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.

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.

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.

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?

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?

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?

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.

nathan writes...

what episode does elisa turn into a gargoyle

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?

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!

letica writes...

what is tis siteabout

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.

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.

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!

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?

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?

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.

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)

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.

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.

Jennifer writes...

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