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POSTINGS 2008-01 (Jan)

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Antiyonder writes...

"I know where my copy of the Gargoyles Trade Paperback "Clan-Building" Volume One is. Do you?"

On the computer desk for the moment, as I'm staying at my dad's place tonight. Good job on your part of putting the TPB together. While I do have the individual issues, getting the trade wasn't really any problem as I've done the same for the Spider-Girl series from Marvel.

As for the next volume of Clan Building when it comes out (going for optimism here) have you considered putting in the scenes than didn't make it in the #6 flashback? You know, much like a Deleted Scene section on a DVD? Or did you you only script the scenes in question?

Greg responds...

I guess I have the old script, but I'm not sure I need or want to see the page or so that didn't make the cut into #6. They don't really fit anymore. And, of course, they were never drawn.

Response recorded on February 01, 2008

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The One Known As Mochi writes...

I know this is far too early to ask...but... Will you be making an appearance at Comic-Con 2008 in San Diego? I'm just hoping SLG will have a booth set up with you (and hopefully the Gargoyles comics) appearing in hopes of spreading the word before/during/after the convention. :)

Greg responds...

I will indeed be at ComicCon this summer. In fact I'm at quite a few conventions this year...

February 22-24 - WonderCon in San Francisco

June 27-30 - The Gathering in Chicago

July 3-6 - ConVergence in Minneapolis

July 23-27 - ComicCon in San Diego

August 27-September 1 - CopperCon in Arizona

Response recorded on February 01, 2008

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John Pannozzi writes...

What was your involvment with Chip 'N' Dale Rescue Rangers and Darkwing Duck?

Greg responds...

On Chip, I was an executive in current programming, who gave notes on all scripts... i.e. not much.

On Darkwing Duck, I was part of Tad Stones' development team. I'm pretty sure I came up with the name Goslyn. Afterwards, I was again giving notes on scripts, etc... this was the series I trained on in development.

Response recorded on February 01, 2008

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Ricky writes...

Hey Greg,

Recently you said this about the comics:

"Sales on the book have dropped with every issue, which is depressing enough in and of itself. But if the trend continues, then SLG will have no choice but to let the license go when it next comes up for renewal. We're still one of their best-selling books (if not THE best), but most SLG books don't come with a massive license fee draining money away. We should be good finishing out Clan-Building (i.e. issue #12) and Redemption (i.e. Bad Guys issue #6), but there's no guarantee we'll continue beyond that if sales don't pick up -- or at the very least level off."

Obviously, this has me extremely worried about the Gargoyles comics. I can't begin to explain how much a part of my life the Gargoyles universe has become. I love the characters and the world you've created and it feels like we just got that back and now I'm worried we're going to lose it all over again. But I'm doing my part, I have the DVDs, I'm spreading the word to just about everyone I can think of (about the dvds and the comic), and I have every issue of both Gargoyles and Bad Guys (I am eagerly anticipating G#8 and BG#2), and I'm waiting for amazon.com to ship Clan-Building Vol. 1, I can't wait!

Anyway, my question has to do with the other Disney comics that SLG puts out. I'm curious as to whether the other comics are doing well, or if they are also facing the same dilemma as the result of the licensing fee. Does Gargoyles have a larger licensing fee than Haunted Mansion, Wonderland or Tron? And if so, why? I know you said that Gargoyles may be THE best-selling book SLG has, so I'm just trying to understand what all the factors are that play into it. Also, exactly when is the license up for renewal?

I really do hope that it takes us through G#12 and BG#6, at least, and until then I'm committed to doing everything I can to keep Gargoyles alive. I hope the other fans who read these are doing everything they can too! After 10 years, we've got them back, lets not lose them again.

Thanks for everything, Greg!

Greg responds...

I don't have all the answers to your questions. My understanding is that Tron sells fairly well. Not as sure about Wonderland and Haunted Mansion. I doubt Gargoyles license is more expensive than the other three, but honestly that's just an assumption on my part.

Response recorded on January 31, 2008

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Charisma82 writes...

Hey! Okay, first off, WOW! I loved The Rock! I had been excited about this comic ever since the teaser on Garg Wiki was put up about the synopsis of the story. I couldn't wait to see how you would incorporate all those characters into this issue. I was very pleased to see how you did it. It all fit great! And another biggie that lets me know that this issue was fantastic is that my sister (likes to read the comics, but really isn't into the whole Gargoyles obsession I'm into) was actually psyched after reading it and came in and talked to me about some parts of the story. All right, enough on that, now it's time to get to my page by page report on issue # 7, The Rock.

Gargoyles: Clan-Building
Part 7: The Rock

Part 1 Pages 1-12

Cover: Before I get to the pages, I have to comment on the cover. I've never commented on the cover before on the other issues because most of them never really tied in with what was really going on in the comic, but this one did. When I first looked at this comic's cover I paused a moment in thought. Why would Greg have the gargoyles asleep at night when that was already done before in the TV series? Then I thought that maybe the rock that was supposed to be in this issue was magical in some way that made gargoyles turn to stone at night. Then I noticed Big Ben in the background. It didn't click right away about the jet lag thing, so I still pondered over this when I started to read the comic. I completely forgot about the cover until the end of the comic when I remembered it and then put 2 and 2 together about them being in a different time zone. Well, better late than never I suppose.

Page 1: It starts out well enough. We see Macbeth hanging out, waiting for Goliath to wake up with Owen (who no doubt escorted Macbeth up to the tower). We get a close up on both Macbeth and Goliath. The only thing that really stood out to me on this page was the caption that read "November 2, 4:50PM EST." When I saw that I thought, "Great… we're going to have to do some thinking in this issue if Greg's going to be putting up times and dates."

Page 2: My next thought was, "Even better… the dates and times are out of order!" The first couple of pages with the different dates and times were interesting. I found it to be more fun the second time I went through the comic because then I could flip through and read the scenes in the order they really went in time wise. It was a fun little twist you stuck in there. This second page felt more of a "Next time on Gargoyles…" page. We see that a bomb is involved at some future point as well as Lexington naming something "Amp". I didn't know about the in-joke there until I read about it online. I'd forgotten that Amp was a name that was going to be used for the TV show. I like the picture of Xanatos here. He looks cool with the Coyote Diamond. I was really glad to see the Coyote Diamond. You and Xanatos have a knack for not wasting things.

Page 3: I really liked how these stories that happened a long time ago were incorporated into this comic. I love the art style to it. I already knew about the story of Jacob, but I didn't know how you were going to connect it in with the Gargoyles Universe. Thailog looks like he's enjoying his bath time.

Page 4: Macbeth asks the gargoyles for a favor. Goliath looks like he's asked a very annoying question, Broadway looks scary, Angela looks really angry, Lex looks bored, Brooklyn looks normal, and Hudson looks sad. But Bronx seems happy enough. Besides their weird looks, which really had nothing to do with anything else in the comic, we get to see Macbeth being crowned king from back in 1040. I'm glad you had the coronation held outdoors in the comic book and explained why you did that on Ask Greg. I hadn't known that the TV series had messed up and that it wasn't supposed to be in a castle. I'm glad you got the chance to set things straight.

Page 5: The first time I read this page, I read it so quickly that I thought it was Macbeth asking Goliath if he had minions. I found that odd, and re-read the page to find out that I had gotten their lines mixed up. The thought of Goliath having minions… huh…

Page 6: We jump ahead to see that Macbeth is boarding a plane with some extra cargo. I find it funny that people don't ask Macbeth if his parents really liked Shakespeare and named him after some of his characters, since his cover name is Lennox Macduff. He's got to be teased by some people about it.

Page 7: We go back to see that Owen is reporting to Xanatos about the gargoyles' new travel plans, yet Xanatos is still a couple steps ahead of the game… or he's lying about being prepared because he was too occupied with Fox and her decision to buy new shoes. I'm going with the first idea though. Speaking of shoes, we get to see Fox, Xanatos, and Alex in London, where she is thinking about buying new shoes.

Page 8: Another story done in cool art. I hadn't heard about this story before. I found it interesting how you connected the Gathelus story with that of Moses and Jacob's.

Page 9: It's Claw! And Al! Yet, neither of them says anything. I wasn't even thinking of Maggie being pregnant when I read this page. One thing that threw me were the clones in the background turned to stone. I thought that it was the Manhattan clan. I was trying to figure out why all of them would've gone with Elisa down into the Labyrinth. I finally figured out that it wasn't them, though. It was also cool to see Dr. Sato.

Page 10: A funny page. I wish you had put in the bathroom break. And you want to know the sad part? It didn't even dawn on me about this relating to the front cover. I must've really been into the comic.

Page 11: By this time, I'd kinda figured that Lex and Hudson were the only Manhattan gargoyles with Macbeth, unless the others were secretly being hidden for some twisting story plot… but I have my doubts on that. And you got to love jet lag.

Page 12: Once again, great drawing style for more of the story told by Shari. We see Thailog and Brentwood doing some digging. I wondered if they were looking for the crystal that Demona found in the demolished building, but I'm not so sure. I don't know how that crystal would tie into this story line, plus there's the fact that Demona has it, and I don't think Thailog is the kinda guy to let someone beat him to his prize. And I'm wondering right now, where you came up with Shari's name. Is she named after a person you know/knew, or was it a random name choice?

That's the first half. Hopefully I'll get to the 2nd half sooner than later.

Thank you for your time and all that you do.

-Charisma82

Greg responds...

You too.

Response recorded on January 31, 2008

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Battle Beast writes...

Michael Reeves helped a great deal in shaping Gargoyles. Well he have any input into the future issues?

Have you got any input from him on the comic?

Thanks again!

Keep up the good work!

Greg responds...

So far Michael hasn't participated in the comics. I'm not ruling it out, but honestly at the moment we can't afford another writer on the book, which is to say, I make so little writing/editing/supervising already, I'd have to work for free if we hired another writer. Can't do that. Much as I love Gargoyles, I can't justify doing it for free.

Response recorded on January 31, 2008

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Battle Beast writes...

Greg;

For one thing, I have TWO copies of Each Issue and the Trade Paperback, plus I am doing my part to sell DVDs. I buy them for Presents when ever I can, and I spread the word. I am doing my part.

But I wanted to thank you for all of your hard work the last two years! Thank you! ^_^

Anyway, I was wondering if you read the comments in the comment room or you try to avoid it (so you don't get too many original ideas.)

You must have received 10,000 questions from fans... has it been hard to keep your own ideas for future issues, or have fan questions influenced your own ideas, even though they are kept "NO original idea-ish"?

Just currious!

Greg responds...

I stop by the comment room occasionally, but now that Ask Greg is open more frequently, I tend to rely on this forum for fan contact.

Have I been influenced by fan questions? Well, Todd and I are very careful to purge original ideas from this space, but I suppose questions themselves indicate interest in a certain topic, and perhaps that's influenced me a tad. But frankly, I've had these stories percolating for so long now, many of them are pretty darn clear in my head already and have been for some time.

Response recorded on January 31, 2008

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Laura From Illinois writes...

Dear Greg,
This will be a comment with a question stuck in here somewhere. But it's mostly random praises from a fan.
I just got the first 6 comics of the 'Clan Building Saga' for my birthday and am so excited! I watched this show when I was little and fell in love with it. I thought it was gone for good, but I saw a music video on Youtube dedicated to the 'old cartoons'. I saw a clip from Gargoyles and fell in love again. After doing some digging I found out that it has been released on DVD and is living on in comic book form. For this, I wish I could give you and everyone there a hug and some cupcakes, but sadly I don't know where you are. So my heartfelt thanks will have to be enough.
I've read and reread the comics. I can 'hear' the actor's and actress's voices while I read. I hope that I will hear when or if (I really hope when) you can get the audio comics produced as you mentioned in #3. I am also trying to get the last few dollars so I can get the DVDs for myself. And I've started on the 1000 people you asked me and I have converted 3 people in my class that are now hooked on Gargoyles as well.
Reading a comic is very different from watching a cartoon, but the artwork is breathtaking, amazing, incredible! Combine all those adjectives together and you still don't have how wonderful it is. This comic is so good I turn off the back-round noise I usually have on when I read so kudos!
The story is so exciting. I thought for sure that Demona and Thailog weren't going to show up for a while... boy was I wrong! And hooray for that! I'm so glad they are back. I can't wait to see what Thailog is planning. In #6, that Shari is driving me nuts!!! What's happening? Who is she? What is going on? And that is what I love about this comic. You always leave just enough hanging to make sue you're audience is on it's toes.
I only have one thing to say. Did the clan forget what happened in 'Possession'? I thought they knew about Coldstone, Coldfire, and Coldsteel. If that is coming up in the story then don't tell me. That episode was one of my favorites and I really hope it is still relevant in the story, at least a little. 'Possession' in 2nd only after the episode 'Future Tense'.
Which brings me to my next point. This is my question, Is Lexington's costume at the party supposed to look like the suit from 'Future Tense'? I saw it and felt so much foreshadowing... not to mention Brentwood and Thailog becoming allies. Wow. I did not see that coming. I have no idea if anyone else spotted that, but if it's meant to mean something, I can't wait to find out!
You are the best Greg, and everyone else over there working on the comics, I love you all, and if I'm in the country during the Gathering in Chicago I hope I can give you all cupcakes, or at least money for some food- you all deserve cupcakes.
That's about all I have to say. I am trying to buy the DVDs and am getting #7 as well as the 'Bad Guy' series. I hope that helps Disney release the rest of the episodes.
I can't wait until the next episode. By, the way, so far my favorite scene in the comics is a tie between #4, the panel where Goliath and Thailog are put as half of each other's face. I love the irony that Thailog, the evil one, is smiling while Goliath looks murderous, in #3 when Brooklyn and Malibu are staring at each other while Al and Shari are talking, it makes me laugh, #2 Lexington's face while Alex is pulling on his ear, #1 after Goliath says that he is going to see Elisa Brooklyn looks so cute!, and (last one I promise!), #1 John Castaway as he is destroying the statue with his hammer. That scene gives me chills.
This comic is adding new dimensions to the show. I wish it was still a cartoon but the comic is so good I can hardly tell the difference. Please keep this going! You have no idea how much this show changed my life. Sorry I'm getting a little over dramatic here, but it's true! So please, keep this comic going, it's so good and it deserves to live forever. I have already promised myself to have my children learn the lessons from this show. Thank you. All of you. You are angels! You are amazing! And please don't ever stop. This comic is rising higher and higher. It is absolutely above and beyond what normal people can do. Know that you are giving so much joy to us little readers down here. And that we worship you like gods! Because that is what you are- gods. Comic book, genius gods!
I hope the actor's can someday come back to create the audio comics.
But more importantly, I hope and pray this comic can live on for a long, long time so it can enchant others like it has me.
Here's hoping!

Laura

Greg responds...

If you're referring to issue #6 - that was a flashback story which took place prior to "Possession".

Lex's costume is consciously evocative of his Future Tense look. I'll leave the reasons behind that to your own interpretation.

I do like cupcakes, but showing up to the Gathering is present enough for me, Laura.

Response recorded on January 31, 2008

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Anonymous writes...

Is there anymore episodes after "Angels in the Night"? I really hope so.

Greg responds...

Yep. They're called "Gargoyles: The Comic Book" Pick up an issue... PLEASE!!!!

Response recorded on January 30, 2008

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Spen writes...

I have a silly little question. In your "Buffyverse geek-out" exactly how did your scoring system work?

Greg responds...

It was a point system. A strange combination of the objective and subjective. There were points for being a regular. Points for being a lead. Points for recurring. Points for importance in a given episode. Etc.

It was a flawed system -- and I came up with a better one too late to implement it. But the results were still interesting - to me, at least.

gdw

Response recorded on January 30, 2008

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Todd Jensen writes...

You've mentioned that many of the Goliath Chronicles stories were based on stories that you'd planned to do for Season Three, but which the new production team drastically altered (so that "Runaways" was based on Brooklyn's Timedancer story, and "Ransom" on the multiple tricksters and Alex story). Was "Genesis Undone" (the story about Thailog and the Clones dying) similarly based on the Double Date story that we got to see at last in #3 - #5? Both involved Thailog, the Clones, and Sevarius - and both had Sevarius obtaining the DNA of Goliath's clan for his experiments.

Greg responds...

I honestly don't remember. Sorry.

Response recorded on January 30, 2008

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Todd Jensen writes...

I bought my copy of Gargoyles: Clan-Building: Volume One yesterday. I was amazed at the size of the book (I'm used to trade paperback collections of comics being larger), but enjoyed it, all the same. I was pleased with the corrections.

Here's hoping that sales are good for it (and for the upcoming issues).

Greg responds...

Here's hoping.

Response recorded on January 30, 2008

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Ryan writes...

Where is my copy of Clan Building Volume 1? Amazon.com hasn't shipped it yet, and my comic book store only has one left in stock, so I am in indecision as to whether to wait for amazon or possibly take away a copy that someone else could pick up... or ending up with two copies (guess I could make it a great gift if I can afford it).

And now for two questions:
1) You tend to be able to announce on here when an issue or trade is coming out a day or two before hand - do you have any word on a release date yet for Bad Guys 2 or Gargoyles 8?

2) Having read the archives here for years, I know you have plenty of stories and plans. I'm curious about specific plots for specific issues. Assuming there are no liscencing renewal problems, how many issues have you plotted (as in, issue 8 looks to be called 'The Gate' so you probably have at least that far plotted out. Do you have basic details worked out through 12, the end of clan building, or further)?

It is great to see Gargoyles stories back in the world. You and the team are doing an amazing job. Thank you!

Greg responds...

1. Neither issue is quite finished, but both are close... though both also need approval from Disney.

2. It depends what you mean by "plotted". I have a very clear idea on the stories for Gargoyles 10-12. But I haven't plotted them in a "on this page this happens" sense yet. Same for Bad Guys 5 & 6. Beyond Gargoyles 12, I know what the next basic arc is - but I haven't worked out the specifics in any detail...

Response recorded on January 30, 2008

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Rebel writes...

Unfortunately, my comic book guy didn't get the TPB in yet, so I'll have to wait until next week to offer my praises. *sigh* So far I've heard good things from everyone else who already has it.

In the meantime, I do have a question about #7 that I meant to ask before. After Brooklyn decides to stay in Manhattan, Goliath says that Hudson can lead the expedition in London. I know Brooklyn has great leadership skills (after all he is the second) and Hudson is a proven leader, but to me that line made it seem like Goliath doesn't think any of the other clan members could be leaders, if given the chance. Surely Broadway and Lexington have SOME leadership capabilities, even if they are not as suited for a leadership role as Brooklyn. And if I had to guess, I would say Angela could DEFINITELY be a good leader, given an opportunity. After all, she's smart, intuitive, and she's got great parentage as well as her experience as second-in-command of Avalon on her side--though her leadership "style" would certainly be different than Goliath's or Brooklyn's.

So basically what I'm wondering is:
1. Does Goliath think any of the other clan members have leadership abilities?
2. Do YOU think any of the other clan members have (or will have) leadership abilities?
3. If any of them do, do you think they'll ever get a chance to show it?

I know it's kind of a silly question since the Manhattan clan already has a second-in-command, but I was just wondering. I informed a lot of my internet friends about the TPB, and many of them are now making plans to buy it :).

Greg responds...

1. I'm sure he does, but Goliath has a tendency to rely on Hudson for, I think, understandable reasons. Consider it a failing, if you like. I'm fine with that.

2. Yes.

3. Of course.

Response recorded on January 29, 2008

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JANUARY 29

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 29th...

1995
It starts to snow. Elisa Maza gives Derek Maza a recording of Fox's revelations. The gargoyles hide the helicopter - permanently. Jackal and Hyena are arrested on charges of attempted murder.

1996
Rory Dugan wakes, unsure if his previous night's adventures were a dream. That night, he and Molly enter the Cairn, and Rory recovers Gae Bolga, the Spear of Light. The Spear transforms Rory, revealing he is the reincarnation of the ancient Irish hero Cu Chullain. In order to defeat him, Molly becomes first the Banshee and then the death-worm, Crom-Cruach. With Bronx's help, Cu Chullain defeats Crom-Cruach, banishing the Banshee. Cu Chullain transforms back into Rory, but he keeps possession of Gae Bolga and will remain the Hero of Ulster. The travelers return to Avalon, where it is morning. The gargoyles turn to stone.


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JANUARY 28

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 28th...

1995
Lexington begins to repair Jackal's helicopter. Elisa Maza confronts Fox in prison. Fox reveals that David Xanatos created the Pack, and is using Jackal and Hyena to cement Derek Maza's loyalty. Elisa records Fox's conversation. Derek flies Xanatos to his upstate retreat, 'Xanadu'. Again, Jackal and Hyena attack. And again, the Manhattan Clan intervenes, using the repaired helicopter to defeat and capture the twins.

1996
In the morning, Rory Dugan returns home and argues with his father, Mr. Dugan. That evening at sunset, Elisa Maza, Goliath and Angela wake up to find themselves trapped inside Cairn na Chullain by the Banshee, who is convinced they have been sent by Oberon to bring her back to Avalon for the Gathering. Rory, looking for Molly, encounters Bronx instead. When the Banshee realizes that Rory and "the Great Beast" are together, she appears to Rory and lures him away from Bronx.


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JANUARY 27

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 27th...

1995
Derek Maza starts working for David Xanatos. Jackal and Hyena attack them, but the Trio intervenes. Lexington manages to land Jackal's helicopter and hide it.

1996
In Ireland, Rory Dugan and his girlfriend Molly steal a jacket from a local shop and manage to elude the police - just as the four travelers arrive from Avalon. The Banshee quickly captures Elisa Maza, Angela and Goliath.


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JANUARY 26

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 26th...

1994
The Emir's son is killed in a pointless car accident.

1995
Fox orders Hyena and Jackal to assassinate David Xanatos. And that morning, Derek Maza decides to quit the NYPD and accept Xanatos' job offer.

1996
At midnight, the Emir summons and imprisons Anubis, the Egyptian god of death. Elisa Maza and the gargoyles attempt to intervene but are captured. The Emir tries to force Anubis to bring his late son back to life. When Anubis refuses, the Emir attempts to become an avatar of Anubis' power. But Jackal intercepts the spell and becomes the Avatar of Anubis instead. Mad with power, Jackal destroys Coyote 3.0 and brings death to an entire Egyptian town, before the Emir recasts his spell and becomes the new Avatar. The Emir now understands that death cannot play favorites, and he destroys the temple to prevent anyone else from ever gaining access to Anubis' power. Elisa and the gargoyles spend the day outside the Sphinx. Then they return to Avalon. What's left of the Pack scatters.


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Ceruleanblue writes...

Hi Greg, thanks for Gargoyles.

1. Any chance that Wendy Pini might illustrate one of the new comics?
2. Does SLG have any plans for Gargoyles action figures or statues? (I assume Disney would be involved in any merchandising as well, might make things difficult?)

Cheers

Greg responds...

1. I doubt we could afford her -- and I'm sure she's way too busy, but it is lovely that she did the intro to the TPB, don't you think?

2. I don't think SLG has the license to do anything Garg-related except the comics.

Response recorded on January 25, 2008

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Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Hello Greg.
This is a question about Sleipnir.

In 2000 you wrote
"If the legends are true, then Slepnir's mother was the trickster Loki, and his father was an actual horse. Making Slepnir half-horse and half-fey. (Which might serve to explain his modern transition from eight legs to four.) I haven't decided 100% if that's the route I'm taking in the Gargoyles universe, but the notion is appealing."
_________________________________________________________

More recently when I asked if Children of Oberon can take mortal forms of either gender, you answered
"Yes. Remember Loki, MOTHER of Sleipnir."

1. Does this mean that (as of now/until you change your mind) the legend about Sleipnir's parentage is correct in the Gargoyles Universe?

2. If you do consider Svadilfari the father of Sleipnir in the Gargoyles Universe, was Svadilfari "an actual horse" (mortal)?

Thank you again for answering our questions!

Greg responds...

I'm leaning that way, yes. But this is all canon-in-training, until it's in the comics.

Response recorded on January 25, 2008

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Jack-Pumpkinhead writes...

Dear Greg, I am curious, what are Thailog's opinions on magic?

Greg responds...

Varied.

Response recorded on January 25, 2008

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Phil writes...

I didn't get this in before the last cutoff, but here's my ramble/review/response to "The Rock". Many people already commented on it, so I'm going to delve into something that hasn't been gone into in-depth: the non-linear structure. (I posted this a couple of weeks ago in the comment room, but here it is at "Ask Greg", too.)

When I first read the story, I didn't get the point of not telling it chronologically. I enjoyed the issue and thought it might be the best one yet, but the structure was distracting and kept me from fully getting into it. However, having faith in your skills, I analyzed the issue and have come to the conclusion that you're a creative genius. Basically, the story is told in order, not chronologically, but logically, revealing to the readers what they need to know as they need to know it, and not before.

****SPOILERS****

The first few pages serve two purposes: 1) to warn us right up front about the structure of the story, and 2) to hook us like a barbed fishing hook. By the end of page two we can't put the book down even if we wanted to. But by the end of page three, I was starting to wonder how this all fits together. What does Jacob's stone have to do with anything? Macbeth answers on the next page. "It's called the Stone of Destiny."

Page four begins the meat of the story. Macbeth asks the gargoyles to help protect the Stone. There's a one-panel flashback to illustrate his connection to the Stone. Everything progresses chronologically for a few pages until...

There break in the story for travel time, so page seven introduces the villain of the story. Xanatos is aware of what's going on, but he's unconcerned. We see that he's in London with his family. And speaking of family...

Gathelus and Scota are introduced and the backstory of the Stone progresses. By the end of the page, Scota is obviously pregnant. And speaking of pregnant...

Page nine advances some (not just one, but several) subplots from previous stories. Dr. Sato's presence emphasizes that the mutates are creatures of biology, and not magic. And speaking of biology...

The main story continues. We're reminded that gargoyles are biological creatures; they suffer from jetlag. Macbeth says there are ten days until the Stone is moved, which prompts a flashback to Gathelus and Scota moving the Stone. Then ten days later, Hudson and Lex are on the job.

By this time we're wondering, where are the others? Page thirteen gives us an answer while advancing another subplot and setting up future Clan-Building.

Back to the main story again on page fourteen. Although everything looks secure, Macbeth's not so confident, and we see another one-panel flashback to illustrate why and to reinforce his connection to the Stone.

There's another break in the action of the main story, so it's a good time for Shari to take up another page and provide more backstory. But after that we're back to London. Hudson asks, "Who exactly are we expecting?" And the answer is given.

The villain part of the story is filled in with Xanatos, Coyote, and Coldsteel. At this point, some newbies might ask, who is this "Coldsteel"? Shari is right there to answer on the next page and at the same time set up some more future Clan-Building. "It's really a timeless love story..."

Which leads right into Goliath and Elisa. They've got a beautiful scene, and since Goliath doesn't vocalize everything that's in his heart we're treated to a flashback of a happily expectant couple to say what he left unsaid. He and Elisa give in to true love, but...

Sometimes true love ends in tragedy. Gathelus dies, and Scota's life crumbles. Her sons carry on.

That almost wraps up the story. The only thing left is to return to Macbeth and the main plot to set up the cliffhanger that will bring us all back in two months. Make that "cliffhangers, plural," since Macbeth and Arthur would have been cliffhanger enough. But you double the suspense by bringing in the London Clan, too. Plus there are the teases back on page two that leave us anticipating more.

****END SPOILERS****

The non-linear structure is fascinating to me. Although everything seems to jump around randomly, each panel and page logically connects to the ones around it in thought or theme, if not chronology. That's not to say I'd want every issue to be like this; it takes a lot of thought and study to understand it all. But as an experimental or occasional format, there's a lot to like.

And before I close, a few words about Shari. Somehow I think that if you had worked on season three back in 1996, Shari would not exist as we know her. But with a ten-year gap there's a lot of backstory to exposit, and I have seen too many times when characters awkwardly discuss things they already know just to inform the reader or viewer. So introducing a storyteller like Shari and connecting her to Thailog (who was in a surprisingly few episodes) is such an elegant solution to that problem. And of course you don't just abandon her in her expository role; there's a lot more to her than that.

Anyway, there's my ramble, better late than never.

Greg responds...

Hey Phil, you can call me a "creative genius" anytime you want!!

"That's not to say I'd want every issue to be like this; it takes a lot of thought and study to understand it all. But as an experimental or occasional format, there's a lot to like."

That's not to say I'd want every issue to be like this; it takes a lot of thought and study to WRITE it all.

Anyway, I love your analysis, because among other things... YOU GOT IT! All that thought, study, time, hair-pulling and packages of index cards feel worth it now.

Response recorded on January 25, 2008

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Anthony Tini writes...

"I know where my copy of the Gargoyles Trade Paperback "Clan-Building" Volume One is. Do you?"

Yes, it's in my room next to my giant Gargoyles comic books. Good things REALLY do come in small packages. I love it. Great job!

I may be jumping the gun a bit here, but can you promise us a Clan Building Vol 2?

Greg responds...

"Promise"? Well, no. But I have every reason to think it will happen. I wish I was as confident about there being an issue #13, frankly.

Response recorded on January 25, 2008

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JANUARY 25

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 25th...

1995
Elisa Maza and Derek Maza trail David Xanatos to the Diamond Exchange, where Xanatos buys the Coyote Diamond. Hyena and Jackal, on orders from Fox, attempt to steal the Diamond. They are thwarted by Derek, Elisa and Xanatos. Xanatos seems impressed with Derek and offers him a job as his pilot and bodyguard.

1996
The travelers arrive in Egypt and follow Coyote into a temple hidden inside the Sphinx.


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Clan-Building Volume One

I know where my copy of the Gargoyles Trade Paperback "Clan-Building" Volume One is. Do you?


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JANUARY 24

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 24th...

1995
Elisa Maza gives the Trio a helicopter simulation video game.

1996
Goliath, Angela, Elisa Maza and Bronx rest through the day in London, allowing Goliath's injured wing to heal. That night, they return to Avalon. Griff, Leo and Una become protectors of London again.


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Rachel N. writes...

Season's Greetings, Greg!

I'd just like to share some comments on Gargoyles #7 "The Rock". Another great chapter in the "Clan-Building" series...though I have to say following this particular storyline as it bounced around to different dates and times was a bit confusing at first, but I also think it was effective overall. Great to have Macbeth back in the series, and I liked the origin tale of the Stone of Destiny (incorporating Old Testament Biblical figures Jacob and Moses) - very cool!

Two major plot points that stood out in a great way:
- Dr. Sato examining a pregnant Maggie. I certainly didn't see Maggie's pregnancy coming, but I think it's wonderful! Derek/Talon will be a father, Peter and Diane Maza will be grandparents, and Elisa will be an aunt. Gotta love that! :-)
- Elisa and Goliath getting back together (I loved the dialogue between them in those scenes), and I always love seeing them smooch...it's a beautiful sight!

Also, it'll be interesting to see what develops with the "team-up" of Xanatos, the Coyote robot (now with the Coyote Diamond inside him), and Coldsteel. And I gotta say I really like the design of the two "new" UK clan gargoyles (the female boar gargoyle and the male white stag gargoyle) Can't wait to find out more about them!

Many thanks to all who work on these Gargoyle comics - I love them! Bring on #8! :-)

Greg responds...

Thanks. I'll pass on the kind words to the rest of the team!

Response recorded on January 23, 2008

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Lou writes...

Hallo and merry X-mas Mr. Weisman,
a few days ago I visited a page where I was able to watch "Gargoyles". It wasn´t the first time I watched this series, in fact i was and i still am a big fan of "Gargoyles". After watching the first 13 episodes, i ask myself the question, if it is posible to make a movie like "Spiderman" or " Transformers" about these first episodes. These films look (more or less) real, so it must be posible to make the "Gargoyles" become real to. I hope you will understand, what i tried to say.
Well i am from Germany and my english is not the best, but i hope i get an answer.

Thanks for reading

Greg responds...

Lou, you're English is fine, but I'm going to refer you to the ASK GREG Archives, specifically the Live-Action Movie section, so that I don't have to answer a question I've answered many times in the past.

Response recorded on January 23, 2008

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Cagalli writes...

Are you going to make third season of W.I.T.C.H. i mean it seemed like there was going to be another season i realy like that show but i watched it a million times

Greg responds...

As far as I know, SIP and Disney are not planning a third season of WITCH. I would have loved to have done it, and I'd still be game, although right now I'm heavily immersed in the first two seasons of THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN for Sony, Marvel and KidsWB/CW.

Response recorded on January 23, 2008

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Derek writes...

I asked this question before. You said Thailog would have insisted on Delilah having an egg. "Delilah is genetically much more Gargoyle than human. She is capable of laying a gargoyle egg. Thailog would have insisted on that. But she couldn't mate with a human without some scientific or magical help."
This suprised me as Thailog doesn't strike me as the parenting type. Does Thailog want his own family? As a clone i found it odd that he would have insisted on procreating naturally. Why do you think this is, deep down does he consider himself something lesser than other gargoyles as a clone?

Greg responds...

I meant Thailog would have insisted on Delilah being CAPABLE of laying eggs.

Response recorded on January 23, 2008

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Derek writes...

Is Demona smarter than Lexington?

Greg responds...

In what sense?

Response recorded on January 23, 2008

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Derek writes...

Who's the smartest member of the manhatthan clan next to Lexington?

Greg responds...

Smart in what way?

Response recorded on January 23, 2008

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The One Known As Mochi writes...

So... Last week, I finally managed to pick up #6 (the corrected version), #7 and Bad Guys #1. I knowingly overdrew my checking account getting these issues (don't worry, I won't do that again...$30 overdraft charges aren't always fun to deal with...) and I was eager to catch up with everyone else. I'll briefly share my thoughts on these issues.

Gargoyles #6
I almost laughed when Goliath, Elisa, Bronx and Angela ended up in a huge pot of...whatever was boiling in there... Bronx looks good in a sherpa (it is a sherpa, right?). It seems Avalon has sent them to find Coldstone and reunite the clan. They end up waking up upon a lake and whether or not they were successful has yet to be known. Coldsteel working for Xanatos... That's surprise for me. It made me wonder what Coldsteel had been doing since he disappeared after being seperated from Coldstone's body.

Gargoyles #7
Now I see why all those dates and times were withheld. Lots of skipping around in terms of time. Made for interesting reading I have to admit. I'm wondering if issue #8 will reveal what happened on the morning of November 15... Fox is shopping for shoes...and curiosity as to why is killing me a little. Shari is quite a story teller. Perhaps her knowledge is why she ranks high in the Illuminati? I'm wondering what Xanatos has planned, especially since the Stone of Destiny might be involved... The page with Macbeth waiting for Lexington and Hudson to wake up was funny. I know jetlag is not a fun thing to experience... I noticed Angela whispers something to Broadway... Perhaps it's alluding to something that will be revealed later? Wow...Macbeth tried to steal the stone back in 1950. Very interesting... Another Coyote and Coldsteel...helping Xanatos... Definitely lots of foreshadowing present in this issue. "...and normalcy is over-rated." So true... So very true... It's good to see Goliath and Elisa patching up things. Maggie is pregnant! Yay! Is she getting a baby shower? King Arthur! Good to see him make an appearance, although having him hold a sword to Macbeth's neck has me wanting to read #8 to see what happens. The London Clan makes an appearance too. Again, can't wait for #8 to be released...

Bad Guys #1
After reading through it the first time, I found myself having mixed reactions from the content (it's not that bad though). I liked seeing Matrix with a boombox. It seemed very apropos for him. Hmm...I'm curious as to who attacked the group... The Tazmanian Tiger was something I wasn't expecting. I'll admit, it's something new, but it didn't distract me too much. In a way, he looked like Batman in a tiger suit...at least that's what first came to mind when I first read through it. I'm glad there was a panel that shows where Dingo was being "inserted." Otherwise, I would've had to imagine where...and it would be very, VERY awry just to think about that... I liked Dingo's reaction to it though. The song lyrics... I'm wondering if that's alluding to some foreshadowing... Perhaps I'm reading too much into it? I won't know until the next issue... Nicely written lyrics, by the way... So far, I think it's off to a good start and I hope it gets better from here.

I guess I should mention now that I'll soon be a proud owner of the Season 1 DVD box set! I haven't ordered it just yet, but I will be after Christmas. In two weeks, Season 2 Volume 1... I can't wait!

Greg responds...

Cool.

Response recorded on January 23, 2008

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Bryan writes...

When the Toa Mata were finding the masks why did they get the noble style masks that the turaga had not the great version. Like the Noble Huna that Turaga Vakama had instead of the Huna that Toa Vakama had?

Greg responds...

I'm afraid my memory of all things Bionicle is pretty sketchy. Sorry.

Response recorded on January 23, 2008

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simon jardine writes...

are there any homosexsual Gargoyles, if not is it posible for there to be any?

Greg responds...

There are, yes.

Response recorded on January 23, 2008

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dab writes...

Was the structure of Gargoyle clans (in particular, children in common) at all influenced by Plato's ideal society in the Republic? Similarly, from where did Gargoyles derive their prediliction for protection? Sounds an awful lot like the Platonic guardians. Is this true, and if so, was it intentional?

More generally, what sorts of philosophical streams most strongly influenced your idea of the ideal gargoyle society?

Thanks!!

Greg responds...

Well... I read most of Plato's republic back in high school. I can't say my conscious memory of it is too clear at this point, but I suppose everything I do is the sum total of all that I've learned, so...

Response recorded on January 23, 2008

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JANUARY 23

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 23rd...

1996
The travelers immediately depart Avalon again, landing in London, where they meet Leo and Una, who remember Goliath from 1940 and blame him for the death of Griff. Goliath is mystified, and uses the Phoenix Gate to travel back in time to 1940, in an attempt to learn the truth and save Griff. He and Griff return to 1996, reuniting Griff with Leo and Una.


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Gargoyles: Clan-Building Volume One TBP

I'm told that our first Trade Paperback, "Clan-Building, Volume One" should hit stores tomorrow. I know most of you reading this probably have the issues collected already, but it should be a nice little package and a great way to introduce new readers to the series. So, I hope you ALL BUY HUNDREDS OF COPIES EACH!!!!!

Or, you know, you could just help us SPREAD THE WORD!

Whatever works for you would be appreciated.


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The Tigress writes...

My review for issue #7.

I won't cover every little thing since I don't have the time, but I will address the things that stuck out at me the most.

I was able to pick up issue 7 from a comic shop in Seattle and I have to say, what a fantastic issue! So far I think this is my favorite, with issue 5 being a close second. I've been a huge Gargoyles fan since the 6th grade and I'm so happy that the series is being continued in a new format with all new canon.

-I'm really thrilled to find out that Dr. Sato is indeed someone to trust and has allied with the Gargoyles and mutates. You also did a really good job showing the readers that although he's more than willing to help them, but also that finding out about the Gargoyles and the mutates has been very taxing on him mentally.

-Finding out that Maggie is pregnant is very interesting and I look forward to see how this develops. (no pun intended) It's funny because I was actually very curious if Talon and Maggie were able to produce offspring/or were going to have offspring in the future. (Searched the archives one time and didn't find much info on that)

-When Goliath mentiones that he is "healed but not whole", I'm assuming that he means mentally he is not quite healed yet but that his physical injuries are fully healed by now. Since I'm on the topic of Goliath, I absolutely loved the Goliath/Elisa scene at the end of the comic. That almost gave me tears of joy to see. I also noticed how you wonderfully had the beginning set up to parallel the scene from issue 3 where Goliath and Elisa are sitting very far away from each other on each side of the castle balcony. I liked that. It actually made me nervous about the conversation, but then once I read through, I got this very good feeling of joy being able to see that Elisa indeed re-affirmed her change of heart and the end of issue 5. I've been pro "Goliath/Elisa" since I started watching the series in middle school. Props to Hedgecock for bringing out the great emotion and facial expressions of Goliath in those last panels.

-Loved the designs of the new London clan gargoyles we saw towards the end. I especially give you props for having a female gargoyle who isn't the stereotypical "elegant and beautiful" type. Not that I think the other females have that problem, in fact I always have been happy that most of the female gargoyles have a bit of musculature to their bodies and that they are just as capable of being great warriors as the males. This new female boar gargoyle expands even further on this.

-The art is quite decent in this issue for the most part. Hedgecock has improved quite a bit since issue 3 in terms of being on model, although there are still a few errors here and there. Most noteably is that he sometimes makes subjects heads too large for their bodies. I think someone else might have pointed this out before but I'm not sure. The coloring looked fantastic. I really love what Bobby Bevard brings to the table.

-It was also very nice to see Hudson and Lexington in a main role so to speak. The jetlag issue was briliant, and it perfectly explains what was going on in the cover of this issue. Pretty good trick there. :P

-Macbeth is becoming more and more interesting as the series goes on. It's good to see him on the side of the good guys now. I look forward to seeing what happens between him and King Aurthur in the next issue.

I know there's many more elements in this issue I could cover, but I am running out of time, however I'd like to say that I really hope Gargoyles stays alive for a long time to come, whether it be through comics/dvds/anything else. I purchased season 1 and season 2 volume 1 dvds, and all of the comics including Bad Guys 1 up to this point to help support Gargoyles. Sad about Season 2 volume 2 but I am not giving up hope on it, and will buy it first thing if they ever decide to release it.

Keep up the great work!

Greg responds...

The Goliath/Elisa scene actually REVERSED the scene from issue #3, panel by panel, pretty much. Glad you liked it.

I think Goliath is still tired, as I think I mentioned before.

Response recorded on January 22, 2008

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Benji writes...

Hi Greg, I've written to you a couple of times, you've always given me great answers on things, there was something I was just thinking about today that I was wondering about? You were the creator of Gargoyles, so I was just wondering how did you come up with the idea of the series? I think the plot lines for the series were often better than that of a Disney film that made it to Theater's. I just think it was a cool idea, and I really like good writing. If you can show me a good story you'll have my respect, and you Greg most definitely have my respect, not that you'd care,hahahah just saying. What episodes did you write?? I know there were some you wrote that were awesome!! I never really heard the story on what happened to Gargoyles in Season 3?? Howcome it was changed from Gargoyles, to Gargoyles The Goliath Chronicles? I know you worked on The Journey, (which is the best episode of that Season by the way) but there was a different crew working on the rest of the season. And a lot of fans hated it, and that's what ultiumately killed the series aside from the comics. I don't think it was as bad as a lot of people make it out to be, but I do agree that was the weakest season, and the show was better with you in the picture. What happened that made you leave??

Greg responds...

Uh... Benji, I'm going to refer you to the ASK GREG FAQ and Archives. 95% of your questions can be answered there quickly.

Though I did a lot of plotting, editing and some rewriting, the only episode that I personally wrote was "The Journey".

Response recorded on January 22, 2008

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Lenny writes...

Oh and one other thing about Gargoyles The Goliath Chronicles was the Gargoyle hate fanatic John Castaway actually John Canmore one of the hunters from "Hunters Moon"? in the last epsioded Goliath mentions an ancient hatered he had.

Greg responds...

Yes. Have you seen the recent comics?

Response recorded on January 22, 2008

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Lenny writes...

Hey Greg, I always wanted to know did the plan to have Gargoyles The Goliath Chronicles continue a second season? or was it just ment to last 1 season? i always considered it the 3rd season so i guess if it had gone on it would of been season 4 ect..

Greg responds...

I don't think the ratings on Goliath Chronicles were ever good enough to consider an additional season.

Response recorded on January 22, 2008

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Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Bad Guys Reactions
I hope it is acceptable to post two reviews in a row. I'm a little behind reviewing and I with the comics coming once a month now, there is a lot to review!
============SPOILERS===========
So Bad Guys is one of the Spin-offs I'm least interested in, but I still enjoyed this issue and look farward to more, especially the stories about Yama and Fang being recruited. I especially hope we get to see more of the Ishimura clan in the second issue!

The best line has to be "There'll be no more ~inserting~!" I laughed so hard at that! XD Apparently Matrix has absorbed Dingo's old armor because it isn't there anymore. And I'm sure that his original power armor didn't involve any "inserting," since he was trying to avoid that sort of thing in Upgrade. Heh, poor Dingo. And then Matrix refuses to attach to him anymore! Dingo does soften his objection when it comes to fighting without his armor on. But I think that that link, and the ability to feel pain (and emotions?) will be quite important for any character development of Matrix.

I wonder where that guy got a hold of thylacines. And I hope there are more wherever they came from! Thylacines are one of the more interesting and unique (and tragic) rare/possibly extinct animals. I like the idea of them being alive in the Gargoyles Universe, and they were drawn very well. They looked fairly accurate to me, except for having legs a bit too long. They can jump like... and they've got teeth like...! I'm glad that Dingo had the sense not to hurt them. But what did Matrix put around their necks and muzzles? He left them tied up when Dingo flew away, so are they attached to the tree by abandoned nanobots? o.0 That'll puzzle the police, for sure. :) Hopefully the police will put those two thylacines in some place where they can be protected and taken care of and maybe, the species can be revived. It was a nice touch to name one of them Benjamin.

I agree with others that the Tazmanian Tiger is a corny villain. The Pack were cheezy too, but children's television superheroes often are. This Taz guy, I wonder what his issue is. Ordinary persons don't commit crimes with the help of rare/extinct, even if they are fearsome. That is especially a bizarre costume to be comitting crimes in. He's the sort of person who would be featured in a magazine like Time, as a curiosity of "look at this weirdo!" (Time actually does do that.) However, he is no weakling, and clearly he has unusual resources.

Dingo is obviously enjoying being a superhero, because he's using lots of cliches. Or rather the comic is. It's a bloody missile!

Matrix looks funny (in a good way) listening to a boombox. Which turns out to be part of him. Apparently he can pick up radio waves? I wonder if he has any appreciation of music. Does he listen to the patterns in it?

Yama has a katana. Heh.

No funny jokes from Fang, but he is drawn very well. I look farward to the humor from this guy in future issues. He's such a fun character.

Strange that Matrix can be disabled by an em pulse. And when it's wrapped around Dingo, he's effectively disabled as well. That's quite a weakness! But the Matrix needed a weakness to balance its abilities, and this is an appropriate one. I didn't understand it until the others in the Comment Room explained that it is a common weakness of technology, to be disabled by em pulses.

If we didn't already know the basic plot of Bad Guys, I'd be very concerned by that talk of tengu hunting! Especially coming from Robyn. I've yet to see any indication that she's changed her genocidal attitude toward gargoyles, so it'll take a lot of character development before I like the character (as a person). But I am liking Dingo and the unnamed shaman. (And it's great to see the word tengu used in the canon.) Matrix doesn't really have a lot of personality yet, but as much as it does have, I like.

The art in this issue was excellent, I love Karine's work. Of course I'd love it more if it was color, but it is still great as it is.
============SPOILERS===========

Greg responds...

Hey, we aim to please. Glad you liked it!

Response recorded on January 22, 2008

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JANUARY 22

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 22nd...

1996
"Dominique Destine" marries "Lennox Macbeth". But as the sun sets, Macbeth learns the truth when Dominique transforms back into Demona. She quickly renders him unconscious. But when Thailog arrives, he secretly helps Macbeth escape. His plan is for Macbeth and Demona to kill each other so that he will inherit both their fortunes. Elisa Maza intervenes by temporarily "killing" both of them. Demona flees with Thailog, but Macbeth and the gargoyles declare a truce. Later, Elisa and the gargoyles take the skiff back to Avalon.


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Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

#7
I finally found a comic shop semi-near my apartment and figured out how to get there by bus. It's kinda creepy standing alone at a totally unfamiliar intersection after dark, but I got my comic the day it came out. And the store only had 2 left when I got there, that same day.

~~~~~~~~~~SPOILERS~~~~~~~~~~~
So yes, this is pretty hard to follow, it's hard to review the story when we don't have #8 and #9, but all that Withheld stuff will be useful now. Even though... we have the times right there in the comic. Here's my initial thoughts:

*I am happy to see Macbeth, and being friendly with the clan. He's my favorite 'antagonist' in the series. "Don't you have minions for this?" is a great line.

*Goliath has healed very nicely, there's not even a mark.

*Brooklyn wants to stay in NY to get a break from seeing Broadway and Angela holding hands and being all "OMG WE'RE IN LOVE!!" when they wake up in the evening. Then they decide to stay too. Poor Brooklyn. And I wonder what Angela whispered. I wouldn't feel sorry for Brooklyn because he is being jealous, except he still feels like there are no more females of his species left. Does he not realize there is a whole clan in England? I would have expected him to want to meet them, especially after he asked Goliath "When do we get our World Tour?"

*Jetlag and gargoyles, interesting. It is a nice way of demonstrating (like Broadway underground in the animated series) that gargoyles have a biological clock, that they don't just react to sunlight. And there's Macbeth, drinking lots of coffee to keep himself awake, and looking bored. He should have brought a book. I was wrong about thinking Lex was cold when he woke up, thanks for clearing that up. I'm not surprised they feel lousy.

*Hey look, its the little green guy from Demona's clan. I liked that character design. And there's Gruoch and Demona, too. But no Lulach.

*Maggie is pregnant! I guessed it from the way Dr. Sato says "condition" and the way she and Derek are looking at each other. I'm surprised it happened so soon. Are they going to get married then? Or at least have a ceremony, since the legal benefits won't be useful in the Labyrinth. It is nice to see Dr. Sato becoming an ally of both NY clans. I wonder how Maggie will explain all this to her folks in Ohio, though, because we haven't seen her contact them yet. And I'm eager to learn what their offspring will look like. Human, mutant, half-human and half-mutant... it could be anything.

*The conversation between Goliath and Elisa is interesting. The same panels and poses from #3 are deliberately repeated, the contrast is good. And I like her conclusion. "Normalcy is so overrated." She's thinking about Derek and how he seems to be gaining happiness in spite of not having a normal life. And she touches his hair, so he kisses her. :)

*Shari's watching Thailog take a bath!? Also, he has a surprisingly modern-looking computer for 1996, but what with all the cyborgs and super-robots and nanobots running around the Gargverse, I guess Thailog's rich enough to afford something "futuristic."

*I do wonder if the stories told of the Stone are true or not. Probably they are, but how did a handful of Greeks and Egyptians conquer all of Ireland? If that Stone is a Child of Oberon (as you once suggested it might be), it seems to be very patient with sitting around for long boring stretches of time being a rock. Then again, I don't think you intend it to be a Child of Oberon anymore, since it isn't at the Gathering.

*I wonder what are Thailog and Brentwood looking for, and where are they? Maybe we'll find out in #8.

*The new Coyote robot is one of the uglier ones in my opinion, though not as ugly as 4.0. Generally I think the one in Cloud Fathers (5.0?) was the sleekest-looking. That's not a critique of the penciller or the character design, but a critique of whoever (Xanatos?) designed the robot itself.

*I'm not surprised to see King Arthur, but I am surprised to see him do ~that~. Guess he and Macbeth have some more issues to work out yet! I wonder why he's so mad at Macbeth. And his motivations... it would be so bizarre if he was an antagonist in this story arc.

*New gargoyles! Plus Griff is back, I really like Griff. I am happy to see new gargoyles, as I've been very curious about non-Scottish clans, but I admit to being very disappointed with the new character designs. I am sorry to tell you this, but I dislike them. It doesn't make any biological sense that each one's heads just happens to ~exactly match~ his/her feet, when they aren't mammals nor related to those particular animals at all. I'm still very happy to see new gargoyles, though, but I was hoping for gargoyles that looked like they could have evolved, instead of like they were designed to look ~exactly~ like specific mammals. I still think that "chameleon genes" in general are plausible, and I ~love~ the variation in the other clans, but the London clan is no longer plausible for me (except Griff, who has mixed-together body parts). Each other gargoyle has his or her specific feet and tail cherry-picked to match ~perfectly~ his or her specific head, so that he/she looks like a winged, anthropomorphic/mutate version of one single, specific mammal, instead of a gargate that happens to remind humans of some animal. The white male has the face of a deer, and also antlers and a deer's cloven hooves (not horse-like hooves like Una), and they all match. The brown female has boar's hooves and a boar head to match. You have said that evolution and creation are supposed to be equally possible origins for gargoyles, but so far each London gargoyle (except Griff) is designed to look exactly like a single animal. I hope this isn't an indication that the rest of the clan will all be like this. They all live together and mate each other. Wouldn't offspring inherit a mix of their parents' traits?
But other than that, it is interesting to see the combination of wing-claws with the feather-like surface. Also surprising that some London gargoyles have the leathery wings instead. And that female has neat clothing. I agree with others who are happy to see a female who isn't thin or attractive by human standards.

Although the new gargoyle character designs bother me a lot, I'm still happy with lots of information and events, and I like this issue. TONS of teasers, and an intriguing storyline of which I look farward to learning more. Overall, the format is a confusing way to tell the story and I wonder why you are telling it this way, surely not only to mess with our heads (though I'm sure you enjoy that too!). Perhaps the next two issues will reveal the reason for the unusual format. As for the art, David Hedgecock is much better than before and this is the best colorist to be paired with him yet; Thailog's not black anymore, and the Mutates are tailless again. But Broadway is still off model in almost every panel and it bothers me. Everyone else looks really great, though, especially Goliath, Elisa, and Angela. It is true that sometimes Goliath's head is too big, but I didn't notice until other reviews pointed it out. I like this issue's art better than #6. I hope you guys stick with this art team from now on, Hedgecock is looking good and Robby Bevard brings out the best in his inks.
~~~~~~~~~~SPOILERS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Greg responds...

LONDON CLAN - Look, I understand what you're saying, but you're ignoring the NEEDS of creating a fictional universe here. I have to define parameters first -- the breadth of the possibilities. I assume you're not saying that if such and such a foot exists, it CAN'T appear with a so-called "matching" head. Leo's feet don't match a lion's, so I'm not sure why you're not including him with Griff as okay by your standards, in which case I've got two that are a mix and three that represent extremes. But you've only seen a smattering of London gargoyles anyway, not enough of a sample to judge. So, I simply request your patience until you've seen more than a handful to base your opinion on. I mean it's not like I haven't thought about all this. Haven't I earned a little trust at this point?

FORMAT - Okay, yeah, I enjoy messing with your heads, but that's definitely NOT the reason I'm telling this story this way. The ultimate reason why I felt it HAD to be told this way won't be clear -- assuming it's ever clear -- until issue #9, but I think even with this issue there are plenty of obvious advantages to telling this story this way. Information may not always be revealed chronologically, but sometimes that's not the best way to receive information. Content rather than strict chronology rules this story. What do you need to know? When do you need to know it? Besides, the story is MUCH more chronological (certainly across the three issues) than people probably realize. It's not at all random. Not at all. And when I didn't have a reason not to, I resorted to a strict timeline. And the dates and times are all there, so that the chronologically needy can still put it all together.

David and Robby are hopefully both here to stay.

Response recorded on January 21, 2008

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Hello my frist qustion here writes...

hello Greg ,I was doing some research for my finals
and I had to look son zoidack symbols. so any way I notice that the star sings
have a color that is appealing to those borne under that specific sign.
anyway here is my question do you think the people borne under the sign of Scorqpio (fond of dark colors. dark reds ,blacks .ect )
would be more tempted to favor brooklyn, as a character, and or fiend him Physically attractive.
(hope I did not sound to perverted)

thank you for tacking the time to read this

Greg responds...

I don't know.

Response recorded on January 21, 2008

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Greg Bishansky writes...

Just a silly little question. Obviously, Thailog makes his residence in the Nightstone building. So far we've seen a throne room, and we've seen a jacuzzi. Thailog is quite the hedonist, isn't he? Doesn't surprise me, he always came off as one to me. My question is, are these new? New as in, since "Hunters Moon"? Or were they there when Demona was running the place, if so, did she make use of them? The throne doesn't seem her style, she's never come across as all that much of a hedonist to me.

Greg responds...

Keep in mind that the building was largely outfitted while Demona was in prison in the Labyrinth.

Response recorded on January 21, 2008

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zuher writes...

greg i dont know iff u will read this ortake it seriously ur great and im not just sayin that i have all the episodes where did you get the inspirtion for this samrt idea?

Greg responds...

From actual gargoyles, largely. But for other influences, check the "influences" section of the ASK GREG archives.

Response recorded on January 21, 2008

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Vicky82 writes...

Greetings from England

Got Gargoyles 7 from Midtowncomics.com (2 copies) on Wednesday and I love it,

*********************SPOILERS******************************

Wow can't beleive it Maggie's pregnant, I'm guessing that Maggie due sometime in July 1997 but i got a feeling this aint going to be a easy pregnancy

Goliath chooses Brooklyn, Broadway, Angela and Lex to go to England with Macbeth but Brooklyn chooses to stay behind I guess to avoid Angela and Broadway but after Angela whisper something to Broadway (I love to know what she said) they stay behind too which Brooklyn doesn't seem happy about it.

I hope Brooklyn gets over Angela Choosing Broadway because I got this feeling he could get himself into trouble by doing something stupid before he goes on his Timedancing Journey.

Anyway Hudson goes with Lexington to Englan to help Macbeth

Elisa and Goliath kiss again (squeals)

As I live not far from London (30 miles north of London)It's great to see the Gargoyles in England

which Airport did you use was it Gatwick or Heathrow as they are the 2 main Airports just outside London, I wonder if Hudson and Lex are going to glide up the M1 next (thats one of our main Motorways)

Funny that I live in England but don't really know that much about the Stone of Destiny or the transporting it from London to Scotland in 1996 (14 years old at the time)

Interesting story about Gathelus and Scota that Shari is telling Thailog.

I like the 2 new Gargoyles.

Can't wait till issue 8 but first Bad Guys 2

Greg responds...

I'm thinking Gatwick...

Response recorded on January 21, 2008

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JANUARY 21

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 21st...

1995
Goliath, Hudson and Demona turn to stone mid-battle. When the sun sets, Goliath awakens healed. Demona is forced to flee.

1996
Elisa Maza and the gargoyles arrive in Paris during the day. Elisa starts to call her parents, but when she spots Macbeth and Demona together, she follows them to Macbeth's Chateau. Then she follows Demona to Notre Dame Cathedral, where she loses her trail. After sundown, she rejoins the gargoyles and fills them in. Goliath attempts to confront Demona at the Cathedral and is surprised to find her allied (and apparently in love) with Thailog. Angela overhears their confrontation and realizes that Demona is her biological mother. Goliath and his friends depart. Demona informs Thailog that she has successfully set up their new international corporation: Nightstone Unlimited, owned and operated by Dominique Destine and "Alexander" Thailog.


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JANUARY 20

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 20th...

1995
Demona attempts to poison Elisa Maza in order to lure Goliath to his doom. Knowing it's a trap, Goliath and Hudson take the bait in the hope they can reason with Demona. Demona shoots Goliath, and Hudson struggles to keep him alive and protect him from Demona until sunrise.

1996
Halcyon Renard puts his own soul inside the Golem's body, and his newfound power quickly goes to his head. Ultimately, however, he is made to see the error of his ways, and he returns the Golem to Max Loew, who uses it against Tomas Brod. Renard offers to take the travelers back to New York. But Goliath has concluded that there is a purpose to their travels. They return to Avalon to continue their odyssey.


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JANUARY 19

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 19th...

1996
The travelers depart Avalon and arrive in Prague, where Halcyon Renard has made a devil's agreement with gangster Tomas Brod to acquire the Golem. Elisa Maza encounters Max Loew, who attempts to waken the Golem. But before he can, it is stolen by Brod, who turns it over to Renard.


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JANUARY 18

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 18th...

1996
Angela, Bronx, Elisa Maza and Goliath sink the mini-sub, and return to Avalon.


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Ed Reynolds writes...

GARGOYLES #7

Amazing issue.

I love how jam-packed each of these comics are. Some comics you've got all there is to get first read-through; this gets better and better with each successive reading. The non-linear structure flummoxed me first off, but now I'm completely in love. It's got a rhythm completely of its own. (Piecing together the Ask Greg clues to work out where the missing parts of the story are made it doubly fun so thanks for that 'Easter Egg'!). I'm really curious about the inspiration for this. Obviously in literature there are plenty of books which disassemble time but usually to mirror consciousness. 'Memento' is the only film I can recall which is this fragmented, but again there's a strict order. (Sometime, not while the story's still running necessarily, but eventually, I'd be interested to read about the thought processes behind this structure.)

Here, we're really dotting around but it gives the impression of a patchwork of themes: sibling rivalries (Jacob/Esau, Brooklyn/Broadway, Othello/Iago) particularly stand out. Perhaps also lineage -- never has the interconnectedness of man been so apparent than seeing the links from Egypt to Portugal to Ireland; and in modern times, we have the Maza family expanding into new boundaries, with Elisa & Goliath and Talon & Maggie's child. And of course, we have all these dark mirrors to our leads: Xanatos and Coyote, the ColdTrio and the Angela triangle, Lex/Brentwood, and as has been mentioned, Thailog/Shari who look very Goliath/Elisa in some panels.

I love the scene of Thailog & Shari playing chess though -- more Fox & David. I wonder if the bathtub scene is meant to suggest how Sevarius would like to spend his nights. Shari is by far my favourite new character so far. She's utterly fascinating. And while we have no evidence there's anything between them, they certainly seem pretty intimate. And whatever their relationship is, it fits that while Goliath & Elisa's life is based on protecting and serving, Thailog & Shari's seems to be about knowledge and power.

Although this is another story on a huge scale, I'm really glad the clan is proactive at the centre this time. I love, adore, the big, eclectic 'Gargoyles' cast, but more than that, I love our core guys. And Macbeth. Broadway and Angela seemed kind of mean to Brooklyn -- I hope this is in aid of them intervening to resolve their issues. Lex and Hudson taking centre stage fills me with joy.

(Oddly, I was in central London in November 1996. My brother was in Great Ormond Street getting his cochlear implant and it was around this time that we'd recently discovered 'Gargoyles'. I know he watched 'A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time' on television with his ward; and also I remember looking for 'Gargoyles' figurines in a London toy shop and coming out with a Lexington one for his Christmas. It's one of my most vivid memories, but it gives me a real kick to think that the 'real' Macbeth and Lexington would have been running around about the same time only a few miles away.)

The cover -- bit of a quiet one. I don't mind covers that don't reflect the inside too well (#1 and #3 are probably my favourites to date and have no real relevance to the interior), but this one attempts to find a hook from inside and comes up with something pretty mild. I still love Greg Guler's covers though. Will be very interested to see David Hedgecock on #8 but I hope Greg sticks around.

The art -- Really gorgeous. David Hedgecock has received some flak for his model work, but I have to say... I grew up on lisenced books. Spidey and X-Men were all too convoluted to get into, but Turtles, Sonic, Bucky O'Hare -- this stuff I knew where I was. And I know being 'off-model' is considered a pretty heinous crime by people who read these kinds of books. But my favourite artists, and often the most popular artists, were never the most on-model. Often the artists who tacked closest to the models produced characters who looked just a little plastic, a little too perfect, a little dead behind the eyes. David's model work is decent given the scores of characters he has to master each issue, but more than that, we really get a sense of the characters' intelligence and purpose, of momentum and fluidity. It's good, compelling art and I'm so glad he's having a good run at it. (My only hope is that if it is necessary to switch artists for a future issue that we can have the same person working on a sequence of stories -- this was what felt a little jarring about #3-5, though it was for entirely understandable reasons).

The colours -- Rich, atmospheric, true to the original, but really dramatic and bold as well. I particularly appreciate London on the last page looking like the late 20th century and not the late 19th -- alive with light. Often I'll see American presentations of London -- including in 'M.I.A.' where admittedly there was probably pressure to reuse the same backdrops for the 1940s and 1990s sections -- where it feels somehow dated. And of course, parts of it are historic. But growing up in London, all this seemed normal to me and so presentations which really honed in on the ancient aspects always startled me a bit. The Shari/Thailog colours are especially splendid. (Although -- being ultra-pernickety -- stars can't turn up in front of the shadowy portion on a crescent moon!).

I'm thrilled King Arthur is turning up, the London clan look amazing, and the details about the history of the stone and the naming of Portugal really stand out for me. I'm completely psyched to see where this goes next.

Big thanks to Greg, David, Robby, Greg G and the guys at SLG!

Greg responds...

Scripting issues #7-9, my guiding principle was to reveal info not in the order it happens but rather on a "need-to-know" basis for the reader, indeed emphasizing the connectivity of all that was taking place.

Response recorded on January 17, 2008

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Ed Reynolds writes...

Hiya Greg. The comics take a while to reach me and I don't always manage to get the reviews in before the queue closes, but the comic's really going from strength to strength. Anyway, my BG #1 review...

BAD GUYS #1

'Bad Guys' doesn't instantly grab me. I love the universe and I trust the creators, but I don't yet feel close to the characters. I care about Hudson and Demona and Macbeth because we've been through so much with them, and with these guys we've known them for a long time but relatively shallowly. I'm really excited for the comic to peel back the layers on the characters in the same way the original series has done with the 'Gargoyles' leads. Glad to see Dingo used as a starting point for this reason; he's already the most familiar, and the most intriguing (though my favourite is Fang!). The Harry Monmouth tease is lovely. I got into 'Gargoyles' first off because of the 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' characters so I can't wait to see this angle developed.

I'd be lying if I said it didn't take a while to adjust to the lack of colour. Nothing against B&W as a form, I'm all for it; but colour, to me, is in the DNA of this universe. But the art's really great. The beautiful Sydney panorama, the exquisite fight scenes and the lovely stuff of Dingo in flight. Oh, love the logo too. The paper actually feels a bit more solid than the parent title, if less glossy. There seems to be an errant red dot in the middle of the cover but perhaps that's just my copy.

So the story. I love the structure here. The opening section reminded me of 'Awakening', although it's a standard thing with television pilots (and a few comic #1s) to start in the middle and flash back. Often, I don't like the effect. Occasionally it works really well, but sometimes it feels like an in-story trailer. But that final panel of the flash-forward -- "redemption" metaphorically and literally dead in the water -- is fantastic. Same with the "redemption taking off" image at the end. And then there's the music. Threw me at first, but it actually gives the thing a real linking thread and a sense of pace. I've found a clip of part of it on youtube but by now I prefer to run my own music to it in my head -- truth be told I always like to score things I read (and write) in my head anyway as I go. The explosion panel is particularly powerful contrasting with the music. It's an interesting experiment. Not sure it would work too often, but I think it sets the tone quite effectively. And I just like innovation with the narrative.

There are plenty of great moments as always. The helicopter gag was the funniest; Matrix's spine-insertation the creepiest.

One thing nags me though. The masked supervillain -- concept and execution. Concept-wise, it interests me how this guy was in a position to do something like this, and I love the idea of Dingo living this weird idealised hero v villain world. But in a period fast developing DNA testing and biometrics and CCTV, would anyone really go blowing up downtown Sydney and then walking around in a highly recognisable suit? In the Marvel universe, I wouldn't blink twice, but in 'Gargoyles' it seems startling. Not what I'd have expected.

One of the things I often have trouble tracking with the universe is what the perception of the man on the street is to everything that goes on in the stories. Yeah, the Vinnies and the Brendans are people who have had exceptional encounters. What about people who live in Oregon or Melborne or Cardiff -- nowhere that's a hotbed of activity in the universe (yet, anyway). How is their experience of the world different from ours? What's known about advances in technology on robots and cloning and artificial intelligence? And how astonished should they be at a guy in a mask blowing up a bank only to be accosted by an ex-con TV superstar in a metal suit which allows him to fly? Not very, is the impression I get from this comic. And that surprises me a little.

Overall, it's an enjoyable read, but hasn't yet got under my skin quite like the parent comic. And that's fine -- I'm not going anywhere and I have nothing but faith it's going somewhere amazing. I do suspect it's one of those I'll enjoy best in trade since we're only yet dipping a toe into the waters of 'Bad Guys'.

Thanks to everyone who worked on it -- Greg, Karine and David, as well as Greg & Stephanie and the SLG editorial people!

Greg responds...

Well, hopefully issue #2 will grab your interest more. But I'll admit, Bad Guys is designed as a slow build read, with each issue ramping up from the previous. Issue #3 definitely ups the ante on issue #2, and I'm writing #4 now and I'm thinking it's pretty darn breathless. By the time we get to #6, we should be "getting under your skin" just fine -- if not inserted into your spine. That's the plan, anyway.

Response recorded on January 17, 2008

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Anonymous writes...

I've always wondered, out of all the words out there, how did you ever come up with using and sticking with "jalapeña" as a catchphrase?

Greg responds...

That's a long story that I'm sure is in the archives and/or the FAQ. Check in at the s8 comment room and they can direct you there and/or TELL you the story, as it's been told and retold many times at the Gathering.

Response recorded on January 17, 2008

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Rebel writes...

Hi Greg, this is something I meant to ask in my earlier comment, but I forgot to. For the comic, how much direction do you give to your artists in coming up with the designs for new canon characters?

I am specifically referring to the two new London Gargoyles at the end of #7. I know you had mentioned before that the London gargs would look like unicorns, lions, or griffins. Did you change your mind recently, or had it always been your plan to make them look like other heraldry animals, and you were just teasing us? Did David Hedgecock talk you out of it? Did the two of you decide together what animals they would resemble, or had you already decided? If you chose beforehand, did you give him specific details about their appearance, or relatively vague details and let him come up with them himself? I would be interested to know any information you can tell me about this. I find the process of creating a character's look to be very interesting.

Also, feel free to volunteer information about the development of the designs of other new characters which have appeared in the comic. Shari, the Tasmanian tiger villain in Bad Guys, Coyote's new look, etc. Whatever comes to mind.

Greg responds...

Here's my description in the script of the two characters, minus a couple of personal details that I don't choose to reveal at this time:

• [New Male Gargoyle] - Biologically age 19. [New Male Gargoyle] is a gargoyle of the London Clan. His head is modeled off a large stag (i.e. male deer) with fairly magnificent silver antlers. He should have feathered white wings. And deer-like hooves for feet, but his hands should look like normal gargoyle hands. He should be tall (and feel even taller thanks to the antlers) and slim in build. Not so slim that he looks fragile, but he's definitely not the bulky type. This is a new character, but for inspiration take a look at UNA at http://lynativerse.artchicks.org/Screencaps/GL_Una.htm.
• [New Female Gargoyle] - Biologically age 19. [New Female Gargoyle] is another gargoyle of the London Clan, this one modeled off a wild boar or sow. She has a pig-snout and tusks. She is brown. Her wings are the more traditional bat-like wings we're familiar with. Normal gargoyle hands, more pig-like feet. She's medium-height, muscled and burly - nothing fragile about [New Female Gargoyle].

As you can see, the basic choices were mine, but I give Dave full credit for bringing them to life.

Here's my descriptions of the other characters you asked about (and some you didn't)...

• COYOTE 5.0 - This is only SORT OF a new character. Basically, there have been four Coyote robots that preceded this one. They all have a lot in common thematically, but they're all different too. And lucky you get to design the new one! To see Coyotes 1-4, check out: http://gargoyles.dracandros.com/Coyote_%28robot%29 or the episodes "Leader of the Pack" (for Coyote 1.0) and "Upgrade" (for Coyote 2.0) both on the Season Two, Volume One DVD. (Coyotes 3.0 & 4.0 aren't out on DVD yet.) Note the basic color scheme and the coyote-head motif. And the fact that all the later robots have a circular VID-SCREEN that displays an image of a robotic head. The head appears to be half-Xanatos and half-robot-skull. This version of the robot will have the large Coyote Diamond inside its chest cavity… with lasers shooting into it. We may want a transparent cover for that, so we can see the Diamond even after the cavity is closed. Or not. In either case, Coyote 5.0 should be BIG.
• SHARI - Arabic female, age 18. A pretty, goth-teen runaway type. She wears a lot of chains, necklaces, pendants, etc. around her neck. [Shari was also visually inspired by a real person, and I provided Dave with a photo as reference.]
• DETECTIVE CEDRIC HARRIS - African-American male.
• DETECTIVE TRI CHUNG - Chinese-Vietnamese male.
• TERRY CHUNG - Asian-American boy, age 12. He's wearing a GOLIATH Halloween costume.
• AMBASSADOR CHUNG - Terry's mother, age 42. She's a short Asian-American woman, wearing a white evening gown and carrying a white, feathered mask on a stick.
• QUINCY HEMINGS - He appears to be about 60. African-American. Gray hair, trim build. He's dressed in a white tuxedo jacket with epaulets and gold buttons. White gloves, a red bow tie, black pants. He has for decades been the "Chief Steward" at the White House, a job loosely based on the job of Chief Usher. See http://www.whitehousehistory.org/06/subs/06_a07.html for info on Chief Ushers.
• TASMANIAN TIGER - (Age 24.) The Tasmanian Tiger is a somewhat clichéd costumed super-villain. His garb is inspired by the extinct Tasmanian Tiger (a.k.a. the Thylacine), and he's flanked by two actual (cloned) THYLACINES (Benjamin & Natasha). (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thylacine.) His costume is largely form fitting with black tiger stripes and a cowl with Tiger ears and clawed gauntlets. On his chest is a symbol with two interlocking letter Ts. (Similar to the interlocking Ds on Daredevil's costume: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Daredevil41.jpg.) The Tasmanian Tiger also carries a large blaster weapon.
• BENJAMIN - A male Thylacine, one of Tasmanian Tiger's trained pets. To see how wide a thylacine's jaw can open, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tasmanian_tiger.gif.
• NATASHA - A female Thylacine; the Tiger's other trained pet.

As you can see, sometimes I gave quite a bit of detail, sometime I pretty much left nearly the entire design to Dave or Karine or Nir's imagination. Usually, the artist does a design and sends it to me. We might do a bit of back and forth on it... but honestly, looking at the above list, with the exception of Quincy (who started out looking a bit too old and jowly for my tastes), I feel like the artists hit all of these characters on the first time out.

Response recorded on January 17, 2008

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Diego González V. writes...

Hi Greg,

First, I want to thank you very much for give us a great, gorgeous show!!!

So now, my question... Any plans to do an international release of the SLG comic? I would like so much to see the comic in my local comic shop. I know this is more an SLG business than yours, btw, I want to know if you know something about this :)

I mean, it would be just great to read the comic in my native language, spanish (more accurately, "en chileno", hehehe)

Greetings from Chile, South America.
Diego González V., a fan who learned a lot of english thanks to Gargoyles and fanart about the show! So again, thank you :D

Greg responds...

I have no information on this, but if I had to guess, I'd say sales would have to be upped considerably on the English version to make taking a chance on a Spanish version worthwhile.

And I guess this is as good a time as any to issue ... a concern.

Sales on the book have dropped with every issue, which is depressing enough in and of itself. But if the trend continues, then SLG will have no choice but to let the license go when it next comes up for renewal. We're still one of their best-selling books (if not THE best), but most SLG books don't come with a massive license fee draining money away. We should be good finishing out Clan-Building (i.e. issue #12) and Redemption (i.e. Bad Guys issue #6), but there's no guarantee we'll continue beyond that if sales don't pick up -- or at the very least level off.

This is NOT me saying that all of you need to go out and buy multiple copies and/or spend money you don't have. As usual, this is me saying don't be complacent about SPREADING THE WORD!!!! Please.

Response recorded on January 17, 2008

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JANUARY 17

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 17th...

1975
Edger Blosa dies in Prague.

1996
Angela is imprisoned alongside Nessie, a Loch Ness Monster. That day Elisa Maza spots members of David Xanatos' Security Team resupplying in town. She follows them to Anton Sevarius' secret submarine dock. After nightfall, she returns with Goliath and Bronx, but all three are captured. Sevarius, who has informed Angela that she is Goliath's daughter, takes her along as he attempts to use Nessie to capture her mate Big Daddy in the Loch. Goliath and the others escape, and use a mini-submarine to foil Sevarius' plans. The monster-sub sinks along with every member of the Security Team, except their leader Bruno. The Loch Ness Monsters are reunited and set free.


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Rebel writes...

This isn't really a question as it is a review/comment/whatever. Anyway, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for deciding to have the London Gargoyles resemble more animals than just lions, unicorns, and griffins. For the last ten years or so, I had always assumed that the London clan gargoyles would resemble other animals of heraldry as well, such as bears, boars, wolves, foxes, stags, rams, bats, etc., and when I read in the wiki a few months ago that they would all look like unicorns, griffins, and lions, I was SO disappointed. I am so glad that this is not the case. The two new gargoyles are beautiful and I am looking forward to learning more about them in the next two issues, and possibly seeing some other London Clan members as well. Once again THANKS!

Also, I just wanted to mention that Hedgecock's art is greatly improving and is really, really good in this issue. There are still a few things that seem a little off, like for instance he often seems to make the characters' heads a little too big which makes them seem cartoony, and they sometimes look really angular instead of organic. But overall he's doing a great job. He's really good with facial expressions. I LOVE the look on Lex's face when they first wake up with jetlag! Also the pages where Shari is telling Thailog those stories are all really great. Of course the final page is beautiful as well. And he does a really awesome job with mechanical characters; the page with Coldsteel and Coyote is awesome! Anyway kudos to Hedgecock!

Overall #7 was a great issue. The non-linear format was great (incidentally, although I miss the cartoon it's worth noting that this non-linear format likely would not have worked as well on the TV show). Thanks for all you do.

Greg responds...

The non-linear thing -- especially to the extent I did it in issues #7-9 -- would not have worked AT ALL on television. Snippets so brief, they would barely register. Not enough time for visual cues, and without the captions to indicate date and time, impossible. But if you left an image on screen long enough for a chyron to register, you'd blow the rhythm of the whole thing. I definitely WOULD have told this story, but it would not have been in this format at all.

Thanks for the kind words, and I've passed on to Dave that he seems to be winning some people over with his latest stuff.

Response recorded on January 16, 2008

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Demonskrye writes...

Given that Bronx and Boudicca mated very shortly after their first meeting, I'm guessing gargoyle beasts are a lot more casual about mating than gargoyles are. So I have a few questions about gargoyle beast mates:

1) Do they mate for life?
2) Do they generally choose new mates if their mates dies before them?
3) Are they monogamous?
4) Di Bronx and Boudicca feel sad at all about being separated after they mated?

Greg responds...

1. Yes.
2. No.
3. Yes.
4. Yes.

I'm basing this -- at least to some extent -- on some research I did on wolves back in the early nineties. But some of this, I'm just making up as I go along.

Response recorded on January 16, 2008

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Anonymous writes...

You might say I'm a little obsessive with this website because of my interest in Gargoyles. I read a lot of other peoples questions in "Unanswered Questions" and then keep a watch to see when you answer them in "Latest Responses". I noticed that sometimes questions submitted in "Unanswered Questions" will be removed from the web site altogether without even a "not saying at this time" response from you. I figure these questions are removed because they don't follow the guidelines you made for the website. I figure its got to be really annoying when someone submits something you don't think is appropriate to answer and have to remove it from the website. Do you feel irritated when it happens?

Greg responds...

Usually our terrific moderator Todd Jensen catches rulebreakers before they even get to me, but every once in a while someone slips past, and I have to delete the question. It's not fun, but it's no big deal either.

Response recorded on January 16, 2008

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Phil writes...

Back in 2004, you responded to a question about the call letters WVRN by explaining that a station owner can choose it's own call letters. You then suggested that it was a huge hint as to who owns WVRN. So just to confirm my suspicions, is WVRN a division of Xanatos Enterprises?

Greg responds...

I'm not confirming or denying anything, but what I posted before still stands.

Response recorded on January 16, 2008

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Ntripy writes...

Are the scrolls depicted in #7 just a creative way to present the story in the comic, or do they actually exist in the Gargoyles Universe?

Greg responds...

They're an artistic conceit.

Response recorded on January 16, 2008

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JANUARY 16

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 16th...

1996
Though the travelers have spent only the hours between sunrise and sunset on Avalon, days have passed in the real world. Goliath, Elisa Maza, Angela and Bronx depart Avalon and find themselves on Loch Ness, back in Scotland. Elisa attempts to leave a message with Matt Bluestone's answering machine, but his message tape is full and the message is not recorded. Later, their skiff is capsized by a Loch Ness Monster. In the confusion, Angela is captured by a monster-shaped submarine and brought back to Dr. Anton Sevarius, who runs DNA tests on her that prove she is the biological daughter of Goliath.


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Benji writes...

Hi Greg, what's up? I can tell you're getting sick and everyone asking and begging for the rest of Gargoyles on dvd. And it had nothing to do with you don't care, I know you did, it's just that you've made it clear why they aren't coming out several times, and we keep asking,lol so I understand it can get a little annoying. So don't worry I'm not going to beg for the rest of Season 2 or ask when it's coming out. I was curious about something else though concerning the episodes. I was wondering if you thought Disney might be willing to let iTunes sell the entire series? Like all 3 Season's of it? iTunes has gotten more popular with selling tv shows, and it seems like that wouldn't be as expensive to do as making dvds, because it's really just a file. I don't know how all that works though. But I would really like to hear your thoughts about it.

Again I'm not trying to be annoying, I know you have a ton of fans constantly bugging you about Season 2 Volume 2. But I do miss the show, and since the rest of the dvds probably aren't coming out, or at least not anytime soon, iTunes would be the next best thing. I'd totally buy all 3 Season's of it!! I really miss the show. I haven't watched it in a long time. Especially the episodes that aren't on dvd, because where I live the show only comes on at like 3:30 in the morning. Anyway thanks for your time Greg!!

Greg responds...

It's not a bad idea, but the POINT I'm constantly trying to make is that I have no more insight into Disney's mindset than you guys do. I can keep you updated, but I have no idea whether or not they'd be interested in an iTunes set-up. Personally, I'd way prefer a DVD release.

Response recorded on January 15, 2008

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John Pannozzi writes...

Is it true that Bonkers was originally conceived as a Roger Rabbit TV series, but the Roger Rabbit were replaced due to Spielberg and his Amblin Entertainment company and Gary K. Wolf co-owning Roger Rabbit along with Disney?

Greg responds...

No, that's not true. Certainly, Roger provided inspiration for Bonkers. And I suppose one could say that if some higher up had come to us and said, "Do you want to do the TV version of Roger Rabbit?" (which never happened) than we would have jumped at the chance and most likely Bonkers never would have happened.

But Bonkers was developed as its own entity, originally entitled "Toon Cop". Roger was never our Toon Cop.

Response recorded on January 15, 2008

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simon jardine writes...

What is the translation of the spell that gives you entry to Avalon.

Greg responds...

Honestly, I forget what the spell is, let alone the translation.

Response recorded on January 15, 2008

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Charisma82 writes...

Yes! It finally came! Bad Guys #1 is mine! I did a lot of jumping up and down and laughing when I got this comic today. Here's my page-by-page review, as usual, but this time, not cut into 2 parts. I'm doing it all in one shot this time.

Bad Guys: Redemption
Chapter 1: Strangers

Pages 1-24

Page 1: Nice helicopter. And good work on not making it a full moon. My first reaction while reading this was the different texture of the pages. It was unusual, but I adjusted quickly. It's Matt's song from Witch! I really liked that episode where he sings this song and the other one; I think the name is "The Demon In Me". I have no clue what island the Redemption Squad is heading to, so I'll go on to the next page now.

Page 2: So here's the Redemption Squad. I was a bit confused because I thought that this comic was going to be about recruiting the squad, and yet here they all are, going on a mission. I figured out that the recruiting would take place a couple pages later. I find it funny that Matrix is the one holding the boom box and listening to the music. I love how Fang loses a bullet. His expression is very funny. I didn't catch that until my 3rd time looking through the comic. I get the feeling that Dingo seems very angry about something else besides just the mission they're about to go on. I guess only time will tell.

Page 3: Hunter & Dingo have some fun lines near the end of this page. And of course, Fang has to put his two cents into the matter. I knew it was him speaking at the bottom of this page, even without his picture, because he's always getting in on other people's business.

Page 4: I love Fang's lines. I have no problem hearing Jim Belushi's voice in my head when Fang is talking here. In fact, I had an easier time hearing the voices of these characters in this comic in my head than I do with the regular characters in the Gargoyles comic book series. I wonder why.

Page 5: And here we are led to believe that the Redemption Helicopter is no more… in fact I think it's safe to say it is no more. I am curious to see how the Redemption Squad managed to escape. Many fans who have been to the Gatherings have said in reviews that this scene was part of a clip shown at the Gathering, so they know how this part turns out. Since I haven't been to any Gatherings, I am still left in the dark about how they escaped the explosion. I can't wait to find out.

Page 6: Now we travel back in time two months to Australia. And you know what? Matt's song is still playing. I guess he must've made it big to have his song playing all the way in Australia. Good for him. Unless, of course, Matt doesn't exist in this universe and someone else wrote his exact same song and made it a big hit. The page ends with a big bang.

Page 7: Okay, he had a great intro, but this guy looks pretty corny. In fact, the first thing I thought of when I saw the Tazmanian Tiger was that he looked like a very corny version of Batman without a cape. His pets are cool looking though.

Page 8: I love the reference to Superman here. It's funny to hear what the Australians have to say about whom they think is up in the sky. Dingo had a pretty good entrance. The Tazmanian Tiger doesn't even bother talking, he just starts shooting. I find that interesting, because at first glance, I would've figured this guy to be an all talk, not much fight kind of guy.

Page 9: We find out that Hunter is tracking Dingo. We also get to learn a bit more about the bad guy's pets. I've never heard of these animals before. They're cool though. I want to know how the Tazmanian Tiger has them under control. Someone had to have gone through a lot of training with these animals to get them to do all the "tricks" he's having them do.

Page 10: About this time, the lyrics to the song were taking away from the action in the story for me, so from this point on, I read through all the lyrics on each page before reading what the characters were saying and what they were doing. The Thylacines start out well enough and put up a good fight, but not a good enough fight for Matrix and Dingo. They are quickly apprehended.

Page 11: Here's the part where the Tazmanian Tiger doesn't seem so corny. He takes a good slice out of the back of Dingo and Matrix. Before this happens, I really like Dingo's line, "Don't know where he dug up two extinct tazzie tigers…" It just helps get his voice in my head. He also shows how much he's trying to be a good guy by not harming his enemies after they've been apprehended, since they are extinct (nearly extinct) animals.

Page 12: Dingo has some really good action moves on this page. He really lets the Tazmanian Tiger have it. And he doesn't use any one-liners to get the job done.

Page 13: This is probably one of my favorite lines in this comic, "Thanks kid. Love the Mohawk." I had a good laugh with that one. Again, we get the Superman feel on this page. We also get the end of the "Will to Love" song. Everything seems to be going great for the new Australian superhero so far. Oh, yeah, I have to mention the GW on the police car in this scene. I have to give credit to my sister for this because I didn't catch this on my own. She had to point it out to me.

Page 14: It's the Shaman! I honestly didn't think I'd see him again so soon in the comics, but then it makes sense since we are seeing Dingo's new life. The Shaman helped find this new path for Dingo to take, so it makes a lot of sense for him to be there when Dingo joins the Redemption Squad. The picture of the Pack was awesome. I felt like I was seeing the TV show again.

Page 15: Dingo doesn't seem thrilled about Matrix "inserting" himself into his spine. I wouldn't be either. I'm glad to have gotten the explanation on this page about how Dingo and Matrix are connected when they "team up". I'm guessing now that Dingo knows this, he'll not want to connect as often, and Matrix will start to become his own person and not just Dingo's armor accessory.

Page 16: Dingo's name is finally revealed in the comics. Now it is officially cannon. I like Robyn's response to Dingo when he asks if she's a bounty hunter. I also like how you show here that even if you change your life and try to forget your past wrongs, you still have consequences. Even if Dingo is now a hero in Australia, he did some bad stuff in the past, and he needs to make up for it, not run from it, because the past does catch up with you eventually.

Page 17: This was a great situation to put Dingo in. The fight with Hunter would not have been as interesting, I think, if he had "saddled up" with Matrix. This way, we can see what he is capable of on his own.

Page 18-20: Great fight scene. I have a harder time with action in comics than I do with TV, so I went through these 3 pages a few times to get it all in.

Page 21: So there is something that can stop Matrix. Fancy that. And the Shaman does a good job here with Matrix, helping him to see the logic of the situation.

Page 22: Another great line, and I know it's been mentioned before, but I can't pass it up. "Look I've gone the super-villain route…" "Who hasn't?" The shot of the Shaman shows that he sees the good that could come out of this union between Robyn, Dingo, and Matrix.

Page 23: I really like the full body picture of Hunter here. Her facial expressions on this page are good too. Where did she put her crossbow? She must be really fast, 'cause one second it's there, and the next it's hidden away again. Another good line, "The pulse grenade's worn off!" "Was the helicopter too big a tip-off?" And lastly, the Shaman gives his input on the matter. I'm not sure if he wants Dingo to join up with Hunter because he thinks Dingo needs to be working with others to do good in the world (other than Matrix) or if he sees that Dingo needs to "clean up his act", such as making up for past wrongs. Maybe a bit of both with some other reasons in the mix as well?

Page 24: I don't find it too alarming that it was Matrix and not Dingo who wanted to go with Hunter. Matrix wants law and order (every time I see those words in the comic, I automatically think of the show Law and Order) and believes that, after what Hunter just said, that is what she is pursuing. There's that, plus the fact that Matrix just learned that Dingo hasn't always been for law and order. It gives him some cause to want to follow this new person and not Dingo as much. And why should Dingo want to accept? He's like a superhero in his home country now. Why should he be concerned with this new person who has been hunting him and is now blackmailing him? I wouldn't want to partner up with someone who was doing that to me. I think the one thing that surprises me the most is how quickly Dingo changed his mind after Matrix agreed to go with Hunter. I guess he wouldn't want to leave Matrix with her and that maybe Shaman's inspiring words helped, but it seemed too soon for me to believe. I do love the relationship between Dingo and Hunter right now. It's the beginning of an interesting ride.

Well, all in all, I LOVED this comic. Out of all the spin-offs, I wanted to see this one the most (well, it was tied with Timedancer). The end of the comic has set up the next comic very well and I'm very excited to see the recruitment of Yama. That, and hopefully we'll find out how the Redemption Squad survived the exploding helicopter and who they were about to go up against. I can't wait for the next issue and I hope that this series does really well. Thanks for a great job.

Thank you for your time and all that you do.

-Charisma82

Greg responds...

You too!

Response recorded on January 15, 2008

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Queen of Night writes...

Wow, I had no idea Bad Guys was already out. It's been a busy month. But I got a lot of thinking time since I've been on medical leave and I came up with these little gems.

1. OK, in the case of Owen/Puck you've said that Owen is fully human and can't do magic unless he's Puck (as far as I know anyway) and that rule applies to all Faeries. However, Fox is the offspring of Titania as a human and Reynard but she and her son are able to cast spells. I've read a few things about the differences between human and faerie magic but the only times we've seen magic in humans is through an object of some sort i.e. the Grimoire, the Eye of Odin, the Pheonix Gate ect. So what kind of magic do Fox and Alex (and presumely Merlin) use? If human why don't they need an object; if Fairy how?

2. I'm a HUGE fan of Midsummer's Night Dream but there is one thing that has irritaed me even when I was 10 years old. You switched the roles of Titania and Oberon. In the play Oberon was the consort though he was King of the Elves, Titania was the Queen of Fairies. What made you switch their roles?

3. I know you'll hate this question but is Mab plotting the destruction of Titania and Oberon or is she just gonna destroy us all outright?

Thanks for the answers!

Greg responds...

1. Mortal sorcery doesn't enter into it. Owen is a mortal construct, able to do no magic except transform into Puck. Fox is half-human/half Child of Oberon. Alex is 3/4 human, 1/4 Child. Merlin is half and half. What isn't clear about this?

2. I've read and seen Midsummer easily 100 times. In what way did I switch their roles? Are you sure you're not allowing your interpretation of the play to influence your interpretation of what we did on the show?

3. I don't hate the question, but I have no intention of answering it at this time.

Response recorded on January 15, 2008

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Greg Bishansky writes...

I was wondering about Shari's role as Thailog's executive assistant. We've already seen her feeding Thailog grapes, and telling him stories, alongside playing chess with him. The latter reminded me of Xanatos and Fox in "Upgrade" while the image of her being carried by Thailog in flight seemed very "Evil Goliath & Elisa" to me, but that's just a tangent.

My question is, who is Alexander Thailog's public face? Before "The Reckoning", obviously Dominique Destine was able to speak for both herself and Thailog. Now with Thailog operating Nightstone alone, and Demona laying low, I wonder. Does Shari represent Alexander Thailog in any corporate capacity? Or does someone else? He probably has a middleman of some kind.

Greg responds...

I don't think Shari is all that corporate-genic.

Response recorded on January 14, 2008

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Purplegoldfish writes...

My review for #7, "The Rock"

I really like the non-linear format. I think it's really creative. It's like a puzzle with missing pieces that makes me ache for more. The first time I read it, it appeared to be totally random-but the more I read it, the more I realized that it's not random at all-the panels all seem to be very deliberately placed the way they are for a reason. This leads me to think that those three enigmatic panels on page two,(Bomb unit, "Amp", and Fox's shoes), are tied together somehow.

I like the little snippets of Shari's stories to Thailog, and the muted sepia tones used to convey the stories. It took my third reading to realize that the story pages are shaped like scrolls, nice little touch. I just love those little glimpses we get of Shari and Thailog (and sometimes Brentwood). For some reason I find it humorous to see Thailog performing mundane tasks like bathing, being on the computer, and playing chess while Shari drones on to him. I wonder what their relationship is exactly-probably more of a power struggle than anything, but in a bizarre way, they are kind of a match for each other.

It's nice to see Macbeth working with the gargoyles and becoming the clan's ally. I trust him, but I'm mildly surprised that Goilath is so quick to send his clanmates out to help him-seeing as he wasn't always their friend. I guess all one needs to do to convince Goliath is to pull the "Xanatos card." And it turns out they're right-Xanatos is working behind their backs.

Goliath's line is interesting-"healed but not whole." I was under the impression that gargoyles fully heal at sunrise. So I take it to mean that he's emotionally drained.

Personally, I don't feel sorry for Brooklyn. He had the chance to go to London and potentially meet unattached female gargoyles...but he passed on it. Angela didn't choose him, he needs to get over it. Though I am very curious as to Angela's and Broadway's intent-they were so happy at the prospect of going to Scotland-but then easily changed their minds. Angela's got some sort of plan brewing-to try to cheer Brooklyn up maybe? She's got to realize that brooklyn is pining for her-she's always been able to catch on to things pretty quiclkly in the show.

The clans seem to have found another ally in Dr. Sato-that's very good-especially since he can be a very helpful ally in troubling times.

Hehe, I loved the panels of Macbeth waiting for Lex and Hudson to wake up-nice subtle humour there. And gargoyle jetlag, lol. I once lost a whole day thanks to jetlag. I'm kind of curious as to what Lex and Hudson did in that ten day interim.

I found that panel that shows Macbeth trying to take back the stone in 1950 hilarious. "Scotland Forever!" LOL. "You'de be surprised" indeed.

Telling panel placement here-the scheming Xanatos scene taking place directly after the panel in which Hudson asks "Who exactly are we expecting?"
The Coyote Diamond...Nothing ever wasted in Gargoyles. Xanatos, Cyote, and Coldsteel...not a good combination. Part of the Illuminati's plan? Or something else?

I love the Othello/Desdemona/Iago story page. The way they're subtley turning to stone, and the iconic Hakon mace image. That must've been their last sunrise as flesh beings. And I love how the "Timeless love story" caption integrates into the Goliath and Elisa scene.

Speaking of the G/E scene, love it. The way it parallels the breakup scene in issue #3. Goliath and Elisa are careful not to mention the children issue, a discussion for another night. But the not-so-subtle placement of the panel where Maggie is revealed to be pregnant is brilliant. It's nice to see Goliath so happy-he's been having a tough week. And I love how passionate that kiss looked. Did Goliath initiate it?

I wasn't all that surprised at Maggie's pregnancy for some reason. Though if I were her, I would be terrified. What is their kid going to be? Mutate? Human? A mixture of both? I have kind of a bad feeling that things are going to be rough for them.

And the exciting cliffhanger-King Arthur and the London Gargoyles are up to something as well. Are they on the same side? Nice designs for the new London gargs, and as others have mentioned, it's nice to see a full figured female gargoyle.

The art: There's a few minor problems-like that closeup of Elisa's face-kind of reminds me of Ariel from the Little Mermaid-but Hedgecock's art has vastly improved, I think. Characters are much more on-model. I'm impressed. And kudos to Robby Bevard and his terrific coloring. The best coloring work on the book, in my opinion. He really payed attention to giving the correct lighting to the diffrent settings, and like I mentioned earlier, I love the effect of the scroll scenes.

Terrific start to an intrigueing new story arc, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Greg responds...

I'm not sure Shari would appreciate you saying she's "droning". And I'm not sure Thailog would stand for droning. (Now you're on the Illuminati's list!)

Healing -- depending on the wound -- is exhausting. Remember Angela after she nearly died at the hands of the Hunters. One day as stone heals, but it exhausts the body. Goliath is in fact physically not at 100% in #7.

I think Goliath did initiate the kiss... AFTER Elisa stroked his hair. Think of it as the best kind of cultural exchange.

Response recorded on January 14, 2008

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Todd Jensen writes...

A comment, rather than a question. One of my fondest memories from the days when "Gargoyles" was on the air was, after seeing "City of Stone" and "Avalon", reading up all that I could find about the historical Macbeth, and Constantine's murder of Kenneth II. I already knew some things about early medieval Scotland (enough to know that Gruoch was the name of the real Lady Macbeth, that Macbeth overthrew Duncan in battle in actual history, and about his stepson Lulach), but after seeing those episodes, I learned even more.

Now, after Bad Guys #1 and Gargoyles #7, I've experienced once again that feeling. I've looked up whatever I could find about thylacines, and Gathelus and Scota, after reading the issues that they appeared in. Now I know even more than ever that "Gargoyles" is back. Thanks, Greg.

Greg responds...

You're welcome. And thanks again to Kathy Pogge who did SO much research for me on the history of the Stone.

Response recorded on January 14, 2008

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KingCobra_582 writes...

Picked up my copy of Gargoyles #7 today. After all these weeks, it's finally here.

And, after the very mild disappointment I had with issue 6, it was worth the wait too.

**SPOILERS**

PROS:

More great story twists.

-I didn't see Maggie's pregnancy coming, oddly. Those were some great moments, with Talon and Maggie looking at each other like that.
-It was cool seeing Claw again, even if it was only for one panel, and he didn't do anything.
-The cover threw me off somewhat, which is a good thing.
-More Elisa and Goliath stuff. At least it's not too angsty this time.
-Does Goliath know that Brooklyn is bothered by B & A's relationship? I had the impression at first, when he looks over Brooklyn's shoulder at them, that he had a good idea. But then it occurred to me that Goliath may have been silently asking them to stay with his second. So which is it?
-Nice little Lex moments. I liked the expression on his face when he complains about 'I don't feel so hot.'
-On a semi-related note, who's this 'Amp'? Is Lex naming someone or simply giving them a nickname?
-I loved that MacBeth/King Arthur moment. Though I admit that, since I thought they left on good terms in 'Pendragon', I am a little confused. What's Arthur hiding/protecting? Also, since Arthur's here, kudos on introducing the new gargoyles at the end. And is that Griff behind Lex and Hudson?
-Nice throwback to the Cold Trio. And I'm eager to know what Xanatos, Coyote, and Coldsteel are up to. Whatever it is, it can't be good. Is this part of Xanatos' Illuminati assignment?
-The bits about Gathelus interested me greatly. Thanks, Greg. You made me want to do research on this guy.

As usual, Greg, you have left me with so many questions, and very few answers. Thank you.

The art was decent. Hedgecock has definitely come a long way since #1.

CONS:

These are very minor things that I was able to let go of. They didn't really ruin my enjoyment too much.
-The biblical reference. Mainly because (and this is a self-personal quip. I'm not trying to offend anyone or push my beliefs.) I'm not really into religion. No offense.
-The constant time changes were a little confusing.

End the rant.

A near-perfect issue that I really enjoyed. Great writing, great story, and I loved the artwork. Plot threads left dangling, but then, I love being in suspense, so that was a big plus too. There were a couple of flaws, but I was able to ignore them.

What a hell of an great issue. I can't wait for #8. :)

Merry Christmas.

Greg responds...

Goliath now knows about Brooklyn's angst.

You don't have to be religious to appreciate the bible. I personally don't regard it as a religious text (for myself) -- but it's without a doubt a great repository for stories. It's definitely worth a read.

Response recorded on January 14, 2008

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Amanda writes...

If I was evry want to become a writer what sould I do to make people like my storys? How old where you when you wrote storys? I been thinking of some good storys but I don't know if any one would like them? When I read a bionicle story I feel like I am in a different world. Am I cary or what?

Greg responds...

Hey Amanda,

I began writing stories as early as Second Grade. It's a great hobby, and it can be a great profession -- but I'd only recommend it to someone who truly felt they couldn't be happy doing anything else. Because there will be REJECTION. Nature of the beast, I'm afraid. But if you want to do it, then do it. My first and biggest recommendation is to learn to PROOFREAD your work. Get a dictionary and look up words that you're not sure of. Make sure your grammar is impeccable. No one will want to read your work if it's loaded with typos and other small errors. They'll never get to see your wonderful stories. My next recommendation is to READ. READ, READ, READ. Read voraciously. Newspapers, magazines, classic works of literature, comic books, whatever. But read. My next recommendation is to LISTEN. Listen to how people talk, how they sound, their dialects, their slang, etc. That's the way to learn to write good dialogue. Finally WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. PROOFREAD. REWRITE. READ. READ. Etc.

Good luck.

Response recorded on January 14, 2008

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JANUARY 14

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 14th...

1995
Most everyone - except Matt Bluestone - now believes that robots were responsible for the recent gargoyle sightings.


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Here's an interesting exercise...

Compare the original air dates of the episodes to the dates on the Gargoyles Universe Timeline at http://gargoyles.dracandros.com/Timeline.


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JANUARY 12

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 12th...

1995
Owen Burnett defeats David Xanatos in a judo match, causing Xanatos to fear he is losing his edge. Xanatos first meets with the Emir is that afternoon. That evening on Elisa Maza's first night back on the job, she is assigned a new partner: Matt Bluestone. She brings a television set up to the gargoyles, who are now ensconced in their new home in the Clock Tower above the 23rd Precinct House. Meanwhile, Xanatos donates the Eye of Odin to the Museum of Modern Art and is interviewed on television by Travis Marshall. Later that night, Xanatos - dressed in Gargoyle Battle Armor - steals the Eye back for his private collection. Simultaneously, two Steel Clan Robots are seen at other locations in the city, leading people to believe that gargoyles are on the loose.


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Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

I have a short question about Derek/Talon. The feline DNA used to modify him was from a black panther. My question is, which kind of black panther? Panthers are not a separate species, but are only black forms of leopards and jaguars. Leopards and jaguars are the two species of big cat that exist in pure black forms in nature. In leopards the black genes are recessive, and in jaguars they are dominant.

So was Derek mutated using black leopard DNA, or black jaguar DNA?

Greg responds...

I don't know. Is there an ASK ANTON feature somewhere?

Response recorded on January 11, 2008

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Anonymous writes...

How high are the chances that "Gargoyles" will be back on the air? Why can't Disney see that "Gargoyles" is one of the best series?

Greg responds...

Gargoyles is on the air -- in reruns on Toon Disney.

Response recorded on January 11, 2008

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Harvester of Eyes writes...

ISSUE #7 REVIEW.

Sorry, I've been lax for the last few comics, but I intend to start these up again with a vengeance (if you'll pardon the expression).

First off, right from the get-go, the story reaches out and grabs you. It's barely been forty-eight hours since Thailog crashed the party, and some of the clan are leaving the castle to accompany Macbeth to Europe. It was great how Macbeth appealed to Goliath, too. He pretty much summed it up: Xanatos is their landlord. Nothing more. So needless to say, it was also great to see Xanatos working behind Goliath's back in this one.

As we see in this issue, he hadn't changed that much even as far back as "Possession". Coldfire and Coldsteel were still his creations, so it would stand to reason that he'd add something to their construction which would allow him to "call" one of them. Can't wait to see what his plan is, as well as the Society's interest in the Stone.

The cutscenes to Thailog and his crew were also interesting. I'm wondering if that will tie in somehow. Shari is a nine, so she probably has some knowledge of Xanatos's assignment. And Thailog and Brentwood were obviously digging for something.

It was also interesting to see a gargoyle's reaction to jet lag, especially since I think that's been a topic of discussion in the Station 8 comment room before. So I have to wonder if they got to see the sun before they adjusted. Especially since Hudson made a remark in "The Mirror" stating that he'd like to see it, just once.

And the gargoyles at the end were a very nice shocker. Though I think it's great, after seeing Demona, Angela, Ophelia, and Desdemona, to see a more full-figured female among the gargoyle race. I can't wait to see which one Lexington might have been referring to on the second page of the issue (if indeed it was one of them).

As far as the art is concerned, I think Hedgecock is getting better, though I think he's still grappling with conveying emotion on close-ups of the faces. But the coloring in this one more than made up for that.

Overall, this issue was a hell of a fun ride loaded with a lot of neat little twists. Can't wait to read more.

Greg responds...

Good, cuz, you know, we're making more.

Response recorded on January 11, 2008

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nathan writes...

what episode does elisa turn into a gargoyle

Greg responds...

"The Mirror"

Response recorded on January 11, 2008

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Kchishol1970 writes...

First I want to thank you, after getting upset at how DC is treating Captain Carrot at the end of their latest mini-series, it is a joy to see someone "mainstream" create some beautiful furry business in their own comic as issue #7 shows. Thank you for getting an artist who understands that beauty.

Case in point, Maggie has never been more beautiful then when she's snuggling with Derek upon learning she is pregnant. In fact, it looks like she's purring. Is that a correct assumption?

Greg responds...

Uh... sure.

Response recorded on January 10, 2008

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Matt writes...

Do you have a name for Gillecomgain's father? There has been a request to make a page for him on the GargWiki and it'd be easier with a name.
Thanks!

Greg responds...

I just did some quick research (Kathy Pogge would be proud of me) and came up with Maíl Brigti.

Response recorded on January 10, 2008

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letica writes...

what is tis siteabout

Greg responds...

Gargoyles, mostly.

Response recorded on January 10, 2008

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Antiyonder writes...

- Have to say, this story arc is one I'm was looking forward to. Didn't think we'd get to that team up between Coyote 5.0. and Coldsteel for awhile. While I knew Xanatos would still be in conflict with the Gargoyles at times, I wasn't sure if he would still use the Coyote Robots or not.

- Getting to see Macbeth Post-Journey was a plus. I wonder if he knows about his minions current employer. I could help but chuckle when he was having his drink while waiting for Lexington and Hudson to awaken.

- Don't know why, but this cliffhanger's got me the most excited for the next issue. Not saying the others weren't of course.

- Nice to see David's penciling on the comic again. I'm probably in the minority, but I found his artwork in #3 to be the start of his improvement in the series.

Looking forward to the next issue, as well as Bad Guys #2.

Greg responds...

Me too!

Response recorded on January 10, 2008

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dph writes...

My review of issue #7

Let me start by saying that I found this issue very intriguing, more so than normal. I wish I had the next two issues with me so that I could put together the whole story all at once. Where do I start? With something I've almost completely ignored in my thoughts up to now. Xanatos let Macbeth visit the gargoyles on the top of the castle. The last time (and first time) that Macbeth visited the gargoyles on top of the castle, he offered them a favor: a new home. In this story, we get the reverse: Macbeth asking the gargoyles for a favor. Things have changed a lot since then. Anyways, Macbeth wants to personally insure that the Stone of Destiny makes its way back to Scotland.

Since I'm guessing that you'll stick with real world history, the Stone of Destiny (or a likeness of it) will be returned, but that isn't important as the journey that the Stone takes to get to its destination.

It's nice to see Macbeth using 'conventional* transportation - an aircraft not an airship - to travel. Xanatos allowing Macbeth to visit the gargoyles makes sense in that he can monitor their communication. Had Xanatos denied Macbeth the visit to the gargoyles on top of the castle, Macbeth and the gargoyles would have met anyways with Xanatos being in the dark about what happened in that meeting. Xanatos's comment about planning for this contigency makes me wonder if Xanatos's original plan called for interference from Macbeth, gargoyles, or both?

Dr Sato meeting the mutates was interesting. When I first read "treating someone in Maggie's 'condition'", my immediate thoughts were her being a mutate, not anything else.

Was Macbeth that bored or that sleepy? Either way, it makes sense for him to do something to pass the time. Macbeth explaining to the gargoyles that they experienced jet lag helps explain the situation. Hopefully (and humorously), Angela's whisper to Broadway isn't going to turn into a giant speculation as big as something else. I hope we get to see more of the flashback of Macbeth trying to recover the Stone of Destiny in 1950. When you wrote "Gathelus and his family would wander the globe for Two Years", did you literally mean the entire globe or just Europe?

Anyways, Xanatos's line of "The stone's flawless surfaces and clarity increase the speed of " and the picture showing location have me fairly convinced that the diamond is an essential part of Coyote 5.0's "computer core". I wouldn't have caught the reference except for an episode of Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego where Carmen took some coal and turned into a diamond and the detectives installed it into their computer system and somehow speeded things up. On the other hand, I could be way completely off-base in the assumption that the crystal is part of the computer core.

When Dr Sato mentions that Maggie needs an o.b., I had no idea what that meant, but then others in the s8 cr pointed out that was a way of saying that Maggie was pregnant.

King Arthur pulling a sword onto Macbeth really is an indicator of King Arthur's skill, but still one wonders why use the sword instead of an arm. It's nice to see the London clan, again.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to seeing the next two parts. The intrigue keeps growing as I'm not sure what the true motivation of each player really is.

I have some theories about the use of the Coyote diamond inside of Coyote, but I'm more thrilled that you don't let things go to waste from season 1. Indeed, you are building a great tapestry.

Greg responds...

Thanks. I do try.

Response recorded on January 10, 2008

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Ricky writes...

Hey Greg,

I just managed to get a hold of issue #7, and I have to say it is my absolute favorite so far! The story was great, and I can't wait to find out what happens next, but what I really wanted to comment on was the artwork. I've loved David Hedgecock's unique style and his take on the different looks of the characters since the beginning, but I know that there have been fans who have gone as far as to say they hated it. I noticed that in this issue the characters drawings looked a bit different, maybe as if David had heard the fans' comments and paid attention to their criticism while drawing this issue. So, finally my questions:

1. I'm sure you've heard the fans' criticism and I was wondering did you had talk to David about the fans' concerns? If so, what did you say?

and, if not:

2. Do you know whether David heard the criticism, and if so, is that the reason for the slight difference in the artwork?

Thanks a lot for your time, Greg! Keep up the great work!

Greg responds...

I did talk to David about the fan criticism. The talk went something like this...

Dave: "Man, the fans really seem to hate me."

Greg: "Ignore 'em."

[As I said before, every fan is entitled to his or her opinion, but I thought some of the statements made about the art went beyond what was on the page and ventured into the personal, making all sorts of truly outrageous and/or presumptuous assumptions. I have little tolerance for that.]

Dave's work is improving, mostly because he's getting more and more familiar with the characters, because he's showing what he can do when designing new characters and because, well, practice makes perfect. There was no course correction here. I, for one, have been confident we've been on the right course from day one. But it is a course, not an end point.

I also think that Robby is a great addition to the team.

Response recorded on January 09, 2008

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Matt writes...

This is a screenshot from "The Mirror":

http://gargoyles.dracandros.com/Image:Riding_the_Subway.jpg

Was this supposed to be Macbeth or is the similiar appearence simply a coincidence?

Greg responds...

Possibly.

Response recorded on January 09, 2008

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Matt writes...

Can you give us some clarification on what is going on with Macbeth's coronation in "The Rock" versus "City of Stone". Is this a retcon or did both scenes happen?

Greg responds...

I'm going to say BOTH happened. Yeah...

Response recorded on January 09, 2008

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Chip writes...

I have so much to say about "The Rock". I don't even know where to begin. Normally I'd start at the beginning, but the issue doesn't even start there...

MacBeth needs Goliath and clan's aid. It think that for Mac, this is more than just asking a favor. This is him officially making peace with the clan. We knew he was pro-goyle from "The Journey" but now he officially becomes an ally. Oddly enough, Xanatos is not. We live in his castle, but he's not our friend.

So X makes a deal with Coldsteel (Interesting that X is holding all the cards in his alliance with Coldsteel) and C teams up with Coyote 5.0 I love it, and knowing Coyote, he won't last long. This one has the Coyote diamond, I wonder if Xanatos reused parts from 4.0 and the Cauldron of Life?

Jacob's pillow. Hmm...I see that Shari likes telling storys, on a completely unrealated note...ever read Arabian Nights?

Nice touch with the City of Stone reference on page 4, and I got a chuckle out of "Magic talking stone" Yay, Scotland!

And now Shari's story about Gathelus. As an Egyptologist (or rather a student, as I'm not one yet) I loved this story. I feel that Gathelus must have done far more than just win some battles though...for a Pharaoh can only claim right to the throne if he's married to the daughter of a Pharaoh. By giving Gathelus his daughter, the Pharaoh was essentially saying you are next in line for the throne. Quite an honor

I was so pleased that you didn't make the common error of saying that Rhameses II was the Pharaoh of the Exodus. (In fact thank you for not mentioning him by name at all) Calling Rhameses the Exodus Pharaoh is probably my biggest pet peeve and I don't think even Gargoyles would have survived my annoyance.

My thesis paper is on correcting the Egyptian timeline. Egyptologists think of their country as set apart from the rest of the world, as such they've pretty much created their own timeline that doesn't match up with events in the outside world. (the creation of this timeline is complicated, I won't bore you with how it came about) I hope to fix the Sothic timeline. (Which is the false timeline of Egypt)

With the (I use this timeline, but I didn't create it, so I don't claim it as my timeline) amended Timeline the Exodus occured under the reign of Nepherhotep I of the 13th dynasty. A pharaoh who's mummy has never been found. (perhaps because it's in the Red Sea?) a Pharaoh who was lamented in the Papyrus of Ipuwer for (essentially) pissing off (one of) the gods.

According to Manetho (Egyptian historian) the Hyksos invaded shortly after Neferhotep's death and met with no opposistion. (Perhaps because the Egyptian Army with with Neferhotep)

This brings me back to Scota and Gathelus, who befriended Moses and left with Jacob's pillow (Ostensibly during Neferhotep's reign) and who decided to flee with Jacob's Pillow. Which Jacob must have decided was sacred. (Maybe because it could talk?) Does this mean that in the Gargoyles Universe, God himself granted the Stone the ability to speak?

Okay, back to the present (or rather 1996) we see that Sato has become a friend to the Clan and the Labyrinth...and that Maggie is pregnant. THAT through me for a loop. Their children will be mutants rather than Mutates...

As per the cover, Hudson and Lex have jet lag. (Which I figured when I saw big ben on the cover, but I still couldn't stop myself from saying "What scorcery is this") I wonder if when they return to Manhattan the jet lag will work in reverse and Hudson will get his wish of seeing the sun. When I showed my mother the Hudson and Lex Jet lag page she laughed and said "Gargoyles get jet lag?"

Lex felt funny after waking up so I surmise that he and Hudson couldn't absorb Thermal energy during the night, and as such couldn't get the full benifits of Stone Sleep

Back and Manhattan (on the second) Brooklyn tries to avoid the happy couple (and Goliath catches on quick, as opposed to Broadway and Angela, who don't seem to get that Brook is avoiding them) Poor Brook, unlucky in love so often...I really can't wait untill he meets Katana...come to think of it...I want to meet Katana too.

In Scotland Mac, Hudson, and Lex have set up an all night watch on the stone...and Mac reaveals (to the audience) that he was one of the ones responsible for the theft in 1950. (Wonder what went wrong there? Why was the stone returned?)

We Shari tells us of the origins of Portugal and Coldstone (Though not on the same nights) and Goliath and Elisa try to work out their feelings. (And Elisa strokes G's hair!!!)

We see the last part of Shari's story as to how the stone came to be in Ireland, and the rest as they say is history. (No really, it's historical fact now, not mere legend)

Mac see's a shadow, and goes to investigate and it turns out to be King Arthur. Normally I'd like to think of Arthur as a good guy, but in this case...Arthur has a connection to the stone...he might be trying to take it or prevent it's return to Scotland. King Arthur may in fact be a foe. (Which of course show's the strength of Gargoyles, that a person with heroic qualities may in fact be the villian of the piece) And of course if Arthur is an enemy, then so are Griff and the two unknown members of the London clan. (Who's existence is now cannon) Masterful, I give you my full praise, this is the bast issue so far, and I'm sure it only gets better.

Can't wait for more.

Greg responds...

Thanks! I like praise!

Response recorded on January 09, 2008

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Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Here's more scattered, random reactions to the comics, in lieu of actual reviews. So because I already posted a lot about it in the comment room, and I'm lazy, I'm skipping a review of 3-5 for now and going on to review the latest issues that I bought. Starting with #6, others coming later. How many times can I post in a row without being rude?

SPOILERS (if you haven't got #6 yet)
The art in this issue mostly looks really good, once I got used to the pencils, but Lexington and Brooklyn and some of the early frames of Angela looked wrong.

I noticed that the pictures of Gabriel and Iago were copied directly from specific shots in the animated series. That's interesting, they were immediately recognizable and I thought it was cool, it indicates that the artists are getting a hold of the episodes and paying attention to the art in them. I do wonder if they are supplied with the character model sheets, though.

I'm surprised that you changed the Avalon situation so that the magic does not translate. It is definitely cool to see the language issue addressed, but I thought that the magic translateion was more probable than that every single person they met on the other Tour stops spoke English, and well. Now I wonder how Angela, Tom, and King Arthur are able to communicate with English-speakers.

Lots of new mysteries. How do the Illuminati know about that World Tour stop? And what "seeds" were "sown" at that time? No doubt Xanatos is up to something...

Landing in a giant cooking/laundry pot is definitely a new way to travel.

Shari feeding Thailog grapes while he's dressed like a Roman emperor is... intereting. She should be careful about taunting him, though.

I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't see real yetis, but since All Things Are True, they are probably out there somewhere.

I enjoyed all the issues I've read so far and although this wasn't quite as fun as some of the others, it was still good.
SPOILERS (if you haven't got #6 yet)

Greg responds...

I'm not sure I DID change the rules here. They were sent to speak to Coldstone, not Master Dawa or Sangpo.

Response recorded on January 09, 2008

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JANUARY 9

This day in Gargoyles' Universe History....

January 9th...

1996
Dominique Destine has an "accidental" encounter with Lennox Macbeth.


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E360 writes...

So macbeth was responsible for the theft of the stone of destiny in 50s, what made him return it? On the other hand that seems to be a common practice for immortal scotsmen, being responsible for the theft of the stone that is, since the Highlander show had an entire episode devoted to that little endeavor.

Greg responds...

Perhaps the answer is forthcoming...

Response recorded on January 08, 2008

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David writes...

Hello Greg,
I know you possibly got pretty stressed out with all of those W.I.T.C.H. questions (especially the ones related to the S is for Self episode).
I understand that you don't have any rights to the songs at all, and are to remain silent when it comes to questions like this...

But I'd like to know if you'd give me any information on who should be contacted in order to discuss the possibility of seeing the W.I.T.C.H. OST(including the songs and the background music from the Animated Series) available for purchase.

Greg responds...

I'm not particularly stressed on this topic.

But I don't know whom you should contact, I'm afraid. But if you succeed, let me know. I'd like a copy too.

Response recorded on January 08, 2008

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Jennifer writes...

I was wondering if Disney is ever going to release the rest of season 2 on DVD,and season 3?

Greg responds...

I was wondering that too.

Response recorded on January 08, 2008

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david writes...

hi greg,i have not read all the questions,but peerhaps the first french who write here!!!
so first of all ,i'm not going to be original,but i wanted to say that all you have done,with this series is amazing .In france the series disapear since 1999 ,and i 'm still a big fan .since march i got all the episodes and how fun it is to see my heroes back .eight years happen and my vision of the series have not changed,i' m now more able to see the detail ,the important details,that i could not see when i was young.that mean for me ,that gargoyles is more an adult series ,the psikology of all the characters are perfest an so deeply worked.i do not remember seing this on any other series.I see the episodes one on one ,and after seing one reading for the first time your rambles.I think it was so fun to see how you create the show ,,your first thoughts,our what would you prefer.and so on .i wwanted to react for all of us ,but it would have bored you (64 e mail ,i think it's a bit hard)
at list i see the evolution in my perception of the series,my favorite character was brooklynn first time i saw the serie,then broadway ,i found him strong an funny.and now at 20,it is hudson i really like,his attitude ,his experience ,his warrior skills,his swords and in the price he is so good ,his dialogue with wanatos on immortality are for me one of the best moment of the series.meanwhile my favorite episodes is shadow of the past ,this is a killing one !!!!the story the animation ,all is nearly perfect ,keith david voice as goliath is wonderful,the atmosfere of hate and shadow is so great ,so spooky and so referated(i' m not sure it exists in english)to the past.I also like long way to mourning ,you know,hudson stuff,a good story ,and the fact hudson trick demona at the end with the sun .
During the multiple revision of the serie ,i discver lot of details ,you could not see when you see the episodes just one ,the last was owen when they received john carter at castle wyvern ,he hide his stony hand in the pockets of his smoking ,i had never figured before ,but what would a man say when you saw a stony arm .and i noticed a lot of scene like this.
i want to add a word on the comics,just as the serie ,great works ,we rally found what made the series a success.i have the hope that the comics will have a long life.
To end this ,i want just add a question,after all we are here to ask question!!i just want to know if you had infos about gargoyles in france for the future,not an original question i know!!!
and are you going one day to make a gathering in paris ? perhaps ,i always wanted to go at one ,but you know ,to young and it cost a lot for going ,but one day i'll come
so greg sorry for all i have written ,but i wnated to write for so long you know!!!!!!good luck for the future ,and long live to the comics (my principal hope)

Greg responds...

It's not up to me to make a Gathering in Paris -- it's up to Parisian fans.

And if you want to see more of Paris in the Gargoyles Universe, check out Gargoyles: Bad Guys, "Redemption, Chapter Three: Estranged".

Response recorded on January 08, 2008

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Blaise writes...

THE ROCK

***SPOILERS!!***

Got the comic...and a flat tire to boot (darn, stupid, jagged and broken curbs next to parking spaces...). Thank heaven there was a Jiffy Lube across the street from the comic shop.

True to the nature of this narrative, I'm probably going to be a little all over the place with this ramble. It is a bit difficult trying to piece together what happened when, but it's also kind of fun for me. I do wonder if this approach will intrigue or repel new readers, though. I sincerely hope it's the former.

I kind of figured Xanatos was putting the Coyote Diamond into the latest version of Coyote, for some reason. And that bit of intuition, added to Coldsteel's reappearance last issue, led me to believe that this story arc would showcase the team up.
I must admit, I am a bit fascinated by Xanatos's eyepiece in these scenes. It actually reminds me of Jackal's cybernetic eye.

Shari has begun to tell even more bedtime stories to Thailog. While we start hearing them with the origins of the Stone of Destiny, her first story to him (before sunrise on the 3rd, while Thailog's on the computer) deals with the Cold Trio. A followup to the previous night's story, perhaps? After that, for every 24 hours, she expands on the history of the Stone of Destiny. I liked the idea of Thailog lounging in a hot tub for one of these story sessions. I'm also wondering right along with everyone else just what he and Brentwood were digging for in the pre-dawn hours of the 6th. And like Todd, I saw the panel on page 15 as a sort of "dark mirror" of a usual Goliath and Elisa image.
I still wonder how Shari knows all this stuff.

Count me as another who was a bit confused by the reprise of Macbeth's coronation taking place outside. It didn't help that the priest (or whoever) had the same beard style as Macbeth.

I like how Macbeth indicates that Xanatos might go after the Stone.

Broadway, Angela and Lexington seem to be ecstatic at the idea of returning to Scotland. Brooklyn, however, is too busy looking at the happy couple.

I hadn't noticed Owen had replaced Brooklyn with Hudson in his rundown of who's heading for Scotland (if that is what he was giving) until my second read through.

Okay, Fox had a teaser on page 2, and the subject's brought up again on page 7. What the heck is so important about those @#$%&* shoes?!

Panel 2 of page 9 is what had me start thinking Maggie may be pregnant, even before Sato mentioned "Maggie's condition" (with quotation marks!). Just the way she had her hand on her abdomen, I guess. That also led me to conclude that an O.B. (which I had no idea about before tonight) probably had something to do with pregnancy. She sure looks happy, though, doesn't she? Both here, and again on page 20.
I also momentarily got the stone clones and the clan mixed up.

Loved the rather humorous page 10. The cover was an excellent teaser and a great selling gimmick, but it's for a more comedy/trivia element than a major plot point. I actually like the misdirection. It's fascinating to see the effects of "jet lag" on gargoyles.
Of course, by this point I was wondering why I only saw Lex and Hudson with Macbeth.

Then I found out. Brooklyn obviously bowed out so he wouldn't have to be around the "happy couple" during the road trip. But wouldn't you know, they elect to remain behind, too--much to Brooklyn's chagrin, it seems.
However, I notice Angela's whispering to Broadway, and Broadway's emphasis on staying "to help Brooklyn." This leaves me with an idea as to the real reason Broadway and Angela stayed behind.

I actually like seeing the gargoyles working with Macbeth. The flashback to Macbeth being a part of the attempt to steal back the Stone was cool, and it includes one of my favorite bits of dialogue:
MACBETH: (whisper) All right, lads. Now or--
RANDOM IDIOT: *SCOTLAND FOREVER!*
MACBETH: Shhhhh!

Coyote's new design includes the rather creepy idea of the ruined-Xanatos-head image appearing in the mouth of the "dog-head." I just wish I could say that I was as happy with the ruined-head itself--it looks too neat to me. Minor quibble, though. Overall, this comic really does give some of Hedgecock's best work.

Goliath and Elisa have another heart to heart (over 24 hours since Macbeth asked for a favor). Elisa states that "Normalcy's over-rated" (a personal motto of mine for many years). I hadn't noticed that Elisa touched Goliath's hair until someone mentioned it. Now Goliath's elated look makes more sense. And NOW we have a kiss that is more than just a quick peck with both participants in full health. Good.

Thailog and Shari are playing chess. I wonder who's winning.

Count me as another who hadn't expected King Arthur and the London clan to be reintroduced in quite this way. I wonder just what Arthur thinks Macbeth is up to for the latter to earn such a greeting.
As for the new London clanners, it's nice to finally know, one way or the other, just how varied their looks are. I knew the...um, "robust" female would meet with some approval (I like slender, curvaceous female gargoyles as much as the next straight man, but they can't be EVERYWHERE). She definitely has interesting feet, though. And did anyone else notice that there's something she does NOT have...feathered wings. Her wings are the "glider" type with hands.

All in all, even with "Bad Guys" issue 2, it's going to be a hard wait to continue this storyline.

Greg responds...

I think the "Priest" is Bodhe.

Response recorded on January 08, 2008

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Phil writes...

Okay, let's try this.

What did Angela whisper to Broadway just before he decided no to go to England with Macbeth?

(You'd better tell us now, before the mystery gets all blown out of proportion.)

Greg responds...

<chuckle>

I really didn't think this was much of a mystery. I don't know her exact words, but it was something like: "If Goliath isn't well, we should really back Brooklyn up here, so he isn't on his own if there's trouble."

It was all very well-meaning. With the density (that I have often observed) common in the newly coupled, they don't realize the effect they're having on poor Brook. Too busy staring into each others' eyes, I guess.

Of course, Angela knows or knew that Brook had a crush on her, but she also ONLY viewed it as a crush and didn't take it too seriously, and again -- without thinking too deeply about it, assuming she's thinking at all about it -- must assume he's over it by now. Lex seems to be.

B.W. perhaps should be more sensitive, but he's equally blind to it. And to be fair, Brooklyn's keeping his angst to himself. What's obvious to the reader, isn't always obvious to the characters. Look at what tips you off, and look and see if the other characters are privy to that knowledge.

It's only in this scene that Goliath finally figures it out.

Having typed the above, I'm half-inclined to delete it all. To some extent, it feels like I'm cheating as a storyteller by explaining this. Either it's working or it's not. So if I DON'T delete, it's totally due to how you phrased the question, Phil. This isn't a mystery worth years of speculation -- assuming even the Titania/Fox thing was worth that. So there you have it. Unless I delete. In which case, you don't.

Response recorded on January 07, 2008

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Greg Bishansky writes...

I thought this was a very interesting issue, and I am definitely intrigued to see where this goes.

First off, I'm glad to see Macbeth is back. He was always one of my favorite characters in the series, and I've been anticipating his return for quite a while now. I liked the little reference to his henchmen, Banquo and Fleance leaving him to join the Quarrymen. I was also amused to learn that Macbeth was involved with the real attempted theft of the Stone of Destiny in 1950.

Xanatos is still up to his old tricks. I'm assuming this is the assignment the Illuminati sent him on, and he seems to be pulling all the stops. Coldsteel and a new Coyote robot. Coyote 5.0 to be precise. I love how just because he's harboring the gargoyles, he isn't their friend. He's obviously going to be working against them in this one, considering their goals are as far as we know, quite different.

Shari is giving Thailog the history of the world. She works wonderfully well for exposition, but I don't think she's a plot device. I am sure there's a very strong reason for her to know all this, and to be telling Thailog these stories. If my theory on her real identity is correct, anyway. Can't wait to find out. Plus, it looks like Thailog is going to get involved in the fight for the Stone. Hmm, I wonder what he and Brentwood were looking for.

Goliath and Elisa... FINALLY. "Normalcy is overrated" indeed.

I've been waiting a while to see the return of King Arthur. Last time he and Macbeth met, Macbeth promised to be an ally. Let's see how that works out in #8. Also, I am very sure that's Sir Griff standing behind Lexington and Hudson... good to see the London Clan back.

Poor Brooklyn. Are Broadway and Angela trying to rub it in?

The art. Yes, Hedgecock has gotten better. A couple of panels need more work, but I think this time he also lucked out with a great colorist. Robby Bevard's colors are very strong, he's a seasoned veteran in the comic industry, and a long time fan. While I miss Stephanie Lostimolo's colors on the covers, Robby is a worthy replacement, and I doubt he's going to have trouble filling those big shoes.

Heh, two "Gargoyles" books out on time, and within two weeks of each other. If we have one once a month like everyone hopes, I'll be a very happy man.

Good issue, and the start of a very intriguing arc. I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff, anyway.

Greg responds...

Me too.

I said months ago that I thought issue #7 would blow minds? Was I right?

Response recorded on January 07, 2008


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