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Young Justice: Phantoms
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Marvelman writes...
Hi, Greg. I just finished watching the first two episodes of season 4. You seem to be off to a great start, and I wouldn't say that if I didn't mean it. You seem to be focusing more on the original cast. I think that's a good move given how many new characters you introduced in season 3. BTW, I'm not opposed to you and Brandon introducing new characters to the main cast, but I would like to point that you too great time and care in establishing your cast in season one. (I don't think this rises to the level of a suggestion.) There weren't any superhero battles in the episodes, but that didn't matter to me. These were characters I loved, even Beast Boy, and the story kept me involved throughout.
I was surprised that the Legion appeared so early. I had imagined you would tease out that story throughout the season. So, I only have a few questions...
1) Why did you choose to feature these three particular Legionnaires when there are so many others you could have chosen?
2)Will other Legionnaires appear this season? (Yeah, I know what you're going to say, but it's on my mind.)
3)Was that the bio-ship... mating?
Wishing you well
Greg responds...
1. It felt right to feature these three.
2. <sigh> No spoilers.
3. In a sense.
Karrin Blue writes...
Hello! I just saw the premiere - well, the first two thirds of it? - and it's gotten me so excited for the next episodes I can't begin to describe it. Everything looks gorgeous, and I'm very excited to check in with everyone - all the tidbits of what's changed (and what hasn't) are really intriguing. Even the post credits scenes - I'm so glad to see the quiet restful moments from s3 evolve into these little talks.
Ok so, actual questions!
1. Are Harper and Cullen being fostered by the Carrs?
2. So in the explanation of the Martian castes, they said that the priestly caste permanently take on y'alen form - does this mean that they don't shape change ever, or lose that ability?
3. How small is the red royal caste? If every ruler and every ruler's spouse has been red, then do they have to arrange marriages to keep the family lines from getting too tangled?
4. Is the Vlatavan language we hear Perdita speaking based on an existing language, or is it a constructed language?
5. What are the words she says at the beginning and end of her voicemail?
Greg responds...
1. Yep.
2. The Y'ellonn don't change their skin color ever.
3. The B'lahdenn - as Beast Boy said - are the Royalty AND Nobility. It's not as big as either the G'arrunn or A'ashenn castes, but it's a lot of folks.
4. It's a sister tongue to Markovian and Latvian.
5. Labdien = Hello. Es milu teki = I love you.
Elliot writes...
Hello Greg! After just watching the first two episodes of YJ Phantoms on HBO Max, I just want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'm so excited to see where the Mars storyline takes us, and meeting M'gann's family has been quite the surreal experience. M'gann's attitude and confidence was a sight to behold whenever she (unfortunately) had to deal with the Green Martians' prejudice and outright assault. I love to see it! Anyways, here are some questions:
01 | Did Roy go back to school after being rescued from the Light? It's assumed that Will was the one that finished his education in Roy's place, so was Roy homeschooled after the fact or did he go back to attending public/private school? Was he not schooled at all? Or was Roy (pre-frozen) homeschooled from the get-go and, as such, so was Will?
02 | In the tie-in comics, it's apparent that Dick and Bette hooked up on the eve of his birthday. Given the retcon (if that's the appropriate word) of the Wayne/Kane family relations in the comics, as well as on the show (with the addition of Batwoman and your confirmation that Bette and Martha Wayne are related), would it be safe to say that neither Dick nor Bette knew that they were distant cousins to some degree?
03 | While I assume it was for budgetary reasons, was there a specific reason you guys chose to use Talia's whitewashed design with the same overtly sensualized/sexualized outfit from the recent DC Animated Movies instead of the more appropriately Arabic and regal design Christopher Jones gave her in the tie-in comics?
04 | A lot of stuff has changed very recently in the comics regarding character sexuality, what with Tim Drake and Jon Kent both being confirmed bisexual (though, as of this writing, I don't think Tim's put a label on it one way or another). Whether or not you were privy to such a development isn't what I'm asking about, per say, but you've stated in earlier posts that you'd never take away an LGBTQ+ character's sexuality away (the question was in reference to Renee Montoya's sexuality in the show), so even though I highly doubt it would effect S4 at all, would the change be taken into consideration in later seasons? I'm not asking about Tim and/or Jon specifically, by the way, just the notion itself. Would a previously perceived straight character getting recently confirmed/retconned as another sexuality impact your interpretation of that character? Just for example, Alan Scott has been gay in the comics for quite a few years now, same with Wonder Woman and her bisexuality. Given that you make histories and timelines regarding most of the characters on your shows, I assume you've done the same with these two back in S1 when they were first introduced, but back when in the comics they were straight. Has the retcon changed things for you guys, or is it largely a non-issue?
05 | Not really a question, just more love for Phantoms! The poster alone was phenomenal, and I'm so stoked for what's to come, especially given the trailer, the first two episodes, and the new opening! I'm so glad Raquel is (seemingly) taking a bigger spotlight this season, hopefully we can finally find out who she married!
Greg responds...
1. I honestly haven't thought about these issues.
2. Dick's not blood-related to Bette, either way.
3. She's still Arabic in my mind. Phil chose which design to use, but I don't believe we colored her white.
4. As a rule, I wouldn't change an LGBTQ+ character into a heteronormative character. But being with a partner of one sex doesn't preclude someone being bi, obviously. And even, say, with a character like Alan Scott, given the environment and era he grew up in, he could be gay - not bi - and still have been with women in his past. I have contemporaries much younger than Alan who didn't self-acknowledge their sexuality until long after they were adults in adult relationships with members of the opposite sex.
5. I LOVE those posters! All props to Brandon, Chris and Jason for their work on them.
Michael Morningstar writes...
Hey Greg!
Today, I just saw the first two episodes of Young Justice: Phantoms on HBO Max and I have to say, I am completely blown away by the animation quality of this season! Studio Mir really nailed it with this season and the animation is on par with the first two seasons (not to say the animation companies who did Outsiders was bad but still could've been better) and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season and pray that Warner Bros. Animation or HBO Max renews the show for a fifth season.
Now, when I was rewatching the show a few weeks ago in preparations for its fourth season's debut this year, something interesting popped up in my mind while I was watching the first three seasons:
1. In the first episode of Season 2, John Stewart/Green Lantern explained to the Justice League and The Team that Kroloteans's culture revolves around stolen alien tech. If this species is so involved in stealing technology from other alien races, how were they even able to travel outside their home planet in the first place? Were they originally an intelligent race like the Rannians and the Kryptonians that successfully managed to travel outside their homeworld and establish first contact but eventually became jealous of other alien species advanced technology so much so that eventually caused them to cease all homemade Krolotean tech and resorted to stealing alien technology for themselves?
2. A decade ago when the first season of Young Justice was going strong on Cartoon Network, you responded to a question stating that New Gods are ageless beings. What does this mean exactly? Are they immune to the effects of aging and disease and can potentially live forever? The reason I'm asking is because Dreamer stated to Superboy that fellow New God Serifan grew up watching Earth Western movies on New Genesis. Does this mean that New Gods like Serifan are born similar to Humans and age like them but at some point in their lives, they hit a certain milestone and effectively stopped aging like regular Humans and become Ageless beings?
3. Regarding Lords of Order and Chaos. In Season 3's episode Evolution, it showed that Nabu/Doctor Fate was originally a human but after he died, he somehow ascended to become a Lord of Order. How is it possible that Nabu became a Lord of Order in the first place? Are certain humans capable of becoming a Lord of Order after death? Can this also apply to Lords of Chaos like Klarion? Was Klarion originally born a human like Nabu but became a Lord of Chaos after his death?
4. You mention that everything that has happened in real life has also happened in Young Justice like 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the 2008 Financial Crisis, and the COVID-19 Pandemic. I guess this means that certain Islamic terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Boko Haram, and Hezbollah also exist in Young Justice? How do these groups react to groups like the Justice League and certain events on Earth like the Reach Invasion and Meta-Human Trafficking? Do they believe these events shook their faith in their religion and their supporters in the Middle East? Or do they use them to their advantage to bolster their plans against the West and the rest of the world?
5. How does a Lord of Chaos like Klarion view the state of Earth it is in? I can imagine that he must be thrilled with events like the Syrian Civil War and the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in 2021 since they bring Chaos to the world. Has he secretly pulled strings behind the scenes to bring Chaos to Earth or does he let events transpire on its own without getting involved?
Greg responds...
1. I can think of a couple of possible scenarios, but I'm not going to tell a story here at ASK GREG. As always, NO SPOILERS.
2. Did I really say "Ageless beings"? Well, that doesn't make much sense to me now, assuming it ever did. Some New Gods are clearly older than others. Relative to Earthlings, they may SEEM ageless, though.
3. No spoilers.
4. I'll leave that to your interpretation. As for Covid, our show was too far into production to be able to incorporate Covid into our storytelling. So maybe on Earth-16, the pandemic hit a year later. Maybe.
5. Again, I'm not telling stories here. I'll leave that to your interpretation.
ruby writes...
This is my first time writing in, so I just wanted to say thanks for having this website up! I can't imagine the amount of time it takes to answer everything. It's truly appreciated. I picked up YJ not long after the third season wrapped up, and I'm delighted I got into it when I did.
I especially have to thank you (and the rest of the YJ crew, of course) for Artemis. I was in a bit of a rough patch when I watched it first, and I saw a lot of myself in her. Watching her overcome her fears, especially in the first season, was a reassuring inspiration. There's been more than a few times when I found myself thinking of her as I braved through things. She means a lot to me, and I'm thrilled to see her still working things out now, even though she's been through so much. (I was beyond excited when we found out she's leading the Team now! I can't wait to see that!)
Anyway, I've had these lying around for a bit, so here we go.
1) You recently mentioned some of the organizations you’ve reached out to for help with YJ’s characters of color, cultures you’re unfamiliar with, and the LGBTQ+ community. It’s wonderful to hear that you’re working with them! Which other groups have you worked with (both today and during the first and second seasons) and how does that relationship work?
2) What does a day in the life look like in the YJ acting booth? (I have to imagine it’s pretty fun with that particular group of actors and directors!) Any idea when you’ll be able to record in person again?
3) From what I understand about acting (both voice and “regularâ€), it’s incredibly important for actors to be able to play off of each other. How does that work with recording during the pandemic? Do actors record lines individually and then play off those recordings, or are Zoom meetings used to imitate the booth as much as possible?
4) One last question about voice acting: how much influence do your actors have over the characters' personalities? Are their ideas about the characters integrated into the writing?
5) I’ve always loved the glimpses we’ve seen of YJ’s interpretation of Atlantis. Many of the versions I’ve seen are basically just a very large underwater city with little oceanic inspiration. YJ’s version seems to have been created with a lot of thought toward how the structure of the seafloor and plant life interact with it, as well as the intense influence of magic. The colors also often feel particularly vibrant and ocean-like. Given that you’re not one of the artists, I’d guess you may not know much about how it was designed, but is there any insight you could give to choices made regarding Atlantis’s design and culture?
I've just seen the first episode of Phantoms, and it's looking spectacular so far. Good luck with finishing up post-production, and thank you again for your hard work!
Greg responds...
1. I'm going to hold off answering which other organizations we've worked with for now, as I think revealing the organizations would by default reveal content. I'd be happy to answer this after the season's over. But I've already stated that we've been working with GLAAD and OUT and MPAC (Hollywood Division). Plus, we've run every single outline and script by Dr. Janina Scarlet (superhero-therapy.com and @shadowQuill on Twitter). She's helped us with psychological and therapeutic details, while also generally acting as a sensitivity reader for our work. And there's also Warner Bros' own DEI department, who've been very helpful. There are more organizations, but the rest will have to wait for now. As for process, it can differ slightly. But generally, we discuss the stuff we were thinking about doing with them and get their feedback. Then we show them our outlines. Then our scripts. Sometimes even animatics or animation. At each step, we listen, take their notes and make sure everyone feels good about what we're doing before we take the next step in the process. We don't do anything that doesn't work for our story and characters. But we admit to ignorance on many fronts and many levels, and we like educating ourselves and allowing that education to be reflected in the work.
2. Well, it is fun! (Or, you know, most of the time. Nothing's perfect.) But pre-pandemic, we'd bring a majority of any episode's cast in together. (Although our casts are SO big, that sometimes we might split that cast into two shifts, trying to get folks who have scenes together to record together.) Jamie usually has them do a first run through without much direction. Then he might dive in and nuance an exchange or a line. Or even a certain phrase. We like to have options, but we want to make sure we get at least one version that hits the nail on the head. And we also make sure that we have at least two versions of every line. Post-pandemic, everyone was recording alone. Which is still great but not quite as much fun. There's a lot of playing back what one actor did for the other actor. (Whomever went first, kinda gets to set the tone for any scene, in these cases.) As for when we'll get back to recording in person, I don't know. Not on Season Four. That's all fully recorded.
3. See above.
4. After an episode or two, we definitely begin to incorporate their performances into their characters. With regulars or our long time recurring actors, we often sit down and talk to the actors about their characters, and I'm not at all adverse to listening to their takes on their own characters and importing those ideas into future episodes.
5. We wanted to fully bring their culture and milleu to life. To see Posiedonis - which is all you've seen of Atlantis so far - as its inhabitants see it.
Thank you for watching!
Nick writes...
Hi, Greg! I just wanted to take a second to thank you for taking the time to go through the queue this summer (including my many taxing age questions). It’s awesome that you’re still taking the time to answer us fans’ questions DECADES after starting this site. Seeing you go through all the answers these past couple of months has been super exciting as we've looked ahead to Season 4. Seeing the premiere today was incredibly exciting and I'm having a blast talking with the community again as we prepare for all the exciting stuff to come with PHANTOMS. Rest assured, we are campaigning for Season 5.
I have... several questions that I've built up over these past few months as you've been answering the queue, and thankfully, this time most of them aren't age questions.
1. In the interest of age/debuts questions: I know you don’t always love to reference the real years for YJ and prefer to operate on the ‘Team Year’ system. Still, for the sake of saving you some math, would it be okay if I started phrasing my questions as ‘What year was x born?’ instead of ‘How old is x?’ Just want to know if that’s faster since it could make things easier on your end.
For this question (https://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=24832), you weren’t sure whether or not you had confirmed that Bruce Wayne was Tim Drake’s legal guardian in the past. In this 2012 answer from quite a while ago (https://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=17071), you said: “Batman is [Barbara’s] mentor, but not her legal guardian (unlike Dick & TIM).â€
2. Is Bruce Wayne the legal guardian of Tim Drake as you implied in the above answer, or have plans changed since then?
If yes, would you now be willing to answer:
3. Was Bruce Wayne the legal guardian of Jason Todd?
4. Is Bruce Wayne the legal guardian of Orphan/Cassandra Cain?
And just for my own understanding of the legal terminology:
5. Has Bruce Wayne legally ADOPTED any children, or was Dick, for example, simply a ward like in the classic comics?
I'm incredibly excited to see what you, Brandon, and the team has been cooking up these past couple years and I'm very excited for the future. Hope you're having a great one!
Greg responds...
1. Probably.
2. Nothing is truly canon until it appears in the show (or the comics, etc.). Plans haven't changed. But the way the Barbara question was asked, I may have been lured into answering the way I did. So... no spoilers.
3. No spoilers.
4. No spoilers.
5. There's a difference between being a ward and being adopted. But whether or not Dick was adopted is also a spoiler.
I feel like this is probably a disappointing set of responses. But I am extremely grateful for your enthusiasm!!
Miraphosa writes...
Heya! I literally just watched the s4 trailer, I'm so excited. YJ has done so much for me over the last few years, and I'm glad I get to grow up with it. Artemis was the first character I recognized as a kid that was like me racially (white/asian mixed) and I'm forever grateful for that. It's... honestly impossible to describe how much this show's meant to me. My favorite media of any kind, by far.
Anyways, as someone queer, I'm just kinda curious - Tim got announced as bi after the show was already in production, and I'm curious as to whether or not you think Tim is bi in earth-16 or not? If that wasn't you and Brandon's original vision, is it a welcome addition? Same question goes for Jon Kent as well. Also, are there any other characters you could confirm as queer that wouldn't be showcased as such in the show? So.. something not a spoiler, because it wouldn't get shown anyways? Ahaha? :'D
Thank you for all your hard work! I hope S5 gets confirmed soon (and that we see it before 2024, LOL!)
Greg responds...
I'm going to say that all that qualifies as spoilers, generally. But we're not going to take an LGBTQ+ character and suddenly make he, she or they heteronormative. (We have plenty heteronormatives already.) So, for example, Batwoman is lesbian on Earth-16. So... maybe... that inadvertently answers your question...? Kinda/sorta?
Obviously, we can't change courses instantaneously. As you noted, something that occurs in the comics when we're already in production just isn't going to make it into the show. At least not during that production's season. But down the road... no spoilers.
Max Scream writes...
Can you describe the recording process of Young Justice: Phantoms? Was it ENTIRELY done separately? Was it done via video-conferencing? Did each actor get the entire script or just their lines?
Greg responds...
The first half - or nearly half - of the season was done the way we always have, with group recordings predominantly, while picking up the occasional actor at a different time, based on availability.
About halfway through the season, we temporarily stopped recording because of the pandemic.
So in order to keep our board artists supplied with vocal tracks and working (from home), we began recording scratch tracks, using myself, Brandon, voice director Jamie Thomason, Talent coordinator Laura Lopez, editor Cris Mertens, and my wife and kids.
Then we began recording actors individually from home. Some of these actors have fantastic home studio set-ups. Others, well... not so much. We weren't video-conferencing with them, but we were audio-conferencing.
Then we switched from BangZoom Studios for our records to Atlas Oceanic Picture & Sound, which had a booth with a door that opened right into their parking lot. That way an actor could drive up and stay in their car until called for. Then they could walk right into the studio without any contact with any other human being. The engineer was in the control room, and the rest of us - including Jamie - were all listening in from our homes. Then when that actor was done, the booth would be sanitized before the next actor entered. Some of our performers still worked from home, but about half came to Atlas. It was always the choice of the actor.
And every actor always gets the entire script.
Anonymous writes...
Did Phil Bourassa work on Young Justice: Phantoms?
Greg responds...
No, though of course many of his designs are still being used in the series, and what new designs that were created for S4 by Model Supervisor Dou Hong and Character Designers Jerome K. Moore and Austin Reinkins were designed based on the template and design style Phil set for the series. Also, Dou worked with Phil on Season Three, and Jerome worked with him on Seasons One and Two.
How I Spent My Weekend...
So... I had a LOT going on this past weekend.
On Saturday, DC FanDome premiered trailers for both CATWOMAN: HUNTED and YOUNG JUSTICE: PHANTOMS, and revealed that the first two episodes of the latter were dropping THAT DAY!
I spent considerable time online - and I don't usually do the online thing over the weekend; in fact, I don't even check my email most weekends - trying to #SpreadTheWord.
But to sum up, here's the news...
CATWOMAN: HUNTED, an anime movie based on my original script, is being released in early 2022. You can see the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYPqTLS_g9c. It stars Elizabeth Gilles as Catwoman and Stephanie Beatriz as Batwoman. Voice directed by our old friend Jamie Thomason, it also features Jonathan Banks, Lauren Cohan, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Ron Yuan and my peeps, Steve Blum, Keith David, Zehra Fazal, Jonathan Frakes, Kelly Hu, Andrew Kishino, Eric Lopez and Jacqueline Obradors. Folks have asked me if it's in continuity with Young Justice. My answer: it's YJ-adjacent, much like that old Green Arrow/DC Showcase short I wrote years ago. A version of these events happened on Earth-16. If you're a completist, you're going to want to watch. (Also, I really think it turned out great!)
Meanwhile, the fourth season of YOUNG JUSTICE, i.e. YOUNG JUSTICE PHANTOMS, dropped its first two episodes this past Saturday on HBOMax. Episode 403 will drop this coming Thursday, 10/21. With another episode (through 413) dropping every Thursday through December 30th. The back half of the season (i.e. 414-426) will drop weekly in Spring, 2022. I'm truly excited for the fans to see the season - and evil creator that I am - also glad that the show isn't all dropping at once. I firmly believe television - especially a show like YJ - is a better experience if you have time to savor and sort and absorb and predict for a week in between episodes.
As for the fourth season's production, we have 21 episodes in the can and ready to air. The last five have all been animated and are currently in post-production. And since there was no IATSE strike today, we're still hard at work. (And to be clear, I'm a member of IATSE as part of the Animation Guild, and I was 100% supportive of the union.) We should be done with all 26 episodes by the end of November.
IMPORTANT ADDENDUM: YOUNG JUSTICE has NOT yet been picked up for a fifth season. So if fans want more of Earth-16, the answer is simple: #KeepBingingYJ (all four seasons) over and over. And over and over. And help us #SpreadTheWord. We want to #SaveEarth16.
So use the following hashtags ad nauseam - just as I'm doing in this post:
#CatwomanHunted
#YoungJustice
#YoungJusticePhantoms
#KeepBingingYJ
#SaveEarth16
#SpreadTheWord
And watch the show on HBO Max!!! Please...
For international fans, I wish I could give you info on when any or all of the above will be available in your countries. But unfortunately, TPTB do not keep us folks in the trenches well-informed. Asking me over and over won't magically reveal that information to me so that I can reveal it to you.
Finally, by the time all my work was done on Saturday, I was completely exhausted and took a nap. In the nap, I dreamed I wrote a hit song. Seriously. Now, normally, my dreams slip away entirely upon waking. And even when I do remember the gist of a dream, the details are lost within seconds. But I actually woke up with a clear memory of the song - both the lyrics AND the tune. Here are the lyrics:
I'm taking my pants off,
Cuz it's that kind of party!
I'm walking a straight line,
And it's luminous!
That's the whole song. You can see why it was such a big hit in Dreamland. I'm expecting the Dream-Royalties to roll in any minute.
STAY WHELMED, everyone!
EMPTY QUEUE
Well, it took me YEARS, but I finally have cleared the ASK GREG queue. I'm going to take a bit of a break now, but we'll open the question asking function for DC FANDOME on October 16th. I honestly don't know what YJ will be doing for Fandome, but I assume we'll have some presence of some kind, and by then I should have had enough of a rest to jump back in.
Thanks for your patience.
Ashanti Mills writes...
Hi Greg! Young Justice: Invasion is one of my favorite seasons of television. Really looking forward to season 4. I have questions about which characters you have access to and are personally interested in using for the show
1. What's the legal status of created specifically for the Static Shock tv show (e.g. Shebang, Ebon, Madelyn Spaulding, Ebon, etc.)? More to the point, are you allowed to use them in Young Justice? I'm assuming they exist under different circumstances than characters created for Milestone characters who were adapted later.
2. If you were able to use them, are you at all interested in those characters? Or would you prefer to keep the show focused on characters who are a bigger part in DC's history?
Thanks for your time, and for the great TV!
Greg responds...
1. At this point, no character we've wanted to use is off limits. That could change. But so far as S4 goes, we had no issues.
2. It's not really about who's a bigger part of DC history. It's about telling the story we want to tell.
Andrew writes...
Hey Greg, got two questions for you
1. How did you meet Brandon Vietti?
2. I ask because I'm a big of the DCAU, how did Rich Fogel get involved with the series?
Greg responds...
1. Brandon and I met a couple times when I was at Sony and when I was freelancing for WB. But, honestly, we really didn't meet for real until Sam Register teamed us up to develop a new series for WB Animation. (That series was a Green Lantern series that was never made, followed by a Space Ghost series that was never made, before we finally were assigned to Young Justice.)
2. Rich and I go way back to my Disney days. He and Mark Seidenberg were partnered up, editing Gummi Bears. We've kept in touch, on and off, over the years. And more recently, we were both staff writers on Shimmer & Shine. I truly loved the Shimmer & Shine writing staff (Stephanie Simpson, Dustin Ferrer, Kevin Hopps, Cisco Paredes, Andrew Blanchette and Rich), so when YJ started up again I tried to get everyone to write an episode for Season Three and/or Four. Stephanie and Dustin haven't had the time, but the rest have all pitched in for an episode or two. (Of course, Kevin was already a YJ writer.)
Andrew writes...
Hello Greg, In YJ, what is the thought process behind each season's time jump, how do you and the creative team decide the length of each jump and how do you believe they add to the characters and the overall narrative?
Greg responds...
Again, this has been covered in the ASK GREG ARCHIVES multiple times. But generally, we think it allows us to show the growth and maturation of our young characters.
The length of the time jump is generally determined by both what we want to hide (and later reveal) about our characters and when in the timeline does the story fall that we want/need to tell.
Sebastian writes...
English is not my mother tongue, so I wanted to ask you 2 questions
1. in Earth 16 Superboy is the best friend of the third robin Tim Drake and Kid Flash / Bart Allen as is the case of the new Earth and Young Justice Rebirth?
2. the fourth season in which month of 2020 will it leave?
Greg responds...
1. I think for Earth-16, what you see on screen is what you get. Conner is friendly enough with Tim and Bart, but they were in a younger class, and he's closer to/with the folks he came up with.
2. I think you asked this already, so I'm not sure why you're asking it again. I know English is not your first language, but I'm not sure what you mean by "leave". I can't tell if you're asking me an in-universe question about when the show is set, the answer to which would be NO SPOILERS - or a question about when the series will drop in 2020, the answer to which is obviously that it didn't and was never, ever going to be ready in time for 2020. Granted, you wrote this in 2019, so if you would want me to update the question for 2021, the answer is that the show will drop when HBO MAX decides it wants it to drop. And they haven't announced that yet.
FusionSamurai writes...
So, firstly. Thanks for responding to all our comments, it probably gets a little bit annoying sometimes, but its really cool that you interact with your fans, and I hope you keep doing it! ^_^
So for my questions-
1. You've said you dislike how time travel works in DC. It does seem really confusing. I've flipped through all mentions in previous comments and have come up with a question regarding Bart.
So, you've said "Earth-16 had a history that Impulse thwarted. You can view his original history as Earth-16a, I suppose. Or you could just mark it up as GONE."
So, if such is the case, would Impulse be at risk of fading away? Does only the future itself fade, and Bart avoids it by not being there? Time travel is really complicated to write, so I just wanted clarity on that.
2. The team started with the original 6, being Superboy, Ms.Martian, Kid Flash, Robin, Artemis, Aqualad. Now there are somewhere around 19 members that are on the team or are associated with the team. Do you ever feel like it is hard to balance so many characters?
3.Does giving an individual character like Bart or Cassie development get harder as more characters are added?
Thanks for your time/responses, it means a ton to me. \(^_^)/
Greg responds...
0. I'm still doing it. It just took me a while to get back to it.
1. I kinda have addressed this in the past, but for now I'm going to say NO SPOILERS.
2. I do. Many fans seem to think it's even more difficult for us than we think it is.
3. Of course. But I'm basically okay with that. When the story dictates that one character or another is the lead, that's great - we'll move them into the spotlight. But until then, our leads remain Dick, Kaldur, Conner, M'gann and Artemis, with whichever two to four additional characters that the season dictates gets the spotlight.
Jonathan writes...
When is the soonest we can expect new information about Young Justice Season 4 (such as release date!)?
Greg responds...
I posted some new information on our progress today and here on ASK GREG. As for when info on the release date will be revealed, I don't know. Not up to me.
Sam writes...
1. For YJ S3, was the voice recording typically done with the voice actors in the same room, or individually?
2. Has the voice recording process (whether in groups or individually) changed from season to season?
Greg responds...
1. Mostly in group sessions.
2. Not until the pandemic briefly interrupted our recording process on Season Four, at which point we shifted massively to recording everyone individually, sometimes from their various homes, with all of us listening in over Zoom.
Hulkie10 writes...
Good morning / afternoon / evening Greg Weisman, this is the first time I have done this and first I would like to tell you that I have been following this series for a long time and that I greatly admire your work with Brandon Vietti, the production team and the scriptwriters, seriously Thank you very much for this series. Well here are my questions:
1) I think this was already announced but I am not sure: Will the 4th season of Young Justice leave more or less at the end of 2020?
2) What is your favorite couple of the 3 seasons of Young Justice?
Greg responds...
1. "leave"? I'm not sure what you mean.
2. I don't have one favorite.
But thanks for your kind words!
Aprotny writes...
I saw a message on the archives in regards to cloning and sexuality. As an identical twin, I know me and my sister do not have the same sexuality despite having the same DNA. I know there's also nature vs. nurture. Would you consider cloning to be similar to the shared DNA of twins in the YJ universe? If so, would it be possible for one of the Roys (like Jim or original Roy) to have an attraction to a guy or, say, a genomorph without a gender, in contrast to Will's clear attraction to women. I am not asking if that is the case, but rather if it is possible.
On another note, I am an avid Young Justice fan who loves your show and is looking forward to Season Four. I hope Starfire or Raven or Supergirl or other characters that are popular but have yet to show will show up!
One last question, do you ever look at the YJ fanfiction archives? Either out of curiosity or for inspiration? Just curious if you or Brandon ever peek at those!
Thanks and love your show!
Greg responds...
1. I honestly don't know enough about the science to be sure. But I suppose I could do more research. So the short answer is: "It's possible?"
2. We don't take requests. We can't take suggestions.
3. Never. It's legally dangerous for me to read fanfiction covering anything I work on professionally. The same is true for Brandon.
Anonymous writes...
Young Justice Outsiders was incredible, but I'm a little unsure on something. Are Tim and Cassie broken up? I was very excited to see where this relationship would go, but it seems like their relationship has ended. Is season 3 the end of Robin and Wonder Girl?
Greg responds...
It sure looks that way... but until you know, feel free to dream. Because my only answer is NO SPOILERS.
Anonymous writes...
Mr. Weisman,
I made a mistake in a previous posting; here is the correct one below:
Thank you very much for a wonderful Season 3 of Young Justice; you've even managed to tease us with a Legion of Superheroes ring from whom I presume to be Saturn Girl. Depending on the length of the next time-skip for Season 4, I had initially wanted to tell you which DC Comics characters that I wish to see, but then I decided to hold off on that because I suspect you might probably say that there would be no absolute certainty in regards to who might appear and because you had mentioned that Season 4 will focus on a smaller group of characters. However, with the possible introduction of Earth-16's version of the Legion of Superheroes, I personally hope this move will somehow lead to their own spin-off series; because I'd personally like to see your own unique twist(s) on that superhero team of the future.
Greg responds...
That's very kind. Thank you. I'm not saying that wouldn't be fun. But we don't have a pick-up for Season Five as of yet, nor has there been any talk of spin-offs. Right now, we're just focused on finishing off Season Four.
Nick writes...
Just wow. Wow, wow, wow. Today was THE day. I am so blown away by what you and Brandon were able to do with the season finale, and the season as a whole. Coming back to such a beloved show comes with a lot of pressure, and I just want you guys to know that I am incredibly grateful for what you have achieved with Young Justice: Outsiders. Getting a chance to return to the world of Young Justice after so many years was a dream come true for the audience.
An eternal thank you to you, Brandon, as well as the entire cast and crew for breathing new life into the show. And you are gonna do it again! I am sure with as long as the queue is, there is a chance Season 4 will already be here by the time you read this. If that is the case, rest assured, I am praying for Season 5!
You guys have created the best ever adaptation of DC Comics, as far as I am concerned. I am so glad that I have gotten to see more of Earth-16, which is something I never thought would happen. Good luck with Season 4 or 5 or whatever project you are working on when you read this. You are a true visionary, Greg, and I am so happy that you’ve gotten to tell more stories set in this world.
P.S. Sorry about all the age questions.
Greg responds...
Well, I did manage to get to this before Season Four came out, at least.
Thank you so much for the support and kind words. Believe me, Brandon and I and the entire YJ Cast and Crew (across two seasons now) were thrilled we've had the chance to come back to this property.
And nothing to apologize for. Age questions happen. ;)
Anonymous writes...
Dear Greg
Hello! I'm keeping my name anonymous because I don't like exposing it on a public forum like this. I hope you understand.
Anyway, onto the question!
Greg, I know you personally don't have any ill intent, but why won't you listen to your LGBT+ or Muslim fans when they tell you how you handled Halo? You seem like such a decent guy outside of that, but for some reason this particular area is a blind spot of yours.
I may not be Muslim, but surely the massive outcry from Muslim fans when you had Halo publicly denounce her Muslimhood while still having her wear a religiously significant garb specific to Muslims must have meant SOMETHING to you?
I'm an out and proud member of the LGBT+ community (at least online), so seeing you dismiss all the people you hurt and refuse to actually, GENUINELY apologize for it (no, I don't count "sorry you're so offended" as an apology, that's just condescending), and to see you continue on the path that you now KNOW hurts us as if the characters you control are somehow out of your hands...that hurts, Greg. That hurts more than you can POSSIBLY imagine. I was so excited for Young Justice season 3. I was so excited hearing that you'd have an explicitly nonbinary character in the show. And then you did what you did. You really hurt your fans in the LGBT+ community, Greg.
Greg responds...
I'm categorically not claiming that the destinies of these characters are completely out of my hands. But...
1. We can't make changes to already made episodes in response to recently aired episodes. It's just not possible for me to, for example, change episodes 319-326 as a result of what fans say about 318. So even if I agreed with the response, it's too late to make that kind of change, which many people seemed - at the time - to be demanding. And I readily admit that in hindsight I got defensive about that. We HAVE listened, however, and it did affect how we handled things in Season Four.
2. Whether you like it or not, I simply do NOT have complete control over these characters. I do not own these characters. It is ABSOLUTELY TRUE that even in 2021, TPTB have not given Brandon and myself a completely free hand with every single LGBTQ+ character on these issues. Things are a lot better than they were in 2010. A lot better. But we still do not have 100% autonomy. We just flat-out don't. Certain things we had planned for Season Three were rejected by TPTB at a relatively late date, and I do believe those choices hurt the overall balance of the series on these issues.
3. I don't know where you heard that we'd explicitly have a nonbinary character on the show in advance of Halo's reveal. Not from me. I can't - or won't - be held responsible for rumors. Now, of course, Halo stated she's nonbinary in one of our episodes, but we viewed that statement as the first step in her journey, and we'd appreciate some patience. You are, of course, not obligated to be patient with us. Maybe we've already lost your trust. And that's understandable. And I am sorry for that. But trust would sure be appreciated if you can manage to suspend your opinion for a while longer.
4. We've been working with MPAC (the Muslim Public Affairs Council), GLAAD and OUT on these plotlines. They are aware of our long term plans for Halo and have been extremely supportive. This suggests to me that the response you speak of isn't monolithic. So I'll admit it has been hard for me to apologize for things, which I believe, in the long term, will be appreciated by the Muslim and LGBTQ+ communities. Now, I may be wrong about that, but I'm trying to be honest here. I believe in what we're doing, and our advisors do, as well. In the end, we may indeed get it wrong, but we are trying really hard to get it right. And contrary to what seems to be everyone's assumption, we are not and have never been operating in a vacuum, assuming that we knew best and that we didn't need to listen to the LGBTQ+ community. We are listening, we have been listening, and we will continue to listen. What we've found is that opinions clearly vary within that community. It's admittedly hard to please everyone, but believe it or not, we are actually trying.
5. It sincerely makes me feel awful that I've "hurt my fans in the LGBT+ community". I AM truly sorry about that. But I know for a fact that I didn't hurt ALL my fans in that community. Because I've talked to a bunch of them. Not on Twitter or on ASK GREG but in real life. Some of them weren't thrilled with what we've aired up to this point. Some of them were just fine with what we did. And most (in both categories) have - once told where we were going - been actually pretty happy with it all. Now, you don't have the advantage of that inside information and most of our fans don't either. But please don't think I don't care, that we don't care. The YJ crew and I care very, very much. And I definitely apologize for being condescending and defensive in the past. That's not me at my best. I can only ask for forgiveness.
6. I've always tried to be an ally. I have very good reasons to try to be an ally, (a) because it's the right thing to do, and (b) because many, many, many people I love and hold close to my heart are a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
So I AM sorry for past mistakes. But if you give us a little more rope, I don't think we'll hang ourselves. I believe our good intentions will not only amount to good intentions. I think they'll prove out. And if I'm wrong about that, I will truly endeavor to apologize again.
Nick writes...
Hi, Greg! Outstanding episode today. Can't wait till next week! Hope Season 4 is going well.
1. How old is Evelyn Fox?
Greg responds...
By the END of TEAM YEAR FOUR...
1. Evelyn Fox is 31.
2. Young Justice: Phantoms is going very well, thanks for asking. We have 15 episodes in the can. Seven more in post. The last four are all being animated by Studio Mir. Pre-production is completely done.
Algae writes...
Hey Greg,
Not really a question, just wanted to congratulate you and Brandon on getting SEASON 4 of YOUNG JUSTICE green-lighted. The show keeps going from strength to strength!
Gratitude
Greg responds...
Thanks, Algae. Gratitude backatcha.
Risu writes...
Loving Outsiders so far. The Harper bros were a delight I didn't even know I needed.
* Is there any way to show the DC executives the support for this show while living outside (heh) of the US?
* Would watching Titans on Netflix help you, maybe?
* Any idea if DC plans to open their site worldwide, or release YJ s3 on Netflix too? I'd like to help, I want more.
Greg responds...
1. I honestly don't know.
2. Not particularly. But if you like Titans, go for it.
3. Well, DC Universe is moot now. Can you get HBO Max internationally?
Kyle writes...
Hello Greg,
While I adored both the first and second seasons of Young Justice, and I have gone on to enjoy many parts of the third, I have to say that as of right now, I am very disappointed with what I've seen so far of Outsiders. Please know that I mean absolutely no disrespect to you, Brandon, the writers, the crew, or the actual show, but I feel this needs to be said.
I have watched all thirteen available episodes (by the time you get to this ask, I'm more than sure the second half of the season will have already aired in its entirety and you'll be well on your way into making the fourth season *fingers crossed!*) and the show has yet to come through in the ways I -- and many, many others -- had hoped it would prior to the season's airing. By the time you read this, I hope my complaints will have already been resolved and you can tell me I should have been patient and waited for the whole thing to air, in which I would agree. Fair enough.
But as of right now my complaints are still very valid and I would very much appreciate you addressing them, if possible. (Honestly, chances are you have already addressed these issues by the time you read this, if not in the actual show then on your Twitter page or in an interview. If so, I am sorry for wasting your time with a subject you've already gone on to spend a great deal of time on, but if not, here we go.
The pure lack of LGBT+ representation is, frankly, appalling.
I mean no disrespect, but it is 2019 for crying out loud. Men can marry men and women can marry women; boys can dance with boys and girls can dance with girls at their high school proms; those of us that are non-binary can express such freely and openly, when with the right crowd.
You have gone on record saying that LGBT+ people exist on Earth-16; you've gone on record saying that there have even been LGBT+ members of the Team and yet, still, after thirteen full episodes AND a twenty-page comic story where you COULD HAVE represented LGBT+ people, you've failed to showcase even ONE character and/or relationship of the sort. All of the while finding the time in these very crowded episodes and comic for not one, not two, but THREE new straight couples.
There's Garfield Logan and Queen Perdita. Then there's Helga Jace and Jefferson Pierce. And then finally Prince Brion Markov and Violet Harper.
And that's not even counting the suggestion of a relationship between Will and Artemis. Or the hinting that Bear and Dreamer have become exclusive, which would pretty much go against everything the New Gods (Bear himself, specifically, if memory serves) had preached to Conner about them finding satisfaction when they all come together as one back in the first season, which I thought was a pretty interesting way to sneak in the idea of them all being in one big polyamorous relationship. Which would have been SO COOL and SO PROGRESSIVE for a show back then to do.
The one -- ONE -- actual confirmed LGBT+ character you've ever had on the show in its entirety, not just Season Three, was then killed BECAUSE of said-sexuality. The sexuality-in-question, might I add, that we don't even get to know for certain, as when you were asked if she was a lesbian or just bisexual, you simply commented "Yes," as if there wasn't a distinguishable difference between the two in the long run, which just simply isn't the case.
And that's not even really a confirmation since it's plainly just Word-of-God in the grand scheme of things, rather than canon content that was stated out-loud or depicted, either on-screen or on-panel, in the comic. (I know that you weren't allowed to acknowledge it out-loud or in writing back then, so I'm not arguing on that. But you deciding to make her the ONLY LGBT+ character we ever got to see and then having her said-only character killed later in the same comic issue? Not only is it near-downright insulting, but it also fails to come across as anything other than a cheap and thoughtless try at representation.
(And with you and Brandon both going on about how you wanted to include an accurate representation of the world with a diverse cast, the pure lack of LGBT+ representation justs adds insult to injury.)
You've had significant time with Kaldur, who you hinted may not be entirely straight. And, yes, during most of that time with him you couldn't have genuinely acknowledged it either way in-show or out, but with Season Three, there is simply no such excuse. You've got the Brain and Monsieur Mallah, who, I'll admit, wouldn't exactly be my first choices for representation under any circumstances, but they still qualify. You've got Wonder Woman, who, albeit, wasn't confirmed bisexual until after YJ had finished its first two seasons.
But since the start of S3, the show has introduced us to Batwoman, a very prominent lesbian character on-par with Batman and the rest of the Bat-family; the show has given us a cameo of Renee Montoya; and, most recently, the show has given us the gay, married couple of Casey Klebba and Dale Gunn. Both of whom were in the same scene together with speaking lines and still -- STILL -- not even an ounce of content.
You've even introduced Harper Row, who I can't help but guess was only added to the character roster simply for the Harper-confusion joke. I'm hoping she will lead to actual, on-screen LGBT+ content in the next half of the season since that was one of her and her brother's most defining stories from the comics, but I'm no longer getting my hopes up.
And while I know you made no promises of actually having LGBT+ content in the third season, which I won't fault you for nor should anyone else, you KNEW you had a very large, very apparent LGBT+ fanbase. If you knew people were hopeful, don't string them along. If you honestly didn't have any LGBT+ content in store for us, just say so -- lest you be accused of queerbaiting down the line, and while it wouldn't be the case in technical terms in your case, it can still turn many, many fans against you.
Young Justice has and, up until I'm proven wrong, will always be a heteronormative show. The first season's finale got that message across loud and clear, with the second season's finale hammered it in, after you plopped in the surprise, secret romances of not one, but TWO more straight couples in the already-vast sea of straight couples. First, there was Virgil's surprise that Tye and Asami had gotten together, even though we got absolutely zero screentime showing anything of the sort, and was only included because, to you and Brandon, it "Felt right."
Then there's Tim and Cassie, who spent all five seconds of screentime together prior, with them only exchanging a conversation once. (Who then promptly leave each other's sides and enter a fight we're apparently meant to care about less than ten on-screen minutes later, in S3.)
And, now, Young Justice: Outsiders is pulling the same tricks but in a far worse fashion. The twelfth episode alone -- an episode all about Garfield going through nothing but hell, living through every trauma he's ever faced and then some, including the death of his LGBT+ mother, mind you -- ends with him kissing his girlfriend SECONDS AFTER recovering from nearly ending up catatonic. Because of hormones, or something.
Never mind the fact that he'd just rewatched many of his friends' deaths all over again, relived BOTH of his mothers' deaths, AND just realized that his boss -- someone who helped found a META-HUMAN YOUTH CENTER -- was using the Goode Goggles to abduct potential meta-teens and was continuously doing so, all over the country.
But, hey, let me make out with my girlfriend real quick first, right next to my sister and her fiance of the opposite sex, who then promptly make out as well, and just NOT rush to tell the proper authorities, the Justice League, the Team, or the Outsiders about ANY of this until after we're done showing just how straight we are to the audience.
I know this may come off as rude, critical, and/or entitled, but it is truly not what I wish for you to take away from this. Again, I mean no disrespect and do love -- LOVE -- many aspects of the third season, but some of the more recently established relationships and the actions that result from those relationships are the weakest links of an otherwise fantastic show.
I know I may be way off the mark/way too impatient and you actually ARE setting up stories with LGBT+ characters and relationships for the second half of S3, big or small.
If that's the case, I am truly sorry for wasting your time.
But I feel this needed to be said, and while I believe you already know this, I'll say it anyway for the other readers on this site: hinting that a character is LGBT+ off-screen (i.e. in a Tweet or an interview or something) does not adequately represent LGBT+ people at all. Either say it out loud and on-screen/on-panel or just, you know, show it on-screen/on-panel -- otherwise, what do you actually accomplish besides later being able to cry wolf and say that you had LGBT+ characters on-screen and therefore cannot be accused of NOT having them?
Once again, I'm sorry if this came across as critical and/or insulting to you, Brandon, your team of amazing writers/animators/voices, etc., but I promise you all that was not my intent in the slightest, and I hope when you get the time to respond to this (assuming it makes it to you, which I hope it does) it will be to say that I just jumped the shark, so to speak, a little too soon and that LGBT+ characters are all over the second half of S3, confirmed on-screen. It would be amazing, if so.
If not, though, then I would greatly, greatly appreciate an honest answer of why you and Brandon still haven't shown LGBT+ characters/relationships on-screen or on-panel, despite having no restrictions preventing you.
Sincerely,
Kyle
Greg responds...
Hey Kyle,
You were very polite. I have no problem with what you wrote. As you noted, I'm hoping that by now you've seen that we have - where we were allowed - objectively shown LGBTQ+ characters since the time you posted this. Hopefully, you were pleased with what we depicted. And, in any case, there's more to come in Season Four.
Still, I would like to respond to some of your points, as some of the people reading this may not know all we've dealt with on this subject.
1. I just want to point out that in the first two seasons, the video game and the companion comics that we've done up to this point, we were not allowed to objectively depict any LGBTQ+ characters or relationships. So we did the next best thing, which was to write and depict them with consistency for the day when we could.
2. Even in Season Three, TPTB wouldn't let us objectively reveal that one specific character, whom we had (in our minds) set up as gay, was gay - though they did let us depict others LGBTQ+ characters objectively. So we took the S1&2 approach to this one character.
3. As you hopefully have seen by now, we did have plans for LGBTQ+ characters in Season Three, and it's a justifiable complaint, I think, to ask why none of that was depicted in the first thirteen. But we wanted to introduce this stuff organically, and it just worked out for it to be back thirteen stuff. Not trying to defend that, per se. But that's how our stories broke down.
4. Killing off Garfield's mother is consistent with him being an orphan in the comics. I guess we could have kept her heterosexual as she was in the comics, since we knew she was going to die. But we didn't want to do that. It seemed to fit her character, and we didn't want to have one less LGBTQ+ character only because she was going to die.
5. I won't apologize for depicting heterosexual/heteronormative relationships simply because we've had restrictions on LGBTQ+ depictions. Chris Jones and I did equalize the scenes between Queen Bee & Marie Logan and Queen Bee & Ali in an issue of the comic. When TPTB wouldn't allow us to show Bee & Marie kiss, Chris and I wouldn't let Bee & Ali kiss either, as they were exact parallel scenes. But generally, we want to be able to be as honest as possible with relationships. So we're not going to create artificial restrictions when we don't have to.
6. Specifically, Garfield had a cathartic experience in "Nightmare Monkeys," and was grateful that his worried girlfriend had stuck by his side. The idea of them kissing at that moment wasn't us shoving heteronormative behavior in the face of LGBTQ+ viewers, it was us depicting what we believed was the honest and real response to all that had happened to both characters.
7. Bear and Dreamer being a couple is right out of the comics. In fact, in the comics they got married and had a kid. Now, of course, we could have changed that, but it seemed to fit what we were doing, so we didn't.
I'm not going to pretend that we've done justice (no pun intended) to these concerns, even including what we did in Season Three. But we believe the back thirteen episodes took a positive step forward, and we believe Season Four will take us multiple steps forward after that.
Lea1997 writes...
Can you please give a full description of Superman and Superboy's relationship with the Kent family in Young Justice.
Greg responds...
I could. But I won't. I'd rather show than tell.
Chris B writes...
Hey Greg, loved the first three episodes of season 3. My only question is was a different animation studio used this season? It looks a little different than some episodes in seasons 1 and 2.
Greg responds...
Our two studios for Season One and Two were MOI Animation and Lotto Animation.
We used three studios in Season Three: DR Movie, Digital eMation and Studio Mir.
Our only studio for Season Four is Studio Mir.
Alexandra writes...
Dear Greg,
I don't have any questions,but I needed to tell you this.Young Justice was the show of my childhood and it helped grow into the person I am today.Wally's death destroyed me and all I wanted to say is that it would be the perfect gift for a huge fan.Also,I need supermartian back.Tha k you!
Greg responds...
Wally's death is the perfect gift for a huge fan? If you say so.
Glad you love the show!
In any case, by now you know that supermartian is back. At least in Season Three. No spoilers for Season Four.
Anonymous writes...
Hey Greg, Do you know if the new young justice season is going to be dubbed in any other language than english?
Greg responds...
I do not know. Sorry.
QueerGuy writes...
Big fan of your work. Not really a question, but I felt the need to clarify after seeing your response to another question regarding queer-baiting.
In your response, you (respectfully) provide some push-back against the concept, while expressing a willingness to learn more. I had a few quick responses to your comments I wanted to share.
You talk about some of the examples given in the Wikipedia entry for queer-baiting to be unfair, citing Sherlock Holmes and John Watson as an example. To be clear, in both the Wikipedia article and in popular usage of this example, people refer to Holmes and Watson as they are depicted in the BBC series, "Sherlock", and not (necessarily) in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories or other adaptations.
Queer-baiting refers to creators of media actively misleading a fan-base with hints or indications of "queerness" without any intent of follow-through. NOT -- as you indicated in your prior comment -- a fan-base misinterpreting close same-sex friendships and sexual. "Sherlock" (the BBC series) is a famous example of queer-baiting, as the series very often hints at homoerotic attraction between the two leads in the series' writing, the performances of the lead actors, and in the ways that other characters in series refer to their relationship. I won't go into specific details and examples from the series, but if you are interested in examples there are scores of them documented and easily locateable on the internet.
The key aspect of queer-baiting is the attempt to take advantage of queer fans by providing the bare minimum of queer(ish) interactions, without ever following through for fear of alienating a non-queer audience. This is very different from both presenting close same-sex friendships without any romantic or sexual relationship developing between the two characters, and the presentation of queer characters without the ability to actively show examples of their queerness due to external factors, such as network interference (such as Lexington in "Gargoyles" or Korra in "The Legend of Korra"). These are non-malicious and do not seek to mislead a queer audience.
To be clear, I don't think you have been guilty of queer-baiting in any of your work. I simply wanted to clarify the concept a bit more so that you can hopefully understand where the concern of the initial comment came from. Looking forward to "Young Justice" season three!
Greg responds...
I get the concern. I do.
And my response probably shows my (relative) queer blindness. I've seen every episode of "Sherlock," and never noticed any significant difference between how John and Sherlock are depicted here than in other versions.
I don't want to be defensive; I want to be open. But as you indicated, I've never intentionally queer-baited. Lex was gay to the extent allowed at the time (which was not at all). Some fans read a homo-erotic charge into the Dick/Wally relationship and the Bart/Jaime relationship, but that was never our intention - and I sincerely don't think we were trying to fool anyone. (Though one of those four characters is gay, in our minds, at least. But not in the minds of TPTB, even though TPTB did allow us to be objective about other characters on the show, starting with Season Three.)
Coolest Aunt Ever? writes...
Hello Greg,
I wanted to thank you for defending the very real LGBT+ fans of pop culture & comics. My niece is one of those; I’ve always known she was on the spectrum and recently she came out. She loves action cartoons with prominent female characters (a rarity still do this day) and she loves watching those with me. Now she is too young for twitter but you better believe that I’m there searching high and low for children’s media where she can finally see herself represented. I really hope your show can provide that for her and viewers dying to see themselves in their heroes in more than just lip-service. My searches in twitter only ever brought promised LGBT+ representation leading to the usual bare-boned minimum. I wouldn’t mind so much, after all those shows are not about romantic development and characters don’t need relationships to be interesting or have enriched stories. Then I see the disproportion; it’s not fair when almost all the non-LGBT+ characters in said shows get to have tender moments, explicit development and definitive romantic intimacy. It’s harsh to tell a whole group of people that their feelings are problematic to explore yet it’s perfectly “natural†for another group. I’m not sure about DC’s protocol but I doubt you would settle for them telling you that the only way you can have a POC character is if you make sure their costume covers any indication of skin-tone and/or facial features and that their superhero name in no way draws attention to their ethnic background… also never remove the costume or use their real name. So please tell me that you will give your LGBT+ audience the same importance in the fight for diverse visibility in your non-adult media; please allow my niece to see herself reflected with the same fleshed-out, emotional connections that straight kids have the privilege of experiencing everywhere.
P.S. I’m not asking for spoilers, just no false promises to young viewers. Thanks again for defending your fans and their humanity!
Greg responds...
I'm not making false promises. We're just doing what we can, as we can. And we have a long-term goal to steadily increase LGBTQA+ representation on YJ, and we're working toward that. TPTB have been much more cooperative for Seasons Three and Four (though still not 100% cooperative) than they were for the first two seasons.
Believe me, I have very personal stakes in this fight. This MATTERS to me.
Marvelman writes...
Hi Greg. I'm going to ask for a spoiler only because it is a spoiler you have already given us.
Years ago, you said that a villain from the YJ:Legacy would play a role in season 3 - if it ever happened. Is that still the case? (I'm guessing you were referring to Tiamat as she is the only villain specific to Legacy.)
Also, is the general plan you had for season 3 the same as it was when you completed season 2? I guess you'll be able to talk more freely about this after Outsiders has aired.
Greg responds...
1. There were a number of villains that Legacy and Outsiders had in common. I no longer remember who specifically I might have been referring to.
2. The general plan for the entire series (including S3) hasn't changed.
Marvelman writes...
I always imagined Wally and Jade liking each other for some reason, and then it hit me: Jade is like a darker, nastier, sultrier version of Artemis. So, my questions are:
1) Do Wally and Jade like each other?
2) Was it your intention to have the two sisters mirror each others personalities to some extent? Or, am I imposing my own interpretation after the fact?
Greg responds...
1. They don't have much of a relationship, honestly, i.e. haven't spent a ton of time together. But I think they had good days and bad.
2. Both.
Dylan writes...
Hi there Greg in regards to Young Justice, since the cancellation in 2013 and the revival now, have major ideas changed since then? Anything that would be considered a spoiler that you've decided against/change it?
Greg responds...
Our basic gameplan never changed.
roni writes...
hey greg! gotta ask:
1. How have you been? :)
2. So, what's your opinion on Voltron: Legendary Defender, the one currently airing on Netflix made by Dreamworks? Have you watched it, or worked with anyone who has also worked on it?
3. I wish you knew how excited I am for YJS3, because can't explain in words. :')))
hope you have a good day!
Greg responds...
1. Really good, actually. Got through the pandemic largely unscathed personally. My family stayed healthy, and we all stayed employed. I can't complain. (I mean, I DO complain all the time, but really I shouldn't.) Young Justice: Phantoms is going great guns through Post-Production. So all is well.
2. Haven't seen it, so I have no opinion, but I know a bunch of people who worked on it, and they're all great, so I imagine the show must be great, too.
3. Hope you liked it and are now equally excited for YJS4
You have a good day, too!
A Fan writes...
Just wanted to preface this with how much I enjoy your work and admiration to the comic world! I sincerely love everything you do. That being said..
Are you underwhelmed, whelmed, or overwhelmed for the new season of Young Justice? :)
Greg responds...
At this stage, none of the above. I assume - back in 2018 - you were talking about Outsiders. I'm thrilled with how it turned out and generally thrilled with fan response to it.
As for the coming Phantoms, we're in the home stretch finishing it up. Put episode 414 in the can last night. So I'm not overwhelmed with work. But I'm very excited about it dropping and seeing what the fans think of it.
Marvelman writes...
There have been many superhero stories about killing vs. not killing. (My personal favorite is Geoff John's Black Reign in JSA.) On the one side are heroes like Batman who say that taking a life is never justified even if the result would be good. On the other side are heroes like Wonder Woman who say sometimes the consequences of not killing would be so catastrophically bad that taking a life is sometimes necessary. Taking this further, you have anti-heroes like classic Wolverine who feels that anybody who uses lethal force against him should expect the same in return.
You touched upon the question as to whether the ends justifies the means in M'Gann's character arc in Invasion. But CN and other traditional media are usually very very leery about even saying the words "die" or "kill" in a cartoon directed at a young audience. Certainly, you could not have done a story like Black Reign while YJ was on CN. I mean... you COULD have but it probably would have been dumb because you could not have addressed the issue of murder in an open and honest manner.
So, the question is...
Are the standards of the DC streaming service permissive enough for you to address this issue in season 3 or future seasons? Or, would this kind of subject matter still be prohibited?
I hope you don't think I'm fishing for spoilers because I'm not. I just want to find out what kind of themes and subject matter would be acceptable for your new venue.
Greg responds...
We don't seem to have the same kind of limitations on Seasons Three and Four that we had on Seasons One and Two.
Chronos Typhoon writes...
Hey Greg,
Which animation studio(s) will be providing the animation services for Young Justice S3? Will MOI and Lotto provide the services this time around again?
Greg responds...
I'm not sure MOI and Lotto exist in the same way that they did back during Seasons One and Two.
Animation for Season Three was largely split between eMation and DR Movie, with Studio Mir doing a couple episodes.
Season Four is being entirely animated by Studio Mir.
KarrinBlue writes...
So, one of the complaints I've seen come up in discussions about Young Justice is that the villains are too well-prepared for any contingency, beyond what anyone could plan for, and it's hard to root for heroes when they can't make any progress against the villains' plans. And then I realized - well, why are we trusting a bunch of career liars and manipulators to actual say when something's caused them trouble? They'd do everything in their power to make it look like they're in control, always one step ahead, but looking at the actual evidence, we get a different story entirely.
Take Bereft - Superboy escapes capture, the League gets a heads-up that someone in Bialya is messing around with zeta-beams, Sphere is lost, and the Light's top telepath is soundly beaten, and yet none of that matters, because the delivery system was successfully tested... But who ever said the delivery system needed to be tested? It's a boom tube, which the New Gods have been using for centuries, tech that's as tried-and-true to them as anything, and there doesn't seem to be any reason to expect boom tubes to not work if they're being sent to Earth. Saying that it doesn't matter if they lost Sphere because the delivery system works is like saying it doesn't matter if someone breaks into your house and steals your new laptop, because you now know that the postal service that delivered it works fine. But no one in the Light would ever say something like that - they've all been spreading around a reputation of being masterminds, with goals and strategies as inevitable as the tides, so saying anything that would hint at doubt would never happen!
Or, let's look at Downtime and Misplaced. To hear the Light talk about it, getting the entire Starro organism is about the same as getting the sample from the lab, in terms of their plans, so Aqualad didn't really hurt their plans all that much. But looking at it long-term - one member of the Team, on his day off, forced the Light to adjust their plans from 'acquire a nearly endless supply of Starro-samples in one night while no Justice Leaguers are able to interfere, then begin combining it with the Fog, then spend the time until Red Arrow's induction fine-tuning the Starro-tech' to 'wait and plan for months, carry out a massive ritual that draws the attention of every superhero in the world, and in the process bring back the only mystic being that can match Klarion and lose 4 of the Light's top mystic muscle to him, all to acquire a tiny fraction of the original biomass.' Even if in the end they still got the Starro-sample, they still had to go to a lot more trouble and pay a higher price for it.
The Light is a threat, yes, but they're not omnipotent or omniscient, much as they'd like to convince their minions, their enemies, and we the audience otherwise. And I really can't wait to see S3, where they finally have to deal with a Team that can plan and scheme as well as they can.
Greg responds...
Well, I never thought they were omnipotent or omniscient. They're all flawed individuals. But they play a good game, don't you think?
Hope you liked Season Three, and hope that you tune in for Season Four, as well.
Jeff Bell writes...
Does the young justice invasion hero Wonder Girl have a longer lifespan a normal human because her father is a god ?
Greg responds...
No way to know yet. She's aging normally, so far.
Atti290 writes...
Regarding martians, i see in this unniverse martians are alive and well... i'm curious what are their numbers, thousands? millions? billions?
Greg responds...
Uh... I'm not really sure. I'd guess... Millions?
Jaden writes...
I know Paula kicked Sportsmaster out of the house, but are they divorced? If not, how come?
Greg responds...
I'd say by now they are.
won writes...
this isnt really a question but. im still blown away that after so long, y'all were finally able to make a season 3 of yj!!! the fact that you and brandon made a world full of characters we all got so sucked into, are still invested in and excited for almost a decade later is amazing. i cant wait to see where outsiders takes us. best wishes to you, brandon and the rest of the cast and crew moving forward!
Greg responds...
Thanks!! By now, hopefully, you've seen Young Justice: Outsiders, and are looking forward to Young Justice: Phantoms (i.e. YJS4), which is coming soon.
Ameera writes...
Will the Young Justice theme song for season 3 have any words? Also, how many episodes have already been recorded for Young Justice season 3??
Greg responds...
1. No.
2. 26.
3. 26 have also been fully recorded for Season Four. We have thirteen episodes in the can, seven more in post-production. The last six are being animated by Studio Mir now. Pre-production is virtually complete, except for a little bit of color on the last episode.
Hayden writes...
Will the complete young justice timeline be revel if all future seasons of the young justice you Mister Greg plan for the show to have are produce ?
Greg responds...
Never. Cuz we'll never run out of ideas for future seasons, and the timeline is constantly growing. Right now it's 694 pages on my desktop computer and 609 pages on my laptop. (I have no explanation for the discrepancy. It's the exact same document. My desktop is much older than my laptop.)
Marvelman writes...
What are Brandon's responsibilities on YJ, specifically? What does his job consist of?
Greg responds...
EVERYTHING.
In theory, I'm in charge of Writing and Voice. He's top dog on Design and Direction. We both cover post.
But Brandon and I are full partners in every sense. We both break the stories together. And we both write individual episodes. I story edit every script, whether it's written by Brandon, one of our freelancers, or myself. But Brandon gives notes on every script.
We both supervise voice recordings. We both supervise boards, animatics and all designs. We both do post-production together. Because I'm color deficient, Brandon handles Quantel without me. But the rest we do together. Brandon can also draw, so he does some frame corrections and other improvements I could never do.
Plus, he's smarter than I am. He's irreplaceable. I'm largely irreplaceable. Largely.
Anonymous writes...
1. Did Green Arrow ever go on a cross-country road trip with Hal Jordan?
2. How long have Vandal Savage and Klarion known each other?
3. How old is Starro?
4. Where did Psimon get his powers?
5. Where did Brick get his powers?
Greg responds...
1. No spoilers.
2. No spoilers.
3. Which one?
4. No spoilers.
5. No spoilers.
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