Todd Jensen writes...

Just out of curiosity: if #3 and #4 had been done as a television episode of "Gargoyles", whom would you most liked to have cast in the roles of the two leading new characters introduced in those issues (the young woman in the Labyrinth and the White House steward who's a member of the Illuminati)?

Antiyonder writes...

1. While #1 and 2 gave us some new scenes and had some occuring in a different order than "The Journey", was there anything that just didn't make the cut in the episode or the comic?

2. Do any of the voice actors as well as others who worked on the show pick up the comic as well?

Dustin writes...

Hey Greg
I have really been enjoying the comic and am very impressed with how you have stuck with the Gargoyles and also the fans all this time. I recently got a dvr and have been enjoying episodes I never saw from the latter part of season 2 (what isn't out on DVD) on toon Disney. You probably know this by now but they do air Lethal Force these days. I have also caught a couple episodes of The Goliath Chronicles (The Journey, Runaways, and the last episode), but not enough to form a real opinion on the overall quality. It seems to me though that animation as a medium gets a lot more viewers than comics attracts readers so I guess it feels sort of odd to discount those episodes when more people will watch those than read the comics I am guessing. I mean I am not saying you have to pick up where they left off, but it is sort of like in other comics continuity, you can ignore events without contradicting them. They are your creation and I trust your judgement, it just goes against my geeky continuity obsessed mind. It also makes me wonder what people who actually worked on that season think of the negativity surrounding their work. Maybe it was just a pay check to them, but maybe they actually did try to do right by what you had set up. They were also probably under more pressure with BS+P that year which may have affected what they could do. It also seems like it puts you at risk of burning certain bridges, but I do not know about animation so maybe it is a big enough world where it doesn't matter too much to express opinions like that. Alright questions.
1) I couldn't find it anywhere in the archive and maybe its none of my business but since you clearly love the universe you created so much, why did you leave Disney in the 1st place assuming you could have stayed and run season 3 the way you had wanted?

Well I guess thats all I have for questions. No further questions. Other things....you mentioned #6 is a stand alone issue, which sounds like a great idea to me. Comics is different medium than animation/television. Sometimes storytelling has to be compressed a bit. If each 3 issues=1 episode that is like $10 bucks an episode (that is like 3-4 episodes for the price of the entire Sedason 2 Vol.1 DVD, not that its not worth it ). There are a lot of great comics that tell complete stories in one issue. Especially with a bi-monthly schedule it is nice when each issue packs a lot of story (not at the sacrifice of character or pace or anything). I also sort of dislike the decision to use to 1st 2 issues to retell a story that has already been in the series. I understand why it was probably a necessary evil for bringing back a 10 year old world, but it just feels like it had the potential to kill the excitment and momentum of a new series for the loyal fans who will be the primary audience of the series most likely. And I thought if you were doing it anyway it would have been nice to have Vinnie decide not to go to Japan in the end since there is all this talk of him being your surrogate and now you are back with the characters. Seems like a missed opportunity for a nice little wink towards the die hard fans. Maybe you have plans for him in Japan? I am looking forward to having a consistent artist in the upcoming issues. Fill-ins really do have a negative effect on a series in my mind, but weighed against huge delays I suppose they are a better option in this case. Overall I am very excited to have new Gargoyles stories around and I hope the run ends up being very successful because I feel like once you guys get into the groove, it could end up being pretty fantastic and I would hate to see it get cancelled before you even really get into it. And at the end of an arc if time is an issue it seems like it would be pretty easy to skip ahead a few years to catch us up to the present. I personally do not mind it being set in the 90's and I think just not mentioning the year works just fine for casual readers and the loyal fanbase. I guess skipping ahead might ruin your whole timeline you have mapped out as well. I sort of wish a bigger publisher had teamed up with Disney because the issues seem to get shoved in the independent and or kids sections in some shops, when they would probably do much better just mixed in on the shelf with all the other titles.

How about a Northwest Gathering. Portland, Seattle? Maybe even somewhere in Montana.

I think your post about "second base" was probably one of the most entertaining read on this whole page. If you want an example of tv broaching the topic the OC comes to mind 1st when Seth has a hilariously awkward conversation with his father about "preheating the oven".

And you are one episode away from finishing your ramblings on your seasons of the series. Let's get that done. I really enjoy the commentary like feel to those. It might even be interesting to do The Goliath Chronicles to hear what you had to say about those, or at least The Journey.

Well thanks a lot for sticking with these characters and indulging the fans. I was planning just write something as a letter to the comic but my thoughts kind of spilled over into all things Gargoyle. Sorry to go on so long. Hope I didn't come off really critical, the show has been one of my favorites since I was a kid and one of the few shows from then that still holds up to regular viewings. Thanks for your time.
The letters page is called written in stone right? I do not have an issue with me, but if its not it should be. How is that for a ramble...
Dustin

Todd Jensen writes...

I noticed that in #3 and #4, we got to see a lot of familiar faces from the "minor characters", more than we usually saw in the average episode of "Gargoyles" in its first two seasons. These two issues, put together, included the following cast members (all ones from the first two seasons) besides the clan, Elisa, and the Xanatoses (including Owen): Matt Bluestone, Officer Morgan, Phil Travanti (in the sense that he showed up as Morgan's partner in a couple of episodes such as "Temptation", though unnamed), Margot and Brendan, Agent Hacker, Jason Canmore, Demona, Al, the Mutates (except for Fang), the Clones, Castaway, Thailog, Billy and Susan and their mother, Jeffrey Robbins, Gilgamesh, and Judge Roebling. Perhaps it's only my imagination, but this seems like a larger cross-section of the characters than I remember seeing in the televised episodes.

Does this have anything to do with the fact that you're now telling the story in the medium of a comic book, which means that you don't have to worry about paying voice actors and can thus freely bring more people into each episode? Or is this merely the result of the accumulation of characters in the original 65 episodes? ("The Journey", even in its televised form, itself had a substantial cast, including, alongside the clan, Elisa, the Xanatoses and Castaway, the following figures: Travis Marshall, the Jogger, Vinnie, Sarah Greene, Matt Bluestone, Banquo and Fleance, Margot, and Macbeth.)

Thoth writes...

What date does Gargoyles #5 come out? Will it be available at the Gathering?

Gerin writes...

Hi Greg,

thanks again for taking the time to communicate with the community. Today, I have a few questions about the gargoyle designs:

1) On the show, the further the show progresses, the more varied the gargoyle design becomes. Originally, the gargoyles have a rather human look, but with time some of them cross the border to animalic. I'm thinking about the London Gargoyles in particular. How did these character design decisions, for example for lion-, eagle- and horse-heads and the bird wings, come about? Did you, the production crew, argue about such designs among each other? Or was it something that everybody accepted immediately?

2) I believe I remember a piece of promotional art that features Bronx with very small wings on the back. Why was it decided to remove those wings?

3) For the show, when you came upon a story that involved new gargoyles, what was the design process? Was there a lot of moving-sketches-back-and-forth, approving and rejecting designs, or were you usually contend with the first design you got?

4) Unfortunately, so far I have only seen the covers of the comic. But I wonder: why has the change to a bare-midriff look for Angela been made? Was it just a hunch of the artists, or were there more serious thoughts behind this?

Thanks in advance for answering and all your work.

Jason Aiken writes...

Hey Greg,

Just got done reading Gargoyles #4...it was a great balance between drama and all out action.

I liked the scenes with Thailog the best... he's got to be my favorite "villain" in the series, as he thinks he's doing the right thing, but he's just got it all wrong.

It also seems like the Illuminati plot is thickening... this time Xanatos said "thirty-six" and the waiter said "two", not "thirty-two"... I'm looking forward to seeing what this all means.

Also, I was wondering why the comic now has a floppier paper cover and still costs the same. The first three had solid stock covers which I assumed is why it was 3.50 instead of the normal 2.99 price that most comics are..

Keep up the great work, it's great to see the Gargs storyline moving forward.

Brigadoon Traveller writes...

Okay, in anticipation of my copy of Gargoyles #3 (still in the post) I wrote a review of Gargoyles: Nightwatch over at Amazon; I thought I might as well post (an edited) version here.

"And so it begins - Gargoyles chapter 2; or is it chapter 3? I've lost count." ~ Brooklyn "Hunter's Moon III"

And so it begins again indeed - after a 10 year absence the Gargoyles are back and their adventures continue in these brand new canon adventures.

And what a way to come back - I have to say that I was at first a bit unsure about the series continuing in comic book form (one aspect of the show that I loved was the voice acting; I had some reservations that the stories just wouldn't play the same without the talents of Keith David, Salli Richardson, Marina Sirtis and the rest of the gang).

Onto the story - at first again I have to say that learning that the first issue or 2 would cover "The Journey" disappointed me as it meant that I had to wait longer for new stories. However, regardless of that this first issue "Nightwatch" shows "Gargoyles" in a medium new to the series, and like the world that the gargoyles themselves have now found themselves in

But even so we get wonderful new of scenes that were dropped from "The Journey". I loved the scene with Art and Goliath; seeing the response to the gargoyle threat by the common man on the street is something that I think TGC lacked greatly (especially considering that the Quarrymen in TGC were all basically hired muscle).

The other new scene between Chavez and Matt; it's nice to see the clock tower being rebuilt and Chavez in a cast and crutches; like Elisa with her crutches (in 'Enter Macbeth') and Owen with his stone fist these continuities are central to "Gargoyles" and I'm glad that they aren't explained with any back story.

New York is reeling from the revelation that these nocturnal gargoyle creatures are no longer myth or urban legend, but in fact real living creatures; previously the gargoyles have long stayed hidden from local inhabitants and the media (though not without close calls - often with precarious results) but are now thrown into the limelight as New Yorkers try to make sense of their new neighbors. And from the ashes of the feud with the Hunters grows a new threat - the Quarrymen headed by ex-hunter John Castaway.

This issue sees Goliath voice his fears for his clan and their future in a world filled with humans prejudiced against his race; I like how you nicely juxtapose Goliath's worries with Castaway's recruitment hate speech. Hopefully you can incorporate some life into Castaway's Ku Klux Klan, unlike TGC certainly failed to do. I actually am looking forward to what plans you have in store for Castaway and the Quarrymen. However, even in this the first issue, we can see the Klan being fleshed out; Castaway aims his racist views at a frightened populace - directed at faces we can recognize as background characters from the original series (such as 'Billy and Susan's Mom' from "Thrill of the Hunt"). These people (unlike the mindless thugs of the Chronicles whose only real reason to join was to "pummel some gargoyles") have real fears and worries that Castaway plays.

If that wasn't enough the gargoyles now have to live an uneasy truce with a former foe; David Xanatos has invited the gargoyles back to their ancestral home Castle Wyvern. But can the clan trust him not to destroy them whilst they sleep? And how will he react once the Illuminati Society learns he's harboring Manhattan's Most Wanted? All budding questions that set up future stories for us to wait for. Nice.

Greg Guler gives us a gorgeous front cover. The interior artwork, despite the negativity that has been surrounding it, I thinkis growing on me. When I first saw the preview pages of this issue online (I think almost a year ago) I was shocked at the art. I didn't like it then. But having seen it for real and having re-read the issue several times, I'm starting to like the art. It's unique and different from the series but in the same vein it manages to capture the original feel of the series. On some pages some of the characters do look off-model and completely different; but did not the animators make mistakes at least once in most episode? I'm sure they must have.

The Hedgecock/Terrell duo paint a gloomy and oppressive world which couple's stunningly with Goliath's depressive outlook on his clan's future. The gargoyles look stunning, majestic and seemingly blend beautifully into this bleak world that they now have to adjust to.

Despite being a re-hash of the first half of your final episode, "Nightwatch" plays out as a brilliant introduction to the Gargoyles universe; I really cannot wait until I get the rest of the issues.

"Nightwatch" and jump starts Gargoyles with a jolt! It brilliantly sets us up with the well awaited return of our favorite winged heroes. In the nonchalant words of Travis Marshall: "Welcome Back!"

Antiyonder writes...

Most of us have been talking about the yet to be released Volume of Gargoyles, whether it's in the comment room or submitting in the Ask A Question. I do agree that that the Disney blaming has gone overboard at times (I'm guilty of it as well). I can't speak for everyone of course, but I'm going to do my best to describe why we tend to blame the company so to speak (I know you don't mean any offense). Since, you have more business experience than some of us, your POV would be helpful.

1. Again part of the reason why we aren't seeing anymore DVDs are lack of purchases from the previous sets. Yes part of it is due to lack of sales, but also lack of advertising. It's not just DVDs, but with say network television (Not just with Disney). Aside from quality there are many reasons a show would turn up with low ratings, like:

- Lack of commericals, hence the viewer doesn't know it exist.
- The show is aired so much that the viewer gets tired of it, or so little they don't have a chance to draw in fans. Odd thing about that is that a particular program is aired constantly when it only has 13/26 episodes, yet when/if it has 65-78 episode, then it's not aired so often. Should be the other way around.
- The show is aired in a timeslot that most people don't watch.

It just seems like the higher ups don't really understand their audience, or they do but don't want to take responsibility. After all, admiting to a mistake is viewed by some to be a sign of shame and humiliation rather than being responsible.

1a. Also, with the comics, I heard sales lowered for #3. That's due of course to lack of a consistant release. My question is if Disney will acknowledge that lower sales are due to delaying approval, or will they assume that the comic itself is the problem. You can count on us hardcore (in my case semi-hardcore) fans to stick with it to the end, but as has been said in the comment room newcomers or casual buyers are going to be put off by the delays if it keeps up. Regardless, I'm trusting that the situation should improve.

2. Then there's the concept of money. It seems like the higher ups in the business never heard of the saying "You have to spend money to make money". It just seems like with any product (DVD, Comics, etc) they expect to make a fortune by investing a few cents (not literaly mind you).

2a. I know that companies like Disney are in the business to make money and I repsect that. The problem is it seems their ambition is more of an obsession. For instance, I know that you're sure as heck not doing all of this work for free, but for you the money isn't a one-tracked mind thing. Same could be said of folks like Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Tom Defalco, Peter David, Steve Loter, Mark McCorkie, Bob Schooley.

I really hope this came across as a constructive complaint, rather than a mindless hatefilled rant. After all, I'm not always good at using the right words, to voice my opinion.

Moeen writes...

Hi Greg,

First off, many thanks for helping keeping Gargoyles alive. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but given that it takes the equivalent of two or three bimonthly comics to complete the equivalent of an episode, it would take about five or six years to complete a dozen episodes. At this rate it would be years before we even manage to scratch the surface of the storylines you have planned. Comparatively much slower that the TV series. If the comics prove successful (as I'm hoping they will), would it be possible to pick up the pace a bit? :-)

(Of course I'm grateful to have new storylies at whatever pace, so thanks for the comics.)