Alberto Loera writes...

Una has elements of a unicorn, Coco looks like a wild boar, and Zafiro has a lot of reptilian elements, are there any animals that you don't think could be incorperated into a gargoyle design?

Kyle Tonarella writes...

Hi greg i just Watched The Batman :Strange Minds and that is your strongest joker episode Yet.
Here is my question will there be a strong green goblin episode in season 2 that you wrote ?

Rupert writes...

Dear Greg,

I am a major fan of your work (espescially The Spectacular Spider-man). Unfortunately I have never been able to watch Gargoyles, but I have been trying to get the first season. I loved The Rubberface of Comedy and Meltdown in the Batman. That is my favourite version of clayface. I think you did those episodes.
Anyway, questions on the spectacular spider-man, great show.

Firstly I LOVE Dr.Octopus! He is my favourite spider-man foe in comics, movies and your show. However I love all the villains, from the cowboy shocker to the nightmare on elm street vulture. My first question is that in season two I know that the master Planner will appear early in the second season but wil his other persona be Dock Ock. I'm not to sure because of that surprising, yet brilliant Tombstone/Big Man change from the Foswell/Big man.

My second question is that because the Master Planner is appearing, will the famous story in Amazing Spider-man 33# appear?

My final question. I discovered that you will not be on CN any more. What network will you be on then?

I can't wait for season two.

Thank you very much!

Litwolf writes...

Something I thought of while playing around in the iTunes store: Do you think that Gargoyles has a chance of being put up on iTunes for purchase and, if so, what effect that would have on its future?

Now I dont know much about how iTunes works but it doesnt seem like something Disney could really lose money on. They just put the episodes up there and theyre either bought or theyre not. It seems cheaper than relesing them on DVD because then Disney doesnt have to spend money on designing box art, gathering extra/special content, advertising, and other stuff that has to do with selling a DVD set. Probably cheaper than if Disney finally made the Season 2, Part 2 DVD set.

It doesnt seem like there's really a way to lose money if they put it up on iTunes. Its not like the episodes could waste money by gathering dust on a shelf if they were avaliable on iTunes. And if the episodes made decent money, maybe it would reflect positivly on the comic's future. What do you think?

Matt writes...

I asked some questions about Rory/Cuchullain and Banshee/Molly a while back and when your responses were discussed in the Comment Room, Ed pointed out that the Rory-Banshee spinoff was the only one of the spin-offs (that we know of) that you never gave a name to. So, do you have a name for that spinoff at this point?

Also, would there be any gargoyle or beast characters in this spinoff? Besides Rory and Banshee (and I suppose Mr. Dugan) do you know any other members of the main cast?

Thanks Greg!

Anonymous writes...

I know that gargoyle children belong to the entire clan, but who is Goliath's real parents?

mike p. writes...

related to my previous question: Will the episode involving Molten Man (assuming they are related as in the comics) provide more insight into Liz such as why her last name is Alan (not a hispanic name)?

mike p. writes...

I have a question regarding Liz Alan. Is she Puerto Rican? I am Puerto Rican myself and judging from the shows setting (New York) I've made the assumption that she is buecause of the large population of immigrants from the island, but wanted to make sure.

Movie-Brat writes...

You went to college with Heather Langenkamp and dated her? That's cool, I never knew that. But I guess you learn something everyday, right? :)

Anyway, how was she? Did you had a good experience with her?

anonymous writes...

Hi there:

1.) I didn't know if you knew, but your show currently holds the record for the most episodes to feature Sandman on any Spider-Man animated series, as he's never appeared in more than one episode of a Spider-Man cartoon. I've noticed some villains that have appeared on the various cartoon shows have been used surprisingly little. Mysterio's had no more than four episodes (as shown on the Fox Kids, 1990s "Spider-Man" show), Electro's had three (from the 1960s animated series), and Kraven's had three or four appearances at the most, I think (also from the Fox Kids TV show). Do you have any plans for future seasons to try and break these villains' current records and let the villains appear in more episodes?

2.) Is there any chance we will see Doctor Octopus meet with Mysterio in season two, or maybe in another season?

3.) When season two is a huge hit (which I'm sure it will be), will you guys get started animating season three or does it usually take a few months of planning before you can get right back to work on another season?

Stuart writes...

Hello, Mr. Weisman,
I had a few questions about the future of "The Spectacular Spider-Man" animated series, if you don't mind:
1.) I didn't see this in the archives, but if you answered it and I missed it, sorry. Anyway, I know you've said you're not able to use Kingpin because of the "Daredevil" license and legal issues. However, does this mean you can use the Rose or not? Even if it's not Kingpin's son Richard Fisk as Rose, can you use the ex-Daily Bugle employee Jacob Conover version of the Rose?
2.) For the first season, certain episodes were broken into storyarcs and put together on DVDs, like how the first three episodes of season one will be on one DVD and the next three episodes will be on another. Is there any chance we'll see storyarcs like this that share a same theme, like, for example, how one storyarc could be about men who turn into monsters (like how Michael Morbius becomes Morbius the Living Vampire, John Jameson transforms into Man-Wolf, and Dr. Curt Connors reverts back to the Lizard)?
3.) Doctor Octopus is my favorite villain and there are so many good stories with him in in them that would make for great episodes. I mentioned before I'd love to see the Doc Ock/Aunt May story as a storyline one day on either "Spectacular" or another Spider-Man animated series if there's no room for the story on "Spectacular", but which Doc Ock story is your favorite?

Thanks for reading. I can't wait to see what's in store for season two!

Chip writes...

1) When did you create the characters of Staghart and Constance? What about Old Pog? Lunette?

2) Who is Una's second in command? Have we seen them in the comics so far?

3) I have a third question...but I think I'll wait until Issue #9 is out before I ask it.

Phalanx writes...

Hello, Greg.

Now that SLG decided not to renew the license, will we be seeing any more Gargoyle comic books? From Boom, perhaps?

Anonymous writes...

when will i get pregnat?

sHadow writes...

would you ever sign my tattoo of Hudson that i got on my leg?

Movie-Brat writes...

Hi, me again. Um, listen about the last question, excuse that, I was nervous. It's just that whenever I meet someone I admire and really like, I can get nervous. I mean, in my mind I'm like Wayne and Garth from wayne's World saying "I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!"

You know? XD

Anyway, for a real question, aside from your spinoffs and such, any unused ideas you had in mind for not just Gargoyles and W.I.T.C.H. but for any other show you worked on?

Needs A Little Guides writes...

This has been bothering me for sometimes, and i dont know how or who to ask this, so i'm just going to ask you because your in the cartooning busniess, I'm a senior in high school. And I've alwayed dreamt of becoming an cartoonist, I've alwayed enjoyed drawing and cartoons, and ever sense i was small I use to watch gargoyles and loved it, And from there I started getting into the arts, but it stopped when i enterd in high school,there was no arts and so my talent has gone to waste, -_-... You probably dont really have time for this but I'd really like your opion on how you started off or where to i could start, ...Thanks for putting up with me if you do response to this

Anonymous writes...

Will Ben Riley ever make an appearance?

Arthur Jr. writes...

Hey Greg, recent Comics Continuum mentioned the appearance of Master Planner in Season Two of "The Spectacular Spider-Man." Master Planner is an alias of Doctor Octopus in the comics. Could this be a coincidence or is there going to be a different Master Planner?

I know Xander Berkeley voiced Quentin Beck in Season One and I think he might reprise him as Mysterio. There was already comments that Thom Adcox will voice Phineas Mason when he takes on the Tinkerer (Phineas had no dialogue in "Persona"). As for Kraven the Hunter, Molten Man, Calypso, Richard Kingsley, and Silver Sable, do you have any knowledge on who will be voicing them. I was just wondering as I am a top contributor at VoiceChasers.com where I added your voice role in an episode of "Gargoyles."

If the show becomes successful after Season Two and a proposed Season Three, will there be any plans for appearances of villains like Beetle, Ben Reilly, Big Wheel, Boomerang, Carlyle (if featured, I recommend Neil Ross for the reprisal from the Spider-Man 3 video game), Carnage, Cyclone, Gibbon, Grizzly, Jackal, any of the two Kangaroos, the Lobo Brothers, Prowler (Hobie Brown already made an appearance), Puma, Ringer, Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime, Rocket Racer, Scorpia, Spot, Stegron, Swarm, Walrus, and White Rabbit. Any one of them ought to appear in this series.

I still think a proposed season where it reaches the point of Spider-Man meeting other superheroes would still be good.

Chimmy Char writes...

Are there plans to include Lance Banyon or the Daily Globe in the second season of SSSM?

Litwolf writes...

A few questions about Sphinx (all I know about her is her GargWiki profile and Im dying to know more):
1) Despite her appearance looking very much like an English gargoyle (wings, tail, humanoid body with cat features), she's not actaully a gargoyle, right? She's just pure New Olympian?
2) Can she fly, unlike a gargoyle's glide?
3) Do you think she has the physical strength to carry Terry in the air? (I ask this question because, given how the romance reminds me a lot of Goliath and Elisa, I wonder if we'll ever see Sphinx carrying Terry like Goliath carries Elisa)
4) How fast does she age as compared to a human? And how old is she when she meets Terry?

And, since Im sure Sphinx would be upset if I ignored her Terry, a quick question about him: any idea what kind of boat takes him to New Olympus? I think you've said he's going to sail around the world, so Im gonna guess a sailboat, is that right?

I hope Sphinx and Terry get a chance to have their story told in comic form!

Clock purdy writes...

Greg I have a question for Greg Guler.....Does he remember filling boots with Box Elder Bugs in kindergaden?

anonymous writes...

which comics were your season three ideas based on?

Tex writes...

If Conan the Cimerian fought Goliath who would win?

lambert writes...

met you at the comic-con. thanks for coming out and saying hi to all of us!

slayer38 writes...

Iam very interested for the 3rd season as comics. But i want to know, comes this comics also translated into german language in the german book stores? My English is not the best, << you can see that in my text. and another question? in 1996 at the moment disney do not produce season 3 with you as author, why you dont changed to another company at this moment. (btw. The goliath chronicles sucks, the liason between goliath and eliza are also ignored.)

And btw. My favorite Episodes is Hunters moon part 1 - 3. Great story, very dramatical, and the lovely end, << at this moment between goliath and eliza, the fans waited since episode "the mirror" / german titel "Der Spiegel"

And is that true. Episode "the mirror" is cutted in usa (in tv) because the "world trade center"?

Roky writes...

I know that this question was posted already but I wish to know if did anything change about making the real-life movie of Gargoyles?

And If answer is no, what could fans do about it. There is something we can do or not?

Chip writes...

I've got a few questions about Sir Griff specifically, and the London Clan in General. I looked for them in the archives and found nothing.

1) In "Pendragon" King Arthur wondered how he was going to get Griff back to London. I've been thinking about it for a while and wondered myself: how did Arthur get Griff (and himself) back to London?

2) I'm assuming he met Staghart and Coco shortly after he arrived in 1996, what was his impression of the duo? Why does he not refer to them by their nicknames? (I'm assuming again that Staghart introduced himself by his nickname of Amp) Why did they choose to help Griff and Arthur protect the Stone of Destiny?

3) I doubt you'll answer this, seeing as you didn't at the Gathering, but just in case this question catches you on a generous day: when did the London clan's beast population go extinct?

4) Do Leo and Una have any biological children, and have we seen them so far in the comics?

5) Are there any heraldic archetypes besides [Lion, Unicorn, Griffin, Stag, Boar, and hippogryphs] that exist in the London Clan?

6) What was the London clan's population in 1940 when Griff vanished?

7) Besides the Manhattan Clan, are the London gargoyles aware of any of the other clans? In other words, before they met Goliath did they think that THEY were the last?

Some of these questions tend towards character analysis, and the others are just me wanting to get to know the London Clan a little better.

GARGOYLES LIVES FOREVER!!!!!!! We will rise again! The mere non-renewal of the series will not stop us!

Todd Jensen writes...

You mentioned reading "Bone" at Comic-Con. What did you think of it? (I read it a few years ago - I have the one-volume edition as well as the first two individual volumes, which I bought before the one-volume edition came out - and enjoyed it.)

josh writes...

were do gargoyles come from

richard writes...

mr. weisman
why is the new spiderman series's season two getting released next year?
i mean are you insane???

Jim Grue writes...

I have no questions to ask. I just wanted to tell you I think the "Spectacular Spiderman" is amazing. Here's my blog post of what I think. http://jimgrue.blogspot.com/2008/06/saturday-morning-spidey.html

Chip writes...

(Much delayed) The Day of Freyr:

I was up far earlier than anyone else, frankly I couldn't sleep. Though this was my third Gathering, it was the first one that I had regular contact with garg-fans prior to the Con. I was particularly interested in meeting Volpe_de_Fuego my "Competition" for the Papyrus of Thoth story in the Anthology, and with whom I'd been sharing the benifits of my previous Gathering experiences, and Matt a who lived in my general neck of the woods. I was also anxious for another reason. Though this was my third Gathering; I had never attended opening ceremonies, having arrived late to the '06 and '07 Gatherings.

After rousing my siblings from their various states of rest (my sister taking an exra hour or so...how do girls do that?) Tris and I changed into our Hot Topic T-shirts, and mom surprised us with one of her own. (Seth and Kathleen didn't have any) We finally got on the road, and the directions from Miss Marty's house to the Hotel Orrington were spot on...though a bit confusing, it kept trying to take us down roads that didn't exist...but in the end led us where we needed to go.

Despite the odd directions we arrived at around 10:30, and were able to register right away. My mom was upset because she couldn't get her copy of the Items of Enchantment Antholgy yet (She didn't pre-order, and thus had to wait for the Dealer's room to open) Tris (my brother) and I were both contributors, and we instantly thought the Anthology looked fantastic. The cover was awesome.

To my surprise, and delight, Tris's "Star of Arabia" marked the end of every story...it was quite thrilling. I naturally read my own story "Aswan" first, and shortly after I read it, I notice Volpe_de_Fuego near by reading her own Anthology.

I quickly introduced myself, and was very pleased to meet her. I decided to read her story then and there, as she read mine. I liked it, but thought that it ended rather abruptly, and told her so. (She later told me that she didn't think I'd read the whole story...I was a little hurt...I'm a fast reader, I always have been; I got throught the last Harry Potter in about 4 and a half hours.)

Shortly thereafter we attended the Voice Acting Panel, with Greg Weisman and Thom Adcox. My sister (who went by the con-name of Phoenix-Talon, I just went by Chip, my real name) got up and read for the part of Demona from a script that Greg had brought. My sister, brother, and I were big on live theater in High School, and out Drama teacher was very professional. So I wasn't the least bit surprised when Greg was mildly annoyed/pleased that Kathleen (Phoenix) had few faults in her preformance.

Next he passed out a script peice from MIA, which I volunteered for but didn't get. Since Griff is my fave character, and London my fave clan...I was dissapointed. But I did get to do a scene from Spectacular Spider-Man for him in the next round. (As Peter Parker/Spiderman)

After that we all got in line for the Radio Play Auditions. Tris went on ahead of me, after I begged him not to read as Xanatos, as I had selected that role to read for in the audition. I didn't want to go after him as the same character. He conceeded (Nice Guy) and read as Hudson...his fave character, and the one he read for last year. (And played in last year's Radion Play, along with Burbank)

I got in there Jennifer Anderson, Josh Silver, Keith David, Greg Weisman, Karine Charlebois, and Thom Adcox were the casting directors. I put down all the accents they called for: English, French, and Scottish.

I read Xanatos in American, and Keith commented I should slow down...which was hard, these guys were professionals in this biz...I read the English accented version, (slower I hope) and there was a series of whispers...followed by a gut feeling that I was going to be cast as Griff, but I didn't say anything aloud, for fear I would jinx it. I read my Scottish and French accents (My Scottish was okay, being of Scottish blood myself, but it wasn't great...my french sucked and I knew it)

After that I headed to the room, and meandered a while. Bought this awesome Yama shirt with Karine's artwork on it, headed to the room and changed into it. My clan could only afford to stay in the Hotel One night, and we chose that night.

I went to the opening ceremonies for the first time. I finally met Matt, and watching this hour and a half long video contest I could have lived without (not that the videos weren't cool, but some I had seen on Youtube already, and they were tedious) I finally saw the Bad Guys Leica Reel (2/3rds of which was now canon in the BG comics...can't complain about having not seen it, but I kinda wish I hadn't...some of the upcoming BG issues were now partially spoiled to me) and Greg went through this thing were he had everyone wearing a HT Tee stand up. I was mortified...I had changed into my Yama shirt, so I wasn't wearing the HT shirt anymore. Greg had everyone who owned one stand up next, so I could stand proud there...but man that was embarrasing.

Greg almost forgot the Team Atlantis episode "The Last" but I finally got to see that too...man was it awesome.

Afterwards my family headed upstairs to the room, while I lingered downstairs and introduced myself to some fans from Tennisee. Eventually they headed out for food, and I returned to my room with the idea that my siblings and I shoudl pool our money (what little we had) and order a Chicago style pizza. That fizzled pretty quickly, everyone wanted a Chicago style pizza, but no one wanted to pay for one. So, we ate the food from the cooler instead.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Greg Bishansky writes...

Just out of curiosity, the Norman Ambassador in "Vows." What was his Illuminati ranking?

kyle tonarella writes...

sorry for my punctuation errors before i just get excitded when talking to famous people. Anyway sorry for my errors and here are some questions about Spectacular Spider-Man

1.Will Venom be more ruthless when he fights spidey in season 2?
2.any plans to use hydroman in later seasons ?
3.will Roderick Kingsly play a major role in the second season ?

Todd Jensen writes...

I just thought you might like to learn about this - especially now, when any piece of good news involving "Gargoyles" would be welcome.

I've been asked to write an article on "Gargoyles" for a book of essays on the Middle Ages as depicted on television (apparently, other articles in the book will include such shows as "Roar" and "The Tudors"). I don't know how much word it'll spread (I suspect it's going to be the kind of book found mostly in university libraries), but if it informs one person about "Gargoyles", it'll be worth it.

anonymous writes...

Hi, I'd had a few "The Spectacular Spider-Man" questions:

1. Will we see more of Joe "Robbie" Robertson in Season Two?
2. You said the Sinister Six returns in Season Two. Would you like to include other bad guy teams on the show later on, like the Sinister Syndicate or the Legion of Losers?
3. You said the Scorpion is planned for Season Three. Do you think we will see him as Mac Gargan in an episode or two before he becomes Scorpion, like how we saw Flint Marko and Alex O'Hirn before we saw them as Sandman and Rhino?

Thanks.

anonymous writes...

Dear Greg,

After issues 9-12 are out, along with the rest of Bad Guys, do you think you will continue Gargoyles, by getting a new liscense with another comic book publisher, like Kingdom comics, or will you stop all together.

Thank you for everything you do,
anonymous

Landon Thomas writes...

I notice that you like people to do Gathering journals so I thought I'd write some Greg-related highlights from CONvergence.

Thursday, July 3, 2008:

'Spectacular Spider-Man'

The SS-M panel's audience was a little sparse to start out with (it being 5pm on Thursday), but thankfully the room soon filled out nicely. The audience had good questions, so they were definitely fans. I learned that Greg wants to do a straight-to-DVD movie with a spring break story idea by Vic Cook, but it probably won't be approved by Sony until the sales for the first DVD come back. I also learned that Greg is interested in doing a feature at some point in the future. Greg said that in three weeks he'll have to fire his crew if season 3 isn't picked up. Only four people would stay on: himself, Cook, another producer and a production assistant. At an unspecified time after that he'll have no choice but to look for more work. I would learn why Sony is so timid in approving these sure-fire hits in the animation panel tomorrow.

I introduced myself to Greg after the panel with the usual 'I'm a huge fan' spiel. I decided to keep my real gushing to a minimum until the signing on Sunday. I asked about Ben 10. Ben 10 was one the great, recent animated series, in my opinion. Greg's season 3 opener 'Ben 10,000' really brought the series to a whole new level. The same with 'Ken 10'. Both episodes were the best of the entire run. I loved seeing the shades of Gargoyles in there with Greg's fearlessness in shaking things up, adding drama, introducing new characters, and playing with the time line. This is part of the plethora of evidence that Greg is the Pixar of televised animation. Most people think Pixar is all about technology, but what makes them really special is their placement of story-telling above all other considerations. That's why I think Greg is Pixar's analogue for the small screen. And it's not the 'writing on multiple levels' thing that makes Greg special in my mind. That's very important but what makes him one-of-a-kind is the complexity, plotting, and risk-taking he puts into all his work. Animation is my favorite method of story-telling and I always love when the Americans get it right, because it's my culture. But regardless of the intended audience, most TV animation stories are just too simple. Even more so than Gargoyles, Spectacular Spider-Man showcases Greg's persistent will to fully exploit every minute of airtime and make every character, plot, and setting blossom to its full potential. The complexity of every episode is amazing to behold. Only the Dini/Timm DCAU teams have come anywhere close. With Greg's help, I think it's inevitable that TV animation will someday graduate from "kid's stuff" to "everyone's stuff" in the same way Pixar has revolutionized animated films.

Anyway, this was all stuff I wanted to articulate to Greg after the panel since it sort of related to TSS-M, but I knew I'd forget most of it, so I've put it here. I asked Greg if the 'Ben 10,000' and 'Ken 10' stories were his idea or if he wrote off an outline. He said he did create the stories and that 'Ken 10' was Man of Action's entry for Emmy consideration. Greg wouldn't have received credit if they'd won, but hopefully this will reflect back positively anyway. In fact, I'm glad someone has finally noticed his talent and given him a high-profile project again. I hope Spectacular Spider-Man's run will be long and fruitful so that Greg will have some weight to throw around and get us an original series again. Even if it's not Gargoyles, I can't wait to see some of Greg's original characters onscreen again.

Opening Ceremonies had a nice little bit on Greg when showcasing the guests of honor and there were obviously some fans in the audience when his name came up.

Friday:

'Animation All-Stars'

I attended the Animation All-Stars panel, which had Greg, Mark Evanier, Wally Wingert, and Matt Waterhouse. I was wearing my Hot Topic shirt today, which Greg noticed. w00t!

The animation panel was more gloomy and revealed why TSS-M was being treated so poorly despite Spider-Man's massive success and name recognition: the industry is full of yes-men committees. This is Sony's only animation project when they used to run 7-8 at a time. That's the reason it took all of 2006 to hire Greg. It's not because they weren't sure he was the guy; it was because it took that long to approve the show through the ranks of timid bureaucracy. They're all terrified of being the guy that promoted a losing product, even though Spider-Man is the most sure-fire brand in fiction right now. It's the same reason season 3 and the made-for-DVD movie weren't approved months ago.

'Gargoyles: The Continuing Saga':

I was thrilled to see the room packed and two other folks in Hot Topic shirts. Many ancient, late-90s-style Ask Greg questions were asked like "What's up with the gargoyle dogs?" and "What happened to the third season?" It made me realize that as a professional that regularly attends fan conventions, Greg must have to answer the exact same questions over and over again. It made me wonder if Greg ever starts to say "CHECK THE ARCHIVES!" before catching himself. ;)

I did learn a couple things, though. A lot of the fans weren't aware of the comics or just the Bad Guys spin-off, which was promising (new sales, right?) Greg also mentioned Blue Mug Productions, which I heard whispers about in the comment room but didn't understand. Greg spelled it out nice and clearly: "If you like Gargoyles and you like porn..."

Unfortunately, food poisoning from who-knows-where was catching up to me so I had to enjoy most of the panel writhing on the floor in the back. But I did get to hear the ENTIRE "Better than Barney" story, which made it all worth it. I really wanted to meet other Minnesota Gargoyles fans after the panel, but I was too ill and had to leave for the day, which was a bummer.

Saturday:

'Legion of the All-Stars'

This was the headlining comics panel and truly had an all-star panel of Terry Beatty, Chris Jones, Mark Evanier, Marv Wolfman, Len Wein and Greg smack in the middle. During the intros, people were enamored with Greg's mention of his upcoming Red Tornado mini-series. This reminded me of how little press there has been for it. I don't know why DC hasn't put out a press release or why DiDio hasn't mentioned it at any conventions or even the DCU panels going on at Comic-Con right now (at least from the articles I've read). RT has pretty much been the star through most of JLA's current run, which is kinda-sorta the flagship title.

Anyway, lots of good stories. Chris Jones brought up his "The Flashback of Notre Dame" work, and obviously had warm memories of that. A woman asked a really specific question about Bionicle on behalf of her son and Greg of course had to say that he hadn't worked on that show for very long. They had prominent English accents and soon left. I hope they didn't come all the way to Minnesota just because of the brief 'Bionicle: Mask of Light' blurb in Greg's guest-of-honor bio. After the panel, it was the perfect opportunity to get Greg and Chris to sign my Bad Guys #3. Chris was excited since he hadn't seen a final copy yet which means my copy was probably the first one he signed, which is pretty cool.
After the panel, I tried to rattle all the RT questions I could remember. I really wanted to know how Greg got the job, since the comics world seems so insular. Apparently DiDio did remember Greg from the Captain Atom days. I hope that question wasn't offensive. I also asked if Greg was writing from a DC outline (another foot-in-mouth question), since the character has been changing so much in the recent JLA run. Greg said it would be his own story.

Sunday:

'Material Adaptation'

This was a panel on adopting material from one format to another, like comic to film. It had Vincent Truitner, Marv Wolfman, and Greg. Vincent used his recent Golden Compass experience to provide the most concise explanation on how to adapt by studying the core of the characters and the themes of the story. Once you do that, you can take some liberties with the production without insulting the original work. Greg and Marv provided a spin on the old piracy debate. As content creators, they have to protect their work since it's their livelihood. But they also understand the concerns when rigid corporations don't adapt to new technologies or fan expectations. So they didn't have any easy answers or a decisive side of the debate.

Marv had some interesting thoughts on writer originality. He mused that writers can't expect their work to be 100% original. Every writer gets their ideas from the great ether that is the common experience. Two completely different writers could come up with similar ideas at the same time. Their thoughts could have been triggered by reading the same newspaper article or have been completely random. Marv's point was that there are a fixed number of story possibilities and you need to protect your copyrights. Greg agreed with an anecdote about someone who sued Disney in the mid-nineties for copying his Gargoyles idea. It was later proven that this was impossible given the writer's material was unavailable and developed after Gargoyles started production. But Greg learned that all professional content creators don't accept unsolicited writing for this reason.

I think the best story I heard at Con was Greg's Tarzan anecdote during this panel. When he was still at Disney, the features department was negotiating to secure rights for the Tarzan movie. There was big meeting with the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate coming up and it was discovered that Greg was the only exec around that had bothered read the original Tarzan books and comics. So Greg tagged along to the meeting even though he was a TV exec at the time and completely outside his purview. I won't get into details because Greg tells it so much better, but basically he was the only guy that the heir connected with since he actually knew the material. He single-handedly obtained the estate's blessing, yet never got a credit on the movie since he wasn't supposed to be there.

'Signing w/ Greg Weisman'

I had Greg sign all my firsts: the first DVD, Garg #1, the TPB, and BG #1. I had some notion that having Greg only sign my firsts would be more sentimental or something. I've since realized that's ridiculous and I'll be carting my entire collection to my first Gathering in 2009, which I signed up for as soon as I got home. I also had Greg sign my new cel right smack on the top in gaudy gold ink. It probably destroyed the resale value, but I don't care: it's never leaving my wall. That is, assuming I can find someone who has a clue on how to mat it...

I also waited until the signing to do most of my fan fawning since that was the prescribed one-on-one time. I thought beforehand about what I was going to say but all that came out was 'Gargoyles changed my life mumble mumble mumble' which probably made Greg reach for his mace. Anyway, I'll assume he enjoys wading through distended fan stories about his work's positive effects, so I'm going to spill it here.

I stopped watching cartoons around 1993 and my last memories were of Darkwing Duck and TaleSpin. I just missed out on Gargoyles even though I was a Disney afternoon fan. I was about 11 at the time: the age (for me) when cartoons became uncool. I only saw a few features after that. Fast forward to April 2002: I'm a freshman in college and lazily browsing the IMDb cast pages for Star Trek: TNG. I start to notice an inexplicable commonality among many of the actors listed...

I had a vague recollection of Gargoyles already: a brief image from a long-forgotten single viewing. I think it was of Taurus on the beach. But I somehow sensed there was something special about the show. I never figured out where that feeling came from. On a whim I decided to set a summer project for myself of recording every single episode to tape and importing it into my computer under the guise of learning how to use video capture/editing software. And I'm someone who never plans summer projects. I guess it was fate.

This was back when Toon Disney played it twice a day at 10 and 10:30pm. The very first episode I watched was 'The Edge'. Within the first minute, I was stupefied. This was like NOTHING else on TV, animated or otherwise. I kept recording and capturing studiously but resolved to not watch any more episodes until I started the series from the beginning.

That October I switched my major from computer engineering to theatre. I had spent the entire summer (besides capturing and editing video) studying Gargoyles and how I could get involved in creating such a piece of art. I settled on voice acting, not for any reason more practical than that job seemed like the most fun. My parents, to say the least, were surprised that I switched from computer engineering to acting even though I'd never been on stage.

Back to today, I've received my BA and tomorrow I'm beginning step 3 out of 8 or so to get my Pro Tools operator certification. I've since settled on audio post-production (with a focus on animation) as my career choice. It's a better fit for me based on my existing skill set.

Anyway, Gargoyles truly did change my life and certainly for the better. It rekindled my love of animation and catalyzed my latent desire to make it in entertainment. I now feel like I'm finally on a path to a career that I can truly love, which is a rare gift indeed. So, if you're reading this Mr. Weisman, thank you.

Stuart writes...

Hello Mr. Weisman,
I know that you're incredibly busy, but I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about "The Spectacular Spider-Man" cartoon, if you don't mind:

#1.) I love the partnership of Sandman and Rhino on "The Spectacular Spider-Man". To me, it's like the Peter Parker/Doctor Octopus past relationship that they had on the Fox Kids "Spider-Man" animated series (and the two later had a similar student/mentor relationship in "Spider-Man 2"), where you wish Stan Lee had thought of it first because it's such a brilliant idea and is wonderful to watch. However, on the Fox Kids cartoon, the Peter/Ock past history was unfortunately forgotten about and Ock was reduced to one of Kingpin's henchmen later in the series, so we never got a chance to see any more fireworks between the two characters. I hope the Rhino/Sandman friendship doesn't go the same route and gets ignored in future episodes of "Spectacular". Will we see Sandman and Rhino interact in season two, or do you think maybe they could team up again in a future season?

#2.) I know you're going to have the Sinister Six in season two, and I'm very excited that the team will be back. But I was wondering if you were okay with the idea of having the Six's teammates appear solo in episodes after that? You see, I'm asking because the Fox Kids "Spider-Man" show had a great take on the team with the Insidious Six and after that, some villains like Doc Ock and Chameleon appeared in several episodes on that show in seasons three and four before the Insidious Six returned in season five. But in between the first Insidious Six line-up in season two and the second Six line-up in season five, some of the group's teammates, like Shocker and Mysterio (who was sadly killed off on the show), appeared solo for one episode each in-between that time and, unfortunately, the Rhino didn't even appear in a solo episode of his own during that time. I was just wondering if it's possible "Spectacular" will not repeat that mistake and that we could see solo episodes for some of the Six's members in the later seasons of the series, such as an Electro episode, a Rhino episode and a Mysterio episode (who many fans speculate will join as a member of the Sinister Six in season two)? I know it's way too early to ask this question, but it's always something to keep in mind, and there's no harm in asking, right?

#3.) Since a lot of animated series spin off into their own video games, I assume (and hope) there might be one for "The Spectacular Spider-Man" one day for the current video game systems (Nintendo DS and Wii, Playstation 2 and PS3, etc.). If there is such a game made/being made, would you like to be involved with the story for a "Spectacular Spider-Man" game, as a writer or story supervisor or something?

#4.) This one actually isn't a question. I just wanted to say thanks again for giving us such a brilliant first season of "The Spectacular Spider-Man". My favorite episode was "Group Therapy", and I loved how all of the Sinister Six villains were handled (especially my favorite Spider-Man villain Doctor Octopus). I can't wait to see what's in store for the show's second season next year and hope the series gets picked up for three more seasons like you guys are hoping for.

Thanks for your time and keep up the brilliant work.

lobo writes...

can you tell us what lex and broadways reactions to brooklyn having a fammily will you make them jealouse

mike p. writes...

Hey greg,
first off, i love everything about spectacular spider-man. I think it's like 10x better than the 90's cartoon and a good deal of shows (animated and not) on right now. My question is that from a good amout of the interviews that you've done it seems like you're planning on doing the series for a while (approx. 60-some episodes) and then after doing dvd movies about when Peter's in college. Do you ever worry that the amount of new characters you're going to be able to use will shrink over time leaving only more obscure villains to introduce in later seasons? Or do you already have the story arcs and everything planned out? Also, would a character like Morlun(and the Other storyline) be too bizarre for what you have planned even in the dvd movies?

Thanks for being too legit to quit.

JA writes...

Mr Weisman
you've mention that Fox was in science group during high school and have no advanced degrees
however, she'd went to university..or college^^
im curious about what kind of subject did she major in and which university did she go?

George writes...

Hello.First i sorry for the bad English but I'm Bulgarian and I'm still young.I wanted to ask you if there is going to be a 3th season of W.I.T.C.H. ? i know this question was already asked but i hope Disney changed there minds.This anime is the greatest and i really hope it continues.
Thanks.
George:your biggest fan.
to your work:keep it going YOU ARE THE BEST ;)
and sorry if i didnt wrote something not write

Peaseblossom writes...

Hiya! It's me again. I'm a persisent lil' fay. Since the the story of what the star of arabia is and how Xanatos got it, is a story for another day...my question is this: Do you think that story will be touched upon in the comics as all?

cartoonlover writes...

I heard that you used to work on Disney's Mighty Ducks animated series. I that true? This is one of my favourite shows ever (next to Gargoyles) as it combined my two passinions: superheroes and hockey.

? writes...

Mr. Wiseman (or may I call you Greg?), I have to say I enjoyed Season 1 of Spectacular Spider-Man, I especialy liked how Venom was saved as the season's final villian (great finale, by the way).Seeing as how Venom is my favorite Spider-Man villian (I also like the Goblins, Doc Ock and Lizard) I have a few questions conserning his future.
1. Is Venom the only Symbiote villian you plan to use? I ask because I never cared for "Scorpion Venom" (Mac Gargan was better off as Scorpion if you ask me), Carnage or those other ones; I liked it better when Venom was the only Symbiote villian (not to mention when Eddie Brock was his human half).
2. Assuming you get your wish of making 65 episodes, do you intend to give Venom a fair amount of apperances (not too much, not too little)? The 90s series only gave the character 4 episodes as Venom (Eddie Brock and the Symbiote fused together); I can understand if he isn't used alot if you only get 3 Seasons or so. I know he'll return in Season 2 though I'm not sure if he'll get 1 or 2 episodes. If you're not sure yet that's OK, I completly understand.
3. What are your own opinions about Venom? Just for curiosity reasons I guess (wondering if your influence gave him his (pardon the pun) spectacular performance in Season 1's finale.
Thanks in advance for your answers! I may ask about the other villans one of these days.

Mike B. writes...

I was wondering...is Season 2 of SSSM going to feature Lance Banyon and the Daily Globe? It would be interesting to see how they could have a tie-in to Eddie Brock, so Peter could use those clues in his search.

bob writes...

I was wondering if Amazon.com was still selling the Gargoyle comics, at the time of writting this they only have up to number 6 and the trade. With the earlier comics you could purchase them about a week after their official release date.
thanks

kyle tonarella writes...

hey greg i just want to say thank you once again for making Spectacular Spider-Man. It has become my second favorite cartoon after Batman The Animated Series becasue you handle the charcters just like bruce timm and paul dini did. I look forward to the second season. here is my question will we Doc Ock come back to lead the sinister six in the second group ?

Jacob writes...

I was curious have you ever wanted to start the show Max Steel back up i know you only did the first season but have you ever like suggested to mattel to start the show back up?

cartoonlover writes...

Hi Greg,
I heard from Animation Magazine (or at least that's what I heard) that season two of Spectacular Spider-Man will indeed air on CW. Is that true?

Matteo writes...

Hey, I tried looking up Venus on the Ask Greg search, and only found one question from like 9 years ago that said you weren't sure of because you weren't writing for it back then. My question is after all this time is there any chance Hell will freeze over, and bring her into SLG?
BTW I love your sarcastic spin on your answers. Thanks.

Matteo writes...

I know you got a tad cranky the last time this was asked, but I was wondering if I could be a little more specific. You said that a gargoyle in stone sleep might still wake-up after taking MINIMAL damage (if not life threatening). My question is If Jackal succeded in altering Goliath's face into his own would he wake up looking like Jackal, or be considered dead?
If you don't want to answer that I understand, but while i'm on the stone sleep subject I was also curious about something else. If a destroyed gargoyle was ground down and resculptured would he be "reborn?"

Kaitlan writes...

My question is in the City of Stone episodes during the Flashbacks with Macbeth and Demona. Demona is shown having her own little clan but where did the other Gargoyles come from if Princess Katharine and The Magus take all the eggs to Avalon?

dee thompson writes...

I apologise ahead of time, this is not an "artful" or creative question, but assuming I have hit an educated site, I am in need of information. I am in possession of 3 cels and numerous Gargoyle merchandise, and have an immediate need to sell them. I am humiliated, but we are down to 3 dollars and need to find a venue fast. I have no idea what they are worth, but would at least like a direction where they will be appreciated. We lost all ina fire and the insurance reneged. These items were stored specially with other like items so we are lucky to have them, but they are not saleable locally. Any suggestions would be helpful...thank you...and your site is great..my grown son is an artist and has long been a fan..

Tay writes...

If the whole Wyvern Clan survived the massacre and ended up in Manhattan, what would have you named the other members?

Litwolf writes...

You may have answered this in a ramble after I posted this question but I thought Id throw it out there. Youve said that its possible that the Gargoyles comic will leave SLG publishing and fall fully into Disney's hands. At first, I thought you meant the comic was going to die all-together and I nearly cried. But then, I realized you meant it might just be changing to a Disney publisher. I was relieved but still worried because, from the Gathering Rambles others have posted, it sounds like it would be a bad thing if Gargoyles got moved to Disney's publisher.

Why is that bad? I mean, we'll still have the comic, just under a new name. So why is it bad that its moving? What would change if Gargoyles moved? There would still be the same artists, writers, and stories, right?

Also talking about the future of the comic, you've said that we'll see the other spinoffs if Bad Guys does well. So I wanted to ask how the series is selling (and for that matter, how is the main Gargoyles comics selling? Any idea how many issues of the main comics we'll see?) Also, I believe you've said that, after Bad Guys, you'll do Bad Guys (because of a nagging story, right? ^_^), Pendragon, and then TimeDancer. Any idea which spinoff (2198 and New Olympians) will be up after that, what the order will be following TimeDancer?

Thanks for answering these questions! Ive been dying to get some comic news since Ive read these Gathering Rambles!

Ragwood writes...

Does Molly/Banshee really care about Rory?
It's just that I noticed the sad looks she gave him behind his back when It was obvious he wouldn't let go and was about to discover the truth.
... Or is she just a dam good actor?

klye tonarella writes...

what my question ment was will molten man have any connections to liz allen like he did in the comics and is there any chance the lizard might return

Cerebros writes...

I know it's been two years since the announcement about Season 1 and Season 2 Part 1 needing 1000 sales to produce Season 2 part 2. How many more are needed at this point to warrant getting the second half of Season 2 on DVD? I'm planning on getting them shortly where I can find them.

Litwolf writes...

I just did a few quick calculations. Now, correct me if Im wrong, I believe you have said that Brooklyn and his rookery hatched 958 and Goliath and his rookery hatched twenty years earlier, in 938. Then, in the 1997, Brooklyn begins his TimeDancing adventures (Im so excited to read the se upcoming comics!) and he travels and ages for fourty years to then return to 1997 five minutes from when he left. This would now make Brooklyn fourty years, two gargoyle generations, older than his leader Goliath.

Along with these calculations, I believe you have said that leaders generally pick their seconds from younger rookeries. This would make sense because they would want to be able to let their seconds rule if the leaders ever reach an old age when they cant lead (such as Hudson choosing the much younger Goliath). However, upon his return, second-in-command Brooklyn is now older than the leader of the Manhattan Clan, Goliath.

Because of this new age difference after the TimeDancing adventures, will Goliath pick a new second? Angela, Lex, and Broadway are all younger and Angela even has experience of being a second-in-command on Avalon. I dont want Brooklyn to lose his position as second but it does seem a likly step for Goliath to take. What do you think?

Kevin Shane writes...

Why does Sevarius make clones of the Manhattan Clan for Thailog in "The Reckoning" after Thailog tried to kill him along with Xanatos and Goliath in "Double Jeopardy?" In that episode, Thailog told Goliath he had decided to hate him as he hated Xanatos and Sevarius. Why would Thailog ask Sevarius to help him?

Kevin Shane writes...

You have stated that you made the Weird Sisters into a blend of three different mythical triplets: the Fates, the Furies, and the Graces. Furthermore, each one of the Weird Sisters focuses on a different one of these trios: silver-haired Luna represents Fate, golden-haired Phoebe Grace, and raven-haired Seline Vengeance. According to the commentary on GargWiki's "City of Stone-Part I" article, the shift in their characterization throughout the series is described by you as due to the shift in which Sister's influence is uppermost at the time.

What do you mean by this? Whose influence is supreme in which episodes?

Kevin Shane writes...

Why did Toon Disney remove the word "terrorist" from Goliath's conversation with the Weird Sisters in the episode "City of Stone-Part I?" Did "terrorist" take on a new meaning after 9/11? I thought this was puerile editing to the dialogue because I think it's important to refer to Demona as a terrorist.

Kevin Shane writes...

Why is Prince Malcolm unintelligent enough not to see the threat from the Archmage and to not see the bad effect of him telling his daughter to be afraid of gargoyles?

Kevin Shane writes...

Did Xanatos share Owen's identity as Puck with Fox? I assume he did, but would there be a reason not to?

vik writes...

vik again, wil any other symbiotes appear?

vik writes...

will carnage appear?

Greg Bishansky writes...

My Gathering Journal. Part of this was written in the hotel on Thursday night. Part of it at the airport before heading home, and the rest from home. So if it seems a little disjointed, that's why.

My Gathering Journal, Day One.
So, I'm here in Chicago. Operating on no hours of sleep.

At 4am, my roommate, Dustin, drops me off at LAX so I can catch my flight to Chicago. American Airlines. I hate American Airlines. Been spoiled by JetBlue, and honestly, I've never before been nervous about flying. I had a window seat, and the wing looked like it was about to fall off. I couldn't sleep (and already I was up for twenty four hours). The guy behind me was sleeping well... everyone on board heard him. I tried to read, but couldn't concentrate, was just too exhausted.

After a four hour flight that felt more like twelve, we landed. My day began getting much better, my suitcase was one of the first off the plane. That never, ever happened to me before. I caught a car service from O'Hare airport to the Hotel Orrington. My driver took the back roads, because the traffic on the freeway was murder, as the rest of the con staff would soon find out (Feel free to insert a joke about my driving here, Greg ;)). On the way, the driver and I discuss International oil politics and Barack Obama. We also drive through the town where, as he pointed out, Hillary Clinton was born.

Finally, I am dropped off at the hotel, and I immediately run into my fellow staffers, Susan Leonard and Patrick Toman. I check in, bump into Rob, and we catch up. It was fun. I shower, shave and change, because I'm rank from the flight, and greet Jennifer, Seth and Sammy. They check in and we take their bags up stairs. I get to hear all about how their plane was late taking off, and when they landed, they spent half an hour on the tarmac. I was glad I came on a different flight. And then, of course, they got stuck in traffic. Naturally, they were starved when they arrived.

Everyone kept trickling in. Karine Charlebois showed up, and Jen's roommate, Rebok. Eventually, everyone except Nikki was present.

So, we go to dinner. Sushi. There were about fourteen of us. Let's see: Greg Weisman, Jen, Karine, Thom Adcox, Seth, Sammy, Patrick, Rebok, Josh Silver (Hollywood producer and Keith David's agent) and eventually Keith David showed up with his wife and kids. We sat down, ate sushi, had a lot of laughs. Toasted to a wonderful weekend. Hey, any weekend that begins with booze and raw fish is incapable of sucking.

Except for one minor annoyance, this con looks like it's off to a great start. Now... well, we're all off to bed because, well, we're old... and tired. And have a long day tomorrow.

My Gathering Journal, Day Two
Writing from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.

So, I woke up, showered, shaved and joined the staff for breakfast. An apple, coffee and pastries. The staff breakfast meeting is a tradition. Though we're mostly laughing while discussing business. With that over, the art show is set up, and, that minor annoyance from the previous night... got a short but stern talking to.

I'm mostly blanking out about the day, but I saw a lot of people. My roommates, Revel and Spacie arrived. I saw Aaron, Mara, Lynati, Emambu, CKayote, Matt, Mandi, damn... a lot of people.

At 5pm, Opening Ceremonies started. The staff sat in front of the room this year, which has happened previous years, but never when I was on. So, that was kind of cool. Susan introduced us, and the guests. Greg Weisman, Keith David, Josh Silver, Thom Adcox and Karine Charlebois. Then, Jennifer got up and introduced next year's victims... er, I mean, con staff, yeah. I am one of them, so, yeah... staffing another Gathering. I am a masochist.

As usual, Opening Ceremonies consisted of Greg's videos. The original Gargoyles pitch. The press release tape. The New Olympians and Dark Ages pitches. The Bad Guys animatic. And "The Last"... which the fandom is finishing for Greg.

Afterwards, I was starving. So, Aaron, Emambu, Lynati, and... er, two newbies whose names I don't recall went searching for pizza. I wanted to try the Chicago Pizza. I did, and it was good. I liked it. But, I like New York pizza better. I've actually gotten into the pizza debate before with my classmate and director, Bill Castanzo. He never tried NY pizza. I never tried Chicago pizza. But, like Harlan Ellison says, "you're not entitled to an opinion. You are entitled to an informed opinion." Well, now my opinion is informed. ;)

We returned to the hotel room, and were joined by Revel and Spacie. We chatted, chilled, watched Cookie Monster's appearance on "The Colbert Report" and, eventually I plead exhaustion and we kicked everyone out and went to bed.

Heh, reading that last paragraph... the real exhaustion will come on Sunday night/Monday morning. But, not getting ahead of myself ;)

My Gathering Journal, Day Three.
Again, got up early and I want to profess my undying love to something very important to me. Something which, without, I would not have had the same joy working on this con as I have. I am of course referring to coffee. The Con Staffer's best friend. The filmmakers' best friend to, for that matter.

So, after the staff breakfast was over, I spent the beginning of the day doing crowd control for the Radio Play auditions. Which meant getting to converse with people, and meet some new people... with one glaring exception, everyone was cool. Finally, I decided to audition, myself. Not seriously though, considering that I already knew what this year's Radio Play was, I knew I had no chance in hell. So... I decided that I would just have fun, and provide a laugh for Greg, Thom, Keith and Jen. I auditioned for Angela... and sucked... but we all laughed.

Next, I went to Karine's panel on Comic Page Layout. As a long time comic book reader, who has mostly paid attention to the writing aspect, this was very informative. She's a talented artist, and while at one point she got quite envious of Greg Guler's "powers," I am confident that she will get there. Her comic art is getting better with each issue she does, and I say this as someone who has always been a fan of her art.

There was a brief incident during the panel, where someone tried to steal the comics she had on the table. I watched him slowly, and subtly stuff them into his bag. I wasn't going to interrupt Karine's panel to call him out on it, but I had full intention of making him give them back the second the panel was over. But, Karine noticed they were gone, asked who had them, everyone pointed at him, and he gave them back.

Afterwards, I spent time helping out in the Art/Dealers Room. A lot of great art. I bid on pieces Karine brought. An awesome shot of Hunter, and page 3 of "Bash," Thailog and the clones standing over a fallen Goliath trying to hold his guts in, and blood dripping off Thailog's blade. Or, as it was later known... "Keith on Keith right after penetration." ;)

I went to the men's room somewhere around here. Normally, I would not report on this, but, this will be funny at the end of this entry. Trust me. The urinals made this creepy scream that could be heard as the urinals flushed. Again, bear with me.

Finally, it was time for the Radio Play. Issues 7, 8 and 9. Chronological order. The play was terrific. Keith was Goliath and Thailog. Phoenix Talon reprised her role as Elisa from last year. Jen was terrific as Shari. Thom as Lex. Seth did a great job as Amp. Emambu turned on his Scottish as Macbeth. Laurean as Constance... awesome.

The play itself, I liked. But, now I understand why Greg chose to tell the story in the comics the way he did. It just did not work in chronological order. We had several Shari stories in a row. Good thing Jen is great at monologuing. And every time she got up to tell one of Shari's stories... the wind and the rain could be heard. Something supernatural was going on there ;)

Issue 9... wow. Just... wow. I'm not saying another word until it hits the stands.

Once the Radio Play was over, it was time for the staff dinner. Susan bought the staff dinner at Pete Miller's steak house. Damn... best meal I've had in ages. I had a lobster bisque to start. And a medium well Fillet Mignon. The mashed potatoes were awesome, garlic was mashed into them. The scotch was great. It was a good time.

Greg left early to get back to the Blue Mug. Eventually, the rest of us got back, a little drunk, but hey, the Blue Mug is always better when you're drunk. I say we have an open bar at it next time, get everyone to lower their inhibitions. Let's see how naughty the questions are then ;)

Greg left to use the men's room and came back and reported the same thing about the urinals but was able to place that scream. The urinals sound like that scream the Green Goblin's pumpkin bombs make when they explode. Creepy.

Eventually, we went to bed.

My Gathering Journal, Day Four.
You know the drill. Woke up, had breakfast. Talked about the previous night and the day's itinerary.

First up was the "Gargoyles & Bad Guys" Comic Book panel with Greg and Karine. Some news was divulged.

- The future of the comic is uncertain. SLG wants to renew. But, Disney is now starting their own comic book company and might no longer want to license their properties out. Also, if Disney raises the licensing fee, SLG will have to decline. Greg is cautiously optimistic.

- Issue 9 will probably be David Hedgecock's last issue. For no other reason than he has problems meeting deadlines.

- The next spin-off is no longer "Pendragon." Greg has this "Dark Ages" story he needs to tell.

- There was another revelation, but... gotta wait for #9 to come out, folks ;)

Personally, if I had my pick, I'd make "Bad Guys" an on-going book. I am loving everything about it.

Next was the "Spectacular Spider-Man" panel. Greg told the story of Norman Osborn's chauffeur. The worst chauffeur ever. I'll admit, I cringed at first, because he's been making fun of me over this for five years now. But, then I realized, you know what, I am a moron. It's the good kind of poking fun, and it was in an episode of Spider-Man. Laughing with me, not at me. So, I got up, and took a bow...

... later on I told Greg that I received a phone call saying my house blew up, pieces of pumpkin debris were all over the place, and the neighbors reported the sound of a gigantic urinal. ;)

After that was over, I learned that Susan won the bidding war. Thailog and the clones standing over a bleeding Goliath was hers. I did end up going home with the beauty shot of the Eyrie Building from #5. And the page with Thailog's "moi".

After that, I was starving and needed lunch. A large group of us, Aaron, Mara, Revel Spacie, Lynati, Mandi, CKoyote, and Kimberly went to Paneira's for lunch. I then hurried back for the end of the auction and got my comics signed.

My favorite autographs:

"Worst chauffeur ever!"
- Greg Weisman
"But best reference finder ever!
- Karine Charlebois

Finally, it was down to my room to get ready for the banquet. Suit and tie, as always. The food was good, the company was great, and the trivia contest was fun to watch. By the time the thing ended, we were writing up new questions just to get it over with. Greg and I both wrote up the last question which ended the contest. I can't disclose that question here because it ties in with #9.

Afterwards, it was time for the masquerade. Mara, Aaron and Lynati came back to my room with Revel, Spacie and I to change. And then it was back down. We didn't have many costumes this year, but what we had was terrific. D.Taina was the spitting image of Shari; Odin had a fun skit; the Tourist Garg was great; but, my favorite had to be Karine as Hunter. If she were allowed to participate, she would have taken Best in Show in a heartbeat.

After that, it was dancing time. You know it's a nerd con when half the people are dancing, and the other half are in the corner playing video games. Guess which I did? I tried dancing. I have never danced before in my life. But, I figured I'd give it a try. I sucked at it, but I am thankful to Mara, Karine and Spacie for the quick dance lessons. I will do it again, of course.

Aaron did lure me over to the Mugen JEB brought with a challenge. Megatron vs Galvatron. We'd finally settle it. I was Galvatron... and I kicked his ass. Galvatron wins! ;)

Things wound down, people started going to bed. But a very small group of us ended up in Susan Leonard's room where we talked, laughed, drank a little and just enjoyed each other's company until 4am.

Gathering Jounal - The Conclusion
Wow, I was so overdue in finishing this.

So, after staying up till 4am the previous night, once again I was up at 8am. Grabbed a shower, and packed. Today was the last day of the con, and there was much to do.

First I raced upstairs and met up with Jen, Karine, Nikki and Patrick, and we went off in search of breakfast. I had bagels and lox. It was a good breakfast. While eating, the waiter over heard us talking about "Spectacular Spider-Man" and we pointed at Jen and said she worked on the show. After breakfast, it was up the art room to collect the art pieces I won. Two original pages from the comic, and an awesome piece of Hunter. All by Karine. Good stuff.

With all that out of the way, Revel and I searched for a non-existent Fed-Ex Kinkos. When we discovered that it was indeed non-existent, we ran for UPS so I could send a package home and get myself some big envelopes to protect the art I bought. As a result, we were late for the Blue Mug Productions panel.

The Blue Mug Productions panel was a lot of fun. On that panel were, as they've been dubbed, the three angels: Jen, Karine, and Mara. Also, we met Edmund Tsabard. Very fun panel.

Finally, it was time for Closing Ceremonies, which are always bitter sweet. Edmund ducked out, and Greg Weisman returned. Awards were given out. Revel, Karine and Mara cleaned up at the art awards. I won three awards for the two music videos I entered. "Gargoyles Comic Intro" won third place in action, and "Kill David" won both second place in action and third place in comedy. Susan Scoggins' "Demona - 1985" won a well-deserved Best In Show award. Now, I am plotting for the next music video contest. I have two ideas.

Finally, we talked about Gathering 2009, which will be back in my newly adopted city of Los Angeles: http://www.gatheringofthegargoyles.com/g2009/ so everyone register. After that, I made my way around the room saying my good byes. Lots of hugs. But, I had to run. My cab was waiting out front to take me to the airport.

And so, another Gathering come and gone. Well, until next year, anyway.

LadyMidnight81 writes...

Hi, this has probably been asked already but I can't find it in the archives or the faq and don't have the time to read through all the archives. I was wondering if you were planning on turning the other spin-off ideas, besides Gargoyles: Bad Guys, into comics if the first the first two did well enough and SLG was in favor of the idea? I would love to read the Timedancer and the one that takes place in 2198 in this format if the cartoon version aren't possible at this point.
Sorry if this has been asked a bunch and if you don't want to answer the question again could someone just tell me what the original answer is under in the archives....anyway thanks for bringing back Gargoyles, any format is better than no format at all, and I love comics so it's nice to see a good one on the shelves.

Thank you for your time and keep up the excellent work.

cartoonlover writes...

Hello,
I heard about a Gargoyles live action movie, being made years ago. Is it safe to say its not happening? If so, I'm glad. I can just picture them making signifcant changes, (I can see a bald Goliath and a weird looking Hudson)

Chip writes...

You've indicated in the past that Demona probably knows about the London Clan. Does the London Clan know about Demona?

Kevin Shane writes...

Illustrated in the scene following Macbeth saving Duncan, what was the latter's reason for fearing and/or hating gargoyles? We know very well why Gillecomgain hated Demona and her kind. It's easy to guess why Duncan's son, Malcolm Canmore, hated them because of the part they played in Macbeth becoming king of Scotland. So, why did Duncan want to destroy Demona and her clan before he came to suspect that Macbeth was conspiring against him?

dph writes...

Is the way that a member of 3rd race uses magic versus the way that a normal human uses magic akin to the way a chess prodigy plays chess versus the way a learned man plays chess?

dph writes...

Review of issue #8

Ok, I'm ignoring the story for right now.

196 gargoyles plus 25 eggs. No beasts. Since the clan's population is stablized that the indication that every female is only allowed to have 2 eggs, we know that those 25 eggs came from 2 generations: 50 female gargoyles. So that makes 100 gargoyles split between two generations.

I had heard about the Jeremiah account as an alternate story. Now we learn that Shari is not necessarily always telling the truth, but rather repeating stories. That's a good thing to establish right now so we won't be disappointed when Sharon says something which we later learn was totally false. I wasn't aware that both King Arthur and King Macbeth were crowned on the same day. That's incredibly simplistic of you, which is fitting of your pattern. Keeping things simple helps out a bunch. :-)

Nice to see King Arthur and Macbeth trading stories. Also, it's nice to see Nightstone venturing into a 'legitimate' business.

So, supposedly, Cu Culhullain split the Stone of Destiny in two. So assuming that was true, do both parts still 'talk'?

It's nice to see Griff taking Hudson and Lexington to the London Clan's home. Of course, I wonder if Hudson and Lex had to make a promise about not revealing that location to outsiders. Also, I'm wondering about Macbeth being allowed into the London clan's home. That's taking a lot for granted. Lex had a nice response to Griff's question about why the steel gargoyle and iron gargoyle look like Goliath, something we've taken for granted for a while.

Whoa. The Stone of Destiny is also connected to Carbonek. I like the idea that "All things are true, few things are accurate" and Macbeth's reaction to it. It's nice to learn about the size of a gargoyle clan that managed to survive on its own to modern times.

It's nice that Thailog treats his subordinates the same way that Xanatos did: He would fire them for losing on purpose.

Last, we get the expected return of Coldstone and Coldsteel. We still don't know exactly what Xanatos's motives are in this whole affair, but I'm looking forward to learning the truth in issue #9 as well as more backstory for the Stone of Destiny.

Litwolf writes...

This might be a silly question but I thought Id ask it anyway.

Given the amount of damage Wyvern Castle has taken since it was moved to Manhattan (the damage it took at the end of Awakening and in the fight in Enter MacBeth is what pops into my mind but there's been tons more), how much of the original structure do you think is left? Obviously, Xanatos cant keep taking the same old stone from Scotland that falls off the castle and put it back in place. He has to get new stone, right? Even if he made a mirror copy replica, its not the same stone that came from Wyvern Hill. So how much of the original castle is really left?

Just curious :P