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Bråndeewine writes...

This isn't a question, but I had to comment on today. As everyone knows, it is Father's Day. I was reading your answers, that you let Erin and Ben give their input on. As I have said before, you are a great dad! Happy Father's Day!

Greg responds...

Thank you very much. I try anyway.

Response recorded on July 29, 2000

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Demonskrye writes...

Hi Greg!
Before I go into my comments proper, I just wanted to mention that I picked up the JLA Showcase for the sole purpose of reading your story. (Though, being a pretty well cerifiable comics fan, I did read the rest of it and enjoyed the majority of it.) I read in the archives that you had originally expected someone else to be penciling it. But judging from the appearance of "Le Trio", Seine, and Left Bank, I'm guessing somebody gave Mr. Jones some sort of reference. Anyways, it was a fun read and it's nice to see you finding a way to do some "Gargoyles" related stuff. Sort of.
Now the real post.
First off, I started watching "Gargoyles" during season 1. I got interested when I saw the trailer that preceded the "Nightmare Before Christmas" video and the various ads that ran in comic books. (It was a nice touch when Brooklyn repeated the "Stopping evil...stone cold!" catch phrase as well as every other one associated with the show in...."Gathering, Part One, I think.) But I actually ran across the show by accident. So the first episode I saw was actually "Awakening, Part Two". I think I caught on to what was going on pretty quickly in spite of missing part one. But after that, my sister and I both became loyal viewers. I only missed a few episodes - usually due to piano lessons - and I caught all of them on a later airing.

I think one things I noticed early on that might have clued me in to the fact that this show was going to be a bit different was Xanatos's line "Pay a man enough, and he'll walk barefoot through Hell." (Forgive me if I'm misquoting; I don't have my tapes with me.) Even though this was pretty much an isolated case, I think the fact that Xanatos was able to say that did strike me.

Thinking back now, I find it rather touching that Tom considered the gargoyles his friends after a single short conversation with them. Though he may just be picking up on their way of refering to one another.

Ah Demona. Definitely one of my top five favorite characters. As I missed Part One the first time around, I can't say if Demona's return was predictable or not. I did kind of figure she was going to be a villain, though I can't remember if I saw the D.A. preview comic before or after "Awakening". I do recall being a little saddened by the fact that the only female gargoyle (at the time) turned out to be a villain. Little did I know.
I admit that I'm biased due to my personal fondness for Demona, but I can't believe that there was nothing but schemeing in her head when she was reunited with Goliath. Yes, she does lie to him about how she survived the Wyvern massacre. But she's had a good thousand years to think about a plausable story to explain that. And granted she does want to win him over to her way of thinking. But I'm not sure that she had really considered the possibility that Goliath would turn her away. She probably thought that she had him just about on her side, since he would be seeing her alive again and still have the memory of the Wyvern betrayal pretty fresh in his mind. And after all those years of solitude, some part of Demona must have felt genuine joy at seeing Goliath again. And in this case, I think she would much more freely acknowledge that part of her than she would after "Awakening".

I got a hint at the fact that "Gargoyles" would be heavy on continuity when Elisa starts telling Goliath about the bright side of Manhattan and mentions "moms who sings their kids to sleep, like my mom used to sing to me". This implied that, in spite of her limited wardrobe, Elisa was not a standard cartoon character. She had not always been a twentysomething and she did have a family. Even though I didn't see them until "Deadly Games", it set me up for their appearance.

At this early stage, the Trio did seem a bit like typical cartoon teenagers with wings and tails. Within the context of the whole season, it does fit and the "Trio trilogy" defines them as individuals. But at the time, I was pretty much expecting the Ninja Turtles minus one.

I can't remember if I recognized Xanatos as the villain at that point. Demona either. Incidently, I'm sure you hear from Star Trek fans who watched the show and thought of Xanatos as Commander Riker. My experience was the opposite; I didn't start watching Star Trek much until after I was well into "Gargoyles". Consequently, I spent the first few episodes calling Riker "Mr. Xanatos"!

And I did appreciate the nice animation on the first awakening in Manhattan and the final fight scene. I love good characterization, but really cool action scenes certainly have their uses too.

And no, I didn't think Demona was dead. She had wings. She'd survived for a thousand years somehow. She was just too darn COOL to die.

That's all I can think of for now. I'll probably post what I thought about the rest of season one some other time. (In easily digested, one episode per post chunks) Thanks as always for your time.

And incidently, I expect nothing less than excellence from the "Bone" movie. Jeff Smith's got control of the project and he used to be an animator. So he has no excuse.

That's all. Really.

Greg responds...

Thanks for all the kind words. I agree that Demona was hoping for a complete reunion with Goliath -- she just assumed it would be on her terms.

I have every confidence that Jeff Smith will do a great job on the Bone movie.

Response recorded on July 29, 2000

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Warrioress writes...

I noticed something interesting about "Reawakenings". There's a scene where Brooklyn says "We live above a police station! What could happen?" And at the end of the next season, lo, the tower gets blown up by a missle from the Hunter's airship! What could happen, indeed.....! ;-)

Greg responds...

Well, see, police stations aren't as safe as they used to be.

Response recorded on July 29, 2000

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Fanatic writes...

Greg, if you want to revive Gargoyles, you should probably stop quit with stuff that could offend the worlds major religions. Like for instance:
1)You said humans were using a variation of the gargoyle "Ashes to ashes or dust to dust" at their funerals.
This was a biblical reference to humans being created from the dust of the Earth, and a lot of people take everything the Bible says at face value. (I don't but I know people who do.
2)You once said the the Gargoyles Universe is ruled by fate, and God knows everything that will happen. This is a common religious mistake, God knows everything that COULD happen, not what WILL happen. Or at least thats what most ministers would say if you asked them.

Greg responds...

1. I stand by what I wrote.

2. I don't think I ever said that exactly. But I also disagree with your assessment of what "ministers would say". God knowing the future doesn't negate free will. God knows everything. The way you now know how, say, the X-Men movie ends. Doesn't mean that the creators of that movie didn't have free will, just because at some point in the future it would already be a done deal. The fact that God isn't bound by time the way we are, doesn't mean he hasn't granted us the gift of free will. I think most ministers would agree with me on this topic. Nearly all, in fact.

And generally, I doubt I've "offended the world's major religions" ever, let alone often. I'm certainly not worried about ministers preventing me from making the show again.

Response recorded on July 26, 2000

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Steve Soldwedel writes...

I realize that my composition is a little horrendous at points and, with you having been a teacher and editor, I apologize for the shoddiness of grammar in my post.

Greg responds...

Don't sweat it.

Response recorded on July 26, 2000

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Steve Soldwedel writes...

Greg, this is in response to a rambling of yours from a while back that I just read in the archive; the one in which you spoke of vindication in a lawsuit over who'd created Gargoyles. You closed the post saying that you might seem petty. I just wanted to assure you that I don't think you're response to the situation is petty at all. As for him besmirching your honor, I think he did. As for you feeling vindicated, I think you're wholly justified. I write and draw, I've got my own little worlds with their own intricate characters. They're like my children, I know all about them, what makes them tick, who they are in more than just a face value sense; I also appreciate their predilection to define themselves as I write... Being a creator of things, of giving my ideas substance, I can empathize with the feeling of having been slighted by someone who claims that something of yours is actually theirs. The only thing we really have to call our own is the unquantifiable stuff in our minds. Alas when that stuff gets made into a tangible medium, it becomes quantifiable to many. Granted, you know that it will always be the ethereal stuff of your ideas, but having not created it themselves, the rank and file look at it as a commodity; unfortunately, people see commodities fit to be stolen. So, I guess the risk of quantifying and distributing your ideas to the masses is the potentiality to have some dishonorable charlatan try to steal it. I really respect that you pursued your vision and manifested it in a series as spectacular as Gargoyles. It still stands as my favorite show of all time. I hope that I'll be able to find the gumption to get my ideas out to the public; you're a bit of a hero to me in that aspect. And while my feeling that you're justifiable in feeling vindicated could be perceived as hero worship, I don't deify anyone. My empathy is just that, understanding. I wish you luck on all your future endeavors.

Greg responds...

Thanks for the support.

To clarify, I'm NOT claiming I created (let alone produced) Gargoyles by myself. It wasn't only my honor that was being besmirched, it was the honor of every member of the team that I led.

And I'm also not claiming that this guy STOLE my ideas. For all I know he independently came up with an idea for a gargoyles show. After all, gargoyles exist. They're out there. He could have had a similar idea.

What bothered me was his assumption, without any evidence that I had ever even SEEN his materials, that I had stolen my ideas from him. If I can grant that he came up with it independently, why can't he grant the same.

Response recorded on July 26, 2000

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Todd Jensen writes...

I enjoyed your "Gargoyles vs. Batman" memo that you reprinted and sent to the list. It's nice to be able to read it at last.

While, as you admitted, some of the differences cited were probably not all that serious (as in the butler one you mentioned), I do think that it gives an effective explanation of the thematic differences between the two series, not only in the head one (the difference between how Bruce Wayne and Goliath have been affected by their tragedies), but also in your mentioning of how Gotham City and the gargoyles' New York differ from each other - which clearly reflects the nature of the leads as well (Gotham City's darkness reflecting Batman's own internal darkness, while New York's more upbeat tone reflecting Goliath's belief that, with a good amount of work, he and his clan can make things better).

(One other difference I might add: time period. The Gotham City of "Batman:TAS" is a surrealistic blend of different time periods - its technology is advanced enough to have computer disks and videotapes, but the clothing, architecture, and styles of the cars and airplanes all suggests something more 1930's to 1950's and color television hasn't even been introduced yet, apparently - while the New York of "Gargoyles" is more definitely set in the 1990's).

At any rate, thanks for posting it.

Greg responds...

True, though one might argue that our time period -- though more grounded in the present -- in fact intentionally merged the present with the distant past and the far-flung future. We loved juxtaposing the ancient with the modern with the futuristic. It was one of our signature motifs, e.g. gargs in modern Manhattan.

Response recorded on July 26, 2000

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Alvaro writes...

Hello Greg:
My name is Alvaro, I am from Spain and I warn you that this message will be quite bad written even so I hope you answer.I am a I authenticate fanatic of your series and you are an it schemes.I almost have all the recorded chapters that have been emitted in españa but I doubt that they have been emitted all alone one to tell you that that you are a genius and that you continue with the series although that sees it difficult.Another thing Brooklyn is my favorite one although all are brilliant.I hope you are able to read the message well and that you answer me if you can.
my e-mail: zoom-alvaro@teleline.es

Greg responds...

Alvaro, thanks for writing. I hope you still check this site, because I don't have the time to personally e-mail all the people who post here.

I appreciate that we have fans all over the world. It's very gratifying. Maybe we can meet at a Gathering some day?

Response recorded on July 26, 2000

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Ray Kremer writes...

My parents just took a trip to Ireland, and were surprised by the daylight hours. It's June, and the sun is up from 4:30 am to 10:00 pm. Scotland's even farther north than Ireland. I guess the Wyvern nights got pretty short in the summer, while being very long in the winter. Good thing Gargoyles don't mind the cold so much. Must've been nice for Goliath and crew to move to New York where the daylight periods don't vary quite as much.

Greg responds...

Yep.

Response recorded on July 26, 2000

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Karen writes...

Dear Mr. Wiseman:
I find myself in a strange situation, but one perhaps you've heard about a hundred times before. I'm going on 37 years old and I LOVE Gargoyles! How I started watching I won't bore you with, suffice it to say I now MAKE my husband tape it on Toon Disney for me every night (to his credit, he rolls his eyes but does it - what a good boy!). Problem is, I don't even have any children so I can't say "Oh, you know, the kids like to watch it, and I sort of follow along to see what they're watching..." Nope. No excuses. I just plain love the show.
So, after all that, here's the question. I think the show was marketed towards the a 'young adults' market, but how many of the fans you accrued actually turned out to be my age? Did that surprise you, or were you hoping/expecting it? (I know, strictly speaking that's two questions, but I hope since they're variations on a theme...).
Thank you for your consideration.

Greg responds...

Not so strange. I'm going on 37 and I love Gargoyles too. The show was marketed to our primary target, which was kids ages six to eleven. But we wrote the show to work on multiple levels, to appeal to all age groups. Hell, primarily, I wrote the show to appeal to me. And we're the same age. So, no, I'm not shocked. But I'm glad it worked.

Response recorded on July 26, 2000


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