JanAlexandra writes...

Hi again Mr.Weisman
according to the provided timeline, Fox is 29 by the end of 1995.
is she already at the age of 29 when she got married?

Matt writes...

My Review For Bad Guys #1, "Strangers"...

- Alright, first lets talk about the cover. I like the improvements we saw over the preview of this cover from a couple months ago. The title is good, with a mention of Gargoyles to ensure this is the same universe, but the "Bad Guys" is larger and the lettering is unique, I'm glad. I also like the art itself. Matrix is well drawn and I can only imagine the difficulties of drawing this silvery solid shiny dude and making it look good in 2D, but both in the cover and in the book he looks great. Now as for the concept of the cover itself... well, the idea of the wanted poster is cool, but I'm not sure it was a great choice for the first book especially. You've got a Gargoyles-related media that is going to be in black & white for the first time, but you at least get colored covers and... you go for almost an entirely brown and gray cover? I'm generally a fan of more dynamic covers anyway, but this is particularly frustrating. Having Matrix as the first cover featured Squad member wouldn't have been my first choice either. He's a very cool character, but he is kinda bland to just look at him in mug shots. And the fact that the shots are black in white isn't great either. For all new readers know, Matrix is bright pink. Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on the cover, the art is good, and although not particularly dynamic it does grab your attention, I suppose. And it isn't entirely colorless, as my friend Ryan pointed out. Thank goodness for those pushpins.

- Moving on to the art in the book itself, well it is really, really great. I know a lot of people wished that Karine was doing the art on the main Gargoyles book, but honestly, I think Bad Guys is better for her. I think her skills are outstanding, but I tend to think she draws animals and humans better than gargoyles. I didn't love how Yama looked, but he was only in three frames, so I'll keep an open mind for Issue #2. On the other hand, the humans look great. Matrix, as I said, is extremely well done, and Fang looks way better than he did at any time in the series. The Thylacines look anatomically perfect, right down to their impressively expansive jaws. The biologist in me was thrilled to see them at all, and even more thrilled to see them so perfectly depicted. And kudos to Greg for thinking to include them. I'm glad everyone is doing their research.

- So we start out in medias res. It appears to be the adaption of a scene from the famous Bad Guys Leica Reel. I like how the Squad has their own uniforms, and I'm particularly fond of Fang's little shorts (like I said, I love how he was drawn). Matrix's morphing throughout the issue is very well shown, as are the fight scenes. It takes a lot of skill to show such dynamic movements in a comic book, and I had no trouble following the action. The little scene between Dingo and Hunter at the beginning is a lot of fun, though I think it plays better in the leica reel. As for the explosive cliffhanger, I think many Gathering attendees know how that one is gonna play out, still really fun though.

- Back two months and down under we get our first new villain. Tazmanian Tiger comes off as a very fun traditional comic book bad guy here, which is great cuz that is just what Dingo and Matrix need to show us what they've been up to since "Walkabout". One thing confuses me though. T. Tiger says, "Congratulations. You're the first to behold [me]." Implying this villain is making his first appearance, but he also seems to know exactly who Dingo is when Dingo and Matrix show up, even with the concealing armor. Has Taz seen this pair before? Doesn't seem like it, and yet it's implied. Guess we'll see what happens. I have no doubt we'll see Tazmanian Tiger again, and I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking up some possible storylines in his future. Anyway, I like him. Plus, I get a vibe from him... if you know what I mean.

- We get much more of the Dingo-Matrix partnership and how it works. Matrix is great. He is so driven (or obsessed) with this whole Law and Order thing. That goes right along with his character development. He is sentient, sure, and he's obviously intelligent, but he is also a very simple thinker. He can't help it, he was programmed that way. He had an objective, he has modified it slightly, but it is still his main objective. It'll be a lot of fun to watch his development. I was also pleased for the Shaman's return cameo. I like that Dingo and him have an ongoing relationship.

- We don't get to know how or why Hunter is here exactly (though the hardcore fans more or less know), and it'll be fun to go back and fill in that blank eventually. I think a great point made in this story is that all actions have consequences. Even though Dingo has become a "super"hero in Australia, he is still a wanted man back in the States. He can't pretend that part of his life never happened. So while he may be the most heroic of the Bad Guys (maybe), he still has his skeletons...

- Fantastic writing, as usual. Some of my favorite lines:

Tazmanian Tiger: "They've been extinct for sixty years so you can imagine how hungry they are!"

Dingo: "Look I've gone the super-villain route..."
Hunter: "Who hasn't?"

Oh, and I thought the last "letters" page being titled "Wanted, Posters!" was brilliant wit. Got a laugh out of me.

- Anyway, to sum it up here: A fantastic first step on what looks to be a fun series. I especially look forward to seeing the Ishimura Clan again on the Great Tengu Hunt. Always looked forward to seeing more of Sora in particular, and her interesting relationship with Yama. More of that next time. Great job everybody and thanks!

David writes...

Hey Greg,
I bought Bad Guys #1 today. Great story. And the artwork was far batter the I thought it would be. The black and white thing really worried me, but after the first page or two I hardly noticed. Seriously, if anyone reading this is holding off on buying the book for that reason trust me and give it a chance. Just one question, though. Robyn allludes to destroying Matrix and she disables him pretty efficiently. Is Matrix really that vunerable, or are we to infer that Robyn knows someone who has even better weaponry then Xanatos and Fox? If it's the latter, I can't wait to see what else she has up her sleeve. Great fight scene between she and Dingo in Australia, by the way.

Thanks for giving us all a chance to finally see these stories,

-D

dph writes...

My review of Bad Guys Issue #1

I recognized the opening from the Leica Reel that I saw at the 2006 Gathering. That's a good place to start, in the middle of things. Page 2, in the middle frame in the confrontation between Dingo and Hunter, Dingo's head seems to grow a bit bigger than in the frame before or after. After the confrontation with the missiles, we flash back to the recruitment of Dingo. I was kinda hoping to see Hunter's recruitment first, but oh well. Then we see the Tazmanian Tiger, with his own super-villain costume. I like it how Matrix . . umm . . 'tames' the tigers. That's a nice reminder of Matrix's abilities. Dingo flying away superman style sounds right, because he still doesn't want to get caught. Dingo complaining of feeling pain from Matrix sounds right. No pain, no gain and that is a partnership. I'm guessing Robyn had her helicopter ready and was ready to follow Dingo as soon as he left so they could have a conversation. Dingo being beat by Hunter reminds me of a line from "The Pack" that Dingo said: "This job is cushy, but flabby as I am now, I probably couldn't last a week in a South American war". Dingo, indeed, was gone soft, from his day's past. Hunter pulling out an EM pulse grenade makes it clear that she's well informed. Not many people know about Matrix. Also, it's nice for somebody prepared to expose one of Matrix's weaknesses. I guess it really isn't surprise for Matrix to join, when you consider that he's still naive in the ways of the world. Dingo, understandablly, is relunctant to join.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. Looking forward to seeing how the rest of the team is recruited.

kaji writes...

For me gargoyes was the biggest thing ever created; but i'm a bit disapointed that the series didn't move on. in addition, season 2 vol. 2 is not of dvd. So i ask you, when is the season 2vol 2 is coming on dvd?

Todd Jensen writes...

I'd also like to give you my condolences over the recent passing of your dog Abraham.

Todd Jensen writes...

Since your birthday's on September 28, I thought I'd share with you a piece of trivia I recently discovered.

I've been collecting Fantagraphics Books' reprints of "Peanuts", and discovered that on September 28, 1962, the "Peanuts" strip for the day was Snoopy pretending to be a gargoyle (the regular architectural variety, of course). In fact, it was one of three such strips (the other two were on September 27 and September 29 respectively). I thought you might like to know that. (If you'd like to see the strips, they're in "The Complete Peanuts 1961-62", on page 273.)

Todd Jensen writes...

I bought my copy of "Bad Guys" #1 today. The two parts that excited me the most were Robyn Canmore calling Dingo "Harry Monmouth", which makes that name canon rather than canon-in-training at last (and also officially brings Shakespeare's history plays as well as his tragedies and comedies into the Gargoyles Universe - well, Oberon did quote from "Henry V" in "Ill Met By Moonlight"), and referring to Yama as a tengu. (I'd suspected for many years that the Ishimura gargoyles tied in nicely with the tengus of Japanese legend, and was glad to see that confirmed.)

I recognized the opening pages as based on the leika reel that I saw at the Gathering 2001. I'm looking forward to seeing more of that mission in future issues.

The Tazmanian Tiger has to be the corniest villain yet in the Gargoyles Universe, but in a good way. I hope that we find out in a later story where his thylacines came from. Has the report of their extinction in the Gargoyles Universe been an exaggeration, or is there something else involved? I was also amused by the Superman parody accompanying Dingo's entrance.

I liked Matrix's characterization as well (including even the style of his lettering) - you captured his attempts to understand the world about him and the pursuit of law and order effectively (especially his bewilderment over Dingo's lack of enthusiasm over Matrix linking to him, literally - and his being the one to accept Robyn's offer).

Was the rock where Dingo and Matrix met Shaman (and where Robyn showed up afterwards) intended to be Ayers Rock/Uluru?

I'm looking forward now to #2 (as well as to Gargoyles #7). Great first issue of the spin-off.

Chip writes...

What are the song(s?) that were "playing" in the background of Bad Guys #1? I didn't recognize the lyrics.