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Comment Room Archive

Comments for the week ending March 24, 2024

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[SPOILER] All of this gun talk makes me wonder. How tight of a leash does Disney have on the new comics? I'm curious to know if anything's been shot down or altered. The series was always pushing the boundaries back then, I wonder if it's still a battle with Disney on what can or can't get shown. [/SPOILER]
Kate

****A projection of Blaise (rather like a Force Ghost) appears in the Room.****
Just a quick response:

CRAIG> [SPOILER] Oh, I know they're not technically "laser guns," but it's shorter to write "laser" than "particle beam." And, functionally, they serve the same purpose: "kid-friendly firearms."
And, yeah, realistic guns (or at least non-non-projectile guns) were the regular weapon of the gangsters and normal criminal types in the series. "The Silver Falcon" and "Turf" immediately leap to mind where they used guns that seemed to fire bullets and attempted to use them on living people (human and gargoyle). Pal Joey and two goons tried to shoot Broadway in the park in "The Silver Falcon", for sure (with Joey's preceeding "Plug 'im!" censored out of the Toon Disney airings). Granted, the rifles definitely looked to me like they were drawn differently from real guns (bigger and bulkier), but what they fired looked and sounded closer to bullets than beams. [/SPOILER]


Later!
****Blaise's image fades from view.****

Blaise
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."--The Doctor

Blaise >

[SPOILER]
Great thoughts. Something that occurred to me while reading your post: Did the gargoyles/Elisa report the precinct bombs to the police, and if not, why? If a bomb squad had diffused the bombs, as opposed to just throwing them into a river, there might have been some physical evidence to convict Dino. I guess maybe there simply wasn't time and the gargoyles had to act expediently, but it does raise the question of human justice and gargoyle justice co-existing side by side going forward, and how uneasy that will inevitably be... (Especially with Goliath technically now as an officer of the court!)

As to projectile guns...my recollection is that the use of realistic guns stopped after season 1. Am I wrong about that? Obviously, the use of real guns was prominent in "Awakening" and "Deadly Force," but I can't recall bullets being fired at a person or gargoyle after that (bullets were occasionally fired at OBJECTS, like Elisa shooting at the carpets in "The Price").

Also, to be nitpicky, I don't think they're "laser guns" per se. As Owen points out in "Deadly Force," lasers are only for aiming: the weapon is a particle beam. This is something that cartoons get wrong a lot, portraying lasers (which are just light) as something with the capability to physically harm people; and I believe even Gargoyles started referring to them as "laser guns" later on, after that initial due-diligence attempt at using more nuanced/technically correct phrasing.

I initially found Coldstone's narration very stilted and unrealistic in the context of him talking to Demona ("As you know, I am Coldstone"...who begins a conversation that way?!), but thinking about it more, it reflects perhaps how disconnected Coldstone feels from his own existence at this point. I don't think he truly identifies as "Coldstone," particularly given gargoyles' traditional disavowing of naming, and his calling himself an "undead thing." "Coldstone" is just a general state of being for him, not an identity. Which, again, makes me feel so bad for the guy. Poor decision-making aside, he didn't ask for ANY of this, and I can't imagine how I'd feel in his circumstances.
[/SPOILER]

Craig

****Blaise stumbles into the Room and flops into a chair.****
So much to talk about. Part of the reason it took me so long to come back to the Room was because I knew that each ramble I write would take *hours* (I write them down in Word first and then copy them over). This one was no exception, and in fact took a bit longer because there is SO MUCH to talk about and sum up. And there will probably be more in the future. At any rate, here we go...

COLD COMFORT> [SPOILER] Coldstone is our narrator for this issue, but that’s not surprising (he’s the only one we haven’t heard from). What *is* surprising, however, is that he seems to be directly addressing someone (starting with “As you know...”), something that none of the other narrators have done. This immediately tells me that this isn’t the normal “internal narration” of the others, but Coldstone actually talking to someone. And I have a pretty good idea just who he’s talking to.
(Spoiler alert: And I’m right. This also renders his "As you know..." leading into his describing himself as an "undead thing" a bit accusatory to me. After all, who raised him as this "undead thing?")

Anyway, Coldstone is giving a commentary on the current situation, acknowledging the “victory of sorts” Goliath’s hearing brought, but hesitating to put “too much faith in [the humans'] largesse.” There’s that word again. Let’s see...”Largesse: noun, generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others; money or gifts given generously.” I could very well be reading too much into this, but once again I wonder if Coldstone knows what Xanatos did.

But onto happier news: Goliath is back! And the Trio (and Gnash) coincidentally return at the same time so we can get a big reunion right then and there with the whole clan, including the beasts and Egwardo who Katana has decided to bring out of the Rookery for some reason. Well, almost the whole clan: Coldstone is standing apart on the tallest tower for now. But Goliath and Elisa are glad to see each other (calling out each other’s names like old times), Hudson and Coldfire voice their happiness with the trial and the clan being reunited, and Angela and Katana check in with the boys on how the mission went (OK, so they did know and Katana at the very least did not strenuously object to Gnash going, cool). Gnash and his “uncles” are exuberant about it, but Brooklyn’s response is the slightly more subdued “It *was* pretty great.” To me, this speaks of Brooklyn being the oldest there as well as his own acknowledgment that he had needed this sort of bonding time with his brothers. Elisa once again pulls out a “We need to talk” statement (hopefully not as heartbreaking as the last time she said that in “Invitation Only”) and Goliath agrees but--SURPRISE SUNRISE! Wow, you five cut your returns to the castle pretty darn close! All Elisa can do is sigh and wait for night to talk to Goliath. Meanwhile, Coldstone seems to jet off for parts currently unknown...(I'm pretty sure he's going to talk to a certain red-head we know.)

We cut back to the Sanchez and Choi crime family HQs in a page that parallels a similar page back in “Render Unto Caesar”. In fact, other than the dialogue bubbles, the first two panels are pretty much the same, and the last two panels are also the same except for the dialogue bubbles and some coloring. Even the middle four panels are matches to their counterparts back in #5 (with Yingpei in exactly the same position). The biggest difference, of course, is who the crime bosses are talking to: Huracan is talking to Rosaria and Yingpei is talking to Peter. The kids bring the adults up to speed on the situation, even explaining that the “insurance” photographs were staged by the real kidnappers, though they are not able to positively ID who kidnapped them. The bosses both separately decide they need to contact Slaughter and agree to his proposed summit.
(BTW, the highlighting of repeated panels is not meant to be a criticism, but an observation. I actually like it as an echo: this kidnapping ends in a way that matches how it began.)

Speaking of the kidnappers, we cut to the Dracon suite at Park Manor, where Dino, Dominic, Antoinette (what is she wearing?), and Glasses are planning the next move (and hey, the Gargoyles are *finally* starting to get under Dino’s skin--small victory!). Well, Dino’s thinking is very gang-related, which includes viewing the cops as a “seventh gang” in New York City (I *want* to argue against that line of thinking more than I feel I really can these days...), so Dino decides to pull more of the same tricks: make the NYPD think they’ve been attacked by the other five gangs and retaliate. Yeah, for all his talk about working “smarter” Dino really only has the one scheme to go to, it seems. But Glasses brings up the Gargoyles as the “eighth gang” and their biggest headache. Dino, however, isn’t concerned as he’s apparently already working that angle with something, or rather someone, else in mind: John Castaway. I don’t know whether this means he’s already made contact with Castaway or not, but I’m sort of reminded of some old comments back in the day about crooks the clan have foiled joining the Quarrymen in hopes of taking the Gargoyles out of the crime-fighting equation. We might have a bit of that with Chaz and Lou, but this is the first time one of the “organized crime” peeps seem to be thinking of using the Q-men in that way.
Still, that leave’s Slaughter’s summit, which Dino says Pal Joey can take D.D. to in order to represent the Dracons (leading to another moment of Dominic maybe spacing out and snapping back to reality). Antoinette talks about looking after Dominic there, but Dino advises her (because he’s fond of her, he says) to not go anywhere near that summit.
So, it’s pretty obvious that Dino intends to kill everyone at that summit, including his father and a loyal henchman (you splash water on the guy’s shoes *one time*). But what strikes me is this: he’s already planning to have the NYPD hit and make it look like the other five gangs did it. How will the sudden violent deaths of those gangs’ leaders (or consiglieres/emeritus leaders in the case of Brod and Dracon’s gangs) affect that? I’ve said it before, and Greg Bishansky has said it earlier this week, but Dino is not as clever as he thinks he is. Chess grandmasters supposedly can see something like 10-20 moves ahead, but I think Dino is closer to 2. And going back to setting up Pal Joey to be killed, I’m reminded of how Greg Weisman has mentioned in the past he was always annoyed with bad guys who would kill their minions for any failure, and that makes me wonder where Dino falls on that scale. Seeing the method he intends to use to implement both plans, though (lots of explosives), I’ll say one thing: Dino Dracon definitely does overkill.

Enough of that for now, though; back to the Gargoyles waking up. Coldstone pulls Goliath aside for a talk while Angela and Broadway prepare to finally ask Katana and Brooklyn to be their seconds at their commitment ceremony (apparently a night out of bonding was enough to get Broadway over his hesitation of asking Brooklyn). However, that ask comes after the one Brooklyn and Katana have for them and Lex: to all be Rookery Parents to Egwardo (since Gnash has pretty much already grown with B & K as his parents for his roughly 18-20 years of life so it’s a little late for that to change). Ah, so *that's* why she brought up Egwardo (and also, I guess, so the whole clan can be there when Goliath returns). I think B & K have to specifically ask these three for that because, at roughly 40 years old (20 physical), these three would not normally *be* parents yet. Hudson? Absolutely. Goliath (and Coldstone/Coldfire)? Sure. But this is Brooklyn and Katana making sure that even the three who couldn’t have an egg in the Rookery are still considered the “parents” of this new child (and not just “older siblings” like they would otherwise have been). The answers all around are, of course, “yes” including Elisa, who shows up just in time for Angela to ask her to be a Second as well (and has a wonderful response of “I don’t need wings for that, do I?”). And I can’t remember Hudson looking happier.

Meanwhile, Goliath and Coldstone have their conversation and Coldstone is not happy with Goliath’s decisions lately, particularly trusting his fate to humans and human systems, calling it “ceding control to a potential enemy.” He even asks Goliath if that’s how a “Rydderch” leads (calling back to the “Dark Ages: Alliance” prequel series), and once again telling me that Coldstone's thinking is still locked in the Tenth Century. For his part, Goliath is willing to acknowledge the point (and definitely looks troubled while Coldstone is asking him if he would have stayed imprisoned had the decision gone against him), but before he can fully respond Elisa steps in with “we *really* need to talk.” Goliath promises to continue this conversation with Coldstone later, but Coldstone laments that “*another* human took him away.” To his credit, though, Coldstone immediately admits that is unfair, and that “their love is real” (and given who he’s most likely saying this to, I can only imagine the (hidden) reaction), but it still clearly bothers him.

For Goliath and Elisa though...well, first things first. Once they get the kissing and hair stroking out of the way, though, it’s down to business. As much as it meant to him, Goliath is already worrying about the repercussions to Elisa’s statement in court, but as far as she’s concerned she “kept that secret” too long anyway. And there definitely are repercussions--it won’t be firing (though Elisa doesn’t seem so sure that Chavez doesn’t want to), but definitely a suspension. However, the full weight of it apparently depends on Goliath’s response to an offer from the NYPD. Before we can find out what that is, however, Brooklyn, Broadway and *Antoinette Dracon* show up with Brooklyn now saying “we need to talk.” Goliath, I would not blame you if at this point you let out an exclamation of “MOTHERF*@%#R!”

Seriously, though, Antoinette seems to be moving up with the Gargoyles: first Broadway, then the Trio and Gnash, and now pretty much everyone (including Elisa...wonder if that will lead to anything). Well, she lays out Dino’s whole scheme: five bombs on the five NYPD precinct houses closest to the other five gangs’ hideouts, and a sixth at the location of the summit. Of course, some of the clan (specifically, Coldfire, Angela, Hudson, Katana and Gnash) are able to simultaneously remove them from the buildings and safely get them to detonate over the rivers (and these precincts apparently neither noticed the planting or the removal of these bombs...great police work there!), while the others head to the summit. Said summit is in a location where they can apparently hear at least some of the bombs exploding over the rivers, leading Dino to ask if it’s the 4th of July, and Antoinette clarifying for him (and probably us, too) it’s still May. I find myself wondering where that summit building is and how big those explosions are if they can hear them.

But on with the summit. We see some familiar faces: the bosses we know, of course, but we also see Jimmy (last scene in "Render Unto Caesar," I believe) behind Yingpei and Alphabet behind Slaughter. Volkov and Sidor are there, too, albeit heavily bandaged (though not as heavily as before when we saw Volkov in the hospital, so he’s healing fast and well, apparently). But then we have two new folks behind Jack and Huracan with pretty distinctive designs. Hang on, let me do some digging....
Oh, wow! Okay, so the guy behind Jack is Cenek Belinsky and the woman behind Huracan is Jayla Real, and it seems they are based on some friends of ours--the very same people who host “Voices From the Eyrie”! Greg and Jennifer: congratulations on getting into the “Gargoyles” universe! Again...you were both extras in the SLG issues. But now you’re back in with lines!
Oh, yeah, there’s also a bomb in the chandelier (a classic).

The gargoyles burst through the big window there in another dramatic entrance (one that is marked by a Brooklyn-masked Dino Dracon outside with a “Oh, you gotta be kiddin’ me”). While the entrance would normally result in a lot of shooting, and all the seconds do indeed pull their...laser guns, Slaughter thankfully tells everyone to hold fire.
Little tangent here, but I went back and looked at the firefight in “A Little Crazy” and double checked Dino’s fight with Goliath in “Tale Old as Time”: all the firearms appear to be of the “non-projectile” variety. If anyone saw a realistic firearm throughout this series, please let me know, but right now it’s looking like everyone is armed with laser guns now. Yeah, we had them in the show, but they were balanced with more realistic firearms, too. I find myself wondering if this is another note from Disney.

At any rate, Coldstone neutralizes the bomb and we get a really cool shot of the guys with their back to the whited out window...which I guess led some folks to believe that there’s an explosion happening behind them outside the window. I thought it was obvious that’s not what’s happening, but I guess I can see the bright light outside being confusing. Well, now the summit proceeds with the Gargoyles leaning into that whole “eighth gang” thing (I’m guessing Antoinette might have told them that little tidbit, too), with Brooklyn even calling themselves "The Gargoyle Gang." The gargoyles pull their weight and call in some debts to call for peace here and now, said debts include saving the Sanchez and Choi kids, as well as Slaughter, and protecting Tony and Brod at Rikers. Volkov, though, actually has a beef with them since they got his son, Wolf, arrested again. The Gargoyles, however, make it clear this isn't about making friends and they’re still going to fight the gangs' criminal enterprises in the future, but for now they want to stop the gang war.

So does Dino, in a different way (I love how the panel goes from Brooklyn to Dino in the Brooklyn-mask!). Dino’s going for broke with one more bomb and a dead man’s switch. Why doesn’t he just throw the bomb in there and set it off without saying a word like a practical villain? Because, thankfully, Dino is an evil man (see me ramble on “Mayday” for the full bit on that). And maybe he also wanted to verify how the Gargoyles always knew where to be to foil him, and seeing Antoinette there was probably all the proof he needed. But Dominic recognizes him and tells him to take off the mask (this reminds me of Demona telling Macbeth the same thing regarding the Hunter's mask in "City of Stone"--he's not fooling anyone). Dominic calls Dino out for doing things this way, but as D.D. starts to compare him to his older brother, the senior Anthony Dracon, Dino just *loses* it, with spit flying from his mouth and everything! He even yells that Anthony is dead (I find myself wondering what the story for his absence was before this--an unexplained disappearance?) and that Dino knows this because Dino is the one who killed him. This seems to shock both Dominic and Antoinette, and while everyone’s distracted Goliath signals Coldstone (just like Hudson did to his old second back in “Dark Ages: Alliance”---another call back) to take out the bomb. But that doesn’t turn out to be necessary: while Dino tries to get one final dig in at his dad, Dominic just whips out a laser pistol and blows his son away. It seems to hit him in the upper chest (hard to tell what damage it did, though) and knocks him and his bomb out of the building. And on the way down, Dino lets go of the dead-man’s switch with predictable results.

Coldstone’s narration says that “no sign of Dino Dracon was ever found,” and I’ll admit for a character as murderous as Dino I considered the possibility that he might be killed off at the end of this arc (and that it would be another villain to take him out). I’m not entirely sure he’s been killed off for real, though. Time will tell if he survived (and how much of him). Still, that final panel with the Brooklyn mask floating on the water is great! (Funny how much that mask became his “thing.”)

Antionette starts talking and then apparently takes over as narrator for a page (we have dueling narrators!). She talks about how the Dracon family ceded some territory to the Brod gang, but also managed to install Dominic Dracon in what was apparently his old position: basically, the overall head of all crime families in New York (which includes a tithe of all the others’ revenue), highlighted with an image of Jack kissing Dominic’s hand. That’s a pretty decent win, there. But then, in the car where he doesn’t have to pretend, Dominic appears to be lost again, with Antoinette prompting him. This raises the question: how much of Dominic’s “dotty old man act” is actually an act? He seemed to be pretty on the ball when he called out and shot Dino, but moments of clarity don’t mean he’s clear all the time. I now wonder if those earlier scenes where Antoinette was listening in were her specifically making sure Dominic was in place to coax information out of Dino. Either way, Dominic officially controls the gangs (as much as one can) and Antoinette controls Dominic, as she tells whomever she’s talking to.

Then Coldstone speaks (and he has a similar background to Antoinette). He apparently made one “half-hearted” attempt to resume his conversation with Goliath but gave up because there were “too many distractions” what with Goliath accepting the NYPD’s offer: to join the Gargoyles Taskforce (bringing a whole new meaning to that name). It makes sense that it’s Goliath who joins: he is the most public face of the clan and their leader. In exchange for this, Elisa gets a four-month suspension without pay (which, yeah, “ouch” to four months without your usual source of income, but she’s right that it’s a slap on the wrist compared to what she could have received). If this is May, it means she’s back on the force in time for the Halloween issue, so continuity is preserved. Doesn’t look like Matt received as much punishment, seeing as he’s up there with Chavez and Goliath, but his might just have been less severe than Elisa's. And Goliath has a badge and everything (love the Easter Egg with the number). Still, Coldstone views this as having “further surrendered his honor and authority to the humans.”
I had mentioned before that Coldstone is still thinking in terms of a Tenth Century warrior, and everything in this issue is in line with that. He has not really *lived* in the Twentieth Century despite being active for years, and the five months he’s spent with the clan won’t necessarily be enough to change that.

Of course, the big reveal is the person who both Antoinette and Coldstone have been talking to: Demona! Antoinette says Demona predicted the events that happened exactly (something that is usually Xanatos’s wheelhouse) and that now the “gangs of New York” are hers. Coldstone says that Demona was “right about it all” and that he will secretly aid her “cause” with the stipulation that the clan remains unharmed. And Demona, even more smug than usual (so, just like in “Everywhere”) says, “Was there ever any doubt.”

So..lots of mysteries left. How long has Coldstone been talking to Demona? I’m pretty sure he went to see her on the second night of Goliath’s hearing (the one where he was “too angry” to watch with the rest of the clan). What exactly has Demona told him? Again, I wonder if Coldstone knows of Demona’s part in the Wyvern Massacre. And what about Antoinette Dracon? When did she and Demona cross paths? Why so chummy? And what’s her “in” at the Eyrie Building?
Also, just who hired Tobe Crest?

I’ve seen some folks (not here, elsewhere) say that Dino didn’t live up to the hype, but I find myself wondering what they were expecting. He was built up as a violent, dangerous, murderous brute and that’s what he was. Granted, because of, I’m sure, Standards and Practices (as well as page count) we could only see so much of that. Most of the gang fighting he started occurred “off-panel” and was only briefly talked about, so it didn’t have as much impact as it might have. And Antoinette’s maneuvering prevented his worst acts, allowing the Gargoyles to swoop in and save the day. I mean, if she hadn’t done that, he would have 1) murdered two teenagers, dismembered them and sent their remains back to their families, 2) blown up five police precinct buildings with bombs and no care for collateral damage, and 3) murdered his own father and a loyal gangster to go along with murdering his brother years ago. And something else that I don’t see brought up: Dino seems to have absolutely no fear. This guy was going up against Goliath one-on-one in "Render Unto Caesar" and wasn’t even that perturbed. If he does show up again, I look forward to seeing more of him.

There are other things I would have liked to see, not just in this issue but through the twelve issues. Things like Morgan’s reaction to “G” being Goliath, and more conversations between Katana and/or Gnash and the rest of the clan (seeing those dynamics). But we got *a lot* in these twelve issues, and I am grateful for that. And so looking forward to “Quest”! [/SPOILER]



Can't wait for the next story! For now, though, on to learning lines and preparing for WonderCon (my group, The Idiot's Lantern, is performing there Friday night at 9).
****Blaise twiddles his fingers and the chair levitates up and out of the Room.****

Blaise
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."--The Doctor

I'm usually chomping at the bit to read the new Gargoyles comics ASAP, but I've been busy and tired this week so it took me a little to get to it this time.

Watching Brian Mulroney's funeral as I write this and going to a board game event tonight. So kind of a weird day.

Dark Ages #6: [SPOILER] I don't have a TON to say about Dark Ages #6. There's a lot of cool, neat little details; the dragon is especially cool, but the story feels like a lot of lead and not a lot of carrot. Which is a bit frustrating. I still thoroughly enjoyed the art, storytelling and the tone. I really love the troupe of travelers take on the Illuminati group, that's neat. Them finding Excalibur is cool, I wonder if it's real or if it's another fake. The whole Archmage's cave being a former Dragon's Lair is cool too. Really develops Wyvern as a place of magic. That's... more or less what I got from Dark Ages, a lot of cool myth, and artistry but not a lot of narrative. Which, I think is fine.

But I do wish there was just... a little more going on IN the story itself, less setting up for stuff down the road. There's a lot of intrigue, a lot of secrets, but the tires just don't really hit the pavement here. It's not a BIG problem, but it left me feeling a bit ambivalent. [/SPOILER]


Gargoyles #12: [SPOILER] Unambiguously, this was great. I loved, I think, everything about this issue. Great script, fantastic art, great pacing, awesome conclusion.

At times the narrator has been kind of used for perfunctory expository purposes. For new readers to get a grasp on the characters and lend a sort of noir-ish tone to this gangster/crime thriller story arc. At times effective, but often just used to tell us things we already know, or give some small insight into the character's mindset. I think it was at it's best here, because I feel like a lot of this narration gave us a great deal of insight into Coldstone's mindset, who has generally been a character who's been defined by his circumstances and not his... inner soul or his own wants. There's a lot more grit and mess here in his relationship with Goliath. Which I love, the conflict isn't simple.

On that note, I think Goliath isn't in the wrong or out of character here, but I think he's always really defined himself and his people's fortunes by their relationships with humans. I loved the way Coldstone articulated that as "Allowing the humans to define success or failure for the clan". Which for a lot of minorities, I think rings as resonant. Do you act true to yourself and act as you please, or do you act in a way that's pleasing to the majority and just get along.

Though for Coldstone it seems to be more... like an issue of machismo or something. Goliath isn't the big guy in charge and in Coldstone's eyes he's ceding his power as a leader.

So I don't think either issue for Goliath is a problem: he doesn't see getting along with humans or defining things in their terms as a problem, and he finds the burden of leadership uncomfortable and undesirable so this sort of... statesmanship and diplomacy comes naturally to him. But while he may not be as murderous or violent as Demona is, Coldstone definitely does see these as problems. He doesn't approve. To compromise is to capitulate and he refuses to be defined by human justice. Which is something I resonate with, as I believe I mentioned in one of my reviews of the trial storyline comics. How gross I found Goliath having to take the stand to defend his own humanity (for lack of a better word) and his being deserving of humane treatment and rights.

Which... if you really think about it, Coldstone isn't just a survivor of human brutality like the rest of the Manhattan Clan, he's literally a victim of it. Smashed to death while he was sleeping and vulnerable. Even if he liked humans before (which, I think the flashbacks show that he's always been kind of indifferent to them) that's gotta colour someone's view.

The image of Goliath wearing a police badge is also *super* charged, and I think Greg W knows it. I don't... know if I can or really wanna get into all that entails, but it's interesting.

The Dino-Dominic scene was... a bit odd. Dominic has been in this comic a lot, but we never really got a lot of meat when it came to his relationship with his sons, other than that quick moment about "don't talk about your brother that way!" Which was almost played for comedy (mixing up Tony and his dad). For it being kind of the penultimate moment of the comic, I feel like there could have been a bit more lead here, maybe a little more drama. But it was really satisfying seeing Dino explode. I get the vibe that there's mixed feelings about Dino, but I really liked him. I enjoy the sort of "cultured thug" archetype. An old tough street dog who's learned a few tricks from his mistakes.

The Demona revelation was cool, I was sort of wondering if Quest would give us some more insight into her relationship with all three of the Coldstone personalities. Dark Ages has contrasted Coldfire and Demona in a thematic way, but we've seen almost no interaction between the two of them, and I'm super keen on seeing more.

The wedding and such is all a bit twee for me, but I do appreciate it and I think this arc worked really well, and seeing the clan come back together as a family.

I think that's all, honestly. Great issue, very well paced. Can't *wait* for Quest. [/SPOILER]

Alex

Great discussion so far, hoping to see more commentary soon. I especially look forward to Blaise and Todd's posts on #12.
Greg Bishansky

Is it the final issue already? The visual of writing down December 2022 makes the timespan from Gargoyles #1 to now more concrete than it actually feels. Or maybe, because after thirteen years between "Phoenix" and "Losers" to "A Little Crazy", experiencing the great rollercoaster ride that was Here in Manhattan was quicker than the time we were in line waiting d:

Anyways, here are some thoughts on #12: "Cold Comfort"

[SPOILER]
While I do enjoy Clayton Crain's covers and look forward to his next five in Quest, I am going to miss David Nakayama's covers and George Kambadais's interiors (and covers). But of course, Nate Cosby has assembled two wonderful teams of artists already so I am confident we'll still be in good hands for what's in store this 30th anniversary year :--)

That said, obligatory post for my vote to see Christopher Jones and Karine Charlebois work on a future arc/covers!

Count me also as someone that love's Hudson's panel after hearing all his children (and grandchildren) in sync once again. And Few-Things-Are-Accurate-Solicitations aside, perhaps the reason the Commitment Ceremony hasn't happened yet is maybe gargoyles have some designated cultural timeframe when a clan would celebrate it, like how hatching happens during an Equinox. I'm speculating, but perhaps we'll see Broadway and Angela celebrate their Commitment Ceremony on a Solstice?

I was scanning the Goliath and Elisa panels to see if they happen to be on the same parapets as they were during their big talks in Clan-Building, but they were all pretty zoomed in.

While I figured Antoinette was sabotaging Dino's plans for less-than-altruistic reasons, I'm surprised Dominic wasn't in on it too. Not disappointed, but I guess he's not as dotty as Bellevue would believe, but still enough out-of-touch not to be in the game as he once was.

Kinda wish the map of Manhattan at least showed the Eyrie Building's location.

Couldn't help but think of Spectacular Spider-Man when I saw Dino's bomb in the chandelier. Speaking of which, what's the opposite of defenestration, aka, crashing IN through a window? d:

It was a requested page for years on the GargWiki, but seeing all the 'seconds' at Slaughter's meeting, I think we need to really consider that Executive Assistant page. Granted, Sidor might just Volkov's driver for all we know, and there's even more whose stories we don't know yet, but these days it's definitely not just Owen, Vogel, and Glasses anymore!

I love learning the Czech name for gargoyle!

Blaise: Ah! Nice catch with the bait-and-switch with the Moon lighting! Also, how did Dino enter the same way the gargoyles did? Considering there's that panel with every mobster with a particle beam weapon, I see it as Dino firing at his son, Matt. Also, great catch on Goliath signaling to Coldstone as Mentor used to signal to "Lefty".

Chavez in the police hat did throw me off a bit, but she clearly has the Captain bars on her shoulders. Oh, and Goliath's badge! My NECA figure is going to need a new accessory! I first thought Goliath's badge was a double reference to the ol' 994 Wyvern Massacre Easter Egg date along when the show went into production ('92), but GregX pointed out that its actually 9/29/94, the Michaelmas of all Michaelmases -- the world premiere of Gargoyles almost a month before it debuted on television! (I also had a chance to double check the production rambles and saw the show was already in development in 1991.) Margot is going to hate all the night shifts, for sure, hehehe.

Given Castaway's name drop in this issue, I'm reminded of the current strings being pulled by the comic's NINTH gang -- the Illuminati. I don't presume that *every* motivation and decision from Matt Bluestone, David Xanatos, and John Castaway in these twelve-plus issues was purely conspiratorial with Peredur and company, but considering the first two had roles that led to Goliath becoming part of the Gargoyle Taskforce, and considering the Society is also financing the Quarrymen, and I wonder once more what their next move will be down the road. Hacker's going to be plenty busy too, it seems.

I wonder how Pete and Rosie will manage after being rescued and coming clean to their families. While a 'peace' has been made business-wise, I don't expect that'll extend much for their tenuous teenage trysts. Still, I look forward to seeing more from these two, and perhaps finally put a face to the kid they saved, Ollie d:

Whatever Dino's fate, I do hope to see more of him. Especially in flashbacks. More than ever I'd love see what was happening when Dominic was running the show and Tony Sr., Dino, and Jack Dane were all running around. Curious also if Antoinette visited him in prison like she does with her brother. Dino claimed to be 'fond' of her, after all.

Also curious about Elisa's potential C.I. that she mentioned following up on from Gargoyles #5. Seeds for another day, but I'm curious as to when that day will be when she's been suspended for the next few months.

Coldstone never ceases to fascinate as a character. With the "Rock of Ages" issues and his role in Here in Manhattan, seeing this new revelation of his double-agent antics with Demona -- I marvel at just how much has changed for the guy since he took sole control of his cyborg body in "Possessions". Fingers crossed we can preorder his NECA figure soon!

So Dominic Dracon is the pater familias once more of the Five/Six Families, whose strings will be pulled by Antoinette, who is also answering to Demona herself. Angel might've missed the dragon in 971, but given the Dracon's family name, she's now the master of all of New York's dragons!

Wonder how Tony Jr. will feel about this if he ever gets wind of it. [/SPOILER]


Given that Dynamite turned out 19 issues 686 days earlier than SLG released 18 (well, 12 issues and three trades equal to 18 issues), I think I'm content to let this be the last of publishing comparison stats. With Quest on the horizon, we are in uncharted territory and I eagerly anticipate the next arc!

Phoenician
Gus: "I always forget you're there." Hooty: "I forget I'm here toooooo."

****Blaise leans into the room (not from a doorway, just from mid-air).****

I'll post my full thoughts/ramble on "Cold Comfort" sometime this weekend, but I did just want to respond to one thing:

MATT> [SPOILER] "I didn't get the "You GOTTA be kidding me..." moment from Gnash though. Did he arrive just in time to see the others crash the party and was bummed he couldn't join? What's he so annoyed by?"
I'm pretty sure that wasn't Gnash. That was Dino Dracon...in what's supposed to be heavy shadow. [/SPOILER]


Be back this weekend with my thoughts!
****Blaise leans back out (into...nothing?).****

Blaise
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."--The Doctor

Greg >
[SPOILER]
That's fair. But knowing Xanatos, he'd certainly be curious about how she knew Broadway's name and would do some deep-dive background checking...so either way, Antoinette is on his radar now and I wonder if we'll see that play out. Not that Xanatos has to be a part of every storyline, but I'm always happy when he is!
[/SPOILER]

Craig

CRAIG> [SPOILER] Honestly, at this point it could be as simple as she's the sister of Tony Dracon, she has information to give the gargoyles to save lives - something Xanatos knows they want to do. They probably had her go through a security check and let her in the building to deliver her message to Broadway - whom she likely did ask for by name. Knowing Xanatos, maybe he wanted to see it play out. Maybe there's more to it, but that doesn't seem like that big a mystery to me. [/SPOILER]
Greg Bishansky

Craig> [SPOILER] Xanatos likes to have his fingers in every pie he can. If he's not directly involved with Demona, he's probably linked to a party that's connected to her. [/SPOILER]
Kate

[SPOILER]
I do think that Goliath misjudged the situation with Coldstone a bit. It's impossible to be certain since we don't see every interaction between them, but apparently Coldstone tries for several nights to communicate his feelings to Goliath (albeit halfheartedly, as Bishansky notes...which I take to mean that Coldstone had already in his heart of hearts made his decision and Goliath couldn't have changed it). Still, as a leader, it is important to make time to at least let your people feel that they've been heard. Goliath is a great leader, but with everything else going on, I think this one got away from him a bit.

One thing that really intrigues me is this: Way back in issue 6, Xanatos claimed that the Eyrie Building was on lockdown, no access...and then a few pages later, Owen waltzes Antoinette right up to the castle. It seemed obvious to most of us, I think, that Antoinette seemed to have an in with Xanatos. Given that we now know she's working with DEMONA of all people, what do we make of this? It seems extremely unlikely to me that Xanatos would be a part of Demona's plans, but I'm struggling to think of other explanations.
[/SPOILER]

Craig

Bishansky>
[SPOILER] You're right, I should've thought about the situation with a bit more nuance. [/SPOILER]

Kate

Sorry for the double post Just want to correct a typo.

"And there were discussions."

I meant to say there were distractions.

Greg Bishansky

KATE> [SPOILER] I don't think that at all. Could he have maybe handled things differently? Yes. Did he take Coldstone's patience for granted? Sure. But when Coldstone first tried to talk to him about it, an emergency came up... lives were at stake. And Elisa's business was also more important than Coldstone's concerns at that moment. Coldstone could have also been a little bit more patient, but he chose to act in the most extreme way.

Ever been a leader? I'm in management right now... and I have six or seven people at a time demanding my attention. And sometimes that means having to prioritize... but unlike Goliath, actual lives aren't at stake. And Coldstone even admitted his attempt to resume his discussion with Goliath was half-hearted. And there were discussions. Maybe Coldstone could have tried harder.

But no, not out of character. At all. [/SPOILER]

Greg Bishansky

I've got a lot of thoughts on this new issue, most of which have been put here better than I could. So I'll just touch on one area that stood out to me.
Cold Comfort spoilers:
[SPOILER] Man, I feel awful for Coldstone here. As stated by Craig already, the fact that he views himself as a "thing" saddens me. I just wanna give the poor guy a hug! Continuing on that note, did anyone else feel like Goliath was a bit out of character with how much he blew off Coldstone? I understand he's got a lot going on, but you'd think that he'd at least find that moment to speak to him. [/SPOILER]

Kate

So many thoughts. Here's one on Dino Dracon:

[SPOILER] Dino is clever. But no where near as smart as he thought he was. And I'm fine with that - we have plenty of uber-genius master villains in this franchise. Dino is a dangerous idiot, and we see those on the news every single day.

He was clever enough to use his own reputation as a howitzer with a temper to his advantage, and while we watched this unravel over months, inside the comic it was just a few days. The other crime lords were off balance. They likely would have figured things out sooner or later, which is why he was focusing on taking them out sooner. And let's be honest, were it not for Antoinette, he'd have succeeded.

Not sure if he's dead or not. On the one hand, no body. On the other hand - considering he was inches away from a bomb, there may have been nothing left to find. As for his name dropping Castaway. This is one of two things, a seed for a future story. Or something he was working that didn't come to fruition.

I did not have "Demona becomes a Crime Lord" on my bingo card, but I like it. [/SPOILER]


I think "Here In Manhattan" did for the Dracons what "Clan Building" did for the Illuminati.

Greg Bishansky

And here we go. My initial thoughts on Gargoyles #12:

[SPOILER] - Coldstone is our narrator. This isn't a surprise as he was the only speaking Manhattan Clan member left. Also, wasn't surprised that the title "Cold Comfort" started with a C as "AIMTRUEMYNYC" was the only letter that made much sense. Still don't know what thats really supposed to mean though. What was a surprise is that the title was directly told at the end of #11 as Greg's done with Dark Ages. Anyway, we open with the clan reuniting, which is good to see. Though Coldstone remains apart...

- Coldstone has always been a bit... hesitant about humans and their relationship to the Clan and here he seems to be conflicted. They've given the gargoyles a win, and he doesn't question Elisa's loyalty or love, but he's clearly not on board with how Goliath is handling things. And yet, he trusts and respects his brother. Like I said, a lot of conflict. And he's not exactly wrong, but how he handles things... well, I'll get there.

- The gang story comes to a head. Everyone is putting things together and a summit is called. Isn't it nice to see the bad guys starting to get along. Not Dino though. We start seeing the old Dino come through. Extreme. Violent. Unmeasured. Perhaps even a little insane. No longer content to go after the other gangs, he's going to bring the police into it. And as for the gargoyles? Well, he's going to get Castaway involved, though nothing seems to come of that.

- Probably my favorite scene in this chapter is the talk about the parenting of Egwardo and the choosing of Seconds for the Commitment Ceremony. Way back in a Radio Play, we had Brooklyn telling his brothers about being rookery parents to his biological children, so this wasn't a surprise, but it is nice to see it in canon. I love how this notion is such a gargoyle way of doing things. They're not humans with wings, after all. Interesting that Brook and Katana only single out Broadway, Lex and Angela as rookery parents and not Goliath, Elisa, Coldstone or Coldfire even though age-wise they would be more generationally appropriate. Or, looking at it another way, if the whole clan should be considered parents to the next generation, why single out only these three? Maybe it's just a step away from how they did things with Gnash towards a full embracing of the Gargoyle Way. Meanwhile, Broadway and Angela both choose two Seconds for their Ceremony. I wonder how common it is to have multiple Seconds. No one here makes any issues of it, so it seems fine. Elisa's line is cute: this is her first gargoyle ceremony and she's not sure what that means. And Hudson is quite pleased with all of this. I glean that with a Commitment Ceremony, and talk of rookery parents to the next generation, and just the reuniting of the Clan he's beginning to feel like its old times again. I'm sure in 1994 the idea that there would ever be a growing clan, eggs and parents, and gargoyle traditional ceremonies ever again. Same energy as the "We're not the last. We're not alone." moment in The Gathering. Love all of it. Only somewhat bummed that we didn't get the Ceremony here. I suspect that it might've been planned to happen, but Greg had to push it back for pacing reasons. And I can live with that. I doubt it'll happen during Quest, but I look forward to the Ceremony and the hatching of Egwardo in the times to come.

- Goliath and Elisa get their scene. There will definitely be some fallout for Elisa. Looks like four months of suspension without pay. Yikes. And the NYPD makes an offer to Goliath. I had suspected just this sort of thing was coming. A gargoyle joining the Gargoyle Taskforce was a clear next step. However, I am a bit surprised that it was Goliath that joined! I would've thought that Broadway would be a better fit and a good step forward in his development. But here we are. Goliath is sure having a big month! Captured, tried, and exonerated, came into a small fortune and lost a friend, and now this! And doesn't he look handsome with his little badge. 92994, of course. Gotta think that Margot is just going to love working with him. Ha!

- With some intel to the Clan from Antoinette, Dino's bombs are removed from the police stations in a way reminiscent of the dry cleaners bomb in "Protection". I was surprised they sent Gnash to get one of them seeing as he is only a kid until I noted that the Clan was divided to do all of this simultaneously and Goliath clearly wanted Coldstone and the Trio with him at the Summit. I didn't get the "You GOTTA be kidding me..." moment from Gnash though. Did he arrive just in time to see the others crash the party and was bummed he couldn't join? What's he so annoyed by? Anyway, the gangs all here (see what I did there?) and we spend a couple pages chatting things out. Everyone is remarkably on the same page here (almost literally), and the gargoyles call in some favors. The fighting has to stop. But Dino shows up with other plans. He's ready to get a little dirty and kill them all (including his father and niece!). Dominic snaps out of his fogginess to verbally lash out at Dino, but that only serves to make Dino completely lose it. He looks totally unhinged here. Frightening. And admits to the murder of his brother. Yikes. That's enough for old D. D. and Dino is blasted (by Dominic? By Coldstone? Wasn't clear to me.) and falls into the river with an explosion to boot. No sign of him is found and hard to imagine someone surviving being shot, exploding, and falling into a river, and yet... Well, story for another day perhaps. The summit is a success. Peace is made. Alls well that ends well. Or is it?

- We get the ending. We find out that both Antoinette and Coldstone have been working alongside Demona. That is crazy and it's going to take me some time to unpack all my thoughts on it, but certainly unexpected. Antoinette is less of a surprise but I've gotta wonder how that alliance was forged. As for Coldstone, I suppose he's had less experience with Demona's antics than the others, has often agreed with her in the past, and sees her as less of an enemy, but wow. This is bold. I appreciate that his secret service is conditional on the Clan remaining unharmed. Still, its a betrayal. There is no way around that. I think it is clear that he is also keeping this a secret from his mate Coldfire. No good will come of it to be sure, and I suspect that karma is going to catch up with Coldstone sooner or later. Yowza.

- A few tidbits I liked: Another conversation halted by dawn, been a while on that gag. Brooklyn waking from stone just looked cool. Antoinette's ever changing wardrobe. Goliath signaling Coldstone as Mentor signaled Lefty. Elisa sporting her baseball cap again. All good stuff. [/SPOILER]


Those are my thoughts. Looking forward to reading all of yours. This issue puts us one past the number of issues in the SLG run, so that's great! And really excited for Quest #1 in a mere 4 weeks! Never The End!

Matt
"And, thus, given no choice, we waited..." - Alesand, "The Reach"

CRAIG>

[SPOILER] "Not to be nitpicky, but I don't think "timered" is a word...it's just "timed.""

Keep in mind who's saying it. Coldstone probably just learned about the concept of bombs with timers on them. Antoinette likely said "bombs with timers on them" when she provided her intelligence. [/SPOILER]

Greg Bishansky

[SPOILER]
Oh, and who's the cop standing at the podium when Goliath is sworn in as a Task Force member? Is that Chavez?
[/SPOILER]

Craig

Gargoyles #12 "Cold Comfort":
[SPOILER]
This is the first issue where the teaser from the end of the prior book (NEXT: COLD COMFORT) actually matches the title.

One of the colorists is new: Valeria Verdi replaces Giulia Giacomino.

Kind of sad that Coldstone thinks of himself as a "thing" ("an undead thing"). That doesn't speak very well to his self-esteem or his mental health, if he doesn't even consider himself a person. The more insight we get into Coldstone, the worse I feel for him.

Coldstone sure loves the word "largesse," huh? What is up with that?

Bronx sighting! First time since issue 5 (aside from the Halloween Special of course).

No commitment ceremony. Not terribly surprised since there was a lot to wrap up plotwise, but still disappointing after the many months of solicitations and covers hinting at it.

Is Antoinette wearing a Snuggie?! In 1997? She's so fashion-forward.

Dino says he's teaming up with Castaway, although we don't actually get to see this. I guess Castaway gave him the bombs maybe?

A lot of characters in this issue saying "We need to talk" or some variant on it.

Coldstone's reasoning is sound when he questions Goliath. Not that I disagree with Goliath's approach necessarily, but I can certainly acknowledge Coldstone's viewpoint as valid. And it is really unwise of Goliath to keep blowing him off and not engaging with his perspective. A rare moment of poor leadership from the big guy, as busy as he is, and one that seems certain to have some pretty massive repercussions...

Not to be nitpicky, but I don't think "timered" is a word...it's just "timed."

Interesting artistic choice with the map of Manhattan. We haven't seen anything quite like that in the series before. What is up with the red lines? One of them, for instance, seems to end halfway through the Lincoln Tunnel...they sort of look like GPS routes?

I read Antoinette's line "It's still only May" as a tongue-in-cheek commentary on how slowly time is progressing in the Dynamite comics, although I'm not sure if that was the intent.

Do we know the characters who are standing behind Jack Dane, Huracan Sanchez and Choi Yingpei at the summit?

Well, Dino goes full-on frothing mad (literally). I still can't say I ever found him a particularly compelling antagonist, but I enjoyed Kambadais's artwork of him completely losing it here.

Goliath on the Gargoyles Task Force! Was not expecting that. It makes some measure of sense, although one could also argue that it's a massive conflict of interest...especially with known gargoyle allies Elisa and Matt on there as well...it seems like the scales are swayed pretty heavily in favor of the gargoyles, which seems kind of counterintuitive to the original purpose, from the City's perspective.

I think most of us suspected that there was something sinister going on with Antoinette, and that Coldstone's loyalties were in question...but I did not call BOTH of them working with Demona! Quite a great twist to an issue that otherwise left me a bit underwhelmed. Out of all the gangland stuff, Antoinette is definitely the character I've enjoyed the most, so I'm glad to see her appearing to be a major player going forward.

Next up, Quest!
[/SPOILER]

Craig

At some point I will circle back to discussing DARK AGES #6. Just too hectic at present. But for now... oh my...

GARGOYLES #12

Greg Weisman, you [SPOILER] magnificent, magnificent bastard.

That was... I mean, that final panel was something else. Oh, how I've missed those last-minute reversals.

I couldn't see for the life of me, even half-way through the issue, how everything would land in the space of 22 pages but it did and without feeling rushed even. Elisa's suspension was addressed. I was surprised we didn't see the commitment ceremony but hopefully we will at some point.

Not sure if the "fourth of July"/"only May" dialogue was a reference to the canon-in-training placement of Goliath's bargain (the GTF deal?) in July.

I loved the reveal about Anthony Dracon. And Dino's death was surprising although knowing how Greg is rarely wasteful I'd be surprised if a great villain like Dino is gone. His talk about a deal with Castaway is interesting and this brings him into the orbit of the Illuminati which... well... opens up a whole range of possibilities. Coldstone's "No sign" is presumably only true as of his update to Demona -- which, by the way, is a glorious twist on the use of the narrations.

The whole idea of the gargoyles being another family is interesting. In many ways, they resemble a crime family more than they do any kind of traditional law-enforcement - while nobly intentioned (mostly), they are protective of their territory and operate often by force without particular regard to due process. I imagine this will be a major source of conflict with the GTF and one I'm very excited to see - although I imagine the legal side of the world will fade into the background for a bit after "Here in Manhattan".

The twist with Antoinette is brilliant. We know she was betraying the family to Broadway but how did she even know where to find the gargoyles? Now it makes sense that she was working a deeper game. The question though is why on earth would Antoinette seek out Demona of all people? Is this part of a deeper power play? Is she being controlled or coerced?

And Dominic remains a mystery. At first I assumed his dementia was largely a ruse but the Antoinette revelation makes it possible that he's been manipulated in a different way and perhaps genuinely doesn't know what's going on. Difficult to tell.

There's more to unpick with this issue and I'm sure there's a lot I've missed - I'd especially like to look more at all the players in the Families - those are some wonderfully dense pages with a lot of different points of view. We still have a lot of symmetries between Goliath and Tony still with Goliath's brother and Tony's sister being traitors. At some point (perhaps for the trades), I'd really like to read the whole of "Here in Manhattan" and see how it holds together - already things like Demona's reintroduction in #7 made sense for this payoff.

I'm really sad to see George Kambadais go and I hope at some point he'll be back for another run.

Anyway, not much time to spend longer.

But my main reaction is still that last panel... absolutely magnficent. [/SPOILER]

Ed

Todd Jensen> Read the first volume of a graphic novel called Animal Rescue Friends from the library.

It has a section about the work that goes into a comic with details like the different types such as comic books/gn/manga and so on.

Also showing some people involved with comics including Dana Simpson of Phoebe and Her Unicorn. Uploaded the pic on my Deviantart account:

https://www.deviantart.com/antiyonder/art/Dana-Simpson-in-comic-form-1033169593

Antiyonder

Sorry, that last post was me. The blasted browser on my phone keeps logging me out.
Craig

Gargoyles #12 preview:
[SPOILER]
Is this the first time the narrating character has directly acknowledged the existence of the reader? (“As YOU know…”)

Love the title.
[/SPOILER]

Anonymous

MATT - [SPOILER] Well, in real life, the name "Rhydderch" was early medieval Welsh (it was borne not only by the tenth century Rhydderch who slew Culen, but also by a sixth century king in northern Britain who, among other things, married Merlin's sister - or the sister of a figure who was a sort of proto-Merlin; it's complicated).

It just struck me, as I wrote this, that this is the second name taken from early British legend associated with the gargoyles; the first was "Gorlois" in the never-made "Team Atlantis" crossover. [/SPOILER]

Todd Jensen

Yeah, Todd, I caught that too. Interesting that [SPOILER] the word seems to have a very old history. Even Wyvern uses it. Makes me wonder if its roots are Atlantean...

Also, now that we know the full title ("Cold Comfort"), we know 12 letter title easter egg (if that is what it is): AIM TRUE MY NYC

Anyone have any hunches on what that is supposed to mean? Fits with the Manhattan theme, but beyond that...? [/SPOILER]

Matt
"And, thus, given no choice, we waited..." - Alesand, "The Reach"

I got a preview of the opening pages of #12.

[SPOILER] The narrator is Coldstone - which didn't surprise me, given that he was the only member of the Manhattan clan who hadn't had that role so far (apart from Bronx and Fu-Dog, whose style of narration would have been far too unconventional). He refers to Goliath as the clan's "rhydderch", the first time we've seen that term outside of "Dark Ages". [/SPOILER]

Todd Jensen

It's become something of a tradition since it came to Disney+ to watch Darby O'Gill and the Little People every Saint Patrick's Day. Yes, it Disnefies a lot about Irish living and folklore (especially Leprechauns) but a lot of things are surprisingly accurate including details on the Banshee and the Cóiste Bodhar.
And I can't even imagine today's Disney even willing to depict the Death Coach.

Matthew
Ain't nothing crazy 'bout me but my brain!

MORRAND - Thanks for a (belated) acknowledgement of St. David's Day, a day which generally doesn't get as much attention as St. Patrick's Day. (Though I recall a children's magazine that I read as a boy, in one of the March issues, having one of the characters mentioning about St. David's Day in March and he was the patron saint of Wales - to which one of her friends replied "That's nice. I like whales.")

And the spambots never seem to let up, do they?

Todd Jensen

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Third.

Does anyone know who the gargoyle is who appears on Cover B of Dark Ages #6 (by Alan Quah), in between Hudson and Demona? He looks an awful lot like Chernabog from Fantasia.

Craig

Second! 1 Day, 15 Hours until we wrap up Here in Manhattan! I'm exited.
Matt
"And, thus, given no choice, we waited..." - Alesand, "The Reach"

First.
Todd Jensen