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Heather N. Allen writes...
I'll mention here that I've reintroduced myself to Gargoyles only this summer via fan webpages and I've managed to get Toon Disney for only a month. Therefore, while not completly updated on every detail of each episode, I do remember quite a bit from the original airdates of them. And if this question has been asked before, forgive me, but I've only frequented Ask Greg for three months. If it's in the archives somewhere, just point the way. SOOO, without further ado...
I remember in a past question where you mentioned recycling characters. (Morgan, Margot and Brendan, Vinnie, etc.) While watching the AVALON episodes, I noticed that many of Angela's rookery sibs were identical to those gargoyles seen in Demona's renagade clan from 2nd century, right down to the clothing. As I understood it, she collected THEM from other clans that were destroyed throughout Scotland. No way for their eggs to end up in Wyvern's rookery, or even on Avalon for that matter.
So, here's the question: were these gargs mearly another batch of recycled characters? And if so, why use them on Avalon? Did you see any kind of conflict coming from this? Or is there another reason altogether that I'm missing entirley?
By the way, I REALLY envy you for having created such a great story, with all these fictional and factual elements mixed in to create the best animated series ever. Wish I'd thought of it :)
Greg responds...
If you're looking for the "Behind the Scenes" answer it's pretty obvious. We couldn't afford to design multiple clans of background gargoyles everytime we did a flashback story or went to Avalon. So we reused the models, figuring most people wouldn't notice.
But there's also a within the Universe explanation that works for me. When a Gargoyle clan gets too large for it's location, it splits and colonizes. The Wyvern Clan had been living in relative peace under Prince Malcolm. In my mind it got up to about 100 or so Gargoyles and Beasts. That was too large a number for Wyvern to sustain, so approximately half of the gargoyle population moved on to found a new colony, start a new clan. But all the eggs were left behind in the established Wyvern rookery. The new colony obviously didn't fair any better than Wyvern ultimately, but Demona collected up a few of its survivors, during the Maol Chalvim/Duncan era.
But some of those survivors left eggs behind at the Wyvern rookery, which explains why there are some look-alikes on Avalon.
As for the clothes.... Give me a break.
Aris Katsaris writes...
This is more of a comment/correction rather than a question. I think that you've miscalculated a date. In a previous Ask Greg question you had said that you had once calculated that the gargs both in Avalon and in the real world will lay eggs at 2008. I think that must have been a mistake on your part: I believe that gargoyles lay egg in their 50th or 49th year (biological 25). That would mean that in Avalon-time 50*24=1200 years. The gargs at avalon should lay their eggs only 1200 real-world years after they were hatched. That in turn means that if they were hatched around somewhere around year 1040, they shouldn't lay eggs until 2240 or something like that...
Anyway thought I should mention this...
Greg responds...
No, that's not right.
God knows it's been years since I did this math, however I think you are operating on faulty assumptions.
Yes, the Avalon eggs hatched in 1044.
Thus by 1995, Angela, Gabriel, Ophelia, et al. would all be biologically twenty years old. That's way past Gargoyle puberty in my book. So what remains is for their internal clocks to be in sync, so to speak, with the natural rhythms of the Earth that would put the females "in heat" (for lack of a better term). That would next occur sometime in late 2007 or early 2008.
That easily puts, say, Ophelia in synch with Angela and Obsidiana out in the real world. The difference comes twenty years later in 2028, when the latter two might again lay eggs. But to Ophelia she would have only just laid her first egg a mere 20 months ago. I don't know whether that's enough recovery time for her, enough time for her own internal cycle -- but in any case her first egg certainly wouldn't have hatched yet.
It's also worth considering whether Ophelia and Angela might have been "in heat" in Avalon in 1988? Maybe they were, and maybe Katharine was preaching abstinence in a major way.
Suddenly, I feel like this is Christine's show. :) [No, I haven't read her fan-fiction, but boy have I heard rumors.]
In any case, for those of you with dirty minds, I think Angela was a virgin even at the time of "The Journey". (Broadway too for that matter.) Not so sure about Ophelia.
Aris Katsaris writes...
Here's another try at the clans contest...
1.Avalon
2.London
3.Ishimura
4.Guatemala
5.New Olympus
6.Xanadu, China
7.South Pole
8.India
9.Manhattan
10.Clones
11.Loch Ness
12.Tintagel
13.Easter Island
14.SpaceStation
Greg responds...
Ten points if I'm generous.
Scott Iskow writes...
First, let me say that it is a truly amazing accomplishment to create a show that spawns so many questions. I think the only other franchise with such a rich mythology is "Star Wars." What intrigues me the most about both, are the characters and events that we never get to see.
What I'm most curious about (at least, right now) are the Avalon gargoyles.
1) How many other Avalon gargoyles (besides Gabriel, Ophelia, Boudicca), do you know the names of?
2) What are some (if any) of those names?
Greg responds...
There's Raphael, Uriel, Michael and Azrael.
(I'm quite sure that Katharine would have gone through all the Archangel names she could think of -- including the name Archangel itself.)
Todd Jensen writes...
What inspired you to give the names "Ophelia" and "Boudicca" to the female triceratops-crested gargoyle and gargoyle beast on Avalon? I can easily guess as to why the choice of the names "Angela" and "Gabriel" for the other two named Avalon gargoyles, but why did you choose the names of Hamlet's girl-friend and the ancient British Iceni queen for these two? (I might add that I did like the names, which were part of that very literate tone to "Gargoyles" that I enjoyed).
Greg responds...
I didn't choose Boudicca (though I approved of the choice). Her name was picked by either Lydia Marano or Brynne Reaves or both.
As for Ophelia, I'm not sure who picked that. It might have been me, further pandering to Shakespeare. Or it might have been one of my editors or writers, further pandering to me.
Of course, now that these names are chosen, it suggests story ideas, that I'd like to some day capitalize on. Even if the real reason the names were chosen is more prosaic.
Aris Katsaris writes...
Did Goliath, Angela and Elisa understand that there are gargoyles in New Olympus?
Greg responds...
I don't think so.
Derek writes...
In the RECKONING, Demona said that she knew every living Gargoyle. When she said this, was she assuming Goliath's clan was all that was left, or did she know of the London, Ishimura and other clans?
Greg responds...
I don't think she knew about Guatemala.
And she definitely didn't know about Avalon.
I'm on the fence about Ishimura.
But I find it hard to believe that she didn't know about London.
But to be honest, I haven't decided.
Todd Jensen writes...
In Japanese mythology, there's a race of winged beings called tengu who sometimes taught humans bushido. Was this a partial inspiration for the Ishimura clan in "Bushido"?
Greg responds...
Yes.
Airwalker writes...
How much input did you have in the designs of Gargoyles outside of the main Manhattan clan like Gabriel, Ophelia, etc? Did you just suggest a general design that got fleshed out by the rest of the production team or did you have a detailed picture in you head that you wrote out and submitted to them?
Greg responds...
I wouldn't say I had a detailed written description. But I had some ideas, many conversations and co-final approval (with Frank).
I was more specific about Leo, Griff, Una, Gabriel, Angela and Zafiro then about some of the others.
Siren writes...
I keep thinking of more things...
On Garg evolution...I think the most likely would evolve from dinosaurs.Birds also evolved too, from what I believe. They just took 2 different ends of the spectrum. Birds becoming smaller and more lightweight, gaining feathers and loosing scales. Gargs get are smaller dinosaurs, just not as small as birds. They are built with more muscle and kept
the pteridacyl wings ('scuse my spelling). Brooklyn is obviously evolved from one of them thingies I can't spell. Plus you have the South American Clan, they deffinetly look reptilian. And Ophelia, she looks much like a triceratops and any other horned/crested dino (which I absolutly love on her!!!!)
But also into consideration, the Britian Clan...Where did they come from? Are they too evolved
from dinosaurs???? Doubtful. They are set so far apart from the others, more mammilian. Are they
more evolved mammals? Is Griff just an evolved eagle that looks like a griffon or an evolved griffon? Is Leo an evolved Lion?
And is that Una's real horn or jewlry? Is she an evolved horse or unicorn?
Which brings something else to mind about gargoyles...How do their babies eat? Are gargoyles
mammals? I would deffinetly say, warm blooded. And they do seem very mammilian. So does that
mean, that if Demona had the chance to raise Angela, she'd be fed on breastmilk? If so, how did
Cathryn, Magus, Tom, and his mother feed 36 hatchlings?
Greg responds...
Uh. It would have helped if you had numbered your questions....
In my head, Gargoyles are a separate classification which (in the past) I've nicknamed "Gargates". Both Gargoyles and Gargoyle Beasts evolved from this grouping, just as Primates include both humans and various apes. The Gargate-ancestor species go back to the time of the dinosaurs, so to answer your first set of questions, I'd have to ask you how you are defining the word "Dinosaur"? Colloquially, i.e. to include all species that existed during what we popularly think of as the age of dinosaurs, or are you using the term in a scientific sense, which would leave out a number of species that we generally think of as dinosaurs?
As for the various clans, appearances are superficial and can be deceiving. Leo has much more in common biologically with Goliath than he does with a Lion. Zafiro has much more in common with Griff, Leo, Una and Goliath, etc. then he does with a snake. All are Gargates. None are Mammals or Reptiles or Marsupials or Birds, though they may share a few characteristics with one or more of those groups. They are, I believe, warm-blooded, for example.
Una's horn is her horn. It's not jewelry. Though it was decorated.
Garg babies generally would drink milk from clan-mother breasts.
And yes, that did present Tom, Katharine and the Magus with a problem. Fortunately, they were on Avalon. And Avalon provided. Some trial and error was probably involved, but a replacement for breast milk was found...
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