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J. K. Moyer writes...

Mr. Weisman,

I'll start by saying that the commitment you have shown to your Gargoyles creation and its fans over the years is very admirable. Not many people in show business demonstrate that much long-term dedication to the consumers of their product. Bravo. Furthermore, as a biology/chemistry major I always get a kick out of the way you craft the creatures in the world of Gargoyles both in the TV show and the comics. If you're ever up late at night and need something interesting to read, look up the real-life term cryptobiosis (as in ''hidden life''). It isn't totally unrelated to the idea of stone hibernation.

That being said, I have a Gargoyles question for you that not at all science-based: The season one episode of Gargoyles entitled "Deadly Force" was one that I found to be one of the series' best. What served as the inspiration for a gun control episode? And, perhaps I am naively overlooking something, why did the first season of Gargoyles show the use of realistic, bullet-firing guns by both sides of the law and by the time season two rolled around, Elisa was the only one carrying a real firearm (even most of the street thugs we saw had some sort of laser weapon or no gun at all). It seemed odd that after making an episode like "Deadly Force" that went out of its way to deliver a message of responsible firearm use and care, the series would resort to use of futuristic, sci-fi weapons (with a handful of notable exceptions).

I'd like to end my post by saying that Gargoyles never failed to give me some issue of morality to ponder as I waited for the next episode. To this day, I have lines like "trust is not a commodity to be bartered for" sewn into the fabric of my consciousness, and I look forward to reading the maxims you weave into the dialogue of the Gargoyles comic. Rock on, Greg!

Greg responds...

"Deadly Force" is not a gun control episode; it's a gun safety episode. Inspiration can be found in any newspaper all too often.

The advent of our laser-guided "futuristic weapons" began before "Deadly Force" (with the Steel Clan) and was reinforced by that episode where those futuristic weapons were introduced and where it was stated that a quantity of them were sold on the open market. Cops (not just Elisa) continued to use real guns. It was not a second season change of direction.

Response recorded on August 01, 2008