex when there was no real need to, which did seem a bit odd to me.
Anyway, here comes "Super-garg" to the rescue. "Forgery" seems to be Brooklyn's favorite insult to clones.

--Thailog slashes Elisa (she'll never get her deposit back on that costume), and this is perhaps the most pointless slash of all (it would seem). On my second readthrough, however, I note that Thailog didn't slash Elisa until AFTER she said she was a member of the Clan ("Good to know" he quips).

--I love Brenden's mumbling to himself (it's nice to hear what he really thinks). I wonder what his actions will be in regards to witnessing the fight.

--I like the long shot of the fighting. Lex is fighting Malibu, Hollywood's after Angela, Broadway is wrestling with Burbank over the mace, and Brooklyn (that ballsy son of a gun) is taking on Thailog.

--Hudson and Bronx join the party and Thailog...switches wrist blades to cut Bronx. When I saw that, I realized that Thailog was slashing all of them (or stabbing, in some cases) to collect blood and tissue. I guess he didn't feel like using mosquitoes this time.

--Owen finds Delilah in the lab (did anyone else notice?). I just found it interesting.

--Somehow it doesn't seem fair to me that Brooklyn gets taken out by a Bronx-projectile.
I love how Hudson (after getting cut) parries Thailog's blade with his sword ("old fart" indeed). For that matter, I love how Broadway inadvertently beans Malibu with Burbank's mace.

--Delilah really makes an impression here. She really seems to come into her own and starts speaking for herself (up until now she has just been responding to other people). Actually, it's a bit surprising how quickly and easily it comes to her.

--I love the smile on Malibu's face as Delilah helps him up.

--Apparently, Delilah eavesdropped on Goliath and Elisa's conversation in the last issue (which makes me wish we had seen a frame of her doing so, but oh, well). It doesn't matter that Goliath's bleeding on the ground, she let's him know she didn't appreciate it.
But she doesn't go with Thailog either (I love how she slaps his hand away...and how Thailog is not upset in the slightest about this).
Delilah was happiest in the Labyrinth, and so, it seems, were her "brothers" (I LOVE that she called them that). Actually, Malibu just wants to be with Delilah, and Hollywood's not interested in fighting (and Burbank gives a response that throws me back to "Bride of Frankenstein"--"Friend, good! Fire, bad!").

--Brentwood, however, is the odd one out. He spent the whole issue standing on the sidelines, not fighting, his only line until now being "free...will" and what does he do? He chooses to stick with Thailog because "Thailog smart!" I mean, it is a great "left turn with the right blinker on," if you know what I mean. And the best part: I KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN! Okay, I thought a second clone would also stick with Thailog, so I was only half right, but somehow I KNEW Brentwood would be the one to "know the power of the Dark Side."
And Lexington's reaction is perfect ("Dude, you're really making me look bad."). I'm still laughing at it.

--"And on that death rattle note..." is my pick for Thailog's most heartless line to date.

--And now Dr. Sato is brought out. I would like to know exactly WHO brought him out (Owen would be my guess at the moment). And his introduction into the world of the gargoyles certainly is abrupt (his dialogue for it is good, though). I will be most interested to see how he'll deal with this new wrinkle in his world.

--Owen mentions an infirmary in the castle. You know, it's a funny thing. I've read several fanfiction series over the years, and they ALL have an infirmary in the castle! Well, I guess that only makes sense, knowing Xanatos and his rather...unique lifestyle.

--Goliath finally says those three little words. And Elisa repeats them. And gives him another kiss.

--Brooklyn, sees this display and is smiling. He looks behind him at Broadway and Angela (standing side-by-side, holding hands) and looks a little sad. He looks to his left at Delilah and Malibu (side by side, her arm around his shoulders, his arm around her waist) and, with a sour look on his face says, "Oh, you *gotta* be kiddin' me..." Yes, I laughed out loud. Poor Brooklyn might as well go to a bar and get drunk now.

--And now we have the "Thailog Tag." Oddly enough, it takes place at Nightstone Unlimited--last seen being run by Dominque Destine (who has Thailog on her "KILL, KILL, KILL!" list). And Thailog reveals that (surprise, surprise) his first priority was obtaining 8 "DNA samples" from the clan. Goliath's suffering and Brentwood's joining were just icing on the cake. This already shows him as different than Xanatos--Xanatos loved outsmarting his opponents, but Thailog gets pleasure from their pain.

--Nice to see Sevarius so soon (and so easy to hear Tim Curry saying his lines!).

--And now the girl from the Labyrinth finally has a name--Shari--and yes, it does seem that she will be the Executive Assistant telling Thailog about Tibet in the next issue. She's also an Illuminatus (the youngest one we've met so far, as well as the first female). And surprise of surprises, Thailog is a member as well (which makes him the first GARGOYLE member we know of)! And he doesn't look very happy at being outranked by this girl (and such a HIGH rank she has for one so (apparently) young). What really surprises me about Thailog being a member is that he just seems to be so much his own person. The idea of him being subservient to anyone seems so against his character. But therein lies the interest.

--I've got to say, the Illuminati is REALLY moving to the forefront this "season." They seem to be everywhere this time.

--The art's great. Everything looks incredible and exactly like the series with great facial expressions. Still, going back and forth between the three issues, the change in art and coloring styles is very...jarring. I'll look forward to seeing next month's artist, though.
BTW, did anyone else notice that the clones are back to having black teeth?

Anyway, it's nice to see the end of the "episode" (although there's still a bit of a cliffhanger as far as the wounded are concerned). I will say that there was a LOT in this issue. Seriously, this thing felt practically bursting at the seems for more pages. I would have loved a bit more with Dr. Sato (both introducing him, and him dealing with Goliath).
Overall, though, it's another great story!

dph writes...

A few questions posed after reading gargoyles comic issue #5:

1)Are there more members in the Illuminati Society ranked below David Xanatos or ranked above David Xanatos? I counted potentially 630 people ranked above. For more members to be ranked below David Xanatos than above would mean there are at least *15* more levels below David Xanatos.

2)Are there always a constant number of people at each rank? In other words, the only way to advance in rank (aside from doing more for the Society) is if somebody higher ranked than you was promoted, demoted, or died.

3)When Matt Bluestone first joined the Society during Revelations, was he at the same rank that he is as of issue #5?

4)On page 1, is that Lady Finella and Mary (the mother of Tom)?

5)Are the 8 dna samples that Thailog collected from the following characters (in order of collection): Goliath, Broadway, Angela, Lexington, Elisa Maza, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Hudson?

6)Did Thailog retreat into Nightstone Unlimited at the end?
6a)If so, does this mean the partnership between Thailog and Demona isn't over?

7)Did Thailog join the Society before Demona and Thailog went back to Manhattan?

dph writes...

My review for the comic

I'm getting better at this.

Reading the last page turned made me feel like the gargoyles universe was turned upside down. I'd have to rate the revelation at the end with Thailog being a member of the Illuminati Society as topping Owen being Puck. It took a while for that revelation to really sink in.

I like the nice cameos that you keep coming out with, especially sneaking people in on page 1. It was nice to see Morgan knew what was going on. I really do wonder how you would pull Thailog's action sequences off if you had to live with today's s&p. Good thing you don't. It's nice to know the Illuminati Society isn't racist, with a #2 being black. As Todd 1st commented in the s8 cr, from the top down to Xanatos's level, there are potentially 666 members of the Illumaniti Society. Brooklyn's costume turned out to be interesting. Jeffery Robbins turned out to be a nice guy, especially after figuring out who/what Hudson really was and not rejecting their friendship. I wonder if Hudson will ever get around to telling Robbins some backstory. Xanatos's interaction with Quincy seemed very realistic. I wonder why they dragged Xanatos to the White House to receive his '1st real assignment from the Illuminati'. The action sequences seemed realistic with Thailog, the clones, and the gargoyles. Deliliah's characterization was great and saved the day. Goliath's line "Choice must extend to those who choose unwisely" echoes of the experiences with Talon being duped by Xanatos. Nice to know that somewhere in those floors is a fully fuctional infirmary. Somehow, I doubt that infirmary is open to the general public. It's nice to Goliath and Elisa coming out with the truth. I admit I went to back to count where Thailog got all 8 dna samples. And then we get to the last page. The conversation at the end that seemingly turned the gargoyles universe upside down for me. I can't figure out which rule that page broke that did that for me.

Can't wait for issue #6

Meg writes...

Gargoyles #5: "Bash"
First of all, I consider myself lucky to even have a copy of the issue right now. Somehow I missed that it was coming out today, so you can imagine my shock when I got online on my lunch break and found it was out! After I got off work I called my local comic store and although they don't usually reserve any comics for customers, the man I spoke to was nice enough to set aside the last copy for me until I could make it down. So. That was exciting, especially as I think this is far and away the best issue to date.
-Is that Mary and Finella I spy on page 1, talking to Dr. Sato? It's beginning to feel a lot like a Timedance....
-Poor, poor Brooklyn. His "Oh, you GOTTA be kiddin' me" was perfect. The irony of Delilah shacking up with Malibu is almost too delicious for words. (I also love his series of expressions over those three panels.) I loved his costume, too; at first it made me blink, but then I realized it's perfect. Brook's life dream is to be the admired, adored hero, be perfect, and get the girl. Is Fox a good judge of character, or what? ;)
-Speaking of Delilah, you GO girl! Calling out Goliath AND Thailog in the space of like thirty seconds. That's cojones, man.
-Brentwood being the only clone to stay with Thailog is very, very interesting. I wonder what makes Thailog's intelligence stand out to him, and also why he values it so much. And, of course, knowing what we know, we have to wonder what Brentwood's decision says about Lex/the future....
-I have to admit, though, I'm unsure if Hollywood/Burbank/Malibu have REALLY grasped the concept of free will, or if Delilah has just become their "alpha" leader. (Although, admittedly, only Malibu--for obvious reasons--clearly defers his decision to Delilah.)
-I like in general the concept that free will must be extended even to those who choose unwisely.
-I have to admit, the Illuminati plot didn't interest me at first, but it's getting better and better.
-Brentwood's right about one thing: Thailog is one smart dude. I wonder how many times the gargs are going to have blood stolen from them and used to create nefarious clones before they figure out to wear like full-body suits or something. It's interesting that he didn't want to kill Goliath/the others, as he certainly could have; you wonder if that's some of Xanatos' pragmatism (don't waste what might in the future be a resource) or some of his own inner arrogance/sadism shining through.
-Man, is Angela her parents' daughter or what? Language AND fury.
-Morgan continues to be an absolutely stand-up guy. I hope he finds someone eventually.
-I wonder why Sevarius is in cahoots with Thailog. There must be more going on there than meets the eye. I also wonder if Thailog knows that Xanatos was not at the party....
-Goliath and Elisa: Awwww. 'Nuff said.
-I love how one of Xanatos' Goon Squad walks through the party bold as brass and Elisa notices.
-Also wonder what Brendan's seeing the battle bodes for him/Margot and the gargs.
-Loved the Hudson/Robbins interaction. Just a ton of love for both characters. I love that Robbins knew but made Hudson say it, and I just, yeah. Love the whole scene.
-Gar-girl. Hee.
-Thailog's annoyed "MY minions" remark was great. I can just imagine the indignation in his voice.
-Art: I really liked the art this issue. Stylistically, it's the closest to the show the comic has come, and while it's not totally perfect (what art ever is), I really liked it and now am looking even more forward to seeing Charlebois pencil the BAD GUYS LS.

Jason Aiken writes...

Just picked up #5 from my LCS today, loved it!

The Clones Vs the Clan was pretty cool.. that sneaky Thailog got his share of genetic samples again. He's really a great character.

Also, the end bit with Brooklyn was funny... if I didn't know about the canon in training stuff I would be feeling extra sorry for the guy.

The Illuminati ranking system is pretty cool... And man.. what a surprise member! You really have to give it to those Gathering people for loyalty and keeping those tidbits under wraps.

Speaking of comics.. have you seen what they are doing to Captain Atom.. err Monarch in Countdown? If everything with him is resolved and he somehow returns to his status quo, would you consider pitching a Captain Atom mini or one-shot?

The era of DC Comics when you wrote for them is probably my favorite.. a lot of great stories being told in the individual books, without all the crossover stuff they try to force on people today.

Take care,

Jason

KingCobra_582 writes...

Issue #5.

Where to begin on how great it was? Hmmm... ah, the hell with it.

Vid The Kid and I picked it up at the usual place (where, By the way, we dropped off another set of Gathering 2008 flyers to help 'spread the word' and I was delighted to learn that the 1st set of flyers had all been picked up quickly.), along with a Star Trek comic. I read Gargoyles #5 on the way home and no words in the known English language could accurately describe how much enjoyment I got out of it.

The art was the best I'd seen since issue #1. Wait, no, scratch that. It was the best artwork I'd seen in the comic, period. Smoothly drawn and nicely colored, just as much as the cartoon itself was. I hope we can keep Karine and Stephanie around as artists for future issues!

Story-wise was great, but, then, who can expect any less when you're the one who wrote it? Nice twists at the end, (No, I still won't throw out spoilers b/c the comic just came out today) even though I already knew how it ended from being in the Radio Play, but I still loved them. They were clever, they made sense, and they opened doors for future story ideas. I can't wait to see more Thailog (one of my favorite characters) in action in future issues.

Another nice Hudson/Robbins scene there.

*slight spoiler* I was vaguely surprised that Goliath didn't have a reaction to Lex's costume, but he was preoccupied, so... *shrugs*

Another great issue, Greg. 15/10.

Or should that be 36/2? :P

Nice little bonus at the end. I didn't actually expect to make it into the letters column. Very kickass. :D

Though we never did get that soda... maybe in G2K8...

And maybe I should register for G2K9 as KC. I kind of like the sound of that. :P

Bring on issue #6!!

Greg Bishansky writes...

Gargoyles #5
Bash

Definitely the best issue of the series so far. Story wise, and art wise.

I've been sitting on this issue's story for nearly a month now, after those of us at the Gathering got a sneak preview through this year's Radio Play (I was Broadway).

Questions are answered, new questions are raised, and the end is very eerie but leaves you wanting to see what happens next.

Goliath and Elisa finally stop acting like idiots and finally say the words "I love you", and all it took was Goliath nearly dying to do it.

But, Thailog was the real star of this issue. He was all over the place. His plan was an interesting one, he didn't want to kill Goliath, he was there collecting DNA. DNA from each and every gargoyle. No longer he didn't care much about the clones, he's starting over. Personally, I think this will be less a clan and more an army... he's got a lot of gargoyle DNA for Sevarius to play with.

We sink in deeper with the Illuminati. Xanatos is now on a mission from the Society, at the behest of Quincy Hemings... chief steward of the White House (been on staff since the Teddy Roosevelt administration). His number in the Society is Two... as is Duval's (makes you wonder who One is).

Goth Girl in the Labyrinth finally gets a name... Shari. She also is a member of the Illuminati, her rank being Nine. And the big shocker... Thailog is a member... bottom of the barrel as Thirty Six with Matt Bluestone, John Castaway, and Xanatos. Shari is now Thailog's new executive assistant, and outranks him. This is going to be interesting.

As for the numbers... there are thirty six Thirty Sixes, thirty five Thirty Fives and so on and so fourth... all the way to two Twos and one One... do the math and there are six hundred sixty six members... or at least slots for members. Greg, you magnificent bastard.

The story was great, kept me on the edge of my seat, and that was with knowing what would happen.

Now, the art... for the first time since this comic started, I have to rave about the art. Karine did a beautiful job with the pencils... and Steph's coloring is gorgeous to look at. THIS should be the permanent art team. I know Karine will be doing the art for "Gargoyles: Bad Guys" this fall, but "Gargoyles" is the flagship book, and should have the best talent on it.

What I also did enjoy was the original cartoon was known for their Xanatos tags at the end of the episodes. You think Xanatos lost, but he reveals the subtle victory he achieved. Now Greg replaced the Xanatos tag with a Thailog tag... which in turn becomes an Illuminati tag.

The Bluelady writes...

Greg: good evening! Great fan of the Gargoyles from WAY-back. I haven't been able to find issue #5 ( June) of the Gargoyles comic. I noticed it isn't listed on the SLG site. Any news?

Hope to see many more years of The Gargoyles.

Have a great week

Katherine
The Bluelady