Laura (Ackerman) Sack writes...

Rather surprising that no post alerting readers that issue two came out... though by the time this is read it may be a post alerting of issue 10 that I'll be looking for:)

I am trying not to review comics on how they read at 2:30Am when I should be long asleep. This time I decided to reread 1 & 2 while fully awake and quite of few of my negative comments melted away. Still, there remained both pluses and minuses.

The most obvious change is the art. It seems to me that the two conflicting styles seen in issue 1 were melded together. Oddly enough the result is something far more reminiscent of the cartoon. Truth be told the art stood out more in issue 1- but so did the off model parts. This was miles away more consistent throughout the issue. There were some images that I took issue with: I don't like the new design for baby Alex, and Elisa looked rather Asian in some frames (more a problem with Dt. Yin over in The Batman) But there were some fantastic moments to more than balance. The facial expressions of Lex when baby Alex was reaching in the frame and playing with his face, or when Xanatos sheepishly admits that he knows it is not wise to annoy the Illuminati were fantastic. Broadway and Angela's scene was just lovely. And, of course, the full page of Goliath and Elisa when they first hit the ground. (also a nice frame when he is first hit by the hammer and she ducks.)

For some reason I just loved it when Elisa threw away her remaining shoe.

Some of the fighting was a little dark and muddled to my (sleep deprived) eyes. When Elisa stands above the mercenaries who had just talked about kissing their salary goodbye, I knew I was seeing a moment like Demona's, way back in Awakenings, when she appears saying, "no, you lost it all.", but I didn't feel it in my gut. (I reserve the right to feel it in my gut when I reread issue 2 with issue 3 and hopefully that night do so before midnight.) There was one very clever composition, where the hammer light swoosh and sound effects swooped through 4 levels of frames on one page. Problem was, some of the sound effects seemed a little too even. The helicopter sounds were correctly all the same, but organic sounds looked that way too. (I checked and didn't see that in #1). Of course I did get to see a downright heroic Vinny and got NOT to see Castaway escaping through the guts of the building.

Oh- and speaking of animation gaffs in the original airing…did Goliath end the issue gliding off on his injured wing?!

thanks and looking forward to #3!

La

dph writes...

My Review of issue #2

The good:

Excellent story-telling. I liked the pace that the drama went through. I ordered my comic through SLG's website and got it before Christmas.

The bad:

The artwork. Granted that I'm not an artist and that I have no sense of color aesthetics, I have some issues with the artwork. The opening scenes with Macbeth remind me of looking at myself in the mirror when I'm half-awake. Lex doesn't quite look right in the scenes with Alex.

I am looking forward to buying the next issue when it is released.

Antiyonder writes...

Knew I was forgeting something. I figured I'd comment on the JLE/Captain Atom/Gargoyle Crossover.

I enjoyed all of the stories in JLA Showcase #1, but just the same, your story alone was worth the cover price. I'm just sorry I haven't stumbled onto it sooner.

Everything from Behemoth and clans Awakening, to the introductions is hilarious. My favorite line though:

Metamorpho- I thought he said they were an endangered species?

Captain Atom sure had his priorities straight alright. Anyway, I hope my commenting was ok.

Just a few questions considering others take on the issue.

1. Did you get any complaints for those who might not have appreciated the humorous nature of the parody?

2. Did Beth, Erin and Ben read it?

2a. If yes, what were their comments.

3. Have you considered doing a ramble on the story?

Charisma82 writes...

Hey again! Here's some questions about your comic book:

1. I have hear that you are planning on starting the comic books in the year you left off, in 1996. Are you going to speed up time somehow and make the comic book in our time? That's 10 (well, almost 11) years of stuff you have to fit into a few comics. I guess you could spread it out over a series of comic books. If you do that, how would you tackle that problem? That's asking in case you do move them forward, you might decide to keep the time stream back in the 90's, but that could get confusing to people who are just starting to read the comics and never saw the show. Anyways, if you could shed some light on that subject, it would be appreciated.

2. I purchased the first comic book online at amazon.com (I love that place!) I pre-ordered the second comic book sometime back in August. Amazon kept sending me e-mails each month since that time, telling me that the book still was not out yet. Finally, in December, it told me that they could not send me that comic book. What!? I was wondering if this was because you didn't have it out yet or if they are just not selling them on Amazon anymore. That would be stupid if they are not. Also, why is it taking so long to get the 2nd one out? I thought they were supposed to be a bi-monthly thing? Did something go wrong? Just curious.

Thank you for your time and efforts. They are appreciated.

-Charisma82

Charisma82 writes...

Hey! It's great Ask Greg is up again. Well, I waited 2 years for 2 posts I made to be answered. The first one somehow got erased 1 month before you could answer it. ONE MONTH! Can you believe it? I waited 2 years and it gets erased one month before? Ahh! I'm not saying it's your fault or anything. It's just annoying, that's all….

Here is the question that somehow never made it to you:

I've been wondering about Hudson's human friend Jeffrey

1. I know that in the Goliath Chronicles that Jeffrey figures out that Hudson is a gargoyle, and I wanted to know if you had the same idea for him (if he doesn't already know. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew Hudson was a gargoyle the first minute they met). If not, does Jeffery ever figure out what Hudson really is? Would he be comfortable with the fact his friend is really a gargoyle or not? (personally, I think that Jeffrey wouldn't mind, but you never know what the story has in hold for you).

2. Are you planning on having one of the comic book stories based mostly around Jeffrey and Hudson? (them not being just a side dish to Goliath, Elisa, and the trio's main course?)

3. Are we ever going to learn more about Jeffrey's personal life? Was he ever married? Did or does he have kids? Does he have any family around, like siblings?

I looked for anything on Jeffrey in your archives and only found 3 posts under his name. I know it'll be a while before you get this, so maybe he'll have more posts when you read this. If you hadn't noticed, Jeffery if one of my favorite characters on the show, even if he was only in 2 of the episodes that you worked on. He was great in the "Lighthouse" episode. I wish that he could get a little more attention.

Thanks for your time and hope to hear back from you.

-Charisma82

Danny Dyche writes...

I just recently found this site, and am posting for the first time. I'd like to say that this provides a very nice opportunity to fans.

I also think that if you get to do the Halloween double date story, there would be an appropriate symmetry to Elisa's date being Morgan because between the four characters there are only two actors. Of course I realize that, the way things are, the most likely way for the story to appear would be in the new comic book, which doesn't have any actors.

Antiyonder writes...

I'd say issues one and two overall were pretty enjoyable, but can't really comment without restating everyones opinions. Though I do have some questions and a comment.

1. The majority of new scenes and dialogue, were they part of your script for the episode when it was first in production?

1a. If not, then was it for the fans who already watched the episode. To give them something new?

2. Given that the episode, "A Lighthouse In The Sea Of Time" encourages reading, perhaps it is a good thing that Gargoyles is in comic format. For one, because you have to read a comic (though there are the pictures, still). Second, because the show might have fans who can't read. The comics would probably give them the incentive to read.

Dusk Rider Q writes...

My Review of Issue #2

Let me start by saying. "The Journey" was never one of my favorite episodes. It's too heavy on exposition, and doesn't introduce us to anything new but the Quarrymen. (I'm not a big fan of them either as they sort of hit us over the head with the KKK comparison. I much prefer the Hunters with their own pact of vengeance, a long history to harbor a grudge, and a powerful symbol of hate with it's own story behind it) I understand the need for being friendly to new readers, but there's too much a crash course in Gargoyles back story and not enough a plot. The plot instead consist mostly of Goliath moping around in Part one followed by he and Elisa running around in part 2. Also, Vinnie's turn seems to get treated as the big reveal, and most of us should have seen that coming. Just my two cents, though.

All the same, there were things that more than made up for that. Firstly, I like that this issue doesn't hold back, but still doesn't get gratuitous. The blood from Goliath's injury is enough to show the seriousness of his injury. The TV version would have you think he just got bruised and hit hard. Although, contrary to that, Elisa looked like she got hit pretty hard with the hammer. Yet, she gets up a little later without much damage? Secondly, I like Margot Yale showing a lot of promise with being someone who could give Elisa and Matt grief in future story arcs due to her power as both a DA and a Task Force advisor. I imagine she'll start catching on to them helping the gargoyles out if she at all competent! Thirdly, the quips were cute and clever such as Lex's sardonic reply to Fox about her compliment meaning so much. Also, I really like Castaway's line " I don't teach lessons and I don't take prisoners" for no apparent reason. Likewise, Elisa's comment about how it is easier if she stays behind sometimes is one of the best in the episode. She does seem to want to be in action a lot when she isn't exactly needed, but at least she proves to be a help in the clock tower. Thank you for not making her a damsel (Yin often turned into that after you left in The Batman.)

The art is wonderful! I wasn't sure how I liked it at first. But now, as near as I can see everyone was completely on frame in this issue. Guler is finding his nitch I see with the frames on top of frames and angles. He really adds deserved detail to the full spread shots like Elisa and Goliath laying unconscious in the title page and there being a puddle with a reflection of the night sky. (Somehow I was saying "Aww" instead of "oh no!" They just look cute and strangely sensual like that.) Furthermore, I love how much facial expressions add to some panels, such as when Vinnie pull on his hood with such a subtle sadness. Finally, Just like the last issue the juxtaposition of unfounded discrimination with who the gargoyles truly are were nice touches. However, some frames in the end battle, such as the one where Castaway fall out the window, were hard to distinguish, and I don't think that's because of the darkness.

So overall, I hope you see my likes far outweigh my dislikes! I can barely contain myself with the anticipation for the new story. Woo HOO! Ten years later and a new story! I truly hope the next issues are as regular as you said in the letter at the back. Some people seem worried about picking up the book with such a large delay. Still, maybe that's not the case. I got the second to last issue at my local store.

Keep up the good work! (lol. I say that like you get a gold star)

Matt writes...

My Thoughts On Issue 2 (Clan-Building Chapter Two: The Journey):

- First off, the cover looks great. I really like Elisa's dress as opposed to the one seen in "The Journey" TGC episode and Goliath's battle damage looks a bit more serious too. And speaking of Goliath, he looks pretty buff here, I mean, he's huge! Anyway, looks great.

- I love the extra tidbit of information on "Lennox Macduff" authoring "Gargoyles of Celtic Legend". Sounds like a book I'd love to read. I wonder is it a book about gargoyles or about real-life Gargoyles? Hard to tell. And we learn something new about Margot Yale, she is an advisor to the NYPD Gargoyle Task Force as well as being the assistant DA. it'll be interesting to see how that plays out. Her relationship with Matt Bluestone and her connections to the gargoyles just became much more interesting.

- As I mentioned before, Goliath really takes a rough injury to his wing. I mean it looks really bad, so bad that I almost doubt him when he says it'll heal when he turns to stone. Obsidiana had a similar injury in "The Green" and it healed, of course her wing only looked broken, Goliath had big old holes in his wing as well as it looking broken. I suppose it is similar to the wound he took over London after being hit by a Nazi bullet, though it certainly looks worse here. I dunno, just some thoughts.

- The title page with the injured Goliath and Elisa is really nice. I have to say it seems to be pseudo-sexual in a way. I really like it, it is kinda beautiful. A nice touch is the Eyrie building's reflection in the puddle and the flesh wound on Goliath's cheek.

- The Alex/Bronx/Lex/Fox scene (lot of x's there) is nice. Bright and colorful, a contrast to the rest of the book. Sadly, Alex's teddy bear no longer has gargoyle wings, and Alex no longer seems to have red hair, but is blond now. Another interesting color situation is Bronx's tongue, which is now blue, as opposed to the red tongue seem in the tv episodes. I don't think it is good or bad, just different. I love Lex's face when he is talking to Fox (and Alex is grabbing his ear). It's one of those priceless faces, right there with Hudson's face when he looks at Goliath holding Elisa in "Awakening"

- I like how the artist was consistent enough in showing how Elisa lost one of her shoes in Issue 1 and pulls the other one off in this issue (because who would run around in just one shoe?). I think it is the tidbits of continuity and realism like that that have always been one of Gargoyles' strengths.

- The Library where Angela and Broadway are hanging out seems pretty dark to be reading in. Which leads me to my only complaint about the book. It seems to be very darkly colored. Almost too dark to clearly see what is going on sometimes. I understand this is happening at night and in dark places, and I realize it is oftentimes a dark series, but still, there are times when I have to put certain pages under a bright light to see whats going on. Done with the criticism.

- Back to Broadway and Angela. Yes, we all know they are gonna get together and have three kids and stuff, but I really love watching them develop over time. Angela's lips are kinda a dark purple, which is a lot like Bronx's colored tongue. Just another observation. It actually makes some anatomical sense, so it will certainly grow on me. New now though. Poor Brooklyn, I guess he'll find someone soon enough though, but still, he doesn't know what his future holds, so for now, poor Brook.

- Probably the best single frame in the book (and kudos to Greg W, the artists, everyone) is the frame where Elisa says to Goliath, "I know, I know. Sometimes it's easier if I just stay behind." Goliath's little grin is priceless, I love it. The line itself is perfect, I mean Goliath has to carry her around everywhere, he loves her, but geez, that has to be frustrating for both of them at times.

- The old stomping grounds. It certainly has seen better days, as Elisa point out. My hope is that it is rebuilt and has a future in the series.

- I like seeing Elisa on Goliath's back with her little bare feet sticking forward. It's cute.

- I've always liked the fight in the Clocktower. It's like once Elisa and Goliath are on familiar turf, they have the advantage. I must wonder what is in store for Banquo and Fleance. Will Castaway fire them or just withhold their paychecks? Or maybe they'll quit.

- I think it is interesting that Castaway tells Vinnie to not use names, as Quarrymen must remain anonymous (one has to wonder his reasons for that!) and then he turns around and calls Vinnie by name. Kind of a hypocrite. Anyway, Vinnie vs. Castaway, what an unlikely duel that is. But it works. Castaway gets away in the end, so I'm sure we'll see him around. And Vinnie? I wonder if we'll see him again... probably, knowing this series. I wonder though, Goliath and Elisa seem pretty sure that Vinnie will encounter the Ishimura Clan, but unless he is going to Ishimura itself, I don't see why this is likely. Ishimura keeps the gargoyles a pretty tight secret, and Greg W has indicated that they are not gonna reveal themselves to the world for some time. So is Vinnie going to Ishimura? And who there hired him? Taro?

- One more thing: I find it hilarious to see Greg W talking about catching up in Ask Greg in the "Etched in Stone" back page. Now Greg's attempts to catch up are being published! Makes me laugh. We love ya, Greg. Kinda weird to see something we have talked about so much online in a hard copy in my hands. "It's weird... kinda fun... but weird..."

- So overall, I enjoyed it very much. The writing is great, of course. I'm still a fan of the art, though the darkness of this issue was a little annoying. All in all though, I love it and can't wait for Issue 3. So far in "Clan-Building" we've seen the formation of the Quarrymen "clan" and the reintroduction of the Manhattan Clan. How else will clans be built in the future...? I guess we'll see.

KingCobra_582 writes...

*copied and pasted from the s8 Comment Room*

Picked my copy of issue #2 up. Thought I'd leave my 2 cents. It's more of a art review then anything else, mainly b/c I'm feeling too lazy to write out a lengthy review.

The artwork was good, much better then #1's was. I loved Xanatos' design style, Fox was... interesting. LOVED the expression of Lex's face when he's speaking to Fox (Alex grabbing his nose and ear was a nice artistic touch, IMO.) and kudos to Hedgecock for the design styles of Goliath and Elisa.

Yeah, the library was a little dim, but that didn't bother me. I really sympathized with Brooklyn here, but he'll go through time and get a mate someday... The way he was drawn here was alright, but not too special. He could've looked better, but I'm sure he will over time.

The story was great, for being a comic adaptation of a 10 year old episode. Can't wait for #3, though. THAT'S when it's gonna get really good, I'm betting, with the new stuff and everything.

February 2007 just could not get here fast enough.

Phoenician writes...

So here I am with my first Post since getting the first comic, Clan Building, Chapter I. After several months, I now have Chapter II: The Journey, and I'm happy to see the regardless the wait, the story continues!!

I love this part of "The Journey" probably for its great lines, particularly Goliath's "Honestly, I was never quite sure," when talking about Vinnie and Macbeth's "Madam, they BURNED witches like you in the Middle Ages!!" (I can still here John Rhys-Davies' outburst quite clear even though I haven't seen that episode on TV in a good year. If Season II: Volume II ever comes out on DVD, I'd love that episode to be a bonus feature . . . just to hear that outburst.

Great to see Margot Yale again as well!

I also love the little treats that you've included in the issue, particularly Xanatos & Owen's conversation about Mr. Duval. LOVE Xanatos' reply to Owen, and I LOVE how Owen takes it in stride -- can't wait to see him turn into Puck one day, should he get the chance to teach Alex another lesson!

And I've mentioned this in the Comment Room, but I love how Hudson had the subtle honor of "turning on" Chapter II and then he also gets to "turned it off" as well. Still feels like a TV show twelve years later!!

That's basically it, Greg. I can't wait for Chapter III and I also can't wait for the destined release of Season II: Volume II (We've got this far, its not going to end now!)

Cross your fingers that I'll have been able to go to a Gathering by the time you read this!

Kig writes...

I was wondering, since the comic just recently started, if you were going to be doing the Timedancer and other mini-series as comics now? My apologies if this's been asked in the archives; I checked the Timedancer archives as well as search and didn't find anything about it.

JACK-E-CHAN writes...

hey greg this is more like a suggestion rather than a question.it's great that you're continuing season 3 as a comic book and hope you put your master plan that you originally intended sor the show .if you hadn't thought of it already you should do your spin-off ideas like Pendragon,2198,timedancer,etc as comics.this is a great way to please the fans for sure.

K9: The First writes...

I have two questions about the Gargoyles Comic book. (Congradulations by the way! ^_^)

I: Should it prove succesful, will you do the spin-offs?

II: When should we expect Trade Paperbacks, and where can we find out updates on release dates? I ask this because I am unable to get comics as they come out annualy. The closest Comic book store is about a 25-minute drive on the Interstate, so you can see the practicality problems with gas prices the way they are. (That, and I don't know how to get there.) HOWEVER! I do make the occasional trip to Barns & Noble or Borders with my mom and I always take enough money to pick up a TPB or two.

Ed Reynolds writes...

GARGOYLES #1.

My review/ramble.

But first, a moment of glee. It's 'Gargoyles'! In a comic! By Greg! For real! Magnificent! Big, big, big thanks to all the people who made it happen.

'NIGHTWATCH'

I think I always kind of overlooked 'The Journey'. I always liked it, but it was always a bit of an odd duck, stapled onto the front of a season I didn't care for, a second ending after 'Hunter's Moon' which was an immensely satisfying conclusion. So now it's been many, many years since I saw the episode and although I can still rattle off most of the lines by heart, I'm still coming at it with something of a fresh perspective and, to some extent, seeing it as a creature in its own right rather than 'the last one before TGC' or 'the one after the Hunters'. A few things strike me.

Most obviously, 'Nightwatch' is really very dark indeed. Well, obviously. But there's no talk of journeys or Vinnie's redemption at this point, and read with David Hedgecock and Will Terrell's gloomy take on the city, it really does feel much more oppressive than the optimistic world Elisa introduced Goliath back in '94. It also puts the world tour in perspective a little for me, as seen against the long period where the show had been becoming much brighter and more optimistic than it had been before - the clan isn't alone! Goliath has a daughter! Heroes are awakening to their destiny! - the darker turn seems fitting and I'm interested to see how everything develops once the initial shock fades.

Right now in this issue there's a sense that the walls are coming in. No Faeries or robots or magic or many of the more fantastical elements of the show. No grand romantic statements from the leads, just affection in small ways - comforting each other. And the story says a lot about humans, and humans under fire. Fear, knee-jerk panic, anger, prejudice. It's very raw - especially since we don't have the balance offered by Vinnie's decision yet. It's also a little eerie to return to this story for the first time since some of the major terrorist attacks of the last few years: the story is, after all, in the wake of a major attack on a New York building, and I think the script captures that heady uncertainty of a long, dark night where the news is on loop and the world's turned upside down and everything doesn't seem quite so safe any more.

Despite what might have been a very choppy narrative, all the plots are beautifully intertwined: the newsreaders, the Quarrymen, the cops, the gargoyles, Xanatos and Elisa. Most of the supporting characters have only a couple of lines but each suggests a completely different take on "the gargoyles issue". The people investigating it, the people hiding the gargoyles, the people concerned for their families, the people hunting the gargoyles for vengeance, for pleasure, or worry, for a sense of social activism, out of a concern about science, the gargoyles wanting to keep a low profile, wanting to go about their business, and so on. Different characters, different viewpoints, different loyalties and agendas and levels of information - it's just incredibly sharp stuff. And the people who seemed to be comedy extras in past episodes are now active and outspoken and shaping events: in fact, thanks to the Nightwatch framing the gargoyles are presented as intruders into their life stories instead of the other way around as it's seemed in the past. It's intricate and marvelous.

The Hedgecock/Terrell Gargoylesverse feels a little murkier than we're used to. Part of this is the less distinct backgrounds in places, the more sketchy style; partly the colouring. It's a great interpretation of this script which fits the post-'Hunter's Moon' New York: a little stunned, a little on edge, a little depressed. But I can't help but think back to 'Awakening' and Elisa's comments on the beauty in the city. Although this episode is very bleak, I hope that at some stage when the shock of the gargoyles revelation dies down we'll get to see New York in a context that's a little less 'Gotham'.

But it's still lovely. The colours are moody and ominous, the art revels in the small scenes - I love Matt & Chavez and Elisa & Cagney; and the emotions of the characters in their normal conversations. The action seems to be very tightly framed with lots of close-ups, which gives the emotional stuff a lot of clout (which I love), though the fight scene felt perhaps a bit cramped in places and in the 'louder' scenes the characters seem slightly exaggerated in places.

All in all, I was very impressed by how much 'Nightwatch' got under my skin, even all these years after having seen 'The Journey'. While I always liked the episode, I would definitely rate this issue alongside my very favourites from the first two seasons for its sheer complexity and ambition and its sense of fear and confusion and hurt and a hundred emotions jumbled up.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

- Adapting 'The Journey' works really well as a starting point. There's a lot going on in it and I wasn't sure it wouldn't become overwhelming to a new or casual fan of the sort I'm trying to hook on the comic. But I think most of the roles are pretty obvious (benefactor, cops, etc.) even if you're just looking with no pre-conceived ideas. A couple of the continuity references might be more of a stretch (I wonder what people who haven't seen 'Vendettas' will make of the banana cream pie!). But we only really see much of Goliath and Elisa at this point, and the social situation the gargoyles are being flung into is well-realised and a compelling entry point.

- The Art & Lois scene is new to me and it's very effective. It's funny because I saw the previews for this which ended with Goliath flying into a rage and although I was excited to read it, I had no preconceptions about what might follow. I just didn't really think about it, I wanted to wait and see it 'for real'. But somehow I found myself pleasantly surprised by Goliath's solution. It's not a new solution for him ('Deadly Force' and other episodes obviously spring to mind), but it's an effective one, a peaceful one, a dignified one, and it really gets to the nub of Goliath's character at a very early point. I like that even after feeling I've known the character for a decade, he can still pleasantly surprise me by, literally, his grace under fire.

- The monstrous Quarrymen-designed gargoyle amused me. Didn't the TGC version have an actual replica of Goliath or something? I always assumed Jon Canmore had it for some reason, or the Illuminati had provided it or something along those lines, but it seems more credible that the Quarrymen mock-up would just be a plain old scary monster. So now I'm guessing they used Goliath in the TGC version to save the cost of drawing up a new stone model? It also explains why the Quarrymen didn't recognise Goliath on the rooftop later (though Banquo ought to have, I'd have thought).

- Grigori, not Gregorino? Or is Vinnie just assuming an alias in case the Quarrymen are as unsavoury as he seems to fear even at this early stage? In any case, I like the name Grigori. It's got the in-joke, but it's not intrusive.

- Speaking of the Quarrymen, I always had trouble making out the line "no way you're fighting this hard if stone-face weren't the real thing..." in the cartoon. It sounded like "heart of stone" something. I think I worked it out eventually (or perhaps through Blaqthorne & Crimson Fury's transcript) but it's nice to see it in the text. And Banquo nearly said 'whore'. I guess this scene was one of the punch-to-the-face moments that was possible in S2 but which TGC got stopped from doing.

- The titles took a long while to grab me. I now quite like 'Nightwatch'; it seems to resonate on a lot of levels. 'Clan-Building' is kind of dull still. I admit, the traditionalist in me would kind of like it to be "The Journey" Part 1 & 2... 'just like 'real' episodes!'. Going to have to get used to the fact that it's a comic now. 'The Journey' was one of my favourite titles in the series, and although I realise it would probably not make much sense for #1 (since it's only really explained right at the end), I still really like it. I hope Part 2 is called 'The Journey'. Also, the nerd in me misses the nice, blue title font - it always gave me that 'new episode buzz' in the good old days, especially when a "part one" or something popped up after the first titles, and so it has a strong sentimental value. Okay, okay, I'll shut up about the titles now.

- Greg Guler's cover is ace. The colours are wonderful too. Deep and crisp and gorgeous.

- Also, on the colouring front, I especially liked the transition from day to sunset to night, with a darker twilight than the show sometimes had. There's a lot more red used in the comic as a whole than I remember of the cartoon and that gives a different flavour to scenes like the Quarrymen mob scene especially - maybe it makes it a little too on-the-nose, I'm not sure. I kind of liked my recollection of it with cool colours predominating -- the banality of evil or something like that.

- I felt the sweatdrop on Art was a bit on the cartoony side. I think 'Gargoyles' works best when it's kind of understated.

- I really love the page where Goliath flies over the head of Vinnie. A really memorable, iconic image. The original cartoon did this sort of thing a lot but with cuts and silhouettes and odd angles; the shape of an animation frame obviously isn't really useful for this sort of thing. This image is to me a nice encapsulation of... well, the series. Gargoyles trying to live their lives watching over humans who are blundering around uncertainly in the dark.

- One thing that I'm unsure about is the portrayal of Castaway, just in terms of artwork. He's very animated here - his hands-on-hips introduction, his psychotic expressions. This is where it's a case of me being used to one interpretation (the cartoon's) and suddenly questioning what I had assumed: how stable is Castaway? He's obviously not such a fruitcake that he puts off scared citizens from joining a violent organisation, but then again he set up the Quarrymen in the first place. Jon Canmore seemed to keep things close to his chest and then snapped. Does Castaway return to Canmore's very repressed attitude, or will his anger always be as close to the surface as some scenes here? My memories of the cartoon are quite different from the tone of the art here; the latter much angrier and more forceful and animated, the former slicker and more comforting. Incidentally, this is one of the best and most powerful speeches in the series. I just love the way the theme of community and 'aloneness' is threaded through the series.

- And one bare-faced quibble on the 'About Greg Weisman' page... it's 'Talespin', not 'Tail Spin'! Grr! :)

I just hope that by the time this post reaches the front of the queue the comic is a runaway success! Keep up the great work. :)

Todd Jensen writes...

Finally got my copy of Gargoyles #1 (I'd ordered from Amazon.com, and it took them longer to get a copy to send me than I'd expected) in the mail today. I thought that I'd give you my thoughts on it.

While most of the material was familiar to me from "The Journey" (of course, it's been nine years since I last saw it - I never taped any of the Goliath Chronicles), there were some new things that I liked in it, such as Matt's meeting with Chavez and Goliath's encounter with Art. (The latter gave us another one of those rare moments when Goliath displays a sense of humor, when he lets Art keep his gun - now twisted into a spiral shape.) And, on the smaller level, Vinnie's remarks during Castaway's Quarrymen recruitment speech (I was particularly amused by his "Well, I don't got kids" line).

I'll probably be saying this again when/if you do a ramble on "The Journey", but I get a big kick out of Castaway's speech and all the ironies in it. First, he talks about how his audience is struggling with such problems as "violence, racism, injustice..." - while signing them up for an organization that typifies all three. Then he asks them "Are you afraid these creatures will attack while you sleep?... Are you afraid they will steal your children away?" When reading those lines, I find myself remembering two things: first, gargoyles clearly fear also that humans will attack them in their stone sleep (and they have even better reason for that fear - a sleeping human has some possibility of waking up in time to save himself or herself, but a sleeping gargoyle is doomed unless the would-be gargoyle-killer made the mistake of attempting to smash him or her at sunset), and second, in "The Reckoning", Demona views Princess Katharine and the Magus taking the gargoyle eggs away to Avalon as "steal[ing] our young". And finally, Castaway constantly uses the word "alone" in his speech - when I remember where I last heard that word in "Gargoyles" in a significant moment, it's definitely chilling. Kudos to you for writing that part.

I'm assuming, also, that you've got more liberal S&P on the comic than you did on television, in light of what Banquo called Elisa (no wonder she interrupts him with a punch and "shut up"!).

I'm looking forward to #2, and hope that the comic has a long run.

Alex Garg writes...

Hey Greg,

Thanks for rambling again (at the time of this post)! Always enjoyable.

No Gathering 2006 report I'm afraid. I was stuck back East starting a new job (well, returning to an old job) and helping to pump water out from my home's flooded basement (my understanding is that L.A. doesn't have to worry about getting 14 inches of rain in three days - we here in the Mid-Atlantic do).

Fun stuff, let me tell you.

However, I'm glad y'all had a good time and I'm pretty darn sure I'll be able to make '07 (though by the time you read this, we'll have probably known the outcome of this prediction for some time).

Anyway, rambling aside, I do have something of potential value to offer - my personal review of the comic, which after weeks of hunting for (all places in my area which ordered it sold out of no fewer than two orders, and the place I asked to order it from, um, forgot to and then, in a CYA move, insisted that the comic was not coming out in June) and eventually waiting for two weeks after ordering direct from SLG, "Gargoyles #1" is in my hands.

On the whole, I like it. I think you did a good job of adapting what we saw on screen to the pages and providing a way for new fans to get acquainted with what's going on. Of course, what's fun for me is seeing in print what I had the honor of acting out as ART back in Montreal during Radio Play, but I digress. The story's well-paced and moves along nicely, but I'm going to hold back on really looking at the writing aspect until *very* new material starts coming out. I have THE JOURNEY so internalized that I don't think I can be objective in a review of it.

As for the art, I think it's clear that David is still working with getting the models down, but some panels particularly demonstrated that he has the ability to nail it down. He seems to be more comfortable with up-close work than whole characters or multiple characters, but it's clear that he has the potential to pull it off. Right now, consistency is the major issue I have - some panels are great, others not so. I don't think it's off-putting by most measures, though I suspect those with a keener eye for art would be able to find more to take issue with. However, I'm going to remain optimistic that the art will improve with each issue.

I like the comic, I'm glad it's out, but again I'll wait until we're really in "uncharted" territory before I roll out deeper reviews (and might even, for once, have questions to ask).

And... that's all. Take care and I'll hopefully see you in '07 (or '08 if you get this closer in that neighborhood). :)

P.S.: Oh, in answer to your question on my '04 journal, "How did Leo get home?" He stayed in Montreal another day or two and flew out from there.

Now I'm done.

Blair writes...

Hi! Before I ask my question, I just want to ask what the chances of a fourth season are. But thats not my question. If there were to be a fourth season, when and where would it take place? WOuld it take place right after the last episode, or many years into the future? Also, instead of making a fourth season, would Disney ever redo the whole series? Thank you so very much! :)

Lady Talais writes...

Greeting to you Mr' Wiseman,

I have been a major Gargoyles fan since the day it first aired and have spent much time in gargoyle chat rooms and on this site and others.
Now for my question, Recently I heared that there was talk of making another season picking up where season two left off and using your writing. Please is there any truth to this rummor? I was not happy with the changes that Disney made to gargoyles in third season and would love to see what you had written. Please could you let me know?

Sabina writes...

Good day,

Since yesterday I'm the proud owner of the first issue of the new Gargoyles comic (took some time to get it oversea).

I admit that the drawing style will take some getting used to, but after the tenth re-read it doesn't look as weird anymore.

Otherwise I adore the comic and the nicely thought out transitions, from the Quarrymen to Goliath and Elisa and back again, etc. The short recap was a very nice touch, I especially like the panel with Elisa, Angela and Goliath. Another favourite panel of mine is Cagney so sneakily waiting to pounce on his food.

And then the end of the comic Goliath shot and the laconic commentary by our favourite news anchor "Welcome Back". Welcome back indeed.

I'm eagerly awaiting the second issue, but the third even more. New things to read from the Gargoyles, I'm very happy and hope there'll be many more issues.

Greetings,
Sabina

Craig writes...

Just a few quick observations on the comic...

Loved the idea of having the Hunter icon on Castaway's suit (I'm pretty sure this detail wasn't in "The Journey"). For me, this gave Castaway's scene with Vinnie a whole new level. He looks at Vinnie as a younger version of himself--unsure about the gargoyles, maybe even slightly sympathetic. But he's sure that Vinnie, like himself, will "see the necessity" for violence soon enough.

Hedgecock's art has room for improvement (some off-model shots of Elisa--although in some of the closeups she's beautiful), but it draws me into the story much more than the mediocre animation on "The Journey." He gives the characters real personality, very "animated." And hats off to the colorist...great, moody atmosphere.

You've said that no animated show could get away with your "into-the-camera punches" these days...so in some ways, it's nice to be a comic book, eh? And Elisa gets the honor of delivering the first one. Good for her!

And that wing wound! Ouch. I like that you're upping the violence and language slightly without going overboard. All in all, a great effort. I'll be buying a few copies for friends. Good to have you back!

James writes...

Assuming the new Comic does well could time dancer or pendragon be made into comics also

Varjo Kage writes...

Hello Mr. Weisman,
First off I would like to say that I really appreciate the new comic book/graphic novel. No that's an understatement, I found the book to be Incredible! My Question is; is there going to be cross-overs or mentioning of the series that "could have been"? Timedance, Pendragon, Bad Guys or New Olympians is what I mean. Or could they be made into Miniseries/Maxiseries or even a series on their own? I would definately buy that.
Thank you for your Time.

Cheers,
Varjo Kage

Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

I love it when Ask Greg reopens for questions! I know it'll be a few years before this gets read, but it adds to the vibrancy of the fandom.

Unfortunately I didn't get to the Gathering yet again- one of these days. Doesn't gall me as much as missing the last one in NYC, but at least I have my memories of the first two.

I looked through the new posts to see what others were saying about the comic. (There is less of a chance of saying something that has been said to death, but I don't want to lose the habit of checking first.) By in large the reviews are very good and I would have to agree. I couldn't get to my comic shop till Friday, but I read it and went through it with a fellow fan in great detail on the phone before sundown. (The rest of my weekly reading had to wait.) I won't say it was perfect, I had some serious concerns, but I was really happy.

First off, I must note this- The back says that the colorist is new to the field- what a fantastic start! There is nothing there that even hinted to anything novice like.

I have to be a little harder on the artist. It almost seems like the style switched halfway through. The first half struck me as more stylized, a little reminisent of craypas or those sidewalk chalk artists that wow you with what they can do. The second half was looser, even letting you see the pencil marks. My druthers would ask for the second style. The artist seemed far more comfortable with it. While the first page and sevel other panels throughout the begining were beautiful, other were rather awkward and boxy, especially in the none action scenes. (The artist drew some just plain fantastic fantastic action sceens.)

I did have a small quibble with the text...(though I feel like slime mentioning it here). Some of the lines that were lifted directly from the show didn't flow as well without Keith David's sonority. Goliath's formal speaking style sometimes needs that resonance. I have no fear of that being a problem in later books- all the sceens that started life in print read just fine while still conjuring that voice. I loved Goliath's 'discussion' with the shotgun wielding man. Though I have to ask- who has a shotgun in NYC?

Looking forward to issue 2- I do hope that independant Publisher doesn't mean Independate time frame :}