Logan writes...

Loved the pilot, I had EXTREMELY high hopes for Independence day and my expectations were defiantly exceed. Seeing Connor animated for the first time was beyond incredible.

Please do me the favor of confirming weather or not we will see any of the following justice league members out of costume assuming their civilian identies. clark? bruce? barry?

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Hello Greg,

When Xanatos travelled to tenth century Scotland in "Vows," how did he communicate with the Norman ambassador and Prince Malcolm? There was no language barrier in the episode, but English wasn't spoken in Scotland back then. I'm sure that the production reason for this was the same as in Awakening and the Avalon World Tour, but have you decided upon a within-the-Gargverse reason? I have a guess or two, but it would probably be an idea.

Thanks.

Anonymous... for now writes...

I think it's a wonderful thing you're doing here for the fans on this website to respond to their questions about this remarkable show you made in the past. It shows true passion and dedication to the fans of how loyal you are about this show. I'm a huge fan of the show myself. You created a great show and took risks and made such powerful story lines that very few people in the business today would be able to succeed at. I'm here to tell you that hope is still here for the Gargoyles. Some changes and considerations are being made soon for the Gargoyles Series within the Walt Disney Company. Opening kids of this generation to the show would be a great decision in order to resurrect the Gargoyles Series to the public today. Just as you’ve said to your fans many times before, get the word out about the show as much as you can. If they do their part (as they have been doing), we will try to do the best we can. We'll keep in touch.

Richard Jackson writes...

Have you ever seen Orson Welles' adaptation of of Henry IV, Chimes at Midnight (titled Falstaff in some countries)? I really enjoyed it. After all, Welles as Falstaff. It doesn't get any better than that.

On the same note, who is your favorite Shakespeare screen actor? Olivier? Welles? Branagh?

dph of rules writes...

Do either Coldfire, Coldstone, or Coldfire require sleep to avoid mental exhaustion?

tomi writes...

Neither borrower nor a lender be: For loan loses both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge og husbandry
-William Shakespere.

Being original is never too easy: as amateur writer myself, and as misunderstood loner, i spend often much of my time crafting my own stories and developing characters of my own, and as certain perfektionist, it is long process.

Of course, i dont think it is a bad thing to be influenced by others and perhaps occasionally paying certain hidden tributes to them, but as any at least somewhat intelligent knows, too much borrowing is bad thing too: it only makes final product to look and feel predictable, facile and empty.

Many writers these days seems to be struggling between two choices:
When maing something original, how to make it to feel on its own and as much unpredictable and enjoyable as possible...
Or, whenever taking upon him/herself to craft from something that,s already been done in some form at least, to make sure not to repeat too much on the past, but still maintaining certain loyalty to its history.

Although i can certainly see many influences which must,ve been crafting on makers minds when gargoyles was crafted, it still manages to maintain it,s own fresh sense and certainly stand on its own. You and your fellows managed to make intresting world which was filled with intresting characters, deep themes and surprising plot-twists, something what is only very rarely seen in tv these days.

Then, you were showrunner on Spectacular Spiderman and have done work in The Batman for example. In The Gargoyles, you were given freedom to make your own characters, places and objects to use, and to use them in almost anyway possible, as long as it would seem to fit in. But whenever working on Spiderman, some things that fans of the franchise had grown to love in the past had to be maintained: Peter Parker/Spider-Man has to be portrayed as outcast whom fights against both city,s evildoers as well his own problems in his personal adolescence, or in Batman,s case, Btsie has to be this dark and tormented warrior of justice, Alfred loyal(and cynically sharp) butler, and Joker to be sick psychopath. And yet, repeating too much on the past, and you get scratched.

Having worked on something original and taking upon something you had been fond of in the past, which one do you consider to be easier/pleasent to do and how often, as a writer, you struggle between all these choices?

Elm writes...

You have answered previous questions about Luach's father with saying that, while born during Gruoch's marriage to Gillecomgain, Macbeth may have been his real father. Did you ever intend for this twist to surface in the comics when you rekindled the series?

Also, the year after Macbeth's "death", when Luach was killed, why, rather than going to join Macbeth (who surly knew of his son's death and his wife's desolation), did Gruoch commit suicide? Or is that simply history, and thus undependable?

Lost writes...

are you friends with Diane Duane?

Voice Chaser? writes...

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

Who do you imagine for the following characters?

Amanda Chung
Brother Valmont
True
Nashville

Alex writes...

If Superboy is 16 weeks old but is equivalant to a sixteen year old does this mean he will age quicker then the others?

In Teen Titans there was a major issue that you never got to see Robins eyes. Will we in Young Justice?

Is there any discussion about Robin being the most expierenced yet youngest in the show?

Shadow Wing writes...

Other than Lex, have we "met" any bi- or homosexual characters? I just want a yes/no answer, no need to name names if you don't want to.

Filip writes...

Hey, Greg.

Are you writing any of the episodes to Young Justice?

Ian Whitcombe writes...

I'm curious about the philosophy behind recieving episode premise approval for a show from DC (and I'm assuming Marvel too for SSM?). I wonder which would describe it better:

1. You submit the episode premise as a checks and balances procedure working in good faith that the episode will be approved provided there aren't any legal or logistical oversights that would make the episode impossible to produce. What I think I'm asking is if they recognize your desire as producer to make the episode, and they would only veto a premise if there was some sort of hassle.

2. You submit the episode premise in the hope that DC likes it and sees value in the episode's production. This would imply that the episode could be approved or vetoed based on the creative "whims" of DC.

Blizzard Sprite writes...

Hello, Mr. Weisman.

My next questions are for Brooklyn, who was one of my favorite characters in the franchise. Not only did he come off as cool, but he was a relatable character who came off as a sort of rebellious youth. So, here are the questions.

1. I read in a 2008 interview that Brooklyn was quite popular with the fans of the show. How and when were you able to determine that? Nowadays, I figure it would be pretty easy given the pervasive nature of the internet and how fast information can be circulated. But back in the 1990's, during the show's original run when internet use was not as prevalent, how were you able to obtain feedback about certain aspects of the show, such as character popularity?

2. Brooklyn’s encounters and love interests in the twentieth century always seemed to have an unhappy ending to them (his initial encounter with Demona and his initial interests in Maggie the Cat and Angela come to mind). Because of this, he seemed to come off as the most unfortunate character in the original Manhattan clan, at least to me.

a. Do you think that all of these unfortunate letdowns were necessary in developing his character, and preparing him for what was to come in Timedancer?

b. Do you think that Brooklyn having fewer ties to (new) people in the twentieth century made it easier for him, mentally and emotionally, to jump around different points in time?

3. Were you concerned about the audience perception of Brooklyn when you had him return from the Timedancing adventures not only with a family, but an eye patch? I think one of the qualities that made Brooklyn such a likable character, in addition to his personality and his cool voice, was that he was a physically attractive and handsome gargoyle. One external change might not be all that drastic though.

Thank you for your time.

Harlan Phoenix writes...

Did you ever consider giving the Magus a name beyond his title as, well, Magus?

Chris writes...

Everyone knows by now that there weren't enough DVD sales of the Gargoyles series to support the release of the remaining episodes by Disney (i.e. not profitable). This is the same situation that Warner Brothers found with the DVD release of some Hanna Barbera cartoons. In the last year, Warner Brothers (through Warner Archives) have developed the MOD (manufacture on demand) Program. They will burn the complete series of a Hanna Barbera cartoon onto a DVD-R on an order by order basis. These DVD-R's only contain the episodes (not any special bonus features) and can only be ordered from Amazon or Warner Archive online store. According to Warner Brothers this has kept the production and distribution costs low so that they can make money at this and satisfy their fans. Is there any way to get Disney to do the same thing with regards to the remaining episodes of the Gargoyles?

Algernon writes...

Hey again Greg,
When Superboy speaks for the first time in "Independence Day", a surprised Kid Flash responds by blurting out "He can talk?", was this a deliberate nod to Elisa's similar line in "Awakening Part Three" or just a coincidence?

Anonymous writes...

ageless meaning immortal. can you answer now?

Anonymous writes...

dear Greg.
I grew up watching Gargoyles, and as a kid, my view on demona was "evil bad girl" now, that i am older, i realise what happened to her, and i sometimes wonder just how different she could have been if she had someone to help her...i think even now, all she relaly needs is a good hug, (Sorry Gol, she would rather slice your wings off first)
Do you agree with that idea?
Thank you for your time in reading this.

Sasha writes...

Dear Greg,
I have always wondered about what happened to the audio tape which Elisa recorded in Season 1 Episode 12, when Fox confessed to her all of Xanatos's schemes concerning Derek/Talon. Did Derek/Talon ever listen to it, either before or after his mutation? If not, what became of the tape?

Anne writes...

First off, I just want to say how much I loved the Young Justice pilot. (I haven't been this excited about an animated show since JLU went off the air back in 2006!)

My question, though, is whether you find it frustrating to work on a series based on DC comics, because of their very long and complicated histories. I ask this as a big fan of the comics, and an even bigger fan of Bruce Timm's superb DC Animated Universe. Do you ever feel bogged down by over 70 years of comic history, not to mention countless adaptations? How much difficulty did you and the production team have in pulling out what elements you thought would work for the new series?

On a similar note, have you found it difficult to try to distinguish your work from other adaptations of the comic (most notably Mr. Timm's DCAU)?

Once again, I can't wait for the new series to air in January! Between your work on Gargoyles and the fantastic YJ pilot, you've set some pretty high expectations. :-)

Cal writes...

Not a question, but I left out a word in my conclusion. Its meant to say this: "Thanks and I hope you'll work with those two guys again".

kon-el writes...

1.Where does Superboy live?
2.Are we going to see Cadmus again?
3.If we see Zatanna in Young Justice will she be a teenager?

Jess writes...

Heya Greg! This isn't really a question. Rather a resounding "THANK YOU" for pretty much all of the work you've done over the years. Right now a few of my fandoms that are still on-going have come out with new installments that have, well, been disappointing me. I'm not going to name names because I don't want to put you in the position of having to bash a fellow professional's work and there's no guarantee you're familiar with the specific ones I'm speaking of anyway.

But to me it feels like the writer(s) have been failing, not because they're not talented, but rather because a) When they began their projects they failed to think far-forwardly to where they wanted their stories to go once the initial conflicts they set up have run their course. And B) Instead of letting plot-lines flow from characters that are complex and change over time, they fall back on comfortable clichés, simple black-and-white conflicts, and cookie-cutter romance. To put it simply, when given the opportunity they take the 'easy' dramatic choices.

Seeing this happen over and over has made me much more appreciative of the insane amount of world-building and planning that you must put into the things you undertake, and your skill as a storyteller to dig into the well of timeless archetypes and situations and do things that are new and exciting with them.

For me it's a relief to know that when Young Justice premieres as a series (I did see the pilot movie and loved it) I'll have something where I can sit down and be entertained, and trust that the people behind it are doing everything they can to ensure that it's the best it can possibly be. And even if at the end it hasn't matched my vision for what it could have been, I know it will definitely be just as good, and most likely a whole lot better. So, in conclusion: Thanks for being awesome! Please keep it up. :)

Javier BC writes...

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

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

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

Anonymous writes...

1.How powerful is Oberon in the Gargoyles universe? I assume he cannot destroy the Planet, but does he have power limits, can he divert a large Meteor or Asteroid, or cause Earth to move away from it's position in Space?
2.If not/if he can how much stress would this put on him?
3.What is the most strenuous thing he's done outside of the series episodes/ever?
2.Additionally how would he and other characters like Thailog or Xanatos react to an extraterrestrial invasion in the present day, by the alien antagonists from "2198" in the present day, or a different species?

Cal writes...

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

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

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

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

Hugo writes...

Hi Greg,

I was totally blown away by the first episode(s) of Young Justice. I knew the show was gonna be good, but... wow. The story was very well-crafted, and the quality of the animation was like nothing I've seen on American television. I can hardly wait until the show continues in January!

A few questions:

1. I'm a big Hawkman fan. I know he and Hawkwoman aren't main characters, but will we eventually learn which versions you're using?

2. I love the new Aqualad, and appreciate your efforts to diversify the cast. Can you comment on why you chose Aqualad in particular to re-imagine as a minority character, as opposed to, say, Artemis or Kid Flash?

3. Would you be willing/allowed to include any openly gay or lesbian characters on an all-ages show like this?

Thanks for your time, and for producing such a great show!

Pumpkin Bomb writes...

Wow, the number of questions since the premiere of Young Justice has really exploded upward. I tried to read through all of them to see if any made reference to my question, and I didn't find any, but apologies if I missed it and this has been asked before you get to my question.

One thing I've always found a little frustrating in DC comics is that the fictional cities of specific heroes (Gotham, Star City, Central City, Metropolis) are never definitively placed anywhere in the United States, even when they use actual cities as locations (using Washington DC as Justice League headquarters, for example). It's not like I expect there to be a giant, meticulously drawn map of the US with all the fictional cities marked, but it would be nice to know what region of the country they're in, but it's never really confirmed in the comics. But knowing how specific your planning can be when taking real world matters in account, I was wondering if you had decided where these major cities were in the country.

If so, would you tell us which states/regions of the country the cities of our main heroes (Robin, Kid Flash, Speedy, etc) are? As we probably won't know where Superboy or Miss Martian are staying until you decide to show us, would you touch on some of the other fictional cities and their locations if that information isn't something that will be revealed in the show (Bludhaven, Metropolis, Gateway City, Opal City, Fawcett...?)

Thanks!

Quentin Beck writes...

Hey Greg. I was just wondering if you were a Blockbuster fan? Not of the rental store, but of the DC Comics villain. I ask this because the episodes you wrote featured him in it. For example, in the Batman episode Meltdown, which you wrote, I noticed Mark Desmond was the chief scientist working on trying to cure Ethan Bennett. Blockbuster also appeared on Batman: Brave and the Bold. He was in the teaser for Death Race to Oblivion, which you wrote. FInally, he appeared on Young Justice, great premier by the way, which you wrote and produced. I'm a bit of a Blockbuster fan to so I just wanted to know if you were? Thanks for taking the time to read this and keep up the good work.

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Hello Greg,

So you've said that Nashville is bilingual. Which two languages does he speak?

Thanks again for answering all these questions!

Joyous writes...

Have you ever considered turning Gargoyles into a series of novels? I don't know how it would work with Disney owning the show rights, but a comic was made, so why not a book? There's so much story untold and I would love to see it continue in any form possible. :)

Richard Jackson writes...

Todd Jensen and others have commented on the similarities between “Grief” and the Batman episode “Avatar.” Todd’s question being here:

http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=2870

I noticed another pair of episodes of Batman and Gargoyles that really reminded me of the other, because of the same writers. “Legion” and the Batman episode “What is Reality?” Both were written by Robert Skir and Marty Isenberg. Both episodes deal with virtual reality, but the third acts are very similar to me.

Batman/Goliath has to go into a virtual reality world to help his friend, Commissioner Gordon/Coldstone. His VR savvy compatriot Robin/Lexington tells him how it works. Once inside Batman/Goliath battles his enemy, The Riddler/Xanatos. Robin/Lexington tries to help Batman/get Goliath out of the VR world, but is painfully rebuffed. A shrill noise blasted into his ear piece in Robin’s case. An electronic shock emanating from Goliath’s body in Lex’s case. Side note: That was the biggest problem I had with “Legion.” I can buy a cybernetic gargoyle and that Xanatos can design a computer program based on his personality, but I never understood how Goliath’s body became akin to a live wire when hooked up to Coldstone. It must be one of those side effects when science and sorcery are combined.

Of course, “What is Reality?” and “Legion” are two different episodes and the execution of third acts are very different. Dialogue, characters and virtual reality as represented in the respective episodes were all different. Even the resolutions are different. I guess writing the virtual reality Batman episode gave Skir and Isenberg the experience to write the Gargoyles VR episode. Interestingly enough, they did write “Future Tense”, which also had a VR sequence in the Xanatos Pyramid, albeit in a dream. They didn’t write “Walkabout”, which had a metaphysical reality (MR?) scene.

I do think the examples of “Avatar/Grief” and “What is Reality?/Legion” are interesting examples of how writers will take previous ideas they’ve had and use another chance to expand or improve on them. “Avatar” didn’t work for me, but “Grief” is one of my favorite episodes of Gargoyles. And it’s close between “What is Reality?” and “Legion”, but I slightly prefer the former.

Marc G. writes...

Is there a list online somewhere of all the overseas animation studios used for Gargoyles, by episode? It's frustrating because the credits always just listed "Walt Disney Television Animation".
Also, a related question: did you have control over which scripts were sent to which studios? Or was it purely dictated by scheduling and budgetary concerns?
Thanks!

Henry writes...

Am I wrong to think that people are reading to much in to the covert ops premise of the show? From what the Flash said it seemed that it meant that they would be taking side missions, and missions that the justice league wouldnt have been able to do because theyre always being watched.

But are they going to be staying out of the public eye completely?
Or are they trying to not let villans find out that theyre a team?

Greg Bishansky writes...

Heh, well, after my last question about Xanatos and Fox being swingers, I figure I'll make a slightly deeper post about our favorite Machiavellian industrialist.

Throughout the entire series, we've really only seen Xanatos' armor penetrated twice. The first time was in "Eye of the Beholder" when he admitted he had lost control of the situation and practically begged Goliath for help. The second was in "The Price" when Hudson made a very sharp observation.

Demona and Castaway are both driven by repressed guilt and self loathing that they project on to their scapegoats of choice. Thailog is driven by an inferiority complex, so he feels he has something to prove. What drives Xanatos? I think it's fear.

Now, I'm not saying Xanatos is a coward, we know he's not. But let's look at the two above incidents.

"Eye of the Beholder" starts with Xanatos cool and confident as always, he thinks he's in control. But quickly loses it, and has to beg his enemy for help. There was even a moment when he looked like he was on the verge of a total breakdown while pleading to Goliath.

In "The Price" Hudson observes that Xanatos is terrified by the prospect of growing old and dying, and damn, for the first time that we've seen, Xanatos loses his temper, and retorts with a jab that's beyond petty. I will admit, I can't help but wonder how many conversations Xanatos had with his father that were like this.

Granted, both of these episodes end with Xanatos regaining his cool. But still, this guy is obviously a control freak. Nothing terrifies him because he feels he controls everything already, and when he knows he's not in control, he frets.

I suppose "The Gathering" could be another example, but that was very brief in his scene with Owen, but he quickly regained his cool when Owen showed him the security measures he had already implemented.

I'd be interested in know what you think, Greg. Is Xanatos driven by fear? That does seem to have been his most consistent weakness.

Joker writes...

Considering that you created a new Aqualad, can we expect to see new villains also ?

Roy writes...

This may be premature as the series is only just getting started, but has there been any consideration to creating some additional outlets down the line to showcase the rest of the Earth 16 universe you are building in the background behind Young Justice?

For example a comic miniseries, direct-to-DVD movies, or potential spin-offs focused on the Earth 16 Justice League (or Captain Atom or Wonder Woman, etc.)?

Joker writes...

1) Will Aquagirl apear in Young Justice ? And if you can't answer that : Will any other characters from Atlantis apear in the show besides Aquaman amd the Two Aqualads ?
2)Who is your favourite sidekick from Young Justice ?
3)Who is your favourite DC Ice villain ?

Joker writes...

Have you guys made any intro/theme song for Young Justice ?

Anonymous writes...

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

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

Rory Gaff writes...

Hi Greg,
Is it possible that you have any plans/would be interested in making some to carry on the Gargoyles franchise by making a movie in the future. I would really like to see a live action movie of Gargoyles. In 3D and with current technology, it would be beautiful and I think it would be a great idea. It would also introduce post-gargoyle kids to the gargoyle world. I was a kid when the TV series was being aired and I am still an avid fan.
Thanks
Rory

Grant writes...

Do the Atlanteans and their stigma for blond hair exist in the YJ universe like they do in the comics? Does that extend to Aqualad?

Grant writes...

1)So if the original Black Canary was born in 1943, whats years was she operating from? Did she still have any connection to the original JSA?

2)Were there any heroes besides her that you have transplanted to the interim era between the Golden Age and the Modern Age?