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Harry writes...

How powerful is Superboy relative to the Justice League? For example, is his strength greater than Aquaman or Martian Manhunter's and does he match up to Captain Marvel?

Greg responds...

He's stronger than Aquaman and Martian Manhunter (though the latter could augment his strength with telekinesis.

As for Captain Marvel, it depends which season you're talking about.

Response recorded on March 09, 2020

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Roger writes...

Well first, thanks for taking the time to answer these questions and congratulations on YJ Season 3.

1) Is Superboy the physically strongest on the Team at the moment? It feels somewhat ambiguous with the introduction of wonder girl and the ease with which Aqualad knocked him out.
2) Would M'gann have been powerful enough to defeat Despero or Black Beetle with her powers if it hadn't been for her previous trauma?
3) How do inhibitor collars actually work? On enemies like Blockbuster or Mammoth, I get that they disable superstrength, but they would have those as an extension of their size anyway. Do you have any particular idea behind the collars' mechanics?

Thank you for your time.

Greg responds...

1. As of the end of Season Two, yes.

2. It's a hypothetical. There's no way to know now.

3. Vague, vague ideas about neural centers or somesuch pseudo-science nonsense.

Response recorded on March 09, 2020

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luke wilson writes...

Hi Greg, huge fan of young justice and can't wait for season 3. I was just wondering with static being in the show, how that came to be. Was there any issue getting him in the show since he is a milestone media character, and how were you able to convince them to let you use him? In theory can you use any milestone character you want? Can you use the wildstorm and vertigo characters in the show if you want to or is there certain restrictions?

Greg responds...

Things change over time. And I never know why.

We wanted to use Rocket and Icon in Season One. At the time, it wasn't any kind of problem, that I can recall.

In Season Two, we wanted to add Static, which was also not a problem.

In Season Three, we wanted to add Hardware and Holocaust and Amistad, and suddenly there was a problem with us using any Milestone characters, at all, including those we'd already been using for years.

And then suddenly there wasn't a problem. I never quite understood what had changed or what had changed back. I'm just glad we still have access to the Milestone characters, cuz I love 'em.

We used one Wildstorm character in S1, but I'll admit I'm not as familiar with those characters and so we haven't really tried to use any more of them.

Vertigo... I guess it would depend if they were creator owned or company owned.

Response recorded on February 14, 2020

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Unbbc writes...

In one of the issues of the tie in comic for young justice,Wally takes Superboy to Forever 16. Is that a Pun? Why did you decide to name it that

Greg responds...

I wouldn't call it a pun. It's more of a pastiche on the real-world Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters retail chains. (The full title of the store is "Forever 16/Suburban Outfitters".)

As for why we chose 16... have you seen our show?

Response recorded on January 31, 2020

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Marvelman writes...

Hi, Greg. I read this article today that some criticisms of Young Justice: https://comicsverse.com/young-justice-why-i-wont-watch/. While I didn't agree with most of what the writer said, he did make at least one criticism that I had never stopped to consider. He pointed out that the team's mission didn't make sense because the missions they undertake don't seem to be any less dangerous than the missions the league takes on. So, yeah, fighting space monsters is dangerous, but is being left alone in a foreign country, or fighting a cabal of the world`s greatest super-villains any less dangerous? How do you respond to that?

Greg responds...

I haven't read the article and don't intend to, but I respond to your question by saying, "Watch the show." This is all explained in universe. At some point, you either buy into it or you don't.

But having said that, I'll also make the point that we don't get to see most of the League's missions. How do you know how dangerous they are?

Response recorded on January 31, 2020

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Gothic Cowboy writes...

I read a recent answer from you about super-breath and, while I certainly agree that it's kind of "out there" in terms of plausibility, I feel that some of your objections are flawed.
Consider volume, for instance. Yes, his lungs aren't any bigger than a baseline human's, but they're much stronger and more durable than a baseline human's lungs would be. While liquids and solids are practically incompressible, gasses are not (have you ever checked the air pressure in your tires?), and pressurized air is widely used in society (aerosol spray containers, for instance). Given the assumptions, it is consistent with physics for Superman to hold a greater volume of air in his lungs, it would simply have to be at a greater pressure than a human would be able to endure.
On the subject of coldness, the air in his lungs would be under tremendous pressure. Rapidly forcing all of that high-pressure air out into a lower-pressure environment would have a cooling effect, though probably not to extent typically shown.
I apologize if I'm coming off as pedantic. I agree that it isn't very plausible, but it feels like your primary objection is that gasses are incompressible, and they are not. Imagine you have two tanks, one made of titanium, the other tin, and you pump air into both of them at the same steady rate until they burst. Which tank will burst first, and why? Thank you for your time.

Greg responds...

So he's capable of super-inhalation in order to pressurize the air in his lungs? That just doesn't work for me. I can't get my head around it.

And, as you said, the air wouldn't be as cold coming out as it's depicted.

The fact that gases can be pressurized is well known to me. But that's not the source of my objection. I don't see any system for this that makes sense, any biological system to actually pressurize the air in his finite lungs, let alone making it cold enough to actually freeze things when he exhales.

Look, I don't think you're being pedantic. Or - rather - no more pedantic than I'm being. I just can't buy into it. It seems like a silly addition to his power-set, like someone once said, "Okay, we've got him shooting heat from his eyes, let's have him shoot cold from his mouth."

Mostly, however, it's just that he's powerful enough. He doesn't need that, too. At least not in YJ.

Response recorded on January 28, 2020

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Marvelman writes...

What will the run time of Outsiders be? Will it be longer than Invasion?

Greg responds...

I assume you mean per episode.

We no longer have a set time constraint for lenth of episodes, as we did back on our cable days. Of course, we have budgetary constraints, so the episodes are still approximately the same length. But some ran a litttle longer than others, as we can now edit each episode to its ideal length and not to some arbitrary fixed length.

Response recorded on October 29, 2019

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Kayra Youvmir writes...

Is Talia al'Ghul on Earth-16 multiracial (Arabic/Chinese on both her parents' sides) like in the comics (at least pre-Flashpoint)?

Greg responds...

Talia is biracial or multi-ethnic or something. (I'm not trying to be dismissive, but I'm honestly not sure of the appropriate term these days.)

Ra's is Arabic. Melisande is European.

But where are you getting Chinese? (And, no, Sensei is NOT Ra's father on Earth-16.) There's a SPOILER, I guess.

Response recorded on October 29, 2019

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Kayra Youvmir writes...

1. What is the name of Barbara Gordon's mother on Earth-16?
2. Is she still married to Jim Gordon?

Greg responds...

1 & 2. No Spoilers.

Response recorded on October 22, 2019

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Marvelman writes...

A thought occurred to me about Captain Marvel.

First, let me say, I'm not trying to get you into trouble. I'm really not. But I was wondering...

When ten-year-old Billy transforms into Captain Marvel does he gain an adult libido?

(I'll understand if you want to steer clear of this question.)

Greg responds...

I'm gonna say yes. But its not uncontrollable. In any case, as of Season Three, Billy is 18-years-old, so his libido is already "adult" enough.

Response recorded on October 22, 2019

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Anonymous writes...

In the DC Comics storyline, "Brightest Day," Black Manta's real name is David (last name unknown; presumed to be Hyde). Does his "Young Justice" animated counterpart share the same name as well...?

Greg responds...

#NoSpoilers here either.

Response recorded on October 18, 2019

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Marvelman writes...

This question goes back to the age old question: why does Superman need the Justice League? Or, why does Thor need the Avengers?

Have you ever decided against using a DC character as a team member because he or she was too powerful? If so, can you tell us which heroes you nixed?

Greg responds...

Nope. Quite the reverse. We began YJ with a Justice League that include 16 members including two Green Lanterns, two Hawks, Captains Atom and Marvel, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Zatara, Red Tornado, Green Arrow and Black Canary, so that when they arrived on the scene it would truly feel like the gods coming down from Olympus.

And the League only expanded and got more powerful from there, adding Doctor Fate, Icon and others of tremendous power.

Response recorded on October 18, 2019

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X-Aviery writes...

Why does the YJ WIKI look so much better than the Gargoyles WIKI? Don't you have the same people working on it?

Greg responds...

I don't have ANY "people working on it." Fans are in charge of both sites. I like both wikis for different reasons. I refer to both often.

Response recorded on October 16, 2019

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Anonymous writes...

How does Jade feel about her sister date Kid Flash (Wally)?

Greg responds...

I guess it depends on which season we're talking about. I'd say initially, she saw him as just another dumb hero dragging Artemis toward a mundane life. Later, of course, she would have seen how devastated Artemis was by Wally's death.

Response recorded on October 16, 2019

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Anonymous writes...

You once said you held auditions for Impulse, Blue Beetle, Tim and another. Was that Static?

Greg responds...

Yes, at the beginning of S2, we held auditions for Impulse/Bart Allen (Jason Marsden), Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes & Scarab (Eric Lopez), Robin/Tim Drake (Cameron Bowen) and Static/Virgil Hawkins (Bryton James). We already knew we wanted Mae Whitman to play Wonder Girl/Cassie Sandsmark. And we already had Crispin Freeman for Arsenal, Logan Grove for Beast Boy, Yuri Lowenthal for Lagoon Boy, Alyson Stoner as Batgirl, Kevin Michael Richardson for Guardian, and Masasa Moyo as Bumblebee.

Note that for extra security/secrecy, we created a completely non-existent series for Jason, Eric, Cameron, Bryton and others to audition for. They had no idea they were auditioning for Young Justice.

Response recorded on October 15, 2019

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Liv writes...

I want to repost this question like you suggested:
http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=12525

I'm interested in your thoughts (and possibly Brandon Vietti's and Jamie Thomason's as well, if possible) on the casting process for the voices of the main characters of Young Justice. What was/is it that the main cast - Jesse McCartney, Khary Payton, Nolan North, Stephanie Lemelin, Danica McKeller, and Jason Spisak - bring to their respective characters that you, Vietti, and Thomason were looking for? In another question, you answered that the members of Young Justice were chosen based on a variety of factors (i.e. personality, dynamics, etc.). How did that play out in the casting process?

Greg responds...

I'm not going to attempt to speak for Brandon or Jamie, though I'd lay odds our thoughts on this subject are at least similar. But I'll take the original six leads and - one by one - give a little bit about what I remember from ... nearly a decade ago.

B-01 Jesse McCartney as Robin - Jesse was one of the last actors cast, mostly because we were having trouble finding a Robin, and Jesse was part of a second (or third?) round of auditions that we went through in our search. We were looking for someone who could bring the fun of our thirteen-year-old kid. Who could do that gleeful laugh and pull off words like "whelmed" ... and still bring the serious when we needed it. Jesse could do all that. Was that because he himself had been a pro since he was a kid? I don't know. All I can tell you is he brought all those qualities.

B-02 Khary Payton as Aqualad - Khary actually had a strike against him, going in, because he played Cyborg on Teen Titans. As we wanted to distinguish ourselves from that series and Justice League Unlimited, we weren't too inclined to use regulars from those series as regulars in ours. But Khary's audition just nailed it, leaving us no choice. (Thank God.) He instantly "got" the character and instantly mastered that combination of wistful steadfastness, maturity and leadership we were looking for, without making the character suddenly older than his sixteen years. Plus he really nailed that feeling of English-as-a-second-language that we wanted our Atlantean to have.

B-03 Jason Spisak as Kid Flash - As Jamie often said, no one was better than Jason at bringing out his inner douche. Wally had to be both obnoxious and lovable. He had to be smart and a dope. He had to be Robin's best friend and a bit of a pain. Enthusiastic and insecure. Blustering and vulnerable. Jason was able to bring all those contradictions to life.

B-04 Nolan North as Superboy and Superman - This was tricky, too, as we needed someone who could play both Superman (age 33) and his clone Superboy (age 16). Nolan does an amazing job at playing both characters, making them sound distinct and yet genetically the same. Conner had to start out angry but have somewhere to go. There had to be heart and depth beneath his hardened exterior. Nolan did all that.

B-05 Danica McKellar as Miss Martian - We were actually looking for someone who had a bit of experience as a sitcom actress to play M'gann (and eventually Megan Wheeler and Marie Logan). Someone who understood those rhythms but could transcend them, as well. Someone who could play the insecurity that comes with hiding big secrets from the people she's closest to, but also be a bad ass when necessary. Someone who would be unafraid to be soft and (traditionally) feminine and not be hamstrung by that.

B-07 Stephanie Lemelin as Artemis - Artemis needed edge. She was the tough girl, particularly in contrast to Miss Martian. But underneath it, she - like most of the other characters - had some vulnerability and a lot of insecurity because of the secrets she too was hiding. Stephanie brought that edge.

And, of course, all six brought - in addition to their acting skills and intuitive understanding of the character - certain vocal qualities that just felt like they fit the designs of the characters.

Response recorded on October 15, 2019

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John Doe writes...

Hey Greg. I have a few questions.
1) I've read somewhere that you stopped reading comics all together in the mid 90s. Not asking why as you've already abetted that but rather did that ever stop. The abstaining from comics that is for lack of a better word. I assume that you've picked up a read a comic every now and then since you quit obviously but was there a time where you went back consistently?
2) How do you determine when you will answer questions. I tend to check this site maybe once a month and sometimes I'll be back and you've answered dozens of questions, a lot of the times in one day. Other times you'll haven't answered a question in weeks. Is it just as simple as whenever you have free time and want to our is there some uniquely complicated schedule that you follow. (The question sounded more silly as I continued.)
3) Do you consider yourself to have a dry sense of humor. I've been told I do and I find some of your replies downright hilarious that to others might seem to come off as blunt. Or on the contrary are you just more of very blunt person.
4) Can you explain the little joke you do every time someone asks you who would win what fight and you reply with that quote about the hulk and the thing.

Greg responds...

1. I started reading comics again when I started working on The Spectacular Spider-Man (around 2007, I think) after about a decade break. By the time Marvel did a soft reboot after Secret Wars in 2015, I was reading nearly everything in their line, in part because I was also writing Starbrand & Nightmask for Marvel. Plus I was reading all their Star Wars Books, in part because I was also writing Star Wars Kanan for Marvel and Lucasfilm. Both those books were cancelled, and Marvel no longer had any work for me. And then the third season of Young Justice began, right about the same time as DC did its own soft reboot with Rebirth. I started reading everything in the DC line at that point, edging out any free time I had for Marvel for the time being. I've continued to read the entire DC line (with very few exceptions) ever since. I'm about three or four months behind in my reading, but I'm still purchasing everything and reading as fast as I can manage.

2. It's just when I have time. Ideally, I try to answer five questions every weekday, but there are some days (many days, really) when even that is impossible. And then there are some (rare) days when I find myself with free time, and I just go to town on the queue.

3. I like to think I have a dry sense of humor. Certainly when I write. My verbal humor may be goofier or more sarcastic or whatever. I may also be blunt. The two things aren't mutually exclusive.

4. I think it's fairly self-explanatory. "Hulk vs. Thing, who would win?" is one of the oldest fan questions in comics. It's all situational, and the question - and those like it (including most hypotheticals) - just doesn't interest me. Fans can decide that sort of thing for themselves. They don't need me to weigh in.

Response recorded on April 30, 2019

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Anonymous writes...

Can you tell us the meaning of the colors of the index cards you use to plan your shows?

Greg responds...

It changes from show to show, even from season to season. And on YJ S3, because of index card shortages of specific colors (this happened, believe it or not), it changed more than once DURING the season.

As an example, in YJ S1:

Green - villains
Red - Justice League
Blue - The Team (hero stuff)
Purple - The Team (teen stuff)
Yellow - Stuff where a specific date matters (like holdays)
White - Stuff that we're laying pipe for but will not objectively reveal to the audience at this time

Response recorded on April 29, 2019

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Joel Wheaton writes...

Hi Greg,

Just curious, the Atlanteans in the comics worship the Greek Gods, like the Amazonians, but in Young Justice there's a lot of Neptune references and outside of Poseidonis, I can't recall anyone talking about Poseidon.

I guess what I'm asking is do the Atlanteans of Earth-16 worship the Greek Gods or the Roman Gods?

Thanks.

Greg responds...

Sea gods, generally.

Response recorded on April 29, 2019

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Stranger writes...

Hi Greg!
1. Does Sportsmaster realize he is bad (not good/perfect) father?
2. Does he care?

Greg responds...

1. I'm sure he doesn't think he was perfect.

2. I'll leave that to your interpretation.

Response recorded on April 25, 2019

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YJ Nerd writes...

How do you pronounce Ra's name?

Greg responds...

I was taught - by Denny O'Neil, who created the character - to pronounce it the way we pronounce it in Young Justice, i.e. as Raysh-ahl-gool.

Response recorded on April 24, 2019

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Jack Carpenter writes...

Thank you for answering several of my questions now, it's really great to have my curiosity rewarded!

Can Beast Boy turn into an extinct animal? If so, would he need to see/study an accurate and detailed reconstruction of it first?

Greg responds...

1. No.

2. He'd need to connect with an actual living inidividual of the species. If somehow one were cloned or something, that would make it possible. But a fossil or computer simulation wouldn't cut it.

Response recorded on April 24, 2019

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Stranger writes...

Did Artemis and Wally had sex before start to live together?

Greg responds...

Well... sure.

Response recorded on April 23, 2019

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Cassidy writes...

Was Marie Logan's death reported on the news?

Greg responds...

Yep. As a car accident.

Response recorded on April 23, 2019

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Dani writes...

Hi Greg,
In YJ at the end of season one Superboy says that he's known about Miss Martian's true form since they first mind melded.
So my question is, in the episode "Bereft" when we see the flash of memories M'gann shares with Conner and there is the flash of Megan from Hello Megan, is that the moment where Conner learns about M'gann's true form and her love of the show?
Similarly, in "Terrors" during the scene where M'gann and Conner are in the psychiatrists office and Conner says something about her' fantasy world where problems are solved in half an hour', was that a hint at him being aware of how much the show has shaped her?

Greg responds...

1. Yes.

2. Yes.

Response recorded on March 28, 2019

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Marvelman writes...

What is the League and the team's stance on killing?

I'm sure they have a rule about not deliberately taking a life, but how rigid is it? I'm not necessarily thinking about M'gann brain-frying someone because in her mind he had it coming. I'm talking about stuff that accidentally and inevitably happens in large scale battles. For example, let's say in that battle with the Light and the Reach in Summit, one of the League's young proteges accidentally hits a foot-soldier too hard and he dies. Is he or she going to be automatically expelled from the team? Or, what if the only way to protect innocent life is to take a life?

I guess what I'm asking is do league and team members have the same discretion of using lethal force that a police officer has?

Greg responds...

They are granted LESS discretion than a police officer because they have powers and abilities beyond those of mortal men. They hold themselves to stricter standards. The League's U.N. charter gives them authority to act, in essence, as an international SWAT/Search & Rescue Team. But the Team has no such authority.

Still, as I hope you saw in Season Three, accidental deaths - particularly those that occurred during moments of self-defense and/or while protecting others can happen. Those deaths are reviewed internally, and a decision on expulsion or other penalties will be made by the entire League. It's all on a case by case basis. Nothing's etched in stone.

Response recorded on March 28, 2019

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KarrinBlue writes...

So I managed to finish streaming YJ on Netflix with my friends, just a day before it's taken off. Hopefully it'll return someday. But in the meantime - I still really love this show, and every time I watched it I think I noticed something new. A few thoughts:

-Kaldur at one point says 'blood is thicker than seawater' as a dig at Aquaman - but the original phrase, 'blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb' meant that families of choice are stronger than families of blood, so was that line meant to be a subtle nod to Kaldur not being a traitor?
-Artemis and Dick have some very fascinating parallels (Gothamites, unpowered, trained from a young age, both Kaldur's second in command at different points in time, and they tend to pair up to attack or recon after Homefront) which I don't think could've come up in any other show. It's really interesting, and I hope we get to explore their parallels and differences more in s3.
-Speaking of character decisions that'd be unlikely in the original canon - having Jade actually care about other people, having Beast Boy as part of M'gann and J'onn's family - even bringing in Sportsmaster as a legitimate villain. I'm really excited to see what's going to happen next, especially since I'm sure that I won't see half of what you have coming.

Now, for actual questions -

-Do the Team or League members get any sort of stipend or compensation as part of their membership?
-Is the public generally aware that Blue Beetle was controlled by the Reach against his will, or do they think he did everything voluntarily?
-If Zatanna has no secret identity, does that mean that everyone she went to school with knows her dad was Zatara and that she could do magic?

Thanks!

Greg responds...

1. I'd love to say so, but I never knew the whole quotation until now.

2. I'll leave that for the audience to judge.

3. How have you liked it so far?

4. They can.

5. The former.

6. Most people think the way Wally thought in "Denial" - but yes.

Response recorded on March 28, 2019

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Alison writes...

Did Miss Martian think Garfield would reject her if he saw her true form?

Greg responds...

Back in Season One? Yes.

Response recorded on March 06, 2019

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Anonymous writes...

First of all, I would just like to say that Young Justice is one of my favorite shows, ever, and I think you and the team behind it did an amazing job. I was rewatching the other day and I noticed something in Alpha Male. M'gann talks to Superboy telepathically a handful of times, but it's never really clear as to whether she's selectively talking to him or if it's a group communication she just directed towards him, what's going on?

Greg responds...

In that episode there's some of both, so you'd have to pinpoint for me which scene (or dialogue) you're referring to for me to answer with any specificity.

Response recorded on February 27, 2019

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Cinderblue writes...

I was rewatching Young Justice the other day and I was wondering how long it took for the Bioship to fly places. Is it faster than a commercial plane? It can enter space, so it's capable of accelerating fast enough to leave the atmosphere, so does M'gann slow it down while just flying around Earth or is the Team constantly flying at that kind of speed?

Greg responds...

As we revealed in episode 313, if the Bio-Ship is traveling long distances on Earth it will fly almost straight up and straight down along the Earth's rotation, allowing it to get almost anywhere on the planet in a couple hours or less. Obviously, it doesn't travel that fast if it's going horizontally. And how it accelerates and decelerates is very important.

Response recorded on February 27, 2019

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TheRantDragon writes...

Hey, Greg! I'm so excited for season 3, I can't believe the show is coming back after so long. I've never been so invested for so long in a cartoon series, and for that, I have to say thanks for providing this awesome series!

I'm a HUGE Spitfire fan, it's one of my main hooks to the series, that and Artemis is like my favorite female character ever. I just have a couple of questions regarding Spitfire.

1. In one of your responses about the pairing some time back, I recall that you gave a few reasons for why Artemis finds Wally attractive, such as his scientific brain and how he never gives up. Can you tell us some of the traits/aspects about Artemis that make her so attractive to Wally? (I'm not questioning WHY Wally would like her, but rather, from Wally's point of view, just what is it about her that fuels his crush/deeper feelings?)

2. During season 1, before they were together, did Wally and Artemis ever spend time together outside of missions, just the two of them?

And one question just about Artemis:

3. Out of pure curiosity, do you think Paula or Lawrence chose the name Artemis when she was born, or did they mutually choose it? How about Jade?

Thank you for your time!

Greg responds...

1. I think she also has an analytic mind that appeals to him. She's quick and smart and calls him on his bulls#!t. She's very easy on the eyes, as well. Which I'm sure sounds sexist, but I will only counter that by saying HE is also easy on the eyes to her. The fact that they are physically attracted to each other just makes sense to me.

2. No spoilers.

3. No spoilers.

Response recorded on February 27, 2019

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Leary writes...

What was Miss Martian 's age when she first began shapeshifting into Megan form on mars?

Greg responds...

Not sure. Sometime between when the show first aired in 1979 and when she came to Earth. So somewhere between the age of 17 and 48, I guess. I know that's a big range, but I don't want to be held to something that I haven't thought about yet. Closer to 17 than 48, I suppose.

Response recorded on January 24, 2019

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THE SMARTEST MAN IN THE ROOM

The following needs saying, so I'm taking time out from my very packed weekend - not to procrastinate, which would not be unusual - but to write up something that I think is important.

But first, some backstory...

I'm not particularly smart about very many things. I am in many ways a bear of very little brain. Ask anyone. I use an iPhone 4.0 because I literally believe that I don't have the brain space to deal with upgrading. I'm a slow reader. My dyslexia makes math difficult as I am constantly transposing numbers. I'm afraid of change. Etc., etc., etc.

But one thing - maybe the ONLY thing - I am smart about is STORY. Now, I've studied story for decades and decades in small ways and large. I also believe I have an innate gift for story. Like a great pianist, the gift itself would have been wasted without years of study and practice. I've had and done both.

What that means is that - when it comes to story - I have often (not always, but quite often) considered myself - with no modesty and tremendous arrogance - to be the smartest person in the room. In any room where this is a topic of conversation, but especially in any room where story was being professionally discussed. (You can see why - with an attitude like that - I'm so popular with animation executives and the like, and why I've been fired from so many jobs.)

Even on the many, many occasions when I have felt that I am among peers who understand story as well as I do, I never felt like they understood it better than I. As good, yes. Differently, sure. Stylistically, of course. But not better. I never felt anyone knew story better.

Oh, I've made mistakes, missed opportunities, slipped up, ad nauseam. I'm human and have never claimed perfection. I've collaborated with some brilliant and wonderful people. The list is nearly endless. But none of that ever shook my basic feeling that when it came to story, I was as smart or smarter than anyone in the room.

All that changed with YOUNG JUSTICE.

So let me state it for the record: when it comes to story, BRANDON VIETTI is the Smartest Human Being in the Room.

I'd love to tell you - BELIEVE ME, I'd love to tell you - that he learned all this at my ancient knee, and that if the student has surpassed the master, the master can at least take some satisfaction in that. But that, dear readers, would simply be a load of crap.

From Day One of YJ, as witness Kevin Hopps could attest, Brandon Vietti knew story, understood it deep, the way I do. And he was smarter about it than I.

The ultimate example of this dropped this past Friday.

Episode 307 of Young Justice: Outsiders, entitled "Evolution."

SPOILERS coming, so if you haven't seen the episode then please go watch it first before reading any further.

Like all YJ episodes this season, Brandon and I broke this story together. A pretty even 50-50 collaboration. There were certain things I wanted specifically to see, like the Cave Bear. Certain things I had researched such as that in (actual documented non-DC Comics) mythology, Nabu was the son of Marduk. And there were certain things that BV wanted in there, like the meta-human kid that Kalibak sacrifices. Certain things he had researched like The Art of War by Sun Tzu (a.k.a. Vandal Savage, a.k.a. Genghis Khan, a.k.a. Marduk, a.k.a. etc.)

And together, we created a pretty kick-ass story for the episode. I don't actually remember the day of the week, but for the sake of simplifying the story, let's say we finished breaking/building the story with index cards all neatly pushpinned into my office bulletin board on a Monday. Monday evening. We both felt pretty good about it, or at least I did, and we left for the day.

Tuesday morning, he comes in and says, "Something's missing."

I tell him he's crazy. There's nothing missing from 307. Nothing. It's a great damn episode. Maybe one of our best.

BV says no. Something's missing.

I say, "What? What's missing?!"

BV says, "I don't know yet. Something. Give me a day."

I roll my eyes in as pronounced a fashion as I possibly can and say, fine.

Wednesday morning he comes in and says, "I want to add a character."

I'm resistant. "It'll mess up the works, I tell him."

But he explains, and of course, he's right. Because Brandon Vietti is the Smartest Person in the Room.

The character he wants to add is Olympia. Olympia Savage. (I take credit for the first name only.) That's right. In our first version of this story, Olympia simply did not exist.

Try to picture "Evolution" without Olympia. Be honest. It's still a solid story. A few of the actual things Olympia does, we had Cassandra doing. But otherwise the plot remains almost completely unchanged.

But not the ending.

With Olympia in the story, the episode isn't merely a solid YJ episode. It's not merely a great YJ episode. To my mind, "Evolution" transcends YJ. It is a phenomenal, even revolutionary twenty-plus minutes of television.

And I tried to talk the guy out of it.

Of course, BV's contributions don't end there. He wrote the script, too, which is fantastic. And if you knew how much he contributed to every facet of production it would humble you. It humbles me, and as you can see above, I'm NOT a humble guy.

But screw all that. I'm not talking about pretty pictures, or color, or sound, or music or even dialogue.

This post is ONLY about STORY. And when it comes to STORY... BRANDON VIETTI will always be the SMARTEST HUMAN BEING IN THE ROOM.

I bow to his greatness. And trust me, I do not do that lightly.

To be honest, he's so good, it's pretty damn annoying.

But it's an honor to be his partner.


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Anonymous writes...

Are any of the league members embarrassed at having giant statues of themselves in the Hall of Justice? (I can't imagine Batman being happy about it.)

Greg responds...

I'm sure nearly everyone is to some extent. But symbols are important, and no one knows that better than the seven founding Leaguers.

Response recorded on January 09, 2019

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Rosenstein writes...

Did the boy Garfield Logan watch the news in 2010 that show Icon and other new members joining the justice league?

Greg responds...

Probably.

Response recorded on January 09, 2019

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Anonymous writes...

Given that martians can assume male or female forms, does that mean that their sexual orientations are likewise fluid? For example, would M'Gann find females attractive if she assumed the shape of a man?

Greg responds...

She wouldn't necessarily have to assume the shape of a man to find a female attractive.

But basically, I think she finds Conner attractive, irrespective of his gender.

Response recorded on May 17, 2018

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Tasha writes...

How long does a martian pregnancy last?

Greg responds...

I'm tempted to say 27 Earth months, but I don't want to be held to that.

Response recorded on May 17, 2018

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Josh writes...

Did Klarion offer Wotan, Felix Faust, Blackbriar Thorn, and Wizard anything in return for their help with his spell in "Misplaced?"

Greg responds...

Do the Light a favor and the Light does favors in return. (Witness Count Vertigo.)

Response recorded on May 17, 2018

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Anonymous writes...

Hey Greg! I have two questions.
1. Do female Martians get periods?
2. Can Superboy grow facial hair?

Greg responds...

1. I'd lean toward yes, but I have honestly not thought about this. I'd have to study on it with the help of a biologist, I think.

2. To the level of any sixteen-year-old, yes.

Response recorded on May 17, 2018

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Whitebeard writes...

Ahoy Mr. Weisman!

In yer eyes, who is the most redeemable villain in yer show, Young Justice?

I highly appreciate yer work; in fact it was ye who inspired a young scalawag like me to pick up a quill and start writing.

Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum!
Season 3 looks to be quite fun!

Savvy?

Greg responds...

Lots of villains are potentially redeemable. (It also depends on one's definition.) I'm not going to name names, because it could sound like I'm hinting at future plans, and, as always: NO SPOILERS.

Response recorded on May 17, 2018

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Avid Wingnut writes...

Good day Mr. Weisman
I'm a big fan of Dick Grayson, and as such I've read most of the Titans and Nightwing trades, but my interest in the character was sparked by watching Young Justice, so thanks for that. I was wondering: how would you describe him as a character? There have been varying depictions in the comics so I was wondering how you think of him. In YJ Season 2 he was very serious which reminded me of Nightwing from the Wolfman/Perez era. Anyway, I just wanted to know your thoughts. Sorry for the length of this, thanks for your time, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Greg responds...

I could probably write a dissertation on Dick, but I'm not going to do that here. For the most part, I like to let the episodes and issues speak for themselves. I don't want to sound like I'm trying to justify anything.

But basically, I think Dick was a fun-loving kid who experienced a horrible tragedy, but had two adult male role (Bruce and Alfred) models who stepped up and gave him a way to work through his anger and grief and reclaim the fun-loving kid that he was

Dick is, to my mind, extremely competent, which was born out in both the Teen Titans series of the 60s & 70s and the New Teen Titans series of the 80s. And so with that competence, and with the hard-earned knowledge of the responsibilities of leadership learned as early as "Drop-Zone" and "Failsafe", comes the serious-minded Nightwing that we often see in Season Two.

But I don't think that's his natural disposition. Instead, I look to the Robin of the 40s and 50s. Dick is the acrobat. The trapeze artist. The performer. Dick is the kid who learned to disappear like Batman but finds it so funny, he can't stop himself from laughing. That's the real Dick Grayson. A kid/teen/young adult that is so winning and naturally guileless and honest that even his ex-girlfriends still love him. (That is his super-power, after all.) He knows how to do the other thing - and he's actually scary good at it. But he kinda hates that too.

Response recorded on May 17, 2018

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C. Bakerstone writes...

During their time at Gotham Academy, were Dick and Barbara in the same grade? Or was one of them in the grade below?

Greg responds...

Same grade, though she's a year younger. (She skipped a grade.)

Response recorded on May 14, 2018

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Thomas Kroot writes...

1: Did Amanda Waller know that Superboy and Ms. Martian were replacing the Terror Twins and that the actual twins were to be swapped back in later?

2: What sort of crimes did Plastic Man commit before he became a hero? Any reason it took him 7 years to become a JL member?

3: Does Eel O Brien/Plastic Man retain his cold weaknesses from main comic world?

4: Do the villains on Earth 16 generally stick to a single city like normal continuity or are they more multi-city

5: Do any real life nations in the YJ earth not allow the Justice League in their borders the same way Biyalia doesn't.

Greg responds...

1. No.

2. No spoilers.

3. It depends how cold we're talkin'?

4. Every individual villain has his or her own M.O.

5. Yes.

Response recorded on May 14, 2018

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Marvelman writes...

How far up on the Kinsey scale would a woman have to be to be effected by Queen Bee's power? Would the extent of her homosexual attraction effect the degree to which she could resist Queen Bee's control? For example, would someone who was bi-sexual more readily resist her influence, or does her power not work that way?

Greg responds...

I don't pretend to be a biologist, so I'm willing to be corrected on this point, but it seems to me that anyone who can be affected by female human pheromones, is going to be affected. Degree doesn't matter, because they are very powerful.

Response recorded on April 16, 2018

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Marvelman writes...

A few years ago, in Geoff Johns' Justice League, Captain Cold said to Wonder Woman: "Not every super-villain wants to blow up the world." (Or words to that effect.) It got me to thinking... the Light's plans must seem like doomsday to most people who aren't on board with their agenda. It's hard for me to see how someone like Captain Cold, who we see robbing a bank in season 2, is going to benefit from the Light instigating an alien invasion. So, my question is: are there super-criminals in the YJ universe who disagree with the Light's plans or even actively oppose it?

Greg responds...

Keep in mind that very few people know the deep details. The big guns are saying, "Do this and it'll work in your favor." And a lot of them do.

Response recorded on April 16, 2018

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Jack Carpenter writes...

Would it be fair to assume that in Earth-16, most of the heroes have more or less the same archenemies as their comics counterparts? I know L'Gann called Manta "our King's greatest enemy" and someone once asked about Lex and Supes and you basically said yes, but does it more or less apply to the rest as well?

Greg responds...

I'm not going to give a blanket confirmation of this kind of thing. Part of the point of even having Earth-16 is to keep the geek audience off-balance. You can't necessarily go back and read comics to figure out how we're approaching things. Sometimes we might follow an individual story, but more often than not, we'll - at minimum - put our YJ spin on it.

For example:

Captain Cold's main opponent = Flash (as expected)

Mister Freeze's main opponent = Batman (as expected)

Killer Frost's main opponent = Aquaman (not as expected)

No guarantees.

Response recorded on April 11, 2018

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Marvelman writes...

Why did Wally attend public school? If he was such a genius, couldn't he have gotten a scholarship to a private school?

Greg responds...

You're assuming that private school is better?

Sometimes it is. Sometimes it's not. He was in a good school district.

Response recorded on April 11, 2018

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John Doe writes...

Hi Greg, I read somewhere you said that If possible you'd want to get to every young DC hero as young justice goes on. This might be a silly question but I just wanted to know if you were speaking broadly or literally. Also if what I read was wrong and you never said that feel free to ignore my question. Keep up the goof work, can't wait for season 3

Greg responds...

Mostly, I'm speaking broadly, but given enough episodes, it might perhaps become literal. No spoilers.

Response recorded on April 11, 2018

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KarrinBlue writes...

Hi Greg! Congratulations on getting season three, and hopefully many more.

1) Is the wildlife on the watchtower from the world it was originally stationed around?
2) What is Dick planning on majoring in?
3) Dick's standard override is RG-4 - RG presumably stands for 'Richard Grayson' but what does the 4 mean?
4) I noticed that Kevin Michael Richardson and Jason Marsden sang the Hello Megan and Reach commercial songs respectively. Were they picked because they had singing voices that fit the tone you were going for, for the symbolism of them also voicing J'onn and Bart, or a mixture of the two?
5) Did Marie Logan act in anything other than Hello Megan?

And, just as an aside - thank you for going to the lengths to represent different kinds of people. It really does mean a lot, even if it's in small, quiet details. I was honestly surprised at how much it meant to me to see in Face Your Fears that Kaldur would have trouble focusing with scents that the others barely noticed - I've never seen any characters that had sensory problems like mine, let alone a main character. It really does mean a lot, so thank you.

Greg responds...

1. Nope. It's from Earth.

2. No spoilers.

3. He's the fourth individual with an over-ride code.

4. Voices. Not symbolism.

5. Yes.

6. You're welcome, but honestly, my desire for diversity in my work is largely selfish. It makes for better/richer stories and a more honest depiction of the world.

Response recorded on April 11, 2018

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B_Schwaz writes...

You have said that Zeta-Beam transportation to Mars hasn't been set up yet because, until Sardath accidentally brought Adam Strange to Rann, it wasn't thought to be possible. However, you have also said that Martian Manhunter was initially brought to Earth via a Zeta-Beam accident. Shouldn't that have indicated to the League and Zeta-Beam scientists that it is, in fact, possible?

Greg responds...

Well, yes. "Possible." But the accident was not - at the time - reproducible, so it was "impossible" until Sardath figured out how.

Response recorded on April 11, 2018

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Young Archer writes...

In season 1 episode 9 "Misplaced", Robin mentioned that everyone in the world 18 years or older, "including Red Arrow" had gone missing. And I believe Red Arrow was absent from this episode as well, in both dimensions. Now that we know Red Arrow was really only 3 years old at the time of this episode, where the heck was he? Did the distraction allow the light more time to place more programming into Red's head, or did he actually disappear and that was a big plot hole?

Sorry if this has been asked before. :|

Greg responds...

Biological age and the age that each character considered him or herself to be, won out over chronological age. Otherwise, Miss Martian, who was chronologically 48 at the time, would have been on the adult world.

There's not plot hole. He was on adult world, probably in Star City, dealing with the chaos. We just didn't show it, as we didn't show where a lot of the adult heroes were.

Response recorded on April 09, 2018

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Fangirl writes...

Did Sportsmaster wanted kids? Was he happy when Artemis and Jade were born?

Greg responds...

1. He didn't not want kids. At least not theoretically.

2. In his way.

Response recorded on April 09, 2018

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Fangirl writes...

In episode "Denial" Kent Nelson tells Wally "Find your own little spitfire, one who won't let you get away with nothin'. For example, that--" but is cut off when Wally removes the Helmet.
1. So what was he going to say?

Greg responds...

1. Something like, "For example, that blonde cutie with the mouth on her..." or something. I don't want to get bogged down in what his exact words might have been. He simply would have referred Wally to Artemis.

Response recorded on April 09, 2018

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Eager and interested writes...

Dear Greg, I was wondering why Artemis doesn't have a superhero name to go by (e.x. superboy, kid flash, etc...).

P.s. I'm a big fan of young justice and can't wait for season 3 :)

Greg responds...

"Artemis" was her nom de guerre, just like Zatanna's is "Zatanna". Later, she took the name Tigress.

Response recorded on April 05, 2018

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Anonymous writes...

1) Was Jade holding back against Artemis in season 1? Because they are sisters and I'm sure they love each other.

2) Was Jade holding back against Artemis in season 2?

3) Was Artemis holding back against Jade in season 1?

4) Was Artemis holding back in season 2?

Greg responds...

1. Did she need to hold back, given what she was trying to accomplish?

2. When did they fight in season two? When they were faking it aboard the Manta-Ship?

3. Certainly not at the beginning of episode six, when she didn't realize Cheshire was Jade. After that, did she need to hold back, given what she was trying to accomplish?

4. When did they fight in season two? When they were faking it aboard the Manta-Ship?

Response recorded on April 05, 2018

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Big Choc Choc writes...

Would you come back for a Season 4?

Greg responds...

Of what?

(But pretty much the answer is always yes.)

Response recorded on April 05, 2018

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Xander writes...

How did Marie Logan react when she first saw Garfield's eyes had change color from blue to green ?

Greg responds...

I'll leave that to your imagination. Or, if not, I could answer: NO SPOILERS, and hope someday we get to show that reaction in a flashback. You never know.

(Although, let's be honest: I think mostly she was just glad he was alive.)

Response recorded on March 16, 2018

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Josie Hersch writes...

When the first human members of the team became adult did Miss Martian at first have trouble acting like a adult around them because she still had mind of a teenager because she ages slower than a human?

Greg responds...

Everything's kinda relative and vague. Define adult. Define exactly when we become mature enough to behave as adults. I'm fifty-four, and I'm not always sure I'm behaving as an adult. Miss Martian was fairly mature for her age. Conner was - all things considered - extremely mature for his age. Wally grew a lot between seasons. Etc. Who's to say WHO hit adulthood first?

Response recorded on March 16, 2018

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ClarkeC writes...

Hey Greg, i have a question which hopefully won't be misconstrued as a spoiler request. You mention way back when that Cartoon Network wasn't ready to display openly LGBT characters in cartoons. However with Legend of Korra and later Star vs. the forces of Evil, Gravity Falls, Steven Universe and whatnot being more open with LGBT elements in series with a young demographic:
1. Do you think that Cartoon Network would be more open to having openly LGBT characters on Young Justice.
2. And in your opinion will cartoons in general start displaying more LGBT characters/themes?
Thanks in advance..

Greg responds...

1. I honestly don't know. It's kind of a moot point vis-a-vis Young Justice, as season three won't be on Cartoon Network.

2. I think so. I hope so.

Response recorded on March 16, 2018

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Nabila writes...

In Young Justice, what specific convicted crime did Paula had to serve 6 years for? Was it a burglary, an attempted assassination, etc?

Greg responds...

No Spoilers.

Response recorded on March 14, 2018

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Anonymous writes...

How Sportsmaster couldn't find Jade after she run away? I mean I think he could if he really wanted to because he was working whit shadows and Jade was 13. How hard is to find 13 years old girl? I don't know I just think he just didn't care back then. So my questions are
1. Did he really try to find her at all? Or he just ignored the fact one of his daughters run away.

2. Was Artemis disappointed when realize her sister will not come back?

Greg responds...

1. No spoilers. But I will say that all over the world, lots of thirteen-year-old girls get lost and don't get found.

2. Yes.

Response recorded on March 14, 2018

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Walid Mitchell writes...

Who help M'gann celebrate her birthday since she been living on earth?

Greg responds...

All her friends.

Response recorded on March 08, 2018

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Oakley writes...

Was the martian people already living on mars before the human race existed on earth?

Greg responds...

Haven't given it much thought, but ... probably.

Response recorded on March 05, 2018

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B_Schwaz writes...

If the Atlanteans are most closely related to Ancient Greeks linguistically, then why do they refer to Neptune (i.e. Neptune's Beard, Neptune's Trident) when Neptune is the Roman version of the Greek God Poseidon?

Greg responds...

Etruscan influence?

Or maybe Neptune was another name for Posiedon even back then.

In any case, "Neptune's Beard!" is a translation. The saying in Atlantean is "Poseidonos Pogon!"

Response recorded on March 05, 2018

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Weesiwel writes...

Of the City States of Atlantis we are aware of as it exists on Earth 16 some have clear name origins whereas others are more obscure.

Poseidonis is obviously derived from Poseidon.
Tritonis from Triton.
Neptunos from Neptune (interestingly a Roman name though we see the Roman influences elsewhere in Atlantis).
Lemuria is the name of another mythical sunken continent as you are aware.
Nanauve I would guess derives from King Nanaue Sha'ark's name.

Crastinus from a bit of research could be derived from Carcinus a mythical giant crab but it could also be from Gaius Crastinus a Roman soldier which brings in the Roman influences again. There is also the speculation of himself sacrificing himself to gods of the Underworld which while not necessarily the Sea could be interpreted as Sea Gods to ensure a victory.

Shayeris I couldn't turn up anything of and the only connection I can make is to Hawkgirl but that seems an unlikely one. I'm sure this would count as a spoiler if it was though.

So could you confirm these origins for the names or correct me where I am wrong so long as doing so does not constitute a spoiler of course.

Greg responds...

Um. See... They come from DC Comics. You'd have to ask a DC historian about their origins.

Response recorded on December 21, 2017

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Philippe writes...

Has M'gann been to Garfield's nine or ten birthday?

Greg responds...

No Spoilers.

Response recorded on December 21, 2017

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Menosky writes...

Is young justice superman's lifespan the same or longer than a human?

Greg responds...

No spoilers.

Response recorded on December 20, 2017

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tom writes...

does Zatanna and garfield ever spend time together

Greg responds...

Ever? Sure.

Response recorded on December 20, 2017

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Ferris writes...

Why dos Garfield have his mom's last name and not his dad's last name?

Greg responds...

Garfield's biological father was never in the picture.

Response recorded on December 18, 2017

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Mike P. writes...

Hi Greg,

Extremely excited to watch Young Justice Season 3 in the near future! I have a couple of Aquaman-centric questions

1. How old was Aquaman when he began his career?

2. How old was Black Manta when he assumed his mantle?

3. At what point in Aquaman's career did Manta and Aquaman first encounter one another?

I ask these questions due to Aqualad's age. Aqualad was 16 in 2010 and Black Manta was 37 that same year. That means Black Manta was only 21 years old when Aqualad was conceived with Sha'lain'a. With Aquaman only being 29 in 2010 that means he was only 13 when Black Manta did the deed.

With that logic Black Manta must have traveled to Atlantis before he even encountered Aquaman, right?

Greg responds...

1. If you mean "How old was Orin when he first surfaced publicly (on the surface world) as Aquaman?" then the answer is 20.

2. No spoilers.

3. No spoilers.

4. No spoilers.

Response recorded on December 18, 2017

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Chuck writes...

Did Miss Martian use the Megan Morse form when she was growing up on mars?

Greg responds...

She practiced it.

Response recorded on December 18, 2017

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Chang writes...

IS A MARTIAN BIO SHIP'S LIFESPAN LONGER THAN A HUMAN?

Greg responds...

No spoilers.

Response recorded on December 18, 2017

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Jacob writes...

Who was the most challenging character on Young Justice to write and why?

Greg responds...

Again, nothing comes to mind.

Response recorded on December 15, 2017

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Jacob writes...

If you could redo any episode of Young Justice that has currently aired which one would you pick and what would you change?

Greg responds...

Why would I want to redo anything?

Response recorded on December 15, 2017

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Jacob writes...

What was the hardest episode of Young Justice to write and why?

Greg responds...

None have been that hard because we plan them out so much in advance. We break the stories on the bulletin board, and then create detailed outlines, so the scripting phase is fairly easy and straightforward.

Response recorded on December 15, 2017

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Kim Lee writes...

Did you always planed to name young justice season 3 as Outsiders?

Greg responds...

Always? I guess not. When we started, we didn't even know that subsequent seasons would have subtitles like Invasion and Outsiders.

Response recorded on November 15, 2017

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Wendy Patrick writes...

When the team came back check on Garfield in episode Image did the team find out Garfield's eyes color change from blue to green? What was Marie's reaction to her son eye color change?

Greg responds...

I don't know how instantly it was noted. Obviously, Marie would have been surprised, but in the grand scheme, she preferred a living green-eyed son over a dead blue-eyed son.

Response recorded on November 15, 2017

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Tom Lange writes...

What US state is the city of Fawcett City locate in ?

Greg responds...

I'd rather not pin it down until I need to, but it's in the Central Time Zone if that helps.

Response recorded on November 14, 2017

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No one inparticular writes...

1)How irritating does it get for both you and Brandon when people don't give him the credit he deserves for YJ?
2)I can't wait to see what you both have in store for us in season 3! And so excited for it!

Greg responds...

1. It annoys me quite a bit, and I try to always correct any impression that it isn't a team effort. I can only imagine that it must grate on him even more.

2. Thanks. Can't wait for everyone to see it.

Response recorded on November 14, 2017

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NoOneSpecial writes...

I might be going down a bad road with this, but I feel strongly enough that this requires attention

1) In Young Justice, do Batman and Superman's moms have the same first name(Martha)?
2) Are Batman and Superman aware that their mothers share the same first name?
3) And most importantly.....do either of them care in the slightest? Because I think a lot of people don't....

Greg responds...

1. Yes.

2. By this time, yes.

3. I guess it depends how you define "care." I'm sure it's a connection between them. A coincidence that may seem significant. But that's about it.

Response recorded on November 06, 2017

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Anonymous writes...

Good day.

1.) In regards to the "4 Robins" question, you forgot Duke Thomas. Biggest one you left out from your list

2.) On top of that, there're also the other Robins who head-lined "We Are Robin": Riko, Dre, Dax, and Izzy. And then there are all the other kids/teens who were apart of that movement, though so far, Duke's the only one who's mentored under Batman (unless Alfred counts in place of Batman; if so, that'd include pretty much everyone).

3.) Is it sometimes hard to think about what you like most about these characters (any, not just Robins specifically)?

Thanks for your time!

Greg responds...

1. Duke - at least in Rebirth - doesn't seem to be a Robin, at least not yet.

2. You know more than I. Congrats. Was this New 52 stuff? I'm not up to speed on that. I jumped back on when New 52 morphed into Rebirth.

3. Not really.

Response recorded on November 06, 2017

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Name writes...

Hey Greg,

I've been mildly curious about something regarding the DCAU as a whole. Do you think that the names of some of the characters are a bit archaic or out-of-date? I understand that a lot of these characters were created decades ago, but I can't imagine names like "Dick" or "Billy" or "Wally" or "Garfield" or "Barbara" being popular among teenagers in the 21st century. That's not to say I particularly dislike those names, but they've always stuck out to me, probably because I never met kids with those names throughout my schooling. Do you have any thoughts on this?

Greg responds...

Kids don't generally choose their own names. Their parents do. My wife teaches nursery school, and she hears all kinds of name, including many that sound old-fashioned to our ears.

My son is named Benjamin, legally. But as a kid, he was always Benny. Many Benny's, I'm sure, grow out of it and become Ben or Benjamin. But our Benny is still Benny. And I hope he stays that way. It's just who he is.

Meanwhile, my dad's name is Wally, short for Walter. He's always hated both, but hates Wally slightly less than he hates Walter. So he's Wally.

Garfield Logan generally goes by Gar.

Etc.

Response recorded on November 06, 2017

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Samson P. writes...

I'm a very big fan of your work, and am extremely excited about the third season of YJ. Here are my questions:

1) Was Atlantis "discovered" recently on Earth-16? Like, was Aquaman's aiding in the Appelaxion invasion what brought attention to the underwater nation or was it well-known beforehand?

2) Was Aquaman raised as Arthur Curry on the surface world or was he raised in Atlantis as the prince from the start?

3) Does Queen Mera ever work alongside the League in battles and such? It always confused me that she never appears to be associated with the League despite having (in my opinion, of course) way better powers than her husband.

4) Regarding the Wildstorm character you snuck into the first season somewhere, how old was he/she when he/she appeared?

5) Did the Team (or at least some of the Team, not including Conner and M'Gann, and potentially not including Karen and/or Mal) attend Conner and M'Gann's graduation from Happy Harbor High School?

Thank you for your time, and I hope you're having an awesome day.

Greg responds...

1. There's a story in that, so... No Spoilers.

2. No Spoilers.

3. I'll just say that not everyone is as eager to come to the surface world. But by using the word "ever," you've automatically generated a No Spoilers.

4. Did you really think I'd answer this?

5. No Spoilers.

Response recorded on November 06, 2017

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Nathan writes...

So with the sad passing of the wonderful character actor, Miguel Ferrer, I would imagine that the character of Vandal Savage will be recast, but just curious how much, if any interaction do you ever have with the myriad voice actors on your shows? Do you have any noteworthy Ferrer anecdotes to share? Just curious, Im gonna miss that guy being a regular fixture in american media

Greg responds...

I won't comment on what we are or are not doing with Vandal in Season Three.

And I'm afraid I don't have any anecdotes of Miguel, though I can recall (imperfectly) a few anecdotes that he told.

What I will say is that Miguel was always a complete pleasure to work with on both The Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice. He was SO good and a lot of fun.

There are other people, including our voice director Jamie Thomason, who knew Miguel much better than I did. But he is missed.

Response recorded on October 31, 2017

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Anonymous writes...

We know that White Martians are discriminated against in Martian society. Do Red Martians face similar discrimination?

Greg responds...

No. They are the Royal Caste.

Response recorded on October 31, 2017

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nobody writes...

in image did black canary have to say that to Megan l think she made it worse

Greg responds...

Have to say what? Made what worse?

Response recorded on October 24, 2017

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FallenLegend writes...

Hey greg I got some questions about your villains

In the past you have mnetioned that your villains don't kill even heroes because they don't want to waste resources. Say Xanatos ultimately benfitted much more from having the gargoyles alive, as they eventually saved his son from Oberon.

But say, wouldn't the light from Young Justice eventually want them heroes dead?

When they finally achieve their goals, the heroes will only stand in their way wouldn't they? I can understand Klarion wanting the heroes around to cause some chaos. But say Queen Bee would eventually want to rule her country without any hero alive possibly meddling with her dictatorship or even overthrow her , right?

Second I have a question about Klarion. Most characters are weaker on earth 16 than other versions. But Klarion had the opposite as he is a lot stronger as a lord of chaos. Why did you decide to make him much more powerful?

Thank you Greg

Greg responds...

1. Why would they want them dead? Haven't they proven useful. I'm not saying they'd shy away from killing one or two, if necessary. (Cf. Ted Kord or Tula.) But if they had killed either Barry, Bart or Wally prior to the end of Season Two, then who or what would have saved the Earth?

2. He felt all chaosy to us. And we needed Doctor Fate to have some substantial competition.

Response recorded on October 09, 2017

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Regulus writes...

First off congrats on Season 3. Just piecing together what we can from the timeskip betweeen S1 and 2 before having another thrown in, thought I'd ask about a few logistical pieces.

1) Can the Zeta Network support people with the same active designation in the same authorisation tier, ie. it can have Blue Beetle 22 for Ted Kord, Blue Beetle B22 for Jaime, but would multiple Kid Flashes or Robins with a B designation cause issues (if they were not deceased, causing them to be inactive designations presumably)

2) You have given the designations for the members of the Team, giving an order for when members may have joined. Would you give the year that they joined for those missing?

B01-B09: Team Year Zero

B10-Tempest: ?

B11: Aquagirl: ?

B12: Troia: ?

B13: Robin/Jason: ?

B14: Lt. Marvel: ?

B15: Sgt. Marvel: ?

B16: Batgirl: ?

B17: Bumblebee: ?

B18: Lagoon Boy: ?

B19: Beast Boy: ?

B20-B22: Team Year Five

B23-26: Team Year Six

3) Do certain members of the Team have falsified public records such as birth certificates? Specifically I would imagine Megan Morse, Connor Kent, Bart Allen, the Roys and perhaps Donna Troy would require them to attend school, marry and become legal guardians.

Greg responds...

1. If I'm understanding your question correctly, then no. There are multiple Green Lanterns within the no-prefix-letter designation. And it gives the computer no problem.

2. No.

3. I'm not commenting on "Donna Troy." I've never confirmed or denied that "Donna Troy" exists. Troia exists. That's all you know.

3a. Megan, Conner (with an e) and Bart must have public records to go with their secret identities. I suppose you could say they're falsified.

3b. Clone Roy has been using the original Roy's paperwork. Whether that changes now that Original Roy is back, I'm not saying.

Response recorded on October 09, 2017

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Nick writes...

In Young Justice, why can Wotan, Dr. Fate, and Klarion shoot out energy blasts, fly and create shields without speaking backwards. While, Zatanna and Zatara have to speak backwards. Why can Fate, Wotan, and Klarion do this but Zatanna and Zatara can't?

Greg responds...

Fate is a Lord of Order. Klarion is a Lord of Chaos. Wotan is an immortal sorcerer, who's been using magic for centuries. Zatara and Zatanna aren't at their level. The fact that they can hold their own at all against Wotan and Klarion is impressive.

Response recorded on October 02, 2017

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Melissa Sisemore writes...

I asked a question back in February that was removed from the site. I mentioned this in the comments section of your Facebook page. So here it is again: In light of the fact that you say there are LGBTQ+ characters on Young Justice I would like to know if there are any Christian and/or homeschooled characters on the show? As I said on your Facebook page you don't have to give me a favorable response I just want a response at all.

Greg responds...

I'm not sure what "In light of the fact" is supposed to mean, but, yes, the Wests, Allens, Garricks, Zataras, Ervins, etc. are all one denomination of Christian or another, as are many - if not most - of the cast and supporting cast, in light of the fact that Christianity (in all its forms) is still the majority religion in the United States.

Actually, I seem to recall I've broken down the religious denominations of all the leads. Check the Ask Greg Young Justice archives.

Beast Boy was homeschooled.

And, just so you know, I haven't been on either of my Facebook pages in over a year. Even before I began my social media hiatus this year, I had to give up on Facebook, because it kept crashing my phone.

Response recorded on September 26, 2017

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YJ Nerd writes...

In the episode Disordered in season one of YJ, what is "Bear's" real name?

Greg responds...

Tabore-Kadan

(Not sure why I revealed that. You must have caught me in a good mood.)

Response recorded on September 26, 2017

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Anonymous writes...

Does Blue Beetle have super strength? Because Black Beetle went toe to toe with Mongul who is stronger than both Superboy and Wonder Girl so I'm just wondering if Blue Beetle's scarab also gave him this super strength or not.

Also did the Justice League find out about Belle Reve being infiltrated by the light?
And how did Icicle Jr, Mammoth, Shimmer, Devastation and the Terror Twins break out?

Greg responds...

1. Not as much as Black Beetle or Mongul, but his strength is above a normal human of his size and build.

2. Yes. In the show. On screen. Didn't you see it?

3. They didn't "break" out. Otherwise, NO SPOILERS.

Response recorded on September 26, 2017

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Green Lantern's Nightlight writes...

I don't mean to ask this antagonistically, but what exactly do you have against super breath? Isn't it in the realm of possibilities with everything that the yellow sun does to Superman, it would enhance his lung capacity?

I mean, in the beginning, he never even flew, and now that's one of his essential powers. And that's one of his powers in Young Justice.

If you just disagreed with something like the super kiss, I'd understand, but I'm not sure why you don't think super breath is a plausible power?

Greg responds...

Volume.

Volume.

Volume.

I don't care how strong his lungs are, they're still - at most - only slightly larger than a normal human of that size. So he couldn't blow very much could he. Try to expel air from your lungs. All of it. Then assume your lungs are a super-muscle that is really good at this. And you still don't have that much air to work with. Cuz you don't have the volume.

Oh, and the whole SUPER-COLD thing is ridiculous. Breath isn't cold. When you blow on hot soup, you're not cooling the soup with your breath. You are blowing hot particles away. And, sure, you could argue, "BUT HE'S KRYPTONIAN!" And maybe Kryptonians have cold breath. But for a guy powered by the sun, I don't buy it.

I think the over-powering of heroes over time is dangerous to the needs of a storyteller. And some things are just damn silly. Super-Cold-Breath is one of those things.

Response recorded on September 25, 2017

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Michael writes...

1a. How old is Deadshot
1b. Is Floyd Lawton his real name?

2. How is the standard living in Bialya compare to Qurac? Do the citizens live in poverty? Do they even have rights?

3. You said that 9/11 happened in Young Justice, and I was wondering if Hurricane Katrina, The 2008 Financial Crisis, and the BP Oil Spill happened as well.

Greg responds...

Floyd Lawton was born in 1975.

2. Qurac has a higher standard of living.

2a. Some do in both countries.

2b. Plenty of rights in Qurac. It's a mixed bag in Bialya.

3. Yes.

Response recorded on September 25, 2017

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B_Schwaz writes...

Regarding Young Justice:

Is there any significance to the order in which the Justice League members are sitting at the League meeting in the episode "Agendas"? Even if there isn't a larger reason for the seating order in general, are there any smaller decisions you made beyond the Hawks or the Green Lanterns sitting together?

Greg responds...

I don't recall. Sorry. If I had to guess, I'd say storyboarding defined most of it. Who was talking with whom to make shots, i.e. camera angles, easy to manage.

Response recorded on September 25, 2017

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FallenLegend writes...

Hey Greg, theres something I would like to ask your opinion about.

You see comics have been notorious for being hard on average people to get into. You should know that your cartoons have been much more influential than whatever it's publised on printed form.

For millions of people when they think Young Justice they think of earth 16 and when they think of spiderman they think of spectacular.

Say Teen Titans Tv show' has Starfire as a cute alien and naive girl wich is among the best female characters ever in my opinion. While on comics she is a dumb bimbo with hardly more personalitybthan a brick

Comics on the other hand are harder to get into and well you might jot agree but the quality is much better in cartoons such as yours. I would rather watch young justice that get into the continuity mess that comics are.

It would seem that every continiuity reboot that tries to make things simpler just makes things worse.

In your experience what would you do to make comics as approachable as tv shows are?

Greg responds...

Well, I'm going to start - without going point by point - by NOT agreeing with everything you've stated above. Some comics have issues. Some are both accessible and very well-done. In general, I'm really liking DC's REBIRTH, for example. I'm reading all of it - trying to keep up. I don't love every series, let alone every issue, but generally, I think they're doing a pretty darn good job. I'd particularly recommend Wonder Woman.

And I think there are plenty of crap television series, as well.

It's all about execution. Plenty of good comics series. Plenty of good television series. Plenty of lousy examples of both. But I'm glad you like YJ and Spectacular.

Response recorded on September 25, 2017

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FallenLegend writes...

I have questions regarding adapting DC comics.

You see there is certain fan adaptation running around on the net( I won't mention it for obvious reasons) , and to be honest all the changes seem silly, cringe inducing and fanfic like.

Yet all your changes seem logical. I mean replacing Aqualad with Kalduram or Cassie as Wondergirl would be controversial but it's logical and I like it. You even improved on many characters like from the source material like Artemis and Sportsmaster.

Most of the changes you have done are like apple products they just work.

So my question is How do you make earth 17 feel so cohesive and faithful despite doing some heavy changes to the source material?

Greg responds...

Well, for starters, it's Earth-16.

But otherwise the goal is to get down to the core of every character that you're adapting and be true to that. Not all the details matter, proven out by the fact that over 75 years of comics history, a lot of the details about any given character keep changing. But who the character is at her or his core does matter.

All this is influenced by what we've already done in a universe that we're trying to keep cohesive and coherent, so we think about how any new character would fit into that schema. Or if they'll fit. Things like scope effect us too. For example, we talked about including Supergirl in both Season One and Season Two, but her story was too big to fit in either season without derailing our main overall plot or skimping on her story. We'll get to her eventually - no promises as to when - but it'll have to be when we could do justice (YOUNG justice) to her story.

Response recorded on September 21, 2017

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Ivana writes...

Look Greg I am a huge YJ fan more than you could know I live in abq USA I am a 12 year old girl.i thought every day how would it be like to bust and see you ask you in person some questions.i always thought what it would be like to play on young justice meeting all the voices and being one of them that always comes up in my mind I watched young justice over and over making sure I know everything they say and my best friend marlee she hated young justice until she watched it we now love it we talk all the time we always say stay whelmed to each other if you do get this please text me back iflores081@tanm.us

Greg responds...

I'm sorry, Ivana, but it wouldn't be responsible for me to text a twelve-year-old girl, specifically, or for me to break precedent and begin texting individual fans. I don't have time to have that kind of personal communication with everyone, and it wouldn't be fair for me to play favorites.

On top of that, I'm very nervous about you posting your information here. I wouldn't recommend anyone do that - especially a twelve-year-old. Please know that if anyone texts you and claims to be me, IT IS NOT ME.

If you have questions, you can always reach me here at ASK GREG. I know there's a delay to my responding - I'm currently four and half months behind. But most things can keep that long.

You can also follow me on TWITTER @Greg_Weisman

I'm currently taking a break from social media, but I tweet on rare occasions, and I'll probably come back eventually.

Response recorded on September 21, 2017

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nobody writes...

did wally get rid of the tracer after artemis told her secret

Greg responds...

I'm sure it was dealt with.

Response recorded on September 21, 2017

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Traught writes...

How did the Light get inside Cadmus in episode 126? Did they walk through the front door or teleported?

Greg responds...

They came in through the kitchen. ;)

Response recorded on September 21, 2017


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