G2008 Radio Play

G2008 Radio Play (Chapter VIII)

1. NARRATOR
Meanwhile, on Victoria Tower…

Lexington, Amp, Coco & Griff STAND.

2. LEXINGTON
So how big is your clan?

3. AMP
One hundred ninety-six gargoyles, ranging in age from Old Pog to little Lunette and her rookery sibs.

4. LEXINGTON
And are there eggs?

5. AMP
Twenty-five.

6. LEXINGTON
So few…

7. COCO
We don’t dare outgrow Knight’s Spur, so to keep our numbers manageable, mated couples are allowed only two eggs across their lifespans instead of three.

8. LEXINGTON
How exactly--

9. COCO
Enforced isolation during the female’s final heat.

10. LEXINGTON
Yikes.

11. COCO
Tell me about it.

12. LEXINGTON
And are you two mates?

13. AMP
Us?!! God, no!!

14. COCO
<laughs>

15. AMP
Don’t get me wrong. Coco’s my best mate.

16. COCO
But “mates”? Please.

17. LEXINGTON
Okay, new topic… I didn’t see any beasts…

18. GRIFF
Because we have none.

Hudson, Macbeth & Arthur STAND.

19. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 15, 12:00AM. Victoria Tower. Hudson joins the others.

20. HUDSON
Any signs of life?

21. LEXINGTON
Nah. Quiet, bordering on dull.

Coldsteel & Coyote STAND.

22. COLDSTEEL
I believe we can rectify that and still display no signs of life.

23. NARRATOR
Coldsteel, Coyote, a Steel Clan Robot and an Iron Clan Robot attack.

24. HUDSON
Take to the sky, lads and lassie! Coldsteel is mine!!

25. COLDSTEEL
Well, well, look who’s biting off more than old gums can chew?

26. HUDSON
Brave words for a metal ghost!

27. COLDSTEEL
Bring it on, you old horned goat!

28. NARRATOR
Chapter Eight: Rock & Roll. Coyote blasts at Amp, who’s knocked to safety by Lex.

29. LEXINGTON
Amp! Look out!

30. NARRATOR
Griff and Coco battle the Iron Clan and Steel Clan robots. Macbeth and Arthur watch from below.

31. GRIFF
Why do these two look like Goliath?

32. LEXINGTON
Long story.

33. MACBETH
That’s a Xanatos ‘bot!

34. ARTHUR
If you say so.

Arthur sits.

35. MACBETH
He must be after the Stone! Wants it for his collection, I imagine. But I don’t see him up there. The automatons may be a mere diversion. Best stay on the alert… Pendragon…?

36. NARRATOR
But Pendragon is gone. Coyote blasts at Lex & Amp.

37. COYOTE
I am programmed to terminate only if necessary. Abandon this airspace, and you will not be harmed.

38. LEXINGTON
Dream on, you electric sheep! We’re not going anywhere ‘til we know exactly what Xanatos and Fox are up to!

39. COYOTE
Pity…

40. LEXINGTON
<pain cry>

41. NARRATOR
Coyote shocks Lex unconscious, but Amp catches him. Coco, meanwhile, sees Griff blast the arms off the Iron Clan Robot with a lightning gun.

42. COCO
Delimbification!! I like it!

43. GRIFF
Right-o! We’ll get Macbeth to issue these beauties to the entire clan!

44. COCO
Like I need the gun.

45. NARRATOR
Coco cloaks her wings and tucks her knees to become a big gargoylean cannonball. The Steel Clan robot gains; she slams feet first into its chest, digs her talons in and RIPS its arms out.

46. COCO
<roar>

47. COLDSTEEL
Your hatchlings seem to think they invented the joys of dismemberment â€" but I wonder how they’d take to the real thing?

48. NARRATOR
One of Coldsteel’s tentacles yanks the sword from Hudson’s grasp. The other tentacles wrap around his arm to rip it from its socket.

49. HUDSON
<pain roar>

50. NARRATOR
Suddenly, fire from above melts the tentacles.

COLDSTONE & Coldfire STAND.

51. COLDSTONE
You never did learn to respect your elders. Did you, brother?

52. AMP
Anyone order up the kitchen sink?

53. COLDSTEEL
Isn’t this turning into quite the reunion?

Arthur STANDS.

54. NARRATOR
12:12AM. WESTMINSTER ABBEY. Arthur takes out two guards.

55. ARTHUR
Apologies.

56. NARRATOR
Standing in front of the container holding the Stone, Arthur carefully places his crown on his head. Meanwhile…

57. LEXINGTON
<recovery moan> Amp… What’d I miss? Never mind. I get the gist. Follow my lead!

58. NARRATOR
Lex and Amp use their heat signatures to lure the Iron and Steel Clan Robots away…

59. COCO
Mate, you nicked my shiny…

60. AMP
Sorry, Coco…

61. NARRATOR
…and into the path of Coyote’s laser blasts. The Iron and Steel Clan robots explode. This distracts Coldsteel, allowing Hudson to recover his sword by ripping Coldsteel’s last remaining tentacle from its socket.

62. COLDSTEEL
<pain cry>

63. COLDFIRE
Feeling a bit outnumbered, brother?

64. HUDSON
Outnumbered and overmatched!

65. COLDSTEEL
Yes, I wasn’t expecting all the company…

66. NARRATOR
Coldsteel drives Hudson back by generating an electric field…

67. COLDSTEEL
Though I’m far from shocked by the development. Coyote, cover our departure. Tomorrow is another day.

68. NARRATOR
Joining Coyote, Coldsteel rockets between a surprised Coldstone and Coldfire, who are forced apart by his e-field. The gargoyles pursue, but Coyote generates a bright light that whites out the night sky.

Coldsteel & Coyote SIT.

Tomorrow, Chapter IX...

G2008 Radio Play

G2008 Radio Play (Chapter VII)

XANATOS, COLDSTEEL & COYOTE STAND.

13. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 2, 6:46AM EST. Scarab Corp. Coldsteel looks on, as David Xanatos installs a diamond inside Coyote 5.0.

14. COLDSTEEL
And what would that be?

15. XANATOS
It’s called the Coyote Diamond…

16. NARRATOR
Chapter Seven: The Rock.

17. XANATOS
The stone’s flawless surfaces and clarity increase the speed of--

18. COLDSTEEL
I’m sorry I asked.

19. XANATOS
My apologies. I’m sure you’re much more interested in your own situation.

20. COLDSTEEL
I was under the impression I had free will.

21. XANATOS
And you do. I promise summoning you was a one-time event. On the other hand, your unit does include a built-in tracking device… which I’m happy to deactivate…

22. COLDSTEEL
Permanently?

23. XANATOS
Permanently. All I ask in return is help on one small errand. Are we agreed?

24. COLDSTEEL
We are agreed.

25. COYOTE
Excellent.

XANATOS, COLDSTEEL & COYOTE sit. TALON, SATO, MAGGIE & ELISA STAND.

26. NARRATOR
3:52PM EST. The Labyrinth. Talon cradles Maggie the Cat, as Dr. Jay Sato examines her. Elisa Maza looks on.

27. TALON
How is she, Doc?

28. SATO
Well, her pulse is fine, and her injuries seem to be healing nicely…

29. MAGGIE
See, Derek, I said you were worried over nothing.

30. SATO
But I’m a surgeon. Treating someone in Maggie’s… “condition” is really not my area.

31. ELISA
Not anyone’s, Dr. Sato. Anyone we dare trust anyway.

32. SATO
It’s as if you’ve revealed a new world to me…

33. ELISA
Yep, you’re a medical pioneer.

34. SATO
Pioneer or not, she needs an O.B.

TALON, SATO, MAGGIE & ELISA sit. Macbeth, BROOKLYN, GOLIATH, BROADWAY, OWEN & Xanatos STAND.

35. NARRATOR
4:50PM EST. Eyrie Building. As the sun sets, Owen Burnett and Macbeth wait for Goliath to wake. NOVEMBER 2, 5:12PM EST. Inside the Great Hall, Macbeth addresses Goliath, Brooklyn, Hudson, Angela, Broadway, Bronx and Lexington.

36. MACBETH
It’s called the Stone of Destiny. For centuries the kings of Scotland were crowned upon it at Scone…

37. BROOKLYN
Magic talking stone. We’ve heard of it.

38. MACBETH
Yes, well, the English stole it. Now, after eight hundred years, it’s finally being returned. I’m asking for your help to ensure it gets to Scotland safely.

39. GOLIATH
Don’t you have… minions… for this?

40. MACBETH
We’ve parted ways. Please, Goliath. Many â€" including your landlord â€" would stop at nothing to get the Stone.

41. GOLIATH
I have been wounded twice in one week. I am healed â€" but not whole. But my second, Brooklyn, can lead Broadway, Lexington and Angela to join your quest.

42. BROADWAY
Yeah, we’re goin’ to Scotland!!

43. MACBETH
Well, England to start with--

44. BROOKLYN
I don’t know, Goliath, if you’re recovering, maybe this is the wrong time to send me overseas.

45. GOLIATH
Ah… Yes. You are needed here. Hudson may lead this expedition.

46. NARRATOR
Owen, watching the exchange by closed circuit, talks on the phone to Xanatos, who’s about to board a private plane.

47. OWEN
Yes, Macbeth, Hudson, Broadway, Angela and Lexington… Shall I attempt to stop them?

48. XANATOS
That won’t be necessary. I believe I’ve planned for this contingency.

49. NARRATOR
Back in the Great Hall, Angela whispers in Broadway’s ear.

50. BROADWAY
Uh… yeah… Manhattan’s dangerous right now. Me and Angela’ll stay too. To help Brooklyn.

51. BROOKLYN
That’s great. Thanks.

Macbeth, Brooklyn, Goliath, Broadway, Owen & Xanatos sit. SHARI STANDS.

52. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 3, 5:29AM EST. Nightstone Unlimited. Shari and Thailog are in Dominique Destine’s office.

53. SHARI
The story is told â€" though who can say if it be true â€" of two brothers who both loved the same female. And though all strife comes to an end one way or another, some conflicts refuse to stay dead. Xanatos and Demona used science and sorcery to create a monster from fragments of all three gargoyles, their bodies and souls. But in the end, the souls were segregated into Coldstone, Coldfire and Coldsteel. It’s really a timeless love story.

SHARI sits. Macbeth, CUSTOMS OFFICIAL, LEXINGTON & HUDSON STAND.

54. NARRATOR
3:00PM GMT. London. A private jet lands. Customs Officials greet Macbeth, as workers wheel two large crates from the plane’s hold.

55. CUSTOMS OFFICIAL
Lennox Macduff?

56. MACBETH
Yes.

57. CUSTOMS OFFICIAL
Welcome to England, sir. Anything to declare?

58. MACBETH
Works of art for my home in Berkeley Square.

59. CUSTOMS OFFICIAL
Have to have a look in, sir.

60. MACBETH
Of course.

61. NARRATOR
The crates are opened, revealing Lexington and Hudson, frozen in stone. 4:30PM GMT. Macbeth waits on the roof of his Berkeley Square Townhouse for Hudson and Lexington to wake. The sun sets. 5:07PM. It’s past sunset. Hudson and Lex are STILL frozen in stone. 6:15PM. Night. No change. 7:01PM. Macbeth grows concerned. 7:45PM. Hudson and Lex finally wake.

62. LEXINGTON, HUDSON
<awakening roars>

63. LEXINGTON
Whoa, I don’t feel so hot… and look how dark it is? How long have we been asleep?

64. MACBETH
Welcome, lad, to the wonderful world of jetlag. Don’t worry. You’ve got ten days to adjust before they move the Stone.

Macbeth, CUSTOMS OFFICIAL, LEXINGTON & HUDSON sit. Shari, INTERCOM & VINNIE STAND.

65. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 4, 5:30AM EST. Nightstone. Thailog soaks in a jacuzzi. Shari sits nearby.

66. SHARI
The story is told -- though who can say if it be true-- of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham… who fled the wrath of his brother Esau to a place he would call Bethel, where he laid his head upon a stone and had a wondrous vision!

67. NARRATOR
5:35AM EST. J.F.K.

68. INTERCOM
Flight 994, now boarding all rows…

69. VINNIE
Can you believe it? I’m goin’ to Japan!

Shari, Intercom & Vinnie sit. Goliath & Elisa STAND.

70. NARRATOR
9:48PM EST. Goliath’s Tower.

71. GOLIATH
About Halloween… I will not hold you to words spoken when you believed my life hung in the balance.

72. ELISA
Even if I want to be held?

73. GOLIATH
I know you care for me. That is not at issue. But what of the things I cannot give you… picnics… normalcy…?

74. ELISA
We can have a picnic anytime… and normalcy’s so over-rated.

75. NARRATOR
She runs her fingers through his hair. He takes her into his arms and kisses her.

Goliath & Elisa sit. Shari STANDS.

76. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 5, 5:31AM EST. Nightstone. Thailog and Shari look out over the city.

77. SHARI
The story is told â€" though who can say if it be true â€" that Gathelus, a son of the king of Athens, won many victories for the Pharaoh of Egypt, who rewarded the prince with the hand of his beloved: Pharaoh’s own daughter, Scota. But Gathelus had also befriended Moses, the Hebrew, who warned his young friends of the plagues to befall the Kingdom of the Nile. Gathelus and Scota determined to leave Egypt, and Moses entrusted them with Jacob’s Pillow, the Hebrews’ sacred stone…

78. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 6, 5:32AM EST. ST. DAMIEN’S CATHEDRAL. Thailog, Shari and Brentwood search for something.

79. SHARI
The story is told â€" though who can say if it be true â€" that Gathelus fled Egypt with his wife and the Stone of the Hebrews. He sought landfall on the rocky shores of Samothrace, for Scota was heavy with child and could go no farther. Still destiny blessed them with fine twin sons…

80. NARRATOR
6:00AM EST. Thailog flies Shari across the city. Brentwood follows.

81. SHARI
Gathelus and his family would wander the globe for two years before finding a home on the Iberian Peninsula in a place they named the Port of Gathelus, or Portugal. By this time the family had grown: the Athenian prince and Egyptian princess now had four healthy boys in their care not to mention one large Stone.

82. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 7, 5:33AM EST. Thailog and Shari begin a game of chess.

83. SHARI
The story is told â€" though who can say if it be true â€" that after the death of her beloved Gathelus, Scota departed Portugal with her eight sons… only to lose five of the boys at sea… while Scota herself and another son died warrior’s deaths upon landing in Ireland. But her eldest boy, Eremon, and her youngest, Eber Finn, survived, and Eremon was crowned king upon the Stone at Tara.

Shari sits. Xanatos & FOX stand.

84. NARRATOR
2:18PM GMT. Mayfair. Xanatos takes Alexander from Fox.

85. XANATOS
Darling, if you like the shoes, buy them…

86. FOX
The black manolos in the window… do you have them in a size nine? Lovely. Wrap them up, please.

87. NARRATOR
2:45PM GMT. Fox exits the store.

88. FOX
Mission accomplished.

89. NARRATOR
7:19PM GMT. Fox admires her new shoes in the full-length mirror of her hotel room. Xanatos admires the shoebox.

90. XANATOS
Darling? Do you still need this shoebox… or might I dispose of it?

Xanatos & Fox sit. Shari & THAILOG STAND.

91. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 8, 5:34AM EST. Nightstone. Thailog and Shari continue their chess game.

92. SHARI
The story is told â€" though who can say if it be true â€" of Moses, who led the Hebrews out of Egypt and into the desert… bringing forth water from Jacob’s Pillow to quench their--

93. THAILOG
You said Moses gave the Stone to Gathelus and Scota before leading the Hebrews out of Egypt!

94. SHARI
The story is told…

95. THAILOG
<pause> Though who can say if it be true? Right. Continue.

96. SHARI
The Hebrews passed the Stone down the centuries, until the prophet Jeremiah offered it in dowry to King Eochaid of Ireland when he wed Tamar Tea Tephi, Princess of Judah. Eochaid ensconced the Stone at Tara and dubbed it Lia Fáil.

97. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 9, 5:36AM EST.

98. SHARI
The story is told â€" though who can say if it be true â€" of Cu Chullain, the Hero of Ulster, who championed Lugaid Red-Stripe for king. But when the Lia Fáil would not cry to confirm Lugaid, Cu Chullain was enraged, striking with Gae Bolga, the Spear of Light, and splitting the Stone of Destiny forever!

99. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 10, 5:37AM EST. Shari captures Thailog’s white knight with her black bishop.

100. SHARI
The story is told â€" though who can say if it be true â€" of young Prince Fergus of Ireland, who carried half Cu Chullain’s handiwork to Argyll in what men now call Scotland to found a kingdom called Dalriada. Though a castle called Carbonek found him instead, bringing the Priest-King Pelles and the Archmage Merlin and their request to borrow the Stone of Destiny for a purpose of their own. A purpose fulfilled in Londontown by a sword clep’d Excalibur in a stone clep’d Lia Fáil drawn forth by a boy clep’d Arthur.

101. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 11, 5:38AM EST. Thailog tips over one of Shari’s black rooks with his white bishop.

102. SHARI
The story is told â€" though who can say if it be true â€" of Saint Columba, he who tamed the monster of Loch Ness, before returning to the island of Iona, where Merlin and Pelles had brought the Stone once it had served their purposes. And where Columba laid down his head upon Jacob’s Pillow and breathed his last.

103. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 12, 5:39AM EST. Shari’s Black Queen is lined up to capture Thailog’s White King.

104. SHARI
Check.

105. THAILOG
<growl>

106. SHARI
Would you prefer I lost on purpose?

107. THAILOG
I’d fire you if you did. Don’t you have a story to tell?

108. SHARI
The story is told â€" though who can say if it be true â€" of Kenneth MacAlpin, scion of Fergus, who united the Kingdoms of Scotland and was crowned High King upon the Stone at Scone. As would all the Heirs of Scota â€" for the next four hundred years.

COLDFIRE STANDS.

109. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 12, 10:00PM GMT. David Xanatos presses a button on a remote control. NOVEMBER 13, 6:01AM GMT+8. TIBET. Inside the old cave, Coldstone and Coldfire stand over Master Dawa and Sangpo. All react to a noise.

110. COLDFIRE
I believe… I believe I can find him…

Coldfire sits.

111. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 13, 5:40AM EST. NIGHTSTONE.

112. SHARI
The story is told â€" though who can say if it be true â€" of Edward the First of England, the Hammer of the Scots, who sicced his mighty Warwolf on his neighbors to the north and took as prize the Stone of Scone, which he installed in the Coronation Chair at Westminster Abbey, where it has crowned the kings and queens of England down to this very day…

Shari & Thailog sit. Lexington, Macbeth, Hudson, Arthur, GRIFF, AMP & COCO STAND.

113. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 13, 5:32PM GMT. Hudson and Lex are atop Victoria Tower. Macbeth is below, in front of Westminster Abbey.

114. LEXINGTON
All clear. No sign of trouble.

115. MACBETH
Not expecting trouble tonight. They’re only moving the Stone from the Coronation Chair to the Lantern. It won’t leave the Abbey until tomorrow.

116. HUDSON
Aye, and the human security is tight as a drum. I’m nae convinced you could break in there with a battering ram.

117. MACBETH
You’d be surprised.

118. NARRATOR
11:46PM GMT.

119. LEXINGTON
<yawn> Still nothing to report. Who exactly are we expecting?

120. MACBETH
Anyone. Everyone. Just stay alert…

121. NARRATOR
Macbeth spots a shadowy figure and pursues it down into a London Underground Station…

122. MACBETH
I’m probably on a wild goose chase, lads. But in case I’m not, you’d better head this… way…

123. LEXINGTON
That could be a problem…

124. NARRATOR
Arthur Pendragon puts Excalibur to Macbeth’s throat. Meanwhile, on Victoria Tower, Hudson and Lex are surrounded by gargoyles.

125. ARTHUR
By the blade of Excalibur, what are you up to now, Macbeth?

126. MACBETH
King Arthur?! I’m here to protect the Stone of Destiny!

127. ARTHUR
Then our two quests are one and the same!

128. MACBETH
Aye…

129. ARTHUR, MACBETH (UNISON)
The gargoyles!!

130. MACBETH
They’ll be at each other’s throats!!

131. GRIFF
Hudson! Lexington! Bloody lovely to see you again!

132. LEXINGTON
You too, Griff!

133. HUDSON
Aye, lad. The badduns’ll have no chance at that Stone now!

134. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 14, 5:28AM. Macbeth radios Lex.

135. MACBETH
It’ll soon be dawn. You and Hudson go with Griff. Arthur and I will stand vigil through the day.

Arthur & Macbeth sit.

136. NARRATOR
5:33AM GMT. Griff, Hudson, Lex and the other two gargoyles glide over London.

137. LEXINGTON
Are we headed to Soho? Goliath said you have a store there…

138. GRIFF
We do. But I thought I’d take you home instead. To our clan--

139. AMP
To Knight’s Spur!

140. COCO
You know, Griff, I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced to your Yank friends…

141. HUDSON
<Hmph> Watch who you’re callin’ a Yank, lass…

142. GRIFF
Where are my manners? Hudson, Lexington, this is Constance.

143. COCO
My friends call me Coco.

144. GRIFF
And this is Staghart.

145. AMP
My friends call me Amp!

146. COCO
Nobody calls you Amp, luv.

147. LEXINGTON
I’ll call you Amp.

148. NARRATOR
5:40AM.

149. GRIFF
Welcome to Knight’s Spur…

150. NARRATOR
7:20AM. Atop Knight’s Spur, Old Pog, Hudson, Griff, Lex, Amp, Coco and Lunette sleep as stone.

Hudson, Lexington, Griff, Amp & Coco sit. Arthur & Macbeth STAND.

151. NARRATOR
7:48AM. Macbeth and Arthur sip coffee outside a Nightstone’s café.

152. ARTHUR
…Mortally wounded in 542. So they shipped me off to some magic hill and put me to sleep for a thousand four hundred fifty-three years.

153. MACBETH
Sounds lovely.

154. ARTHUR
And you?

155. MACBETH
Deal with a demon in 1040. Officially died in 1057. Been sleepwalking for nine hundred thirty-nine years.

156. ARTHUR
<pause> Guess I got the better bargain.

157. MACBETH
Ach, I try not to dwell these days. So here’s to the immortals. There aren’t many like us…

Arthur & Macbeth sit. Shari STANDS.

158. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 14, 5:42AM EST. NIGHTSTONE. Shari places her black knight in front of Thailog’s white knight.

159. SHARI
The story is told â€" though who can say if it be true â€" of Robert the Bruce of Scotland, who defeated the English at Bannockburn with the help of an Irish ally, Cormac MacCarthy. With the victory, came a prize: a fragment of the Fatal Stone that England had taken from Scone. This fragment, the Bruce gave to MacCarthy, whose descendents had it installed at Blarney Castle, where it is said to grant the gift of gab. I’ve kissed it myself a time or two…

Shari sits. Hudson, Macbeth & Arthur STAND.

160. NARRATOR
NOVEMBER 14, 6:32PM GMT. Knight’s Spur. Hudson, Macbeth and Arthur confer in a book-lined study.

161. HUDSON
Lex, Griff, Constance and Staghart sent you home to rest then…

162. MACBETH
Aye, Hudson. We’ll catch a few hours sleep then head back out. But you…?

163. HUDSON
I had some questions for the Pendragon. Weren’t you on a quest to find your wizard?

164. ARTHUR
Indeed. And Sir Griff and I searched for Merlin in all the obvious places. But to no gain. So I’ve been “doing research” on Merlin… and on myself.

165. NARRATOR
Hudson examines a copy of Le Morte D’Arthur by Thomas Malory.

166. HUDSON
So many books… are any of them true?

167. ARTHUR
All things are true… few things are accurate.

168. MACBETH
Aye. No bloody kidding.

169. NARRATOR
Hudson contemplates this.

Hudson, Macbeth & Arthur sit.

Tomorrow, Chapter VIII...

G2008 Radio Play

G2008 Radio Play

No, that's not a misprint. Before I post the G2009 Gargoyles/Spectacular Spider-Man crossover radio play, I'm going to post (over the next few days) the G2008 Radio Play. This was a CHRONOLOGICAL adaptation of issues 7-9 of the Gargoyles comic, i.e. the Stone of Destiny three-parter which makes up the first half of the recently released trade paperback, GARGOYLES: CLAN-BUILDING, VOLUME II. Now that the trade is out, I'm okay with posting this. But there are some caveats...

1. Reading this does NOT replace buying the trade. Because...

2. This version of the story doesn't really work, dramatically or otherwise. The story wasn't designed to be told chronologically. It gets somewhat tiresome told in chronological order and the final dramatic moment with the Stone talking to Macbeth, Xanatos, Arthur and Peredur across four time periods has none of it's power.

Nevertheless, here it is... or at any rate, here is the title page, cast list and teaser. I'll post the three chapters over the next three days...

GARGOYLES

CLAN-BUILDING
Chapter VII: THE ROCK
Chapter VIII: ROCK & ROLL
Chapter IX: ROCK OF AGES

(Radio Play Edition)

A Chronological Adaptation
by
Greg Weisman
(from his SLG comic book scripts)

For
The Twelfth Annual
Gathering of the Gargoyles
in
Chicago, Illinois

Performed June 28, 2008.

GARGOYLES
“CLAN-BUILDING:
CHAPTER VII: THE ROCK
CHAPTER VIII: ROCK & ROLL
CHAPTER IX: ROCK OF AGES”
(Radio Play Edition)
CAST LIST
1. NARRATOR 86 lines.
2. MACBETH 34 lines.
3. SHARI 22 lines.
4. COLDSTEEL 22 lines.
5. LEXINGTON 21 lines.
6. STONE OF DESTINY 15 lines.
7. HUDSON 13 lines.
8. DAVID XANATOS 13 lines.
9. ARTHUR PENDRAGON 13 lines.
10. CONSTANCE/COCO 12 lines.
11. STAGHART/AMP 9 lines.
12. GRIFF 9 lines.
13. THAILOG 8 lines.
14. COLDSTONE 6 lines.
15. COLDFIRE 5 lines.
16. GOLIATH 5 lines.
17. COYOTE 5.0 5 lines.
18. PEREDUR 4 lines.
19. COLDSTREAM GUARD 4 lines.
20. ELISA MAZA 4 lines.
21. JAY SATO 4 lines.
22. BLANCHEFLEUR 3 lines.
23. CUSTOMS OFFICIAL 3 lines.
24. BROOKLYN 3 lines.
25. DUVAL 2 lines.
26. FOX 2 lines.
27. BROADWAY 2 lines.
28. HOLY GRAIL 1 line.
29. LUNETTE 1 line.
30. VINNIE 1 line.
31. AIRPORT INTERCOM 1 line.
32. OWEN BURNETT 1 line.
33. MAGGIE THE CAT 1 line.
34. TALON 1 line.
35. SCOTTISH PATRIOT 1 line.

GARGOYLES
“CLAN-BUILDING:
CHAPTER VII: THE ROCK
CHAPTER VIII: ROCK & ROLL
CHAPTER IX: ROCK OF AGES”

ARTHUR, MACBETH, PATRIOT & STONE STAND.

1. NARRATOR
Gargoyles. Clan-Building. SEPTEMBER 29, 500. London.

2. ARTHUR
And as High King, I, Arthur Pendragon, swear by the Stone of Destiny to protect Britain and to serve her people all my days…

3. NARRATOR
SEPTEMBER 29, 1040. Scone.

4. MACBETH
And as High King, I swear by the Stone of Destiny to protect Scotland and to serve her people all my days…

5. NARRATOR
DECEMBER 25, 1950. Westminster Abbey.

6. MACBETH
All right, lads. Now or--

7. PATRIOT
SCOTLAND FOREVER!

8. MACBETH
<SHHHHH!>

9. NARRATOR
APRIL 11, 1951, 1:06AM GMT. ARBROATH ABBEY. Macbeth has just finished repairing the Stone of Destiny with epoxy. There’s a visible crack, but it’s in one piece.

10. MACBETH
There. Good as new. You can barely see the--

11. NARRATOR
The stone glows blue. The crack vanishes.

12. STONE
Thank you, Macbeth mac Findlaech, but the effort was pointless…

ARTHUR, MACBETH, PATRIOT & STONE sit.

A few thoughts...

Got easily a hundred calls, texts, e-mails yesterday about the big Marvel/Disney news and a few about the Sony/Marvel/Spidey news, so here are a few random thoughts to go with what I posted yesterday...

1. SPEC SPIDEY: The main thing that's changed about the Spec Spidey situation is that Sony is now out of the loop/decision making process about whether or not there's a third season. Before Sony was waiting to see if Disney picked up the series. Then they'd decide on its economic feasibility for Sony. Now Sony isn't part of that equation, leaving the whole thing in Marvel and Disney's hands. Of course, now that Marvel and Disney are kinda one hand, so-to-speak, I don't know what that means for us. Other than the obvious, which is that I'm sure we're not exactly Disney/Marvel's highest priority at the moment. How and when this decision gets made is really up in the air, but a former negative does feel good -- now -- that our last six episodes won't start airing on Disney XD until late October. That means our last episode won't air until early December, which may be a better time for Disney/Marvel to focus on the show. (Or not.) Of course even a positive decision in December or (more likely) January means a HUGE gap between Seasons Two and Three, but I'd take that over no new episodes.

2. FLASHBACKS:I can't help but be reminded of events in the mid-nineties, when Michael Eisner (then CEO of Disney) wanted to buy Marvel, so that he'd have super-heroes to compete with Warner Bros' DC Universe heroes (including Superman and Batman). Back then, however, Marvel was, or so I was told, a corporate mess. And it wasn't just that -- as now -- various studios already had the rights to individual characters, but that the rights had been double sold all over the place, and that every character pretty much represented a lawsuit in the making if not already in the works. Eisner was advised NOT to buy Marvel, and of course he didn't. But he REALLY wanted to be competing in the boys action/super-hero market. That was when the Gargoyles Universe was raised as a possible alternative. We pointed out that the Marvel Universe began with the Fantastic Four, and that we could use Gargoyles as a springboard to more properties and to an entire Universe. We were encouraged by Michael to create spin-off properties, backdoor pilots, etc. And that was THE major impetus for us to work on things like New Olympians, Bad Guys, Pendragon and Dark Ages. (Gargoyles Future Tense -- which became Gargoyles 2198 and TimeDancer came later.) It was also a reason to be expansive with the World Tour and introduce more and more new characters, etc. Of course, by the time all this stuff was actually made, the world had changed again. Frank Wells died. Michael and Jeffry Katzenberg went to war, with Jeffry eventually leaving to found DreamWorks, and taking two of my immediate superiors, Gary Krisel and Bruce Cranston, with him. Rich Frank (another of my bosses up the chain) also left. Dean Valentine was placed in charge of Walt Disney Television Animation and he had no affinity for Gargoyles or its spin-offs. And Michael, who had initiated the whole thing, had way bigger concerns on his plate. I was more or less forced out. But for one bright, shining moment...

3. GARGOYLES: I'm sure a lot of people are wondering what this means for our favorite winged warriors, but in the short term, I'm sure the answer is "Not much." Gargoyles is pretty much under Disney's radar right now, and really doesn't exist on Marvel's radar at all, as far as I can tell. We'll be an extremely low priority. Our best bet is still SLG, which HOPEFULLY will be motivated by the sales of the Trades to want to make more content with me. Having read Dan "Mr. SLG" Vado's recent reaction to the Disney/Marvel merger, I'm hoping he isn't too discouraged by being in bed with his competition. But I have no doubt that the best way to get Dan fully on board is to make it worth his while by having those trades sell VERY well. So again, buy the trades and/or SPREAD THE WORD!!!!

SUCH BIG NEWS

Okay, in the period of just a few days, I have been rocked by two incredible pieces of news.

1. Last Thursday (8/27/09), Vic Cook and I were informed that in exchange for some concession vis-a-vis the live action Spider-Man features, Sony returned the television rights (including the animated television rights) for Spider-Man to Marvel. This took place the day before ComicCon, I'm told. But I was only informed of it this past week.

2. Today (8/31/09) comes the news that Disney has purchased Marvel outright.

NOW, before you ask -- before you post a thousand duplicate and/or overlapping questions to ASK GREG -- let me be clear: I have NO IDEA what this means for either Gargoyles or The Spectacular Spider-Man. Neither of these developments are by definition good news or bad news. Shocking news, sure. But how it will play out for either or both properties is a complete mystery to me. As soon as I have ANY information on either property, I will post it here at ASK GREG. Until then, don't ask. Seriously. Just don't. There's just no point in bogging down the queue with questions I have no answer to. Thank you for your cooperation.

GATHERING 2009 - Monday, August 24th

GATHERING 2009 - Monday, August 24th

Midnight - The goodbyes begin for folks who are leaving first thing Monday morning or right now. Said goodbye to Marina, Zehra, Sarah, Michael McAdam and probably quite a few others...

1:30am - The party downstairs finally breaks up and I head up to my room.

4am - Went to bed. But I just couldn't sleep at all.

8am - Finally gave up and got up.

9am - Brought my luggage to my car and then went to the staff breakfast: crepe, ham, potatoes, OJ.

10am - Comic book panel with Karine Charlebois and Greg Guler. I'll just repeat the main message I gave. I have no info on the future of Gargoyles comics beyond this: SLG's Dan Vado is sincerely interested in doing more. His ability to make an offer for the license to Disney will depend on the sales of the three trade paperbacks. Beyond that, we had some really interesting discussions about the books.

11:30am - Gargoyles Biology and Culture panel with Jade Griffin and Matt Parker. I love this panel. Always full of interesting discussions, that influence how I handle things in the Gargoyles Universe.

1pm - Closing Ceremonies. Okay, I admit it. I pretty much lost it more than once. It was VERY emotional. A number of us told stories of past Gatherings and how they changed our lives. It was warm and all too fuzzy, but wonderful. I love all you guys. Thank you.

2:30pm - We finally closed the Closing Ceremonies. I helped Patrick and a bunch of other volunteers carry things down to Patrick's rented van. Then we headed up to the Constaff Suite for a dead dog party. Christopher bought pizza for everyone, which was very generous. I had a coke and a virgin jello shot. And we just hung out.

5:45pm - Time to go, to return to real life. I hugged EVERYONE. Jennifer Anderson walked me to the elevator. I was pretty wrecked. It felt a bit like it felt to end a long job. You walk away. What else can you do? You take your memories with you, but you also know you're leaving a piece behind.

But it's been a FANTASTIC THIRTEEN YEARS. Thanks to everyone who ever attended a Gathering. You really changed my life!

GATHERING 2009 - Sunday, August 23rd

GATHERING 2009 - Sunday, August 23rd

1am - Got back to my room.

2am - Went to bed.

9am - I woke up. Wow, a real night's sleep. I showered and dressed quickly, attempting to make the tail end of the staff breakfast, but got waylaid along the way by arriving guests, like Bob Kline. Managed to snag one croissant, but that's it.

10am - Gargoyles Production panel with Frank Paur, Bob Kline, Brad Rader, Pamela Long, Vic Cook, Greg Guler and Doug Murphy. More fun old stories.

11:30am - Spidey Production panel with Bob, Pamela, Vic, Greg, Kevin Altieri, Jennifer Coyle, Sean "Cheeks" Galloway, Joey Mason and Phil Weinstein. We showed the unaired scenes clip from ComicCon and the animatic for the main title. And again, more fun stories.

1pm - I finally had a break, but I couldn't resist sitting in on the Composer's panel with Carl Johnson, Gargoyles Composer, and Dynamic Music Partners (Lolita Ritmanis, Kris Carter and Michael McCuistion) the Spider-Man composers. They were WELL-prepared. Way more well-prepared than I was for any of my panels. Brought a bunch of clips and talked process. It was fascinating.

2:30pm - Writers Panel. From Spidey: Andrew Robinson, Kevin Hopps, Nicole Dubuc and Matt Wayne. From Gargoyles: Bob Skir and Michael Reaves. Michael has Parkinsons, so first Bob and later Michael's daughter Mallory Reaves served as interpreters for him. It was great having everyone there.

4pm - The writers (and Karine) had a signing.

5pm - My wife dropped my son Benny off at the con. So we hung out a bit.

6pm - Benny and I went to the Banquet. We sat with Gayle, Lauren, Ryan, Grey Wolf, Read and Abbie. Real sweet spread at the buffet. But I've forgotten exactly what. I guess I'm just not that into the food this time. Is that progress?

7:30pm - Another Q&A. This time with myself, Bob Skir, Vic Cook, Greg Guler, Nicole Dubuc, Kevin Altieri, Jennifer Coyle, Ben Diskin, Crispin Freeman, Karine Charlebois and Wendy Pini. Michael Reaves kibbitzed a bit from the sidelines too.

8:30pm - By this time, Beth had picked Benny up again. I went to the bar and hung out with Vic, Guler, Kevin, Jennifer, Wendy and Karine. Just had a coke.

9:30pm - Masquerade time. The judges were myself, Wendy Pini, Keith David, Thom Adcox, Ben Diskin, Carl Johnson and Karine Charlebois. I will attempt to remember all the awards we handed out, but I forgot to save my award sheet...

Best Junior - Ryan & Lauren as Owen & Banshee
Best Performance - Abbie as the Lady in the Lake
Best Original Character - Rika as Venus
Cutest Trio - Jade, Eric and Kyari as Fox, Owen and Alex
If I give you this, I'll have to kill you award - Zehra, Tony & Andrea as Shari & the Illuminati
Best Canon - Aaron as Upgraded Jackal
Excalibur Award - Justin as King Arthur
Gorelisa Award - Charlie as Kalia Sartre
Thom Adcox Memorial Award - Rebecca as a Star Trek Dispensable Red
Best in Show - Esopus as ... okay, this was best in show and it was really great, but I just can't remember the name of the character! SORRY!!!!

10:30pm - We all just hung out in the Ballroom for awhile. I chatted with GXB, Carl Johnson, Zehra & Sarah and many, many others...

MORE NEXT WEEK!!!!!

GATHERING 2009 - Saturday, August 22nd

GATHERING 2009 - Saturday, August 22nd

3am - Went to bed.

8am - Woke up, with five hours sleep being the most I'd had in any one night in over a week.

9am - Staff Breakfast. Usually, I'm all about telling you what I ate at every meal, but I just don't remember. Orange Juice and a croissant, I think. But also... uh... not sure.

10am - Jennifer and I were joined by Gargoyles/Spidey Voice Director Extraordinaire Jamie Thomason for our second round of auditions.

11:30am - Casting session. We only had thirteen slots for fans to participate in the play because of the LARGE pro "turnout". You see, most years I ask the pros to participate and we get one or two saying yes. But this year SIXTEEN said yes. So from a fan standpoint, we had an embarrassment of riches. Over forty people auditioned and most of those did great, so we decided to cast the thirteen slots, plus STEAL a role from Thom Adcox and give that to another fan, PLUS cast a couple of fans as understudies in case someone didn't show. (But everyone did.) We posted the cast list...

12pm - Lunch in the staff room with Marina Sirtis, Keith David, Karine Charlebois, Greg Bishansky, Thom Adcox and Keith's son Owen. It's always great to see Keith, but it was very cool to see Marina again, whom I haven't seen in years. And, man, has Owen grown!! Broccoli soup, salad, and... see, can't remember!

1pm - Gargoyles Voice Acting Panel with Jamie, Keith, Thom, Marina and Elisa Gabrielli. Fun stories told. Marina and I have very different memories about how she was cast. (I'm right, but I'd never say that.)

2:30pm - Spidey Voice Acting Panel with (again) Jamie, Keith and Elisa. Plus Dee Bradley Baker, James Arnold Taylor, Ben Isaac Diskin (what's with all these three name guys?), Steve Blum, Daran Norris, Deborah Strang, Vanessa Marshall, Josh Keaton, Andrew Kishino, Phil LaMarr, Crispin Freeman and Eric Vesbit. More fun stories. Jamie and I disagreed about how many characters we auditioned. And once again, I'm right. It's a blessing and a curse, as Monk would say.

4pm - Radio Play Rehearsal. We barely had time to do one full read through of the ridiculously long and over-stuffed radio play. There was really no time to direct the actors at all, beyond telling them to project louder, though Jamie and I tried to give an occasional pointer.

5:30pm - Radio Play. Gotta say, thanks to my shameless pandering in the script and the amazing talent of my cast, we really had a phenomenal success with the three night mess of a bloated script I wrote. Got lots of laughs, even a few gasps. Pros were spot on, of course, including some Gargoyles folks who hadn't played their characters in years. But our fan cast was great too.

Here's the cast list:

THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN MEETS GARGOYLES
“Religious Studies 101: A Handful of Thorns”
(Radio Play)
CAST LIST
NARRATOR - Greg Weisman
DEMONA/DOMINIQUE DESTINE - Marina Sirtis
SPIDER-MAN/PETER PARKER - Josh Keaton
GOLIATH - Keith David
LEXINGTON - Thom Adcox
ELISA MAZA - Zehra Fazal
BROOKLYN - John Clemens
CURT CONNORS/LIZARD - Dee Bradley Baker
BROADWAY - Crispin Freeman
ZAFIRO - Joshua Poole
MAY PARKER - Deborah Strang
GREEN GOBLIN - Steve Blum
OBSIDIANA - Elisa Gabrielli
KRAVEN THE HUNTER - Eric Vesbit
HARRY OSBORN - James Arnold Taylor
DOCTOR OCTOPUS/OTTO OCTAVIUS - Michael McAdam
J. JONAH JAMESON - Daran Norris
MARY JANE WATSON - Vanessa Marshall
ELECTRO - Crispin Freeman
VENOM/EDDIE BROCK - Ben Isaac Diskin
GEORGE STACY - Lucas McClain
BIG MAN - Keith David
CALYPSO EZILI - Jennifer L. Anderson
ASHLEY KAFKA - Elisa Gabrielli
ROBBIE ROBERTSON - Phil LaMarr
LIZ ALLAN - Kaitlyn Robrock
SALLY AVRIL - Jennifer L. Anderson
GWEN STACY - Sarah Williams
MATT BLUESTONE - Eric Tribou
GREG BISHANSKY - Greg Bishansky
KENNY KONG - Andrew Kishino
COLONEL JUPITER/JOHN JAMESON - Daran Norris
NED LEE - Andrew Kishino
VULTURE - Seth Jackson
FLASH THOMPSON - Ian Bassett
SHARI - Zehra Fazal
FANCY DAN - Phil LaMarr
GULYADKIN - Dee Bradley Baker
CARNAGE/CLETUS KASADY - Ian Bassett
HOMUNCULUS #1 - Dee Bradley Baker
HOMUNCULUS #2 - Phil LaMarr
HOMUNCULUS #3 - Steve Blum
HOMUNCULUS #4 - James Arnold Taylor
HOMUNCULUS #5 - Thom Adcox
SMUGGLER #1 - Andrew Kishino
DOMINIC DRACON - Seth Jackson
BLACKIE GAXTON - Steve Blum
EMILY OSBORN - Kaitlyn Robrock
TINKERER - Thom Adcox
SEYMOUR O’REILLY - Steve Blum
SILVER SPOON MANAGER - Crispin Freeman
ANGELA - Sarah Williams
PUMPKIN BOMB - Nicki France
THAILOG - Keith David
MARIA CHAVEZ - Elisa Gabrielli
FREDERICK FOSWELL - James Arnold Taylor
ALAN O’NEIL - James Arnold Taylor
ROSIE THOMPSON - Vanessa Marshall
MARGOT YALE - Marina Sirtis
MORGAN MORGAN - Keith David
JASON IONELLO - Ben Isaac Diskin
RAND ROBERTSON - Phil LaMarr
BRENTWOOD - Fox Anderson
CHAMELEON - Steve Blum
NORMAN OSBORN - Eric Vesbit
DILBERT TRILBY - Steve Blum

Thanks to the entire cast. You guys were amazing, and totally saved my butt.

7pm - Once the play was over, all the tension and adrenaline that it had generated over the last week or so melted away, leaving me nearly comotose. I went to dinner in the hotel with my wife Beth and my son Benny. I didn't eat much. Clam Chowder, a roll, a coke and a shrimp cocktail. I was all but passing out. Fortunately, I got a second wind... and I'd need it.

9pm - Blue Mug w/Thom Adcox and the staff of Blue Mug Productions: Mara Cordova, Kalia Sartre, Jennifer L. Anderson and Boswell Bosley. I had to duck out for awhile, and I hear Edmund Tsabard showed up and pretty much insulted everyone in the room. (So what else is new?) I came back, by which time Edmund was gone. I picked up my water glass to take a drink, and someone told me that Thom's chihuahua had sipped from my glass. Someone else pointed at another glass and said that was the one the dog had lapped from. I shrugged it off and sipped from my glass. Then Jen told me Edmund had used that glass. I did a spit-take. I mean do you know where Edmund's mouth has been?!!! I hate to do anything to promote anything that reprobate is working on, but the work of the rest of the Blue Mug staff is so good that I'll ignore his contribution and recommend BlueMugProductions.com to all of you (who are 18 or over). I've seen the work, and it's really good!!! By the way, whomever took my Vox-made macrame Greg doll and put an eyepatch on it to turn it into an Edmund doll: UNCOOL!!! I don't even see the resemblance anyway!

11:30pm - After the mug, a few of us -- Jennifer, Mara, Eric and Tony -- went upstairs to the staff room. I had a virgin jello shot. Black Cherry!

More tomorrow!

GATHERING 2009 - Friday, August 21st

GATHERING 2009 - Friday, August 21st

12am - Went to bed. I was completely exhausted from the last few nights of working on the Radio Play instead of sleeping...

2am - So of course I wake up two hours later.

6:30am - Finally fell asleep again.

10:30am - Woke up, having missed staff breakfast.

11:30am - I went downstairs to check out the Art Room-in progress. Aaron gave me a very cool Phoenix Gate pin. (Thanks, Aaron!)

Noon - Had my mug-a-guest with Leah, Fan, Abbie, Eva, Kathie and others. I'm embarrassed over how little I can remember already, I'm afraid.

1:30pm - Jennifer Anderson and I held the first batch of auditions. Some real good people.

2:30pm - Back to the art room. I also bought two copies of the Bad Guy Trade, one for myself and one for the Sperlings.

3pm - By this time, I was pretty hungry, so although they had JUST eaten, Tony and Andrea Zucconi accompanied me up to CityWalk so I could get a Tommy Burger, fries and a coke/Root Beer semi-suicide mix. I ate; we chatted.

4pm - We headed back down to the hotel/con.

4:50pm - My wife Beth arrived at the con. We hung out, waiting for Opening Ceremonies to start.

5:40pm - Opening Ceremonies. I got the ball rolling. We had a bunch of con virgins -- for whom this was their first Gathering. And of course we had four people who had attended ALL thirteen Gatherings: myself, Gathering Co-Chair Patrick Toman, Bad Guys artist Karine Charlebois and a Fan. Gathering Co-chair introduced her staff and then they presented me with a very cool macrame doll of me, commissioned by the staff and created by the talented Vox. I then stood up again and talked about the great programming we had in store for the weekend. Then I presented Patrick and Jennifer with the Fan Guest of Honor, represented by great prints of Puck and Demona by Karine and Kythera of Anevern. Next, I spoke a brief tribute to the late Gary Sperling, and we presented his wife and kids with a copy of the Bad Guys Trade and another fantabulous print by Karine. After that came the Rocky Horror Gargoyles Show, i.e. the same old schpiel I always do. Showed the Pitch, the Jim Cummings version of the pitch, the promo, the Frakes presentation piece, the New Olympian and Dark Ages pitch, the Bad Guys animatic and "The Last" animatic -- nearly finished and almost entirely done by fans.

8pm - Having eaten a late lunch, I decided to skip dinner. But I hear Edmund Tsabard and the staff of Blue Mug Productions (Mara Cordova, Kalia Sartre, Jennifer L. Anderson and Boswell Bosley) had a dinner business meeting at Versaille up at CityWalk. Edmund had Ropa Vieja, Plantains, Beans, Rice and a coke.

9:30pm - A few of us hung out in the staff suite upstairs on the hotel's top floor. Liz, Patrick, Mara, Jen, Nikki, Eric, Seth, Sammy, Rebecca, Fox, Sydney, Steph, Scott and Marina all stopped by at one point or another.

11:59pm - I went back to my room...

More tomorrow...

GATHERING 2009 - Thursday, August 20th

Well, gang, I'm back from the final Gathering. Had an amazing time. Truly. I'll start my conjournal now. One day at a time...

As always, all times and quotations are approximate. Please forgive any mistakes or omissions.

GATHERING 2009 - Thursday, August 20th
I was up all Wednesday night, prepping the scripts for the Radio Play, which I had written over the three (largely sleepless) nights previous.

7:30am - Finally went to bed.

11:30am - Got up. Drove to my office in Beverly Hills to finish prepping for the Gathering.

6pm - Finally finished prepping. Drove home to pack.

7pm - Left for the Universal Hilton. Parked and checked in and unpacked in my seventh floor room. The staff then gathered to go to dinner at Bucco de Beppo's in CityWalk. It was a big table. I think a complete list of those present would include me, Liz Chesterman, Mara Cordova, Joe, Susan Leonard, Sammy Behr, Seth Jackson, Eric Tribou, Jennifer L. Anderson, Kythera of Anevern, Rebecca Bochner, Patrick Toman, Tony Zucconi, Andrea Zucconi, Cindy Kinnard and Karine Charlebois. I had garlic bread, calamari, spaghetti and meatballs, apple gorgonzola salad, two kinds of fettucini, green beans and manicotti. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel to check out the rooms for the con.

10:30pm - I went back to my room to continue prepping my script for the radio play.

More tomorrow... please post YOUR ConJournal here at ASK GREG! Thanks!

Gathering 2009 - Los Angeles CA

Gathering 2009 - Los Angeles CA

Okay, gang, I leave tomorrow for the Gathering. This is our last one for the foreseeable future, so I plan to make the most of it. We've got a TON of programming (including panels on both Gargoyles and The Spectacular Spider-Man and ElfQuest, production panels, voice panels, writing panels, comic book panels), a TON of professional guests (Comic book pros, animation pros, actors, artists, writers, sculptors, directors, etc.) These guests include Frank Paur, Victor Cook, Sean "Cheeks" Galloway, Greg Guler, Thom Adcox, Keith David, Josh Keaton, Steve Blum, Crispin Freeman, Wendy Pini and Demona herself: Marina Sirtis.

We have screenings of exclusive Gathering footage, like the Bad Guys reel and the pro/fan Team Atlantis collaboration. I'm bringing the only once-before seen footage clip from Spectacular Spider-Man ONLY shown at ComicCon last month. And Michael Reaves, Gargoyles writer and story editor, is bringing his STAR TREK webisode, professionally produced and starring George Takei himself as Sulu.

We have a Radio Play (that has nearly killed me to get ready in time) that presents an ORIGINAL Feature-Length crossover between Gargoyles and The Spectacular Spider-Man, with EVERY voice actor guest performing with fans.

We have a Banquet with a pro/guest at every table. We have our "Mug-A-Guests", i.e. a chance for a small group of fans to chat with individual pro/guests. We have the Masquerade and Dance.

We have fan/pro discussion panels on Gargoyles Biology and Culture, mythology, ABJD, Fanfiction, etc. We have Mature Content programming -- including Edmund Tsabard and his Angels at the Blue Mug.

We have Universal Studios and Universal CityWalk right next door.

And we have the opportunity to purchase all three Gargoyles Trade Paperbacks, both volumes of Clan-Building and Bad Guys: Redemption. Plus the auction features more gargoyle merchandise than you could possibly carry home. Great art at the art show.

And a few surprises...

Anyway, if you're anywhere near the Universal Hilton in Los Angeles, we hope you stop by. Let's make this last Gathering the best one yet!

And I'll see you back here at Ask Greg next week...

Oh, and as always, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE post Gathering journals here at ASK GREG!!!!!

Thanks,

gdw

STONE OF DESTINY -- SPOILERS!!!!

STONE OF DESTINY -- CLAN-BUILDING, VOLUME TWO SPOILERS!!!!

GXB sent me a question about the Stone of Destiny in Clan-Building. He wrote:

"Just to be clear... Xanatos has the original Stone of Destiny? Scotland has a fake? That's... kinda cool. :)"

Now, of course, I shouldn't have responded. The book SHOULD either stand and fall on it's own. But of course, if that was my policy, we wouldn't really have ASK GREG at all, would we?

I apologize that I wrote with so little clarity that an explanation is necessary at all, but here's my answer to him, and before the rest of you get a chance, to all of you:

You're missing the point.

Which was the original, the one Moses sent with Gathelus or the one Moses kept and used to bring forth water in the desert?

Which was the original, the half that stayed at Tara or the half that sailed to Dalriada? (Note that both halves are the same size as the so-called "original".)

Which was the original, the one that was kept in London or the one that became the Blarney Stone?

There is no original. There is no fake.

But if you're asking where the specific stone that had been at Westminster went, Peredur has it in Carbonek. Look at the timeline. Xanatos switched the stone at the bridge and was about to make a DOUBLE switch at Leith before Blanchfleur came to pick it up. He was planning to keep the one he assumed was the original, when the stone itself told him it was pointless. So he gave Blanchefleur the stone the Illuminati wanted, i.e. the Westminster stone.

Xanatos kept one of the two "fakes" and Edinburgh has the other "fake", except both are still real stones. (It's not like they're paper mache or something.) And ANY stone can be THE stone.

Gargoyles: Clan-Building, Volume II TPB

Reports indicate that the Gargoyles: Clan-Building, Volume II TPB has arrived in some (though not all) stores, and is being shipped out from SLG and other sources. As most of you know, this trade contains the previously published issues #7 & #8, plus the unpublished issues #9- #12. There is TONS of new material here, tons of revelations. Tons of new canon. And if we hope to get more Gargoyles comics of any stripe in the future, it is imperative that this volume sells. If you don't have it already, I'd recommend purchasing Volumes I & II together. Read the stuff in order in (more or less) one sitting, and you'll get more out of it.

If your store doesn't have the book, ask them to order it for you!

And please, please, please, help us SPREAD THE WORD!!!!

Thank you.

TRADE PAPERBACKS!

Hey gang,

I know -- and share -- the frustrations over the vague release dates of the two remaining trades. Both are DONE. So it's just an issue of getting them from the printers, through customs, out to Diamond and then into stores, etc.

BUT, Dan Vado has ASSURED me that all three trades (GARGOYLES, CLAN-BUILDING, VOLUME ONE; GARGOYLES, CLAN-BUILDING, VOLUME TWO; GARGOYLES: BAD GUYS, REDEMPTION) will be available for purchase at the Gathering. Hopefully, they'll be available everywhere sooner or at least shortly thereafter, but at the very least -- if you come to the con, you can get the books!

Hermione R.I.P.

Our basset hound Hermione passed away in her sleep yesterday. She had a large inoperable malignant cancer tumor, so it wasn't a shock.

I know it must seem like we go through these dogs rapidly, but that's because my wife and kids always choose elderly dogs from the Basset Rescue Ranch, because they feel that everyone always wants the puppies and young dogs, and the old ones never find a home. So we get dogs. They're old. They die. My family grieves. And we start the process again... all too often, I guess.

We still have one basset left, Murray. Plus our cat Emmy. I'd like to put off getting any more pets for the time being, but it's never up to curmudgeonly me.

Hermione was a handsome girl, definitely the Alpha Female of our pets. Very common sense. We'll miss her.

Blue Mug Productions

Blue Mug Productions is up and running!

If you're 18 or over, check out http://www.bluemugproductions.com/ for the very latest in story-driven mature content.

They've got preview pages of the web-comic LAST TENGU IN PARIS, so you can see what you're missing. But I suggest getting a membership which gives you access to all existing pages of LAST TENGU, as well as a forum, Gallery, even an ASK EDMUND feature and more. This is good stuff. You don't want to miss out.

[Okay, Edmund, I gave you your damn plug. Now put down the gun...]

ComicCon 2009

Hey gang,

Had a fun convention. We had 100 copies of Clan-Building Volume Two on sale, and they went like hotcakes. David Hedgecock and I did multiple signings.

Also did a signing at the Ape booth for Mecha-Nation with Vic Cook.

And Vic, Sean "Cheeks" Galloway, Josh "Spider-Man" Keaton, Robert "Vulture" Englund, Kelly "Sha Shan" Hu and myself had a successful Spidey panel on Sunday.

Saw friends. Ate meals. Bought a Captain Atom action figure.

Good times.

SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 2009

Hey gang(s),

Here's my basic itinerary for SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 2009. You can find me at the following places at the following days and times. So I hope you'll stop by and say hello!

THURSDAY, JULY 23
11:30am - 1pm - SLG BOOTH.
David Hedgecock and I will be signing Garg stuff. Dan Vado assures me, we WILL have 100 copies of GARGOYLES: CLAN-BUILDING, VOLUME II, sent FED EX directly from the printer. We might even have copies of GARGOYLES: BAD GUYS: REDEMPTION, although that's not definite. And of course we'll have copies of GARGOYLES: CLAN-BUILDING, VOLUME I, as well as individual issues of both series. We're also hoping to have a prototype of the Electric Tiki Goliath statue on display.

FRIDAY, JULY 24
4 - 5:30pm - SLG BOOTH.

SATURDAY, JULY 25
2 - 3pm - APE BOOTH.
Vic Cook and I will be signing promotional postcards and talking about MECHA-NATION, our new comic book series (with Greg Guler and Antonio Campo). This was a project that was seen at a couple of Gatherings and was previously announced with SLG. Unfortunately, SLG had to bail, but the good folks at APE scooped it up.

3:30 - 5pm - SLG BOOTH.

SUNDAY, JULY 26
10 - 11am - ROOM 6A.
THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN panel. Vic Cook, Character Designer Sean "Cheeks" Galloway and voice actors Josh "Peter Parker/Spider-Man" Keaton, Kelly "Sha Shan Nguyen" Hu, Robert "Vulture" Englund and Greg "Donald Menken" Weisman will all be there, talking, answering questions and showing NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE. This is not stuff you'll find on as-aired episodes or DVDs or YouTube or BitTorrent or anywhere else -- except maybe the Gathering next month.

12:30 - 2pm - SLG BOOTH.

NOT A TRUE STORY...

So I stopped by the bank this morning, because my wallet was totally cash-free. Both ATM's are "Out of Service" so I go into the branch to get some money. It occurs to me that I haven't actually been inside a bank in many months, maybe in a couple years. But here I am in the single rope-line that traverses back and forth in front of the tellers. The line is fairly long -- probably because the ATMs are down. Within a minute or so, there are a few people behind me and about a half-dozen in front of me.

The next customer achieves her teller, and I turn the corner so that I'm now facing the entrance to the bank. My eyes are wandering about, bored mostly, when I notice a tall man enter the bank wearing a trenchcoat. Now, it's July in Los Angeles, so this is odd. And maybe I'm kidding myself -- I am a cartoon writer, after all -- but the security guard who's standing by the door, seems to think this is odd too. He takes a few steps forward to keep an eye on this guy.

Trenchcoat marches right up to the end of the line, and says -- not loudly, not muttering: "The A.T.M.s are out of order." The guy at the end of the line turns at this and nods curtly to Trenchcoat. Then Trenchcoat says: "Get out of my way." End-of-the-line gives him an incredulous look. If he says anything at all, it's too quiet for me to hear (and I'm about two yards away).

Then shouting "GET OUT OF MY F***ING WAY!", Trenchcoat pulls -- I kid you not -- a goddamn MACHETE from out of his coat and swings it down at End-of-the-line over and over. But -- and it's a huge but - he's not hacking at him. He's WHACKING him with the FLAT of the blade. End-of-the-line is holding up his arms defensively and screaming. I don't think he even realizes he's not being chopped into horror-movie bits. All he sees is this maniac swinging a machete down at him.

Meanwhile, nearly EVERYONE in the bank -- myself included -- does absolutely nothing. We all stand, rooted to our spots. Maybe we're too shocked to react, maybe too afraid. I remember noticing that Trenchcoat is hitting him with the machete instead of cutting him, but still I don't move. I don't even run away, let alone help. I just stand there.

The only person who does react is the Security Guard, who is standing behind Trenchcoat. There can't be anyway for him to know that End-of-the-line is not being horribly murdered. Security Guard pulls his gun. He says something like "Drop the knife!" (He said "knife", but it really was a machete.) Trenchcoat turns to face Security Guard, holding the machete high. He does not drop it, but takes a step toward Security Guard, who promptly shoots him twice. The gunshots are very loud, and I can almost still hear them echoing in my eardrums. Trenchcoat goes down. The machete clatters to the (probably faux) marble floor. The Security Guard advances quickly and kicks the machete out of Trenchcoat's reach. It goes skittering across the (probably faux) marble floor until it hits the carpeted area where the loan officers have their desks.

Security Guard then kneels beside Trenchcoat, who is lying on the (probably faux) marble floor, breathing heavily with his eyes open. Security Guard, keeping his gun aimed the whole time, pulls open Trenchcoat's coat. I lean forward and see that Trenchcoat is wearing what appears to me to be a bullet proof vest of some kind. In any case, there's no blood that I can see.

The police arrive almost immediately, which suggests that at least one of the tellers was not quite as paralyzed by events as I was and hit a silent alarm. End-of-the-line is freaked out but basically fine. He has some nasty welts and a few extremely superficial scratches on his arms, I suppose from where the edge of the blade dug into his skin a bit. The cops insist on him going to the hospital. An ambulance arrives to take Trenchcoat away. One cop actually suggests that End-of-the-line get in too. Unsurprisingly, End balks at riding with the guy, and then makes it clear he's not even willing to go to the same hospital as "that F***ER". He eventually gets in a squad car and is driven away.

They keep all of us there for about two and a half hours. I talk to a uniformed officer and then to two plainclothes detectives. I tell them what I saw, but I have more questions than answers. I get no answers. And since I knew I wouldn't get any, I make very little effort to ask the questions. Finally, they take my information and let me go. I leave, passing the useless ATMs as I go.

It's all like some really bizarre performance art, and now that it's over I can't help wondering if that's exactly what it was. But if so, it was incredibly elaborate and damned irresponsible.

But in any case, that's why I'm broke and late for work.

CONVERGENCE converges with the GATHERING

I just got the following e-mail from a buddy on the staff of CONvergence (http://www.convergence-con.org/), which is taking place NOW:

Hi Greg!

I'm at CONvergence, and I am seeing flyers all over the hotel
advertising for the Gathering. They are having over 40 guests? Wow!

So thanks to those posting our flyers at ConVergence (my second all-time favorite convention). Have a great con!

But don't miss the Gathering, which as of yesterday actually has OVER FIFTY GUESTS attending! Fifty and counting. Soon the guests will outnumber the fans. ( And, dude, I wish I was kidding.) You will NEVER find a better fan to pro ratio at any convention ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!!!! Sign up now at http://www.gatheringofthegargoyles.com/g2009/ !!!!!

Comment Rooms

Before I begin, let me make something perfectly CLEAR. The Station 8 Comment Room is NOT my comment room. It is the property of and under the management of Gorebash for him to run as he sees fit. Personally, I like the Comment Room as is. I'm not a big fan of forums. If the vote goes that way, and Gore decides to make a change, so be it. But I voted against the change. My problem/issues with the comment room is about the (occassional) bad behavior of some people who post and what I perceive as the over-reaction of other people (often the same people, I suppose) to what I perceive as innocuous (or only slightly bad) behavior. But to reiterate, I stand by whatever decision Gorebash makes.

So what follows is only my opinion. Not even that really. What follows is my brother's opinion. And it's not even his opinion on the Station 8 Comment Room or on anything Gargoyles related. As some of you know, my brother, Jon Weisman, has a blog: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dodgerthoughts/

This blog on the Los Angeles Dodgers gets more hits in a day then we get here in a week. Or two. Probably even three. One of the main features of his blog, one of the things that he has told me is a big draw for DodgerThoughts, is the comments that his readers post regularly, their exchanges and their dialogue with him and with each other. So Jon has developed some basic guidelines for commenting that I think are calm and intelligent and worth considering for what we do at Station 8. Here they are:

Dodger Thoughts Commenting Guidelines
Thank You For Not ...
1) using profanity or any euphemisms for profanity
2) personally attacking other commenters
3) baiting other commenters
4) arguing for the sake of arguing
5) discussing politics
6) using hyperbole when something less will suffice
7) using sarcasm in a way that can be misinterpreted negatively
8) making the same point over and over again
9) typing "no-hitter" or "perfect game" to describe either in progress
10) being annoyed by the existence of this list
11) commenting under the obvious influence
12) claiming your opinion isn't allowed when it's just being disagreed with

I think these guidelines are very common sense and with the possible exception of #9, apply directly to Station 8. #12 seems particularly applicable. I'd actually add a #13:

13) thinking that just because no one has responded to your post that you are unwelcome. (Your post may simply have inspired no comment.)

These guidelines seem SO straightforward to me, I was stunned to learn today that some people over at DodgerThoughts OBJECT to them. So here's the post Jon made responding to these objections:

Dodger Thoughts commenting is healed - in practice, if not in spirit
After nearly two months, the folks at Typepad have finally solved the bug that prevented comments at the bottom of a page at Dodger Thoughts from appearing until several had been cached. So in that respect, we're back to smooth sailing. Any of you who departed out of frustration, please feel encouraged to return.

On another commenting note, some have voiced to me, either on the site or in e-mail, dissatisfaction about the commenting guidelines and a feeling that only one point of view at Dodger Thoughts is tolerated. I'd like to address these concerns in this post. ...

Starting with the guidelines ... I realize that they are not everyone's cup of tea, but I still feel they do far more good than harm. Conversation can quickly become heated on the Internet, and I firmly believe the guidelines keep things from getting out of hand. It'd be nice if we were all mature adults -- but we're not. Myself included.

The guidelines are meant for everyone, and they apply to the most diehard regulars. If, for some reason, you feel that a comment has been posted that should be deleted, don't hesitate to let me know, either here or via e-mail. If you find the guidelines too confining, then consider the big picture of what they accomplish. If that big picture doesn't look attractive to you, well, I've learned all too well that I can't please everyone. Believe me, it's been humbling.

There are a few other points I'd like to emphasize:
*Although off-topic conversation is allowed at Dodger Thoughts, it is meant to broaden the discussion and the community here, not narrow it. If someone's talking about television when you want to talk about Chad Billingsley, then make a comment about Chad Billingsley. There's nothing stopping you.
*No Dodger Thoughts rule prevents a point of view. Every point of view is welcome.
*People who agree on some issues disagree on others. We're all human.
*There is no ban on any style of conversation that would be allowed in a civil, offline venue.

One quirk that occurred to me overnight is that the people who complain the most about the site's rules tend to be the people who, frankly, are most protected by them. A primary purpose of the comments is to safeguard those who have minority viewpoints.

Since more than one reader is encountering this problem, I take it very seriously. I want to remind people to treat everyone with respect -- especially those with whom you disagree. This is of the utmost importance.

At the same time, I'd like to remind those whose comments meet opposition that disagreement is not censorship. It's easy to become defensive -- it happens to me, like anyone else -- but if someone is rebutting with you without attacking you personally, the simple thing to do is respond to the rebuttal. Or write it off. The point is, we're all here for the same purpose.

If you feel you are being chased away, let me know. But first, examine if that's truly happening. It's not easy to be in the minority on an issue, but inevitably, someone is going to be.

My transition to The Times has not gone as smoothly as I had hoped, for three reasons that I can name (not counting the requirement to capitalize both Ts in "The Times"). One has been the technical problems, and another has been a bit of a culture clash between readers.

Perhaps the oddest wrinkle in the transition has been the effect of the Dodgers surprising all of us by having the best record in baseball. That itself has led to a divide between those who find some complaints about the team petty, against those who feel that no problem is too small even when the team is winning.

It's not so much that there's heated disagreement on the main issues, as there is disagreement about how to respond to those issues. For example, I would say a minority of readers believe Matt Kemp should bat low in the order, but a majority feel it hasn't been worth losing sleep over. A minority of readers think the Dodgers have a playoff spot locked up, but a majority don't seem to think it's time to panic. And so on.

I can see both sides. The level of negativity this season has struck me as remarkable and kind of depressing, not because I'm a knee-jerk defender of all things Dodgers (another accusation I've encountered more than once lately) but because I simply want to savor the good times as they happen. That being said, I should probably be more tolerant of the negativity and not make such a big deal of it.

But also, maybe that means that some other commenters shouldn't make such a big deal over some things as well. From the site's very first day, long before commenting was even a notion, I've wanted Dodger Thoughts to be a place to seek perspective on the team (and the sport, and life). That doesn't mean a "No Griping" rule. But it does imply that the gripes should have a sense of context -- and sometimes, I feel that is lacking.

In the end, I consider this site my responsibility. As we near the All-Star Break and I look back at the first half of the season, aspects of site management that I could have handled better shout out at me. I am going to do my best to improve over the second half of the season, which may bring us a breezy jaunt to October or a tense pennant race. I hope, win or lose, people continue to find this a nice place to hang out.

Greg again here. What strikes me is that even though Jon is discussing very specific Dodger-related issues above, it's stunning how much this seems to apply to us here at Station 8.

*Griping is totally legit. But griping without any sense of context does get old and leads to temper flare ups.
*The MORE you disagree with someone, the MORE respectful you should be. If you can't be respectful, don't respond. Or at the very least, GO AWAY for an hour or two until you calm down.
*Don't sink to the level of the most obnoxious posters. If we've got a troll, it does NOT help to troll back at him or her.

I think it would be a good idea, no matter what format the comment room takes going forward if some version of the DodgerThoughts guidelines were adopted and POSTED on the sidebar for everyone to see every time they post.

Again, that's merely my opinion. Gore can and should simply do whatever he wants.

Finally, I want to thank my brother, whom I admire to no end. I'm sure he has no idea of the problems we had here last week. It's not like I planned to post anything else on the subject. But there it was. This incredibly well-written common sense response to a problem he didn't even know I was having. Thanks, Jon.

Spidey Ratings

FYI:

THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN episode "Blueprints" delivered 1.57 B6-11 rating, up +76% from prior 4 week time period average, retaining 89% of Catch that Kid lead-in in B6-11 and delivering the time period's highest B6-11 Rtg in over one month… since THE INCREDIBLES on 5/4/09.

"Destructive Testing" delivered 1.86 B6-11 Rtg, its highest ratings yet on DXD, while up +54% from prior 4 week time period average, delivering the time period's highest B6-11 rating in over one year...

Last Gathering

The announcement has been made that the current Gathering of the Gargoyles (the thirteenth annual) will be the last in this form. I'm saddened by this of course, but even more saddened by some of the vitriol I've seen toward the constaff. So I posted this at Station 8:

Hey folks,

Thought I should speak up. In part to defend my friends, I suppose, but also just to make my position on all this clear.

I'm the person who suggested we end the thing. Me. Frankly, I was simply horrified to discover how much of their own MONEY the con staff was putting toward the convention year after year... with it costing them increasingly more with each succeeding convention and with attendance falling at a steady clip. And that's on top of the incredible amount of hard work that these people put in. There have been other individuals and groups who have run individual Gatherings here and there, but most burn out after one year and don't do it again. This group volunteered their time year after year. Stuck with it when others wouldn't. They deserve praise, not scorn.

Are they my friends? Of course. Are they loyal to me? I think so. I like to think I'm just as loyal to them. Are they cliquish at times. Yeah. I've noticed that too. It happens with any group of people who work very hard together to do something and, frankly, feel largely unappreciated for their efforts. They get tight.

But I don't buy the notion that this is an impenetrable clique -- especially since new members join the group all the time. I've known some of these folks for over a decade. Others, just for a couple years. And even if you aren't admitted to this so-called "Inner Circle", what difference should that make? The Gathering is big enough for multiple cliques. Big enough for you to bring your own clique. The Gathering has interesting and informative events whether or not you're in ANY clique.

When someone asks "Why would I want to give any money to hang out with people who have no interest in including me?" I think the question itself is off point. They're throwing you a convention! They're including you! Does that mean they have to personally enjoy your company? Personally, spend time with you? That's unreasonable. You may be great. You may be annoying. I don't know. But they don't have an obligation to coddle you. Just to put on a great show, which I think they've done year after year.

And you're not paying to spend time with them anyway, you're paying to attend the con. Or not. No one's holding a gun to your head, but then don't complain if the thing isn't somehow able to continue indefinitely on SOMEONE ELSE'S DIME.

Don't get me wrong. No one is going to miss the Gathering more than I. I think there's some real truth to the accusation that the thing became Greg Weisman's annual ego boost. Because without a doubt it is a HUGE ego boost for me personally. Year in and year out, I have a blast. I'm treated VERY well, and I enjoy that treatment. I'd be lying if I said otherwise.

But it's not as simple as that. For starters, the reason that the con has consistently featured me and the various series that I've worked on is because I'm willing to do the work to help put the convention together. Frank Paur, just as an example, is ALWAYS welcome, but he doesn't always choose to come. I ALWAYS want to be there. So it's something of a not-so-vicious circle. I provide the convention with contacts -- and the convention uses those contacts to hold panels on Starship Troopers or WITCH or, this year, The Spectacular Spider-Man. All of which is an attempt to INCREASE the attendance by bringing in other fandoms and exposing them to Gargoyles. It's worked to some degree, but not enough.

I've also provided contacts for shows like Darkwing Duck and TaleSpin and Kim Possible, and we've had panels on those that I wasn't a part of because my involvement on those series was nearly non-existent. But I knew those guys, so I got 'em to come. I'm sure everyone would have loved it if I had gotten, uh, say, the Avatar/Last Air Bender guys to do a panel on that show. Trouble is, I don't know those guys. So no luck.

And, hey, I did create the show that we're theoretically celebrating. I am the guy who's fought to get the DVDs and the comics, etc. It's because of the fandom that I never gave up. But it doesn't change the fact that I'm the guy who never gave up. So maybe it's not SUCH a bad thing that I've been the primary beneficiary of the con. Or maybe it is. I'm not going to worry about it.

What I am going to do is enjoy the last convention. I really think we'll be going out with a bang with a ton of special guests. And, ironically, because of the low attendance the BEST FAN-TO-PRO RATIO you'll find at any convention EVER!!! If you can't afford to come this year, we're very sorry. We'll miss you. Really. But if you can, you should try, because once again, I think it'll be a great show.

But of course I'm biased. ;)

And as Jennifer pointed out, if anyone else wants to have a Gargoyles convention in 2010 or 2011 or 2198, no one's stopping you. I'm still willing to attend, still willing to help. Or willing to stay away, if that would be best. But I'd advise thinking long and hard about both the time commitment and the financial aspect of it before jumping in. Cuz it's tough. Not for me. It's easy for me. But for whomever happens to be the constaff in any given year, it's a lot of work and not cheap.

Now, I suppose for some people, all I've done in this post is prove their point. I'm tight with the constaff. They're tight with me. All true. But they've still put out an open invitation year after year to friends and so-called-foes alike. All they're really saying is that they're done. You think you can do better? Go for it!

Greg Weisman

Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2009

I've been meaning to post this all week.

Last Friday, my family and I headed up to Ashland, Oregon to attend the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The Festival runs for nine months a year, producing 11 different plays. During the summer months, there are nine productions going on in repertory at any given time. We saw five plays in three days, and just had a blast.

We started Friday night with Shakespeare's HENRY VIII, and this was the best production of this play I've EVER seen, including the production I saw in London years ago. Vilma Silva as Katherine and Anthony Heald as Wolsey were both fantastic.

On Saturday, we saw EQUIVOCATION, a new play by Bill Cain that was the highlight of the entire trip (which is saying a lot)! Equivocation is set during the reign of King James I of England (a.k.a. James VI of Scotland). William Shagspeare has been commissioned to write a play about the Gunpowder Plot, and his attempts to tell the truth -- and not get hanged in the process -- are played out. The cast of characters includes his daughter Judith (and for those of you who saw my "Doc Shakespeare" radio play at the 2005 Gathering in Las Vegas, you can imagine how fascinated I was by this), the King, SIr Robert Cecil, Guy Fawkes and various members of the Kings Players. It also features bits of King Lear, Macbeth and Henry VIII, giving a sense to the origin of those plays as well as Shakespeare's later "romances" such as Pericles, Winter's Tale, Cymbeline and The Tempest. Anthony Heald, so good the night before as Cardinal Wolsey is fantastic as Shag. An actress, whose name escapes me unfortunately, is wonderful as Judith. (She played Anne Boylen in Henry VIII) and four other actors (all fantastic) cover all the other parts. I liked this play so much, I immediately went to the gift shop and bought the text. And stayed up reading it that night.

Saturday night, we went to see a Nigerian play called "Death and the King's Horseman", based on a true story and set during World War II. This was a fascinating look at African vs. European (Western) values and theater.

Sunday, we saw Shakespeare's MACBETH. I've seen a LOT of productions of Macbeth of course, but there were a lot of cool elements to this version, including a sense that the Weird Sisters weren't done with Fleance at the end, which was something completely fresh to me. It was also great to see it right after seeing Equivocation.

Finally, Sunday night we saw a wonderfully funny production of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.

In addition to the shows, we had a number of wonderful meals -- and okay, a couple mediocre ones too -- in Ashland. And my daughter, father and I had a great hike through an absolutely gorgeous park.

All and all, I can't recommend the Festival, Ashland and especially EQUIVOCATION enough.

Spidey on Disney XD

FYI, Disney announced this morning the rollout of SSM Season Two on June 22 with two back-to-back episodes: "Blueprints" and "Destructive Testing."

For times, check local listings.