Greg Bishansky writes...

Terrors
And "Young Justice" returns in a big way with what has become a staple of Greg Weisman shows, the prison episode. Okay, I know a lot of shows utilize this, but Weisman really, really loves this trope. "Leader of the Pack" and "Turf." "J Is For Jewel." "Group Therapy" and "Opening Night." All good stuff. Great stuff

Batman sends Superboy and Miss Martian undercover as the Terror Twins inside Belle Reve Penitentiary to find out why all the ice villains from the pilot are there. Well, Icicle Jr and Mr. Freeze both demanded their lawyers transfer them there from, well, easier places to be incarcerated. As the episode ends, Superboy and Megan finally kiss (AND IT DIDN'T TAKE THEM THIRTEEN OR SIXTY-FIVE EPISODES!) as we discover the whole escape attempt was a ruse to have Amanda Waller removed as warden, and for the Light's own agent, Dr. Hugo Strange to take her place.

I enjoyed this episode quite a bit. I still don't know jack about DC Comics, but I enjoyed both Icicles. I kept on wondering who Icicle Sr was voiced by, it kept nagging at me... and, OF COURSE! James Remar! I could have sworn Icicle Jr was voiced by James Arnold Taylor, maybe because I was getting a Harry Osborn vibe from him at times... son trying, in vain, to please his sociopathic father. Guess Junior there doesn't take the Code of Icicle seriously. *ducks as tomatoes are thrown* I could not resist.

I do admit, I am curious as to why Superboy was chosen for this mission. He was well programmed, don't get me wrong. But he was also practically born yesterday and found in a Cadmus lab. That doesn't seem to be ideal to me. But looking through the rest of The Team's male line up, I can't think of anyone else that would fit.

Miss Martian was far less grating in this episode. Don't get me wrong, I am not one of the Miss Martian haters, but she is my least favorite member of The Team. But it was nice to have less of her 50's sitcom attitude here, and I admit that I enjoyed Superboy calling her on it in their therapy session with Dr. Strange. I'm not saying it's bad. In fact, I am sure there will be significant pay-off for it. I'm just saying it's not my favorite aspect of the show.

Now, if I may, I need to address some comments I have seen where people say they don't believe that these two characters can possibly be truly in love, and are dismissing it all as poorly thought out. I think they are missing the point. These are teenage hormones. The connection there is that they both think the other one is hot. It's like Romeo and Juliet. They are young, they dig each other, and they might think they're in love. But it is all hormones mixed with a not fully matured psyche. Right now this might be the most important thing in the world, just as Romeo and Juliet did, but Romeo and Juliet also died young. Had they lived long enough to mature, they might have seen their tryst and secret marriage as a mistake. Assuming Superboy and Miss Martian survive, I don't see them as a couple, let's say, five years down the line. It's a huge teenage crush, and those tend to be pretty consuming. But that's my analysis and it wouldn't be the first time I was wrong.

Finally, I loved the Riddler's cameo. All the crap he got, all the disrespect, and he was the one who managed to escape. Hope to see him again down the line, but knowing how Weisman loves to lay pipe and plant seeds, I am confident we will.

Great episode.

Jokerfish writes...

So I just finished watching Terrors and may I say; well done sir, well done. I loved all of it; from the awkwardly long kiss to Icicle Jr. (who I'm guessing doesn't have a lot of friends- because surely that habit of hitting on his friend's sister would have been knocked out of him by now if he did.)

So I'd like to ask you important, insightful questions but that's not my style so sit back for pointless tedium.

1. In the episode, after the news report of Martian Manhunter’s (I'm sure stunning) defeat of Headmaster, Freeze said that they now knew what all the leagues were doing except Red Tornado. What were the other members up to? Or is this a case where you knew story-wise they were all busy but you have better things to do then spend your day slaving over the particulars?

2. Was Superboy's disguise for this mission a dye job and a hair cut?

3. If the answer to 2 was yes, is being poor at disguises hereditary? Because that's a trait I'd slap onto Superman too.

Okay now for something a little more obscure...

I don't know why but I've fallen in love with prison guard Wilcox; to the point that I've given him a fictitious first name (Fitzwilliam) and a vague background (he grew up tough until he hit puberty, then… he grew up tougher) so...

4. Is Wilcox a dc character that's making a cameo in this episode or is he just a random character you created to fill a role? I tried to google this on my own but the only two Wilcoxs I would find was Laureen Wilcox and William Wilcox- Laureen is defiantly a woman and William has less of a back story than the one I've given Fitzwilliam Wilcox…

5. Who voiced Wilcox?

Anonymous writes...

Marina Sirtis has a lovely British accent. Why does she always do an American accent on your shows? (Though I love her voice in any way)

spence writes...

A few questions about voice-over.

1) Is it recorded before the episode is animated?

2) How long does it take from recording the voice work until the episode is completely finished?

3) Do all actors get together in the room when recording one episode?

4) Are you present?

Mr. Mysterie writes...

PLEASE tell me by the grace of GOD that you some how got Mark Hamill. I know Vietti worked DiMaggio and he did a good job but No One is close to Mark. But no i'm kidding. But can you tell me who the man behind the Joker's smile this time around. Oh and I can't wait for this friday's new episode. A entire prison full of villians has to call for cameos.

Chris Spider writes...

So glad Young Justice is back! Anyway, I just had a few questions this time around:

1. Is there any particular reason you decided to cover much of the backstory for characters like Kid Flash, Miss Martian, and Robin in Issue #5 of the tie-in comic instead of the show itself? It's an interesting decision, to say the least.

2. How closely did you work with the writer of the first six issues of the book?
3. How many retakes do you generally have to do? MOI's animation for the show has been incredible so far, so I wondered if there were hiccups like you had in, say, Gargoyles.

4. Did BS&P really not catch that quick panty shot of Chesire? I was rather amazed you guys got away with it.

5. Mark Rolston is an intriguing choice for Lex, having only done a little previous VO work, and none with you guys. How did you, Brandon and Jamie come to cast him in the role?

Anyway, can't wait to see where the show goes next!

Richard Jackson writes...

Having watched the first 10 episodes and read the first 9 comics (I'm including #0 and FCBD), I can really see how the show is rewarding repeat viewings. I can go back and look how someone said something and see it another away. Also, with the show playing out in real time and cast of dozens of heroes reminds me a lot of one of my favorite series, Astro City. I don't know if you've read the comic, but I assure it's a compliment of the highest order.

When I rewatched "Welcome to Happy Harbor", I noticed Lucas Carr and "Schooled", I finally noticed the LexCorp truck. I love things like that.

Can you give the story on how you were cast as Lucas Carr? Obviously, you're the producer, but who suggested the role for you and why were you attracted to playing Lucas Carr? By the way, I like Lucas "Snapper" Carr.

Greg Bishansky writes...

Targets

This is a show that, I swear, gets better with each episode. I've been enjoying the Red Arrow character since the first episode, so I really dug this episode. He had a lot of character development, and while I can't see him joining the team yet, I do think the door is open for it.

Sportsmaster and Cheshire both make welcome returns. And Cheshire is a character that has really grown on me. I love the chemistry she has, not just with Red Arrow, but with everyone. Kelly Hu is doing a magnificent job with that character. So are the writers and animators. She just personifies the sexy badass, and I am eager to see more of her.

As for Sportsmaster, well, I still don't know too much about him. But I am told he is a D-List villain in the comics who is really shining in this series. He's intimidating, badass, and I guess I'm eager to see more of him to. And while we're talking about villains, for the first time in this series, two of the DC Universe's A-List villains have finally been formally introduced.

I was really happy to see Ra's al Ghul, he's one of my favorite Batman villains. Oded Fehr did a great job with his voice, even if I'll have to take some time to get used to it. I guess David Warner's voice has just imbibed itself into my brain for that character, that Fehr has a lot to live up to. But I enjoyed his performance and I am eager to hear more of him. I also enjoyed his skills not just as a leader, but as an assassin. With just pure skill he knew Red Arrow was watching his meeting with Cheshire and Sportsmaster and from where. Very cool. This is why he's the master of the League of Shadows.

And then, there's Lex Luthor. Lex is a character I have never, ever liked. I'm not quite sure why, it's like oil and water with me. I've always thought of him as the poor man's David Xanatos, even years before I ever met the character of David Xanatos. I don't know why. That being said, I did enjoy Mark Rolson's performance as Lex, he brought a lot of charisma to the role. Clancy Brown did the same thing for Lex Luthor too, loved the performance even if I still didn't like the character. Will this version of Lex break the mold and make me like the character? Time will tell. But Greg Weisman managed to make me like Venom, a character I've always detested. Again, time will tell.

Also, looks like we can finally, officially, identify two members of the Light. Oded Fehr voiced L-2, and Mark Rolston voiced L-3. May I just say, and I understand that this might be a bit petty, how ecstatic I am that Lex Luthor is not L-1? If these numbers are indeed a rank, then I would have been disappointed if Lex, again, took center stage. That's one of the reasons why the "Justice League" cartoons disappointed me, because they put too much emphasis on Lex Luthor (who already had that in the Superman cartoon that preceeded it) and not enough on a guy like Vandal Savage, who's appearances in "Justice League" really impressed me and who I felt should have been the main antagonist of that show.

The school scenes were pretty fun, although I was wondering why Superboy needed it, or a secret identity at all. But then, knowledge aside, Superboy could definitely benefit from learning more social skills, so I understand it. Miss Martian too, who seems to have learned everything about interacting with humans from a 50's sitcom.

And who is that, voicing the teacher. Hmm... someone couldn't resist now, could he? ;)

BTW, I loved the origin of the Conner Kent alias, and where they all think the "Kent" part came from.

lou-bert vs. q-bert writes...

Hi Greg, thank you for connecting to everyone. Fifteen years later, I'm sure questions about "The Kiss" never end, so who am I to part with tradition?

>It is my understanding that, for soap operas and/or ongoing series, actors do get sprung some story-surprises in their scripts. Although it was likely 1 to 2 pages of script, was "The Kiss" that kind of surprise for Salli Richardson and Keith David?

>Did they record their dialogue together? because it was extraordinarily acted.

Antiyonder writes...

In addition to being right for the part, was casting Morgan Shepperd as Erik Hellstrom (Atlantis: Milo's Return) done as a nod to his role of Odin on Gargoyles?

Cal writes...

Greg this is another question I am really dying to ask. Why in modern cartoons, they never cast any Simpsons voice actors, but they always do cast Futurama voice actors especially John DiMaggio? Nearly every cartoon I watched I always hear "Bender"'s voice and I'm always keep thinking that everybody likes Bender a lot these days. I'm also certain you have worked with Futurama voice actors before.

Foxwolf writes...

Hi Greg

First of all, I must compliment the show on it's amazingly beautiful animation. It's like animated movie quality in every episode.
Anyway, I run a website called Behind The Voice Actors and am been the editor on the Young Justice page. Right now, all the characters displayed in the shows credits are on the site, but I was wondering if I could ask you if you knew who voiced these other unnamed characters?

Independence Day
- Fireman

Fireworks
- Dr Spence

Welcome To Happy Harbor
- Happy Harbor Police Officer

Drop Zone
- Kobra Member

Schooled
- Star Boston Driver
- Star Manhattan Driver (is he the one with the beard?)

Infiltrator
- Wally's School Teacher
- WayneTech Security Guard
- WayneTech Cafe

Downtime
- Squad Leaders
- Science Center Guard (Kelly Hu?)

Bereft
- Scientist #1
- Scientist #2

And also one last question for my own curiosity. I was wondering if each of the Justice Leaguers that haven't already been voiced (WW, Hawks, Green Lanterns) will appear by seasons end?

Appreciate your time
Foxwolf

Anonymous writes...

Can the members of the Light be discerned by their voice actors? Especially if one known character has the same voice actor as one of the members?

Without getting into too many details, can you say anything about the selection of characters to be part of the Light? Were you looking for a broad overview of the different corners of the DC universe?

Thank you for the entertaining show!

Cal writes...

Hi Greg, I've got questions regarding the YJ episode "Downtime".

1.Were any Atlantis guards and Black Manta's men killed during the battle?

2.If yes to Q1, why did Aquaman only mentioned the injured guards and not the dead ones?

3.What foreign language was Aquaman and Aqualad speaking in this episode?

4.Was that Jeff Bennett voicing Alfred? if not who?

5.Was that really Patrick Warburton voicing that TV ad before Artemis' mum turns off the TV? It sounds like him. If not who?

PS: I really like the designs of Black Manta's men as well as their weapons.

Cal writes...

Hi Greg,
I've just watch the YJ episode "Denial" and I did enjoyed it. Thanks for letting Jeff Bennett reprise his role as Abra Kadabra from B:TB&TB onto YJ. Oh and Kent Nelson seriously does sound like Adam West even though he isn't voiced by him.

Greg Bishansky writes...

Infiltrator

Another week, and another new episode of "Young Justice." This series just gets better and better. The line-up is finally complete as Artemis joins the team.

I had a feeling Artemis was going to be my favorite member of the team, and the episode did not disappoint. She was intriguing from the get-go. Who is she? How come no one seems to have heard of her before. When Green Arrow introduced her as his niece, something just felt off. Well, the theme of the show seems to be Secrets and Lies, and so far they're doing it beautifully.

At the end of the episode, when Cheshire and later Speedy... er, I mean, Red Arrow, had their little confrontations with Artemis, I cannot say I was surprised. But still intrigued.

The League of Shadows served as this episode's antagonist. I think that was Sensei issuing the orders, but at the end he was speaking to the Light, and one particular member I don't think we've heard speak before this episode. If Sensei called him master, than I think we can safely identify him as Ra's al Ghul. Ra's knows Batman's real identity, and I cannot believe for a second that the attack on WayneTech wasn't a ploy to hack the Batcave.

As for the other new characters, I really, really liked Cheshire. I am interested in seeing her relationship with Artemis explored, not to mention that being a sucker for dark-eyed brunettes, she was hot. And she kicked a lot of ass.

I spotted the evil Spider-Man character, who wikipedia tells me is named Black Spider. After Weisman's previous series, "The Spectacular Spider-Man," I got a kick out of seeing him. I especially got a kick when I realized who was voicing him. None other than the spectacular Spider-Man himself, Josh Keaton. I'd recognize that impact grunt anywhere. My brother recognized him too.

No idea who the third assassin was.

It was nice to see Speedy again, and even nicer to see he has gone his own way as Red Arrow. But best of all was not just seeing him being an angry jerk. He still cares about his friends. That icy warning to Artemis at the end was the best development he's had all season. Looking forward to seeing more of him.

But, by far, the biggest surprise of the episode was Wally NOT hitting on a girl, specifically Artemis. He's hit on everything else that lacks a penis, but not Artemis. I wonder if that will change, or if he is always going to see her as his buddy's replacement.

The biggest laugh of the episode goes to the segments showing why telepathically linking a group of teenagers together is a bad idea. It reminded me of that episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" where Buffy gained telepathic powers.

But this episode left a lot of questions. I understand why Artemis is lying. But why was Green Arrow lying about who Artemis is? Was Batman in on it? If now, you'd think he'd vet new recruits better. Was the Light talking about Artemis at the end, or are we being misdirected? Well, it's either her or Superboy, who was created to be their weapon. I've noticed the Light don't seem broken up about him being in enemy hands, and you'd they would.

Curious...

Algernon writes...

“Schooled” Review

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Yo Greg, sorry I’ve kinda fallen behind with these reviews but life sometimes gets in the way. Anyway, I enjoyed this ep a lot. I have to admit I did find Superboy’s anger issues a bit one not in “Welcome to Happy Harbor” even though I did understand why it was so. Lets face it, being raised in a tube by psychic goblins is probably going to leave you a little lacking in social skills. But this ep, (and to a certain extent “Drop-Zone”) has done a great job of letting us see other sides of his character, as well as exploring the underlying reasons for all that anger.

I particularly liked his exchange with Clark, poor kids practically giving Big Blue puppy dog eyes. Not that I don’t sympathise with Clark. Even with the best will in the world, dealing with your own clone/son has got to be a pretty daunting prospect. If I were brutally honest, I’d have to admit Clark is handling this way better then I would be. I know if I met a clone of myself, my first instinct would probably be to reach for a torch and pitch fork. Hardly the rational or ethical response I’ll readily admit, but luckily the Man of Steel is a lot more level headed then me.

Loved Peter MacNicol as Professor Ivo, he brought a great sense of humour and menace to the character without making him sound like a clone of Doc Ock. I just dig the idea tha this short skinny middle-aged nerd is able to strike terror into the hearts of the Justice League. I also noticed that his character design has a very similar colour scheme to AMAZO, red hair and green clothes. I loved this because it neatly explains AMAZO’s goofy silver design, Ivo designed the android to basically look like and idealised version of himself, brilliant! Hope we see the M.O.N.Q.I.s again. J

Black Canary was pretty cool, it’s good to hear Vanessa Marshall again. I’ve heard she’s your favourite DC character so I’m interested to see how you handle her.

All and all another great ep, I’ll try and get my “Infiltrator” review up sometime tomorrow.

Cal writes...

Will any Kim Possible voice actors be working on YJ? I only asked because you and Nicole Dubuc have written episodes for both shows.

Paul writes...

1) In Young Justice, what is the codename of Hawkman's partner in the Justice League: Hawkgirl or Hawkwoman?
2) Is her real name Shayera Hol or is it something else?
3) Is she romantically linked to Green Lantern (John Stewart) or Hawkman in Young Justice?
4) I asked you before about how much of Justice League/Justice League Unlimited and Teen Titans you had seen and was just wondering if you're thinking of resuming watching either of them? I ask this because they're both great shows and seeing them in their entirety would prevent you from accidentally using an idea that was done on one of those shows.
5) Did/would you ever consider recasting some of the voice actors from other DC cartoons in the same role on Young Justice? (To give an example, Tara Strong as Raven on Teen Titans.)

tomi writes...

I really enjoyed these first preview episodes of Young Justice. And perhaps even moreso than that i enjoyed to hear Crispin Freeman to return back to your services: i think he made fantastic work as both Speedy and Guardian, and eventhough you can still hear a bit that it is the same actor, he made it possible for those two characters to be divided and personified from one and another.

He was excellent as Electro, and i was fan of him before that(i came hooked sometimes around i first saw first few episodes of Wolf,s Rain).

From what i,ve been able to gather, he seems to be not only true professional, but also smart, intelligent guy with great thoughts, coupled with sharp and delightful sense of humor. I have seem him to appear in many of Gatherings(often paired with good old Thom Lexington Adcox), and i,ve heard that he was fan long before your paths crossed, often discussing with his fans about serie,s themes.

If it isnt too much trouble, could you give little bit of greenlight how you two met, and how your cooperation began?

Hopes for better to your work from fan from far-off-land Finland: maybe there arent too many Finnish Gargfans, but i am one of them.

Pidä lippu korkealla!/Keep your spirits high!

Stephanie writes...

I searched some of the archives and I don't think you've answered this, but what was your main inspiration for the creation Thailog's character? He was definitely one of my most favorite antagonists in the show, as well as Demona and Xanatos.

P.S.
Young Justice was amazing! :)

BonnieB21:-) writes...

Long time lurker, first time poster!

I've been trying to think of some questions I know no one else has thought of before. It's taken me a while, but I finally got them.

I've been a fan of Spiderman all my life and have watched EVERY cartoon version either in syndication, on cable, or when they originally aired. I was rewatching "Along Came Spidey" the origin of Spiderman from Spiderman And His Amazing Friends last night (a gorgeous episode, one of the best of the series and the BEST of his various origin stories (present company excluded)). But I believe this was the last time his full story was told. As in before Spiderman became a crime fighter, he was a "plain, old, SUPERSTAR!!!!!". I saw your Spectacular Spiderman origin and I had to ask you this:

I know you had to/wanted to keep towards Spiderman's live action movie origin which rushes through all the pre-crime fighting stuff. But if you could've, would you have explored Spidey's fame-whoring past? Cause I've always wondered why no one else in New York City, no other fans, or no one else remembers Spidey's pro-wrestling, personal appearance making, TV show guest starring past. If J. Jonah Jamision had a reason for hating Spiderman, I would think that would be it.

I used to watch '60s Spiderman every morning in syndication before going to school. But I hadn't seen it in a very long time until ABC Family/Disney reran a bunch of old Spidey episodes, but only one of '60s Spidey. The interesting thing about Peter Parker/Spiderman is that Peter talks in a mild mannered, soft spoken voice in his real life but once he dons the mask, his voice got deeper and more authoritative. That was the only series that had such a huge differnce between Peter and Spidey.

On Spectacular Spidey, there doesn't seem to be a huge difference between the way Peter sounds and the way Spidey sounds. Was there a reason for that? For the most part, Peter's and Spidey's lives don't connect too much (as in Spidey doesn't have to have long conversations with Peter's friends). But I would think at least of one person be it Aunt May, Gwen, or M.J. would be able to tell Peter's voice over a cell phone and Spiderman sound an awful lot alike.

Thanks for taking the time to answer fan questions!

Neal writes...

Questions regarding some of the actors you have worked with:

1. I know you have casted Xander Berkeley in some of your shows in the past, do you have any plans on casting his wife Sarah Clarke in any of your future projects?

2. Has Peter MacNicol told you about his time on Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie? To refresh your memory, he played that art curator David Langley who exists to have his life destroyed by Mr Bean. Very funny movie BTW.

Richard Jackson writes...

When Gargoyles first came on, I was in elementary school (4th grade), but I knew who the main actors on Gargoyles were and I knew a lot of them were in Star Trek. When I went to see Star Trek: First Contact in 5th grade, (that's how I "reckon time" as Titania would say) I noticed that Jonathan Frakes was the director and I knew he was one of the stars, along with Marina Sirtis. I don't think I knew at the time that Michael Dorn or Brent Spiner were Gargoyles/Star Trek actors, but let's move on.

Right about the time ST:FC came out, it was about the time The World Tour episodes were on TV and I noticed that Demona and Xanatos were in less episodes. I wondered then if Frakes and Sirtis' commitment to that film was one of the reasons for the World Tour episodes, since their availability might have decreased.

I know now from reading the archives that the in show reason was to open up the Gargoyles Universe, but my inner child still wants to know if his theory has any weight.

Alan writes...

For Young Justice, are you planning to get voice actors who were in your other projects (Gargoyles, TSSM) and did you worked with Jamie Thomason in your shows?

Con writes...

How did Crispin Freeman manage to find work in American cartoons? Before that he mostly works on anime.

Bryan writes...

Hello Greg,

I watched the pilot for Young Justice, and it was phenomenal. I love this original concept you and Brandon are creating by taking inspiration from past shows and comics. This show will certainly be a hit and hope it goes on for many seasons to come. The question I wanted to ask, was whether Keith David would be voicing any of the characters on this show?

LaLaLa writes...

When Young Justice dvd's get released, is there any footage of the actors doing their voices in the recording rooms for it?

Anonymous writes...

Why didn't Neal McDonough reprised his role as Green Arrow from that DC Showcase onto YJ? Was he unable to?

tomi writes...

I saw premiere of Young Justice, and once agains, brilliant job well done!

I was just wondering, who,s voice director on that series?
My two guesses would be either Andrea Romano( since She has directed almost all existing animation adaptations of DC)or Jamie Thomason( since you have together history).
Once again, nice work, and keep it up!

Voice Chaser? writes...

Thanks for answering my question about Fleur and the Grim's voices.

Who do you imagine for the following characters?

Amanda Chung
Brother Valmont
True
Nashville

Gothic-Cowboy writes...

Hello, Mr. Weisman. Congratulations on Independence Day, it was all I had hoped for and more. I have a few questions about Earth-16 that I hoped you would be willing to answer.
1. As of Independence Day, roughly how long has the Justice League been operating?
2. If I were to assume that the seven (bronze?) statues at the Hall of Justice were the seven founding members of the Justice League, would I be in error?
3. A)Do the League members' numerical designators represent their order of induction (except for the founders, obviously)? If so, do they also represent the order in which these characters debuted as superheroes?
B)Numbers 02, 04, 06, 07, 08, and 16 were shown in the pilot. Superman is undoubtedly 01. Wonder Woman and Hal Jordan are likely 03 and 05, respectively. That leaves 09-15, for the Hawkfolk, the two Captains, the two Johns (Zatara and Stewart), and Black Canary. In all likelihood, the Thanagarians joined jointly, thus their numerical designators are probably sequential. Could you reveal any of these yet, or will we just have to wait and see?
4. I've always been curious about the DC Martian life cycle, which has, to the best of my knowlede, never really been set before. Then I read your answer to an earlier question where you said that there's a rough 3:1 ratio for Human to Martian years (biologically speaking). Was this something that you and the creative team for Young Justice developed, or was it previously established somewhere?
5. I realize I'm probably asking too much, but does Project Atom exist on Earth-16?
6. Is Mount Justice/the Secret Sanctuary located in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island on Earth-16?
7. Jim Harper (the Guardian/Golden Guardian) and Roy Harper (Speedy/Arsenal/Red Arrow) were related in the comics. Did this influence the decision to cast Crispin Freeman in both roles, or is he just that good?
8. Is Kaldur'ahm the only person to act as Aqualad (thus far), or was Garth previously Aqualad?
9. Is naming him Kaldur'ahm a nod to Cal Durham from the comics?
10. Why is it that no one is ever just whelmed?
Thank you for everything that you do and for making yourself available to answer all of our often repetetive questions. A lot of people (myself not the least of them) appreciate it.

Javier BC writes...

Hi Greg, first of all congratulations for all the team behind young justice. I read a lot of reviews and the premier was a huge success , everyone woking in the show really deserve the prise they are reciving. I have a couple of questions , hope you have the time to answer them:

1) Why does Superman react the way he did when he met Conner?. He left him in care of the other members of the league , Shouldn't he be more responsiable of his son?
2) Are all the members of the Light famous DC villans?. If the Oranization created Superboy to take Supermans place in case he perish , wouldnt that help the league?
3) Is there any chance you could cast Keith David as Black Manta? I think he would be perfect for the role

thank again for your time Greg, and i really looking foward to the whole season

Cal writes...

Hi Greg, I have two questions to ask regarding my favourite male voice actors.

1.Is Will Friedle going to reprise his role as the Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes) from B:TBTB onto YJ and in future DC cartoons & movies or do I have to wait & see? I asked because I'm a HUGE Jaime Reyes fan & Will did do a very perfect job at voicing him, therefore he really deserves to voice him longer. Plus I really couldn't imagine someone else voicing Jaime.

2.Do you know if John DiMaggio is going to voice the Joker again? He did a great job at voicing him in B:URH & he would be a really good replacement for Mark Hamill since he said he's going to retire from the role soon. Plus Bruce Greenwood gets to voice Batman again.

Thanks and I hope you'll with those two guys again.

Anonymous writes...

Are we going to expect more Disney voice actors to be working on Young Justice like Jim Cummings for example?

BTW did you know that is really Ron Stoppable voicing Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes) on B:TBTB. Best portrayal of the third and current Blue Beetle EVER!

Jack-Pumpkinhead writes...

Hey Greg, congratulations on Young Justice! I watched the two-hour premiere and I was thoroughly impressed. I liked the way you handled the characters and the world. I mean, getting Blockbuster in like that? Very nicely done. You put together a very formidable JLA there, and I liked ... oh hell, I loved everything! Please give my kudos to the animators and voice actor if possible (Jesse McCartney was awesome as Robin). My only two questions on the show come from having a poor quality tape to record it on;
1-Did they say Aqualad's first name in the show? Cause if they did, I missed it.
2- Was That Cripsin Freeman voicing Speedy? I know he was Guardian, but I didn't know about Roy.

Again, awesome job, and the series premiere cant start soon enough!

Anonymous writes...

In your head, who voices Fleur?

How about the Grim?

Anonymous writes...

Will Jason Marsden and Will Friedle reprise their roles from Batman: Brave and the Bold onto Young Justice (I understand Speedy has already been taken) or do I have to wait and see?
They did a very perfect job at voicing those lesser known DC characters from that show and they really deserved to voice them again in future DC cartoons and movies.

Javier writes...

Hi Greg, first of all i want to say that Spectacular Spiderman was the best incarnation of the character i have seen outside of the comic books, and its a shame that it lasted only two seasons. i have a couple of questions if you dont mind, hopefully you will be able to answer them, if not i understand, you are a very busy man after all.

1) I was really amazed by the quality of the animation and the character designs, it looks even better than the other DC movies that i have seen. How do you maintain that standard of quality in a weekly series? All tha animation is done in the US?

2) Is Josh Keaton voicing Barry Allen? It sounded like him but maybe im wrong, he did an outstanding job as Peter Parker, hopefully he will have a role in the series

Thank you for your time, as a fellow animator im really glad that we can still have some classic 2D animation to look foward to, Best of luck Mr Weisman

Anonymous writes...

Is there any recurring voice talents from Batman: The Brave and the Bold on Young Justice, or is it too early to confirm it?

Alec Howell. writes...

Who provided the voices of Dr. Elena Yevshenko and Mari Keita in Max Steel?

Anonymous writes...

So my last question apparently didn't get approved. I'm a tad dissappointed, but I read the terms about a post being removed if it had just one idea-thingy in it, so I'd like to repost it minus the questions I think it got disapproved for:

1. Would you ever consider doing crossovers with other dc shows, if the opportunity came?

2. Was it a conscious decision not to make Robin the leader to avoid a huge similarity between Young Justice and Teen Titans? I know such a notion might be a little offending, but I think it's a fair question.

3. Are you in any way for or against the idea of using voice actors for a part that they have played earlier in other DC shows?

4. I'm not an expert on the DC comics, but I heard that, some time ago, it was revealed in one of them that Bruce Wayne has a son who eventually becomes the new batman. This is in opposition to the JLU and Batman Beyond continuety, where Terry McGinnis becomes Batman. If it comes to it, which continuety do you think you would use in Young Justice, if any?

5. Have there been, or do you expect there will be, any problems with censoring, where you
want to show something, but you're not allowed to?

6. Will you have story arcs, or maybe just returning villains, that will focus on developing one of the six main characters more so than the others?

7. Would you consider making other DC shows in the Earth-16 continuety, in the style of this show, after Young Justice ends, if it is possible?

I really hope this makes it through to you. I'm really hyped about Young justice and I got more than half a dozen other questions that I left out this time. There are things in the trailer I thought looked weird, but I thought the same about Spectacular Spider-Man and it turned out fantastic. And lastly, I don't want you to answer any questions if it means spoiling the show of course.

Anonymous writes...

Do you have any favorite moments or anecdotes from the voice sessions from any or all of the shows you've worked on? And if so, could you share a couple or more with us?

Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Hi,

Not actually a question- Someone mentioned hearing an interview with you at comicon- I heard it too and thought it might be helpful to post the link-
http://content.libsyn.com/1/5/4/1545c1d0e3a460de/OneShot291-WBToons.mp3?nvb=20100929164902&nva=20100930165902&sid=73393720addb82db8902f843616afa33&l_sid=18877&l_eid=&l_mid=1987581&t=07bf25a0ee09ff0e50192

It's Comics News Insider ep291 http://www.jimmyaquino.typepad.com/comicnewsinsider/ .

Tangentially the longer Andrea Romano interview mentioned in 291, does actually happen 293-294. I found it fascinating. Mmm... one small question - I think you said Jamie Thomason is voice director on YJ, and that he and Andrea Romano are tops in the field. IIRC Romano has done most DCU cartoons on the past, have there been any double takes when people see it isn't her? (I still do little double takes when Batman doesn't sound like Kevin Conroy no matter how excellent the actor is.)

Titansfan1211 writes...

Can't wait for young justice! From the limited we've seen ad heard, it looks great. I was wondering if you were planning on using any of the plotlines from the young jusice comic in the show, sort of like how the teen titans took the judas contract storyline and turned that into one of the major plotlines of the second season.

Also, i have to say I'm a little worried about robin being voiced by jesse mcartney. No offense to him, but being as he has a pretty high voice, and you said robin is 13, not 3... I was wondering about how you went about choosing voice actors? Robin for example has been voiced by a number of other people on all the batman shows as well as teen titans. Did you all have. Certain tone in mind for each charecters voice before casting?

Lastly, I know you probably won't dignify this with an answer, but I have a strong urge to ask (I don't HAVE to like that other person lol) I read one of your responses about the number sixteen being involved in the show so much, and you responce wa something like "chuckles evily" or something. I know you can't and won't specify, but was there a reason for using 16 so much?
Thanks for taking the time to deal with all of us :)

Anonymous writes...

Do you plan on casting Tara Strong and Grey Delisle in Young Justice as supporting characters or is it too early to confirm it?

Besides Phil Lamarr, will any other voice actors from Futurama be working on Young Justice?

Anonymous writes...

Does anyone in your family play Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia or Uncharted? I only asked because Nolan North had worked in those video games and that you casted him to voice Superboy on Young Justice.

What city is Young Justice going to be set?

Anonymous writes...

A question about Batman: Brave and the Bold.

What was your reaction when you found out that Will Friedle and John Dimaggio are working together for the second time in a cartoon?

Mojo writes...

I purchased the graphic novels since I wanted to finish the stories from the comic books. After reading clan building again it made me try and find news about the gargoyles continuing in some way because I really enjoyed the show/comic. After being disappointed again for lack of good news, I went to imdb.com just to check out some of the actors. After seeing how many wonderful and "big name" actors were involved an idea hit me. So here is my question. I am sorry if it was asked already, is there a way to maybe some of these famous actors could be contacted? Then with some of them on board maybe they in-turn would be able to contact Disney on at least getting the last half of season two released. Maybe it is wishful thinking but it seems that they enjoyed the show as much as the fans did. Plus they have clout that we "fans" don't have. Maybe through their connections we can actually get that little bit of closure. I mean if I could play the game six degrees of Kevin Bacon and get to Robert A. Iger, surely then these actors have a more linear connection that could yield results. Just a thought and hope.

thank you and I hope to see the dvds and more comics/graphic novels

Richard Jackson writes...

Hi Greg,

I was wondering what country Sevarius is from? I checked the archives. Really, I did! The closest thing I could find was back in 1999 when someone asked you and you hadn't decided. So I hope there's a 10 year statute of limitations.

If you can't reveal what country he is from, do you recall what kind of accent you or voice director Jamie Thompson coached Tim Curry to adopt?

Grant writes...

In several episodes of Disney's Aladdin there featured a winged serpent character from a Mesoamerican rainforest who served the role of an antagonist to the characters. Though there are only surface similarities to the character of Zafiro in Gargoyles, both of them were voiced by Hector Elizondo. Were you aware of this? Was the casting a coincidence?

W. C. Reaf writes...

Hi Greg.

A fan from England here.

Not so much a question but I just wanted to let you know that thanks to my lovely University I’ve managed to book a lecture theatre once a week to show Gargoyles on a big screen to my friends, and watch it again myself on said glorious big screen. We should be finished at the end of summer.

Currently they’re enjoying it, some more than others, and it feels great to expose people to a real classic of western animation. We’ve even got a running joke about how Xanatos is behind everything. They’re not liking the rather varied Scottish accents, or takes on them at least, but I understand there’s only so much an American production can do to get proper accents right.

We’re just starting the Avalon World Tour and I’m curious to see what they make of the revelations in the Gathering. Specifically Puck’s role but also Fox’s heritage and Xanatos’ shift into not quite being such a bad guy.

Just thought to tell you that the Gargoyles love is being spread to people across the pond that never saw it the first time ‘round.

Brenda W writes...

Hi Greg, I hope everything is well with you. My question is: Is it possible to contact the 1994 cast members to come on board to assist us (Gargoyles fans) in convincing Disney to release the remaining 26 episodes? Do you think we have a chance?
Unfortunately, I have become very obsessed with this project. I think your ability
to create this type of animation is outstanding - it is sooooooo real.

Vivvav writes...

Hey Greg,
I'm rewatching Gargoyles on YouTube right now. I have to say that one of my favorite characters in MacBeth, if for no other reason than he's voiced by John Rhys-Davies. In the modern day with the comics, do you still imagine the characters' voices as being that of the voiced actors who played them all those years ago? Do you still imagine Goliath as Keith David, or as something else?

sanya writes...

Hi Greg,
i am wondering do you know which singers sang the song The will to love and The demon in me.
both of the songs have been sang in Witch episode s is for self part.

Clark Cradic writes...

What are your thoughts on The Princess and the Frog? I thought it was a wonderful throwback to the days of the Disney Renaissance.

PPL writes...

Hi Greg,

This isn't about Amazing Spider-Man #622, but is sort of related, and something I was wondering about for a while.

How did it come about that Tricia Helfer was cast as the voice of Black Cat on TSSM? I think most people would have known her from Battlestar Galactica, in which she plays a somewhat similar role*.

I noticed that she also voiced Black Cat in a Spider-Man game from 2008. Do you know whether she first did recordings for TSSM or for that game?

I ask because it doesn't seem like she's best known for her voice acting, but also that I wouldn't expect you to allow the casting of voice actors on one of your show solely based only on their reputation as a live-action actor.

*Or multiple roles, if one wants to get into that kind of discussion, but that hardly seems like the right thing to bring up here.

Derek writes...

Who would you have gotten to be the voice actor for Shari?

Derek writes...

What voice actor would you have cast for Constance? Is her voice supposed to gruff like a Kathy Burke or elegant like a Joanna Lumley.

Wolf E. Urameshi writes...

Um... about this... http://s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=11747

I really must apologize if I sounded the wrong way, I did not mean to anger you. Thank you very much for all of your answers Mr. Weisman. :D Good luck with all of your future projects.

Arthur Jr. writes...

Mr. Weisman, I just read your response about the amalgamizing of characters. I have some other questions here:

1. Though the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime is one of Spider-Man's enemies, they first appeared in "The Incredible Hulk" #3. I was wondering if that will prevent you from using Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime in any episode of "The Spectacular Spider-Man" in case you don't get the rights for the character.

2. I read on the archives that someone asked if Stan Lee will have more cameos in any proposed season of "The Spectacular Spider-Man." He's also voicing the Mayor of Super Hero City in "The Super Hero Squad Show" which is voice directed by Jamie Simone (who provided Akamaru's vocal effects in "Naruto"). In case you've seen the episodes that feature his characters, what do you think of Stan Lee's performance in that show?

3. If Courtney B. Vance reprises Roderick Kingsley in the proposed Season Three, will you use another voice actor to voice Hobgoblin like you did with Alan Rachins voicing Norman Osborn and Steven Blum voicing Green Goblin? I think something like that also occurred when you and Jamie Thomason casted Clancy Brown to voice Ox in "Survival of the Fittest" and later casted Danny Trejo as Ox in "Probable Cause." Do you have any comment on that?

Mark C writes...

I noticed a lot of the Voice actors from Gargoyles appear in Spectacular Spider-Man. Once you finally get the chance for more episodes, do you plan on getting more Gargoyles actors to play a role in the show? If so, which do you have in mind?

Arthur Jr. writes...

Hey Greg, here are some questions:

1. If Season Three is announced upon the ratings for the "Final Curtin" episode that aires on Disney XD, I would think that Bill Fagerbakke would reprise Morris Bench if you plan an episode that brings about the introduction of Hydro-Man. Right?

2. If the series is successful after Season Three and you managed to make it to a season that deals with Peter Parker attending Empire University, what season do you predict that will occur in?

3. I have seen your Rambles of the Spider-Man/Gargoyles crossover that Keith David reprised Goliath and Tombstone in. Now that was humerous in some parts, don't ya think?

4. I was wondering if you have seen "The Super Hero Squad Show" (adapted from the "Marvel Super Hero Squad: toyline) yet? Though Spider-Man doesn't appear in the TV series yet, he will be featured in video game adaption.

Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

You wrote that Marina Sirtis remembers her audition differently than you do. What were the differences?

A long time ago I remember you saying that it was so hard to imagine "Deana Troy" as a villian that you were surprised to see her trying for the role of Demona. But then an episode of Star Trek TNG in which Deana was possessed by a villian and did quite a credible job came to mind. Have you ever heard of her work as Demona helping convince others she might make a good villian despite being most known for Deana Troy?

Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Sneaking in a question or two at work lest I start falling far behind again. I apologize if I overlap anything already asked, I've been trying to avoid Spiderman spoilers. I have a stack of set aside responses for after the rest of the season airs. (Though I wonder if I should have bothered; what I didn't pick up just skimming I probably read checking the 'waiting to be asked' que. Oh well...)

First- Love the show.

I did have that first reaction to still art some did thinking it looked a little young, but between prioritizing fluidity of motion for the web slinger on the one side, and not getting that overly static look from being too faithful to the comic art on the other, I am completely won over.

Also, I am not terribly well versed in Spidy lore. (It's too expensive to get hooked on two major comic universes and I started on DC first.) Despite not getting all the references, the deference shown to the history, right down to mining the comics with the intent of not creating a single new character, really shows. Very impressive.

Second-
I thought it was particularly classy to post the credits of the episodes because they went by too quickly to be seen on screen. I assume people like working with you because they know they are not taken for granted. (Just like changing the "Staring..." in the opening credits shows respect to the characters. Love that.) I do wonder -

1- If each episode is written by a particular person or team, what do the staff writers do?
2-If you already have a voice director, what does 'casting' do? Or does the voice director not choose talent too? (I think this question was more involved when I scribbled it on my note sheet months ago, but I didn't write out the details and no longer remember.)
3- How did Cheeks Galloway end up with that nickname? I took a glance at his website and saw his autobigraphy is named "Cheeks Unclenched" Much mirth followed.

David B. Jacobs writes...

Just felt like throwing this out there:
TSSM's cast are all BRILLIANT Shakespearean actors! Pass it on.

Blaise writes...

GATHERING OF THE GARGOYLES
CON-JOURNAL

DAY 2
SATURDAY AUGUST 22, 2009

I'm glad I don't have to get up at 4:50AM every day. I wanted to give the dog a fairly long walk that morning because I knew I wouldn't have time that evening.

I got to the Hilton at a little after 9AM and signed up for Josh Keaton's Mug-A-Guest (I had considered Keith David's, but that was already full). Josh was cool, and I'm not just saying that because we share the same first name (and I finally learned how they avoided confusion when both he and Josh Lebar are working on the same day). One thing both he and Ben Diskin had in common, they both started acting at a very young age (3 for one, 6 for another), largely because they already had some family member in the business. I mention this only because I'm around the same age as them and I'm still trying to break into the darn business.

After another bagel for lunch, I attended Crispin Freeman's "Anime Mythology" panel on "Knights and Dragons." Being a dragon fanboy, this one was a joy. I had already known about the differences between so-called Western and Eastern dragons, but this was the first time I heard somebody actually analyze what these creatures say about the cultures they sprang from, and how they influence their respective media. I was surprised when he pointed out how a difference in dialogue between the Japanese script and the English dub of "Spirited Away" showcased this difference. I was also pleasantly surprised when he brought up "Vision of Escaflowne" as one of his favorite animes (it's one of mine, too!).

After this, I attended BOTH voice acting panels. The "Gargoyles" one was special not for the number of guests it had, but because it was the first one attended by Marina Sirtis, the voice of Demona herself. Of course, there were also Greg Weisman, Jamie Thomason, Thom Adcox (naturally), Keith David (with his GREAT laugh) and, a little later on, Elisa Gabrielli. I got to ask a question (or rather series of questions) that I usually put to all the voice actors at these things: "What episode/scene was the most challenging/fun/fulfilling?" Greg W. reminded me that the series was 15 YEARS AGO, so that might be a difficult question to answer. But Marina had no trouble stating what annoyed her the most: "The effing impact grunts." I learned something very important in that panel: if you do something she does not like, she will throw Jolly Ranchers at you. And Thom stated, yet again, his reasons for why he did not care for the Avalon world tour arc: largely, that he wasn't in most of those episodes (in his own words, "Avalon SUCKS!"). Well, that'll teach him to go out and buy a new car. Keith got to say a couple of his favorite lines ("I've been denied everything..."), though not with as much volume as I'm sure he would have liked. Also, Marina and Greg have two different versions of how she was cast as Demona (she maintains she came in on two separate days, he says it was just the one). There was also the story of how Jonathan Frakes was briefly fired by Greg's bosses because the cast recorded at a hell-hole of a studio. It was great fun.
So was the "Spectacular Spider-Man" panel. There were...a LOT of voice actors for this one, including a few who overlapped from the "Gargoyles" panel. In fact, there were so many that I couldn't help but feel that there weren't enough questions to properly involve all of them. I thought the revelation that Daran Norris needed two microphones when he was recording both the Jamesons (because J. Jonah is SO LOUD) was fascinating. I asked those who did multiple voices what their process was for differentiating them. Phil Lamarr talked about the difficulty of making two voices (those of the Robertsons) sound distinct and yet related (something Daran Norris had to figure out, too), while Steve Blum mentioned that he just had so many voices in his head that he needed the work to get them out.

I forgot to mention that, in between the panels, I went to check on the cast for the radio play. Since EVERY ONE of the voice guests said yes, there were only a handful of roles for the fans. I was quite happy to get one of them, and after the panels, the rehearsal began.
It was a Gathering-Original script. A crossover between "Gargoyles" and the "Spectacular Spider-Man" written to take full advantage of ALL 16 GUESTS who said they would do it. I was quite surprised to find that I was cast as Zaphiro (a character with a Spanish accent!). We only had enough time to run through the 78-page script (that's FEATURE LENGTH) once, and then a quick break before the beginning of the radio play.
It was a BLAST! The script was full of in-jokes (a lot of them breaking the fourth wall), but even managed to pack in an excellent bit of drama. But no where else will you hear Lexington mention porn on the internet, or hear Demona refer to Elisa as Goliath's "human whore." Steve Blum talked to himself, as did Thom Adcox (I hoped people picked up on the slight difference between Lexington and Tinkerer--and I loved when Lex mentioned Homunculus #5's annoying voice--said Homunculus ALSO voiced by Thom). For my part, aparantly I managed to pull off the Spanish accent well enough. Elisa Gabrielli was kind enough to offer me some pointers on a particular line of Spanish (yeah, I also had a few words and lines entirely in Spanish).
At the end I got kudos from many fans, and even a few of the pros.

I had really wanted to attend the panel on "Rope Bondage 101" but I needed to hurry back to my canine charge to feed him his evening meal if I wanted to make it back in time for the Blue Mug. I just barely managed to make it, and got to ask one question that I felt was appropriate given that this was the last Blue Mug: how it all got started. The short answer is it grew out of the regular Mug-A-Guest when they wanted to keep that family-friendly. Anyway, about an hour in, Greg had to hit the bathroom, and that bastard Edmund Tsabard seized the opportunity to come in and make the Blue Mug about "Blue Mug Productions." The one thing I got from his section of the panel was that if you want the smut, you have to "SPEND THE MONEY!" All I can say about the third page of "Last Tengu in Paris" is, "GREAT GOOGLEY MOOGLEY!" Anyway, about an hour later, after the questions dried up, Edmund left and Greg FINALLY came back. Unfortunately, it was about 11PM and I had to get back to my friend's house to be there to greet him and give over care of the dog. He came in at 1AM, and I was back in my own home and asleep by about 2AM.

Ming writes...

You've established that you mentally cast actors for some of the new characters in the Gargoyles comics, such as Quincy Hemmings played by Morgan Freeman (or someone who can sound like him i.e. Kevin Michael Richardson). Anyway, do you have any voices in mind for some of the Illuminati figures (Percival, Duval, Shari, et al.)? What about Katana and Tachi and some of the characters from the Phoenix Gate arc?

Wolf E. Urameshi writes...

Hey Greg, thanks again for answering my questions. But I'm afraid I need to ask again in regards to this one: http://s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=11500 (the one about "switching" voice actors.)

You didn't answer my question. You evaded it with another question, didn't you? :P Considering today's voice acting market, which now has a lot of great actors and is becoming saturated, there is always a chance that at least one or two of the actors involved with the original Gargoyles show may not be able to join it. I ask again, if you have any alternatives in mind (of course the original actors are better :D, this is a just in case), what would they be? Just mention one or two examples if you're comfortable with it.

Janus writes...

Well Greg, I'm a big fan of Jeff Bridges and after seeing him on Iron Man as Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger and hearing that he will be reprising his role as Kevin Flynn/Clu for Tron Legacy, I was wondering. Did you ever wanted to or even thought about casting Jeff Bridges a part on Gargoyles? He has a connection to Disney with Tron. And it would be so awesome to hear his voice on Gargoyles. So if given the chance in the past would you cast Jeff Bridges to be on Gargoyles?

Tomi writes...

Greetings from Finland!
Thank you for such a wonderful series!
I was just recently wondering:
Stone of Destiny speaks with voice identical to Dr.Claw, both voiced by Frank Welker. I was just wondering, what that something you and others decided to do, as some sort of homage to Frank,s other characters/admirers, or did he used that voice himself purposfully?

Anonymous writes...

You stated Hobgoblin will be in season 3. Do you know who will voice the hobgoblin persona. I personally think Kevin Michael Richardson will do great. The voice he did for the Joker in Batman was incredible, and you do have him included on the show already so...Anyway can't wait for more Spectacular Spiderman.

Mo writes...

One more I forgot to ask: How does the process of casting voice actors work? Do you have a specific actor in mind when a character is concieved? Is it an open audition process? Or does it vary from role to role?

Wolf E. Urameshi writes...

Third question as per instructions:

C) If you were given a chance to work on a new Gargoyles cartoon but with different actors if you were ever unable to bring back the originals, what actor(s) would you call in?

Clark Cradic writes...

Was it your idea to get Rober Englund to play the Vulture? Was it hard to get such a big star to accept a role on the show?

? writes...

Hi Greg! Now that I’ve watched Season 2 of The Spectacular Spider-Man, I have a few more questions. But first regarding the last set I asked:
I. Sorry about spelling your last name wrong, I didn’t realize it until it was too late.
II. With my 3rd question you did answer that you avoid biasness regarding characters which is great; I did mix the “parts” of my question together though (sorry about that again), so I was wondering if you liked the character of Venom? Most (not all) people I’ve met who said they don’t like Venom grew up in the “Stan Lee Era”. I understand you grew up during the “Lee/Romita Times”, but I also know that the “Greg hates Carnage Rumor” is false (I’m not a fan of Carnage, but I don’t hate him either, I’m “neutral/take or leave” to Carnage).
III. Thanks for answering my last batch of questions!
Alright, now onto the new batch of questions:
START OF SPIDEY SPOILERS!
1. I remember you said in an earlier post that you saw a little bit of the 90s Series but not enough to give a “true opinion” on it. My question is: Do you remember which episodes of the 90s series you saw? It’s OK if you don’t know the episode names; the villains from the episodes will suffice. I ask, because I noticed that the Symbiote arrives on Earth on John Jameson’s space shuttle in The Uncertainty Principle. This idea was 1st used in The Alien Costume Part I.
2. Why did the local authorities put Dr. Octopus in Raven Croft Asylum after Group Therapy when they had him in Rykers Prison before he escaped in that episode? I figured the “behind the scenes” reason was for your production crews’ plan, but what’s the “in story” reason (if you get what I mean)?
3. What was Eddie Brock doing during the Master Planner Arc? The most I can tell is that he was working out (he’s buffer then he was in Season 1) and that he made his own web shooters and costume. So where was he hiding and what else was he doing besides the things I mentioned earlier? I figured this was OK to ask as I don’t see how it would spoil anything in the future (sorry if it does).
4A. Whose idea was it to have Venom speak with 2 voices (Eddie’s voice and the Symbiote’s voice in unison)? I love the idea and I think it works so well for Venom.
4B. It actually reminds me of the fusion characters from Dragonball Z; have you ever herd of or seen Dragonball Z? If so, what did you think of it?
5A. What was your reason for making Walter Hardy/Black Cat’s dad into Uncle Ben’s killer? As someone else pointed out, it probably worked out better then it did with Flint Marko/Sandman in Spider-Man 3, because Walter was still the same guy Spidey let get away.
5B. What made James Remar your choice for Walter’s voice (I found him to be a great choice)? Do you remember who else tried out for Walter’s voice?
6. Seeing as how Norman and Green Goblin had different voice artists (for obvious reasons) I think it’s safe to say Roderick (or who ever you choose) and Hobgoblin will have different voice artists as well. My question is: If Season 3 does happen, will you just have Steve Blum voice Hobgoblin since he voiced Green Goblin or do you have someone else in mind for Hobby? The 90s Series used Neil Ross and Mark Hamil for Green Goblin and Hobgoblin respectively. I thought this would be OK to ask, since we already know Hobgoblin is in Season 3 and I’m only asking if Steve Blum is your voice choice for Hobby or not (not who exactly will be Hobby as we both know Season 3 is still undecided). Sorry if this was a “bad question” to ask.
Well, thanks again for answering my 2nd set of questions Greg! Hope you enjoy your summer (as far as temperature is concerned).

cboy305 writes...

When recording voices for animation, must all actors record voices in the same studio?

abnormalpixarfan writes...

If you can get anyone to voice these charectors who would you get
Iron man
captin america
ant man
the fantastic four
Batman
superman
Flash
doctor doom
scorpian

Dan writes...

Mr. Weisman,
First of al thanks for what is easily the greatest adaption of Spider-man.I have a couple of questions.
POSSIBLE SEASON 2 SPOILERS
1. Where did the idea come from to have the pumpkin bombs emit screams?
2. Was the final twist in the season 2 finale kept heavily under wraps? For example did Josh Keaton, Steve Blum,etc. know when they recorded "Uncertainty Principle"?

Anonymous writes...

Why was the role of Tombstone recast? I know Keith David originally voiced him in the pilot and that Kevin Michael Richardson replaced him.

MisterDrBob writes...

Hey Mr. Wiseman,
love the Spectacular Spider-Man and your take on the original Stan Lee stories. I especially love your characterizations of Shocker, Mysterio and Molten Man.
I have two questions. I think the first one was already asked, but I can't find it anywhere. How did you come up with the idea of making Montana the Shocker? Second, is there any significance to the fact that Morris Bench is voiced by Bill Fagerbakke, the voice of Patrick on SpongeBob SquarePants? A reference to mr. F's other watery work?

Arthur Jr. writes...

To follow up on my Cletus Kasady and Morris Bench question, I was wondering if you plan to include Carnage and Hydro-Man in the third series if you're still in charge? Seeing as Venom's symbiote is still in the sewers, I even assumed that you might plan for Eddie to be incarcerated at Ravencroft and the symbiote spawning an offspring resulting in the creation of Carnage (though I heard Carnage wasn't allowed to kill anyone in the 90's series).

In a follow-up to Man-Wolf in the same question, I was wondering if you would plan for Frank Welker (who did Bronx in "Gargoyles") to voice Man-Wolf if you decide to include John Jameson's Man-Wolf form. I suggested an idea for Frank Welker in the role since Dee Bradley Baker is already providing Lizard's vocal effects.

anonymous writes...

**spoilers for season two for "The Spectacular Spider-Man"**

Hello.

Loved what you've done with Sandman on this show's first two seasons. I hope you have more plans for him if there's a season three.

As for Sandman's old partner Rhino, will we see another solo Rhino story on your show someday? We saw one for Sandman in season two, so why not one for Rhino too?

Finally, do you think Robert Englund could come back as the voice of Vulture next season if you decide to use him? Englund has done an excellent job on this show.

**end of season two spoilers**

Spider-man 2099 writes...

If the series have a season 3 theres any chance to see previous spider-man actors like christopher daniel barnes, rino romano or even tobey mcguire.

Greg Bishansky writes...

"First Steps"

*** SPIDEY SPOILERS ***

Another spectacular episode. This one was a biggie. A lot happened.

The return of Harry Osborn
The return of Eddie Brock
The return of Hammerhead.
The first appearance of Mark Allan.

There are times when I am amazed at just how much content can be fit into twenty-two minutes, and this one was just packed. So much was happening, so much was going on, and it never seemed to end... and I mean that as a positive. It was like a great four course dinner.

Peter and Liz Allan are now a couple, and Pete was invited to Flash's birthday party. By Flash's mom, since they were best friends in nursery school. I also like the little revelation at just how Eugene earned his nickname. I also enjoyed the little snippets here and there of everyone speaking into the camera saying what they think of Flash. I think Rand's and Sally's was my favorite.

Speaking of... when is Rand going to finally dump the bitch. The guy clearly doesn't like her much. Sally is just... ugh, that voice is pretty much nails on a chalkboard. Grey DeLisle is so great at making me hate that character. Kudos to her.

And here we have our good friend, Harry Osborn. Back from getting the help he needs dealing with his addiction to Globulin Green. And his, ahem, "supposed" stint as the Green Goblin. Again, I say, "supposed." But now, he's back. He and Pete are picking up where they left off, and Harry is now making the moves on Gwen. You know, I quite like this. When he was on drugs, she was the one who noticed something was wrong and tried to help him, and I am glad he appreciates it. I did enjoy the little flash to the Goblin.

Speaking of flashes, Peter seems to be hallucinating supervillains. Green Goblin and Eddie Brock/Venom. Although, the latter turns out not be so much a hallucination. Very clever Eddie, making Peter so paranoid that he leads you to the symbiote.

That was the gravy, let's get to the meat. Sandman. While he's never been my favorite supervillain, I did enjoy this outing (well, I enjoyed all his outings on this show). He was tough, practical as always. Very interesting uses of his powers, and proved to not be such a bad guy at heart. This is where he differs from his old partner, O'Hirn. Rhino just seems to be more bloodthirsty, and I could not imagine him risking his life to save others or entertaining little girls.

And the writers had me, for a moment I did think Sandman got killed at the end. Love it.

Hammerhead is a hard boss to like. But it's been a while since we've seen him, so his return was welcome. His presence, as well as the Big Man's, seem to be less dominant this season than last. Which is cool with me. Nice to not get a repeat of the Kingpin from the 90s Fox Kids series, who was just everywhere.

I bet it's fun being in the recording booth and listening to John DiMaggio have dialogue with himself.

So, the Master Planner rents out supervillains now? Good racket. Does anyone besides Spidey, Tinkerer, Vulture and Electro even know the Planner is Dr. Octopus?

Good episode. Gonna be a long week till the next one. But I am looking forward to it because it features the long awaited return of a character I've been missing. I of course speak of J. Jonah Jameson.

*** END SPIDEY SPOILERS ***

R. Vega writes...

First off I’d like to thank you and your team for making Spectacular Spider-Man a great experience to watch. Personally I’d like to comment on all the highlights of the show, but in an effort to keep this short here goes.
Season 2 has already aired outside the U.S. and I’d like to ask a question with the assumption that I’ve already viewed both seasons. If you don’t wish to answer this question for any reason I understand.
On to my question, if [I’d like to say WHEN] season 3 is picked up, will we see a continuation of Gwen and Peter’s love story? I apologize if it seems like a dumb question but I was fascinated by the build up between the two in the series. Add the fact that Gwen is a very likeable character in this series and how we as the audience always root for the main character I’m just wondering if we’ll have more moments between them. I would also like to know if it was a challenge figuring out a way to make their relationship interesting and enjoyable to watch. I’m aware many TV shows try this and the end result seems forced, but here, it seems to be put together perfectly. Both the writers and the voice actors did a really good job on this aspect of the show.
Anyway I wish you and your team the best of luck. And I’ll be rooting for you guys for a season 3!

Masterdramon writes...

Hi! Nice to see you back from your "AskGreg" break; I hope that things are going well for you.

Like many fans I have seen "The Spectacular Spider-Man" Season 2 via YouTube already (though I'll still be watching the series as much as possible on television in order to support the ratings). One of the coolest extras (without getting into too much spoiler territory) of the season was hearing you voicing Donald Menken, Norman Osborn's right-hand suit. You did a very admirable job at portraying a very flat, all-business character, which is exactly what I would expect from Menken (even though most Spidey fans probably have no idea who he is).

Given that (as far as I know) your only previous foray into voice acting was the commando who says "Nice mask!" in "Awakening Part II," how did you end up being selected for this voice role (which was obviously a lot more significant than the commando; in episodes 21 and 26 in particular the character played a vital role)? Did voice director Jamie Thomason ask you to play Menken, or did you volunteer? Or was there some other circumstance altogether?

Thank you for your time, and good luck with your work!

Travis writes...

Are there any plans for Keith David to do any voicework in season 2 of Spectacular Spider-Man? Ever since I started watching the Gargoyles repeats on Toon Disney + bought the season 1 DVD I've fallen in love with his voice, and it seems like now I hear it everywhere.

Janus writes...

What voice actor would you cast to play Staghart aka Amp?

Michelle writes...

Hello!

I've been a huge fan of Gargoyles since it first came out way back in 94 when I was just a kid. I loved it all! The characters, the stories, etc. My brother loved it just as much as I did too. So when we found out that it was being continued in comic book form (we're utter geeks by the way) we were so excited! And we've been duly collecting the comic with each new release. I love Bad Guys! And I can't wait for Rock of Ages! So I have a silly pointless question for you. Just to warn you ahead of time. : )

I love the new gargoyles Coco and Amp! And I really love where I think/hope you're going with Amp and Lexington ^_^. But it's a shame that we won't get to hear them speak and what not in animated form. So I was curious if you had your pick of any voce actor/actress in all the world who would you have to voice them. And why?

I warned you it was silly and pointless. Anyway! I love the comic and I hope you keep up the great work. Also you've done a fantastic job with Spectacular Spiderman. I can't wait for Season 2!

Thnak you for your time!

K9: The First writes...

KINGDOM

You asked for my ramble, and here it is!

ANIMATION

Okay, let me start off with the animation here. I don't know what studio did this ep, but I wish they did EVERY episode for the show! It has the feel of some sort of Animated Film or an Anime. The action is smooth, and even when the characters aren't talking, they aren't just standing there(something I've recently found in cartoons that I don't like), their always doing something. Little nuances that makes the scenes more realistic are EVERYWHERE.

Example: In the first scene, when we open on Hudson watching Brook and Lex glide in, you can tell how disturbed he is that they're alone, without Goliath. More often then not scenes of a similar vein have the character have more ambiguous expression.

Another example is Fang and Talon's areil fight in the Labyrinth: Real cool. They even got the wings to flap! (Bat's wings remember?)

And I looked for that Cross-Eyed Xanatos you mentioned(I got the DVD), and I think I saw it, but it was barely a blink in the animation. two or three frames tops I'd say.

And I liked Maggie and Claw's interation during Fang and Talon's fight. I got the impression that Claw was quite smitten with her at one point.

But by far, my absolute FAV bit was right when Fang took Maggie Hostage. It was fluid, and the animator really put effort into making Maggie look like she was trying to escape, or at least look ticked off. I could watch that footage loop all day, I'm THAT impressed. I also got a ThunderCats vibe from it for some reason.

And how about Lex breaking through that ceiling in the final scene? Arms crossed and all that.

VOICE ACTING

Not much to say here. But the performances are-as always- top notch.

"Do I really need an excuse to have a good time in my own home?" I laughed out loud there.

However, Katie Soucie's portrayal is off this time. Her Maggie voice isn't what it was. It's deeper, smoother this time around, when before it was a tiny bit higher and somewhat raspy. She's still giving a great performance, it's just that the voice itself is out of continuity. I know that you weren't in charge of Voice Direction, but I just thought at least Katie would remember the voice she used a few months prior.

I guess the in-show answer could be that either the mutation has set up in her vocal cords(and stops there), or that it's to show her standing up more, sort of speak.

And am I the only one who finds the fact that Jeff and Katie are acting characters that are acting funny?

STORY

I didn't know Gargoyles existed, let alone watch it, until maybe '95 or '96. I remember watching something on TGIF about the new One Saturday Morning block when/if it had Gargoyles. (I remember a gag with the host that night with a Gargoyle's eyes glowing red) I watched the show on and off over the years(NOT that I didn't love it, I just could catch the reruns all the time). Anyway, I can't remember the first time I watched this episode, so I can't give my first impression sadly.

And Brooklyn's lack of action is understandable, and doesn't come off as fear, which is important. And that first scene shows that, while they probably couldn't do so for long, the clan does have an idea of what needs to be done without a leader(to many shows have the 'non-leader' types fall to peices without an authorety figure too quickly). It also shows what a minipulative punk Hudson can be! ^_^ (That's a good thing)

You mentioned the question of a Power Vaccume, and I agree that no organized group can exist without a leader type, be it an individual, or a group. I also think that, without some form of disciplinary threat, no organization is safe, as Talon's lack of action against Fang shows, and a fact Maggie subtly brings up, and Talon gives the stereotypical arguement for no punishment.

And it seems Xanatos has become Talon's Demona, something Fang expertly exploits beautifully.

And yes, the new security stinks. I think the next version might not be so...destructive.

As to your concern about the lack of use of "Xanatos knows!!" nugget, I think-even if he couldn't find a use for the info directly-it could still be useful in making the Gargs needlessly wary.

Now those blaster, am I correct to assume that Cyberbiotics was up against Xanatos Enterprises for a lasor weapons military contract?

Speaking of, I can only assume that Talon and the others didn't come down with a fatal case of Dead By Lasor is that Fang, Claw, Chaze and Lou didn't know how to aim those things.

And I think Maggie was very brave in her own way. To many crimes go on because those who COULD stop it by going to the police, WON'T out of fear. She could have easily just gone with Fang's regime, but she went to the Gargs. Be it out of love for Dereck, or a since of Justice.

During the battle at the end, I always feel worried for the homeless people and their stuff, cause that's quite literally all they have in the world.

And I'm impressed by Fang when he gets Maggie, "I have no gripes with you. Leave now and Maggie goes free." This is fundamentally different from, say, Demona, whose only response to anyone-human OR Gargoyle-standing against her is 'KILL 'EM! KILL 'EM ALL!!!!' Fang however, is willing to let them all go, even let Maggie-a vital bargining chip with Talon- leave with them. This-to me- hints that he has a grasp of who's his enemy, and-grudes aside-could be an okay guy. ...Or an idiot with no sense of strategy. Your choice.

And those great acting skills you keep telling us about! Give 'er a hand everybody! And hey, even if Maggie's looks keep her off most of the plays out there, like I always say: she would be a shoe in for CATS.

And there is one more lesson that I'm surprised no one else got. Or at least, no one's mentioned. Fang calls out to Claw, asking him if he wants to be weak. Claw shakes his head no. No, he doesn't want to be weak... anymore. He chooses to be strong in a different way, and abandons Fang to team up with Talon and Maggie.

And so the 'Mutate Trilogy' has ended, with the Labyrinth Clan firmly established and allied with the Manhattan Clan. Maggie and Talon are firmly established(Much to the joy of the Maglon shippers, though to the woe of the Broogie shippers), and Brooklyn and Talon have fully accepted their respective roles as leaders.

I enjoyed this ep. Saddly Doc Sevarius isn't present(any Tim Curry is AWESOME), but that's okay, 'cause he really wasn't needed here. I hope to do the other Mutate eps, and the rest of the episodes sooner or later.

Good luck with the comic!

Jordan writes...

Hey Greg,

Who would you consider your ten favorite voice actors?

Beth B. writes...

Dear Greg,

I was just wondering if you had seen the new Transformers: Animated show now airing on Cartoon Network... I checked back in the archives and found that no one had asked this yet, so I thought I'd give it a go.

It's interesting that it centers around five Autobots, "in statsis" for the past few decades or so that are suddenly reawakened when they are in need. The five include Optimus Prime (David Kaye), Rachet (Corey Burton ), Bumblebee (Bumper Robinson ), AND

Bulkhead (Bill Fagerbakke ) and Prowl (Jeff Bennett ) !!!!

I was pretty amazed when I saw this. Not only did the former voice actors from Gargoyles come back to do a show together but in relatively the same roles as they had played back in Gargoyles!

Jeff Bennett does a superb job as Prowl (a sleek cyberninja... kind of an outcast of the group= Brooklyn!!!), and sounds about as dead pan as Owen Burnett, which makes me giggle with joy. Bulkhead is... bulky and the bigger guy of the group (and voiced by our old friend Broadway!).

Even the others match up:
Rachet: old veteran 'bot, akin to Hudson
Bumblebee: smallest of the group: Lexington

So all that to say this: What do you think of your formula being used again in another hit show? I know we can't credit you coming up with the archetypes, but certainly perpetuating them in a way that many fans have grown to love. Have you seen the show? What are your impressions of the show?

Thanks again,
-Beth B.

Kenneth Chisholm writes...

I've read that you imagine your character on the ideal voice actor for it such as Morgan Freeman for Quincy Hemings.

I was wondering, what are the criteria for the voices you imagine. Do they have to be living? If not, have you ever imagined characters appropriate for major Star Trek actors that did not appear as voice on the series such as James Doohan, DeForest Kelly, George Takei, Grace Lee Whitney and Walter Koenig?

Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Greg wrote:
"Actually, any thoughts from anyone on who might be a good choice to write an intro to Volume Two?"

I know it isn't any more of a given that an actor is a good writer than a writer is a good actor, but Ed Asner might be an interesting person to write an intro. It's the type of unexpected thing that might catch a little attention. (I still remember being surprised at Patrick Stewart's intro to a Transmetroplitan- made even funnier by not looking who wrote it till I got to the sign off.) And he's have the built in story of seeing the description, "Hudson hates spunk" and knowing he had the role.

Algernon writes...

I'd like to start by wishing a happy Easter to those who cerebrate it and to those that don't, have a great day anyway. Now lets talk Spidey...

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Market Forces

Another solid episode with a lot of different threads running through it. We start getting to know J. Johna Jameson and he's a lot of fun, I especially liked the whole hyperactive 'perpetually ten minutes to deadline' attitude they gave him. Interestingly this incarnation of ole Jolly Jonah doesn't seem to be particularly Anti-Spidey, I don't know if you've completely dropped it or if you're going to incorporate it later.

Also returning are Flint Marko and Alex O'Hirn AKA the future Sandman and Rhino respectively. O'Hirn's "ram him with a truck" move is a very Rhino-esque tactic, nice bit of foreshadowing.

When I first heard that Shocker wasn't going to be Herman Schultz I was a little weirded out but this episode erased all my doubts. Montana makes for a pretty charismatic villain with warped sense of honor. by the way, how weird is it to see the bad guy espousing the Moral of The Day(TM)?

We also meet Betty Brant and Robbie Robertson, I'd guessed that Randy from Peter's school was indeed his son but it's nice to have confirmation. big shout out to Phil LaMarr who managed to make father and son sound both reminiscent yet distinctive. Some nice interaction between Pete and Betty but is he trying to get the poor women tossed in jail.

Norman Osborn gets some nice development in this episode, teaming up with the Big Man to set up a sort of Supervillians'R'Us. That's what sets Osborn apart from Spidey's other rogues. Take away Vulture's wing and he's just a bitter old man. Take away Electro's lightning and he's just the school handyman. Take away Venom's symbiont and he's just a dweeb with a persecution complex. But take away Green Goblin's Glider and Pumpkin Bombs and he can still make your life a living hell as plain old Norman Osborn.

When I first heard that Keith David would be replaced as the Big Man I was rather disappointed but I was very impressed by Kevin Michael Richardson's performance. he really nailed the part, so much so that I wouldn't have noticed the change if I hadn't heard about it before hand.

All in all another job well done.