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Young Justice: Phantoms

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Marvelman writes...

In Phantoms, you have thus far been more conservative with depictions of sex, language, and violence & gore. This is not a criticism - just an observation. Is this a deliberate decision on your part, or has the shift from DC Universe to HBO Max imposed more limitations upon your subject matter? Or, is it a combination of the two?

Greg responds...

I don't think we have. But in any case, we've had no additional limitations "imposed" on us by HBO Max.

Response recorded on May 02, 2022

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Jason R Carter writes...

1. We have a pretty good idea of what Joker thinks of Riddler, but what does Riddler think of Joker?

2. Is it weird that I'm curious how Lex Luthor might be taking the news of Conner's apparent demise, assuming he knows?

3. Does Vandal Savage have an actual middle name?

Greg responds...

1. For the time being, I'll leave that to your imagination.

2. I don't think it's weird.

3. He has many.

Response recorded on May 02, 2022

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Anonymous writes...

How old is K'arr M'angg?

Greg responds...

K'arr M'angg was born in 1858.

Response recorded on April 29, 2022

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King_Joey writes...

Some Questions about Aliens

1. If Goode World Studios has been around since the 40s does that mean that Gretchen Goode has been running it since then; or did she just take over a studio that was already there? I would imagine it would get difficult to explain why she does not seem to age over a 70 year period of time.

2. The Collector of Worlds mentioned that the Super Cycle was New God Life-Tech, or New Genesian Life-Tech, or something like that. Does Life-Tech imitate living things so well that it actually GROWS? Or is the Super Cycle just getting bigger some other way, like through mechanical upgrades?

3. If Martians can live for centuries, murder is incredibly rare on Mars, and they breed large families, then should overpopulation not become a problem quickly? Especially on a planet so small.

4. While they were on Mars was the high pressure under the ground simulating Earth gravity?

5. If not how was Super Boy able to walk normally under Mars' much lighter gravity?

Greg responds...

1. Goode World Studios has not been around since the 40s. I understand where that confusion came about, but Jonathan Lord's early movies were NOT produced by Goode World. They were produced by a now defunct studio. Goode World sponsored the restoration of these films.

2. It's constantly evolving - in stages.

3. Yes. It's a problem. Which may explain there "need" for caste systems that scapegoat.

4. Something like that.

5. See above.

Response recorded on April 28, 2022

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Anonymous writes...

So regarding the Meta-Gene from my understanding it is essentially a genetic marker that can unlock natural abilities due to experiencing extreme stress and duress. The meta gene also happens to be opportunistic in nature and now here is my big question What about the Flash Family they gained their powers through a specific experiment and have no blood relations to each other so why manifest powers so similar to each other.
2. Would Flash Family be considered meta humans or should we consider all humans with powers meta-human.
3. Should Superman be classified as a meta since he didn't seem to suffer by side effects of Granny's Anti Life Equation machine Device in Terminus or should we just attribute this to kryptonian endurance and yellow sun radiation.

Greg responds...

1. Something about Jay's accident, which Barry recreated under laboratory conditions and Wally recreated under garage lab conditions, leads to speed. (Bart inherited his speed from his grandfather.)

2. If tested, you'd discover that all four have the meta-gene.

3. The latter.

Response recorded on April 20, 2022

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Pandy writes...

Why did you guys decide to completely abandon the friendships of the OG crew in S4? What made me love YJ was their interpersonal dynamics. When it was announced that the season would focus on them, I didn't expect them to be completely separated from each other. I miss them together. I feel that you don't understand that part of the success of YJ is the relationships you've developed between the orginal team.

Greg responds...

I would tend to disagree with you and, as has become common here at ASK GREG with reference to Young Justice, to ask you to have patience.

Response recorded on April 20, 2022

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Anonymous writes...

Mr. Weisman,

Interestingly, the real name for the YJ version of Orphan that you chose was Cassandra Wu-San; as opposed to Cassandra Cain like in the comics. This then prompts the question of whether or not David Cain is still Cassandra Cain's father in the YJ animated universe and, if he is, would this then suggest that the change to Cassandra Cain's last name seemingly indicate that her father was likely never involved (or was never allowed to be) in her life?

Greg responds...

Sorry, but this just gets one big NO SPOILERS at this time.

Response recorded on April 20, 2022

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Clark Cradic writes...

Does Black Canary have a civilian life/job or is she more or less a hero full time?

Greg responds...

She has a civilian life and a civilian job (or two).

Response recorded on April 20, 2022

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Marvelman writes...

In "I Know Why the Caged Cat Sings', Clark seemed to be dancing around an issue with Jon. He spoke about Connor's journey ending which implies the existence of a soul and an afterlife.

Why not just come out and say that Superman believes in God and Connor's soul is in Heaven? Are you concerned about offending someone or making it seem like the show supports a particular religion? As an agnostic, I have no problem with characters having religious beliefs. I don't even have a problem with you mentioning Jesus, Muhammad, Yahweh, or Krishna. It would completely in keeping with Superman's character to believe in a higher power or a higher good. The only time I have a problem with people's beliefs is when they try to impose them on others.

Or, am I proceeding on a false premise?

Greg responds...

I don't think Clark was dancing. He just wasn't talking about it. He was trying to explain death, not the afterlife. In talking with experts, we learned it's best not to mix topics when explaining them to small children. But Martha clearly didn't get that memo and stated her beliefs to Jonny very clearly in the very same scene.

I think by now, it's fairly clear that we're an ecumenical show, one that is open to many religions and has OBJECTIVELY demonstrated that the soul exists.

The latter bothers me, by the way. I'd love to be more inclusive of atheists. I aspire to be an atheist myself, but frankly I'm too superstitious. And I don't know how - in the fantasy world of Earth-16, which includes things like ghosts, phantoms, souls, demons, gods, etc. - to make space for true atheism, which is a philosophy I find most admirable in real life. But it's tough to run with in a genre show.

Response recorded on April 19, 2022

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Anonymous writes...

How old is Martha Kent?

Greg responds...

Martha Clark was born in 1938.

Response recorded on April 19, 2022

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Mei writes...

I have a question that hopefully won't be considered a spoiler by the time you get it.

I'm baffled by Jade's decision to stay on Infinity Island AFTER Sensei admitted to manipulation. Did that admission not matter to her? I understand her concerns about not wanting to drag Lian into "the life"... but does she still consider Sensei and Ra's trustworthy enough to believe Sensei's statement about rehab and not being in the business anymore? I'm a bit surprised Artemis agreed to it so easily, too. If the answer doesn't constitute a spoiler, could you explain her headspace a bit?

Greg responds...

I guess I could. But I won't. I think honesty - even honesty about past sins - is always disarming. But in the end, I think it's best to leave it to the audience's interpretation.

Response recorded on April 19, 2022

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Anonymous writes...

1. If any more Gargoyles projects ever get launched, have you considered what platform you want it have? Streaming on exclusive platform or TV? It would be amazing to have a more mature rating, so Gargoyles can tell mature stores without worrying about censoring anything.
2. I don’t know if you answered this already, but just in case - what are Gargoyles views of sexuality? Lexington is gay, I’m curious about how they views of LBGTQ.
3. I think Gargoyles would an awesome video game one day! Have you ever thought about it? I play with Brooklyn (my favorite) the most, what about you?
4. I know you love make allusions your works in your other shows. Will there for allusions to Gargoyles in upcoming episodes of Young Justice? Zatanna’s arc is next, I’ll keep my eyes peel!
5. Aside of Gabriel and Angela, I wish we could know more about the Avalon clan! I know during a break in the World Tour arc, Goliath spend time with the them. Was any moments you would have like to have show with Goliath bonding with his children and introducing more named members of the clan?

Greg responds...

1. Honestly, I'll take what I can get. But I assume the most likely venue is Disney+. At least at the moment. Not that they've asked.

2. They have no issues with it. Basically, they have a "You Do You" mentality.

3. There was a Gargoyles video game back in the day. But I think you had to be Goliath. I'm not sure though. Never played it. I'm not a gamer.

4. By now, you should have seen a few...

5. I have lots of stories. Just need a venue...

Response recorded on April 19, 2022

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Anonymous writes...

So I had a question with regards to Face Your Fears-
1. Wally is the first one to break out of the effects of Medusa Mask which he cites is probably due to his fast metabolism. Was this assessment of Wally wrong or right.
2. Does this mean Wally has more resistance or will the effects of emotion manipulation will have a shorter impact, basically does his fast metabolism give him any advantages.
3. Also Why has the Light not been able to create a speedster as fast as Barry, Wally or Jay, as you have revealed earlier Jaculi and Trajectory are both slower is it because of Barry's notes which the Light doesn't have, so does that mean Barry's note are under lock and key meanwhile Light has weaker speedsters than even Barry.

Greg responds...

1. I think it's wise to leave that to your interpretation.

2. It doesn't hoit!

3. Barry is considerably faster than Jay or Wally ever were. Bart is more or less at Barry's level, though not quite. Still, he's younger, so he may some day wind up even faster than Barry. Trajectory is not as fast as Jay. Jaculi was not as fast as Trajectory is. After Wally stole Barry's notes, Barry made sure no one else could ever steal those notes again.

Response recorded on April 19, 2022

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Anonymous writes...

Why did shade join the league of shadows?

Greg responds...

He and Ra's go way back. WAY back.

Response recorded on April 18, 2022

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NoOneSpecial writes...

So this post is going to be about Barbara and the sequence of how she becomes Oracle in your series.

For starters, one change I greatly enjoyed is the fact you made Barbra lose her legs in the LINE OF DUTY. I mean this in a good way, but rarely do we see the heroes get hurt in significant way that impedes them. For Barbara, getting hurt on a mission like reminds us that this is dangerous work yet she does it regardless of the risk. I never liked the way it is handled in Killing Joke, as just reduces Barbra to feeling like a mere victim. And I know that serves the main theme of that story, i.e random tragedy, but it always felt like a bit of disservice to her character.

Now to the negative stuff. Or maybe the nitpicking stuff? Ok, so one thing I do enjoy in a story is the consistency of knowledge in how characters react to the story. The audience/viewer often have an omnipresent view of events. We know things that happening that the characters do not. One example is how we know the Light are the ones behind everything in Season 1, yet the heroes still believe it to be the work of the Injustice League because that's all the information they have. And this is reflected in how they operate going forward until they get more information on the Light. Characters knowing things that should be out of their scope is something I dislike because of how inconsistent it appears especially when it's done for convenience of the writers to have characters know or react to things in some manner despite them not knowing something.

This brings me to the exchange between Barbara and Orphan.

'I did it to save you'

This is great sentiment, but it feels very much unearned, since Barbara, by all accounts does not know this person she is saving, nor does she know what kind of impact these words will have on her.

We know who Orphan is based on what Cheshire said. She was raised her entire life to be a living weapon, trained to kill and could never be anything beyond that. Barbara stopping her from killing, at the expense of her legs makes an impact on Orphan because it rattles the world view she was raised with and such an act of empathy is not something she would be used.

But Barbara (as far as I can tell) does NOT know anything about Orphan's circumstances. Artemis did not even know anything until Cheshire told her. And I have to assume Batman only learned about Orphan's background after taking her in. From Barbara's point of view, this is just a random Shadow sent by the Light to kill the Joker. Kinda like all those Shadow goons the heroes often beat up. The heroes don't know that this one is special, while the audience does know this. What if this had been Black Spider, Rictus, Sportsmaster or Deathstroke? I know Barbara would save the Joker regardless, but it's not like she would take Slade's hand and say she was trying to save his soul. Another point is that Barbara does not know if Orphan has killed prior to this incident. Hell, I don't think even the audience knows if Orphan has killed before this. So, it comes off as little naive for her to say that this was done to protect Orphan from the act of taking a life.

Basically, if my inane rambling makes any sense, what I'm trying to say is that exchange between Barbara and Orphan is unearned and lacks an emotional investment. Or at least did for me, not necessarily others. It’s just….Barbara saying she wants to help this random assassin requires more depth between her and Orphan than what was presented. And it seems to rely on the fact the audience is well aware of Orphan's situation, but the characters in the show are not. WE know this saves Orphan, but Barbara does not know this. If this had been another Shadow, I'd imagine they would just leave Barbara to bleed out and go on their merry way.

But now I'm going to play Devil's advocate for a second. I suppose that since Orphan actually stopped in the middle of her mission, kneeling in front of the wounded Barbara and even taking off her mask may have been enough of an indication to Barbara that she was not some cold blooded assassin but a genuine first timer. I guess Barbara was going out on limb based on Orphan's very…..human reaction?

I don't want anything that I said to come off as….bad. But I want to be honest too. I love Young Justice greatly as much as I love Gargoyles (and WITCH btw), so I want to be constructive when I criticize it. Maybe things will play out as the show goes further, I will wait and see. Maybe there was more to your thought process on this all worked that I am simply not seeing. But those were my thought on how you handled Barbara becoming Oracle.

Looking forward to rest of Season 4

Greg responds...

You're skipping one very important thing. (And that's aside from the fact that you don't really know what Barbara did and didn't know.) And that's the obvious fact that Orphan is a CHILD. Clearly, visually, a child. Batgirl could SEE that. I could go on, but I wonder if that would change your opinion. (I realize it might not, but it makes a big difference to me.)

Response recorded on April 14, 2022

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Walker writes...

Has Beast Boy met Superman's Jonathan before conner died on mars?

Greg responds...

I assume you mean Superman's son Jonny Kent, correct? If so, yes. He's likely also met Superman's father, Jonathan Kent, in case that's whom you meant.

Response recorded on April 13, 2022

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Anonymous writes...

1)Is Artemis Terra's mentor?

2)How would you characterize their relationship? I ask because I get the impression after Outsiders that they're really tight.

3) A lot of these mentor-protege relationships seem to blur the lines between teacher, friend, and family member, don't they?

Greg responds...

1. One of them, yes. Emotionally, perhaps the most important one.

2. They are. I'd say Artemis is like a big sister to Terra.

3. For better or for worse, yep.

Response recorded on April 13, 2022

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YoungJusticeFAN writes...

How long is bio-ship life spawn?

Greg responds...

Um... about thirty meters from nose to tail, at least initially. That's just an estimate based on the visual. I'm not too good at estimating this sort of thing, however. Maybe it's more of a question for Brandon.

Response recorded on April 12, 2022

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Anonymous writes...

Dear Mr Weisman 1. Did Night wing forgive Orphan for what she Unintentionally did to Bat girl when they first met or does he have some resentment of her but is still mature about it? 2.How did Dubbilex, Jim, and everyone else in geranium city react when they herd about what happened to Superboy on mars? 3 . Does Brooklyn maine seem like an odd town to you as well? because apart From the Mayor Sheriff Maguire and the newsgirls the town seemed empty. most places in Brooklyn where closed Miss Rodriguez seemed to be the only patren in the library in the season 3 episode Brooklyn Maine was featured and (yes i know it can count as both a Newsboy legion and i. q. reforince as well) Gaby Gabrielli sead she had a study date with ''Big words'' before she corrected herself somthing about all of it seems odd to me

Greg responds...

1. He forgave her. Whether he doesn't have dark moments EVER, is another story. But he has forgiven her.

2. To the extent that we've shown you their mourning in tidbits, there you are. Beyond that, I'm fine leaving it to your imagination.

3. It was a cold winter night during the off-season, when businesses close early. The battle took place in a specific area, that was not residential. It wasn't meant to be odd, in any case.

Response recorded on April 12, 2022

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Anonymous writes...

Why does Halo wear a hijab but then wear a skintight bodysuit?

Greg responds...

Halo/Violet is a work in progress. They were easily influenced as they moved forward from their unique creation.

So the memory of the hijab being important to Gabrielle lingered and made Halo more comfortable in one. But all their new super-hero buddies wear skintight bodysuits - and that's literally what Dick tossed over to them, so Halo took that as a given, as well. What they choose going forward as Violet begins to assert their own individuality is going to be more telling, ultimately, than what they wore at the beginning of the journey, when they were still finding their way.

It's the same with pronouns, in essence. They were fine being addressed as she, at first. But when they stopped to think and decide for themselves, they landed on preferring they/them pronouns.

Again, a work in progress.

Aren't we all?

Once upon a time, I thought I looked cool wearing a bowler hat. No joke. (I mean I looked like a joke, but I really liked it!)

Response recorded on April 12, 2022

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Anonymous writes...

Hi Greg - YJ is a great show that obviously resonates with a lot of people. But sometimes I feel like the writers don't realize why people love the show so much.

I think most people got hooked on the character development and world-building of Season 1. Seeing our favorite comic characters reimagined in this unique universe you've created. The rest of the seasons have been more focused on driving the plot forward, at the expense of character. The time skip disappointed a lot of people because years of character development and interactions happened off screen. And as the cast got bigger, it became clear that only some characters were going to get screentime while others were basically scenery. This was also disappointing for the fans of characters that were introduced in later seasons; especially for characters that have never been properly portrayed in DC media like Cassie, Tim, Cissie, Cassandra, Stephanie, etc. I wanted to see all of them get the same type of treatment the Season 1 cast got, but there are so many characters that we barely know anything about. And with the time skips, we may never get to know them because the writers have decided they're not important for the plot.

I remember lots of fans gave you this type of feedback during Season 2, and you tbh you were kind of dismissive about it and then doubled down on the approach in Season 3. I know this is ultimately your show, but I wish you would take the feedback from the fans who fell in love with it.

Greg responds...

Hi, Anonymous. I don't mean to be dismissive. But at the end of the day, I don't see HOW we could possibly satisfy your criteria.

I mean think about it. If this were a quote-unquote "normal show," we'd have stuck with our original six characters with no time skips. You'd never have even SEEN Cassie, Tim, Cissie, Cassandra and Stephanie, let alone gotten any character development for them. By season four, we'd still be in the middle of the first time skip. You'd have Raquel. Zatanna. Maybe Troia and Garth. Maybe Jason. But we wouldn't have even touched on the names on your list.

And I don't agree that we sacrificed character development in Seasons Two and Three for plot. Those seasons were indeed plot driven, in the sense that who we focused on was driven by plot. Hence, S2 gave Jaime a lot of focus that he hasn't had since. And S3 gave Garfield a lot of focus. Etc. But each season was, I think, objectively rich in character development. But just not for the characters that you personally were most interested in seeing developed. And I am 100% sure that there are many, many fans who would chose the exact same characters as you for their development preferences. But there are also many, many fans who would only pick some of the characters you listed and substitute other choices for the ones they don't care so much about. And many, many fans who would have an entirely different list from yours. There's literally no way to satisfy everyone. And so when you say we should listen to fan feedback, whose should we listen to? Yours? Some other fan who has a different set of priorities?

In the end, we can't listen to anyone except ourselves. We have to be passionate about the show, or else we can't expect anyone else to be passionate about it. We just have to cross our fingers and hope that our preferences resonate with as many fans as possible. So far, that's worked out pretty well for us. Though there have been plenty of fans who haven't been thrilled, and many who are downright disgruntled with us. Such is life. Again, that's not me being dismissive. It's me being realistic.

And, in any case, with the obvious exception of Wally, if your primary interest was in the original group (i.e. Dick, Kaldur, Conner, M'gann and Artemis), then I think the time skips have aided us in developing these five characters to a greater degree than we could have done without them. Again, without them, you'd have never seen Kaldur go from Aqualad to Aquaman. You'd have never seen him go undercover with Black Manta. You'd have never seen him with Wynnde, etc. We'd still be stuck in a perennial Season One mode. There'd be some character development of course, but nothing near the level we've been able to bring to you across our four seasons.

And in any case, season four is extremely character focused and on the seven characters shown in the season's main title: Dick, Kaldur, Conner, M'gann, Artemis, Raquel and Zatanna. Those seven might not be your first choice for development, and I can understand that. But five of those seven have been our leads since the beginning, so per your own argument, that's who we SHOULD be focused on.

Response recorded on April 11, 2022

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Trent writes...

Does Tigress's uniform have stealth-tech? If so, why did she not use it when sneaking around Santa Prisca in 4x07?

Greg responds...

1. I would think so.

2. Maybe she felt her colored version would blend in better in the jungles of Santa Prisca.

Response recorded on April 08, 2022

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Darren writes...

How do Miss Martian's parents feel out Miss Martian and Beast Boy viewing each other as sister and brother ? Does Miss MARTIAN's parents view Beast boy as being part of thier family ?

Greg responds...

1. At this point, just fine.

2. They have come to, yes.

Response recorded on April 08, 2022

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Terutor writes...

Hi Mr Weisman,
In Ep7 of YJ: Phantoms, Nightwing requests a medevac to someone known as A33. This sounds like a guest designation, but I can't find who it is assigned to. Could you tell us who that was, or is it someone brought up later in the season? Thanks.

Greg responds...

I could indeed tell you, but our policy is not to spoil such things until they are (a) revealed in actual canon content or (b) clearly no longer have a shot at being revealed in canon content for some reason (e.g. the character has switched categories and would never again use their old designation). Neither applies to A-33.

Response recorded on April 08, 2022

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Marvelman writes...

Jade always acts "pissy" when she talks to Artemis. My reading of Jade's attitude is that it's a cover for her feelings of guilt over having not been a better sister or mother. Is this a good reading?

Greg responds...

I don't think "pissy" is a good reading. I don't think that describes even half of their interactions over four seasons and a video game.

Response recorded on April 08, 2022


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