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RIPOSTES 2006-10 (Oct)

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Hardwing writes...

Hi Greg.

I have some questions about the way gargoyles were treated by the law over the time.

1)Were they treated equal to humans under...
a)Prince Malcolm's rule.
b)Princess Katharina's rule.
c)Anywhen in the future... maybe through the miniority status they have in 2198

To be extreme, would a human be punished for killing a gargoyle(or a gargbeast) as a garg would be for killing a human?

2)What is the position to the clan leaders(Goliath for example) to this? After all it is their right in the clan to judge about the different clan members.

Greg responds...

If you're looking for specific codification in the past, you're not going to find it.

1a. I'd say they were generally treated better under Malcolm's rule.

1b. They were tolerated, barely.

1c. The future's yet to to come. But they received some protections under the previously mentioned Gargoyle Minority Protection Act.

I assume you're asking whether or not a human would be punished BY HUMANS for killing a gargoyle or whether a garg would be punished BY HUMANS for killing a human. As you may know, I'm not big on hypotheticals. But to cut to the chase, things were dark in the Dark Ages. Things are theoretically more "civilized" in the future. But "civilized" does not necessarily equate with "justice".

2. I'm not sure what you're asking here.

Response recorded on October 04, 2006

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Greg writes...

And my name is really Greg. :) My question refers to Tom's search for Goliath. If I'm remember correctly, Tom left Avalon every 100 years to search for Goliath. So basically, Tom left Avalon 10 times. One brief point; through calculation, I determined that 41.67 years past for Tom and the others on Avalon, while 1000 years past for those outside. In "Avalonian Years", Tom left the island approximately every 4 years to search (I hope I'm correct on those points). Any thoughts on where Avalon sent him those 10 times and how long before he was sent back to Avalon?

Greg responds...

Tom did not leave Avalon every 100 years to search for Goliath. Tom left to see if he felt it would be safe for the Gargoyles to return to the outside world.

I have very concrete ideas about most of Tom's trips. But I'm not going to reveal them at this time.

Response recorded on October 03, 2006

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Todd Jensen writes...

Thanks for the early Christmas present in the form of the ramble on "The Green", Greg!

One thing that stands out to me now about this episode is that we get another look at the difference between Jackal and Hyena. Hyena just wants to charge in on the Mayan gargoyles and wipe them out. Jackal, rather than going for a simple all-out attack, comes up with an actual strategy, namely, having Hyena destroying the Mayan Sun Amulet so that he can then dispose of the clan while it's in stone sleep. Again showing that he's the more cunning one.

(I liked your method of having Jackal winding up attacking the gargoyles at night after that - when Vogel uses a bit of his own cunning and points out to Jackal that he won't get paid as much if the Mayan gargoyles do more damage to the Cyberbiotics operation - meaning that now Jackal doesn't have the option of just waiting for dawn after all, not if he wants a full paycheck!)

And I get a kick out of their response to Goliath showing up - "Must Goliath follow us everywhere?" "Hey, he's a fan!"

In some ways, Jackal's fantasy about altering Goliath's features is even more disturbing than his death-god phase in "Grief". Truly chilling.

The episode may be a bit on the preachy side (I know that many of the fans see it that way), but I think that it still has a good message. I particularly liked Elisa's uneasiness with the Mayan gargoyles' tactics and wanting to find a way of saving the rain forest that was within the law - and at the end, coming up with the solution of planting some of the rain forest plants on Avalon.

I find the "Quetzalcoatl" design for Zafiro interesting, in that it fits in with one additional aspect of gargoyles that revealed itself during the World Tour. Before the World Tour, we'd simply seen gargoyles in a "conventional gargoyle" form. However, when we were introduced to other gargoyles during Goliath's odyssey (and even the legacies of other gargoyles), we saw that they'd inspired other myths and legends besides just the familiar gargoyles of medieval Europe - unicorns and griffons in "M.I.A.", the "black dogs" of the British Isles in "The Hound of Ulster", and now Quetzalcoatl. (Not to mention that the Ishimura gargoyles of "Bushido" also have a certain evocation of tengu about them.) It gives an additional dimension to them that I think is neat.

I'd caught the significance of Broadway using "mothers" and how that fits into gargoyle parentage.

That was a nice touch about Broadway and Lexington considering the possibility of destroying the Sun Amulet - but, fortunately, not doing so after all.

Again, thanks for the ramble.

Greg responds...

You're welcome. Thanks for yours too.

Response recorded on October 03, 2006

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The Barracuda writes...

There was, at one time, when I resisted making the change from VHS to DVD. I thought I couldn't justify the cost, but as time went on and the VHS format grew increasingly rare and obsolete, I switched. Now, about four years later, Gargoyles has been released on DVD and I couldn't be happier I made that decision.

The video quality is the first thing everyone notices; a crisp, clean, sharp picture without any noticeable grain or fuzziness that most of us had to do with when watching our well-used VHS copies. Every frame is spotless, and only suffers when the animation itself is subpar (which in itself is rare). In an age when most cartoons are produced using computers, Gargoyles breathes new life into fully two dimensional animation. Everything, from the lush painted backgrounds (going from ancient Scotland to modern Manhattan and beyond), the characters, their designs and fluidity of motion, is all hand drawn and looks as good as ever.

But what really stands out is the sound. I have a home theater system and while most animation, even high-quality anime, doesn't match up, Gargoyles utilized all five of my speakers to their full extent, even at times the subwoofer. Voices in tunnels and enclosed spaces had echoes, growls shook the room, and muted sound effects and off-screen dialogue were just as clear. It was like watching it for the first time.

The extras are very well done, and more than I expected for a release that didn't seem to have the best sales drive behind it compared to a lot of other Disney home video releases. Greg Weisman's commentary was informative and fun to listen to, but disappointing in the fact he only got to do the first five episodes. And the Gathering of the Gargoyles was a well-edited featurette, and I was able to put a lot of faces to names I know in the fandom.

The packaging was surprisingly well done. The case, cover, discs and, whereas a lot of big name releases don't even have them, it even included a chapter insert (or in this case, an episode insert).

In short, this was an incredibly well put together collection that holds promise for the much larger second season, and I hope it'll be soon in coming.

Greg responds...

Thanks. I think it turned out well myself.

Response recorded on October 03, 2006

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Sabina writes...

My DVD-Set arrived finally oversea.

I think it is just great and I'm very happy that I finally can retire my worn videotapes.

I hope that we get audio commentaries for the whole second season. There's just one fly in the soup: I'd really like to have a German version, because the German synchro is just as great as the English one and it would be a real pity if it never sees a DVD release.

Greetings,
Sabina

Greg responds...

I've never heard it. (Not that I'd understand it if I did.)

Response recorded on October 02, 2006

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Bleu Unicorn writes...

My DVD review - originally posted at my blog (http://bleuunicorn.livejournal.com/56300.html)

I was fifteen when Gargoyles debuted on the Disney Afternoon and while ten years have gone by, I can honestly say my enjoyment and affection for the show have not waned. If anything, watching these remastered episodes exactly as they aired was an incredible treat for me. The first season was released years back on VHS and I own that entire set, but those old tapes pale in comparison to this set. A fact that not only was expected, but greatly satisfying.

Secretly, I was a bit skeptical when sitting down to watch the show again. Ten years is a long time - almost half my life! Deep down I was fearful that the decade of basic separation from the series had made my memories of it far grander than it was. My fears, however, were completely misguided. Here's a show that truly does withstand the test of time. And I really shouldn't be surprised, considering even when it first aired it was appealing to me and I wasn't part of that "target audience" - a fact which only drew me into the show more!

The series (in 75 words): The aptly named Goliath and his gargoyle clan are cast into a thousand year slumber, only to awake in New York City to learn they are now the last of their kind. While acclimating themselves to their new surroundings, they discover both allies and enemies alike. And soon renew their vow of protection that defines their species to include all of Manhattan and its inhabitants, both gargoyle and human.

Video: Here's where DVD transfer really can shine, but also where a cartoon can fall most miserably. Gargoyles, though looks absolutely stunning, the colors just look so beautiful. Not surprising with, considering the wonderful palette of colors used. I did notice some minor interlacing (mostly in "Long Way to Morning") and some dirt and dust in some scenes. But nothing overly bad. Definitely one of the best transfers of an animated television series I've seen.

Audio: The episodes on the set are all remastered and while for the most part the audio is superb and better than I remember listening to on my TV - Certainly an improvement over my ancient VHS copies - I did notice some odd fluctuation at times. At first, I thought it was my copy (or my hearing was going), but I've talked with other people and it's definitely not just me. It's pretty infrequent - I noticed it the most in the five-part "Awakening" pilot, but it was apparent in disc two as well.

Special features: I love special features, especially done well. I can't say I was jumping for joy over these, though. The commentary on "Awakening" was very interesting and entertaing, though I'm ashamed to say that anyone who isn't a big fan may find themselves kind of bored. (Of course, I'm usually bored by commentaries and as such rarely listen to them.) I always hate it when commentaries consist of long pauses of no talking, but you won't find that on this set! These guys - mostly Greg - have lots to say and they don't let little things like recaps and credits stop the flow of words.

The featurette on "The Gathering of the Gargoyles" convention was...okay. I didn't really find it all that interesting, but it was pretty neat to see. It's nice to know there's still a loyal fandom out there.

The original show pitch was pretty interesting to watch. It's the one thing on the set that shows how old this show really is. I'd already listened the commentary before watching this, though so it wasn't very informative or earth-shattering. Still, the original character designs were very intriguing - lots of changes were made from that pitch to what finally became. Stuff like that is just nifty.

Packaging & setup: Thankfully, Disney has never gone the route that Warner Bros. did with the horrid snapper cases. Instead, we get the standard double-disc case. Though, I can't find much love for the rather blah disc and cover art. And for a show with so much history...the only insert is just a chapter/episode listing - with equally blah art. The menus, though were really just...ugh. There's so much great artwork from this show that Disney could have used and didn't. And the animation? It was cool the first time, but afterwards I just found it annoying and distracting.

Frankly, considering how long fans have waited for this release, it's plainly obvious that there wasn't that much work put into the frills of the release.

Over-all: Scrutinizing this set is really hard for me. I'm finding myself quibbling over minor things that don't necessarily bother me because in all truth it really comes down to the content for me, which is just beyond amazing. Having the first season in remastered quality, uncut is like a dream come true. And I'm fervently hoping for a release of the second season to complete this collection!

Greg responds...

Ultimately, extras, menus, etc. can be nice or whatever, but one would hope that the prize is, as you noted, the content. The actual episodes.

Response recorded on October 02, 2006

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Toni Age 12 writes...

What is the name of Goliaths biological father. Would he have been long dead before Dark Ages? Was he considered to be "Good" or "Bad". Same thing for his mother.

One last thing Greg, don't give up man. I dare you to pitch as soon as the summer of next year.

All of Spin-Offs are good except (no offense) Pendragon and New Olympians.

Greg responds...

Hey Toni,

I haven't given up on anything in particular, but... pitch what?

As for the spin-offs, well, you're entitled to your opinion. I just don't agree with your assesment of either Pendragon or New Olympians.

And as to your question about Goliath's parentage, Goliath was raised by his entire clan. Most gargoyles in that era and in that location didn't have names and most individuals can't be reduced to "'Good' or 'Bad'".

Response recorded on October 02, 2006

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Rebecca writes...

Greg,

Is there a proposed release date for the UK or somewhere online where I can obtain a copy specifically compatible with region 2 DVDs?

Thanks.

Greg responds...

As I've stated before, I don't know this stuff. Sorry.

Response recorded on October 02, 2006

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Kenneth Chisholm writes...

Apart from the DVD release, what was Disney management's reaction to the fact that with Gargoyles, they had a series that has a cult following as intense as Doctor Who's or Star Trek's. Were they suprised, confused, pleased or what?

Greg responds...

I don't know that we do have a following as intense as Doctor Who, and I'm quite sure that we don't have one as intense as Star Trek. That's not meant as a knock against our wonderful fans, but face it if we were on Star Trek's level, we wouldn't be worried about whether or not that last DVD set was going to come out.

Disney seems happy that Gargoyles has a solid fanbase, and I think that one or two executives were even hopeful that the Garg DVDs might represent a more-or-less out of left field windfall for the company. That didn't happen. So I think we need to prove all over again how powerful our fandom is.

Response recorded on October 02, 2006

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Bob writes...

Hey Greg,

I was wondering could you please tell us more about these prosed animated projects,
Steven Spielberg's Cliffhangers, Sword of the Shogun, The Avenger, Blackhawk, Madison & MON-Ro, Rain of the Ghosts, Tai-Fu The Series, Treasure Hunters, Inc., & Small Soldiers: The Animated Series?

Greg responds...

Avenger is based on the old pulp character.
Blackhawk on the DC Comics property.

Both were proposed for Cliffhanger's which was Steven's idea to run a different five-episode action miniseries (with each ep ending in a cliffhanger) every week. We were never able to sell a network on Cliffhangers, so neither Avenger nor Blackhawk ended up being optioned.

Tai-Fu was going to be a video game that DreamWorks Interactive was working on. Don't know if they ever made it.

Small Soldiers was based on the movie of the same name.

Sword of the Shogun, Madison & MON-Ro, Rain of the Ghosts and Treasure Hunters, Inc. were all original ideas that I proposed and developed.

Sword of the Shogun was also going to be in Cliffhangers.

Garg fans who came to the 1997 Gathering saw the Rain of the Ghosts pilot as a radio play. That's the one that got the furthest. Nick optioned it, but passed ultimately.

Nick also optioned Madison, but Steven killed it.

Response recorded on October 01, 2006


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