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Masterdramon writes...

Hey Greg! Hope that you're doing well, and that the holiday season is treating/did treat (depending on when you read this) your family happily.

What follows is a paper I recently submitted to my Contemporary Political Theory class at Pomona College, interrelating several of the concepts from the book we discussed that week ("You Are Not a Gadget" by Jaron Lanier) with the notion of namelessness in traditional gargoyle culture.

My professor (unfamiliar with the show, but very intrigued when I explained it to her) really got a kick out of the piece, and I earned a more-or-less "A-" equivalent for it. But as long as I've got it sitting around, I figured you might enjoy giving it a read as well.

[NOTE: You may want to review this post you made on Ask Greg in 2004 beforehand, as it is cited frequently: http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?rid=387].

Now, without further ado, the essay. It has been edited from the submitted version only by rearranging paragraph breaks...

The 1994 animated television series Gargoyles posits a highly intelligent species which dominated the Earth prior to human genesis and ascendance.

These gargoyles possess a unique culture which predates humanity's by a significant period, but the first on-screen depiction of the gargoyle species takes place in the 10th century, after millions of years of convergent evolution between the two cultures.

Indeed, the pilot episodes depict the essential death of one lingering component of gargoyle culture, at least for the series protagonists: that gargoyles lack personal names. This idea is first discussed in a conversation between two gargoyles and a human boy:

TOM: I'm Tom. What's your name?
GARGOYLE #1: Except for Goliath, we don't have names.
TOM: How do you tell each other apart?
GARGOYLE #1: We look different.
TOM: But what do you call each other?
GARGOYLE #2: (shrugs) Friend.

For context, "Goliath" is the leader of the clan of gargoyles to which the protagonists belong, and their liaison to the humans with whom they share an uneasy alliance; those humans felt incapable of dealing with a nameless entity, and Goliath did not bother to reject the name they selected for him.

Still, he does not use the name in communicating with his own clan until a betrayal by their human allies and a magical curse cause the protagonists to sleep as statues and then reawaken in 20th century Manhattan.

Here they meet and befriend Elisa Maza, a police detective who is both confused by and - for reasons she has trouble articulating - uncomfortable with this traditional lack of names. The following exchange takes place between Elisa and the clan's elderly mentor:

ELISA: Are you coming on the tour…uh, what do I call you, anyway?
GARGOYLE: Must you humans name everything? Nothing's real to you till you've named it, given it limits!
ELISA: It's not like that! It's just that…well, uh…things need names.
GARGOYLE: Does the sky need a name? Does the river?
ELISA: The river's called the Hudson.
GARGOYLE: (sighs) Fine, lass…then I will be 'the Hudson' as well.
ELISA: Great! Hudson it is.

From that point onward, that particular gargoyle is known as Hudson, and only Hudson.

The younger gargoyles who survived the centuries follow suit; the two who conversed with Tom become Lexington and Brooklyn, for example. And Goliath more-or-less fully accepts the moniker afforded him by the Dark Age humans.

As Gargoyles creator Greg Weisman points out, "naming is clearly addictive," and once they are established the convenience they offer makes doing away with them virtually impossible. Thus, for the Manhattan Clan of gargoyles, namelessness largely remains a thing of the past for the remainder of the series.

In "You Are Not a Gadget," Jaron Lanier describes the phenomenon experienced by these gargoyles using the term "lock-in."

As Lanier puts it, "lock-in…removes design options based on what is easiest to program, what is politically feasible, what is fashionable, or what is created by chance." Furthermore, the process "also reduces or narrows the ideas it immortalizes, by cutting away the unfathomable penumbra of meaning."

Despite originally referring to programming language, this is a perfect description of the process that "Hudson" has been subjected to in the previous scene.

Names are a method of defining identity, which necessarily must involve "giving it limits." But in traditional gargoyle culture, identity has greater meaning than that; it is amorphous, and changes with the circumstances.

The gargoyle who first made a compact with the humans at Castle Wyvern is the same gargoyle who mated three times and produced three progeny; he is the same gargoyle who fought the evil Archmage and received a wound that blinded him in one eye; he is the same gargoyle who slept for centuries and once awakened, found himself fascinated with the television show "Celebrity Hockey."

Does one name - Hudson - really encapsulate all of these aspects of his identity?

In-and-of-itself, all it signifies is that the place Hudson awoke in was modern-day New York (a cut line from the episode's script even has Elisa commenting, "Good thing we weren't facing Queens," emphasizing with humor how off-hand and esoteric the choice was).

That name was "locked-in" as the full and entire representation of the character from that point onward, solely because it was politically feasible (it makes dealing with Elisa and later human allies far more expedient), it was fashionable (every other intelligent being in 1994 New York has a name, so why not the gargoyles?), and it was created by chance (quite literally in this case, as the "Queens" quote illustrates).

And the result is that the very meaning of his identity is narrowed. He is no longer capable of being someone at a particular moment, and someone else in the next.

He is always Hudson.

There is an even greater story here, however, which Weisman's later musings have helped to illuminate. As he once observed, "Gargoyles don't seem to have a native language. They acquire human language, perhaps much the same way that they acquire names…And language, in many ways, is just sophisticated naming."

This is a compelling point. As he later notes, a different and arguably much more persuasive response that Elisa could have offered is that the river is called "the river."

Languages are systems for describing objects, concepts, actions, etc. using strict and uniform definitions, confining them to names that society calls words.

But does a name like "the sky" really fully encapsulate the meaning inherent within the depths that humans observe from below? Does it even begin to provoke a holistic understanding of its astronomical, religious, chemical, or poetic contexts?

And even more to the point, what of metaphysical concepts like "justice"? Can a single clear definition even exist for such a weighty and nebulous notion - and if not, does sticking the name "justice" to it not necessarily limit it?

Lanier certainly appears to believe so. As he conceives it, the system of symbology under which all current human languages operate is itself a lock-in; at best, a "middleman" between intent and "directly creating shared experience" that he wants to work to cut out.

His method for doing so is improvements on virtual reality, until researchers develop "the ability to morph at will, as fast as we can think."

Lanier envisions a world where the rather simplistic words "I'm hungry" will not be the only way to communicate the sensation which has brought them on - instead, he sees potential in the power of virtual reality technology to place us in the bodies of others, as a way to intimate the sensation itself.

Humanity would no longer have to be limited to extracting some piece of the concept it calls "hunger," giving it that name, and using it as code so that others who know the symbology of the English language will understand some approximation of that concept.

The concept would simply be understood, and communication would be a straightforward matter of imparting that understanding.

But perhaps there is an even better solution than this - although one that is, unfortunately, largely forgotten.

Presented with the puzzle that gargoyles are highly gregarious and intelligent by nature and yet appear to lack any notion of their own language, Weisman has mused that perhaps, long before human language evolved and became the locked-in method for communication, the gargoyle species possessed "mild psychic abilities that left them with no need to create language."

While emphasizing that he was only asserting a possibility, the communication he imagines - where it was not "words that they intuited (or transmitted or read or whatever) but emotions, maybe images or sensations" - sounds exceedingly similar to what Lanier hopes to achieve through virtual reality.

Such communication would be consistent with what audience knows about pre-human gargoyle culture, where definition and identity are situational as opposed to consistently codified.

But if that is the case, it leads to a rather lamentable conclusion. As Weisman puts it, "perhaps the very language skills that gargoyles learned from the human race dampened their psychic intuitiveness;" in other words, lock-in of a very particular method of communication (symbology) "locked-out" another method that presented communicative possibilities human technology can currently only dream of.

The initial insistence on not using personal names, then, can be considered a lingering hold-out of a bygone era where every concept was considered unlimited, and every sensation intimated in their full depth.

In dealing with nascent human cultures, gargoyles must have gradually accepted the limiting of concepts like "sky" or "river" because this made interspecies congress significantly more efficient, but they resisted the longest on the limiting of the very depths of the self.

But with the permanent instatement of "Hudson" and the rest, there does not appear to be room to return to the possibilities an unlimited identity presents. Human language has killed them.

Of course, both the gargoyle race and their culture are fantastical constructions, but that does not necessarily mean that humans cannot learn from their fictional example.

While humans do not seem to share these "mild psychic abilities" (although there are some who would vehemently disagree with that statement) that Weisman hypothesizes, that there are methods of sensation and communication which precede language skills is clearly documented.

As with gargoyles, members of the species Homo sapiens did exist well before the development of the earliest known language, and while current understanding of those early cultures is limited at best, there is also a much more immediate example to turn to.

Newborns spend a few years before they learn to define the world around them in the code of words - the sun is an experience to them long before the strictly defined, limiting name of "the sun" is ever applied to it.

The depths of what could be learned from observing children raised without learning language skills, interpreting sensations and intimating them to others via methods of their own device, are boundless; of course, the enormous ethical travesty presented by such experiments means they are not a viable avenue for inquiry.

So instead, humans turn to fiction - attempting to realize through others what that they have long since lost, and yearn to find again.

Greg Weisman has often described gargoyle culture, and pre-human gargoyle culture specifically, as something of a wish fulfillment for him. "I'm such a human," he laments with a written-out sigh, "But I aspire to gargoylosity."

Well, if the virtual reality morphing that so excites Jaron Lanier can indeed allow humans to experience sensation as a pre-human gargoyle (or a pre-language human, or a baby, or even a cephalopod) did/does - if it has the potential to turn the clock back as well as forward, and show what it is like for things simply to be, without the cumbersome and restrictive middleman of naming them - then perhaps that is an aspiration that more humans should share.

Greg responds...

At first, when you mentioned 'You Are Not a Gadget', I couldn't help thinking the follow-up statement would be 'You Are a Chip, a Dale or a Monterey Jack'. Talk about lock-in.

Anyway, is it immodest to say that your essay warmed my heart? I enjoyed reading it. And I found it quite insightful. I do believe my own thinking has evolved since I wrote that ramble on gargoyles' latent psychic abilities. My thinking now is less psychic and more intuitive based on sensory clues.

But it doesn't change my positive response to your thesis. And it also speaks to one of my goals - perhaps even needs (NEEDS) - as a writer. Using words, multiple, multiple words, in an attempt to reach beyond the lock-in that comes with words like river or sun or Hudson or, most especially, Greg. The original version of Hudson's line was something like: 'Nothing is real to you until you've named it, defined it, given it limits.' More words to more fully illustrate the concept. And often in my writing I find myself trying to paint pictures with more and more words in an almost poetic sense. That verbosity is often counterproductive when writing dialogue. But I LIKE to think it lends - even when cut back and cut down - a certain depth to the dialogue. But it's a constant push and pull in my writing between trying to find just the one right word and using many, many to paint that fuller picture.

Response recorded on December 30, 2012

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Malini writes...

Hello, Mr Weisman,
This isn't so much of a question as it is a mini-review:
Holy cow. "Darkest" was so intense that I was an emotional wreck by he end of the episode. I was feeling sorry for every character (well, every character who isn't a flat out villan) who appeared in the episode. The supreme irony I noticed? For someone who said that he didn't want to be like Batman, Nightwing is sure shaping out to be a lot like his mentor. I have to give especial props to Jesse McCartney and Jason Spisak for their excellent acting during Dick and Wally's confrontation. Just... wow.

Greg responds...

Agreed. Jesse and Jason just rocked that. (Props to Voice Director Jamie Thomason too!)

Response recorded on December 01, 2012

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YJ Fan For Life! writes...

Wow...talk about kicking things up a notch! "Satisfaction" and "Darkest" have been stellar...just when I thought the show couldn't get more twisted, the knife cuts a little deeper. It hurts -- but in a good way!

Anyway, question about the way in which episodes have been organized in Season 2. Unless, I'm reading too much into it, the first 10 episodes feel very clearly divided into 3 arcs.

Ep. 1-3 - The Krolotean threat, the 5-day timespan, the mystery of the 16 hours culminating in the League leaving for Rimbor. That last one especially felt like a dramatic endpoint.

Ep. 4-6 - Red Arrow's recovery, the re-introduction of Wally, Blue Beetle's spotlight. And the ending of "Bloodlines" being a super-dramatic endpoint.

Ep. 7-10 - The short timespan, the Aqualad/Artemis undercover plot.

If this was intentional, would you mind elaborating on your thought process behind this method of organization?

Also, if there was a similar organizational method in Season 1, I'd love to hear about that as well!

Greg responds...

201-203 definitely and intentionally portrayed the Krolotean threat, but I'm not sure it was us creating a "clearly divided arc". And after that I think you're off target. Ending your second section at episode 206 seems a bit arbitrary. You could just as easily end at 207, where things REALLY changed. Or create four "arcs" or whatever suits you.

So, basically, no. We broke Season Two down into two sections: 201-210 and 211-220. Anything else is just, well, the ebb and flow of events. Some episodes flow more directly into others, but I'm not sure I'd use the term "arc" to define that.

As for Season One, you could break it down as follows:
101-102 - Pilot.
103-108 - Intentionally designed to feature one character per episode (without losing complete track of the rest of the Team in the process).
109-113 - Finishing out the first half of the season.
114-126 - The second half of the season.

I think that's as intentional as we got.

Response recorded on December 01, 2012

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Bridge writes...

hi greg its me again, i made an error on the comment about spectacular spiderman, what i meant to say was conceal dr conners's identity as the lizard instead of using disclosed.

Sorry

Greg responds...

Um... okay. Thanks for the correction.

Response recorded on December 01, 2012

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Divine writes...

I am doing a college project and wanted to know your own opinion on Young Justice becoming its own live action movie. Do you think it would be a success and if you have any comments or suggestions I will be glad. Also is it aimed at young children or teenagers? Thank you

Greg responds...

What class is THIS project for?

Anyway, I'd love for YJ to be remade as a live-action movie. I'd hope it would be successful. And, like the show, I assume it would be aimed at ALL ages.

But I'm not sure what comments or suggestions you're looking for. How can I comment on something that doesn't exist?

Response recorded on December 01, 2012

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Tupka writes...

I have a couple of questions about the Cave.
1. To what extent did the League use the Cave? Was it just a base and meeting room, or did people live there? Or were the living quarters and gym added when the Team moved in?
2. Did you (or rather, someone on the design crew) map out the Cave, or are storyboard artists given free reign? For example, in Homefront, they follow a specific path. To what degree was their route mapped out?
3. Also in Homefront, they run past what appears to be old generators (that promptly overload). What are those?

Greg responds...

1. No one lived there back when the League used the Cave as their full-time headquarters, but it was built with enough forethought to include living quarters and various amenities.

2. Brandon has the basics of the Cave mapped out (at least in his head). I'll admit, I at times get confused, and he's had to - more than once - sketch it out on a napkin for me (or somesuch).

3. I'm not sure which scene you're referring to. Was it the Boiler Room scene?

Response recorded on December 01, 2012

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Kitty writes...

Hi! I would just like to say that you are doing an awesome job. When the beginning of season 2 aired I freaked out because of the time skip and the "loss" of some of our heroes. But I forced myself to be patient and wait it out... and then you brought Artemis and Wally (my fave characters!) back into the mix in such an awesome way! So kudos for the great plot twists!

Here's my question: How old is Zat---- Just kidding!!
No questions, just praise! Keep up the good work :]

Greg responds...

Thanks for having patience. It really is appreciated.

Response recorded on December 01, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Greg, did you and Brandon team up with David Karp in order to maximize on our feels tomorrow?

Greg responds...

I'm sorry, but I don't know who David Karp is, which I suppose makes it clear that we didn't team up with him. I'm sure he's probably a really nice guy though.

Also, I'm not sure I would know how "to maximize on [your] feels" if I tried.

But, congrats! You succeeded in maximizing how OLD I feel.

Response recorded on November 30, 2012

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Jon writes...

1) Okay, so the League definitely knows that Lex Luthor is a member of the Light at this point. So how's he getting away with openly running a major corporation?

2) Was Project Cadmus a US government program in this continuity? Or a privately-run corporation?

Greg responds...

1. How do they stop him?

2. Privately run.

Response recorded on November 30, 2012

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JSA Fan writes...

Hi Greg.
I just wanted to compliment you and your colleagues for Satisfaction. Your follow-up of the Artemis and Roy storylines made this one of my favorite episodes.
Not only do we get emotional impact, we get the Roy/Mercy battle....one of the most bad-ass sequences in the whole series.
There are certain moments and scenes from the previous DC animated series and earlier YJ episodes that stand out for me. The battle joins that list. Kudos to everyone involved in the episode.

Greg responds...

Thanks!

Response recorded on November 30, 2012

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Batboy writes...

1. Assuming Nightwing's acrobatic abilities are the same in this as they are in the comics, is he capable of the Quadruple sommersault?
2. Has Superboy developed anymore Kryptonian powers, or is he still limited by his human DNA?
3. Who is faster, Impulse or Kid Flash?

Greg responds...

1. I don't know. But I wouldn't assume anything of the sort.

2. What you see is what you get.

3. Impulse. (Haven't we CLEARLY established this - even back when you posted this question?)

Response recorded on November 30, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Does Wonder Woman's Lasso have its truth powers in your version? I'm guessing Wonder Girl's doesn't have its Zeus' lightning powers or she would have used it by now...?

Greg responds...

1. Honestly, I haven't decided. I'm leaning toward a version of it. You can't lie when tied up by it, but you can't be compelled to tell the truth either - or compelled to do anything. And, of course, lying isn't the same as being wrong. So untruths can be told, if the teller believes them.

2. No lightning powers.

Response recorded on November 30, 2012

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Toasthider writes...

Hi Greg,
I was wondering if you read Hellboy at all? It just occurred to me recently that the use of folklore and mythology in the series is kind of in the same vein as Gargoyles!

Greg responds...

I've read some Hellboy and seen both movies. I see some overlap, though we did Gargoyles long before I read any Hellboy.

Response recorded on November 30, 2012

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Roy writes...

If you were given the opportunity to write a comic based on one of the young heroes that you have used, who would it be?

Greg responds...

I'm writing a comic. It's called Young Justice. Check it our.

Response recorded on November 30, 2012

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Teukros writes...

To start, I want to let you know that YJ is currently my favorite show, and I can't wait to see it each week.

My question is about Kyle Rayner. I remember hearing that in the past on multiple DC shows, certain characters (notably Nightwing in JLU and Donna Troy/Wonder Girl in almost ANYTHING) were off limits due to licensing issues (or something to that effect, I was never great at the legalese). I also noted that Kyle Rayner's only appearances as a Green Lantern were in Superman: TAS (where they made him into Hal Jordan with a different name) and briefly in JLU (where he had very little characterization). In many other shows and movies based off DC lore, when Kyle is supposed to be the Green Lantern in question (Justice League: Doom), or at the very least, could exist as one, he is passed over, more frequently than any of the other Lanterns in 2814. Is this a licensing issue, or is it something else entirely? From what I've read, Kyle isn't an unpopular character.

Greg responds...

It is not - as far as I know - a legal issue. No one has told me he's off limits. But I can't speak for what the situation was on past series.

Response recorded on November 30, 2012

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Luna writes...

I have some questios regarding Lex Luthor.

Do you think he would get along with Xanatos?
Is He as smart as Xanatos?
Would David Xanatos be a member of the light if he lived in earth 16?

I know it is never going happen becuase one is from DC and one is from Disney/Marvel. But I would love to see the two of them interacting.

How would you do an episode with Lex and Xanatos?.(I don't consider this one a spoiler or an original idea becuase copyright will never allow this to ever happen).

thank you!

Greg responds...

1. Sure.

2. See, now, the Hulk is more powerful because the madder he gets, the stronger he gets. But the Thing can still beat him if he keeps his wits about him.

3. I'm not interested in those kind of hypotheticals.

4. I wouldn't.

Response recorded on November 30, 2012

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Smallville fan writes...

Hello Greg I just wanted to apologize for my superman complaining and ask some questions regarding him.

As a fan I am a bit tired of writers using him just to make batman look cool.I think he is a great character, that few people are actually able to write well (many writers complain that he is too powerful).

When I saw him treating superboy as a brother. I regretted every word I said. You gave is a flawed yet true to the character that is Superman.

On to my questions!

1.-Do you think it is possible to write a superman show as great as past batman shows have been?
2.-Have you considered a superman show?
3.- How has superman survived against lex Luthor. I know superman is the super powered one... But he is too nice and naive while Lex is perhaps as smart as Xanatos.

Thank you for your time!

Greg responds...

1. Yes.

2. Not specifically, since I don't own Superman, it's not up to me. But I'd be game to try.

3. Observe for yourself.

Response recorded on November 30, 2012

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Celestia writes...

Hi the awesome job with the show.

My favorite new character is wonder girl!. I would like to ask about wonder girl's powers and origin.

I think you have hinted that she isn't an amazon.

In the show Wonder woman said that she "would tell her mother" and you said that her religion was Christianity with a "new found respect on pagan"

1.-was she ever a normal human or is she an amazon?
2.-How did she gained her powers? (genetics?)

Greg responds...

1. Depends what you mean by 'normal', I guess - but the short answer is NEITHER.

2. SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

Response recorded on November 30, 2012

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Paul writes...

When the Magus handed over the Grimorum to Mary and Finella after casting the "teleport to Avalon" spell, why didn't he tear out and destroy the page with the teleportation spell? He had seen Hakon tear out and destroy another of the Grimorum's pages, so he knew that it could be done; and it would prevent Constantine from pursuing them to Avalon even if he did obtain the Grimorum.

Greg responds...

The book was so holy to him, I don't think the thought occured. I mean, why not destroy the entire thing? It just wasn't the way he was trained.

Response recorded on November 30, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

What spell was cast by Zatanna in "Satisfaction"?

Greg responds...

Brag su rof elttab!

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Aside from Batman, does Dick Grayson idolize a particular hero?

Greg responds...

I think he likes them all, but might be particularly impressed with Superman and Black Canary.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

On another post you said that the pentagram's symbols in "Misplaced" had been inspired by My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. Was that a joke or were you being serious? None of the cuttie marks resemble any of those symbols.

If you were kidding, then where did you base those symbols on?

Greg responds...

I was kidding.

And I have no idea what - if ANYTHING - the symbols were based on.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Why is Batman the only one who cares so strongly about his and Robin's secret identities? I mean, why were Kid Flash and Speedy allowed to tell everyone their names but not Dick?

Greg responds...

Flash doesn't feel as strongly about it.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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CGYJ writes...

Mr. Greg Weisman,

In the Season One finale, Superman had told Superboy of his own secret identity as Clark Kent. When Superboy reacted to this revelation, was his reaction based mostly towards the fact because he now realized that they shared the same last name in the episode, or mostly towards the fact because Conner had met Clark Kent in Young Justice issue #20 (as indicated by the flashbacks) and not realizing at the time that Clark was actually Superman?

Thanks,
CGYJ

Greg responds...

Both.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Billy Q writes...

Hi Greg, I just saw the newest episode of Young Justice,of March since comic wise one of Dick Grayson's birthdays is listed as March 21 or the first day of Spring. Was this intentional or not? It's pretty funny since Wally got November 11, and now Conner has March 21. Was this just another coincidence or what?
Thank you a good episode, can't wait for the next one. :)

Greg responds...

I'm sorry, I don't really understand what you're asking. Was what a coincidence?

Mostly, March 21st was chosen as Conner's 'birthday' because (a) the timing made sense vis-a-vis what we already know, and (b) it's my son Benny's birthday.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Guy Gardner writes...

Back again! Hopefully you didn't have to go through all the lists that were ahead of me when I posted this, but if you did I pray for your sanity. Anyways, thanks for the answers you gave me last time. Here's a few more questions:

1) I love how you've fleshed out the Martians in this universe (Hope to see some Red Martians in the comic or on the show), but I wanted a clarification on their weakness: Is their weakness to fire purely based around heat, or is it more of an innate psychological fear of fire?

2) In "Earthlings", it's mentioned that the word "Krolotean" might as well mean "thief", indicating they are basically a race of criminals. So are Kroloteans supposed to be GOOD at what they do (tech thievery, infiltration, etc), or are they sort of a bargain basement criminal enterprise? Just wondering if the Light took the lowest bidder when it came to planning an alien invasion.

3) We know Earth has three Green Lanterns, but traditionally there are only two per sector. Are there different rules for the YJ Green Lantern Corps, or is one of them part of the Green Lantern Honor Guard (Elite Lanterns who are not bound by individual sectors)? If the latter, is it Guy Gardner? If not, WHY is he not when he is obviously superior to the others?

4) Conner is now attending Ivy University, judging by "Satisfaction". What's his major and is Ivy Town as crazy as it is in the comics? Oh, and nice job sneaking in "The Mysteries of Udolpho" in a second time.

5) I know that the production team was always planning on a 5-year timeskip. Was the idea of doing this inspired by the Legion of Superheroes' "5 Years Later" skip, or is that complete coincidence?

Thanks again for your time!

Greg responds...

1. Heat.

2. They have their skills.

3. The rules are slightly different in Milky Way-16.

4. History, I'd think.

4a. Ivy Town's no crazier than anywhere on Earth-16.

5. Coincidence - if it even rises to the level of coincidence.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Can you explain how Wally is Bart's first cousin once removed? Thank you :)

Greg responds...

Wally is first cousin to Bart's father.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Becca writes...

Does Red Arrow have the same fingerprints as the original Roy Harper/Arsenal?

Greg responds...

I would think so, but I have to admit, I don't know for certain how fingerprints are formed.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Ky writes...

Concerning the titles of the next two episodes in Young Justice Invasion ("Darkest" and "Before the Dawn"), I was wondering if they were a reference to the song Shake It Out by Florence and the Machine or if that was just a pure coincidence?

Greg responds...

"It's always darkest before the dawn." is a very old phrase that pre-dates both our series and the birth of Florence or the Machine.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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B writes...

Do Miss Martian's Green siblings get looked down on or discriminated against for having a White father even though they aren't White themselves?

Greg responds...

Probably.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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DC Comic Fan writes...

1. In season 2 of young justice, is the hologram of the dead Robin in episode 8 satisfaction, Jason Todd or a brand new robin invented for the show based on Jason?
2. When the original Roy Harper fired a Rocket Launcher at a building, was that a reference to Batman: Under the Red Hood?
3. Was it always planned from season one of young justice to have two Roy Harpers, each of them becoming or about to become in original Roys case, one of the two identities, Red Arrow and Arsenal?

Greg responds...

1. Jason Todd.

2. Hmm. Not consciously...

3. Yes.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Tyler Reznik writes...

Hello once again, Mr. Weisman.

I've read in the archives that, for the Gargoyles comics, you mentally cast actors for characters who didn't appear/speak in the original series, as well as imagining the voices of the original actors for pre-existing characters. Do you do the same for the Young Justice comics?

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.

Greg responds...

Generally, yes.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Paul writes...

Why did Nightwing say, "We're crash" in Bloodlines?

Greg responds...

He was quoting Impulse.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Clark Cradic writes...

According to one of your earlier answers, Wonder Woman is 90 years old as of Invasion. How exactly is she so long lived? Is it an Amazon thing, do they only age to a certain point?

Greg responds...

They don't age on Themyscira.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Bridge writes...

hi greg,

I would love to say thank you for providing us with shows like young justice and spectacular spiderman with all the twists and turns in the story line.

For spectacular spiderman, i was fooled that harry was the green goblin when it actually norman. Just when i thought i had the Green Goblin so played out (making the harry seem so obvious) and yet so deviated (making it Harry instead of the traditional Norman), I was wrong.

I loved how the show kept with the original story of the Green Goblin AND found a surprising and original way to tell it. That's what i call killing 2 birds with stone.

Same goes for young justice, how Red Arrow accuses Miss martian, Artemis and Superboy of being the mole when it was Roy. I admit myself i thought it would be artemis which roy was suspicious and when i found out he was the mole, i thought to myself hypocrite but when i found out he was a clone and a sleeper agent?! Oh my....

I love surprises like these keep it up!

Greg responds...

We'll try!

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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The Greenman writes...

Yj questions:

1. Has Augustus Freeman ever encounteredand or known of older heroes like the JSA or the Mystery Men?

2. Is Augustus Freeman rich on the level of say Lex Luthor or just wealthy?

Thank you!

Greg responds...

1. SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

2. Just well-off.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Andy G writes...

Hello Greg and welcome back,

i would like to say in my opinion that spectacular spiderman is the best adaption since the 90's with great storylines and character development such as flash thompson's sense of honour in sports (Probably Cause) which really surprised as he is portrayed as an arrogant jerk.

I liked the themes of character development such as "defrosting the ice queen" e.g. Liz Allen warms up to Peter and becomes open minded (Interactions) and Sally Avril because concerned with peter's safety (Probably Cause) and showing a bit of compassion. Not to mention about Harry's transition from friend to a jerk when he becomes popular which i like to call "Acquired social narcissism".

The characters hated towards spiderman are well understandable e.g. J jonah jameson's anger towards spiderman after rival papers sold well with front covers of spiderman than the bugle's front cover of his son miraculously and heroically piloted the shuttle to safety against impossible odds of survival. I would be annoyed if that happened to me.

I liked how the series show a more human peter parker and how he can be portrayed as a sleaze and quite an opportunist as would be willing to take any opportunity which would benefit him and other people he knows in the long run if how could avoid the consequences e.g. Taking photos of the lizard but disclosing Dr conners as the lizard from the public to win the prize money for his aunty, however that minor consequence can build up major consequence e.g. miles warren managed to get a that pic of the lizard to uses to blackmail Dr conners into giving up control of his lab to miles after dr. conners said his research was a "dead end".

I would like to say thank you for producing a spectacular series of spiderman and even though it's cancelled i continue to use my imagination.

P.s. Ignore the haters and continue doing what you do best.

Greg responds...

Thanks.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Rex Dawson writes...

Hello greg,

I would like to say thank you for producing animated series like young justice and spectacular spiderman especially. I'm sorry to hear about your loss and i hope things will get better.

There are a few questions if you don't mind me ask but:

1) In spectacular spiderman, why did peter chose liz instead of gwen first and did he even like liz at all? is it because peter is seen as a nerd and liz is popular and attractive and he chose to be with Liz because it would boost his credibility and change peoples perceptions of him?

2)Why did mary-jane decide to give gwen stacy a makeover? is it because to help her self-confidence or to make peter notice gwen more and make him realise that gwen is the girl for him? or is it because even though peter was with liz, she never gave up on helping gwen to get with peter because she believes there's a connection between them? Because this love triangle between peter, liz and Gwen caught my interest.

Thank you

Greg responds...

1. I think Peter was immature. Liz was there and kissing him. She declared she was his girlfriend, and he wanted a girlfriend, and he got... distracted by her. I don't think it had anything to do with popularity. And I do think he liked Liz. I think he still does. He just LOVED Gwen.

2. Yes.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Sean writes...

Hi its good to have young justice back. So my first two questions are directed at the lastest episode or at least ths lastet episode there was when i posted this.
1.Arsenel(the first roy but for simpcity sake) seemed to be able to fight extremely well given his handicap, not to mention the fact that he just got out of the hospital. Could just elaborate a little how he could do this, when he also had to use different tatics compared to his eariler training. Also is red arrow more skilled than aresenl given he had three extra years of training with green arrow?
2. I know you may have said this eariler, but I am curious about how important a character rocket was in the first season. Compared to zatanna who was introduced sooner and was shown working with the team before she actually joined, it felt like rockets entry was rushed. Was that intentional or just part of script changes?
3. Final question is about the finale of season 1. The light put in alot of time and effort into creating starro tech which can subdue any hero, over a period of several months, yet the team was able to create a counter to it in less than a day. It really seems to me that was a bit of a deux ex machina. I guess my question is did you only do that to clear the board for season 2?

Greg responds...

1a. Shrug. He was motivated.

1b. Probably.

2. I don't think her entry was rushed at all. It just came later in the series. And she was set-up by multiple cameo appearances previously.

3. No. We felt we had set up the players who could counter the Starro-Tech, given a sample for reverse-engineering purposes.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Clark Cradic writes...

Any characters that you don't like that everyone else you know seems to love? Doesn't have to be DC, it can be any character in general.

Greg responds...

Um... none spring to mind this second.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Clark Cradic writes...

Some of my friends are curious about certain parts of the last season. I'm very, very, very sorry if these come off as rude or accusatory to you and the crew. I love the work you're doing, but they're really up in arms over certain things and misconstruing certain scenes in the worse possible ways. I figure the best way to calm them down is to get answers straight from the source.

Why did the Light need Roy's entire arm for cloning? Wouldn't some blood or a finger have been enough?

Why did the others but Clone!Roy give up on looking for Original!Roy? Why did they say Original!Roy was never their friend and tell Clone!Roy to give up searching for him?

Again, I apologize for this, I tried to clean up the questions as best I could without messing up the point of the question. Honestly, they'll never let this go unless they hear the answer straight from the creator's Q&A blog. Again, I think you're doing a great job and I hope you and the rest of the cast and crew keep up the great work!

Greg responds...

1. They wanted an on-going source of DNA, and didn't want to continually have to defrost him and refrost him to get it.

2a. There was always a suspicion that Original Roy might be dead. As more and more leads led to dead ends, more and more people became convinced that he was.

2b. Robin and Kid Flash met Speedy AFTER the switch to Clone Roy was made. (This is flat-out STATED in the series.)

2c. See 2a.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Julio Lopez writes...

Did you have plans of pitch or self produce a new original concept in form of series/comic?

Greg responds...

I've tried pitching many times, but have yet to sell anything. Long ago, I had thoughts of self-producing, but it's just an economic impossibility for someone with my (lack of) financial resources.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

When figuring out a character's birth date, do you ever draw from horoscope personality types? For instance, did you consider whether or not Wally was "a Scorpio" when you chose 11/11 for his birthday?

Greg responds...

No.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Sowmya writes...

I have a question pertaining to the comics, on the newest edition #20, Rocket makes a comment about how Nightwing is still friends with all of his ex's, does this mean that he date Rocket as well in the five year time gap, the comic was a little unclear, sorry if its a spoiler!..?

Greg responds...

It was actually Zatanna who made that comment. And I don't think it was all that unclear.

But, yes.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Katie M. writes...

Does Bart Allen have photographic memory in Earth-16 like he does in the comics?

Greg responds...

Probably not.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

I you ever thought of creating a young justice like TV show for the marvel universe?

Greg responds...

It's not up to me.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Kevin writes...

1. Who came up with the idea to have designations?
2. Is Black Lightning a school teacher on Earth 16?
3. How much fun did you have with the idea of four generations of speedsters taking on a Superman villian?
4. Do you have an origin story for the Joker or did you leave it vague like Alan Moore did?
5. Is Superman's cape kryptonian or is it hand made by Martha Kent?

Greg responds...

1. I did.

2. SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

3. A lot.

4. Maybe I'm misremembering Killing Joke, but I don't feel like Alan Moore left it vague at all.

5. Can it be both?

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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GhostDog401 writes...

First off I love your work! You are amazing! While I have not seen Gargoyles I have seen Spectactular Spider-Man and my personal favorite TV show right now, YOUNG JUSTICE!!

I love all the twists and turns and unexpected events that happen and while I was a little worried over the 5 year time skip (I was so worried about where Wally was, he's my favorite) you eventually won me over again!
I love all the new characters, with Impulse and Blue Beetle quickly making my favorites list, and all the adventure and cliffhangers!

In short thank you for a wonderful series! I hope you get to do a season 3!! :D :D

Greg responds...

Thanks for sticking with us.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Regulus writes...

Hey Greg, longtime fan and Great work as per usual, just a couple quick questions caused by the new roy.

1. The family inheritance and GA's trust fund left to Roy Harper as Speedy. I assume that Red Arrow has used it in maintaining his search for Arsenal, is this the case or does he get the money which primaril was intended for him?
2. The Arm(knew he get one off Lex and Mercy) is it given the title/name of Satisfaction? seemed apt given how it was referred to in the episode.
that's all really, loved the det cord.

Greg responds...

1. There's nothing left to give to the original Roy.

2. What's with this obsession over naming the arm? I'm still leaning toward Maurice.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Lurker writes...

This is about what Fox's mother whispered to her.

Did she whisper something that we have now seen? I mean, did she tell Fox to do something and we saw Fox do it later in the series or comics, we just dont know it.

Greg responds...

I'm not revealing this...

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Janey writes...

I read all of the new questions and I don't think I seen this one. If it was asked I'm sorry, but it got on my nerves having to read the post that were like a book!! My question is:
1. During Satisfaction when Sportsmaster was angry at Black Manta, in his "own way" was he upset that Artemis was dead and that was his way of venting or was it really just all about his ego?

I love this show!! You and your team are AMAZING!! I have been a fan since I was 10 and would watch Gargoyles. I have read were a lot of fans don't like the time skip...obviously they have never watched gargoyles were it would show the past, then the present. I love your work. I have had complete faith in you guys that I would not be disappointed, and so far I haven't. Thanks for all of your hard work!!!

Greg responds...

1. I'll leave that to your interpretation.

And it's true, we did have a HUGE timeskip in Gargoyles. A thousand years. Five years is nothing, right?

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Eric writes...

You once said this to another person "The irony for me is that Red Arrow didn't understand how the Starro-Tech worked. If Aqualad HAD been possessed, Klarion would have had access to all Aqualad's memories and would still have been able to answer the question."

But couldn't have Red Arrow still know Aqualad was in control based on his emotions, something Klarion wouldn't have probably mastered?

Greg responds...

Potentially.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Jordan writes...

1. How many years have Lexcorp been in business for on Earth 16?

2. Did the terror twins parents have superpowers?

Greg responds...

1. I haven't calculated that, but LexCorp predates Superman's debut.

2. SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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SuperMartian89 writes...

M'Gann said that she had a lonely childhood. So how were her parents and siblings to her? Especially her white father and brother?

I see some similarities between Miss Martian and Jean Grey from X-Men. Do you? Both are pretty redheads, basically unofficially named the sweetheart among their group, are psychics with incredible raw power and it has a dark side which threatens to consume - Jean Grey with her Phoenix alter ego and possibly Miss Martian with her white martian savage side. *Please note I know you are paving your own way with things but I also couldn't notice some things with between our two red-head pyschics.

Greg responds...

SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

When you point out those similarities, I guess I can see them. But that wasn't our intent.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Hi Greg. Young Justice is absolutely amazing, please pass on my congratulations to the cast and crew for doing such an amazing job with an amazing series. A particular mention should go out to whoever assisted with molding the never ending contradiction and continuity error that is the DC Universe into such a succinct yet broad and rich world that is Earth-16. Well done. :)

I have a couple of questions about the latest episode, "Satisfaction". And just to say, WOW, what an episode to return from hiatus on. You sure this wasn't all planned out? ;) It just worked so perfectly.

1) The Cave's grotto scene was excellent, congrats on that. The statue of Tula depicted her in the same outfit she wore during "Downtime". Did Tula receive a costume when she became Aquagirl, or did she use that same outfit?
2) Real!Roy/Arsenal accepted a weaponized arm or sorts from Luthor towards the end of the episode. How could he be so trusting of Luthor; the man who kidnapped him, cloned him, and then left him frozen for 8 years?
3) While we're on the topic of it; is there a specific name given to Arsenal's new arm?
4) Possibly spoilery - who is Raquel marrying? Is it a significant character (i.e. member of League), or just some casual guy that works at the local fast food outlet?
5) Was Captain Cold merely after money prior to having his arse handed to him by the League and Team ladies?

Thanks very much. :)

Greg responds...

Well, we planned on it being a kick-ass episode, but there was no way we could know when CN would choose to go on hiatus.

1. She used that outfit.

2. He wasn't.

3. Like 'Maurice' or something?

4. C'mon. SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

5. Yep. Sometimes an armored car robbery is just an armored car robbery.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Can you give us a list of which directors will direct the remainder of the episodes for season 2?

Greg responds...

I don't have one handy, but basically in Season Two, we had three rotating directors: Tim Divar, Doug Murphy and Mel Zwyer.

So Tim did episodes 201, 204, 207, 210, 213, 216 and 219.

Doug did episodes 202, 205, 208, 211, 214, 217 and 220.

Mel did episodes 203, 206, 209, 212, 215 and 218.

I think I got that right.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Hotchin writes...

Hi Greg! I absolutely love what you and Brandon (not to mention the rest of the cast and crew) are doing with Invasion. I'm really enjoying it, in fact, now that I think about it, there's not an episode in Invasion which I haven't thoroughly enjoyed.

I was just wondering about the origins of the Justice League and its subsequent history. I understand this is spoiler territory, so I'll try to be fairly cautious of asking you for exact information.

1) We know from "Salvage" and "Alienated" that the Justice League came together to fight the Appellaxian invasion, and that the aliens' husks are on display in the Hall of Justice. In the comics, there are seven Appellaxians, however in "Young Justice" we've only ever seen four. Were the other three husks destroyed by the League, or were there only four Appellaxian invaders?
2) Was remaining a secret from the public a conscious decision made by the League, or did it just so happen that the public were oblivious to their operation for three years?
3) It wasn't for another 3 year following the League's formation that it became known the the public. Was this revelation directly linked with the Joker's discovery of the League's secret base in Mount Justice?
4) What was the League's roster at the time of Joker's discovery of the Cave, and the League going public?
5) I find it unlikely that this is a date you've nailed down, but if so, what month did the League form?

Thank again Greg, not just for answering our questions, but for making what I consider to be the best superhero television show since "Batman: The Animated Series". The tone of the series is nailed so perfectly, and there's nothing too far fetched which ever throws me out of the experience. I love the dynamic between all the characters, yes, even Lagoon Boy. :P

Fingers, arms, legs, toes, feet and eyes crossed for season three, and many more to follow!

Greg responds...

1. There were seven. The other husks didn't survive the end of the confrontation.

2. Both.

3. No.

4. The original seven plus Green Arrow, Hawkman and Hawkwoman.

5. February. And no, I haven't nailed down an exact date in February.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Why did Wonder Women decided to, if she did, to join the All-Star Squadron in 1941?

Greg responds...

The short answer is Pearl Harbor. The longer answer involves Steve Trevor. And since, that's already WAY spoilerish, I'm not saying anything more.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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WIndona writes...

Hey Greg! I will just start to say that both Young Justice and Spectacular Spider-Ma are amazing shows, and you and the rest of both crews did amazing jobs on those shows.

Also, I'm a huge Blue Beetle fan and love how you've portrayed him in this show thus far, and loved how you handled him in Beneath. Jaime's supporting was really important in the original comics, and even though you didn't include those characters (I totally understand why; it would have been odd to see any of Jaime's comic canon friends run away, not to mention La Dama) you managed to capture the spirit of the original comics and handled the character brilliantly.

As any specific questions about Blue Beetle and Blue Beetle characters will have to wait until the rest of season 2 airs, I have one question, and seeing as you mentioned the name of the aliens in a previous answer I assume I can say them here, but here are my two question;

1) What made you choose, out of all the aliens in the DC universe that could have invaded Earth, the Reach? From the comics I know that they are great villains, but I want to know what made you, as a show producer planning this intricate story, to choose them.

2) Also, I'm assuming you read all of Jaime's solo series because of how well you adapted him, so I'm curious; what was your favorite issue?

Thank you for your time, consideration, and this amazing show!

Greg responds...

1. Actually, Mike Carlin suggested using the Reach - after we had already decided to use Jaime. Brandon and I read up on them, and thought they were perfect for our needs.

2. I'm not sure if I read literally every issue, but I read most of them. But this was now a couple years ago, and I don't remember the individual issues well enough to pick a favorite.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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John Pannozzi writes...

Were the Raw Toonage "He's Bonkers" shorts outlined/written/storyboarded/voice recorded before the Miranda episodes were, or after?

Greg responds...

Simultaneously, more or less. As I recall, that is. It's been a long time.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Paul writes...

Is Impulse the smartest member of the Team, since he worked on a time machine?

Greg responds...

For all you know, he was tightening bolts.

What you saw offers no proof either way.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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bigfan writes...

Hi! I really enjoyed Satisfaction, but one things confused me - why was there a hologram of Robin with the dead heroes?

Greg responds...

It was the middle Robin, Jason Todd.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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K.C. writes...

1.) Do Wally and Artemis love each other?
1A.) If so, so they tell each other that they love each other?
2.)Do Wally and Artemis want to get married someday, and possibly start a family?
3.)Are Wally and Artemis sexually active with each other?
4.)Is Nightwing/ Dick Grayson sexually active?
5.)Does Zantanna still have feelings for Nightwing/Dick Grayson? Vice versa for Nightwing/Dick Grayson.

Greg responds...

1. As opposed to...?

1A. Sure.

2. I think so.

3. I think it's wise if I leave that to the viewer's interpretation.

4. Ditto.

5. Depends how you're defining 'feelings'.

6. Ditto.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Gigi writes...

Hey mr. greg i was wondering how did you have it planned out that speedy was going to become arsenal while still maintaining a red arrow in the series?

Greg responds...

How? Um... Brandon, Kevin and I sat down and discussed it. Then we put it on index cards on our big bulletin board. Then... we did it.

(Why do I feel like I'm not understanding the question?)

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Mandy writes...

Dear Greg,
This is something that has be bothering a lot of fans. You and Brandon have repeatedly stated that you planned the timeskip because you wanted to see the characters growing up. But a lot of people on Tumblr noted that by having the time gap, we never got to see the characters actually grow up. They were already grown up by Season 2.

Greg responds...

Well, I believe you're paraphrasing our statements, and then holding us to a literal interpretation of YOUR paraphrase, but I see your point, and if we were guaranteed twelve seasons in advance, I might agree. But of course, we weren't. The only way to show the true change between child and adult was to jump ahead. Otherwise, we'd still be seeing incremental change between teen and oh-so-slightly-older teen.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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YJ Fan writes...

Hey Greg, loving Invasion right now. Just a quick couple of questions related to Dick Grayson and the Robins.

1. How would you describe the development and friendship of Dick and Conner? I ask this because they are the two proteges of Superman and Batman, and I always felt as if they had a unique relationship. I'm curious to see if that rubbed off on Dick and Conner.

2. In your opinion, what do you think sets each Robin apart? How they view the job, personality, etc. You don't have to give any long winded answers, but anything would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Greg!

Greg responds...

1. I'll let you describe it, YJ Fan, by watching the show and observing it. I don't see the need for me to editorialize on it.

2. I'm tempted to give you the same answer again, but I'll be a tad more forthcoming: I believe Dick ENJOYS the action more than Tim does. Dick is good at leading, but does NOT enjoy that aspect of the gig. Tim is a much more serious student of crime-fighting and would like to lead.

Response recorded on November 29, 2012

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Nina writes...

Dear Mr Weisman,
What was it like directing the 2001 English dub of the anime OVA series 3x3 Eyes? How different is it from working on American cartoons?

Greg responds...

Well, I not only voice directed 3X3 EYES, but I also story edited the English language translation. In those days, that meant a LOT of time with a relatively crude VCR, going back and forth, line by line (grunt by grunt, even) with a LITERAL translation given to me by Jonathan Klein, my boss at New Generation Pictures, in order to transform it into (a) American idiom and (b) something that would fit the already existing lip-synch. Generating usable scripts for this purpose was VERY time-consuming.

The next step was the voice recording. Generally, in American cartoons, we bring in the entire cast and record them together, and those voice tracks are then used by our storyboard artists, directors, timers and animators to help create the footage. That is to say, the pictures are drawn to match the actor's performances. But when dubbing an existing cartoon into English, obviously, the actors have to match the picture instead. That's a time-consuming process called ADR, which, I think, stands for "Automatic Dialogue Replacement" - though I have no idea what about it is automatic. This process is done with a single actor in the booth at a time. The first actor has only the Japanese dialogue to respond to. Later performers can listen to what some of their English-speaking fellows have already performed.

As a voice director for something like 3X3 EYES, I'm looking for the right sound, a good performance and a good match with the existing lip-synch. I mostly cast people I'd enjoyed working with before, with Brigitte Bako ("Angela" from GARGOYLES) and Christian Campbell ("Max Steel" from MAX STEEL) as the two leads plus other favorites of mine, including Keith David in a really wild role, Ed Asner and Thom Adcox among others. We also held auditions for a handful of roles, and some of the people (e.g. Susan Chesler, Yuji Okuomoto) who worked for me for the first time on 3X3, later became new favorites of mine that I used again on other series like W.I.T.C.H. and Young Justice.

For fun, I also took a couple parts myself: I was Hide, one of the buddies of the male protagonist, and I was also a bum, who hummed a semi-recognizable theme song.

Finally, I also participated in the sound mixes here, balancing the new dialogue track with the existing music and effects tracks.

Response recorded on November 28, 2012

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Speedys Speedys Everywhere! writes...

I just finished watching "Satisfaction" and, first things first, I just have to say that I love the portrayal of Lex Luthor you, Brandon, and company have put together (not to mention how well Mark Rolston sells it). He's just so LIKEABLE. Many writers seem to forget that the main reason Superman can't just say "Uh yeah, he's a bad guy, let's lock him up" is because, to the public that doesn't know what he's upto, Lex is almost as beloved as Supes himself. You guys have nailed what makes Luthor a great adversary. Kudos!

Anyway, onto my questions:

1. The Blue Beetle statue in the grotto implies he was a member of League during the timeskip, yes?

2. Sportsmaster's comments made me wonder about who all knew that Artemis was his daughter. Obviously, Aqualad had reason to know, but would Manta? Is Artemis' parentage well-known among the criminal element in Earth-16?

Greg responds...

1. Yes.

2. By Season Two, yes. (Frankly, it wasn't that big a secret in Season One either.) But that doesn't make it PUBLIC knowledge. Artemis is largely unknown to the general public, with a few exceptions - like Cissie King-Jones, for example.

Response recorded on November 28, 2012

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EXALT writes...

1)Has Vandal Savage ever faced the JSA or the All-Star Squadron?
2)If yes, what did he think of them? Was he troubled by them as he is now troubled by the JL?

Greg responds...

1. Yes.

2. Ironically, no, because of the A in J.S.A., which made it seem more nationalistic. The moreso with the wartime A-SS.

Response recorded on November 28, 2012

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B writes...

Did Miss Martian try to make Superboy forget the fact that she had used her telepathic powers violently on enemies or just make him forget that he disapproved of it? (assuming this isn't going to be clarified on the show)

Greg responds...

Probably a little of each.

Response recorded on November 28, 2012

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Marvelman writes...

Hi Greg,

I'd like to make an observation about "Salvage."

It's that moment where the creature says (through Blue):

Where is the stillness of wood, of stone, of crystal, of metal? All this noise, all this life is pain. We sense the power in this place - power enough to destroy us, to end the pain, to be still again.

And Superboy says, "I can identify."

And then it hit me…

Oh that this too too solid flesh would melt…

the thousand shocks that flesh is heir to…

I wondered if we were intended to hear an echo of Hamlet in Connor and the… whatever it was. One of the reasons that Hamlet is so despondent is that he believes the girl he loves has betrayed him. Then, I remembered that the girl Connor loved and probably still does betrayed him.

So, my question is: am I reading too much in to this? Or, did you intend for there to be deliberate overtures of Hamlet in this scene and in Connor's character in general?

Greg responds...

I'd love to say otherwise, but it wasn't in my conscious mind. But you know, it's all rattling around in my brain, so...

Response recorded on November 28, 2012

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Nicole writes...

Hi Greg,
This more of a comment, or a praise post. I just wanted to say that Young Justice is an AMAZING SHOW. From the story to the animation! It is AMAZING. Every single show leaves me speechless! I've been a fan of a lot of the shows you've produced and/or written, such as Gargoyles. Young Justice is incredible for both me and my dad! I live in California and my dad and I would actually get up at 6:00AM just to get ready to watch Young Justice(and the rest of the DC Nation Block) from the east coast time! My mom thinks we're crazy, but what can I say? WE LOVE THIS SHOW! I really just wanted to say congratulations for both you and your team! I haven't seen a superhero show this great in a long time(and I'm only 15 xD)! My birthday was on the 29th of September, so having to see Young Justice early in the morning made my whole day! You all are amazing, talented people and uou guys are awesome! Thank you for taking your time to read this :)

[P.S. I read on Wikipedia that your birthday was on the 28th. Whether it's true or not(I don't really trust Wikipedia xD), HAPPY late BIRTHDAY! I hope your day was just as great as mine! :D ]

Greg responds...

Yep, September 28th is my birthday. Happy birthday to you too.

Response recorded on November 28, 2012

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SuperMartian89 writes...

This show is something that me, my mother and two sisters wake up and watch together. We try to get everything out of the way in the morning so we can watch it at our leisure. We haven't had show that we can sit down, watch and discuss among ourselves for a while. My sisters all agree that Young Justice remains us of the cartoon shows of the 90s where it had more darker and some mature themes and tones. Where the creators didn't treat kids like idiots. One show we made example of that was Gargoyles so imagine our surprise and delight that the same people who created that epic created this. We were like "No wonder! That explains so much!" Thanks for creating this great show.

My least favorite thing is Superboy and Martian current relationship with each other and the issues between them. But that's mainly because I love those two together. I haven't been disappointed by you and Brandon in the show overall so I am keeping faithful that you two know what you are doing. My younger sister says to get over it but I am not giving up until the show ends which I hope isn't for a LONG while.

Greg responds...

Thanks.

Response recorded on November 28, 2012

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Jack-Pumpkinnhead writes...

Dear Greg,
Took me a day to catch the new episode of YJ, and I gotta say that was good! First off, I loved the interaction between Red Arrow & Roy/Arsenal. It felt natural, very cool. Second, I like how he got the arm and the Arsenal name, it's very clea he's not RA. And I gotta say, I loved Captain Cold crashing the bachelorette party of supergirls. That was hilarious. And finally, it's creepy, I was just thinking about whether or not Jason existed in YJ's world and ,without checking the site beforehand, you decide to answer it like that? AWESOME! Also, loved Impulse and Jaime's interaction, very cool. My only concern is, I'm starting to worry for Garth. I hope he survives everyone finding out he's a mole. Keep up the good work!

Greg responds...

Garth's a mold?!

Response recorded on November 28, 2012

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CGYJ writes...

Hello Mr. Greg Weisman,

Today's posting is in regards to the closing moments of the episode "Alienated." The episode had shown us just exactly what the missing six members of the Justice League did on the Planet Rimbor. On January 26, 2016, these six members intended to go to Rimbor to stand trial for their actions while under The Light's control. Accompanying them are Icon, who is knowledgeable in intergalactic trial law (as stated by Wonder Woman), and Hawkman, who wants to accompany Hawkwoman for obvious personal reasons.

I'm sure you understand that the decision for these eight Justice League members to leave for Rimbor was probably not without causing complications. While it is shown that some heroes like Miss Martian and Superboy are covering for members like Superman and Martian Manhunter as best as possible, there is also another problem. I'm sure you know that we, the fans of the show and comic, understand that most, if not all, of the eight Justice League members have secret identities. The problem with these eight members is that with them leaving for another world, and given enough time, the public would probably ask questions like "Where is Clark Kent?" or "Where is Bruce Wayne?"

While I'm sure that each of the eight Justice League members probably DID have a plan to handle this unique situation before they left for Rimbor, can you please tell us in some detail just what EXACTLY each Justice League member (the ones who left for Rimbor) did to cover for the "disappearances" of their secret identities/alter egos so that the public would not become suspicious enough to believe that they vanished off the face of the Earth? I'm hoping my question doesn't confuse you. Your response might shed some light as how the eight Justice League members resolved this problem before leaving off-world.

Thanks,
CGYJ

PS. I did two postings on 9/29/12. One was about Darkseid, and the other was about Jason Todd. That night, I noticed both postings were approved, but on this day, they appeared to have been removed. What happened? Did I do something wrong or something else?

Greg responds...

You basically answered your own question. They each had time to prepare and did there best to cover. I'm not going to go into any further detail: at best it's a spoiler request.

As for why your questions were deleted, I have no idea. I never saw them. But you could ask the moderators at the Station 8 Comment Room.

Response recorded on November 28, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Mercy Graves.... a cyborg. Why did she ever allow herself, if she ever did, to become one in the first place?

Greg responds...

I don't tell stories in this forum.

Response recorded on November 28, 2012

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Illyana writes...

Brandon recently posted on his Twitter (https://twitter.com/BrandonVietti) that Red Hood would not be appearing in season 2 of YJ. Obviously, you've got a bunch of other amazing stories to tell, which I'm most assuredly looking forward to.

My question is this: I know Jason Todd is a bit of a polarizing character; is his story one you'd ever be interested in exploring? Not trying to get spoilers for the potential season 3 - I'm just curious as to where you stand on the Jason Todd debate. Some people wouldn't want to touch that story with a ten foot pole. I'd just like to know if his tale is one you'd consider telling in any medium, YJ or otherwise. Or do you find yourself in the 'not a fan' group?

Please pass along my heartfelt gratitude to Brandon and the rest of the team. You folks have done a truly phenomenal job with the show and re-imagining much beloved characters. YJ is simultaneously nostalgic and a breath of fresh air; the perfect Saturday morning cartoon, in my opinion. Can't wait to watch more of the journey unfold.

Greg responds...

I'd be happy to take a pass at Jason.

Response recorded on November 28, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Is Arsenal's new arm more powerful than Luther's body guard's arm?
Also does it have new or different features compared to Luther's body guard's arm?

Greg responds...

Yes and yes.

Response recorded on November 28, 2012

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Arlo writes...

Hi Greg. Thanks for giving us this great series, and for all you do to help keep it alive. Here's my question:

I've always felt that "Hunter's Moon" was a much darker storyline than any of the other Gargoyles episodes we've seen. I don't know if it's the way all three episodes open with a flashback that involves someone seeking vengeance, or the fact that this is the first time we actually see Goliath wanting to commit premeditated murder (not just "murder in the heat of battle" like before), or the fact that we almost lose two regular cast members (Angela and then Elisa), or the theme of hatred being passed on from parent to child for a thousand years. Maybe it's just that there's hardly any comic relief in these episodes, as almost every scene seems to involve one of our regular cast members going through emotional turmoil in some way.

Anyway, I was just wondering if you were deliberately trying to set a darker tone for these episodes, or if this is just how I perceived them myself. And if it was deliberate on your part, just wondering what your motivation was for that, because these episodes really do stand out to me as the darkest episodes in the series. And if it wasn't deliberate, then is there anything which in hindsight might have contributed to these stories coming out this way?

Also, why is it that you chose for the series finale to be so dark? I'm not criticizing, because I love these episodes and I love Gargoyles, but it just seems unusual (not in a bad way) that in a show where you've said yourself that you wanted Goliath's basic optimism to shine through, the way you chose to write the finale was by telling a story where we see his most vengeful side coming out. Just interested in understanding what your motivation for that was, story-wise.

Thanks for taking the time to read this question, and for all you do.

Greg responds...

It was a BIG story. But to me it seems of a piece with what came before (and even what came after in the comic). I'm not sure - though it was long ago - that we set out to make it darker, though we did set out for it to culminate much of what came before and to resonate with much of what came before too.

In any case, I think the ending of the thing is VERY optimistic. The fact that we put Goliath through the mill - and had him react realistically to that mill - during the three-parter doesn't change that. By the end, Goliath reaffirms his principles.

Response recorded on November 27, 2012

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Harlan Phoenix writes...

What was the creative incentive for writing "Satisfaction" personally?

Greg responds...

There were a few things...

*First and foremost, I like writing "funeral" stories, i.e. the story that comes in the immediate aftermath of death. I like seeing how characters respond to death.

*I wanted to play the interaction between Speedy, Red Arrow and Green Arrow.

*I enjoy writing Lex.

*I liked the bridal shower gag.

*There were two other characters I REALLY wanted to include at the shower, but unfortunately that would have added four more designs to Phil's total for the episode, and he just didn't have time for them. But one of the reasons I chose to write this episode was so that I could introduce those two characters. Didn't work out that way, but it was part of the initial "incentive".

*I wanted to introduce the Grotto and show who was memorialized there. (This also added to Phil's total, but we all agreed these designs were essential.)

Response recorded on November 27, 2012

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JoeMerl writes...

Hello, Mr. Weisman! Let me begin with the obligatory praise: "Gargoyles" had a big impact on my childhood, while "Spectacular Spider-Man" and "Young Justice" are new favorites. Thanks for making them!

I have a few questions, which I hope don't come off as too nitpicky or critical. I tend to over-think cartoons sometimes.

1.) M'Gann's subplot in season one feels kind of odd to me. You've said that White Martians and Green Martians look basically the same, but if that's the case, why bother keeping her true race a secret from the Team? She probably realizes that Martians look freaky by human standards, but color makes little difference to that, and they are only going to recognize a social connotation to her White-ness if she explains it. Am I missing something, or is it just that this is such a touchy subject for her that she is not really acting rationally?

2.) You've said before that you always try to capture the "core" of a character, no matter what details you change. Now, I only have second-hand knowledge about Artemis from the original comics, but from what I understand her moral alignment was opposite of what it is in YJ. I'm not necessarily arguing with the result---Artemis is one of my favorite characters---but I'm curious: why did you choose her for the Team (you mentioned several other female archer candidates), and what exactly do you feel is the "core" similarity between the original and Earth-16 versions?

3.) Another not-complaining-but-curious question: I understand the reasons Superman found Superboy's existence disturbing, and I like how they're nuanced if not perfectly noble. But other versions of his character did not go through those sort of issues. Is there a particular reason you decided to include them? Did it just make more sense to you than instant acceptance, or did you want to try something different with the character, etc.?

4.) A more minor query: about how fast can Billy's "Speed of Mercury" go? My math (which admittedly might be wrong) says it took him about a day to get home from India in "Alpha Male." I would have guessed it would just take a few hours, but maybe I'm just over-estimating it? (He's still flying about as fast as a plane, after all.)

I hope none of these questions were annoying, and thanks a lot for this forum! Good luck getting a third season!

Greg responds...

1. The latter, basically.

2. As to why we chose her, for the most part it was her backstory, which gave us the potential to play with our themes of Secrets & Lies. And the answer to the second half of the question is essentially the same. I don't feel there was a lot of there there with this character BEYOND her heritage. That birthright, such as it is, seemed like the core of who she was.

3. Yes, it made WAY more sense to us.

4. I think you're WAY over-estimating it.

Response recorded on November 27, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Was Ted Kord a member of the Team, the Justice League, or none?

Greg responds...

The League.

Response recorded on November 27, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Hi, I just have 1 question for you today :)

What exactly does Wally see in Artemis? I see that he probably likes how she's pretty and she kicks butt, but is that it?

Greg responds...

ASKED AND ANSWERED.

Response recorded on November 27, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Hi Greg,
I just would like to say sorry in advance if any of these questions turn out to be a spoiler request.

1. Since Zatanna can sense magic/mystic forces near her(as said in "Auld Acuaintance"), can anyone else that can wield magic do the same? What I mean is, can Klarion, Zartara, etc. sense magic near them too?

2. How did Artemis recieve the full scholarship to Gotham Academy? I mean, I guess maybe Batman gave it to her, but why?

3. In Denial, when Artemis and Wally held Kent's staff, why did it fly away with the both of them stuck to it?

4. Why is it that Barry runs at the speed of light and Wally runs at the speed of sound? Was the experiment Wally created done wrong or something like that?

5. In the comics, obviously the story that M'gann told the team about how she became Martian Manhunter's sidekick was a lie, but I was wondering what was M'gann's true story of how she came to Earth?

Thank you for taking your time to answer these questions. I absolutely LOVE Young Justice. It is the most AMAZING super hero show that I've seen in a long time. Congats to you and your team for making this incredible show!

Greg responds...

1. Yes.

2. He was trying to help her.

3. To find Kent.

4. Basically, yes. It blew up the West garage, and Wally was nearly killed in the process. It did not work as well as Barry's.

5. She stowed away on his ship.

Response recorded on November 27, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

1. Can anybody besides Ra's Al Ghul can use the Lazarus pit?

2. Does the death penalty exist for supervillains?

3. How long has Hal Jordan been a Green Lantern for?

4. How long has the joker and the Riddler been fighting batman for and how many people have they killed?

5. What other teams was the martian manhunter apart of besides the league?

Greg responds...

1. See issues 11-13 of our companion comic.

2. Depends on the jurisdiction under which they were convicted of their crimes.

3. He'd been a Green Lantern for ten years before the start of Season One.

4a. The Red Hood became the Joker ten years before the start of Season One. Edward Nigma became the Riddler two years before the start of Season One.

4b. I don't have numbers for you.

5. I think he joined a Chess Club once.

Response recorded on November 27, 2012

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B writes...

When you were creating the Superboy/Miss Martian breakup storyline, was the plotline from Buffy the Vampire Slayer where Willow erased Tara's memories of their arguments about Willow misusing her powers, leading to their breakup, an inspiration?

Greg responds...

Not a conscious one.

Response recorded on November 27, 2012

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B writes...

Does the public know that the Green Lanterns' powers come from an alien source?

Greg responds...

That's a good question. Probably not.

Response recorded on November 27, 2012

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Jasae Bushae writes...

Hello and salutation! I wanted to ask a few questions related to Kickstarter http://kickstarter.com/ (The getting people to put forward money to fund things thing) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kickstarter#Top_projects_by_funds_raised

1A. What is your opinion of this 'get fans to fund a project' approach as compared to the current methods? and
2B. Would this be something you might consider using yourself? (gargoyles~)

2. and with your experience with several large companies like disney, marvel and dc. Can you see the likes of them making use of this method to let fans simply fund a project they have interest in instead of risking their own money on a project or getting financiers?

3. and this is kinda unrelated but are there any questions you WANT people to ask? I know you have in the past mentioned questions you dislike (and im pretty sure someone asked about which questions you like to receive) but im curious if theres a subject that the fans have overlooked that you would be overjoyed to discuss and answer questions regarding

Thank you and good luck working your way through the steadily growing list of questions~

Greg responds...

1A. It would seem to me that the money required would be prohibitive - particularly if one is talking about raising money for a property like Young Justice or Gargoyles that is owned by a major entertainment company. I can't see them relinquishing control of their Intellectual Properties (I.P.) for ANY price.

2B. What does "consider using yourself" mean in this context? How can I solicit money from anyone for an I.P. (like Gargoyles), which I do not own?

2. No, I can't. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I don't see it.

3. I can't think of anything off the top of my head.

Response recorded on November 27, 2012

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EXALT writes...

How old is the original Roy/Arsenal as of Satisfaction? Always fifteen (thanks to the time he spent on ice)?

Greg responds...

He's biologically 15.

Response recorded on November 27, 2012

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YJfan writes...

Hey Greg, Seeason 2 is awesome. Love the new characters as well as seeing the old ones develop and grow.I have been enjoying Beetle, Superboy, Bart and Lagaan.Don't like what Megan is doing though cause it feels like she is stringing poor Lagoon Boy along. He's kidnapped and she's worrying about Conner birthday. Do the other girls like Zatanna know what she did trying to mindwipe him? Wendy seems genuinely cool actually. I am so looking forward to see how the Aqualad vs everyone wants a piece of him now plot plays out. They are fun!You Lex Luthor is the best animated Lex I ever came across!PS. Did you know Superman and Wonder Woman are now an official couple in comics?It was huge news. I know, you said your show came before the reboot in comics. But reason I ask is because in your show, even from day one the interactions we've seen between these two characters seem to point to something more than friends/teammates.I personally think it a great idea and looking forward to seeing if you called it first in earth-16. :)

Greg responds...

1. No, they don't.

2. Yes, I heard.

Response recorded on November 27, 2012

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EXALT writes...

I have a couple questions about your version of the Joker...
1)Usually, the origin of the Joker is a mistery to anyone, including himself. But you said that you create backstories pretty much for all your characters, even if you don't necessarely put them in the show. So, the question is: have you created an origin for the YJ Joker, or did you just stick with the "total mistery" thing (of course, if you DID create an origin, I'm not asking you to spoil it here).
2)In Revelation, the Joker claims to have multiple personalities. Was that a reference to his multiple origins?

Greg responds...

1. Red Hood.

2. If you like.

Response recorded on November 21, 2012

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Chris Adams writes...

Hi Greg! Great to have YOUNG JUSTICE back.

I really admire the way you and your team use the breadth of your version of the DC Universe to produce an episode like "Satisfaction" - you have the story of Roy, Ollie, Roy, and Lex on the one hand, but you break it up with smart little vignettes featuring other characters. It's also good to see the continued use of non-heroic supporting castmembers like Wendy and, in issue #20 of the comics, Bette.

Two quick questions, since my original query about Mercy's power of speech (or lack thereof) is already in the queue:

1. Is Ray Palmer on the faculty of Ivy University?

Apparently no-one else in Ivy Town knows Conner well enough to know it's his birthday besides Wendy, which strongly suggests* that Karen doesn't attend Ivy University with them. Therefore:

2. Is she formally enrolled at any university, or only pursuing her studies with Professor Palmer under the aegis of the team?

* The other option would be that Superboy and Bumblebee choose not to socialise in their civilian identities, but that doesn't seem to be the way the team rolls.

Greg responds...

1. Yes.

2. I don't quite follow your preamble or your afterward - I'm not sure how or why you're concluding what you're concluding. But Karen, Wendy, Conner and M'gann all are enrolled and attend Ivy University. You do realize Karen was in Dakota City for the Bridal Shower, right?

Response recorded on November 21, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Satisfaction
Commenting on current ep! No questions, just comments.

Short on shorts: Teen Titan Go psa - cute enough. Love SBFFs "Solomon Grundy No Fight Girls!" was mostly brilliant, but I was a little disappointed with end.

1-I was surprised original Roy's voice was so deep. Also so angry! (At least that quickly.) He correctly didn't blame our Roy, but crazy blamed Ollie. From Independence Day and onward it seemed Ollie had a warm relationship with Roy despite Roy's Angry Young Man vibe. Nice Ollie character work. I'm curious where Dinah works into this relationship. Did she even know the original? (Rhetorical- expect to learn that in story.) Nice way to get to Arsenal.

2- Grotto- Took me a bit to realize that those memorialized in the grotto were not necessarily team members. Ted Kord was the huge giveaway. (I have noticed Tim is "Robin B" to the computers, so assumedly the memorial is to Jason who wasn't a member of the team.) Nice bit between Blue Beetle and Impulse- both in their demeanors from not having interacted with the folks honored in that room, and in the discussion about why the League doesn't do the memorials. Also lovely to see Jaime's 'relationship' to Ted spelled out. Visually, the subtle run through of emotions on Bart's face is fantastic. You see all the other, none 'Impulse', thoughts flit by before he shapes his face into the sunshine and light one.

3-Artemis' grave- Brutal to put Paula through that. Jade is there with the baby; she's all vengeance, but from actual love. Sportsmaster...not so much.

4-Lex Luthor- blasé about enabling the alien invasion... and customized desks ;) Mercy bleeds? So a cyborg, not robot. Lex does like to pontificate...but he isn't wrong. Did Lex actually show a moment of concern for Mercy? "Except we gave you anesthesia. Your methods..." Again with the not wrong. Now where have I heard that vengeance is a sucker's game....?

5-Superboy and Wendy- Lovely little surprise there. She isn't in on the team ("6...22!") She really does have insight into Conner. Ivy Town? Mmm....

6-Bridal shower- I wondered if there was something romantic between Raquel and Icon, now I'm wondering if they're engaged. Captain Cold... "I'm completely doomed, aren't I?" BWAHAHA!

All my reviews have been positive- but just to state the obvious- Loving the show!!

Thanks again for reading fan rambles. I tried to lean more to comments then questions to make up for the length.

Greg responds...

All Grotto memorials were for League or Team members, including Jason.

Thanks for posting your rambles. They're fun for me to read.

Response recorded on November 21, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Last old review-
Depths- nice way to start a hiatus... Wowie

Shorts - Sword of the Atom pIII- dialogue a little hokey. Teen Titan dividing tape; cute enough.

[Actual questions bookends the comments. The other #s are just observations.]
Q1 Rocket to Mars- How where they planning on dealing with Earth seeing true Martian form?

1-Wally and Artimas at home, cut ahead to CPR at end. I think it is the first time you've set up a flash forward to the end following present events. Works nicely. Love the way Dick's body moves with the CPR compressions. Nice attention to detail.

2-M'gan's reaction to Artimas is like stepping back in time. She's light and open as she really doesn't appear much this season.

3-Conference - took me till the second time to figure out why you didn't say "Drink the Kool Aid". Yeah, I bet the Kool-Aid folks have a special hate for Jim Jones.

4-Mmm.. GGG's hands,for a moment, look like alien claws. War of the Worlds ish.

5-Mimicking missing Leaguers is a good idea. (I wondered last issue that Psion said he knew Batman wasn't around.)

6-There is quite enough skilled (rust free) fighting and teamwork to make the Cape fighting interesting even separate from the overall plot. Add the revelation of what really broke up Conner and M'gann, Lagan being taken and...Artimas dying at the hands of Kalderan! Wow.

7-Nice how the test the villain gives is a test of honor. Will he take credit?

8-Back at Mt Justice... I think someone already asked who the girl next to Blue Beetle is. You'd think it would be easier to guess- there aren't that many white, non blond female teen girl superheroes. Yes... it's an exaggeration, but true enough to be sad. Mmmm.... Next to Jaime? Traci 13 would rock!

9-I truly was surprised by the Kal undercover/Artimas alive twist. Nicely done. For some reason the line about the League and team being in mourning and possibly never forgiving them stuck a nice chord with me.

Q2 I figure this is either an incidental or a major spoiler. If it is the former- What does Artimas's mom know? {Never mind- moot now}

Q3 How is the voice altered for the glamoured version of Artimas?

Simply passing herself off as dead would be one thing. Going undercover too...interesting.

Yay! current review is all that's left to post!

Greg responds...

Q1 - How is who planning?

Q3 - In show, you just have to take it for granted that the charm has changed the voice enough so that it's not recognizable. Out of show, Stephanie does deepen her voice slightly for Tigress. It's intentionally subtle.

Response recorded on November 21, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

At least I'm getting to the end of old reviews...but not there yet-
Bloodlines-
Certainly a satisfying first major look at the greater picture for the season.

But first the Shorts-
still Sword of Atom- so no mid messy divorce, no learning the language.
Teen Titans Go- Cyborg the lifeguard is cute, but who is he saving?

[First half is just comments- the questions start when the "Q"s show up. The rest is just thought ordering. Hey 5and 5!]
1-I know starting with a scene and coming back to it is derigur (sp?) in the show, but this one is somehow above and beyond. It isn't so much a teaser as does something to the mood. Misleading about Bart, but still honest.

2-Impulses entrance is a hoot. He might have wiped the floor with Tim and Garfield, but I get an impression that the learning curve will be as such that they won't be so outclassed for long

3-Roy and Cheshire- It is suspicious she seems to find what they are looking for so easily. On the other hand it is believable she'd do it to set Lian's father straight. Uh...seriously, not the place to bring a baby. Jumping ahead- Dispatch two bad guys, waken baby laughs, tens of men with spears. "Told you we should have left her with your sister." Nice beat. (Wonder if Artimas knows she's an aunt. -new ep! Lian's her middle name!) "Should I be concerned in the obvious delight our daughter takes in the ultra violence?" :) Cheshire opens the tube without even wiping the glass to see who is inside. (Already Liann is saying Dada?)

4-Bart blabs Bat identities. They keep their IDs secret from their team. As I mentioned before, it does leave you wondering if there is any discomfort, or even hostility to the Bat clique. It seems a little of a 'first among equals' incongruity.

5-Bart with his family...
The Garrick's 70th anniversary- making them in their 90s- a very spry 90s. I'm assuming Jay has some Flash related reason for being more like a late 70s year old, but Joan?
Didn't notice all the slip ups Bart made referencing Barry the first time around. Meant to tell you in private...Twins?! "Back in a flash!" Group moan. Since the beginning I have liked how the extended speedster family is portrayed. No gloom and doom for them. Well, maybe now Bart….

"Fox & Gardner" cute.

Q1 Bart learned whirlwind from father who learned it from Barry. Since Barry originally died before knowing he was going to be a father, who taught the son?

Super speed talking is funny. So is Wally's being outpaced. Wish the Network bug wasn't partially covering some of the alien subtitles.

Q2 Stranded in our time...big reveal-> actually a set up. Idea is great. I'm not yet clear on the mechanics of time travel in this universe and how Nathaniel remembers the changes. I assume it becomes clear over time. Is there a town shown to the bottom left of the wreck of Mount Justice? And does that town have more color after the time change?

I do hope that the Impulse persona is not entirely made up. That it is either based on an earlier version of himself, or an aspect of his personality not foregrounded in an apocalyptic future. Time will tell.

Q3 How big is Wally? Sometimes he looks bigger than Barry. Sometimes boyish.

Some more questions on Wally and speed brought to mind-
Referencing other questions -Geodude writes...
"Are Flash and/or Kid Flash capable of doing relatively complicated things at super-speed? Could they use their speed, for example, to assemble a store-bought bookcase or put together a jigsaw puzzle? ...
Greg responds...
1. Flash MIGHT be able to. But Kid Flash's speed is all about acceleration and deceleration. I'm not saying he couldn't do it faster than, say, Artemis. But he's not going to do it in a split-second. ..."

Me-
Q4-Is Wally's super-speed fundamentally different from Barry's (and Jay's?), or is it a question of skill and practice? We know he is very smart, but does he think ~quicker~ than ordinary humans?

I'm not well versed on the DC Speedsters, but what I've read seems to say they think quicker to match the movements as a necessary component of their powers. A rather clever Batgirl (Stephanie Brown) issue a year or two ago had her figure out that the kid sitting next to her in class had been spending all his time memorizing his route step by step for a planned heist in a speed suit because his mind would not be quick enough to respond to what he sees. In contrast, a few years before that Bart Allen (around the time he switch from Impulse to Kid Flash) read the contents of a library at superspeed because he felt he needed contribute more (and screw up less). He added that it feels as long to him to read a book as it does to anyone else, and things not at superspeed move glacially slow to him making him seem ADD.

Q5
A-If the speedster's mind does work faster, is it a default speed or is it only revved up while the speedster is speeding?
B-And if it is a default, does the rest of the world seem to move slowly to them?

thanks again.

Greg responds...

Q1 - We'll never know, but it might have been Wally or Jay, I suppose.

Q2 - I'm not sure what you're referring to.

Q3 - Occasional inconsistencies of animation aside, Wally is pretty-much man-sized now.

Q4 - Wally and Jay's speed-powers are VERY similar. Barry and Bart's are pretty much exactly the same. But those two subsets are different from each other. Barry and Bart can be instantly fast, almost without acceleration. They have way more control - even over their molecules. Barry has more experience, but Bart was forced to learn in a much more hostile environment, so he's not that far behind. Wally and Jay must both accelerate and decelerate. They have way less control than either of the other two. Both, of course, at this point have plenty of experience and training. Jay may have lost a step or two over the years, but not much. Wally's pretty much near his peak, though he may be (only) slightly out of practice since retiring. Wally's thinking is pretty much on a par with any non-powered person of similar intelligence - again, once he gets going, he may "think" faster, but he couldn't do that reading trick you describe Bart as doing in the old comics.

Q5A - The latter, if that.

Q5B - Sometimes.

Response recorded on November 21, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

And more old reviews-
Beneath

Shorts in short- hey I just read Sword of the Atom! SBFF love those girls

[Not so many observations, so I'm only numbering the questions this time around.]
Q1 Jaime seems to come from a well off family. That's a marked departure than his print origin. They ran a business and were better off than hand to mouth, but I remember money being tight, especially after his father was injured. What made you decide to change it?

Nightwing: "Uh, there's, there's no right answer for that, is there?" smart boy not to dig deeper :) She enjoyed that!

The dynamics between Mrs. Longshadow, Maurice, Jaime and the absent Ty- I'd say lovely, but it's the wrong word for the situation.

I wonder if the scarab realizing that his methods would have dead ended with Maurice is the start of him becoming more than blood thirsty programming.

Bumble Bee and Batgirl- first the funny in the air ducts, then the moment that comes when dealing with any bat family member- talking the empty air.

Of course Batgirl was the only one who could fly a plane, she's the only one who would need to. Of course Wonder Woman does have a jet....

Freeze Jr is still hung up on Miss Martian in Belle Rev?

Q2 Simon knows Batman is away? How?

Cast- Devastation… I could have sworn that was Kristen Johnston's voice.

In all a good ep- we see the girls in action as any other thoroughly capable team.
I'm guessing the other plot line will be some sort of Super Chief storyline, but in general it is nice to be reminded that Jaime is not just comic relief, but rather a powerful weapon. Though I do love him as comic relief too.

thank you

Greg responds...

Q1 - I'm not sure we decided any such thing. Are you responding to his house? His neighborhood?

Q2 - SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

Response recorded on November 21, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Still more old reviews:
Salvage

Short shorts review:
-Shorts -Vibe (2parts)- amazing! Intentionally totally dated but not making fun of it!

Main event: (Q for actual questions)
1-Oh Roy... (Q1 Where'd his money go- wasn't he richer than Ollie? Used it up with the search?) The whole intervention was wonderfully done, right up to it failing. (And we caught us up with several characters.)

2-Now Snapper Carr knows they're there.

3-Blue Beetle: "Not Compatible? Not Compatible with what? I swear I don't understand half the things you say!"
Mal: "Feeling is mutual" :)

But that does raise the question, well two questions:
Q2 1- This may be the one error in the execution of the time skip- Finding Jaime's one sided conversations weird is funny, but not knowing that he is talking to the Scarab would imply that he was hiding, albeit poorly, the source of his power. However here he sighs and tells Conner the whole story (at least as he knows it -created by Ted Cord? A clearly deceased Ted Kord). Given how level headed and informed Connor has become, it seems odd that he wouldn't already know Jaime's situation. For that matter, you'd think at least the founding members would have had to know it to let him join the group. Am I missing something here that would explain it?

Q3 2-What made you go with the bloodthirsty Scarab and not the budding sentient Scarab? It is laugh out loud funny, but I have to admit to having a tremendous soft spot for the malfunctioning sentient weapon. Among my all time favorite lines I've read, not just in comics, was in the Blue Beetle comic when Jaime manages to defeat the Reach - right before starting on a dang near suicidal plan he asks the Scarab if he is in on it. (Even though there was no way for Jaime to go without him, and no other way to save his family and the planet.) The Scarab's reply of "Jaime:Friend. Scarab:Hero" was heartwarmingly awesome.

4-Speaking about emotionally wrought near sentient beings- the Golem was very nicely done. Connor meant a specific Ugly, but her was right; something ugly had killed it.

5-I only noticed upon rewatching this and the previous episode that "Partner" is an actual name for the new big bad, and not just a figure of speech.

6-Artimas and Wally...are so very sweet.

7-Cheshire and Roy...can't tell if she's there for him, or for an ulterior motive. Or frankly, she could be there for both. However it is, I like the suggestion that she gave up crime for him without any good guy component to it. It sounds like he wouldn't have married a criminal so she gave up crime. The marriage fell apart and she happily went back to it. She simply does not have a hero mentality and it makes her fun. It also gives her the possibility of being a good sister/wife/mother without being a good guy. You don't get the impression she would ever subject her child to what her father had subjected her and Artimas to. Strange to say it, but she is probably extremely healthy on an emotional level.

8 Q4-Lian makes her debut- How old is she here? Cartoon babies almost always seem to look a bit older than they are meant to be, (though I think there were some clearly newborns in Missing, IIRC). With that much hair I would guess minimum 9 months, but I'm guessing she is supposed to be younger and it isn't meant to imply Roy hasn't seen Cheshire for over a year. (9 months baby, plus it would be pretty impossible to hide a second trimester pregnancy from a husband = more than a year.)

9 -Of course seeing Lian makes me wonder about Amistad and Traya and Aquaman's son...that ends the list of small children of characters I can think of. (Unless Donna Troy shows up and had/lost her family.) Time will tell.

thanks again!

Greg responds...

Q1 - Yes.

Q2 - They knew about the Scarab - although at the time they all thought it was Ted's invention, not Reach-Tech - but they didn't know it talked to him.

Q3 - This feels like it's veering close to SPOILER territory.

Q4 - ASKED AND ANSWERED.

Response recorded on November 21, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

And another old review:
Alienated ...

...but first a short review of the shorts:
-Teen Titans Mothers' Day short was sick and twisted. I loved it, but the Mad musical number that poked fun at the Justice League is one of the funniest things I've seen in a while.

Back to our show: {Numbers without the Q in front of it are just thought ordering}
1-Bumble Bee looks a lot like Rocket in civies...or maybe.... after a lot of freeze framing...Has Rocket's face been made more angular than she had been 5 years before and Bumble Bees stayed rounder?

2-Blue Beetle: ~chuckle!~ but I'm saving up discussing him till later eps.

3-Boy in dreads does look a little like a young Virgil Hawkens, but it seems odd to me for him to be so significantly younger than Rocket.

4(Q1)-M'gann 'interrogating' the Krolatian - in front of Batman and While J'ohn is trying to do the same? She really is without boundary. Connor's look of shock makes sense, but shouldn't J'ohn and Bruce be at least a little surprised?

5-First time we see Kaldur - he does make a scary villain.

6-"Competitor Warrior"- Blue Beetle? The Reach?

7(Q2)-Love watching the Bat Family in action. They are so incredibly in sync with each other. The 'kids' kids with each other even more than with Batman. Does it cause tension in the YJ group to have a sub group or even clique, one who I think doesn't even share their real names?

Q3-who planted bomb?

8(Q4)-Nice smile of pride Wonder Woman has watching Wonder Girl. In all this fighting, I can't tell if they are using lethal measures or not. Last ep Allana saved the Krolatian whose mech she lured into a trap. Here they seem to be causing big enough explosions that you would not expect the mecha pilots to be able to get out. Is this JL willing to respond to lethal attack with lethal counter measures? Batman blew the platform out from under 'Manta's' men. It looked to be a 10-5' drop- though maybe that isn't a big deal for battle armored atlantians. It never struck me as important for WW to be willing to kill if necessary- it actually makes sense since she is a warrior before a superhero. But it does seem pretty integral to Supes and Bats.

9-More things I'm noticing while rewatching- when Kal tells NW he has two minutes left on the bomb his voice is different. He's got Conner incapacitated in a way that will at very least distract him if not let him hear the warning at all and he then gives Dick the vital info.

10-M'gann & J'onn ~chuckle~ I've forgotten I'm wearing something silly, I guess Martians can forget they're wearing a whole different species look.

11-For some reason I didn't realize the Krolatians understood English the first time.

12-Must find the issue with Kal's parents- I thought that's what his father looked like.

13-Black Manta replacing Ocean Master in Light- there is clearly some interesting stories in the gap/

14-The good byes-
-Wonder Woman/Wonder Girl- nice feel between the two of them, and a mention of Cassie's mom.
-Hawkman goes with Hawkwoman his spouse
...cut to Icon and Rocket. We never do hear from them. I get it might be the realities of voice work fees, but the body language was a bit odd. Are they romantically involved? {Since the new ep- I guess I'm wondering if they're engaged.} (Rhetorical question, not looking for an answer outside of the episodes.) It's been 5 years since we've seen them interact, and Icon has to be used to people aging into new roles around him. Even more than Static, I wonder what D MacDuffie would have done had he had the chance. The original series ended mid story, and there was no Icon cartoon, I don't think we ever saw Rocket in the main DCU (so far) to explore in other ways.
(Q5) Non rhetorical question: to your knowledge did MacDuffie leave behind any ideas or thoughts on where he might have taken her? Would you be more likely to, when possible, try to incorporate such ideas in light of his untimely passing than you would a living creator who might get a crack at doing it his or herself? Working with Peter David you probably hear all sorts ideas that didn't get used in the YJ comic run, but you both know he might work with those characters in a project of his own down the line. Even if it is extremely unlikely, it does remove some of the urgency.
-Super Man/Super Boy "little brother" J See- a clone is more like a brother!
-Martian Manhunter/Miss Martian are adorable- water the plants (plants on Mars)
-Batfamily- really a tight group, a family. I notice it is the first time they smiled all ep. Even when fighting. I can't decide if that is right to me or not. Dick and Barbara always struck me as the type to be having too much fun in the physicality of it not to smile, Tim to a lesser extent, but also.
-Dramatic goodbye- music, wind, break up, everything; nice. (Dang, Barbara is tall.)
15-Bibbo and Vandal are voiced by the same guy? Wow!

Greg responds...

Q1 - J'onn was not linked when M'gann did her thing. Both already know that she's more powerful. Whether they're suspicious is something I'll leave to interpretation.

Q2 - Not particularly.

Q3 - Black Beetle.

Q4 - Neither Batman nor Superman would willfully cause the death of anyone.

Q5 - I have no idea whether Dwayne left anything behind on this subject.

Response recorded on November 21, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

still posting old reviews:
Earthlings

Rambled observations to follow the short review of shorts:
Still bwahahaing Animal Man and not quite getting the Ardman shorts

{Actual questions are listed as "Q#". The other numbers are just thought ordering}
1-You do like starting at the end and then flashing back how they got there.

2-I love the Garth/M'Gann sibling dynamic, but I wish I could remember if Gar always had the freckles that match hers. Interesting implication in that he has received multiple transfusions from her to get to what he is. It's also interesting that he reverts to a more fully human shape when he is reminded of his mother's death. I wonder whether that is a 'natural' form or a change based on thought. Or if he even has a 'natural form' anymore. (That huge and unexpected, though very welcome, info dump you gave on Martians a while back explains why he is green- if skin color is ethnicity and she has a green parent it isn't particularly odd that Gar could become green. I do wonder why he is only green. I know that is from the comic, but I wonder the in cartoon explanation. Odd- Gar is the age Dick was last season, but he gets to be a kid.
What the Hey! Make that Q1- why is Garth only green?

3-The benefit of being so behind is catching details that can only be appreciated in hindsight - like the look that runs over Conner's face when M'gann establishes the link that allows them to communicate and Alana and her father comment about the sensation. It went right by me at the time, but in light of now knowing why they broke up...

4-"I assume you are not associated with the League"... "We are not members of the League" J\:) technically truthful.

5-Alana is younger than I imagined. She seems of an age with the first YJ team, not the same age as Adam.

6-Seeing Conner talk and act is spot on- a-jumping like earliest version of supes -b-his demeanor matches his description- looks 16 but is not a 16 year old. (Others already asking why M'gann ages at human rate.)

Q2-They took a risk luring the mecha into the sand- how did they know it wasn't the one holding their teammates? Alana sends the Krolatian the rope as second nature- she matches the teams method...and then M'gann mind strips the Krolatian. It was spooky the first time, but seeing Conner's reaction in light of why they broke up it is even scarier. I can't tell from the frame if Alana is looking at the Krolatians carrying their comrade away in shock or at M'gann. M'gann is without boundary- even if she was reacting to them almost getting her brother.

thanks again for taking the time to do Ask Greg!

Greg responds...

Q1. Miss Martian was green when she did the transfusion.

Q2. I think you should watch it again. Because one of us is confused.

Response recorded on November 21, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Hello! And thanks again for answering our questions and reading our comments!

Just saw Saticfaction and am very happy. I'm also happy to see this queue reopened. Now that Ask Greg is open I can post saved up reviews! Yay...uh, well, 'yay' for me. :}
I have a lot of saved comments from when it last closed - particularly all my {overwhelmingly positive} episode reactions since the time skip. Maybe I'll get around to doing a blanket rection to the comics before the queue closes again...but probably not.

Onward....
{Actual questions will have "Q#" by them. The other numbers are just for keeping my thoughts ordered}

Happy New Year-
All those warnings to check dvr settings for the new title...of course I was so far behind reading Ask Greg I came to them at least two weeks late. By my spill time on my Green Lantern recording I figured out I missed this ep and reset it for the next week- but seeing this episode was under less than optimal watching: poor quality buffering and strangely mirror imaged segments on the internet. {I wonder which shorts I missed ~sniff~}
1-Nicely constructed opening scene- first Superboy, unchanged, fighting Clay Face which is an in story throwback. M'gann is next, but hooded. But then she says something about 'Delta squad', and Robin walks out of the shadow looking different. Beast Boy and Blue Beetle show up to confirm things are really different, followed by Bumble Bee. (She's a extra step because we met her as a civilian.) Finally M'gan throws back her hood looking shorn and older and the voice on the other end of the com signs off as Nightwing. Elegant.

2-I see some thinking L'gann is set up to be silly, but by introducing him sparing with Nightwing, humorously and graciously losing, I think he comes across more positively. The more negative impressions probably come from fan possessiveness over the M'gann/Conner relationship, and not anything he is or has done. He is a somewhat silly character- in the cosmic 'oh, come on!' sort of way. He isn't bad or silly looking, but to use his powers he puffs up like a carnival prize. He's a pretty powerful guy, but he knows he's second string at this point and it gall him and leaves him a little insecure. Same for following Conner as a boyfriend. No crime there, even if he appears later being a little mean about it. (Though I am getting ahead of this ep.) And as for Conner's reaction to M'gann and L'gann- You have two relationships to follow from first season- already know one is going to be meaty.

3-Didn't think of it at the time, but if Bumble Bee is b22 and after Tim Drake, I wonder if I'm misreading a vibe that Mal was an active member and somehow forcibly sidelined- like a loss of power. IIRC his comic book counterpart went through a bunch of personas gaining and losing power sets. (I googled it a while back, I just remember it being convoluted and there being a question over who created him…I think.) I look forward to learning how he and Bumble Bee joined up- how old Tim is (what, have 15 people already asked?) and how long he's been Boy Wondering it.

4-hrmmm if Tim is about 13 now, I wonder if that girl whose father was saved from the Black Spider was at least 8 then? I thought not, but if she is Arrowette, she'd be pretty young. {The advantage of first writing this before the shut down- I already have the answer.}

5-General statement- Love Blue Beetle! (But he really shines in later episodes so more on him later.)

6- (Q1)-In the UN- light blue shirts means private security, not NYPD, right?

7- Lobo sounds like he's from Mos Isly ;) Wow- others noticed it too. Maybe it's something about the way the sort of minds that like YJ work.

8-Wonder Girl - Nice having it both ways- Power house entrance, and then Lobo owns her. Neat trick; it should undercut itself but doesn't.

9-Batgirl - Entrance of an uber competent bat professional. It's a bat thing. (Though I hope we eventually get to see her start in flashback at some point.)

10-Tearing Secretary General in half- coulda been gruesome...but wasn't.

11-G Gordon Godfrey... Not the voice, that's pure Tim Curry fun, but the visuals... I can't decide if it is a specific parody or a general parody. A general parody of our cable new/opinion/ego shows is great. But that spinning G keeps making me thing it may be a specific parody, and that would be distracting. Of course it means it is distracting to me because I am wondering about it, but in principle I applaud a general parody. I feel a little like the headmasters that wanted to sue Dickens over 'their libelous portrayal' in Nicholas Nickleby- even though they had two eyes instead of one he was clearly besmirching the reputations of their boarding schools... Ironic that he actually lists some real aliens in his paranoid rants. Come to think of it- they are also hiding Watchtower...nice cut.

12-Zatana and Rocket are Leaguers? Cool. Also nice how even on the Watch Tower the original YJ members still hook into each other for silent chats. (And that the main members declined joining the League.)

13-And in Rann's corner of the galaxy...by now Hal is not the "NO" joke of last season; John is going to contact him. Others have commented on the watch for all leaguers already having Zatanna and Rocket shown, even though they just joined. Also on how does the GL League not know. The answer works for me.

14-Nice brotherly dynamic between Tim and Dick.

15-Love how Jaime is okay being in Gamma. ["Yes I do. YES I do. Yes I Do!" Sorry, couldn't resist.] It is consistent for Jaime's print character to say that. He's the kid who tells a bad guy to cease, leave and 'feel free not to tell me' what he was planning, and who in his heart of hearts wants to be a dentist when he grows up. (At least pre52.) Not yearning to be in the most dangerous squad is his kind of smart. The Crolotains don't like the Reach...interesting. I've heard some complaint about his falling into some Spanish a little stereotyply...didn't notice it the first time, but now I'm not sure if it isn't a bit much. On the other hand, there is the constraint of the format...he's American so you can't give him an accent for English words, and he does come from a part of the country that has a lot of Spanish speaking communities so it is reasonable that people get used to keeping certain phrases in Spanish even when speaking in English. I know there are words I simply am more used to saying not in English, despite having English as my first language. When the words are generally understood, I don't think I would think not to use them. As humorous as it was when he talks to the Crolotaian and then starts relaying the information to his teammates without switching languages, it is also the kinda thing a bilingual person might due. There may be no delay in understanding, but when the brain is talking in one language it sometimes forgets to switch. Since the Scarab feeds him the language as readily as English or Spanish the reaction would be the same.

Q2-Is that Black Lightning? Little fuzzy backward screen....

16-The team does seem more Teen Titany than Young Justice. Of course the original YJ never got the chance to be a two generation team. Although the type of work they do is, as someone pointed out, very Outsiders like.

17 -Who isn't in the episode is at least as interesting as who is- Roy, Wally, Artimas, Aqualad. Not appearing at all is a teaser in and of itself.

18-And of course, the controversial time skip: You've pulled off a (near) perfect execution; dropping us mid story and giving us some info, some indications and some glaring absences. The pace continues in the following eps to be perfect. {One possible quibble with Blue Beetle that I'll ask about in a later review.} It comes down to whether you like time skips or not. I tend to be an 'or not' because I miss the in between stories. With Time Dancer you found a way to have it both ways- skip in the main line and then have it's own comic for the skipped decades. I don't know if you plan to keep the comics behind to have it both ways here. {Since I wrote this, but before posting you've answered that the comics will follow the skip} I'm guessing not for marketing reasons {I was right}, unless you are cleared to have more than one line {Which would be super cool}. On a business level, I (still guessing) would think your corporate shepherds would insist that the book be a direct connection to the show. In an ideal world you'd get a comic line for both time lines and at least one more with some sidekicking adventures and some general in universe tales. But in a real world we'd probably not be so lucky. Despite my apriori preference against skips, I'm certainly in for the long haul.

18 points and only 2 actual questions, and one is about shirts...odd.

Greg responds...

Q1 - I think it's U.N. Security.

Q2 - Well, Black Lightning was in the episode.

Response recorded on November 21, 2012

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YOUNG JUSTICE: INVASION: ISSUE: 22: "Players: Chapter Three: Landing on Boardwalk": On Sale: NOW!

YOUNG JUSTICE: INVASION: ISSUE: 22: "Players: Chapter Three: Landing on Boardwalk": On Sale: NOW!

It's the third part of a six part story, and a LOT happens. Chris Jones handles the art (with color by Zac Atkinson) and a script by me, that includes over twenty characters from the series and spans five years of continuity.

If you're looking for your YJ fix, this is where you'll find it!


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Harmony writes...

1. Who is shorter now that they're adults, Wally or Dick?

2. Original Roy said Ollie was his friend, does either he or Clone Roy secretly (Or not so secretly) Look up to Ollie as a father?

3. Can Mercy Graves talk?

Greg responds...

1. From memory, I'd say Wally is shorter, but I don't have the model sheets in front of me.

2. Both look up to him as a father figure, certainly.

3. If she has something to add to the conversation, sure.

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

By the time of 2198, how famous are certain individual gargoyles? Was Samson's leader, who gets taken by the Space-Spawn a house hold name? Samson himself? Delilah? How about Demona... is she known to the general public?

Greg responds...

I don't know about household names, but Samson's leader would have been known. Samson, not so much. Delilah even less. Demona... NO COMMENT.

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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TheTavarse writes...

Not a question, but a declaration. In a perfect world there would be four clones of you. Original recipe Weisman to executive produce Young Justice, Clone-1 to write the comic, Clones 2 & 3 to executive produce the Arrow and Aqua family animated series and Clone-4 to write the web comic "Suoveihcsim" staring Rocket, Artemis, and Zatanna during the 5 year gap. Seriously, where's Dr. Desmond when you need him?

Greg responds...

What you really need isn't more of me so much as corporate sponsorship for all the things you - and I - might like to see.

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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Anon writes...

Why did Artemis choose the bow and arrow as her weapon of choice?

Greg responds...

She excelled at it. Sportsmaster pushed her that way. It suited her name. She admired Green Arrow and Speedy from a distance. Take your pick.

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

What was it like when Artemis first met Wally's family, and well do they get along?

Greg responds...

I'm not going to tell a story here, but all in all they all get along great.

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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Anon writes...

I really love the Wally/Artemis in the show, and I was wondering who came up with the idea for it and how was it developed

Greg responds...

Brandon and Kevin and I came up with the idea, I guess. And you've pretty much seen how it developed on the show.

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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Anon writes...

What is Artemis's and Green Arrow's relationship like after the 5 year time skip?

Greg responds...

Positive and on-going. He's like the much older brother or avuncular uncle she never had.

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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Anon writes...

Do you consider Artemis a member of the Arrow family?

Greg responds...

Sure. She does. And they do. Though these concepts are more amorphous than I think the fans credit. Black Canary is part of the "Arrow" family too, I guess, but it's almost insulting to her to label it that way, as if she doesn't deserve billing. And etc.

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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lamberto writes...

great shout out to otis. the 2nd season has been awesome!

Greg responds...

Thanks!

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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Katie writes...

Hello, Mr Weisman,
I have a question about Invasion. Given that it has fewer episodes than the first season,and that you're trying to squeeze so many storylines into this season, how do you pace the events in the show? What I mean is, how do you make sure that the events in the show are satisfactorily handled and resolved without making them feel rushed?

Greg responds...

We do our best. Focus on what matters most. And let the story drive.

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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Ann writes...

I just have one question.
In the Young Justice ep. Coldhearted, why does Wally say "lucky stiff?" That seems to be a little bit old fashioned for a teen to say that.
Is there a reason why he knows that type of slang?

Greg responds...

I guess cuz the writers and I know it.

Though honestly, it doesn't seem hard for me to believe that a teen would have heard the expression. For example, on "Young Justice".

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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Shade234 writes...

If you did have a longer Season 2 opening, who would you include? Would you have Nightwing; Superboy and Miss Martian and Kaldur and Artemis and Wally with their new looks? Or would you have had, Wonder Girl, Robin, Blue Beetle, Lagoon Boy, Bumblebee, Batgirl, and Beastboy?

Greg responds...

I don't know. Why do I have to choose?

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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Green Lantern's Nightlight writes...

I don't know how the first person who asked about this found out (http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=7729), but I was very, very surprised to see that you were involved in an animated spin-off of Stargate. I'm also surprised that not only would it have been faithful, but also was approved by all of SG-1's execs (which is I assume was why it was approved in the first place), neither of which was the case for Stargate: Infinity. It's a shame that your Stargate couldn't have been made instead of DIC's.

I know that with most shows you haven't worked on in long time you usually don't remember much, but I want to take a chance and ask a few questions because info on Stargate: The Hunted is scarce and when I say "scarce" I mean there's nothing except for what I already read in the archive questions.

1. Had you watched the show or movie beforehand and asked to be involved in a production that was already starting or was it something you pitched yourself?
1a. If it's something you hadn't watched before how much research did you have to do to be prepared?
1b. How much had been prepared before it was halted (i.e. was anything written beyond the pilot?) and how long were you involved for?
2. What was it like meeting RDA and the other execs? How interested were they?

Maybe The Hunted can be Stargate's comeback, although it would have to be in another form due to the show's change in development as you even said in one response (http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=8784). Of course that's one of many possibilities of one of many fans and the fact that you're already working on YJ makes it impossible anyway.

Thank-you for your time.

(Of course the above was never a request just a one fan's feeble thought.)

Greg responds...

1. I had already seen the movie and the television pilot, but nothing beyond that, when Jay Fukuto, who had been one of my bosses on Gargoyles but at the time had moved to MGM Animation, hired me to develop the animated series.

1a. I then watched every episode of the live-action television series that I could get my hands on. And I got hooked, and kept right on watching as long as the series (plural) were on the air.

1b. The pilot wasn't scripted, though a basic outline for it was written, and character designs for all the leads and a few villains were done, as I recall. I was involved for as long as the project was alive - which wasn't long.

2. It was very cool. They were all really nice and seemed to like what we were planning/trying to do. They showed us around. We saw a scene being shot for an episode.

Also, you're in luck. I happen to be in my Beverly Hills office today, and so here's the bible. [[Notes in double brackets were added TODAY.]]

STARGATE: THE HUNTED
(development bible for the animated series)

by

Greg Weisman

November 6, 1997
Revised: November 12, 1997
Revised: July 12, 2001 [[NOTE: This 2001 date was long after the project had died. I must have done another pass at some point while trying to reignite interest in it.]]

STARGATE: THE HUNTED
(development bible)

[NOTE: I've attempted to include all the relevant backstory that I can, from both the original feature and the live-action series, as well as my (hopefully modular) additions. I've intentionally tried to work this so that the live-action series can choose to incorporate or ignore the embellishments of the animated series without damaging the continuity of either show.] [[As you'll soon see, though this was approved by the SG1 E.P.s at the time, since then they did things with their continuity that would now render this development incompatible.]]

THE (ANIMATED) HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE
Eons ago, when the Universe was young, a benevolent alien race, known even then as the ANCIENTS, journeyed from planet to planet, from galaxy to galaxy, bearing great gifts of peace and prosperity to the primitive native species of these alien worlds. How did they traverse the void? Did they use STARGATES or STARSHIPS? No one knows. No one remembers. Long ago, the Ancients just vanished. All that remained (almost all) were the legends and the icons of these godlike beings.

Millennia passed. A new race rose to prominence: the GOA'ULD. Parasitic, worm-like creatures, they appropriated host bodies to survive and interact with other aliens, and they appropriated the legends and the aesthetic of the vanished Ancients to instill instant respect (and eventually fear) in all the species they encountered. They used their advanced technology to create ominous retractable helmet/masks for themselves and their servants. Masks which resembled the faces of the Ancients. Masks which would inspire awe, terror and worship.

Over ten thousand years ago, a dying Goa'uld named RA brought his spaceship to the planet EARTH (in what is now EGYPT) and took a new, HUMAN, host body. To the primitive EARTHLINGS, Ra was a God. He introduced them to the mythos of the Goa'uld, (counterfeited from the Ancients). He set up a Stargate and enslaved the natives, sending many to mining camps on the planet ABYDOS.

Once the Stargate was erected, other Goa'uld followed. They scoured our planet, removing pockets of civilization, seeding humanity throughout the cosmos. They used guinea pigs from the human race to create a new and separate species, the JAFFA. The Jaffa have marsupial pouches which they use to incubate larval Goa'uld.

The Goa'uld weren't the only aliens to come to Earth. At least one other race, the benevolent ASGARDIANS, sojourned here as well. It seems that much of human mythology has been confused with and by all these various invaders.

Eventually, however, the humans had had enough. They rebelled against Ra and the others, forced them to flee back through the Gate to other worlds. Then humanity sealed the Stargate and buried it, so that it could never be used again. To the Jaffa and to the descendants of the repatriated humans, Earth became the legendary "TAURI" -- the WORLD OF THE PYRAMID, the FIRST WORLD.

Ten thousand years passed. Earth developed a science and technology of its own; primitive by Goa'uld standards, but more advanced than most. In 1928, PROFESSOR LANGFORD (accompanied by his daughter CATHERINE LANGFORD) uncovered the buried Stargate in GIZA, Egypt. By 1945, the Langfords had discovered the Gate's purpose, though not how to use it.

In 1994, Catherine Langford, working under the aegis of the U.S. AIR FORCE recruited an anthropologist and linguist named DR. DANIEL JACKSON to join the STARGATE PROGRAM in CREEK MOUNTAIN, COLORADO. Jackson was able to decipher the symbols on the Stargate, allowing it to be activated for the first time in centuries. Air Force COLONEL JACK O'NEILL, accompanied by Jackson, led a team through the Gate to Abydos.

On Abydos, the team encountered a primitive human civilization, the descendants of the slaves that Ra brought from ancient Egypt. Jackson assumed that Ra had appropriated the mythology and iconography of the ancient Egyptians in order to pass himself off as a god. (Jackson was only half-right.) O'Neill, Jackson and the others helped the Abydosians gain freedom from their evil master by destroying Ra once and for all. Convinced that the Abydosians were no threat to Earth, O'Neill brought his team back through the Gate. Only Jackson, who had fallen in love with an Abydosian named SHA'RE, stayed behind.

And that was it -- for three years. Then in the fall of 1997, another Goa'uld, APOPHIS, came through the Gate to attack Earth. O'Neill, now accompanied by Air Force scientist CAPTAIN SAMANTHA CARTER, took another team to Abydos, but APOPHIS wasn't there -- yet. O'Neill and Carter met up with Jackson, who in the intervening years had continued to study the Gate. He took them to a cave covered with symbols: a map of a vast network of Stargates. But while they were in the cave, Apophis attacked. He kidnapped Sha're and O'Neill's friend SKAARA and stole them away to the planet CHULAK, where both were taken as host bodies for two other Goa'uld. O'Neill, Carter and Jackson pursued Apophis to Chulak. There they met TEAL'C, a Jaffa and the leader of Apophis' royal guard. They managed to convince Teal'c to rebel against his master, but even with this Jaffa's help, they failed to rescue Sha're and Skaara. They returned to Earth.

In response to the new Goa'uld threat, the U.S. PRESIDENT and the JOINT CHIEFS created STARGATE COMMAND (SGC). Headed by GENERAL HAMMOND, the SGC consists of multiple small teams who use the Gate to travel to other worlds, make alliances, gather new technology and battle the Goa'uld or any other dangers they encounter.

SG-1 is led by Col. O'Neill and includes himself, Jackson, Carter and Teal'c. For four years they've gone on mission after mission, searching for their lost friends, facing danger, etc. This series ISN'T about them.

THE TEASER
QUANTICO, VIRGINIA, September 2002. [[Again, this is probably a revised date from when I tried to renew interest in the project. The original date was probably 1998 or 1999.]] P.F.C. MATEO ROBLES JR. doesn't know anything about aliens or worm-gods or Stargates. He doesn't even know that much about the Air Force. He's a U.S. MARINE, and he's been a Marine... for all of ten months. All MATT really knows right now is that if he doesn't get to that Marker before the enemy he's dead meat. Well, that's the duty. No sense griping about it. SERGEANT QUAID signals him forward. There's forest for the first hundred yards, but the Marker's in the clearing. Matt takes off; he runs a serpentine pattern through the trees. So far so good: he's at the clearing. The Marker stands alone. Matt does a tuck and roll, comes up back to the Marker and sweeps the clearing for anything larger than a fire ant. Nothing. He gives the "all clear" through his throat-mic, and the other four members of his team move in. And BAMM! O'BRIEN takes one in the back. BAMM! BAMM! WASHINGTON and CHUNG are down. Where's it coming from?! BAMM! Matt's tagged in the leg! Man, that stings! But now he knows. Those shots came from above; the bogies are in the trees. UP in the trees. Matt shouts a warning to the Sarge, and both men train their scopes high. BAMM! Matt's hit in the shoulder with so much force it whips him around 180°. BOOM! Matt hears his own weapon discharge. He looks up, his eyes tearing with pain. Quaid's on his knees, staring at Matt with a look of complete betrayal frozen on his face. There's a big red stain soaking his chest. Matt mouths the words "I'm sorry." Then BAMM! Another shot from above -- and it's over.

THE SET-UP
Matt Robles had joined the Marines the day after his eighteenth birthday. He went through Basic in SAN DIEGO. It was tough, but he was getting through it all right. Then when it was just about over, everyone in the unit was given a written exam. Multiple choice. A lot of touchy-feely questions that didn't make much sense at the time. Matt either failed the thing or passed it with flying colors, because he was one of only ten guys on the whole base who were pulled from duty to undergo personal "interviews" with three different Marine shrinks. These questions here were even stranger. But he must have had the right answers. The shrinks sent him for special training at Quantico.

There were 53 Marines in the SGC program. (No one knew or would say what SGC stood for.) Most were officers. Matt was one of only four privates. And he was clearly the youngest, least experienced guy in the bunch. The testing began the day they arrived. Psych tests. Intelligence tests. Medical exams. Stress tests. Endurance tests. And the training -- like Basic times ten, with an emphasis on Covert Op Combat. Small teams. Matt wondered if SGC wasn't a cover for the CIA or something.

So far, nineteen men and twelve women had washed out. Matt had done all right though. Until tonight. He dragged his sorry butt back to HQ. Purple paint covered his left calf, his right shoulder and was splattered across his face. He could live with that. It was that big splotch of his own weapon's red paint on Sarge's chest that made him want to crawl into a hole. He knew he had washed out for sure. Quaid agreed. When questioned by the C.O., Sgt. Quaid didn't hesitated to relate how Matt had led his whole squad into a "deadly" ambush and then had personally "blown away" his own Sergeant. Matt stood rigidly at attention through the whole tirade. It was all he could do. The C.O. got right in Matt's face: "You're the luckiest piece of bug-smear I've ever met, Marine. They picked you. If it had been tomorrow, I'd have told 'em to pick again. But they called two hours ago, and I already gave my O.K. So don't blow it kid. Or else."

They still wouldn't tell him who or what had picked him. They barely gave him time to shower, pack and hit the tarmac for a flight to Colorado.

Creek Mountain, Colorado. Some kind of Air Force Base he had never heard of. Matt stood in a line with eight other individuals. There was one other Marine, a captain. Plus a Navy SEAL, an Army Green Beret, four Air Force officers and one civilian (who looked like FBI). They stood in that line, waiting in silence for over an hour. Then one by one, the others were picked up and taken to join their new squads. Matt waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally, a Colonel came in. Matt stole a quick glance; the man looked familiar. The Colonel scanned the room. "Where's Robles?" he asked.

"Sir, right here, sir!"

The Colonel turned. His nametag read "O'NEILL". Matt definitely knew this guy from somewhere. O'Neill glanced at Matt, then said dismissively, "Mateo Robles."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Son," the Colonel said through gritted teeth, "I know Matt Robles. I fought with him in the Gulf War. He's a hard-as-nails Sergeant. Not a wet-behind-the-ears recruit. Matt Robles is a friend of mine, and you are no Matt Robles."

"Sir, you're talking about my father, sir!"

"What?"

"Sir, I'm P.F.C. Mateo Robles JUNIOR. I think you're thinking of my father, Gunnery Sergeant Matt Robles SENIOR.... Sir!"

O'Neill actually groaned.

And that's how Matt got the job. A screw-up. Two of them, in fact. The C.O. at Quantico giving Matt the thumb's up before the last combat drill. And O'Neill, too busy or too lazy to read the files, picking what he thought was Matt's father's name off a master list of possible candidates for SGC.

Colonel O'Neill was tempted to toss Matt out. But he was buddies with Matt's dad and figured he'd give the kid a chance for his father's sake. O'Neill reached a reluctant hand out to Matt for the Marine to shake. "Welcome," he said "to SG-1. Don't get too comfortable. You won't be on the team for very long."

THE PILOT STORY
We are quickly reintroduced to the Stargate, SGC, SG-1, O'Neill, Jaffa, Goa'uld, etc., all through Matt's naive eyes. For any viewers who've seen the movie or the live-action series, they can get a kick out of watching a "virgin" learn the ropes at warp speed. But for viewers new to the Stargate properties, we won't take anything for granted. Matt is going to be as blown away by all this as you or I would be if someone actually pulled us off the street and proved to us that all this was real.

That is, Matt would be blown away, if he had the time. We soon find out that the SGC wants to double the amount of SG-Teams that they currently operate. They don't want to break up working squads, and they don't want new teams to be exclusively staffed by virgins. So they've set up a training program. Each squad gets an apprentice. SG-1 gets Matt -- and a new mission.

The team is sent to a new planet, RAMSYS IV. They step out of the gate into a huge arena: THE TERMINUS, a cross between the Roman Coliseum and Grand Central Station. There are TWELVE Stargates in almost constant operation lining the walls of the stadium oval. Goa'uld, Jaffa, slaves and traders of all description come and go as casually as you please. L.A.X. has better security. SG-1 is able to quickly lose itself in the crowd. O'Neill immediately grasps the implications of their discovery. Ramsys IV could be the answer to SGC's prayers: a source of new technology, of new allies, of mapped routes to other worlds, of Goa'uld movements and who knows what else.

The squad splits up to investigate, Matt tagging along with O'Neill. They soon encounter a Goa'uld named OSYROS and his exotically beautiful sixteen-year-old ward, ISIS. When it turns out that Isis is being groomed as a host body for Osyros' Goa'uld mate, Matt impetuously attempts to rescue her before O'Neill can object. He nearly succeeds, but Isis has other ideas. She betrays Matt to Osyros, because she wants to be a host to the worm-god. She's been raised to believe that it is a great honor, and that once the RITUAL OF TRANSFERENCE is complete, she will be a goddess.

Matt is thrown into the Ramsyan brig. There he meets OHNU, one of the last of the Ancients. Ohnu's very existence threatens the Goa'uld hold on the known universe. Across a thousand worlds, Goa'uld are believed to be gods -- the Ancients of myth and legend reborn. If word spread that the Goa'uld were simply an alien race who had appropriated the mythos of the Ancients, revolution would surely follow. The Goa'uld ANUBIS has been assigned the task of making sure that revolution never happens. He has scheduled Ohnu's execution to take place in the Terminus the next morning.

O'Neill and the rest of SG-1 stage a prison break. They rescue Matt, but he insists on going back for Ohnu. When Teal'c hears about the Ancient, he helps convince O'Neill that Matt is right. Unfortunately, it may not be that easy. The Goa'uld are now alerted to their presence. With or without Ohnu, SG-1 needs to escape to Earth. And the only way back is through one of the now heavily guarded Stargates in the Terminus.

With no where else to turn, Matt once again sneaks into Osyros' palace to talk to Isis. He tries to convince her to help SG-1. He also tries to convince her that she's got this host thing wrong. Once the worm-god invades her body, then her mind, her will, everything that makes her the person she is will cease to exist. She refuses to believe that. The Ritual of Transference, her ascension to godhood, will take place tomorrow in the Terminus immediately following the execution. Matt pleads with her, but she won't help him. She won't even help herself. Still, something has changed. This time, when Osyros approaches, she doesn't betray Matt. She allows him to escape.

Dawn approaches. O'Neill drills Matt on the plan. Priority-One is to get the team back safely to Earth. Priority-Two, if at all possible, is to rescue the Ancient and bring him along as well. Matt asks about Isis. O'Neill shakes his head. The whole team is sympathetic, but they're not going to be able to save someone who doesn't want to be saved.

The sun rises, and in the Terminus... all hell breaks loose. Our heroes manage to free Ohnu, who uses his great strength to help them fight their way toward a Stargate. But they are still greatly outnumbered. Osyros has Matt in his sights, ready for the kill. At the last second, Isis uses HORUS, her pet URSHAWK, to deflect Osyros' shot. Matt realizes that Isis has finally seen the light. He and Ohnu break away from the rest of the team to save Isis, who is fighting off Osyros' attempts to complete a hasty transference. They succeed, but wind up at the opposite end of the Terminus from the rest of SG-1.

There's no way they can survive inside the Terminus. There's no chance for either group to fight their way back across to the other. There's no time for good-byes. Matt and O'Neill exchange one look. One look that says it all. And then SG-1 dives into one Stargate, a Stargate that sends them safely back to Earth. And Matt....

Matt, Ohnu, Isis and Horus dive into another Stargate. And finally, our series begins.

THE SERIES
Matt Robles hadn't been on the team long enough to learn all the ins and outs of Stargate travel. For example, he doesn't know how to work the Gate. Isis does, but she doesn't know the "address" for planet Earth. And neither she nor Ohnu has anywhere else to go. She lived her whole life in the shelter of Osyros' Palace, while the remnants of Ohnu's once great people now live as nomads, constantly on the run from Anubis and the other Goa'uld determined to wipe them out of existence. So Earth is the goal; it represents home, family and normalcy to Matt; sanctuary to the others. But finding Earth won't be easy. All our intrepid band can do is continue to try one of the billions of possible combinations that the Stargate allows until they either (A) arrive back on Earth by pure chance or (B) run into one of the SG-Teams on another planet or (C) find a world where the address to the legendary "TAURI" -- the WORLD OF THE PYRAMID, the FIRST WORLD -- has not been forgotten.

Option C is what carries our series along. Earth's address consists of seven out of the 39 symbols visible on the Stargate. Each symbol represents a constellation. The six constellations necessary to reach Earth are (in order) AURICA, CETUS, ANDROMEDA, CANCER, PISCES AUSIRINUS and PERSEUS. The seventh symbol changes depending on what planet you're "dialing" from. As our series progresses, Matt and the others will gather the address, piece by piece, until they ultimately find their way home in the last episode of the first season.

In the meantime, they'll be bopping from planet to planet, finding adventure, meeting alien races and trying to dodge the multitude of enemies who are relentlessly hunting them down. Sometimes, they'll get stuck on a planet for episodes, other times it'll be in and out in one. But every time they'll learn a little more about themselves and what they're capable of surviving, not to mention what makes surviving worthwhile.

THE CAST - REGULARS (THE HUNTED)
Matt - P.F.C. Mateo Robles Jr. is nineteen years old. He's not particularly tall (5'9" tops), but he's well built, solid. He's well trained, but he's got no real combat experience. He's green, raw, a work-in-progress.

Matt enters our series with a massive inferiority complex. He's keenly aware that he only got into SGC because of multiple screw-ups. And the events of our pilot, the events that send him off on his little Space Odyssey, don't do much to change his self-image. He may never see his family again, and he has no one to blame but himself.

The truth is, you couldn't ask for a better leader. You couldn't ask for a better man to bring everyone home safely. What Matt forgets is that there was a reason why he was in place to benefit from all those military SNAFUs. Out of the thousands of men and women tested for their SGC potential, Matt was one of the very few to make it to anything resembling the final cut. He's smart and open-minded. Doesn't draw conclusions based on appearances. A natural good judge of character. He believes in things like freedom and loyalty. Semper Fi actually means something to Matt. Plus he's tough, and -- Sgt. Quaid's red-stained fatigues aside -- he's good at his job.

The events on Ramsys IV should make all that clear to everybody except Matt himself. He's still got a self-confidence problem. If he slows down, the whole situation becomes completely overwhelming, and he becomes convinced that he's in way over his head (which, of course, he is). But only when he thinks too much. When he goes on instinct, he's a formidable (if occasionally fallible) guy.

Matt's greatest strengths can also be his greatest weaknesses. He does tend to wear his heart on his sleeve. He's probably a bit too trusting, too ready to sacrifice everything for a hopeless cause. He's going to have to learn some hard lessons along the way, but he'll come out of all this a better man.

It should go without saying that Matt has no "super-powers". But early on in the series, he will acquire a couple of alien weapons that he quickly gets proficient with. One of these is a big old plasma cannon. The other is a metal gauntlet, which can be worn or thrown, and acts as a taser to stun his opponents. Matt also wears a slim headgear (earphone and microphone) which translates all the various alien languages he'll encounter.

Isis - Isis is human, sort of. That is to say, Osyros created her from largely human genetic material. But he wasn't experimenting at random. Osyros designed Isis to be the host body for his Goa'uld mate. And not just any host body, but the perfect aesthetic compliment to his own Magnificence.

Isis looks like the Ancient/Egyptian ideal brought to life. She is beautiful and exotic. She wears no make-up, because she doesn't have to: those Cleopatra eyebrows, in fact that whole Cleopatra look was built right into her genetic programming. It's all organic, not add-ons. Same with her hair: she has none. Instead, she's got a completely organic fin-like crest that feels like silk and looks exactly like an Ancient/Egyptian headdress. She also has snow white skin. (We're talking WHITE here, not Caucasian.) And like the Ancients, she has four digits on each hand and foot instead of five.

Physically, she's quite literally perfect. She's 5'7", light as a feather, slim, but shapely. Designed to be enthralling, she's grace personified. Not a clumsy bone in her body. Every movement is precise and elegant. (A little challenge for our animators.) Pragmatically, this translates into speed, fluid motion and agility. When she needs to, she can perform like an Olympic-level gymnast or a center-ring circus acrobat, as if someone had flipped on a switch inside her. In a short sprint, like a fifty-yard dash, she'd beat Matt without working up a sweat. In fact, I'm not sure if she does sweat. These abilities should border on, but not quite achieve, the status of super-powers. Nothing she does should come across as impossible, just extremely difficult.

But Isis is more than just the sum of her genetic programming. She's a person. A sixteen year old girl. Unfortunately, this girl's entire life to date was spent under Osyros' watchful eye. Because it suited his purposes, Osyros treated Isis like a princess. He taught her that the Goa'uld are Gods and that someday she would be one of them. Therefore, she starts our series a bit on the haughty side. She's used to having servants at her beck and call; she's not used to life on the run. Still, she's not the whiny type. She may feel like whining on an on-going basis, but she's got too much royal dignity to act like a spoiled child. Around an alien campfire, she may expect Matt to wait on her like a servant, but when he doesn't, she doesn't complain. She's very bright, a quick study.

Isis and Matt have immediate chemistry from the moment they lay eyes on each other. Major post-doctoral chemistry. Neither knows quite how to deal with it, let alone how to admit to it. So in unabashedly standard TV fashion, that chemistry is initially translated into open hostility. After Ramsys, that hostility tones down a notch into a kind of begrudging mutual respect. Over the course of our first season, however, it'll be clear that these two are falling in love. One of those great archetypal loves, where they literally can't live without each other.

Ohnu - Ohnu is short for OHNUBYS (pronounced oh-NOO-bis, as opposed to Anubis which is pronounced AN-yoo-bis). Ohnu is one of the last of the nomadic Ancients. His skin is charcoal grey, with a slate like consistency. (The Ancients are silicon-based life forms -- whereas humans are carbon-based.) Ohnu has four digits on each hand and foot instead of five. He's over seven feet tall and carries the proportional bulk to match. He's bipedal, but he has the head of a jackal. In fact, the face of one of his ancestors literally provided the inspiration for the Goa'uld/Egyptian Jackal-God. (Believe me, there's a strong family resemblance.) Ohnu is impossibly strong. (And, yes, this strength could qualify as a super-power.) He has a deep booming voice. And, by the way, he's about twelve years old.

It's easy to forget. Easy to see him as the strong, silent type, because God knows he is that. But he's also shy and childlike, with a real appreciation of beauty and the desire to be gentle. The Ancients mature fast physically, and Ohnu is a bright (and formidable) kid, but emotionally he's still very much a child. Lonely, even scared.

The Goa'uld have been hunting his people for centuries. He and his family had been living in secret on a backwater world when they were discovered. His parents made him hide while they created a diversion. But he had been found almost immediately. Now he has no idea whether his parents survived or not. Either way, he's got an unhealthy share of "survivor's guilt." He doesn't like to hide anymore. And he has a tendency to lash out, which can be dangerous. He's also as impatient as any child and just as impetuous, which is a problem, because Matt and Isis are both impetuous too. We don't have any cautious types in this group.

When we start out, Matt is Ohnu's absolute hero: the guy who saved him from the Goa'uld, the guy who watches over Ohnu and keeps him safe. This could present a problem later on, because Matt's far from perfect, and Ohnu may not like having a hero with feet of clay. Eventually, however, this hero-worship (and the reality check that follows) will evolve into a real friendship. Matt and Ohnu are as much like brothers as two guys could be.

Initially, Isis won't know how to deal with this young giant. But eventually, her feelings for him will become truly maternal. Through Ohnu's eyes we'll see beyond Isis' little princess to the loving, nurturing woman, just waiting to bloom.

Horus - Horus is an Urshawk. An alien animal that looks sort of like a cross between a falcon and a bear cub. He's small enough to perch on Ohnu's massive shoulder, or to rest briefly on Matt or Isis' arm, but he's got a truly impressive wingspan, and with the right air currents he can fly faster than a sky-sled. He's got short, soft brown fur and a mean set of talons.

He can't talk, but thanks to Osyros (who genetically bred Horus to be a companion for Osyros' mate), Horus is a linked psychically to Isis. He feels what she feels, knows instinctively what his mistress wants. It's no different for her, except that her mind has more distractions, so she has to focus more to understand Horus. Particularly since the Urshawk's mind doesn't articulate desires or information, rather it emotes needs or sends the occasional image.

Horus isn't sentient by human standards, but he's about as smart as Lassie on an average day, and he's an innately good judge of character. Decent people must smell better to him, I guess. Or maybe it's body language. At any rate, Horus took an immediate shine to both Matt and Ohnu. In fact, Horus' good opinion of Matt was one of the reasons that Isis started to trust Matt on Ramsys IV.

Horus' ability to fly and fight is invaluable to the others. It's important to remember that he's a real part of the team and not just an alien mascot.

CAST - RECURRING (THE HUNTERS)
Osyros - Osyros is a Goa'uld. The Governor-King of the entire Ramsys system. His host body is human, but when traveling to other worlds he wears the helmet/mask of the Ancient Pharaoh-God Osiris.

Osyros likes to consider himself an artiste. His canvas is the test-tube, his paints, DNA. In fact, he's an extremely talented geneticist, who takes great pride in his "compositions," no matter how monstrous. He considered Isis to be his greatest creation, the culmination of two decades worth of work. He regarded her escape as a personal betrayal. To say he was infuriated doesn't nearly cover it. Now he'll use every resource at his disposal to reclaim Isis for his beloved mate (and to destroy the human who stole her away).

Osyros has all of the standard Goa'uld technology. The ribbon weapon, the force field, etc. His eyes glow periodically, and he has a Goa'uld's enhanced physical strength. He has all the resources of his kingdom at his disposal, including his Jaffa guards. In addition, he has his creations, living organic weapons to unleash against our heroes.

Fortunately, he has his share of weaknesses too. He's arrogant, vain and something of a showman. He can't just kill somebody; he's got to make a production number out of it. On that level he's a bit of a cliché, which just might give our guys a chance.

Naph-rauc - NAPH-RAUC is the captain of Osyros' PHARAOH GUARD. She is Jaffa, the same species as Teal'c. She has that X-shaped marsupial pouch in her belly and incubates the larval Goa'uld -- Osyros' mate -- that Isis was supposed to take into her own body. This Goa'uld keeps Naph-rauc healthy and enhances her physical strength. Naph-rauc wears a version of her master's retractable Pharaoh helmet-mask, and she has a pharaoh tattoo on her forehead. She wields the Jaffa's standard laser-staff weapon.

Naph-rauc is in love with her master, whom she truly believes to be a god. She's fanatical in the performance of her duties, and wishes there was some way that she could become the true host to Osyros' mate -- she's really bought into all the things that Matt convinced Isis were untrue. Unfortunately, a Jaffa cannot be a permanent host to a Goa'uld, so all the prayer and worship in the universe could never convince Osyros to grant her request. Osyros is not above leading her on, however, playing on her feelings as long as she's of some use. But he has no real interest in her, beyond the practical.

Creature - CREATURE is Osyros' main enforcer. His intelligence is limited, but he obeys his master without question. Osyros is constantly "improving" Creature's design. Early on, he might appear largely human (like a male version of Isis), but with each successive appearance, he'll be looking more and more monstrous -- and not incidentally he'll be more and more pissed off about it. Genetically incapable of blaming his boss, he'll want to take it out on our crew. Take it out in a big way.

Anisis - Halfway through the series, Osyros will introduce his newest creation: ANISIS, a second-generation version of Isis. She was speed-grown from Isis' genetic material after Isis escaped. The Ritual of Transference was performed, and Anisis now hosts Osyros' Goa'uld mate. Anisis looks exactly like Isis, but is physically stronger. As a Goa'uld, Anisis' eyes glow periodically. She also has all of the standard Goa'uld technology: the ribbon weapon, the force field, etc. But the speed-growth process was flawed. The worm-god within cannot remain there indefinitely. So this Goa'uld has a very personal reason for wanting Isis back, for needing her back.

Anubis - Anubis is a Goa'uld. Like Osyros, he has all of the standard Goa'uld technology. The ribbon weapon, the force field, etc. His eyes glow periodically, and he has a Goa'uld's enhanced physical strength. His host body is human, but he wears the Jackal-headed helmet/mask of the Ancient/Egyptian god Anubis.

Anubis is a thinker. Shrewd. Methodical. Stable. His assigned task is to rid the universe of the last of the Ancients. He takes his job very seriously, and until Ramsys IV, had met with tremendous success. Ohnu's escape was horribly humiliating. The fact that Ohnu's a jackal-headed Ancient, and thus a personal threat to Anubis' own mock-godhood, only exacerbates his problem. Anubis is determined to hunt Ohnu down and execute the Ancient, along with anyone else who's ever laid eyes on him. There can be no witnesses.

Anubis and Osyros do not get along and won't be joining forces until the very end of the first season. Normally, Anubis would have ordered Ohnu's execution the moment he was captured. But Osyros wanted to make an "event" out of Isis' Ritual of Transformation. He wanted to use Ohnu's execution to add glory to the ceremony. Anubis had reluctantly agreed, but only because he was on Osyros' turf. The end result was disastrous, and so Anubis has no intention of playing anymore of Osyros' games.

Emir'c - EMIR'C is Jaffa, the same species as Teal'c. He has that X-shaped marsupial pouch in his belly that houses a larval Goa'uld. That Goa'uld keeps him healthy and enhances his strength. Emir'c is the captain of Anubis' JACKAL GUARD. He wears his master's retractable Jackal helmet-mask, and he has a jackal tattoo on his forehead. He wields the Jaffa's standard laser-staff weapon.

Emir'c is an out-and-out sadist. Anubis is too pragmatic to indulge in that sort of thing, but he tolerates it in his captain, because Emir'c ultimately gets the job done with considerable efficiency. Matt and Emir'c will particularly detest each other.

Kraytor - In one of our first episodes, Horus will run afoul of an alien who has nothing to do with the Goa'uld. He is called KRAYTOR THE DEVASTATOR or sometimes KRAYTOR THE UNRELENTING. He's a single-minded brute, massive, tusked, grim. If his prey is inside a small village, his usual M.O. is to nuke the whole province and then move in to identify the corpses. Kraytor's pursuit therefore causes multiple problems for our team. In addition to the threat from Kraytor himself, potential allies can turn into enemies because they don't want our gang bringing the Devastator to their hometown.

Vlash - VLASH is a bipedal, four-armed, felinesque alien with a devilish grin. He's the Captain of THE WHITE TIGER, an honest-to-god spaceship. (Vlash doesn't know how to work the Gates, though he'd sure love to learn.) Vlash is a mercenary and space-pirate, with his eyes squarely fixed on his own self-interest. Or at least that's how he likes to think of himself. Actually, he's a decent guy underneath it all. This decency expresses itself through his laissez-faire attitude, his sense of humor and a slight tendency to flaunt authority and aid the underdog.

Vlash begins the series as an occasional nemesis of our gang. But when he finds out what they're up against, he helps them out once or twice. Perhaps once too often. Halfway through the first season, his multi-species pirate crew will get tired of all the trouble Vlash has gotten them into for the sake of four penniless fugitives. The crew mutinies and strands Vlash with our group. At that point, Vlash will become a regular. The fifth man on the team. Though with a slightly different goal. Vlash is as determined to get his ship back as Matt is to get home. [[Sounds a bit like Captain Jack Sparrow, though of course this was written long before the first Pirates movie.]]

Vlash is dashing or vain, depending on your point of view. He's as arrogant as Osyros, but a lot more fun to be with. He's proficient with an energy cutlass and a Magna-Blaster, and he's not above using his own claws in a fight.

Me-Tok - ME-TOK starts out as Vlash's First Mate aboard The White Tiger. He shares all of Vlash's selfish qualities and none of his charm. Initially, Me-Tok seems like Little John to Vlash's Robin Hood. Later, 'Tok's the guy who leads the mutiny and takes command of the ship. He seems like a good ol' boy at first, but he's actually fairly contemptible.

A NOTE ON THE ANCIENTS
The race of the Ancients is the animated series' main addition to the STARGATE continuity. Millennia before the Goa'uld surfaced, this largely benevolent and highly advanced silicon-based alien race traversed the known galaxies, exploring and (unintentionally) influencing untold civilizations. At the time, the Ancients were shape-shifters, able to morph their slate-like bodies to resemble whichever primitive race they encountered. This ability, combined with their advanced technology and a few Herculean feats, helped make the Ancients into the godlike legends upon which the Goa'uld would later build their Empire.

Over time, the Ancients lost the ability to shape-shift, trapping their bodies in specific forms that were then passed down from generation to generation. The Ancients came to be identified by CLANS, which were in turn based on their newly fixed forms. The major clans included the JACKAL CLAN, the SERPENT CLAN, the FALCON CLAN and the PHARAOH CLAN. (There were other minor clans as well.) This new existence caused much strife. Individual Ancients would battle for supremacy within each clan, and the clans would also battle each other. The CLAN WARS decimated the Ancients', (though they did add drama to the legends surrounding these "gods").

Despite the in-fighting (or maybe because of it), the Ancients continued to desperately stretch their influence across the cosmos. Ultimately, however, they stretched themselves too thin. Their own great civilization began to atrophy and collapse, fading into the realm of myth. The Ancients themselves, those that survived, became nomads -- and later fugitives, once the Goa'uld had surfaced.

Ohnu, obviously, is a member of the (largely dispersed) Jackal Clan. Because Ancients physically mature so quickly, Ohnu's parents (who may resurface at some point) might be relatively young. In addition, it's very possible that many of Ohnu's ancestors -- going back for generations --might still be alive somewhere.

HARDWARE
Goa'uld & Jaffa - Goa'uld technology in our series comes right out of the movie and the live-action series. Lots of stylized Egyptian metal. Retractable helmet/masks. Stylized jet fighters with retractable wings. The Goa'uld favor the ubiquitous Stargate for instantaneous travel, but they also have immensely immense pyramid-shaped starships, complete with ring-like teleportation devices for ground to orbit transport. The Goa'uld favor ribbon-like handweapons that can blast or sear but can also be used to put a victim into a trance. Their Jaffa Guards favor primitive-looking fighting staffs that double as laser blasters or "Zat-Guns" that can stun or destroy. Again, refer to our live-action predecessors.

Human - Standard issue military hardware, with a few minor additions that the average civilian may not have seen before, but could easily believe might exist as classified. However, Matt won't have access to any of this stuff once his odyssey begins.

Matt, Isis, Ohnu - As previously noted, Matt will acquire a couple of alien weapons. One of these is a big (very big) plasma cannon. The other is a metal gauntlet called a TALEX, which can be worn or thrown, and acts as a taser to stun opponents. Isis will also have a talex. Matt will also wears a slim headgear (earphone and microphone) which translates all the various alien languages he'll encounter. As to vehicles, our only limitation is what will fit through the Gate. Matt may find a great flying tank on one planet, but it's not going with him to the next world. On the other hand, when Matt finds MULE, the computerized talking SKY-SLED with an attitude, he takes the thing along for the rest of their adventures.

Pirates - Vlash and the other pirates travel in the Starship White Tiger. Unlike the Goa'uld ships, the Tiger is a lean, mean fighting machine. But not everything is always gonna be working perfectly. Vlash and his men favor hand weapons like energy cutlasses and Magna-Blasters. When making a raid, they skate through the air on fast-moving airsleds.

Alien tech - Most of the worlds our heroes will visit are going to be primitive by Earth standards, but there will also be plenty of exceptions to that rule. Alien technology should be very strange looking. For example, some of it might be organic. We can have vehicles, weapons, robots or whatever seems to make sense for a story, a planet and its people. (Kraytor's equipment in particular, should be as deadly and devastating as he is.)

TONE & STYLE
Although we'll be treading on some of the same turf as the live-action show, we don't want to simply become a junior version of Stargate: SG-1. We want to distinguish ourselves as a separate entity so that we aren't constantly suffering in the comparison. We start out in their sandbox, but then we'll take off on a decided tangent to their whole playground. Let's take full advantage of that tangent.

The Animated Stargate: The Hunted should make use of what animation does best. We should open up the scope of what we're creating. It's as easy (and cost-effective) to paint a truly otherworldly background, as it is to draw one that looks like it could be found somewhere near Vancouver. So we want weird environments: underground cities, water worlds, cloud deserts or whatever. It's also as easy to design a truly alien alien as it is to draw one whose look could be achieved by a human wearing great make-up. We want inhuman aliens (although not so weird that they're unrelatable to our audience, unless that's the point of a specific story). Similarly, new alien technology should be shocking and stunning.

We don't ever want our audience to forget they're on an alien world. Let's use a dark but rich color palate: purple, navy, magenta. As a guideline, unless there's a specific reason to set a scene in daylight, let's keep the starry night sky above our heads, to remind us how far Matt is from home. Besides, night looks cooler in action animation than day does (at least in my opinion).

Let's open up the scope of our stories as well. Space Opera is fair game. So is mysticism. The live-action series makes a point of the fact that they're doing science fiction and not science fantasy. Same with us, but we'll traverse a section of the cosmos where science hasn't always caught up with religion and magic. This is a true odyssey through the unknown.

We can have bittersweet moments, even bittersweet endings -- even tragic endings. Although each individual episode should tell a complete story from beginning to end, we don't always have to tie up all the loose ends by the last commercial break. We should be weaving a tapestry, a one season epic novel that begins with Matt leaving Earth in the pilot and ends with his return home in the season's final episode. Along the way there'll be setbacks as well as triumph, mystery as well as revelation.

For all that, don't be afraid to lighten things up a bit too. It probably goes without saying, but comedy offers a nice counterpoint to drama. Don't hunt down a joke or gag, but don't shy away from humor when and where you find it. Depending on how many episodes are ordered, we might even do an entire episode dedicated to slapstick.

We're doing Romance here. High Adventure. Strangeness. Pursuit. Discovery. Intrigue. Politics. Exploration. Friendship. So go to town.

EPISODES
A typical episode will find our heroes gating to a new planet, where they search for part of the "address" back to Earth, run into an alien culture and/or escape from one of the many villains who are hunting them down.

Having said that, I don't want this series to become too formulaic. How we choose stories will depend a lot on how many episodes are ordered in the first season. The more episodes we have, the stranger some of our choices can be.

Hopefully, all this will allow us to mix things up quite a bit: big space battles, spiritual mini-quests, alien persecution, episode-long chase scenes, comic opera, etc.

And if we make it to the second season, we'll turn the whole premise on its ear. The Hunted will become the Hunters. Matt and his team will join SGC and attempt to turn the tables on their former pursuers.

STARGATE: THE HUNTED
The Steadfast Knight, the Good Princess, the Child of Power, the Loyal Beast (and later the Rogue). These are archetypal characters lost in a big dangerous universe, hunted by nemeses with powers and resources that dwarf our heroes' meager skills. Yet somehow, they'll find a way to triumph over their enemies, and somehow, they'll find a way home. Really, it's pretty dependable, classic stuff. Should be fun. Wish us luck. [[Obviously, we were pretty much luck-free on this project.]]

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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Andreas G. writes...

As near as I can tell it hasn't been asked so I have a question regarding the whole Aqualad being a bad guy ruse. Well, sort of.

Is Kaldur still actually codenamed Aqualad? It just somewhat surprises me he'd keep the codename if he was trying to gain Black Manta's trust and also that others would still refer to him as that name, his HERO name.

Greg responds...

No, not since he went undercover - though inevitably some people still refer to him by that name.

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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Susan N. writes...

Mr. Weisman,

I would just like to thank you for including Jason Todd in the Young Justice Universe. He is my favorite Robin by far, and I find that he isn't included in the DCAU very often. It means so much to me that he existed at one point on earth-16, that you and your team actually acknowledged his existance. Even if you have nothing planned for him,(and since your're you, I think you do have plans) I couldn't be more pleased if I tried. I hope that we see more of him in the future, either through flashbacks or a brief dip into his comic story.

Greg responds...

So do I.

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

As of the start of season 2, are/were Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon in a relationship?

Greg responds...

SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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abigail writes...

Dear Greg,
Is Batgirl's identity as Barbara Gordon not a secret to the rest of the Team? Considering the she (unlike Tim and Dick) never wore sunglasses the few times we've seen in civillian clothing, and also taking into consideration to not everyone knows Robin and Nightwing's identities- the whole thing strikes me as rather odd. You'd think Batman would enforce the "no revealing your identity" to her as well. Can you please explain this?

Greg responds...

Barbara's identity is known to the rest of the Team. Batman is her mentor, but not her legal guardian (unlike Dick & Tim), and in any case, she's over the age of consent now.

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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Young Justice Fan writes...

"Satisfaction" was great -- the writing, acting, directing and animation all melded to form a very visceral and dramatic piece.

Quick question -- the hospital scene was beautifully written and acted and I thought the storyboarding also played a huge part in getting the emotions across. I was wondering who boarded that particular scene -- it really sticks out in the entire YJ canon so far.

Again -- wonderful work! YJ just keeps getting better.

Greg responds...

I'm afraid I don't remember, and my script where I would have listed the board artists is currently boxed up.

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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Eric writes...

How did Blue Beetle adopt the name in YJ?

Greg responds...

Do you mean how did he adopt the name "Blue Beetle"?

Probably after some conversation with Captain Atom and/or Guy Gardner and/or Peacemaker, during the period after he 'acquired' the Scarab, but before he joined the Team.

Response recorded on November 20, 2012

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btgr writes...

In YJ did you based Wade Eiling on disgraced US Marine Lieutenant Colonel "Oliver North"?

Greg responds...

No. We based him on Wade Eiling from the Captain Atom comic book that Cary Bates and I wrote in the 80s and early 90s. And Eiling was loosely modeled on Captain Kirk.

Response recorded on November 19, 2012

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Thomas writes...

I notice that with Gargoyles you have given so much information that fleshed their world. Can you give information for the Young Justice Wiki on Kryptonians, Thanagarians, Amazons, Atlanteans, Termians and other races to give the world more dimnension?

Nothing major, spoilerish. Just fleshing material

Greg responds...

NO. Most of the Gargoyles "flesh" is either (a) from the canon, which had 65 canon episodes and 18 canon comic book issues or (b) info given LONG after the show was done producing new episodes and/or (c) stuff I regret having revealed.

If and when the series ends (in all its forms and media), I may consider being more forthcoming. But I may not. Ideas minus execution are open to second-guessing that just isn't any fun. (Well, not for me, anyway.) And if Gargoyles has proven anything, it's that you never know when you'll get another shot at it, and so some secrets are better left kept.

Response recorded on November 19, 2012

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Brandon writes...

I really enjoyed "Satisfaction", and the show in general thus far. I did have one question though:

At the beginning of the episode, Roy Harper says "the sidekicks formed their own team", which sounded (to me, at least) like he was familiar with Wally and Kaldur. But, when he was abducted, the only active sidekick at the time was Robin. How does he know the other two sidekicks? I'm sure there is a simple explanation that I'm overlooking. Anyway, great show! I really enjoy the way you work characters from different eras and continuities into a single universe.

Greg responds...

Roy had received piecemeal information from Oliver and Roy (and probably Dinah) since arriving at the hospital. As he mentioned, they talked AROUND a lot of things with him. There's also a television set in his room, which would have elicited some conversation, as well.

Response recorded on November 19, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

I'm not surprised that Roy accepted the robotic arm part from Lex. Lex does what he does best after all. But how do we know that Lex didn't just have that arm part rigged in the event that Roy tries to take out Lex?

Greg responds...

I'm sure Lex knew that the League would vet the arm thoroughly before allowing Roy to incorporate it. Sometimes it pays to not put a bomb in the gift horse's mouth.

Response recorded on November 19, 2012

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Justice Avenger writes...

Hi Greg :) What was Jason Todd's designation number?? I'm guessing it's B12. Thanks ;)

Greg responds...

SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

Response recorded on November 19, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Does Tornado still live in the cave as den mother and does Black Canary still train the team? Or are those the "senior" members jobs now?

Greg responds...

Tornado no longer lives in the Cave - especially since the Cave is no longer.

Canary does still occasionally train the Team, but mostly that's handled by senior members.

Response recorded on November 19, 2012

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Tupka writes...

So, we're back, and how. Loved it, though I'm curious who Raquel's marrying. Noble? Is Amistad his?

I can ask a lot more about Satisfaction or the recent comics, but everyone will have those. So instead, I'll just do some questions on obscurity of characters.

1. Amber Joyce - If I've done my research correctly, she was a blonde actress with precognitive powers. What made you decide to use her as a pilot rather than someone else who has a more fitting background (like, say, Deanna Barr or Celia Forrestal or something?)
2. Jeremiah - was your choice to go for him instead of (for example) Starshine Stone a matter of personal favoritism, SPOILER REQUEST, or did the availability of male and female voice ranges for the episode play a role?
3. Jeremiah and Noor Harjavti both had their only comic appearance in the same issue. The same goes for Singh Mahn Lee and the nation of Bwunda. Was it deliberate, coincidence, or did you/your staff/your researcher just came across one in search of the other and thought "We can use this"?
4. You mentioned in an earlier answer you included a WildStorm character, but in such a way that the legal department wouldn't recognize it. You're obviously not going to tell us who you were talking about, but can you point in a general direction (Gen 13? Authority? StormWatch? Tranquility?)

Greg responds...

Rocket questions are all spoilers.

1. I was combining her with another Amber. Plus I wanted the name Amber for its association with an Amber Alert, since the whole episode was one big Amber Alert.

2. Personal preference. Sometimes the more obscure the character, the more fun it is for me.

3. Noor and Jeremiah were both characters I created, so I was familiar with them. As for the other examples, both ce courtesy of master DC researcher John Wells.

4. I gave a hint already tonight.

Response recorded on November 17, 2012

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Greg Bishansky writes...

1. Did Xanatos know Demona's name before she revealed it to Goliath?
2. For that matter, while we know Xanatos regarded the gargoyles with benign amusement and interest, and you've said before that he always rather liked Goliath as a person... what did he think of Demona? On the one hand, while we know he felt she had her uses, on the other hand there she was talking about the genocide of humanity right in front of him. I guess I feel for being as intelligent as he was, and knowing about how much she despised humans, he put a lot of blind faith into her... he didn't even have the page with the Stone By Night spell translated prior to putting her on the air. That was a mistake far larger than the creation of Thailog.

Greg responds...

1. Yes.

2. I do think he underestimated her. He has a low enough opinion of fanatics, that he perhaps didn't take her quite seriously enough as a threat.

Response recorded on November 17, 2012

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Carter writes...

This is something I've been meaning to ask for awhile:

How do you decide to credit a character? Is it which "identity" they spend more time in? In Alienated, Kaldur is referred to more by his name, but he's credited as Aqualad.

Regarding Kaldur, does he go by another identity while out in the field? Is he just "Kaldur" to the Manta troopers, or do he and his father share it depending on who's leading the troopers?

How'd you guys settle on the Invasion storyline? Was it something you naturally felt drawn to, or were there others you thought about pursuing?

Jason Todd's known for not only being the most disliked Robin, but never being in any DC cartoon canon, barring Under the Red Hood. So I'm happy that you guys have brought him in.

It's been a great season so far, and I'm very interested to see where you're going with all of this.

Greg responds...

I try to pair each actor's name with the version of the character's name that predominates in the episode. I'll admit that on occasion, I'm a little too quick to just go with his or her most common identity.

2. ASKED AND ANSWERED.

3. It felt right.

Response recorded on November 17, 2012

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Matthew writes...

Just saw "Satisfaction." It's great that YJ is back. It strikes me that Luthor is acting a lot like Xanatos in this episode. Now the characters are of course similar, but some traits seem particularly like Xanatos. The comment about buying a quality desk seemed very Xanatos. The comment about revenge being for suckers is undoubtedly something Xanatos would say (my memories rusty, but Xanatos may have said those exact words.) Actually, I always considered one of the differences between Luthor and Xanatos is that Luthor would want revenge. Now as character who has been written by different people for decades there's bound to be differences in character. Hell, Luthor originally was a mad scientist, not a corporate executive.

I guess I'm asking do you seem the resemblence between Luthor as you write him and was the similarites intentional?

Greg responds...

I definitely see similarities, but I see nuanced differences as well.

Response recorded on November 17, 2012

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YJ Wiki editor writes...

Previously you've stated that Blue Devil was 25 (http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=14743), but more recently you said that he's 26 (http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=15672). Was this an oversight or did you just change your mind/update your timeline?

The same goes for Serling Roquette (originally 22, http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=14763) and Wildcat (91)

Greg responds...

At the end of Season One:

Ted Cassidy - 25
Ted Grant - 91
Serling Roquette - 22

I can't explain the error. I must have been looking at the wrong year on my timeline - but in my defense, those questions were ASKED AND ANSWERED. If they hadn't been asked a second time, I wouldn't have messed up.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

How does Angela currently feel about Demona? She was devastated at the end of "The Reckoning" when she thought Demona was dead, but the next time she saw her, Demona almost destroyed all life on Earth. Does she still feel bad about the "I hate you" or does she think it was justified now?

Greg responds...

I'm sure her feelings are quite complex. But I'll leave anything more specific either to your interpretation or to future stories.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Kevin writes...

1. Why are there sorcerers and wizards if there is no difference between them?
2. Are Lords of Order and Chaos the strongest type of magic users on Earth 16?
3. Do the hosts of Nabu become stronger magically the longer they are Doctor Fate?
4. How long has Nabu been active as Doctor Fate?
5. Has Klarion ever consider inhabited a host body like Nabu does?

Greg responds...

1. Why are there janitors and custodians?

2. Pretty much.

3. I'm not sure what "stronger magically" means to you.

4. Millennia.

5. I wouldn't put anything past him.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Someone writes...

How do you feel over the names people give the couples on young justice? For example Chalant for Dick/Zatanna, Birdflash for Wally/Dick? Awesome show ^.^

Greg responds...

I really have no opinion on that.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Christine writes...

Thank you for young justice. Not only did it get me into DC comics, but also I now have a best friend thanks to our mutual love of YJ.
I also have a question though:
Why do a lot of important events happen in New Orleans? As a native New Orleanian, I love it. Was that a choice that was just a happenstance, a love of the city on your part, a secret alien base as yet undisclosed, a magic base that is actually the center of earth-16?(or is it simply because having fights in the float factory is an opportunity one should never pass up?)

Greg responds...

I have a fondness for the city that dates back pre-Katrina. But it also has some nice settings for battle, and more importantly is - from a DC Universe standpoint - close to Belle Reve Prison. Throw in the fact, that we like to reuse locations to save money, and you begin to see why we return not just to New Orleans, but to many places.

Of course, the funny thing is, my daughter now lives in New Orleans. But she didn't when we started the show, and I had no idea she was going to move there when we first put it into YJ.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Nobody writes...

Ohmygoodness, seeing Jason Todd broke me. Completely. Broke. Me. You, Brandon, and everyone else who makes this show are life-ruiners.

Just kidding (not really). Despite the emotional roller coaster ride, I really do love Young Justice. Seriously, I wake up early Saturday morning to watch this show, and I never get up early on a Saturday. If that doesn't show how much I love it, I don't know what does.

Anywho, questions. Two serious, one silly, and none that have anything to do with Jason Todd.

1. Can Beast Boy talk when he's transformed into an animal (An actual animal, not his animal/human hybrid form he takes most of the time)? I know he can communicate telepathically, but can he physically talk?

2. When Jaime is connected to M'gann's telepathic link, would the other people in the link be able to hear Khaji Da as well?

3. Got anything thoughts on this picture?
http://thataintmytumblr.tumblr.com/image/25378942894
(Yes, I know it's not real. This by the way is the silly question :P )

Greg responds...

1. Nope.

2. If you mean the Scarab, nope.

3. It's cute, I guess.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Mirami writes...

Finished watching "Satisfaction" about an hour ago. It wasn't as big as the promos released made it seem, but it was still just wonderful. I loved it! Keep up the great job~

Greg responds...

It wasn't as "big"? Maybe you need a new t.v.? A widescreen.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

What are the designation numbers of Wolf and the sphere?

Greg responds...

SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Peema writes...

1. Can we assume that Roy (Red Arrow) is biologically 23/24 years old in Invasion?
2. Can you clarify Jaime's age? One time you said he was 15 and another time you said he was 16.
3. How old is Bart (physically)?

Greg responds...

1. Yes.

2. At the beginning of Season Two, he is 16.

3. Assuming he survives until the end of Team Year Six, he'll be 13.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Greg Bishansky writes...

What exactly did Demona's position as Macbeth's primary adviser entail? He said that he had planned for her to govern at his side... very, very strong words for a king. We know she maintained command of her clan, and she also seemed to have command of a number of his human troops but what was she doing during "peace time?" Was she advising him on strategic and diplomatic alliances? Tax policies? This was definitely much bigger than what Goliath's or Hudson's positions with Prince Malcolm were. When I hear "govern at my side" it makes me think that for all intents and purposes, even if not in name, she was the co-ruler of Scotland.

Greg responds...

"Peace time" is a relative term. She helped him maintain his army and (if you will) his air force, along with other defenses. She advised him on military strategy, and as we saw, he was open to hear anyone give advice on anything. But her primary job description was basically Secretary of Defense.

She was not co-ruler of Scotland.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Greg Bishansky writes...

I have a question about gargoyle justice. Goliath considered dropping Tony Dracon to his death in "Protection," but decided that "gargoyle justice isn't human justice." So, I have to wonder... in what circumstances does a gargoyle arrive at taking the life of another to extract justice? I guess I'm just curious to know where does banishment end, and death begin?

Greg responds...

An enemy in the heat of battle - particularly one who has attacked a member of the clan - was considered fair game for killing.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Dc hero writes...

Hey Greg nice to be back.
1. I know it was important to the plot but why did no one stop Roy running down the street with one arm? I know there're some cruel people out there but I think someone would've tried to stop him.
2. Are some member of the team sexually active? I know Roy(clone) was.but did Dick have sex with Bette?
3. Are you guys able to use more controversial issues in the comics such as drugs or sex even if it's under the Cartoonnetwork banner?
Thank you for your time Greg. I was definitely satisfied(pun intended) this week. Hoping for season 3 and no more hiatuses.

Greg responds...

1. How do you know someone didn't try? How do you know he was running down the street for more than a block?

2. I'll leave that to your imagination and/or interpretation.

3. I'm sure all creative choices are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Irenerb writes...

Love the show! B)
1) what is sportsmaster origin? How did he become who is today?
2) what county is sportsmaster? His nationality?
3) how old was sportsmaster and Paula when they first meet?

Thanks and the show is awesome B)

Greg responds...

1. I don't use this forum to tell entire stories.

2. County? Did you mean country? Anyway, he's American, born and raised in Gotham City.

3. I haven't nailed down a precise year for when they met.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Eagle-Owl writes...

YJ questions:

1. Does Sportsmaster know Black Manta is part of the Light now?

2. If so, does he realize what the Light will do to him if he kills Manta?

Greg responds...

1. Yes.

2. Patience, grasshopper...

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Eagle-Owl writes...

YJ question:

When Superboy and Miss Martian broke up, did that create any tension between Superman and Martian Manhunter, considering it WAS Superman's clone and Manhunter's niece?

Greg responds...

No.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Lorisa214 writes...

1) How old were Artemis & Jade when Jade ran away?
2) And how old where they when their mom got caught/sent to jail (did it take a year for her to be convicted?)

Greg responds...

1. Jade was 13. Artemis was nine.

2. The same.

2a. She plea-bargained.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Lorisa214 writes...

Hello!
Are anyone besides Artemis & Wally going to University/college?

Greg responds...

Yes.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Kevin writes...

1. What are the blue crystals in the Blockbuster formula?
2. Why did the Light use Kobra Venom on Poison Ivy's plants instead of the Blockbuster formula?
3. Would the Blockbuster formula have a different effect on Mr. Tawny, Wolf, or the other animals in India?
4. Was Rex the Wonder Dog an inspiration for Wolf?

Greg responds...

1. Don't know. But they look cool, don't they?

2. Kobra-Venom combines Blockbuster with Venom. It's more stable.

3. Yes. It reduces intelligence.

4. One of many, perhaps. But way down the line behind Krypto and Wolf.

Response recorded on November 16, 2012

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Kevin writes...

1. How long does the Parasite have access to someone's powers and abilities?
2. How long does it take for someone to get their abilities after the Parasite takes them? Do aliens have a quicker recovery time?
3. Why did you decide for the Parasite's absorption ability not to have energy effects like he has in other animated incarnations?
4. Why does Red Arrow have different re-curve bows?
5. What were the alter egos of the team the Dangers based on?

Greg responds...

1. It's relatively brief.

2. A few hours to one degree or another.

2a. Apparently not.

3. I don't know what you're referring to.

4. Different from what?

5. What makes you think they were based on anything?

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

At what age did Sportsmaster start training Artemis?

Greg responds...

From birth, in his mind.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Curious writes...

I wanted to ask three related questions if it is not to much trouble.

1. What exactly are the 'lords of order and chaos'? I couldn't really find much information on them (plus this being your universe artistic license could easily rewrite their purpose) and I am curious since two of the characters (Nabu/doctor fate and Klarion) fall into this catagory.

2. What made you decide to make Klarion a lord of chaos? Initially he was a young witch boy from another dimension who happened to be versed in magic (and more than a little bit of a nasty streak) and in a later incarnation he was a rebellious kid from limbo town (witch city under gotham) with a confusingly grey moral chompass.
So I am sorta curious what made you decide to go in the direction of 'lord of chaos' for the Klarion character.

3. If Teekl is Klarions connection to the mortal plain then does that make her Klarion's equivalent to Nabu's helmet of doctor fate?

I appologize if one or more of these questions could be considered spoilers but from looking around, few people have bothered to ask anything in regards to this very interesting character.

Greg responds...

1. I think the terms are fairly self-explanatory. They are personifications of two natural mystic forces in the universe.

2. Clarity, Consistency, Coherence.

3. Yes. In a way.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Someone Not Really Important writes...

please answer my question, and please do not answer my question with another question

In some questions, people asked if we'll see the league's reaction to Robin fighting crime.
In Agendas, we saw that Wonder Woman did not approve of this.
Was the 'spoiler alert'? and if so, is it only a small part of it?

Greg responds...

In "Agendas", you did NOT see that Wonder Woman does not approve of Robin fighting crime. LOOK AGAIN.

And I'd love to answer your question - really. But I honestly do not understand it:

"Was the 'spoiler alert'? and if so, is it only a small part of it?"

What does that mean?!

You went to a lot of trouble to preamble this question with a lot of pleases, etc., and then didn't take the time or trouble to clearly state - or even proofread - your question.

So... sorry. But I can't answer it.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Angela writes...

How is wonder woman able to stay immortal? In the comics she can't age only when she is on paradise island.

Greg responds...

Exactly.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Diana writes...

Hey Greg,

it's known, that to control the phoenix gate, one has to think of a special place and time.
Now, that the gate was released by Goliath, one question popped into my head.
Brooklyn couldn't control the gate during his Time Dancer adventures.
But could it be that his subconscious mind influenced the gate's „direction"?
Could the gate (or rather the phoenix) have probably sensed his feelings like fears, inner conflicts or wishes?
Or did the phoenix just follow its own reasons without noticing such things?

By the way … I liked the character of Brooklyn before, but it's due to the Comics (especially Clan building Vol. 2) that he became one of my ultimate favourites. ;)

Greg responds...

Mostly, the Phoenix is the Phoenix. Beyond that, we're talking SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Shatter writes...

What Math class is Dick in, in season 1?

Greg responds...

I dunno.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Kittygirl56 writes...

Hi! I'm a big fan of Young Justice! and I have a few questions(well,opinon questions,but a question is a question.)Thank you.

1.Why is Kid Flash considerably slower than Flash?
2.Out of the 4 pairings that were created in the first season,which one was your favorite?
3.If Wolf and Sphere(In super-cycle mode)were to travel the entire way around the earth, which one would win?
4.If you had to choose a battle between the season 1 team,who would fight who?
5.Name your favorite line from Young justice.

Greg responds...

1. It has to do with the nature of their different origins on Earth-16.

2. Do you mean romantic pairings? I don't have a favorite.

3. You mean in a race? Sphere. By a lot.

4. What?

5. I'm not sure I have just one. Maybe, "Dude, that's your sister!"

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

So far in the Young Justice series, Superman's only weakness as we've seen thus far is exposure to green Kryptonite. What other weaknesses does Superman have which haven't been shown but can be confirmed for sure in Earth-16 continuity? And would those same weaknesses affect Superboy in a similar manner (considering he's half human as it is shown that green kryptonite hurts him on somewhat of a reduced level)?

Greg responds...

I've never understood where people got the notion that Superboy was less effected by the Kryptonite. I've seen that sequence over and over, and I just don't get it.

Anyway, Superman and Superboy don't have any other specific weaknesses that I can think of. But in general, our versions of both characters are not as all-powerful as other versions have been. So lots of things can hurt them.

Superman has fairly massive (how should I put this), um, 'ultimate invulnerability', i.e. ultimately there's not a lot - besides Kryptonite - that can do a lot of permanent damage to the guy. I think the best example is the bomb that destroyed Malina Island. It hurt him, knocked him unconscious, but ultimately he was physically fine.

Superboy is not quite as tough. I can't seem him surviving that blast at point blank range the way Superman did. But as we've seen time and time again, though there's plenty that can knock him down and/or out, there isn't much he can't walk away from ultimately.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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EXALT writes...

How far in her pregnancy is Iris as of Bloodlines?

Greg responds...

Very unfar. She missed one period by enough days to take a pregnancy test.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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aly writes...

Hi Greg i'm a HUGE young justice fan, I was wondering if there is any specific reason Artemis cut her hair in season 2?

Greg responds...

Um, split ends?

Look, it's been five years, in that amount of time, folks occasionally want a change.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Auld Acquaintance. Still happy.

Shorts:
Plastic Man- hee hee New Teen Titan backwards in time costume changes! Starfire has to do a Lady Godiva to coer her naked costume ;) (Toy Wonder- the nerd in my got it, rest of team- nope)

Q1 "He called us 'kids'" was that Batman managing to get a hint on in a funny way? Poor command or subconscious resistance?

The team's psychic link must make things a little easier for the animators...and dubbers.

Q2 Sphere/cycle is a 'her'?

Q3 The Light's cause is described. How would Klarion fit in or even find interesting to watch?
What was Atom dissecting? More Starro?

Lovely misdirection with Reddy,Roy & Dinah- even if knew it was coming.

Nice hanging of lantern on the speed of the cure tech 'small miracle'

M'gan's resorting to form against uncle convinced me he knew and thought it nothing odd- like the 'game'. With all information you chose to share on the Martians I wonder why we haven't seen him in that form at some point.
Wonderful raproachma between the supes.

Equally nice, though less obvious, is the body language between Roy, Ollie and Dina. That's family...makes what comes later a bigger shock.

I missed the implication that Guardian was a clone too.

Not to the mystery of the 16 hours..

Greg responds...

Q1 - Poor command on Klarion's part.

Q2 - Yes, that was established in "Disordered".

Q3 - I'll leave that to your imagination/interpretation, though it seems pretty clear to me where he's finding his fun.

Q3a - Yes, more Starro.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Another happy review: Usual Suspects-

First the shorts-
Green Care Bear-not a bad parody. Odd it seems it wouldn't be my thing, but I liked it better than the Ardman one, and that would ordinarily be my thing.

On to the show.
Rocket has nice line that needed saying, "Since when is being a sidekick a bad thing?" (So here too she convinced Icon to be a hero? For now I am assuming her original back story.)

Icon- "You don't know Raquel...though I thought she'd at least stick around." Nice beat. Icon has a strangely stilted form of speech, like someone new to the language and not, presumably, here for 150 years already.

Old times for Artimas and Jade = "Dad pitting us against each other." No, that's not at all dysfunctional....

Great voice acting "OK Fine. We're sisters, I don't actually want you dead." Sheepish- like a bad guy has to apologize for not always being the absolute worst.

Zatanna & Rocket walk off together here... and are inducted together the JL 5 years later.

Super Boy coming clean is a rare instance of someone choosing that moment to NOT dig deeper.

Didn't notice the first time I saw the episodes, but when Conner inspired Artimas to come clean Cheshire was already on the way to pick her up. She was actually past the time to not dig deeper and was probably in the hoping something unexpected saves her stage. M'gann too, even deeper, since Artimas has said no to her father's face before. Queen Bee was exerting power over M'gann. (It also has a slight parallel to Superboy handing the arrow back to Arrowette in the original Young Justice- trying to give her a chance to unmake a bad decision.)

"Who's next?" "I am." "I swear I was kidding." Great timing and image.

mmm... Robin knew Artimas's secret, Conner knew M'gann's (wish I could recheck his reaction to bald M'gann.) Nice that they took the involuntary step back. Accepting is not the same as not being startled.

Q1{All that recent Martian info!! I wish we knew what magic trigger gets you in the mood to share that much info. Was that something that would have been in the comics if they had longer to hold off the time skip?"

Q2 The Martians have War of the Worlds' looking alien hands-despite two fingers? Do their mouths move and do they talk?

Conner standing still as ruse till Queen Bee was down was great strategy.

Lex's reserve is lovely

"This has been a good day." Meanwhile at the Watchtower... Irony

Q3 "RECOGNIZE VANDAL SAVAGE A04" Vandal has a low number League designation? Is that a real indication of former membership?

Greg responds...

Q1 - Given enough issues and/or episodes, I'd get to everything eventually.

Q2 - If by "move" you mean "open and close", then yes, their mouths move. But they can't articulate English with their natural mouths. And on Mars they communicate telepathically.

Q3 - It's an "A" designation. League members have no letter in front of the number. For example, Superman's designation is "Zero-One". NOT "A-Zero-One".

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

I've finally read all the answers and questions in the queues. (Wow!) Now, before the queue is closed I can post...really old reviews. (All positive ;)

Performance- very nice...

...But first a very quick review of the DC Nation shorts:
"Animal Man...!" bwahahaha SBFF...happy happy.

Question 1- apropos of very little, what do you think of the new DC logo? Personally, I like it fine on tv, especially when they can fill the bottom image with moving images. Although it still strikes me as a good logo for a different product when I see it still, mostly I don't notice it any more.

Haly's Circus...you can go home again!

Question 2 (a little long) - Haly's always seemed to me a bit of a golden childhood that Dick can revisit at any time and has a lot to do with why he is nowhere near as dark a character as Bruce. They couldn't raise him after his parents' death, but they were still family. They saved money to support him. They always welcome him to visit and step right back into his old life.

I'm working on the assumption that you are too busy to keep up with the current main universe comics, but are you aware of the current Court of Owls storyline? In it it turns out that the circus and the Graysons were part of a centuries old kabal that controls all but only rises to the knowledge of the public as nursery rhyme references. The circus exists to provide enforcers who are made somewhat dead somewhat immortal and unquestioningly loyal. Dick would have been next had it not been for the accident that killed his parents and took him away.

Divorced from Batman and Dick it is an interesting story, but I find it galling that they have so changed the circumstances of Dick's life- it has made monsters of his circus family, of his own parents; they all knew what was in store for him. It seems too far a departure from the basic truths of a character.

{Oddly I'm enjoying the heck out of the current Wonder Woman storyline which does the same to Thymiscara - now there are no men because they go out on ocean raids, take over ships, get pregnant, kill the men and give away the male babies. They would have killed the boys, but instead they trade them for armor and weapons because Hephaestus insists upon it. His own history making him particularly empathetic to unwanted children. I should object to the change on the same grounds, but the new mythological based series is so different my mind has simply been treating it as a fantastic elseworld run.}

If you are familiar with the City of Owls story, what do you think of it? In general, what do you think are the limits to how far you can push a story while remaining true to its essence? You've done several adaptations, what are the guideposts you use to what is and what is not acceptable?

Personally I reference the movie The Iron Giant when, er...spoiler free version...when the Giant makes a momentous decision at potential great cost to himself, he remembers a previous discussion with the boy, "You are who you choose to be". He smiles and says, "I am Superman". Any none elseworld depiction of Superman must be one in which that thought make sense. To my mind, Dick is always an orphan of a loving family, not someone who narrowly escaped the family job of unkillable assassin. If you want to have a Batman protégé who was created to be a killer make a new one. (I guess a new new one besides Cass and Damian.)

Back to commenting on the episode. (mostly just listing what caught my eye.)
mmm...Flying Grayson poster is reminiscent of Nightwing's costume...not the high collar version. Clever. Of course now I wonder what Dead Man's costume looks like on Earth 16.

Love:
Q;"Who knew a Martian could be vulnerable to a human virus?"
A;"Uh...HG Wells"
(Also, nice body language with Conner on edge of M'gann's bed in that scene.)

Question 3 No one questions them staying in costume and mask on the train?

"Does this circus have an elephant I don't know about?" "Not on foreign tours."
2 pts - one for actually show how their observation skills would work and another probably being realistic for a traveling circus.

Chuckle: "Uh guys, I found Ray"- mask

It is interesting how in sync Artimas and Roy are. They actually work in concert as well as Bat Family members work with each other.

Robin spy camera tube is more or less real world spy tech.

"There is no mole." The irony!

Question 4 I love that the closing credits are for the Danger family- It ups the fun of them generally being listed according to whether or not they are in costume. Was the series idea to credit characters as they appear in a particular ep just for fun, or was it humor borne of necessity?

thanks and more to come...

Greg responds...

Question 1 -

Question 2 - I'm not familiar with it. As you guessed, I haven't had the time to read it, so I'm not going to comment on something I haven't read.

Question 2a - What I think works in adaptation - as cold, theoretical ideas - may to some feel like it goes way to far and to others feel like it does not go far enough. It's all about execution, really. But I start with simply what FEELS right to me. If that doesn't work, than I can't execute anything that will work. As for process, I try to think in terms of boiling down a character or a story or a dynamic to its essence. What is the essential appeal? What essentially makes this character unique? Etc. Then I feel free to either jetison OR keep the rest of the details, as it suits my interpretation - always being true to the essence that seemed to matter to me. Or in the case of Young Justice, to us, i.e. myself and Brandon.

Question 3 - Circus folk. Whatchagonna do.

Question 4 - I'm anal about stuff like that.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

What are Shimmer and Mammoth's real names?

Greg responds...

Look 'em up on Wikipedia.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Batwing Forever writes...

I'm glad to see that the comics will be addressing another major family in the DC Comics continuity. So now we have the Flash Fam and the Arrow Fam getting some love.

But what about the BAT FAMILY??? They've been practically ignored for most of the series, with the focus being so much on building the romance and shining some light on the Light (no other way to phrase that, sorry). I can't help but feel that they're not getting the attention they deserve, especially since we got cheated out (AGAIN) of the all important evolution of Dick Grayson from Robin to Nightwing. I do hope that at least the comics or the upcoming Legacy game will give these amazing characters the love they deserve.

Greg responds...

Wow, I love that you feel 'cheated'. No entitlement issues there.

We feel we've given love to everyone. If you're a big fan of any single aspect of the show, that aspect can NEVER get enough love, am I right?

But, given enough issues and/or episodes, I have plenty of Bat-Love to give.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Do you/did you like Barbara Gordon better as Batgirl or Oracle in the comics?
Did you like Dick Grayson better with Batgirl or Starfire?
I'm just curious.

Greg responds...

Feels like answering these questions would amount to SPOILERS.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Jazzy Jazz Aqualad Fan writes...

Hi , I just forgot to ask about Rocket and Aqualad.. I mean i would like to know what happened because i have a feeling that it will not be mentioned in the show.. Poor Kaldur never gets any love but i trust you have something planned for him and i love the show!!

Greg responds...

Rocket and Aqualad went out for a little while, but it didn't stick. As to any plans we may or may not have: SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

regarding your post about not owning a smartphone... i saw you playing on your phone one year at sdcc. i think it was way old school, with the green screen and all. haha. :)

anyway, my question is: are the yj stories in the dc nation magazine new stories, and are they canon? (trying to decide whether i need to pick it up.)

Greg responds...

Ah, those were the days...

To be fair, it didn't have a green screen but it was tiny and it wasn't a smartphone. I held onto that phone until it flat out stopped working. Then I had it fixed three times, but it kept dying. So, finally, just this past September, I broke down and bought an iPhone. But I still mostly ONLY use it as a cellphone. I don't check e-mail or the internet on it. I do not WANT to be that connected.

I'm not sure I've seen the DC Nation Magazine, so I'm not sure.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Femi writes...

I have a rather odd question. First is it true that the final episodes of Roughnecks were read during a Gargoyle Gathering? If so do you have any idea where i could get my hands on that? I hope this does not violate the spoiler rule

Greg responds...

It's true. The 2000 Gathering Players performed a radio play version of the final three - never produced - episodes of Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles.

But "get [your] hands on" what exactly? On a live event that took place twelve years ago? How would that be possible?

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Why do you love to troll us?
Greg, if I didn't like you so much, I would hate you! Bye and good job Master of Trolldom!

Greg responds...

When have I EVER trolled anyone?

Maybe I'm confused, but are you sure you're using the term "troll" correctly?

Cuz by the definition I know, I'm not even sure if it's possible for me to troll on MY OWN DAMN WEBSITE.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Lorisa214 writes...

Was that Lois Lane in the first episode of season 2 around the end? She was the first the swim to the surface after the explosion?

Greg responds...

No. Perhaps you're thinking of Noor Harjavti?

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Marvelman writes...

1) Are Aqualad's electric charges a natural ability, or do they come from his suit?

2) Are the charges magic-based? Is that why Aqualad took Superboy down so easily in "Alienated"? Or, do they just go beyond what SB's invulnerability can withstand?

3) While we're on the subject, does Connor share Superman's vulnerability to magic?

4) I know this is outside of your control, but do you have any insight into why Cartoon Network always seems so secretive about when new episodes will air? For example, why would it be so hard for them to put out a press statement saying: Young Justice is going on hiatus but will return sometime in Fall 2012?

5) What's going to happen next? (joking)

Greg responds...

1. Neither. They're sorcerous and come from a combination of his training and his mystic dermal icons.

2a. Yes.

2b. Perhaps a little of each.

3. Let me put it this way: the Earth-16 Superman shares EVERYBODY's vulnerability to magic. Neither he nor Superboy are specially vulnerable.

4. I don't know.

5. Reruns on Boomerang and new issues of the comic for the time being.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Thus far, when members of the Justice League attend meetings at Watchtower, they have:

a. Vote who joins/leaves the Justice League (which has been seen in Season One as an example).
b. Vote on who becomes the overall leader of the Justice League (a term of one year according to archives; no example has been actually seen yet).

What else normally goes on during these meetings besides other than what is just mentioned above?

Greg responds...

I dunno. Whatever business needs to get covered. Briefings. Things related to the Light, for example. I mean what do you think goes on?

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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btgr writes...

1. Did you based the character designs of both that thug voiced by John DiMaggio from the Green Arrow DC Showcase and Henchy from the YJ episode "Coldhearted" on video game character Marcus Fenix from the Gears of War series, or was it just a coincidence?

2. Who do you think would win in hand to hand combat? Merlyn or Count Vertigo?

Greg responds...

1. Well, I didn't design the character, so I have no idea. But I can tell you I've never heard of "Marcus Fenix" or "Gears of War".

2. See, now, the Hulk is more powerful because the madder he gets, the stronger he gets. But the Thing can still beat him if he keeps his wits about him.
(Haven't used this one in a while, huh?)

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Peach writes...

Does La'gaan ever give M'gann the respect she deserves by calling her by her given name? The fact that he's always calls her "angelfish" makes me think that he views her as a possession rather than a human being (well, a Martian, but hopefully you get my point).

I hopes he's not the typical rebound guy who acts like a jerk. Because, right now, I'm wondering if it was your intention to make La'gaan as unlikeable as possible to the fans.

Greg responds...

Gee, that seems like a truly odd interpretation of that particular habit.

First off, La'gaan has and does call her M'gann sometimes. So... pay attention.

Second, "Angelfish" is a TERM OF ENDEARMENT. She likes it. This notion that it means he views her as a "possession" - well, frankly, I don't even understand the logic of that. How does that follow? I have a pet name for my wife - which in private I use interchangeably with her given name - and I can say with real confidence that she feels it brings us closer, because it's something personal we share.

Feels to me like you're REACHING for reasons not to like Lagoon Boy. It's perfectly legit not to care for him, but there's no need to invent reasons.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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EXALT writes...

Would you ever consider doing rambles about YJ like you did for Gargoyles?

Greg responds...

Maybe... someday in the DISTANT future.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Does Sportsmaster have a favorite daughter?

Greg responds...

No. He may think that Jade has slightly more common sense, but let's give him credit for this much as a parent: he holds both his offspring in equal measure of adoration. (That is, pretty much none.)

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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JAC writes...

Sorry for the multiple posts in a row...I would have put this question in with the first, but the rules say to make seperate posts for differant topics (but I swear this is the last one for today) so here goes:
What was the reasoning behind not giving Artemis the "Tigress" persona, whether or not she eventually becomes a villianess...

Was it to keep at least one thing true to her origional character? Brcause that was her name when you wrote about her and you dont like other peoples ideas? You just like the name better? Other reason?

Personally, I usually detest the idea of writers making hero monikers rxactly the same or similar to given names...but im also a HUGE Greek mythology buff, so I dont mind it much this time, im just curious about your (was it your...?) decision.

Thank you for all of your time spent.

Greg responds...

By now, I assume your question is moot.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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K. W. writes...

Hi Greg,

I had a quick question. The gargoyles in your gargoyles universe go to sleep during the day and have no control over it. I've learned that Elisa and Goliath become an official couple, but I am curious about the couple seeing much of each other.
If Goliath is "forced" to sleep during the day and Elisa works most nights. When does the couple get to spend time when they are not on duty protecting the world? Wouldn't this put a strain on the relationship emotionally?

I didn't see this question anywhere. Forgive me if it has been asked.

Greg responds...

Keep in mind, Elisa sleeps during the day too. Granted, she has more flexibility, but how is this really any different from any two people working the nightshift. For that matter, how is it that different from any two people who both have dayshift jobs. I'm not staying there's no stress or strain involved, only that it doesn't seem that atypical. There's plenty of stuff that DOES make Elisa and Goliath's relationship atypical, but this seems like the least of their worries.

I mean I would think it would be harder for a couple when one works dayshift and one works nightshift. Then it REALLY seems to me like they'd never see each other.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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JAC writes...

I didnt include these questions in my last post, lest the entire thing get deleted again, as they may encroach "spoiler reqest" territory maby a smidge further...

1. WAS there an origional "James" Harper? (its establised that hes a clone, but not of whome).
2. Did he (Guardian) ever find out who he was really working for?
3. Are he and Dublex still in contact?

Thanks again.

Greg responds...

1. There was. But OUR Jim Harper is a clone of Jim's descendent Roy Harper, not of the original Jim Harper.

2. Yes.

3. SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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YJ Fan writes...

Why do you guys just love to kill Artemis and bring her back?

Greg responds...

You make it sound like she's the only one we've done that to.

Response recorded on November 15, 2012

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Wendy writes...

Weird question but:
Did Artemis lose her "abs" over the 5 year time-skip? Her original character design had two lines on her abdomen to indicate abs, but they weren't present in Depths. Was this intentional?

Greg responds...

You'd have to ask character designer Phil Bourassa.

Response recorded on November 14, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Does Black Manta have any feelings about Kaldur being named after his stepfather?

Greg responds...

Probably.

Response recorded on November 14, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

1.Near the end of Depths we see the current team and Zatanna and Rocket at the cave grieving over the death of Artemis. Can you tell us who on the current team knew Artemis?
2. What are Wally and Artemis studying at college?
3. Was Artemis a known sidekick during the 5 year time gap to the public? I'm just wondering because Superboy didn't appear to be in Salvage to the guard.

Greg responds...

1. They all did. Not necessarily as Teammates, but they've ALL socialized.

2. I think Wally's double majoring in Physics and Chemistry (or something like that). I like to think Artemis is majoring in Comparative Literature. But Brandon and I have not discussed any of this, and I wouldn't want to commit without conferring with him.

3. No, to your question, but I really don't understand your "because..." statement at all.

Response recorded on November 14, 2012

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Marvelman writes...

Did you have Beatrice and Benedict in mind when you created the Wally-Artemis dynamic?

Greg responds...

Shrug. I suppose it'd be cool to answer yes, but the truth is - and I'm not pretending otherwise - it's a pretty common trope, and mostly what we had in mind was Wally and Artemis and tracking how they'd react as individuals.

Response recorded on November 14, 2012

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JustAFan writes...

I'm a huge fan of Young Justice, and the last episode, Depths, is definnitely my favorite episode this season, and possibly my favorite overall. However, there were a few things that weren't quite clear to me.

1. When Artemis "dies", Superboy says he can't hear her heart beating. Artemis' heart was obviously still beating though, so how was it that Superboy couldn't hear it?

2. Why does Wally know all the details of Nightwing, Kaldur, and Artemis' undercover mission? I know he's one of Nightwing and Kaldur's oldest friends and Artemis' boyfriend, but it doesn't really seem necessary for him to know everything, especially with the rest of the Team and the League still in the dark.

Greg responds...

1. Her heart was greatly slowed by the Juliet pill she munched down on.

2. ASKED AND ANSWERED.

Response recorded on November 14, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Why did Nightwing preform CPR on Artemis when she appeared to have a stab wound? Superboy, Miss Martian, and even the Black Manta Soldiers didn't seem to think it strange.

Greg responds...

Her heart had stopped.

Response recorded on November 14, 2012

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Marie writes...

I want to ask something and it's really random, but stil:
I was watching Homefront and I saw that there are no individual showers, I mean one in one cabin. There are just many in one room. Why? XD

Greg responds...

It's a locker room shower. Most that I've been in don't have 'cabins'. There's a girls' locker room and a boys' locker room, though I forget which was in Homefront. Of course, each bedroom has it's own private bathroom too.

Response recorded on November 14, 2012

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Gotham enthusiast writes...

Something just hit me. If the featured team was Gamma squad, then what were the other team(s) [members] doing during the mission? [ep. 207 "Depths"]

Greg responds...

Stuff.

Response recorded on November 14, 2012

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Hammer writes...

First off, GW, I have to applaud you for such a well crafted series. I can't applaud your team enough for this series. Here's hoping we get favorable news on Season 3 soon!

As for questions:

#1.) We know Wonder Woman and Red Tornado were part of the All Star Squad. Were any other members of today's Justice League in the All Star Squad (such as Captain Atom) ?

#2.) In regards to the countdown:
#2A.) To the best of your knowledge has there ever been any characters you counted on your countdown that didn't show up in the series due to time constraints?
#2B.) Are characters from your countdown counted if they are mentioned or are they required to show up in an episode to be counted? (IE In the episode Terrors, Headmaster is mentioned but doesn't show up. Is he counted?)
#2C.) Are characters counted even if we don't know we've seen them yet or are they only counted once we (generally) know who they are (IE Were both Speedy and Red Arrow counted in episode 1 even though we met "Clone Speedy" in episode 1 and didn't see the real Speedy until episode 26?).
#2D.) In the countdown, are you currently (up until episode 26) counting Guardian and Clone Guardian as two characters or one?

Greg responds...

1. Doctor Fate.

2. What countdown? I'm going to assume you mean my list of characters, cuz I can't figure out what else you might be referring to. (But how is that a countdown?)

2a. ASKED AND ANSWERED.

2b. No, a mention doesn't count.

2c. These seem like two separate questions. Characters are counted if they've appeared, whether or not you recognize them as such and/or they are named. Characters do NOT count until they appear. So Clone-Roy was counted from episode 101, but Original-Roy wasn't counted until episode 126.

2d. When has the Golden Age Guardian appeared?

Response recorded on November 14, 2012

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A.M. Yankovic writes...

I loved Dick in Depths. I also loved the deep cover angle. It was great that Ms. M wasn't afraid to go down there and really give it to the Manta Men. And she handled that rocket like a pro! I thought the CPR was believable and didn't think Dick was too rough with pumping Artemis' chest. The flashback sequence was great where we're shown that Aqualad wasn't really penetrating Artemis with his sword and that she had something in her mouth that made her heart stop. Bravo, team! ...I'm gonna go take a shower.

Greg responds...

Thanks. It's a bit of a work-out, watching this show, isn't it?

Response recorded on November 14, 2012

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Keena writes...

Hi im trying to find all the seasons of this show for my girlfriend and i but cant really find any of the seasons on dvd almost anywhere i look do you know anywhere i can get them?

Greg responds...

Which show?

Response recorded on November 13, 2012

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Louissa writes...

Hehe, I forgot to ask something, I mean, Hello, Louisa!*smaks forehead*(it's your fault I can't stop doing this now, you know). Is Krolotean language really a language, or just some random ramblings? Just curious XD

Greg responds...

Out of show, it's mostly sound effects.

Response recorded on November 13, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Would you say that as of Season 2, Dick and Artemis have a close relationship resembling that of Dick and Donna's in the comics? (By this I mean that they love each other in a platonic way)

Greg responds...

I guess.

Response recorded on November 13, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

First of all, I'd like to say thank you for being part of such a great production. Young Justice is amazing!
Here's my question:
1a) In Depths, why is it that Nightwing chose Artemis for the secret mission?
b) Wouldn't have M'gann been the better choice, as she could change her appearance at will thus cancelling the need to ask Zatanna for a favour which could have compromised the mission?
c) Was it because he and Artemis are closer and he trusts her more?
Thanks!

Greg responds...

1a. SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

1b. See above.

c. No.

Response recorded on November 13, 2012

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Clark Cradic writes...

Who makes the archers trick arrows? Are they made themselves or by a third party?

Greg responds...

Geno Mattos makes nearly all of them.

Response recorded on November 13, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

When Artemis was given the Glamor Charm, it is explained from the perspective of everyone except Nightwing, Aqualad, and Kid Flash that she is an entirely different person now. Considering it involved Zatanna's magic, wouldn't it be a major problem if Artemis were to have a run-in with either Psimon or Klarion? After all, Kalrion previously demonstrated he had far superior magic than Zatanna, and Psimon's telepathy cannot be fooled at all. I mean, was EVERYTHING put into consideration before Artemis was given the charm?

Greg responds...

SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

Response recorded on November 13, 2012

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BH writes...

Greg,

Hopefully this doesn't delve into spoilers territory, but I was hoping you could clear something up for me:

1) Bart does not know the effect of his actions on the future, correct? I mean that at the end of "Bloodlines", he did not know that he has not successful in changing the future in the manner he intended.

2) What was Bart's plan for after he saved Barry? Did he intend to live with the Garricks, or did he want to join the team? I'm assuming he knew he would be stuck in the past(sorry if this is a spoiler question).

3) In Bart's time (the 2050s), is 2-way time travel possible? I mean before the accident or whatever they were trying to prevent.

Thanks Greg!

Greg responds...

1. He can only guess.

2. I'm not sure he had all the specifics figured out. Beyond that, it is indeed a SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

3. Though the question itself isn't problematic, I don't know how to answer it without SPOILERS.

Response recorded on November 13, 2012

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YJ is Amazing writes...

I just want to say Young Justice is amazing. I loved Season One but Season Two is so intense and as equally amazing. Anyway my questions are:

1. What is Barbara's relationship with Tim and Dick? I know before you said that Dick and Babs were best friends 'with potential'.
2. How do Dick and Tim feel towards Babs? Like does Tim see her as an older sister?
Thank you for taking the time to read :)

Greg responds...

1. SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT on Dick and Barbara. Barbara and Tim's relationship is sister-brother.

2. Is this a different question?

Response recorded on November 13, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

1 Was that Jimmy Olsen in the crowd shot in "Depths"?
2 How old is he?
3 Were there any other unnamed characters? Reporters? Carol's workers?
4 How old are Carol and Tom>

Greg responds...

1. Yes.

2. Twenty-five at the start of Season Two.

3. Not that I recall.

4. Carol is 29 at the start of Season Two. Tom is 24.

Response recorded on November 13, 2012

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Eagle-Owl writes...

Does Artemis know Nightwing's secret identity?

Greg responds...

By the beginning of Season Two, yes.

Response recorded on November 13, 2012

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Maya writes...

Mr Weisman, forgive me for asking another question in such a short period of time, but there's some things I forgot to ask in my last post:
1. Is Dick aware that his actions are becoming more Batman-ish in nature?
2. What made you decide to let Invasion be so much darker/ more cynical in nature compared to the first season? The storytelling is still superb, but all the funny moments are usually offset by something sad or grim. "Bloodlines", for instance, was arguably the most lighthearted episode in Invasion so far because of the hilarity that was Bart Allen, but learning that his cheery personality was a facade kind of sucked all the fun of rewatching. I could actually feel dread crawling up my spine when I look at Bart's goofy grin and think "That's not what he's really like."
Don't get me wrong, I love Invasion. But the first season had more moments when I could laugh at something and not think about it being linked to something sad or shocking.

That wasn't a crticism, just a comment.

Greg responds...

1. You didn't forget to ask that. And I just answered it.

2. "More cynical"? How so? In any case, we've always offset comedy with drama, and vice versa. Nothing's changed in that sense. But this season is darker, because the arc is more serious and desperate. If that puts the comedy in greater contrast, so be it.

Response recorded on November 09, 2012

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Maya writes...

Dear Mr Weisman,
1. I notice that the most if the other characters in the show treat La'gaan like they would an obnoxious and annoying co-worker. Is this intentional, and can you explain how you chose to characterise him? I assume that this will culminate in character development later (at least, I hope- you said that we had to know the characters on the fly and I'm hoping that doesn't mean you will sacrifice character development for the plot's sake). But you should really see the impressive hatedom he's earned- it's worse than M'gann's in season one. Dont get me wrong- I like La'gaan.
2. Despite his confession in "Disordered", in which Dick said he didn't want to be like Batman, his actions in season 2(especially the whole thing about Kaldur being a double agent), have struck me as increasingly Batman-ish, what with the secrecy and sending his own friends on a mission that would put their lives at stake if they got discovered and lose him the trust of the entire team of which he leads. I don't know- it reminds me of Batman's "beat the bad guys at all costs" way of doing things. I hope I'm wrong, though. Is it just the stress getting to him? And is he fully- fully, not partially- aware of all the consequences that going to bite him back?

I'm hoping that by the time you read this, my questions won't be considered spoiler requests.

Greg responds...

1. I'm not sure why anyone would "HATE" La'gaan. That's such a strong word. He's a bit obnoxious, certainly. And we consciously tried to show that as a Team expands, not everyone is going to be an easy fit into the mix. Throw in the fact, that at least at first glance, he seems to be an obstacle to Conner and M'gann's relationship, and I can understand why some fans might not want him there. But I love the guy. He's fun to write.

Obviously, I have no interest in sacrificing character development, but I do think Season Two is more plot driven, and with only twenty episodes - as opposed to Season One's 26 - there were fewer opportunities to go off the reservation, so to speak, and do PURELY character-focused shows. But you'll still get plenty of character development throughout the season, and if you want more - I highly recommend our companion comic book. There's substantial La'gaan development coming up.

2. Dick may not want to be Batman, but it doesn't change the fact that he's good at exactly that. Believe me, he's aware.

Response recorded on November 09, 2012

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Todd Jensen writes...

The local library finally got a few copies of the Season One Volume Three DVD of "Young Justice", and I watched it last evening. I enjoyed it, too. Here are a few thoughts about the individual episodes.

BEREFT: Psimon was one of the creepiest villains I've yet seen in the series - I especially liked his "Psimon says - forget!" line. I'm curious about this partner of the Light, and look forward to finding out more about him/her/it/they in later episodes.

Makes a change to have Superboy rather than Kid Flash wind up with a souvenir.

TARGETS: Hearing Ra's al-Ghul voiced by somebody other than David Warner takes a bit of getting used to (when I hear Warner speak, I can understand why you brought back the Archmage in Season Two), but another good episode. Lex Luthor was certainly impressive here, and his conversations with Red Arrow were a delight, contrasting Red Arrow's passion and suspicion with Luthor's calm, amused tone. (A bit like the confrontation between Goliath and Xanatos at Castle Wyvern in "The Edge".)

I picked up the "Superfriends" joke with Marvin and Wendy as two of Connor and Megan's classmates - and thought it was hilarious when Connor and Megan thought that "Kent" was a reference to Kent Nelson (clearly Superman hasn't been sharing his alter ego with them - though in light of his troubled relations with Superboy, that's not surprising). I also liked Connor's explanation about Rhelasian history and his bewilderment over humans at war with each other.

TERRORS: I'd seen Professor Strange in a few episodes of "The Batman", where he was a villain (and an especially creepy one, ready to plunge Gotham City into chaos more than once just so that he could study Batman), so I wasn't surprised when he turned out to be another agent for the Light.

Icicle, Sr. made an impressive villain, and I liked the parallel between the two Icicles and Superboy and Superman. Though I kept wondering who the guy with the odd helmet was, who'd recognized Superboy; my memory of some of the earlier episodes must be getting fuzzy.

And now we know why all four of those ice-themed super-villains were on the rampage all at once in the first episode.

HOME FRONT: The two Red Tornado-like intruders were truly creepy, and I look forward to seeing what their connection is with Red Tornado.

Among the highlights: Artemis commenting on how cliched the secret entrances behind the library bookcases were, the "They're all dead!" moment, Kid Flash helping Robin set up the EMP even while a prisoner, and Kid Flash and Superboy bluffing their captors. (Though the book-lover in me felt horrified when the intruders were on the loose in the library - I kept wondering what kind of damage those torrents of water and the toppling bookcases were doing to those books, even if it was less important than whether Robin and Artemis would be able to escape.

I hope that the local library will be able to get the rest of the episodes on DVD soon (I understand that the remainder of Season One comes out on DVD next month).

Greg responds...

Thanks. That guy with the helmet was Professor Ojo, who appeared in episode 106.

Response recorded on November 09, 2012

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Marvelman writes...

I have always felt that Artemis was the one character you might kill because she was the one character created specifically for the show. I knew going in to the episode that there was little chance you would refrigerate a positive female role-model on what is essentially a children's show, but I have to admit that you nevertheless kept me guessing the whole time. It was nice to get such a substantial run of YJ episodes and I will gladly await its return in the fall.

I have only one question. I noticed that Artemis was being much more patient than I would expect with Wally's protectiveness. It made me wonder if they have ever talked to each other about what happened during the simulation in "Failsafe"?

Greg responds...

First off, Artemis wasn't created specifically for the show. One could argue that Aqualad was, I suppose...

I'm sure they've discussed it. But I also don't think Wally was being overly protective. AT ALL.

Response recorded on November 09, 2012

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Damion writes...

I love your work , but I have to say.. When Dick was doing CPR on Artemis... The rescue breaths were wrong. It's 2 rescue breaths for every 30 compression. I don't mean to offend but good job this weeks episode any way!

Greg responds...

We try to get those kinds of things right. I'm sorry if and when we don't.

Response recorded on November 09, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Hello Greg, your show is awesome! I have some questions that I hope you can answer at some point in the future:

1) At the end of "Depths", when everyone is in the cave, it looks like Barbara is not wearing sunglasses (or anything else to hide her identity). Batman wants to keep Tim and Dick's identities secret, so why not Batgirl?

2) You've said in a previous response on here (see? I checked!) that there is "minimal awareness" of life on Mars. If this is the case, what is the justification for the government spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a satellite to communicate with Mars? I have a feeling you're going to answer "to increase awareness."

3) As an aerospace enthusiast, I was pleased with the relative accuracy with which you portrayed Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. I only saw 2 "inaccuracies"- the launch pads aren't right on the water like that and one person (Carol) would not be able to speed up a launch. I can easily forgive both because they were plot-driven, and also because this is technically an alternate earth. No question on this, just a comment. Nice work by your team and the artists! The rocket was quite accurately drawn.

4) Does the Justice League vote on new members at regular intervals (for example, once per year)?

Best wishes!

Greg responds...

1. Batgirl is 18 and can make that decision for herself. But the other aspect to it, is that Barbara Gordon doesn't have a famous (foster) father, that paparazzi (attempt to) follow around.

Response recorded on November 09, 2012

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Jack-Pumpkinhead writes...

Dear Greg,
Watched Depths today, and I mean the following phrase with the utmost respect;
GREG WEISMAN YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD!!!! I loved the end of that episode!!!! I mean you really had me going there with Artemis' death, but then the reveal that she's alive & Kaldur's a mole for them? Best "never-saw-it-coming" moment in animation. EVER. Thank you, thank you so much.
Onto other things I enjoyed in this episode, thank you for explaining why Conner & Megan broke up. Personally, I side with Conner, she is venturing into Psimon's territory with her interrogations. I also like the subtle bit of Carol wearing purple, very nice. And Tim Curry, oh GOD I love that man as Gordon Godfrey. He is hilarious.
Pleas pass on my praise to everyone involved in that last scene, and I eagerly await next week.

Greg responds...

Thanks!! We've got to wait a bit longer than a week. But we'll get there.

Response recorded on November 09, 2012

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Cruzerflash writes...

Is there a reason for leaving out Superboy and Ms. M from the Team's super secret undercover mission?
I don't see why you guys would choose all of the original members of Team to participate in this mission, except for these two; it would be more understandable if you guys had chosen the original 6, instead of just the 4 to keep the undercover secret from the League and the new Team recruits; seems a little prejudice towards the Martian and half-Kryptonian, lol jk :)
Good episode none the less
Keep up the good work!

0832

Greg responds...

1. Is there a reason to include them?

You're putting too much weight on who's original and who is not. This is about Kaldur's secret op that ONLY Nightwing knew about. The fewer who know, the smaller the risk of Kaldur's cover being blown. Artemis was brought on - and brought in - to serve a specific function (or two). Wally's NOT "participat[ing] in this mission", but Artemis wouldn't join the op without letting him in on it. It was a deal-breaker for her. So Wally was only brought in, because Artemis insisted. But the circle is small because it's a need-to-know circle. It's not like these FOUR came up with the plan, but decided to leave Superboy and Miss Martian out. Kaldur and Nightwing came up with the plan, and eventually let Artemis (and Wally) in. But not because they're old friends or something. Nor were Superboy and Miss Martian left out because they're not close to them. And certainly not because they're Martian and half-Kryptonian.

Response recorded on November 09, 2012

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JSA Fan writes...

Hi Greg.

Absolutely loved Depths. One of the characters on the show I know the least about is Black Manta.

A few questions about him:
Prior to associating with and joining the Light, was he generally a mercenary, or did he usually pursue personal
objectives?
I noticed the African tribal masks decorating his
quarters. I assume this shows pride in his heritage. But do his motivations for his actions include a desire for revenge for damage done to the continent, past and present, by many nations?
How long have he and Aquaman been enemies?

Thanks for taking my questions.

Greg responds...

1. The latter.

2. It's not a primary goal. Self-actualization is more important to him.

3. QUITE some time.

Response recorded on November 09, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

has anyone who worked with you called you a troll? and have you ever intentionally decided to troll fans?

Greg responds...

1. Not that I know of.

2. No. (Unless a "smart-ass response" here and there counts as trolling.)

Response recorded on November 09, 2012

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CGYJ writes...

Mr. Greg Weisman,

When you said that "Depths" was the one of most dramatic episodes to date, you were absolutely NOT kidding around! I found this episode to the BEST episode of this first bunch of Season Two episodes. I was extremely happy by the way it mostly turned out, so I'd like to ask two questions.

1. Based on Nightwing's statement about his own leadership, it appears he only started at the beginning of 2015, assuming this is correct. If I'm interpreting this correctly, does that mean that Aqualad's leadership lasted for the entire first four years of the time-skip, and everything that we've learned about Kaldur so far happened during that time?

2. I'm happy that Aqualad was a good guy the ENTIRE time, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Interestingly, based on the conversation between them, only Nightwing, Artemis and Wally know the truth, and apparently they have for quite some time. Being the leader of The Team I can understand how Nightwing knew, but considering the nature of Aqualad's undercover work, how did Artemis and Wally get involved with protecting Kaldur's cover in the first place?

Thanks for taking the time to read this posting.

Greg responds...

1. Kaldur was leader for approximately four and a half years total (including Season One). I'm not sure what you're asking in the second half of the question.

2. They didn't. They were only brought into the loop when Kaldur and Nightwing felt the need to recruit Artemis into their plot/plan/strategy.

Response recorded on November 09, 2012

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JavierBC writes...

Hi Greg more than a question , i just wanted to comment on the scene that Superman tries to save the kronoteans from the explosion, even risking his own life in the process. I must say that was one the best representation of what Superman truly is at his core, a true hero that no matter what will defend all life , even at the cost of his. That was a truly emotional scene , and as a superman fan for manyyears, Thank you for giving probably one of the best moment if not the best moment for him in any medium. Keep up the amazing work all the production team, hopefully we have many years left of stories to come.

Greg responds...

Thanks. I liked that moment too.

Response recorded on November 09, 2012

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Seriously Ready to Punch Someone writes...

Anybody know why Young Justice episodes are no longer being added to Cartoon Network On Demand on Time Warner Cable? Who do I have to beat half to death with a sack of moldy gym socks over this? Kari? Kari!?!

Greg responds...

I'm sure someone knows, but I'm not that someone.

Kari, who?

Response recorded on November 09, 2012

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Kevin writes...

Was anyone on the Team besides Zatanna an Authorized Guest before they joined?

Greg responds...

Yes.

Response recorded on November 09, 2012

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B writes...

Is Artemis's glamoured appearance based on a character from DC Comics (and if so, who, of course)?

Greg responds...

Well, Tigress.

Response recorded on November 07, 2012

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Paul writes...

In the Mount Justice scene at the end of "Depths", who was the girl standing next to Jaime Reyes, and who was the girl being comforted by Barbara Gordon?

Greg responds...

I don't remember who exactly was standing next to whom. And I don't have access to the visual here at L.A. Studios. But from memory, the girls in the room were M'gann, Zatanna, Raquel, Cassie, Barbara and Karen.

Response recorded on November 07, 2012

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Linda Park writes...

Hi Greg! Does Dick see Artemis as a dear friend, a sister or anything more? I'm sure he wouldn't do anything to hurt Wally but... after watching "Depths" I don't know what to think.

Greg responds...

Dick sees Artemis as a dear friend. A sister of sorts, I suppose, as they're very close, but I'm not sure what the difference is between "sister" (in quotation marks) and dear friend.

I don't see how "Depths" changes that.

Response recorded on November 07, 2012

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Cooper writes...

Hello Mr. Weisman I have 2 questions:

1. Does Aquaman's telepathy in the show only affect fish life or can it also affect mammals/humans in some way?

2. If Aquaman can affect humans does Black Manta's helmet protect him from telepathy?

Greg responds...

1. Can't effect fish. Really only marine mammals.

2. He's not really a human telepath.

Response recorded on November 07, 2012

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Yolymar writes...

No question. Just praise.

I finished watching "Depths" well over two hours ago, and I am still buzzing as if I were on a sugar rush. It was BRILLIANT. BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT. Loved it!

I was sure after "Happy New Year!" that if we gave this new season a chance we'd love it. "Alienated" and "Salvage" made me start loving it officially. This episode just sealed it; I am head-over-heels in love with this episode.

Kudos to everyone involved in its creation!

Greg responds...

Thank you very much for the praise - and your faith in us.

Response recorded on November 07, 2012

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dailyplanetintern writes...

Wow... That's all I have to say... WOW! What an episode! You promised that it was the most dramatic one to date and you weren't kidding!

This series' writing has been superb since the beginning but you've REALLY kicked it into high gear this season! "Depths" was FLAWLESS! Applause for you and the whole team that bring this show to the small screen!

A lot of things were touched on this week that people have wondered about. Is Kaldar truly bad? What exactly was the reason that Conner broke up with M'Gann, and what was meant by her giving him no choice? (Although I had pretty much guessed that it had to do with her new "interrogation" technique. But who would have thought that M'Gann would have tried to tamper with Conner's mind? No wonder he broke up with her!) Did Nightwing (Robin then, maybe?) ever date Zatanna?

All those little nuances were answered tying off all the loose ends. Something that you rarely see on TV especially in an animated series.

And I have to say that I completely agree with Conner. La'Gann is a jerk. At least to Conner. It's like he just loves to rub it in Conner's face that he's with his ex. Although I think it's just a reflex mechanism. He knows that Conner is major competition for M'Gann's heart, so he's trying to stake his claim to her.

Although I do find it surprising that as close as M'Gann and Conner were that she did pick up with La' Gann so quickly. He may not be a rebound now, but he had to have been at the start. No one falls in love again that quickly after a long term relationship. But who knows? Maybe Martians do?

Q1. How long was it actually between Conner dumping her that M'Gann started dating La'Gann?

I had been wondering as many people had if Kaldar really had turned to the dark side or if it was part of a deep undercover operation. (I'm personally glad that he's not evil! Even though I have to admit that it would have been equally good story telling to have had him really turn. There's noting more dramatic than having someone who was once a teammate; someone who once watched your back to then turn around and try to stab it.)

Once I saw "Alienated" I was for sure he had turned his back on the team especially after the bomb went off, but I always have had doubts since then and these were my reasons:

R1. Kaldar was the most level headed person on the team. It seemed odd that out of everyone he would be the one to go off the deep end.

R2. When you're doing the hero gig, before long you're going to loose a teammate in death. And at its worst it may end up being someone you love romantically. That's just something that you have to be prepared for.

R3. He learning that his father was Black Manta didn't seem like a good enough reason for him to turn either. It wasn't like he didn't know anyone on his own team that was in a similar situation. Both Artemis and Conner have biological connections to villains and mercenaries.

R4. And this is the best one: He warned Nightwing and Superboy of the presence of the bomb and how much time was left before it was to go off. What villain would do that? That had stuck with me ever since I watched that episode. Now I've seen villains call attention to bombs in the past but NO villain ever says how much time is left on the clock to the hero... good to know that you left is some bread crumbs to follow if we were smart enough to pay attention. ^_~.

Q2. What kind of pill did Artemis bite down on that made her heart stop beating?

I also have one question regarding "Alienated" that was brought to the fore in this episode.

Q3. Who was it that set the bomb in "Alienated"?

I always thought that it was Kaldar who set the bomb but was it him or the mysterious "Partner"?

This season is going SOOOOOOOO well! I'm surprised a third season hasn't been announced.

Q4. Are you and your team getting nervous that you haven't been picked back up yet? (I hope by the time you get to my questions that you have been picked up for another season and that the question will me moot.)

It seems to me that if you lost any viewers that they should come back. Some were enraged over the time jump, but more or less because Kaldar, Artemis, and Wally were missing, but since then it's been shown that they are all alive and well and still very much in the game at some level or another. Pretty much the only thing that we missed in not seeing the past 5 years is seeing some of the characters date and Conner's relationship with Superman progress. Which when you think about it isn't all that important. Heroics usually come first, love and family are a close second. Besides the scenes between Wally and Artemis contain enough love to go around. I especially loved seeing them hold hands.

Ohhh! And we got to see Carol Farris today! Very nice. Don't know if she's in a relationship with Hal on Earth 16 or not but it was nice to see her anyway.

I just have one more thing to say. I'm still waiting VERY patiently to see Lois Lane, Perry White, and Jimmy Olsen. Still waiting... I just hope I don't have to wait much longer. ^_~.

Greg responds...

"Did Nightwing (Robin then, maybe?) ever date Zatanna?" As established in issue 20 of our companion comic, yes.

Q1 - SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

Q2 - It's called "Friar Lawrence Compound".

Q3 - If you managed to see Episode 210 on iTunes, then you know. If not, it's a SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

Q3a - I don't know how you could think it was Kaldur. It was the Partner.

Q4 - I can't comment on this.

Perry, Lois and Jimmy have all appeared in the comic. Lois was just a fantasy cameo, but Perry's had a few BG appearances, and Jimmy actually has had a small supporting role in our latest issues.

Response recorded on November 07, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Flat out awesome episode in Depths!!!

Aqualad is the man!

I really really felt for Superboy and I really just want him to move on with his life. Megan and him are young and they are not on the same page anymore. That much is clear. Heartbreak is a part of growing up and I really hope the writers don't just sweep it all under the carpet and just make them all lovely dovey again. It would feel so forced and feels like Lagoon Boy is the one who is being set up as the chum. I think he's a fun character.

keep up the awesome work. This show is really really tops. It treats the heroes with a lot of respect. It is better than the Justice League show some years back which was more about pimping Batman than anything else. I would love to see you and Brandon do a Justice League series.

Greg responds...

Thanks. Of course, I'm a big fan of JL and JLU, but I appreciate the kind words.

And we're all about respecting the characters.

Response recorded on November 07, 2012

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Janey writes...

I just wanted to tell you I am in love with this show!!!
I have 2 questions.
1. I noticed in S1 in episode Downtime, Black Manta called his troops Gamma Squad, Beta Squad and the new team in Season 2 does the same thing. Was this coincidence? I'm sure if its not I will find out before you get a chance to answer :)
2. If you get a season 3(I know there will be a time skip I'm completley fine with it) how long before the fans will know if it is renewed?
And again thanks for making such a great show I love it!!!

Greg responds...

1. It's not a coincidence. Good catch.

2. I can't comment on this.

Response recorded on November 07, 2012

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EXALT writes...

In Season Two, the average age of the members of the Team seems to have augmented: was this intentional, or it was just a coincidence?

Greg responds...

"Augmented"?

Response recorded on November 07, 2012

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Moe writes...

It has been confirmed for a very long time that next year there will be a new batman series for DC nation. But recent information says there will also be a new Teen Titans go series[which is supposed to be comedy heavy..not sure how I feel about that. And it looks like its animation went very down]

Anyway my point is next year 2013 if those two shows will be on DC nation block what does that mean for Young Justice? Will DC nation be extended to two hours. Or maybe every week they will switch up the shows?

Greg responds...

I can't comment on this.

Response recorded on November 07, 2012

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el kid writes...

Can Zatanna Learn Atlantean Sorcery?

Greg responds...

Perhaps she could adapt to it. (It hasn't come up.)

Response recorded on November 07, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

On Earth-16, if you had to make an educated guess, which ocean would Atlantis be located on the world map?

Greg responds...

Atlantis. Atlantic. Make sense?

Response recorded on November 07, 2012

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Spencer writes...

Does Mal Duncan have powers like he did in the comics or is he just support staff for the team

Greg responds...

The latter.

Response recorded on November 07, 2012

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Spencer writes...

In invasion how much older did Miss Martian biologically get get biologigly, did she just grow 1 1/4 years or did did she grow 5 years

Greg responds...

"biologically get get biologigly"?

Anyway, if we're talking her Martian base form, she matured 5 years divided by 3.

Response recorded on November 07, 2012

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Beka writes...

Is G. Gordon Godfrey's "Bonehead List" based on Anderson Cooper's "RidicuList?"

Greg responds...

Not specifically. But it's all in that "News Commentator" family.

Response recorded on November 07, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

A few more questions, this time about Bumblebee:

1. Does she only have the two "modes"...regular size & "bee" size, or like Atom, can she be any size in between?

2. do her wings only allow flight at reduced size? Thats the only time weve seen her fly.

3. Why does she have electric "stingers"? Real Bumblebees dont sting. The sonic blasters she used in her origional comics appearance made more sense to me than the newer idea of electrical.

Thanks.

Greg responds...

1. In theory, her suit is capable of shrinking to any size, but Atom has put safety locks on it, so that she basically only has one size she can shrink to, at least for the time being.

2. Yes. Wings only show up when she shrinks.

3. And REAL bumblebees have sonic stings?

Response recorded on November 07, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Why does Miss Martian act so much more mature than she did in the first season if is barely a year older by Martian standards?
Do Martians mentally mature much faster than they do physically, as compared to Humans?

And wouldn't Lagoon Boy be considered a creepo by the others since he is physically in his early twenties, and they are aware that she is still relatively a teenager? (they are aware of that, arent they?)

Greg responds...

1. It hasn't actually been "barely a year". It's been five. She's still physically a teen. But she's absolutely gained in experience and wisdom.

2. Much? No. But experience allows for more maturity, certainly.

3. Lagoon Boy is 17. (Where did you get the idea that he's in his early twenties?)

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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EXALT writes...

What is the origin of Superboy's kryptonian name on YJ?

Greg responds...

SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Ivan Alms writes...

How would Lexington react to all the alien technology we've seen in Younh Justice: Invasion? Would he be all giddy like a schoolgirl?

Greg responds...

Shrug. I guess.

An iPhone would probably make him salivate.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Kyle Reece writes...

I was wondering, was Blade a possible inspiration for Macbeth's modern design?

Greg responds...

No.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Zodisgod writes...

I was wondering if you could shed some light on the process of breaking a story for young justice. Does the storyline come first with characters who you feel will suit the story being plugged in afterwards, or do you decide on certain characters being spotlighted then working a story around them?

Greg responds...

ASKED AND ANSWERED. Check the archives. Then if you have specific questions, you can post those.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Nelson writes...

Are you aware that Peter David has actally written several Ben 10 episodes?

I'll list the following episodes he has currently written:

Alien Force:
1. In Charm's Way

Ultimate Alien:
1. Reflected Glory
2. Prisoner #775 is Missing
3. Solitary Alignment

Greg responds...

I knew he wrote some, yes. Why?

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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hallofjustice writes...

Greg!, did you know that George Eads actually "killed" Justin Bieber on CSI? It happened in "Targets of Obsession" (Season 11 episode 15). You should talk to George about it, if you and him have time.

Greg responds...

Um, I'm not sure why that's a topic of discussion for us. Plus, I won't pretend that George and I are socializing.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

If there were any cartoon series that eventually become spin-offs of Young Justice (though I'm not saying that I'm thinking that it might actually happen), then would the unofficial term for all shows that take place on Earth-16 then be collectively called the "Weismanverse?"

Greg responds...

No. It would be called Earth-16.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Reiena Grayson writes...

I was just thinking about George Eads.

I loved him on CSI, and when I found out he was voicing Barry/Flash, I was happy to see him working on something that dealt with DC Comics.

Really my question is, what was it like working with him, and what was your reason for choosing him as Barry. I love Flash in this, and well my curiosity is getting the best of me.

Greg responds...

George was great. We cast him - frankly - to type. George is this midwestern good looking hero type, who plays a CSI operative on television. That's just Barry all over. As Flash said, "I was CSI before anyone ever heard of CSI."

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Daniel writes...

3. Has DC approached you guys yet with the possibility of a spin-off series in the Earth 16 continuity (JLA, JLI, Green Lantern Corps, LoSH perhaps)?

Greg responds...

Not so far.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Since Klarion was on board the Watchtower in "Auld Acquaintance", does that mean that he was A-05?

Greg responds...

Briefly.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Masterdramon writes...

Well, I haven't submitted a post in over a year-and-a-half and certainly none since I became an AskGreg moderator, so while I always feel a little guilty adding to such a lengthy queue I think I've earned a YJ review or two.

Besides, it's a reminder that no matter how much frustration this show's fans cause me sometimes, the series itself is FAR more than worth the price, LOL.

What follows will be a catch-all of reviews I wrote for the benefit of a friend, tracking all of the Season 1 episodes since "Coldhearted." I may do another collection of "Young Justice: Invasion" reviews at a later date, but for now, I figured I might as well share what I have with you as long as they're already written.

Now, without further ado...

COLDHEARTED: I thought this was simply fantastic. The extended plot reference to Greg's "Green Arrow Showcase" was a lot of fun, and it really helped to emphasize just how much of a badass Count Vertigo is in this version (plus, given that he was able to co-opt L-1 himself into his scheme, I think a lot of credence is now lent to my theory that he's part of the Light's inner circle of minions, alongside Sportsmaster and the Riddler).

Speaking of which, we got Vandal Savage's first substantive appearance in the show here, and I was loving every minute of it. The animation and sound-effects teams really knocked it out of the park here in getting across the sheer WEIGHT of his every movement, emphasizing the fact that he is first-and-foremost a hulking neanderthal. And of course, there's no one better to deliver those bonechilling lines than Miguel Ferrer himself.

But of course, the real "heart" (pardon the pun) of this episode was Wally West, and Jason Spisak really rose to the occasion and carried this episode from start-to-finish. Everything was hit perfectly, from his earnestness in celebrating his sweet sixteenth to his reaction to FINALLY being informed of the M'gann/Conner relationship to the heartbreaking guilt in his voice both times he believed Perdita to be dead...to the point where the performance fully convinced me that the girl had really died, BOTH times.

The voice work (Steve Blum doing his Spike voice for Mr. West = WIN) and score were most top-notch, as per usual, but the real accomplishment here production-wise was the animation. Good LORD, was the animation fantastic in this episode - possibly the best this series has seen yet, and that's saying something. The snow effect was perfect, and just look at the close-up of Wolf on the ice fortress...that level of detail is rarely seen on something that moves so fluidly.

All-in-all, one of my favorites of the season.

IMAGE: First of all, can we all give it up for a Beast Boy origin story that actually MAKES SENSE?! I loved Gar to pieces in the comics, but there's no denying his origin makes zero sense...until now. This was some excellent pipe-laying, and the shift of his eyes from blue-to-green post-operation was a brilliant touch.

I've been looking forward to seeing Queen Bee in action since I learned that Marina Sirtis (AKA Demona, the evil sex goddess of my childhood) would be voicing her, and I was NOT disappointed. That last scene had me in chills, with her cold and calculated delivery, rather predatory treatment of the eight-year-old Garfield, and lack of concern for M'gann's physical boundaries very much evoking an image that I can only describe as "female rapist." One thing's for sure: I definitely understand now why Greg and Brandon decided to include her as a member of the Light.

Oh, and while I'm on the subject of her...allure, may I just say that I loved this pair of lines:

Robin: "Doesn't she have the power to enthrall most men?"
Batman: "And some women."

Thus YJ may well have become the first "kid's cartoon" to admit that homosexuals, y'know. Exist.

But of course, the meat of this story was M'gann, and Danica McKellar's performance was quite frankly breathtaking throughout. She may not have turned out to be the mole, but she's still easily the darkest character on the Team now...and I'm not talking about her monstrous appearance. She basically LOBOTOMIZED Psimon to keep her secret, and continues to keep it - which, given the last scene, I'm guessing is going to have consequences that stretch into Season 2.

And finally, "Hello Megan!" itself...very, very cute. Reminds me of "Blossom" in its delightful cheesiness and grown-up-to-be-a-scientist teenage star, and the theme song is quite catchy. And as for "Greg Vietti and Brandon Weisman"...well, it definitely managed to put a smile on my face.

AGENDAS: Quite possibly my favorite episode of the season, and that's saying something. The highlight was of course Lex Luthor, and as an avid fan of the character in the comics and elsewhere, I can state firmly that this WAS Lex - his absolute best moments from the comics, translated perfectly from page to screen.

But as much as Rolston's Lex completely stole the scene whenever he showed up, this was first and foremost Superboy's story...and fortunately, Superboy is only barely edged out by M'gann as the most-developed character throughout the show's history. He's clearly developed a strong personal philosophy and principles regarding "freedom" since his own liberation at the hands of Kaldur, Dick, and Wally, which makes it all the more tragic when he has to compromise those principles in agreeing that Match is too dangerous to himself and others to be "allowed" freedom. In general, it's a very effective "confronting the demons of his past" story, especially considering that it's been so long since we've even SEEN Cadmus onscreen.

Still, arguably even more engaging was the episode's B-plot revolving around the Justice League. Being a political wonk, getting this behind-the-scenes look at the League's parliamentary procedures fascinated me to no end. The back-and-forth between personalities as strong as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, etc. is something I couldn't get enough of, especially when going back knowing what we know about the results of their decision now. The Green Lanterns' double "NO!" regarding Guy Gardner remains one of the most memorable laugh-out-loud moments in the show, and Batman's answer to Wonder Woman's accusation regarding Robin's age breaks my heart every time. And speaking of Wonder Woman...DAMN does Maggie Q knock that performance out of the park.

INSECURITY: Green Arrow is my favorite comic book superhero of all time and I've really dug the addition of this version of Artemis Crock to his mythos, so along with the fact that the scriptwriter was Peter David, responsible for the tightest script of the series so far ("Secrets"), I was greatly looking forward to this one. And I was not disappointed. Both Sportsmaster and Cheshire were in fine form, and do I even need to mention Brain and Klarion? The two make a fantastic "odd couple" in so many ways, and overall Klarion's pretty much been the breakout villain of the whole show...followed closely by this very Deathstroke-ish Sportsmaster. And to top it all off, Ivo's back for another round of tinkering...and any excuse for more Peter MacNicol is good with me.

I also liked that the Light's plans really came together here. Even before getting to see Starro-Tech in action a couple episodes later, it just felt supremely satisfying to witness the installation of Warden Strange, the echinoderm from Atlantis, the Fog with data stolen from STAR Labs, Kobra-Venom, and Klarion's Chaos magic all combine into a product that justified a full season of subterfuge. The banter and cooperation between the bad guys is one of the things that really makes this show stand out for me, and this episode delivered that in spades ("Morrow's in a coma? Did I already know that?")

But yeah...back to the heroes. Specifically, Artemis and Red Arrow. Both perform as spectacular foils to each other, and while it's easy to get really peeved at Roy for his treatment of her (particularly in hindsight), I can also greatly sympathize with his viewpoint. He's a professional - it's quite literally the only life he's ever known - and even without the mole suspicion on her head Artemis has got to seem somewhat superfluous to him, a back-up archer who should be stepping aside when the moment really counts, as it so often does on missions involving the Shadows.

The two work very well in concert, but it's hard for him to see that when she's objectively just not in his league and for her to see that when she's quite justifiably concerned about exactly that same "superfluousness." It gets to the point where, even after all we know about her from the rest of the season (especially "Homefront"), the tag can really play with our expectations. Lawrence is damn good at manipulating his "baby girl," and she knows it.

Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention Joshua Keaton's cameo as the Spectacular Black Spider(-Man). Pure, unadulterated WIN right there.

PERFORMANCE: Now this was a gem, though perhaps not quite to the SAME level as the phenomenal episodes both preceding and following it; still, even when YJ is merely "really good" as opposed to "bloody fantastic" it still beats the snot out of pretty much every other show airing right now, "Legend of Korra" excluded.

Dick Grayson's been overdue for his own showcase, and this episode definitely delivered on that score. It's a really difficult task to take a story most everyone already knows and make the tragedy ring in full once again, so this show made a FANTASTIC choice in going with a "less is more" approach regarding Dick's remembrances of his family. The music, Wally's vague hints, and that distant cry of "Ladies and gentlemen, the Flyyyyyying Graaaaaaysons!"...gah, it gives me chills every single time I hear it. That scene alone is worth the price of admission.

As for the main plot, while Parasite is far from my favorite villain of the season, he plays his part quite well. This is a guy who should be terrifying - after all, he merely has to go around and tap some shoulders at a Justice League press conference and suddenly he's the most powerful entity on Earth - and this series did a MUCH better job at conveying that than the DCAU version ever did. His constant (but never over-the-top) food metaphors, his voice as supplied by the great Adam Baldwin, and the fact that he spends the entirety of his first major scene in a creepy-as-Hell clown suit all add up to a suitably unnerving villain.

The rest of the episode isn't the absolute best - but that may just be my personal preference, since I don't tend to like "circus episodes" very much - but it's filled with some fantastic moments. Superboy's B-plot is hard to watch but also highly sympathetic, as most addiction metaphors are (after all, if you could make yourself fly and shoot laser beams from your eyes with the ease of basically pushing a button, wouldn't YOU find it hard to stop?) and Nolan North pulls out some of his best acting chops in tracking the devolution of his higher mind as the Shields exert greater and greater influence. The mole plotline also continues, and we get some great lines from both Roy and Artemis out of it. And circus episode or no circus episode, that final scene with Jack Haley and Dick is utterly heartwarming.

USUAL SUSPECTS: Now, here's where things get a little tricky. Unfortunately, thanks to my position as an AskGreg moderator and some supremely idiotic and/or trollish posters who saw the Brazilian episodes weeks ahead of time, I was forced to be spoiled on several significant plot points for both this episode and "Auld Acquaintance" (including that Red Arrow was the mole, that he was a clone, that the Light has the original Roy and he's missing an arm, that Vandal would end up on the Watchtower, that Cheshire would save Artemis' life, etc.). Fortunately they were both of such ridiculously high quality that it didn't matter all that much in the long-run, but I can't pretend it didn't color my impressions watching them for the first time.

Anyway, with that out of the way...where do I start? SO DAMN MUCH happened in this one that it's almost mind-boggling. Rocket/Raquel Ervin joined the Team and four new members (five if you count the re-branded Doctor Fate) joined the League, and while we still haven't yet gotten heavy-heavy on characterizing any of them apart from Red Arrow, it really helped to further improve the "realism" of this League. The induction of new members is cause for a press conference held by Superman and broadcast live; reporters immediately take advantage of the almost unique gathering of League members to ask questions like, "Will Atlantis be joining the UN?"; they even hand out membership cards! It's the little details like that which truly impress me on this show.

Both the Team and the Light were at the top of their game here, and it was magnificent. Riddler gets some great lines and, assuming the idea of passing the Starro-Tech along through a loss to the Team was intended, some great strategems as well. Plus Bee, Luthor, and Sportsmaster remain at their high points as established by the previous string of episodes; "Young man, if you wish to detain me, contact my attorney" is easily one of the best lines out of anything ever.

In general both of the major fight scenes feature some of the best action in this series yet, and THAT is saying something. Everyone, including Rocket, got something to do and a chance to shine, and setting the big showdown on Santa Prisca - where the Team first truly came together and succeeded at their first official mission - was a brilliant way to show how much these young heroes have grown. As for the canyon fight, Superboy's final Shield-induced rampage looked like it was ripped straight from Guts in "Berserk," and the fanboy in me was sallivating at the utter AWESOMENESS of his rapid-fire pummeling of Mammoth. And speaking of which, it was a great touch to give us more than just generic mooks to take out by bringing back Mammoth, Shimmer, Blockbuster, and Bane. Again, it shows just how far the Team has come...especially Kaldur, whose tactical skills (especially in the appropriation of the mooks' Apokoliptan tech to neutralize Sportsmaster and Blockbuster) now rival even Batman's.

The real meat of this episode, though, wasn't the eye-gasmic action...but the confession scenes intercut throughout it. Magnificent bastards as they are, the one thing the Light continually underestimates is the familial bond that links this Team together. This is in contrast to the League, which as "Agendas" displayed quite thoroughly is a mixture of friends, colleagues, and begrudging allies. So getting to see Conner, Artemis, and M'gann choose - CHOOSE - to detach themselves from the narrative theme of "secrets and lies" showed a level of heroism that is beyond incredible. And kudos again to Kaldur for his completely nonchalant response to Miss Martian's true form. The man runs a tight ship, and this was the episode that truly showed it.

And finally...that last scene. Fortunately, the fact that the ENTIRE League was going to get Starro-Tech'ed was NOT spoiled for me, so while I was expecting Red Arrow's unconscious betrayal I certainly wasn't expecting to see every member of the Justice League bow down to Vandal Savage. It was ridiculously chilling imagery, and got me pumped as Hell for the grand finale.

AULD ACQUAINTANCE: This. Was. AMAZING.

As I said in my previous review, the Team has truly proven themselves as a tight-knit family and a well-oiled machine under Aqualad's expert leadership...and this episode provided the ultimate test for said proof. One moment of pure awesomeness from Red Tornado is enough to give them the opening necessary to take on the entire Justice League one-by-one, and WIN. A full season of gathering resources and allies, of training in stealth attacks and subterfuge, and it all pays off here.

It helps that they made it extremely clear that this was not opposition the Team could beat head-on; in a straight fist-fight Superman would pulverize Superboy, and in a straight race the Flash would leave Kid Flash in the dust. Instead the Team takes down the League through intelligent application of teamwork, the element of surprise, and no small amount of "dirty" tactics...allowing Crowning Moment of Awesome after Crowning Moment of Awesome without making the League seem to weak by comparison. This was especially true of the "World's Finest" duel that closed out the final fight scene, with an epic Fastball Special and a suitably dramatic first unveiling of Kryptonite on Earth-16.

The character that most shines here, however, is Vandal Savage himself. After "Coldhearted" showed us just how much of a beast the man is in terms of physical attributes, more "force of nature" than mere supervillain, this episode did the same for him on the mental and strategical side. The speech he gives to Dinah, Red Tornado, and Roy aboard the Watchtower underscores him as a very different type of Big Bad than most superhero shows, displaying a worldview and aspirations befitting a man who's been seeing the bigger picture for longer than recorded history.

He's a monster with a point, which is certainly the worst kind...but he's a monster nonetheless. And while what he's selling - an intergalactic empire with a utopian Earth at the center of it - can sound incredibly appealing, to the point where individuals as diverse as a leading captain of industry to a genius scientist to the personification of Chaos could buy into it completely, the price he demands is far too great. The world he represents is one where the individual has no protection from the supercriminal...and when that world includes powers, magic, and tech capable of killing hundreds, Vandal's vision is horrifically unacceptable.

There's so much I haven't yet mentioned about this incredible episode; Greg Weisman is without a doubt television's greatest expert at fitting the most action possible into 22 minutes, without making it seem cramped or forced. Red Arrow quickly becomes probably the show's most tragic character (and THAT is saying something) in a revelation that makes one revisit the entire season in a new light; the romance and sexual tension reach their peak in one glorious New Year's moment (followed by Red Tornado delivering one of the funniest lines of the season); Clark and Conner finally find their accord and my heart explodes with rainbows; and a mystery reaches through into the next season that leaves the viewer in chills.

This episode was the perfect season finale. I have no complaints.

Greg responds...

Hey, MD...

First off, please don't EVER hesitate to post here. I SO appreciate the work that you and Todd and Gorebash do here at ASK GREG, it would be a true injustice if you felt unable to post. (And I'm SO sorry that your job here, spoiled stuff for you. Above and beyond the call, dude, above and beyond.)

Besides, if you're going to pick out my favorite aspects of our episodes and praise 'em, well, my friend, you should definitely post more often! ;)

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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JAC writes...

To elaborate on my last post...if you go back & change something, then there would be no reason to go back, therefore you never did, and nothing changes...ie. Bart would have to have been from a future in which Impulse had already arrived from the future 40 years ago, and the changes he made would be a part of his own.
history.
I swear, its not as complicated as it sounds.

Greg responds...

Wow. I'm sure you don't mean to sound as condescending as you're coming across. I totally understood what you were getting at. And again, it's the way I prefer to handle time travel stories. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S STILL A FICTIONAL CONCEIT. As long as we're being internally consistent about the rules of time travel on Young Justice, then I think we're fine.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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JAC writes...

Mr. Greg,
I have full faith that you know what your doing, but I have to ask...how in the heck is future Neutron aware of the changes to the timestream if his entire criminal career never happened? For that matter, how/why did Impulse even travel back in time if the events that led him there never happened?
Time travel is only confuseing to those without common sense...its pretty cut-and-dry: if you go back in time & do something, thats what happened all along (there are really no such things as paradoxes), because if it didint, then there would be no reason to go.
Do you plan to rectify this plot hole, or just leave it as another "artistic liberty" for people to accept?
That may have sounded kind of snarky, but without some kind of "events have crrated an alternate universe," or other valid explanation, it seems kind of insulting to the intelligence of viewers when TV shows use time travel so flippently.
Thank you for your time.

Greg responds...

I'm sympathetic. This is NOT my favorite way to depict time-travel, as any regular viewer of GARGOYLES knows. (And there ARE such things as paradoxes, but some are WORKING PARADOXES and some are NON-WORKING PARADOXES. Otherwise, you're defining the word "paradox" too narrowly.)

But in the DC Universe, there are certain time travel conceits built in, and fairly irrevocably so.

But I tried to at least maintain a certain "BACK TO THE FUTURE" (first movie) consistency about it, at least. Neutron was close to the locus of the time machine's ground zero. So I can buy the idea that his memory lasts a little longer, as he probably was exposed to chronaton radiation. And Impulse is now part of the revised time stream.

I don't think we're being flippant. (And I do think you're being snarky, frankly, as you are basically stating that if we don't do time travel the way YOU like it done, we are insulting the intelligence of our audience. I don't buy that.)

Since - to our knowledge - time travel is an ENTIRELY fictional conceit - the fact that we're handling it (by strict rules) in a way that doesn't suit you (or even me) doesn't make it "wrong".

(The irony of course is that I spent years defending the strict, strict rules of Gargoyles' time travel, and now I find myself defending the flip side.)

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Harmony writes...

Freckles don't just disappear with age. Where have Wally's beautiful freckles gone? Is he covering them with makeup?

Greg responds...

Actually, sometimes freckles DO disappear with age. I've seen it.

And, no, Wally's not using make-up.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Rebecca writes...

Does G. Gordon Godfrey work for Fox News?

Greg responds...

No. For GBS.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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LiLi writes...

Hi Greg -- thanks so much for taking time to answer fan questions like this! I have been a fan of your work since the 90s and Ask Greg is an amazing resource.

My question is: Back in the 10th century, did Brooklyn have a girlfriend or female clan mate he was close to romantically?

Thanks!

Greg responds...

No.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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dude writes...

Why aren't the minority cast fully flesh out as the white cast?

Greg responds...

I reject the premise of your question. (And I'm not the only one who rejects it. Just a few questions back, someone was praising us on this very point.)

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Todd Jensen writes...

I've seen a few more episodes of Season Two of "The Spectacular Spider-Man", up to "Growing Pains", and continue to enjoy them. "Growing Pains" was my favorite because of all the Shakespeare quotes in it, which I had a lot of fun identifying, and which fitted the story so well. (Not to mention that Flash and Sally's attempts to do "Hamlet" were hilarious.)

And talk about a cliffhanger ending! I'm looking forward to the next episode after Venom's big revelation.

Greg responds...

Thanks. Keep me posted on your thoughts!

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Andrew Laubacher writes...

Have you settled on the location of Superman's Metropolis? Based on the in-series evidence, I think it's safe to say that Earth-16's Gotham City is in Connecticut. My best guess for Metropolis is either Maryland (at the tip of Chesapeake Bay, as in FLASHPOINT) or the semi-traditional location of Delaware. I could go as far north as New Jersey, but that just doesn't seem right.

Greg responds...

I'm not getting into this.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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louis writes...

WHY have you introduced Impulse on the show? Now Kid Flash goes even more for a loser .... and yes it may not go as fast as Flash and even his grand-son is better than him

Greg responds...

Can you see me shaking my head sadly?

Kid Flash is not a loser. Never was. Isn't now. If max speed defines who the winners and losers are than Nightwing must be a real loser, because he's slower than all of them.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Derek writes...

What's your favorite take on Superman's cousin, Supergirl or Powergirl?

Greg responds...

Which Superman? Which Supergirl? Which Power Girl?

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Drew writes...

1 How high is Mt Justice?

Greg responds...

Not too high these days, I'm afraid.

(I'm sincerely curious. Was this a factoid you truly wanted to know, or were you just looking to ask a question that hadn't yet been asked?)

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Was that cop in Central City in Bloodlines Fred Chyre or Darryl Frye?

Greg responds...

I don't know.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Impulses writes...

Hi,
First off I loved Bloodlines but I have a few questions. First off Does Bart AKA Impulse have the same aging problem he has in the comics? Secondly How old is Impulse? And lastly what is the mode?

Greg responds...

1. No.

2. When he left the future, he was 13.

3. If you don't know by now, SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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J31 writes...

Have you ever coinsidred making another blog?(this one is kinda backed up.
Is it a nightmare when you see all the questions in the unanswered section,or does it make you feel nice knowing you have so many loyal fans?

Greg responds...

1. How would THAT help?!

2. Not a nightmare. Occasionally overwhelming. And it is nice (most of the time) to see that folks are watching/reading/giving a damn.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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AXE writes...

1. Did Neutron really say his name during the fight or did Bart just say he did to cover the fact he(Bart) knew his(Neutron) name?
2. Bart's Comicon line made no sense in context it's a wasteland, so why was it in there?
3. Was it planned that Superboy and Ms. Martian who used to date, and have been in every episode since their debut would miss their first episode in the series consecutavlly? or was it a "coincidence"?(i've watched enough of your shows to know you always plan it out in advance)

Greg responds...

1. The latter.

2. The present is not a wasteland. That's what he was referring to.

3. Who appears in an episode is a function of story. (And to a much lesser extent, budget.)

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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JB writes...

1. Did Jay try to help Barry in the original timestream?
2. Was it Difficult doing the fast fowarded speech between Barry and Bart?
3.Were the actors actually saying anything during the talk between Wally and the officer, or was it just to fill in the reason the guy asked "You getting any of this?"
4. Was Neutron always Bald?, if not what was his hair color?

Greg responds...

1. It's moot.

2. Not particularly.

3. Yes, they're speaking.

4. Probably not.

4a. I don't know.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Beth Y. writes...

My sister and I LOVE Young Justice, but she has to work on Saturday mornings and has missed "Beneath" and "Bloodlines." We don't have Tivo or DVR and she is strictly against illegal downloading of any kind and neither of the episodes is on demand or on the CN website. Most fans we know that watch them late download them from places we don't think are legal (though we haven't done enough thorough research to be sure). Do you know where she could watch the episodes legally without having to pay $3 an episode for them on iTunes?

Greg responds...

I don't. Sorry. Have you thought about investing in an old style VHR. I bet you could get a second hand one on the cheap.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Reverse Flash writes...

I love that you keep such an open dialog with your fans.

Greg responds...

Thanks. When it works, I love it too.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Malcolm writes...

Just a quick question for ya Greg. In Season 1 we had Black Canary train the team and in a way her pet project was Superboy. Does Dinah still train the team in Invasion or has Conner taken over that aspect of the Team?

Greg responds...

Canary still trains the Team on occcasion, but they're much more autonomous now, and Nightwing covers much of it.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Jack-Pumpkinhead writes...

Dear Greg,
Watched Bloodlines today, and IMPULSE!!! THANK YOU! Seriously, I like how you handled Impulse. Still get the annoying aspect of him in, but more interesting & with a simpler origin than the whole grown in a test tube and accelerated aging thing(why does that sound familiar? ^_^). Also enjoyed the whole thing with Roy & Jade, very cool. And I liked seing Jay again, very cool. And again, curse you for raising more questions while answering few to none! Regardless, great episode, keep it up!

Greg responds...

Thanks. I live for keeping you all guessing.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Derek writes...

More of a comment on the last comment than anything else. We're only six episodes in so naturally not everything and everyone has been fleshed out for this season yet, including the minority characters.

I'm part of a minority too. I'm gay and we haven't been referenced at all in Young Justice, which I view as a flaw however if we were I would be happy with the kind of portrayal the other minority cast members have received.

The minority characters in Young Justice are being treated as characters like any other. Some are more prominent than others but that's the same for the white characters too, Connor is a fair bigger character in the series than Wonder Girl for example.

In Young Justice you have minority characters in big roles as both villains and heroes. In my opinion having a diverse representation of minorities is far superior to just favourable tokenism. We're all people and we're all fallible. If anything I think Aqualad in the first season could almost be seen as "favourable tokenism" becase he was too perfect. He's far more interesting to me now that we can see he's flawed.

Greg responds...

I suppose it goes without saying that we didn't view Aqualad - ever - as a token of any sort. We were characterizing him based on his background, heritage and experience. If that's paying off more in Season Two, well, great. But we believe he's been Kaldur as we saw Kaldur from Day One.

I also believe we have differently oriented characters in the series, even though we're not allowed to mention it out loud. (And just to be sure, I checked to see if we were allowed, and got a no answer. Everyone seems to want to get there, but we're not there yet.)

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Esteban writes...

Hey Greg, it's me again. I've got into Young Justice at the beginning of the year and I got to say I love it! I quickly got into the series and can't wait to see more.

There is something I would like to ask though, ever sense the start of season 2 I haven't heard Nightwing say any backformations (you know the words he likes to mess around with like "whelmed" "aster", "chalant", and so forth) like he did when he was Robin. Did he grew out of it? Does he not say those anymore?

I guess the same things can be said about Miss Martian sense she doesn't say "Hello Megan!" anymore, but she at least said it once out of the released episodes that aired at this time.

Anyway that is all I really wanted to know, thanks for the time!

Greg responds...

Some sort of stuck and became part of Team jargon/vernacular. But he largely grew out of it.

M'gann also outgrew saying, "Hello, Megan!". Though again, she's not beyond saying it occasionally.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Matthew writes...

Why does Central City have its own version of the Gateway Arch (and one with such a stupid looking foundation, at that)?

As a St. Louis metro area citizen, I find it insulting that Central City made a cheap knockoff of our famous monument. At least Neutron destroyed it.

Greg responds...

Wow. You must hate how similar both Gotham and Metropolis are to New York, and how Star City is so San Franciscoish.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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TripleQM writes...

Hey some Beast Boy questions:

1. Where did Beast Boy get his cool outfit? Seems high tech.

2. Does Beast Boy not have shoes because it would interfere with his outfit turning into a collar when he turns into animals? Seems like that would be a problem.

3. So does Beast Boy wear that outfit 24/7? If he's caught off guard, as super heroes occasionally are, and he has to transform wearing normal clothing wouldn't he end up naked?

4. How intelligent is Beast Boy relative to other team members/characters? (Tim, Wally, Superboy etc.)

Greg responds...

1. M'gann gave it to him. It's Martian, like her own.

2. No. He could have shoes, but he doesn't want them.

3. In theory.

4. He's a bright kid.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Before the episode "Alienated" concluded, Wonder Woman stated that Icon was knowledgeable in intergalatic trial law. What other non-Earth related things is Icon knowledgeable in?

Greg responds...

The best way to prepare popcorn on Ceti Alpha Five.

Response recorded on November 06, 2012

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MORE LEGACY

Back at L.A. Studios, recording Cree Summer. (That's after Nick Chinlund and Kevin Michael Richardson yesterday, with more still to come.) Cree's so much fun!


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VOTE!!

To all my American readers over 18 - PLEASE VOTE!!!!!

(Preferably the way I would vote. Though I won't tell you HOW I voted, so you'll have to guess.)

But either way, VOTE!!!


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This looks funny...

Stephanie Lemelin (Artemis) has this new thing that looks very funny, which, as a bonus, also features a certain DIedrich Bader (Jason Canmore). Check it out:

http://www.stephanielemelin.net/wordpress/