Harvester of Eyes writes...

Issue #4, "Masque": Ramble/Review

Overall, this issue was very fun. For some reason, a lot of the panels felt more confining than they did in previous issues, but if Paniry is a storyboard artist, that might be where that comes from. I think he is better with facial expressions, though.

I like Billy and Susan's costumes. So their mom is a Quarryman and she lets her kids dress up as convicted felons. I'm surprised stores were still stocking Pack costumes, unless she made them herself or saved them from another holiday. Still, I got the sense that it was either that or gargoyles, and ironically, she went with what she probably imagined was the lesser of two evils. Unless I'm reading too much into it.

I liked the way Thailog's guns work. Would stand to reason that he'd probably have a few items stored for a rainy day in case things didn't go as planned in "The Reckoning." And he had some great dialogue. The attitude remains. And he did something quite surprising at the end. Wow.

Owen also had some good dialogue. Liked the game of poker he was playing with Thailog. Xanatos's security force also seems to have grown in size. And I get the feeling that Delilah's line close to the end of the third issue might be some foreshadowing as to what choice she'll make in #5. But I've been wrong before. For some reason, I had thought that Elisa already knew about Delilah. Nice little moment between them, hopefully they'll get more interesting (the moments, I mean).

And we cut away from Xanatos just when things were getting interesting. Hopefully, he'll have a bigger part in future issues. Not that I'm complaining about this one. As I said, Thailog's attitude rocks.

And the Labyrinth Girl's going on an adventure. I too have to wonder when she'll be getting a name. Unless there's a dramatic setup revolving around that.

Here's hoping Issue #5 comes out on time.

KingCobra_582 writes...

What a time for comic books. Especially when they're adaptations of unaired seasons. In this case, Buffy Season 8 (picked up Buffy #3 and Gargs #4 today) and (the real) Gargoyles Season 3. But since this is a Gargoyles site and not a Buffy one, I'll leave a review on Gargs #4, and maybe I'll discuss Buffy later. Maybe at the con or something.

Anyway.

**WARNING. SPOILERS.**

It was a fun issue. The artwork seemed (to me, anyway) to be a little more cartoon-ish. It was a little hard for me to tell just what was going on in some panels. At least, not right away. Though on the other hand, it was a different kind of artwork, and who doesn't appreciate variety? So the art did not bother me. In fact, I somewhat enjoyed it.

And nice props on 'Cyborg Lex' too. Made me flash back to Future Tense, which is/was one of my favorite episodes. I wonder if it creeped Goliath out any? Though I have to admit I (at first glance) thought Lex WAS going as the Tin Man, to collaborate with Broadway and Angela's Wizard Of Oz costumes. But now that I think about it, Lex conveinently (albeit unknowingly) dressing up as the Evil Lex of Goliath's worst nightmare made more sense. You obviously did that to mess with the fans, Greg, and I applaud you for it. Bravo for the WTF moment you drew out of me. :D

And of course we can't leave Margot Yale. Berating poor Brendan. Plus, I guess that, despite all their encounters in the past, she can't even recognize a Gargoyle in costume, going so far as to praise Lex for it. It's either short-term memory issues or her inability to believe that the 'monsters' are anything but or both.

Thailog in the Labyrinth was a treat. Just as bad-assed as ever. That's what makes him one of my favorite characters. He's Goliath's evil side. I guess he never changes and never will. Shooting at Maggie and being able to manipulate his 'property' into helping him attack Goliath at the end. Claw, another of my beloved characters, came into play a bit here as well. I dunno what I expected to happen next after #3's climax, but it definitely wasn't that. Claw is so cool. Too bad he can't overpower Thailog.

And when Thailog STABS Goliath at the end! Holy. Crap...!

More Elisa and Goliath angst, too. Ho hum.

More Illuminati greeting too. Now if only I knew what the numbers represented. I'm guessing rank, but you're the only one who really knows. And knowing you, you're not saying.

What's Xanatos' mission at the White House anyway?

Oh, and it took me a little bit to remember who Judge Roebling was. Is he going to slowly and over time develop more?

Nice little Brooklyn/Angela moment too. Even if she's mated and she only wants to see his costume, it's nice that Brooklyn finally gets SOME kind of positive time with a female. It's not the romantic kind that he wants, but it's better then him being used, rejected, or attacked.

Hopefully the events of Timedancer will come soon, but that's my own personal anticipation, and there's no rush.

**END SPOILERS**

Another great issue, Greg. Cool story, decent animation, Thailog at his best, and some great moments of irony ('Future Tense' Lex) all chalk up to another great installment. I'm definitely psyched for #5.

Oh, and I'm definitely bringing all my comics (Buffy in the chance you might want to read it, and Gargoyles for autographing.) to the con next month.

See you then.

Cobra out.

Jason Aiken writes...

Hey Greg,

Just got done reading Gargoyles #4...it was a great balance between drama and all out action.

I liked the scenes with Thailog the best... he's got to be my favorite "villain" in the series, as he thinks he's doing the right thing, but he's just got it all wrong.

It also seems like the Illuminati plot is thickening... this time Xanatos said "thirty-six" and the waiter said "two", not "thirty-two"... I'm looking forward to seeing what this all means.

Also, I was wondering why the comic now has a floppier paper cover and still costs the same. The first three had solid stock covers which I assumed is why it was 3.50 instead of the normal 2.99 price that most comics are..

Keep up the great work, it's great to see the Gargs storyline moving forward.

Matt writes...

My Review For Gargoyles #4, "Masque"...

- First off, after reading it and beginning my review, I can't help notice that there isn't a title page for this issue. I can't find the title "Masque" anywhere in the book. That's not really a problem, but it did make me wonder why not.

- So, we left off with Trick or Treat and we pick back up with Trick or Treaters. Billy and Susan have obviously aged a couple years. They seem to still be big Pack fans, which is pretty cool. And then there is Billy's friend Terry. Now, I don't think any of the more hardcore fans of the series have any doubts about who he is (though Greg could throw us a curveball). I'm actually pleased that something I guessed about a long time ago is correct: "The New Olympians" spinoff is probably gonna take place roughly a decade or more after "Hunter's Moon". Terry's apparent age confirms that. It is cool that we know this kid is gonna end up being a major figure, but at the moment he is just a kid dressed up for Halloween as Goliath, as many kids were in the mid-90s.

- Little things I liked about this first scene: Sarah glancing at the Quarrymen (who are, by the way, making a presence as Castaway said, but NOT smashing Jeffrey's gargoyles), the "Nice mask" line was such a homage to one more of our great voice actors: Greg Weisman!, Gilly and Bronx by the fire.

- Since "Invitation Only", I, and others, have suspected Hudson and Bronx were on their ways to Robbins' house for the night, so that wasn't much of a shock. The conversation between Jeffrey and Hudson was fun. This is a very interesting relationship. Hudson's face in the last frame is the best part for me. I studied it for a while trying to figure out what Hudson was thinking and feeling. It seems to me that he wants to tell Robbins but is a little afraid. He is happy to have a friend, but sad that he has to cover up the truth. Feeling you can't be truthful to a friend because you'll lose the friend is an awful feeling. I hope Hudson figures out what to do. I wonder what he told Jeffrey about Bronx... "This is my shaved giant web-eared dog... don't worry, he's house trained..."

- It is weird to see so many people at the Eyrie. I believe most often we see very small groups of people there and the large crowds tend to be fleeing the building. Broadway and Angela are fun and they bring in yet another Wizard of Oz reference to the series. (As a side note: I loved seeing the stuffed Toto because Toto was a Cairn Terrier and my dog Gus is descended from him. The many Wiz Of Oz lines in "Hound of Ulster", not to mention the cairns in the episode, are a part of the reason that Cuchullain is my Comment Room avatar. He's a reference to my dog, sorta. Anyway, now I know what my dog would look like as a Gargoyles comic character.)

- And then we have Lexington... boy, THAT'S an interesting costume. Where have we seen THAT before. Oh, fun.

- Not sure how I feel about Elisa as Jasmine... Give me some time to think about that.

- There are so many neat little touches in this one I don't know if I could mention them all, but a short list is Morgan and Broadway chatting and Angela's dissaproval of Elisa bringing a date. Great stuff.

- Back to the Labyrinth. Thailog starts mowing everyone down. Glad Thailog was prepared for Talon's eel blast. Thailog vs. Claw was a lot of fun.

- I didn't expect to see Judge Roebling again. He was fun here, a very different side of him than we saw in "Vows".

- And then things get awkward. The meeting we've all been waiting for. Goliath, Delilah, Elisa and Morgan. Oh Lord. I love how the crowd seems to dissappear as these four live out their awkward moment.

- Brooklyn... Here we go again. Poor, poor Brooklyn. And Angela's attempt to make him feel better looks like it's backfiring.

- I didn't like the Broadway and Lex chowing down frame. It was kinda gross. Suddenly these two are acting like animals.

- Off to the White House and we meet Ambassador Chung, thats neat. I'm sure we'll see more of her. And Alex... I'm glad that Greg is addressing what appears to be the rapid aging of little Alex. Very interesting.

- The Illuminati Waiter is neat. "Two", eh? Greg got an eyebrow raise out of me with that one.

- Back to Claw vs. Thailog. I do wonder why Claw didn't use his eel blast against the Clones. Maybe he didn't want to hurt them. And Maggie trying to talk sense into the Clones is neat. But they don't even really consider her opinion, they just are not programmed that way, I guess. Pisses Thailog off anyway, Maggie is nearly killed. Wow.

- Probably one of the neatest moments in this episode is when Malibu tells Thailog that Goliath took Delilah on a date and for a moment Thailog gets this face like he feels rejected or shocked or something... and then he laughs! What a great character. I think that laugh is hiding something though. Jealousy at least.

- Delilah and Morgan standing on their own. How awkward is that?

- More Elisa and Goliath drama. I mean really, they have their feelings for each other, but what are they supposed to do? I have no clue. At this point I'm not sure how it's gonna work out.

- And then we have our closing scene. Owen shines in this one, so cool and collected, and his comment about endlessly rebuilding the Castle was hilarious. I kinda wondered if Bruno is among those troops. And then Thailog takes his cheap shot. Ouch. That has gotta hurt. Goliath has had a rough few nights. First his wing gets shot up, then the next night his heart is broken and he gets stabbed by his own flesh and blood. Talk about a bad week.

- My overall opinions on this episode are very good. The story was great, and it'll leave me lots to think about before our next issue. I did not hate the art, but I think Issue #3 was the best we've seen so far. The characters look pretty good all in all though, very dynamic. It is also neat to see shots like the half Thailog, half Goliath face and the double date couples alone in a crowded room. I'm eagerly awaiting Issue #5. Thanks for another great one Greg, David, Dustin, Greg Stephanie, Dan, Jennifer and Scott!!!!

Todd Jensen writes...

My ramble-review of #4.

I thought that this was another fun one. I was amused by a lot of the little tidbits (Billy and Susan's trick-or-treating partner being Terry Chung, Billy and Susan going trick-or-treating as Jackal and Hyena, the "nice mask" line, Lexington's costume, the revelation - at last- of Brendan's surname, Judge Roebling's cameo, Owen's remark about repairing the damage done to the castle, Thailog's "maniacal laugh" line, etc.).

So now we know that Elisa's partner for the Double Date is Officer Morgan. Not only does it make sense (since I don't think that Jason's current legal situation would make him that appropriate for the role), but it provides the great symmetry of both males involved in the Double Date being voiced by Keith David and both females by Salli Richardson. (I remember thinking, back before the comics came out, about how that would make Officer Morgan the more appropriate candidate, and that it would be even better if Thailog was to be the antagonist in that episode - then Keith David could have really earned his paycheck if it had been made on television. And now that we know that Thailog *is* the antagonist of this story, I can safely say that here.)

Maggie urging the Clones to think for themselves rather than blindly following Thailog was a great moment. So, too, was Owen's interaction with Thailog, and readiness to have Delilah make her own choice over whom to be with.

There'll certainly be much to look forward to in #5: obviously, Goliath will survive Thailog's attack on him (given how important he is to the series, I doubt that you'd dare kill him off so soon after its revival), but there's so much else to find out (what Delilah's choice will be, what the Illuminati want to talk to Xanatos about at the White House, even what Brooklyn's costume will be). Thanks for another issue, Greg.

Meg writes...

Just a few things I forgot....

-Speaking of Owen, BOY he has a pair of brass balls.
-Elisa's costume choices are constantly very symbolic. When she was Belle, it was for her relationship with Goliath. Now, she's Jasmine, the princess who just wants a "normal" life. And Elisa having a thing for Disney princesses is too cute.
-I wonder if Billy and Susan's mother is starting to re-think her Quarryman membership; that glance at the two on the street seemed uneasy. Perhaps she's starting to realize what the Quarrymen really are all about. Castaway looks like a genius, now, too--so many little kids are running around in garg costumes, all it takes is the inevitable one idiot with a hammer to completely destroy the Quarrymen and make the gargs (or at least their champions) sympathetic.
-It makes sense that Broadway would like Morgan's costume; he's a detective buff, after all. Little continuity things like that please me. Part of what made this show so good was the little moments/details that added up.
-I don't find Margot's costume gaffe all that surprising, though; I mean, you see a Cowardly Lion and a Dorothy, you assume the one in shiny silver-looking stuff is some sort of Tin Man. Love Angela's Toto; like the symbolism of her as Dorothy; she's definitely not in Kansas anymore. Broadway's, I wonder if Fox wasn't just looking to make them a matched set. (Also, I wonder if Lex's cyborg costume was intended to also double as possibly a Tin Man-ish thing, and if so, if Brook will have a costume that's vaguely Scarecrow-ish.)
-A little thing I liked: Hudson looking HUGE on the third page from the kids' point of view. To them, he probably DOES seem like a giant!
-Man, poor Hudson gets no love! Very few costumes of him; Brook and Goliath seem to be the most popular. (And no one gets Lex's wings right, either.)
-I realize it's probably a large age gap, but I wonder if Ambassador/Terry Chung are related to Tri Chung from issue #3.
-The new girl seems a little quick to be suddenly jumping into the action, given that she found out all this backstory about five minutes ago; something's clearly up with her. I, too, liked the "Moving!" line.

Both the cover and the interior pages are (for my issue, at least) thinner and flimsier than the cover/pages of the previous three issues, especially the cover. I am guessing that that's a cost-cutting measure and hoping it doesn't indicate poor sales. :\

Still looking forward to #5!

Jack Johnson writes...

Dear Greg,
How many of the Gargoyles from Ishimura have names? We know Kai, Yama, Sora, and from their past Katana, but what about the rest?

PS - got #4 today, and I loved it! Cant wait to see what Brooklyn's costume looks like, though I have a decent guess.

Meg writes...

Issue #4: "Masque" My long, rambling thoughts (in no particular order):

-I had forgotten that Nir Paniry was going to be the guest artist for this issue, so you can imagine my reaction when I flipped open to the first page and went "...buh?"
-Speaking of the art, I actually liked it more than I thought I would. It's heavily stylized, obviously, but something about it seems to mesh well with Gargoyles, even if it is a little overly "cartoonish" at times. (The fact that it's a Halloween issue probably helps, too.) Paniry is excellent at showing emotion, especially in distance shots; in particular, Brooklyn's grin when he tells Angela he'll get his costume on and Angela as she pulls Elisa away from Broadway and Morgan. I don't think I'd enjoy his style as much if he were the regular artist, but as a fill-in, it does very well. (And, on a personal level, Paniry draws the best Brooklyn we're seen in the comics thus far; as Brooklyn's my favorite character, that's always a plus.) The colors are okay; sometimes they mesh well with the art, other times not so much.
-Hudson was awesome in this issue. In his own way, he's mingling and breaking down prejudice just as much as the gargs at the party. And he's such a grandfather at heart, he's great with the kids. You wonder how much Robbins suspects; it was nice to see him and Gilly again.
-I love Angela's anger with Elisa. (Also love her excuse to the boys: "Girl talk!" Hee! So true.) It's appropriate and in-character; Angela, more than anyone, knows what Elisa and Goliath feel for each other, and she's very protective of her father.
-If/when the clones shake off Thailog's control, my money's on Brentwood being the first to break free; he repeats "free will" after Maggie says it (possibly in a thoughtful tone--can't know without a voice actor), and when Owen and Goliath debate Delilah's free will, Brentwood is in the background watching them. I wonder if, like in the real clan where Lex is probably the most naturally academically brilliant of the clan, Brentwood is the sharpest of the clones. He certainly speaks much more than anyone else.
-Poor Brook. I think he meant his "no point" in a different way than Angela took it; I think he was thinking of his dateless status.
-Loved Fox holding the fox-head masquerade mini-mask. Nice touch.
-Goliath's resounding "NO!" to Roebling's "So this is Demona?" is amusing, as is Delilah's response and Roebling's face. Roebling's question doesn't make much sense to me, though, as he officiated at David and Fox's wedding and has already met Demona. Also loved Roebling scampering out of there when he felt the tension between the two couples. He's fun here.
-"Post-modern tinman." HAH. Oh, Margot. Such a yuppie.
-I actually liked Angela and Brook's little moment. Angela is very much the "mother" of the clan; in addition to being protective of her father, she knows what to say to a guy when he's down in the dumps to make him feel better. Goliath might be the clan's soul, and Brook/Lex its brains, but Angela's its heart.
-I generally don't care for Thailog, but I did like his "Haven't had a good maniacal laugh in weeks" line.
-Morgan's pretty clueless about romance. I mean, he put the pieces together, but if I were Elisa, I'd be thinking that (even unintentionally) rubbing her nose in a painful, awkward breakup isn't the way to win a girl. Props to him for trying to chat to Delilah, though. Poor them! Nice moment there. He's a nice guy.
-Ah, little Terry Chung, nice to meet you....
-Maggie's come a long way from her first appearance. Like in KINGDOM, you see that she's not a fighter, but helps out in her own way. Too bad she gets a wall dumped on her for showing her newly developed backbone. You can tell Talon really loves her.
-I'm really curious as to what Brook's costume will be next issue. Probably Pepe LePew or some such, poor guy!
-Owen's free will question was interesting, and his point well-taken; if someone has free will, they have to be given a choice to decide what they want. (Although, if the clones were conditioned/manipulated to follow Thailog, that complicates that whole question.) Owen is much more practical than Goliath, as well; he realizes that, if nothing else, it will be impossible to hold Delilah/the clones if they really want to leave. What is the clan going to do, guard Delilah 24/7 as they guarded Demona? It's impractical. Goliath gets caught up in the principle of the matter (which is to his credit), but he doesn't always think through the details. That's more Brook's forte.

Overall, this is probably, to my way of thinking, the best issue of the comic to date. It seemed more pulled-together than the last issue, it's got very interesting storylines, the art compliments the story...definitely the best of the comic so far. Looking forward to #5 and seeing the resolution of this storyline!

Chip writes...

AAAAAHHHHHH!!!! Thailog Stabbed Goliath!

Okay Okay, I had to start that way since I started my last review that way. No titles this time, we just jump straight into the story, which is cool with me. We've got Billy and Susan and a young Terry Chung (Which says to me that New Olympians is still a few years away, alas.)
BTW on a side note why does Billy and Susan's Mom let her kids dress up as convicted felons?
Hah! I figured that Hudson was off to see Robbins, and the panel with Gilly and Bronx lying by the fire just made me squeal with delight (where's Frank Welker when you need him?) It also make me wonder about that Adventure that you said that Bronx went on with Cagney during the events of Vendettas/Turf.
I think Robbins is going to figure out Hudson's little secret if he hasn't already.

Angela as Dorothy, quite apropriate symbolism there. Angela is still not quite used to New York life, (but she's learning fast)
I find it creepy that Lex is dressed exactly as he was in Puck's "Future Tense" world. I also get the feeling that I usually get when foreshadowing is involved...Or maybe I'm just paranoid. Yeah that's it.

"Move Girl" Talon yelled "Moving!" the [Labyrinth New Girl-Whose-Name-you-haven't-revealed-to-us-yet-which-isn't-a-big-deal-since-names-don't-matter-much-to-gargoyles] said moving out of the way hastily.

I'm not sure why, but that scene made me grin, and I gotta wonder, the clones may have been programed as 'robots', but they aren't. How did they feel turning on the Labyrinth residents who've been so good to them.

36-2. Something tells me we have a big-wig here.

BTW (Again) Elisa as Jasmine this year. Does Elisa just like the Disney Princesses? Going as Aurora next year? I think Elisa would make a nice Mulan.

Poor Morgan.

Owen has his own army. Why am I not surprised ;)

And the Climactic moment...Thailog stabs Goliath. Will he make it to surise. (I thing that this marks the first moment that Goliath has actually bled since the pilot episode)

Can't wait for issue #5

Jurgan writes...

I never managed to get my thoughts in on the last three issues- the first two because I didn't have much to say about a story I'd already seen, and the third because the queue closed before I had a chance. I thought about going back, but decided against it, so I'll turn in my opinions on issue 4 on day one.

Art: Hedgecock is credited as the penciler, but I'm told someone else was behind the art this issue? A little strange. I'm one of those who liked Hedgecock's art, mostly. This issue was a little strange, artwise. That's mainly in regard to crowd scenes- small scenes are still pretty good. I'm gonna go page by page now.

Billy and Susan: It took me a minute to realize it, but they're dressed as Jackal and Hyena. Terrific callback. They're trick-or-treating along with a kid dressed as a gargoyle. Their mom looks uncomfortably at the Quarreymen who walk past. No doubt she's afraid of what Castaway will think of a member escorting a gargoyle costumed child. The other boy is called Terry- more about that later.

The kids get goodies from Brooklyn and Freddie Krueger, and then, after complaining about bad masks, meet Hudson. Susan gets in Greg's "Nice mask" line.

Yay, Robbins! I love Robbins. He apparently didn't think Hudson was in costume- and, ironically, he's right.

On the next page, we arrive at the Eyrie Building and see a big crowd scene, and here's where the art looks weird. A lot of the people look like caricatures. Also, I swear that's Mace Malone in the front, but that's obviously impossible. And we get Margot chewing out Brendan (Quarters) again, allegedly for being "cliche." I wonder, though, if it's really because she just doesn't like gargoyles and doesn't want her husband dressed up as one. Those two have had an odd relationship with the gargoyles, but it often seems like they've never met them at all.

Oh, I love the gargoyles' costumes. Broadway is a fun Cowardly Lion, and Angela is absolutely adorable as Dorothy (with a stuffed Toto in her basket!). Lexington, though... it's a great costume, but downright disturbing in light of Future Tense.

Elisa seems to have a thing for Disney princesses. Jasmine, this time. The costume works well, I think, though it doesn't have any subtext I can see (unlike her Belle costume, which symbolized her relationship with Goliath). It is a little risque for a first date, I think- she might be sending Morgan the wrong message. And Morgan's Sherlock Holmes costume is nice, but the point, Morgan, is to dress as someone different from what you really are. So we ended up going with Morgan. While Jason and Elisa had more chemistry, if the point of seeing other people for Elisa to have a normal life, it wouldn't make much sense for her to go out with a convicted international terrorist. Also, I don't think he'd be able to leave house arrest, or whatever it is he's under. Meanwhile, Angela is pissed at Elisa. Protective of the big guy, isn't she.

Thailog: Awesome as always. I love the fact that he has individual teeth now. Also, he can deflect electricity, it seems.

Judge Roebling makes a surprising return, and he's one of the few who knows what Goliath really is.

Elisa and Delilah meet up for the first time, as well as Morgan and "G." Elisa seems pretty uncomfortable for a number of reasons.

Brooklyn is lonely as usual. Angela seems to be flirting with him. I'm sure she doesn't mean it, but she's sending the wrong message. And Broadway's seen eating a lot again. I didn't like Broadway's eating jokes at first, because it seems like that was all there was to him. Now, though, we know the guy well enough that it's okay for him to be gluttonous on occasion. Just please, never have him eat his hat again. Also, I wonder if the reason Angela left Broadway is because he's indulging himself so- his plateful is rather disgusting. I know she loves the lug, but that doesn't mean she can't get annoyed with him from time to time.

At the White House: First alarm is that we meet an "Ambassador Chung." Now she says her son "Terry" is back in New York trick-or-treating. We met a "Terry" at the beginning of the issue- could he be the future star of New Olympians? He's a little young for that, but I'm not sure when NO is set. Was one of the people on the Gargoyle Task Force also called "Chung?"

We see the family Xanatos again. I can't get over how cute Alex's costume is. Alex apparently has a favorite word: "Doggie!" Last time he said it was to Bronx, but now it's just random. It also seems he's growing a lot faster than one would expect, according to Chung. That makes sense, now that I think about it- he's too young to be saying any words at all. His grandmother's genes are showing in him. Also, a little subtle bit: Fox has a handheld mask that's the same as her tattoo. Seems rather pointless to me.

Xanatos meets with another Illuminatus. "Thirty-six. Two." Yikes. Looks like people were right, and the numbers are ranks. I find it a little artificial that all the people Hacker met last time were rank 36, but it's not completely implausible. This, then, is a very high-ranking member who probably is tasked with guiding the president to making decisions favorable to the society. I guess we'll find out more next time.

Thailog's fight with Claw looks great, but doesn't last long thanks to the clones. As I expected, once he showed up, they immediately snapped back into obedience. Thailog calls Maggie "Norma Rae." I considered that maybe Maggie was an alias and Sevarius had told Thailog her real name. I've since been told that it's a reference to something, but I don't get it.

Maggie gets herself hurt, and Derek jumps in to help. Yeah, he's not the brightest bulb in the box, but he's a good guy and doesn't lack for courage.

"Wow. Haven't had a good maniacal laugh in weeks." HAHAHA! Thailog is so great. I'm a little confused about one thing, though- in the close-up of his face, right before the maniacal laugh, it looks like he's wearing some sort of glasses or goggles. What that's about?

Derek stays with Maggie, and so Mysterious Unnamed Girl from last issue goes to warn Goliath. Hopefully we figure out her deal sooner or later- probably next issue, as part of the triumphant conclusion.

Elisa continues to be uncomfortable with Morgan, and leaves him to make small-talk with Delilah. Oh, I would love to see more of that conversation.

Goliath and Elisa have another heart-to-heart, only Elisa seems to have turned even more irrational. But hey, that's the way people are at times. She decides it was a "mistake" to go on a double date like this, "but it doesn't change anything." Bravo, Greg. I'd hate to go through all that drama last issue and then get over it so quickly. I hope we go some time before they finally admit to themselves that they're going to stay together forever.

Thailog drops in with more comedy, and Goliath just glares at him, rather than going over the top screaming. Goliath knew he was gonna come back sooner or later. But then Owen walks up, cool as ever, and demands the guns back. Because they were created by Xanatos Enterprises. He's still interested in recovering them from way back in Deadly Force. I briefly considered that he might turn into Puck. Were Alex in the castle, he could probably get away with it, but here it's unnecessary and probably impossible. It would also have confused new readers. Much better to have Owen simply being awesome as Owen.

Oh, dear, an army of commandos aiming at the gargoyles! It's not like they've ever beaten those before! It works, though, because Thailog is not afraid of them- he just doesn't want to take unnecessary risks with a fight. Another great line: "I have transcended any pleasure received from supervising the endless reconstruction of this castle." Yeah, haven't we all.

What I did not expect was Owen offering to turn Delilah over. However, he has no reason to feel loyalty to her. He also rightly points out that Goliath can't force her to stay unless he doesn't care about her right to make her own decisions. This, of course, is hampered by the fact that she may still be unable to make her own decisions. We'll see.

And then we end with Thailog absolutely owning Goliath. As soon as I saw the blade, I remembered the cover of issue 5, and I knew what was going to happen. You can't see the blade go in, but the look on G's face says it all. I don't know if he's ever taken such a vicious injury.

Great issue, except for a couple art problems. Are we going to have a massive gargoyle brawl in front of all of these people? That could put a serious damper on Xanatos's plan, as they'd have to realize that those were real gargoyles. We'll find out how all this ends come July!