Slash Thrasher/ Dan W. writes...

Hey Greg!
First off just let me say that I'm very excited about the new comic and can't wait for the next issue. Hopefully you remember me from gatherings past, there arn't very many heavy metal gargoyles in the fandom. You may still have my album as well! I'm doing my best to spread the word about it as well. I only have one question, The story "night watch" is suppost to pick up where the show left off. At the risk of revealing how out of the loop I am, where exactly is that point? Perhaps I need to look back at season three or something.
please contact me at: Kineticguitarist2005@yahoo I'd love to show you my band sometime!
Thank you once again
Slash T.

Anonymous writes...

I thought the new Gargoyles comic was going to be original stories. Why does it read like an adaptation of the first episode of the Goliath Chronicles?

Nick Piers writes...

Hey Greg,

I've been a longtime Gargoyles fan since it first aired when I was in High School. Being both a comic book geek and a literature geek, I've fondly remembered the show for as long as I can remember. I remember when the episode revealing Owen in Puck (I believe it occured after the World Tour), I was in shock for days and geeking out with my friends about it.

Sadly, as I live in far Eastern Canada (New Brunswick), I won't have a Gathering 2006 report. If I had the money for such a trip, I would absolutely love to attend one of the Gatherings. Maybe someday!

So, a couple of questions:

1) The first is regarding Volume 2 of Season 2. I picked up Vol.1 as soon as it was released and devoured the episodes within days. From your comment about Vol.2, I'm worried if we'll ever see its release. Would it be safe to assume that Volume 2 would be the final set for the series? I remember you listed how, ideally, you'd like to release the sets but I can't remember their set up.

2) An additional question regarding Vol.2. I loved the Gathering feature in the first season collection. Do you think that, should Vol.2 be released, that another Gathering feature (perhaps of 2004 or '06?) could be added?

3) Since "The Journey", the first and only episode you were directly involved with TGC, would it be safe to assume that it may be included in a future DVD collection? The rest of TGC, I understand, would not, but just the one leaves me curious.

Lastly, I'd like to say that I picked up the first issue of the Gargoyles comic and enjoyed it greatly. In many ways, it felt as if I was watching the show all over again. My only complaint, which I'm sure will disappear once the first 2-issue arc is completed, is that it feels a lot like a re-hashing of "The Journey". Did you want to alieviate concerns about whether that episode was canon or not by telling your own version of the story? I'd be curious to hear some comments on that if they haven't already been answered.

Thanks for all the fond memories, Greg. To me, Gargoyles was far too short but clearly has a power all on its own to last longer than any spell an executive could cast upon it.

(Also, if someone could maybe e-mail me either to answer some questions that Greg doesn't necissarily need to answer...or maybe inform me when these questions are answered, that'd be fantastic. My e-mail, done in long hand to avoid spam, is nick underscore piers at hotmail dot com.)

E J writes...

In a word, the comic is phenomenal.

I should point out that I was in the show's target demographic during its first run (not so much anymore, just graduated college). I was skeptical about how it would work as a comic book, but that all melted away when I bought Gargoyles #1. It was pure joy.

First off, I think that translating "The Journey" as the first several issues works extremely well. For the first time, I feel like we're finally seeing what's going on in your head, without the watchful eye of S&P censoring what we see. We all knew that something like the "monster-loving whore" commen was missing in "The Journey;" you can't really show racism unless you can show the bigotry that goes with it. And Elisa's response is very Elisa-esque.

Finally seeing the Matt/Chavez scene was a treat for fans who could only read it here up until now. And for that matter, I think we all knew that Elisa wore something sexier to bed than that old-woman nightgown.

What looks good in comic form: The Gargoyles escaping from the clock tower. Castaway blowing up his statue (which thankfully doesn't look like Goliath anymore). Sunsets. The recap spread on page 12-13 is gorgeous, and makes me wonder if we'll see something analagous to Keith David's narrative intro in each issue.

I might (and I stress MIGHT) go so far as to suggest after just one issue that the comic format serves Gargoyles better than animation. Of course, there are drawbacks. We lose the magnificent voice work of some of these actors. We lose the Keith David-narrated show opening. We lose the ability to show some of the character's aerial moves in action. But the advantages are huge. Storylines aren't constricted to 22 minute, and S&P isn't compromising the story you're trying to tell. In fact, because it's completely common for a comic franchise to have more than one title in print at once, I feel like series like Timedancer and 2198 were made for this kind of thing.

Anyway, that's just my two cents as a fan. The comic format seems very natural for Gargoyles, which is a relief. Clearly, I'm looking forward to new stories in #3 more than anything else. All in all, thumbs up on the comic.

mage_cat writes...

I was looking at the 6-page preview for the comic on SLG's web site (I would be looking at the comic itself but no place in my entire state sells SLG products), and I was wondering what happened to Hudson's coloring? Why is his skin green on what I'm seeing? It's not even a brownish-greenish color. He's almost the same color as Lex! Was this some mistake on the colorist's part or something? I hope it gets fixed.

Slan writes...

I picked up the comic today at my local shop. I couldn't find it for the life of me, but luckily my boyfriend was able to spot it. First comic book I've bought in the last 14 years! (I'm usually a manga woman)

My impressions:

The story was largely a word-for-word repeat of "The Journey". While it would have been nice to have some new material, I understand perfectly why it started there and didn't really mind the re-cap.

The cover art was really nice; it was odd but cute how Angela's outfit looked like Demona's. Nice thick cover too.

The inside art I had a lot of problems with. There were some decent panels, but it was really inconsistent and a lot of it looked just plain bad. In some spots it seemed as if the artist really hadn't taken the time to finish the art properly. I don't have a problem with the characters being restyled, this is a different meaning, but there's good restyling and bad restyling. I can't really say any character was restyled well.

Major issues with the art:
1. Many of the characters were stripped of what made them look dynamic. I would point out Castaway and Vinnie in particular. Xanatos looked like he had one too many in every frame he was in.

2. Goliath looked odd in many frames and the black outline of the shadows on his face and body looked terrible.

3. Elisa was very inconsistent and a few bad panels in particular are the one when Goliath first turns to stone. (It looks like the artist didn't even try in that one, I probably could have drawn it better and I'm not particularly high on the drawing talent scale) and the first panel of her in her dress (In which she disturbingly sports Pamela Anderson breasts and Lara Flynn Boyle arms *shudder*)

4. Matt, especially when he's with Capt. Chavez. What the heck happened to his face?! Matt is a favourite character for me too...

5. Lots of scruffy unneeded lines and hand and leg problems.

6. Brooklyn with wings in his armpits?! C'mon!

So, will I buy the next issue? Sure I will! (cross fingers art will improve) The problem is I'm not going to be able to convince anyone I know, previous knowledge of Gargoyles or not, to purchase something with such bad art. In fact, I was at the comic shop with friends, later at one friend's house we reviewed what we had purchased. Those who flipped through my Gargoyles comic (Most were at least moderate fans of the show) were interested in the story, but were pretty turned off by the artwork. No one in the group declared they wanted a copy of their own.

I really hope the comics continue, but unless the artwork improves, I think it will be hard to entice anyone beyond the diehards to buy.

Good luck to you, and thanks for the comic. I may gripe a lot about the art but I really would like to see you able to write more Gargoyles stories.

Phoenician writes...

Wow, last time I posted I think it was the Season II: Volume I DVD!! Anyways, I'm afraid I couldn't make it to the Gathering in 2006 . . . but hopefully, by the time you read this, I will have made to to Gatherings 2007 & 2008!!

Anyways, I got Issue 1 of Gargoyles the Comic yesterday (which was also my brother's B-Day, actually!), and boy does it feel good to personally own some new Gargoyles merchandise!! I ran into my local comic book store and immediately saw it on the NEW RELEASES shelf. Boy, that made me feel good!! Spent my 3.50 within five minutes, and I was reading the thing on my way home . . .

Even though "Nightwatch" was merely Part I of "The Journey," I still enjoyed reading every part of it. It was definitely written for newcomers as well as old fans, particularly those two pages of Goliath's monologue to Elisa. Well written indeed!

I loved reading Vinnie's last name (Grigori) and I'm surprised I couldn't remember Castaway calling him that in "The Journey." Anywho, I can't wait till August and October (next release dates, right?) where I hope to see more of Castaway's transformation from Jon Canmore -- that always intrigued me (In the sense how the "Hunter" line continues to exist no matter what).

I've heard some people were disgruntled by the artwork, but I particularly enjoyed it. It wasn't just like Gargoyles of 94-97, but hey it wasn't animated either! It was great, I enjoyed it, and I hope to see more in the future!!

PS - If I had known you visited the AniZona 3 this year, I SO would have visited!!

angel writes...

after hunters moon part 3 is there any more reviling eips on goliath's and Elisa's relationship

Elana writes...

Dear Greg,

When people ask me why I proclaim that Gargoyles stands apart from other shows, I find it difficult to explain. The characters are great, the relationships are great, and overall it's just... great. But that hardly expresses its true charm.

In watching Gargoyles, I find that its appeal must come from its captivating and immersive mythos, the sense one gets of being transported to another, mystical world. Aside from that sense of awe and wonder, there's also that feeling one gets of really being a part of that world, and having an intimate understanding of it. It's like, even if a topic matter hasn't been thoroughly explored within the episodes, or blatantly described, one can derive how every little thing might be prone to work within the world of the Gargoyles.

Anyway (now that I'm done gushing), in light of all this, did you expect Gargoyles to affect and alter the lives of so many people in the way that it did? Objectively, it was only meant as a show for children, but somehow it's managed to capture and touch the lives of all kinds of people. Could you possibly have expected this? For many people, Gargoyles is more than just an interest or a "hobby." How does it make you feel to know that Gargoyles has nearly been a life-changing experience for so many people?

~Elana