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Young Justice: Phantoms
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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.
Anonymous writes...
How old is K'arr M'angg?
Greg responds...
K'arr M'angg was born in 1858.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
Anonymous writes...
How old is Martha Kent?
Greg responds...
Martha Clark was born in 1938.
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.
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...
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.
Anonymous writes...
Why did shade join the league of shadows?
Greg responds...
He and Ra's go way back. WAY back.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Zozin writes...
Regarding the Team's spytech lenses. They all have a dedicated logo. I noticed that the heroes who have chest logos, usually have matching interface logos. But those who don't (like Spoiler and Arsenal) usually have a customized logo.
I love them.
Who came up with them and what are the criteria for them?
Greg responds...
Brandon came up with nearly everything about the AR lenses. As for the logos, as you noted, most match up with chest logos. Where those don't exist, we have short discussions about what might be used and then somebody - sometimes Brandon, but sometimes one of our designers or one of our VFX artists - comes up with something, as needed.
Lara writes...
Why Beast Boy not happy Miss Martian's sister Em'ree Jonzz using his mom's form but Garfield Logan is ok with Miss Martian using his mom's form in young justice season 4 episode 1 Inhospitable ?
Greg responds...
He's always known her in that form. It helped them form a bond ten years ago. Context is everything.
Anonymous writes...
Dear Mr weisman while i am sure that Oracle forgave her for a tragic event that occurred when they first met Does Orphan still blame herself for what happened to Bat girl that day ?
Greg responds...
To some degree, she'd almost have to, wouldn't you think?
Anonymous writes...
When exactly did the infiltrators steal the JL Computer intel? Was it when Cassandra was lying next to the Zeta-Tube?
If she already had the intel, then why didn't Shade simply teleport her out? This way they would get the intel and keep Cassandra's cover to use again in the future.
Greg responds...
1 & 1a. Yep.
2. Don't know whether Shade knew if she had it yet. He's not psychic.
Regis writes...
Hello Greg !
Love what you and Brandon did with young justice, a timeline going on its own, and the scenario is brilliant ! My question would be : will you continue the show after you've come to the end of your story ? Because I'm scared that it ends up like shows like Arrow and Flash who only make a next season as long as the studios command one more, and they have nothing more to say but they still go on... Please don't ^^
But anyway thank you very much for this show, it's a writing gem and a true pleasure to any fans of Dc !
Greg responds...
The story has no end. Characters age, but new younger characters are always joining. We'll keep going as long as they allow us to, in whatever medium they allow us to. Given that we've introduced the Legion, we could, in theory, keep going for a thousand years...
Anonymous writes...
It's great that you're working with the Muslim Public Affairs Council on Halo, but in the future would you consider hiring more writers of color when creating these types of characters? I think a lot of the issues with Halo could've been avoided if there was an Arab/Muslim woman in the room. Increasing diversity in entertainment needs to extend to all areas.
Greg responds...
The short answer is yes, but I do want to clarify a trio of points, just for the sake of accuracy.
1. We didn't create Halo.
2. We did consult with a Muslim woman when developing the character for our series. But she wasn't a writer on the series.
3. In season four, we did have a Muslim woman writer in the room. And more writers of color in general in both Seasons Three and Four.
Those efforts aren't enough, of course, but they're a start.
Anonymous writes...
What happens to a light member’s power base after they get captured or killed? Do they just get dissolved or does the light keep control of them?
Greg responds...
One has to take everything case by case, but it's safe to assume that the Light tries to maintain its collective power base as much as possible.
Douglas writes...
Why did Superman trust Garfield with Garfield knowing superman's man is Clark Kent by the time of young justice season 4 ? Why did Miss Martian send Garfield back to Earth with Superman when Miss Martian stay on mars looking for her white martian brother ? Why did Garfield not want to see Perdita's speech after watching king Brion's speech in episode Artemis Looking Through The Looking Glass ?
Greg responds...
1. By season four, most all the heroes know each others' identities.
2. The premise of your question doesn't track. Miss Martian didn't send Garfield anywhere. Garfield is an adult.
3. I'll leave that to your interpretation.
Anonymous writes...
1 Was the joker more pissed off by the fact that he was used like a pawn by the light or that he was the only one not in on it?
2 since the joker was aware savage was a part if the light. Was he also aware that lex luthor was a member? Is that a part of the reason Why he decided to bomb the UN
3 Does the joker also now desire revenge against the other injustice league members for not letting him in on their true goal?
Greg responds...
1. In the immortal words of Abe Simpson, "A little from Column A; a little from Column B."
2. I'm neither confirming or denying anything, but I think that's a safe bet.
3. I think it's cute that you expect the Joker to be consistent.
French Flamingo writes...
Greg, I love your work on Star Wars Rebels, Spectacular Spider Man, and Young Justice. What I would like to ask is why in the new season of young justice you adapted a certain character's origin.
P.S: love you Greg keep being awesome
Greg responds...
Thanks, French. But honestly, your question is too cagey for me to follow? Do you mean Orphan? Oracle? Onyx? (Why do they all begin with "O"?)
Anonymous writes...
Hi Mr. Weisman, really love watching Phantoms and the fruits of your labor! I had a bit of a different question for you.
You said in the past that you were impressed with Avatar: The Last Airbender and you were planning on watching The Legend of Korra after.
1) What did you think about the sequel series? Particularly in relation to its predecessor?
2) I know you try to keep your own work original and you try to avoid taking outside ideas, but were there certain elements (story or character) from either Avatar:TLA or TLOK that you felt were interesting to use in your stories?
3) If you had an opportunity to work within that universe, would you craft a story with gambits that you're so famously known for or would you take a different direction than usual?
Thank you again. Young Justice and Avatar/Korra were large elements of my childhood and what stands out to me are the very strong themes, characters, and over-arching narrative. I feel pretty blessed to be part of a generation that could have not only enjoyed it but grew up with them as well.
Greg responds...
1. I haven't watched it yet. I watched Avatar with my son. Now, he's all grow'd up and living 3,000 miles away, and we don't have the same kind of time to sit together and watch an entire series. Still would like to someday.
2. I actively try not to think that way.
3. That's such a massive hypothetical, I don't even know how to answer it.
Anonymous writes...
Why do you hate Tim Drake so much, Greg? Are you getting back at the people who harassed you for using Dick instead of Tim in S1?
LOL mostly joking - I know there are lots of supporting characters that people would like to see more of. But it does kind of seem like you don't like the character too much. His appearance in that S3 episode where Nightwing is sick and he doesn't say a word still kills me.
Greg responds...
It kind of kills me too. And I feel really bad for Cameron Bowen, whom I adore as a persona and as a performer, and whom without a doubt has gotten short shrift. But we have budgets. We can't bring in every actor we'd like to. So we deal with what we have and make the best of it - or try to.
And, no, I don't hate Tim at all. But our larger story lines simply haven't involved him much in Outsiders nor in the first half - at least - of Phantoms. Give us more of Earth-16, and we'll get to him eventually, i swear.
Midori Tanaka writes...
Greg, first I wanted to thank you for continuing to explore Jade's character, love her bigger presence in Phantoms. Question: hpw fun is writing Artemis and Jade relationship?
Greg responds...
Very. Very, very.
They both have such distinct and complex personalities, scenes between them all but write themselves.
Plus, watching Kelly and Stephanie perform against each other - and we recorded their arc pre-pandemic when we were still recording the cast in groups - is always a treat. They really make great sisters!
Anonymous writes...
Why did Artemis never strip-search Cassandra for anything suspicious. Considering they had no idea if Cassandra or Onyx was a mole and they brought all those outside sources to confirm if they were speaking the truth. A strip-search sounds like a basic precaution. Which would have allowed them to discover cassandra’s glamour charm and see through her deception
Greg responds...
I don't agree that a strip search would've necessarily revealed the glamour charm. When you can't see something, it's easy enough for a little sleight of hand to hide it.
And, in any case, I'm sure they searched Cassandra and Onyx thoroughly.
NoOneSpecial writes...
I hope this doesn't come off as a lewd sounding set of questions, but
1. Was Gabriele Daou a virgin prior to her death?
2. As of the end of Season 3, is Halo a virgin?
I understand that if the to question one is yes, then question two may seem a little redundant, but technically Halo would never have experienced sex before, even though she may a 'body' that has experienced sex before.
Greg responds...
1. I'd think so.
2. I know what I think the answer is, but I think it's best if I leave it open to interpretation.
Anonymous writes...
While I appreciate you taking feedback on Halo from us Muslim fans and trying to improve her representation, I honestly think she's too flawed to be fixed for a number of reasons:
1. Gabrielle Daou. I think this is an odd name for a Muslim Arab character. Gabrielle derives from Gabriel, which is a Biblical name. The Quranic version is Jibril (the archangel) and as far as I know there's no feminine version...plus a lot of Muslims don't like to use the names of the angels for humans in the first place. It would've been better to give her an Islamic name; there are SO many with beautiful meanings that you could've played with. And the surname Daou is not one I've seen before, so I could be wrong about this - I've tried researching and it's been hard to find information about its origins. It doesn't appear to be a very common surname, I'm curious how you guys even found it because it's not in any of the lists of most common Arab or Muslim surnames I encountered. But from what I can gather, it's mostly seen in Lebanon. I don't know exactly where Qurac is in the YJ universe, but I know in DC it's typically around Saudi Arabia and Iraq. If that's the case, there are lots of surnames more common to that area you could've used to make it more accurate or you could've used a more common Muslim surname. This may come off as nit-picky, but I think these sorts of things matter if you're going to make her ethnicity and religion a central part of her character. We're past the days of making vaguely Arab characters with traits from several different cultures like Disney's Aladdin.
2. Going off that, you've got an American South Asian woman voicing her doing a generic "brown voice"...I'm an American South Asian woman myself and that does not feel right to me. South Asian and Arab cultures are often blended together in Western media (Aladdin again) and they're very different. Why not make Halo Pakistani since the voice actor knows Urdu or use a voice actor who speaks Arabic to create a more accurate accent?
3. What is the reason Violet continues to wear the hijab? She just says it "feels right." One of my biggest pet peeves with how Muslims are portrayed in Western media is thinking that every Muslim woman wears a head scarf because the Quran says so. It's actually a huge source of debate within the religion, people have different interpretations of what modesty means, and many of us do not believe in wearing it. Then on top of that, there's the politics surrounding it. Of course I respect the women who do choose to wear it and the ones who do have a variety of reasons why. If Halo is supposed to be hijabi representation, it'd be great to know why she chooses to continue to wear it and maybe help dispel some of the stereotypes around it. As of now, it kind of seems like she only wears it because Gabrielle was a Muslim and that's what she thinks Muslims do.
4. The whole concept of the motherbox occupying the body of a dead Muslim girl. It almost feels like whitewashing in a way - you've got a character who's coded as Muslim but really isn't one. I don't know if that's the best way to describe it, but it just feels icky to me.
I'm sorry for the length and I know none of this was intentional. But it just feels like there was not enough research done when creating this character and it would've been better to have an Arab Muslim writer help create her. I do not like her as Muslim representation and I'd really like to see less emphasis on that aspect of her character. In my opinion, "Gabrielle Daou" died and her identity as a Muslim died with her. Violet Harper is a different person who simply occupies her body, so Islam does not need to continue to be a central part of Halo's character.
Greg responds...
1. You have a good point here. But the name didn't come from us, it came from the original comics (with a slight adjustment). Sometimes, we compromise/split the difference to honor our source material. It is, perhaps, a flawed approach, and in the future we'll think twice about it. But I don't agree that Gabrielle's name, which may not be perfect, is SO wrong that it invalidates her as a character. And in any case, Gabrielle is gone. So her name is moot.
2. I won't pretend I'm an expert, but we asked the voice actor to do an Arabic accent. This is what she gave us. Again, given that Qurac is a fictional country with intentionally vague geography, I don't think we're so off the mark here that it invalidates the character.
3. By now, I'm hoping you've seen why Violet continues to wear the hijab. They are on a journey of discovery. Sometimes, you just need to have a little patience with us. We can't always address everything instantaneously. We have a lot of balls in the air and many, many characters.
4. I think the point you're missing is that Violet WASN'T Muslim. Gabrielle was. Violet stated that they weren't a Muslim. Out loud. Clearly. Now, they're wondering if Islam has meaning for them. Nothing's been decided yet. But they're interested in learning. And I don't know why we'd want to discourage that. I mean if ANY non-Muslim character - whether from Qurac, Happy Harbor or New Genesis - decided they were interested in exploring Islam, you wouldn't discourage them, would you?
(Sidenote: Jews do discourage conversion. It's possible, but we don't encourage it. But Islam and Christianity are two religions that seek out converts.)
5. We probably should've involved a Muslim writer early on. And we probably should've consulted with MPAC much sooner than we did. I won't deny that. Although we DID consult with individual Muslims and got feedback. You may not like the answers they gave us, but to paraphrase Madia from this past week, no major religion is a monolith. You can no more claim to speak for all Muslims than the Muslims that we talked to.
Here's where I disagree with you. (I respect your opinion, but I do disagree with your conclusion.) We now have other Muslim characters, such as Khalid Nassour and Madia Daou, so Violet is not in the show to BE our Muslim representation. They are there to be Violet Harper/Halo. Their interest in Islam is, we believe, an important part of their character, and I have no interest in taking that away from them. But Violet doesn't have to carry a flag for Islam either. And to be clear, neither Khalid nor Madia nor Samad nor Muhammed nor Jane - all Muslims - are in the show to be REPRESENTATION. They are characters. But the more Muslims we have in the show, the less any one character has to carry the weight of being THE Muslim in the show.
In any case, I truly hope you've been watching this week. I'm hoping that the scenes between Madia and Violet have given you a new perspective. If not, well... so be it. We can't please everyone. But in general, I've gotten a tremendous amount of positive feedback from the Muslim community on those scenes, and so we're staying the course. And this time out, at least, the course was set with the help of MPAC, a Muslim writer and a Muslim voice actor. That's really the best we can do.
Anonymous writes...
Does the UN know about the light? If so how much do they know
Greg responds...
The U.N. has offered a membership to the Light, complete with all the perks, including unlimited access to free smoothies at the smoothie bar on the fifth floor.
APRIL FOOLS'!
There's no smoothie bar on the fifth floor. It's on the third floor, and everyone has to pay their own way.
STILL APRIL FOOLS!
The U.N. has been briefed on its existence, but the League has only presented what it could prove.
STILL STILL APRIL FOOLS!
No, wait. That last one's right.
Anonymous writes...
What species is bio-ship and her kin?
Greg responds...
Biologicum Navis. Because all Martians use Latin for species nomenclature. It's not a language Native to M'arzz, but it just makes everything sound so intelligent!
APRIL FOOLS!
They're just the Bio-Ship species, I guess.
Bree writes...
What's the name of those lenses the Team use? Who invented them? When?
Greg responds...
1. They're called Intensa-Lenses.
2. They were invented by Professeur Oeil, the French cousin of Professor Ojo.
3. Before breakfast.
APRIL FOOL!
Actually, I don't think we ever bothered figuring that out. Sorry.
Anonymous writes...
Since when have Bruce and Giovanni known each other?
Greg responds...
Quite awhile. At least - obviously - since Zatara joined the Justice League. At least.
Anonymous writes...
Who is A33 whom Nightwing called for medical support?
Greg responds...
No spoilers.
Anonymous writes...
1 Did m’comm genuinely think that his failed bomb attack was still a victory? Or was he just making excuses so that his followers wouldn’t lose faith
2 Why did poison ivy reveal the truth about the injustice league to the joker? What did she have to gain from turning the joker against the light?
3 Why did Lady Shiva show the Joker's video to orphan? Couldn’t she have just ordered her to kill him? It wouldn't really have mattered to her why she had to kill him anyway.
4 Why did orphan care that she crippled batgirl wasn’t killing people a thing she was raised to do since birth?
5 If lady Shiva wanted orphan back why did she wait so long to retrieve her?
Greg responds...
1. I feel safe leaving that to your interpretation.
2. I feel fine leaving that to your imagination.
3. An assassin always benefits from having more background intel.
4. Turns out she did care. Who knew that was gonna happen?
5. You make it sound easy. You also make it sound like she never tried before, which is not a given.
Ram writes...
Hi Greg,
1. How broke is Green Arrow?
-Hes dressed rather smart for someone whos broke.
-He could afford a hospital room for Speedy.
-Hes able to afford to run several vaults fully equipped with weaponry and the electrical bill that comes with it. He also repaired the damage from the bomb Speedy planted in it.
-He can afford arrows for himself and his protege.
-He can support himself and Roy (and probably also the medical bills that come with sending him to therapy, etc.)
2. How successful is Bowhunter Security?
3. How was Roy a shareholder in Bowhunter despite being a minor? Was Ollie a caretaker for his share as his guardian?
4. Did Ollie help Will start his Private Security business? How did he find investors for it?
Greg responds...
1. He's not destitute. He's just not a millionaire any longer. You're assuming he paid for Speedy's healthcare, but that's not a safe assumption. The League has funds for that sort of thing. Also, Oliver set up a substantial trust for Roy before Oliver lost his fortune. That trust went to Will, but he's since given the bulk of that over to Roy.
2. Fairly.
3. Roy's no longer a minor. Technically, i.e. legally and chronologically, he's about 28 during Season Four.
4. No. (I mean he didn't hinder it, but he didn't help financially in any way either.)
4a. By "he" do you mean Will or Ollie?
Sam writes...
When Orphan is held prisoner by the Shadows why did they take her shoes?
Greg responds...
Same reason they took her utility belt.
Jason R Carter writes...
1) How were Jade and Artemis not put into foster care since Crusher was clearly an unfit parent?
2) Is it wishful thinking to assume that he might be a better grandfather than he was a father?
2) Which might he prefer to be called: Grandpa, Granddad, or Pop-Pop?
Greg responds...
1. Who do you imagine reported him as such?
2. It is wishful thinking. Which doesn't mean it might not be true. Though wishing doesn't make it so, either.
Your second question 2) I'm thinking, he'd go with "Crusher."
Jason R Carter writes...
Why would a master strategist like Vandal Savage risk pissing off a chaotic element like the Joker by not letting him in on the joke?
Greg responds...
Savage is not risk averse. He weighs options and makes a decision. You seem to think this was a bad decision. I think Vandal would argue that, even given hindsight, it was a good one.
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