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Gargoyles

The Phoenix Gate

Comment Room Archive

Comments for the week ending May 13, 2018

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Yeah, it doesn't have his s2 logo... But the official blog did link it under the name 'Young Justice: Outsiders.' So who even knows?
KarrinBlue

Is that a Young Justice poster or a more broad poster for the DC streaming service? Because that image of Nightwing looks just like his design from the Damian Wayne DC films.
Aldrius

So, who wants to talk about this for the few hours left before the room wipe?

https://www.warnerbros.com/sites/default/files/DCU_YJ_1.jpg

Brainiac - [OSUBrainiac at gmail dot com]
There is balance in all things. Live in symmetry with the world around you. If you must blow things up and steal from those around you, THAT'S WHAT RPGS ARE FOR!

I recall Greg saying on ASK GREG that he's never read much of Lovecraft. So the whole "Space-Spawn" name is not a deliberate reference. They do call themselves that, and they are called that because the species spawned amidst an exploding star.
Greg Bishansky - [<-----------My fics]

Of course, there's also the question of whether Lovecraft's work is too recent to count as a mythology - though "Gargoyles" has already made use of other modern mythologies (the Illuminati, for example, or ancient astronauts in the form of Nokkar).
Todd Jensen

TODD> Yeah, but this is HPL we're talking 'bout. A man whose idea of "Unspeakable" includes Portuguese immigrants.

Dude's as likely to be horrified by Elisa as he is by Goliath.

Algernon
She will turn all of fate's misfortune to nothing. She will flood the earth with magic, and take all of humankind into her play. A moving stage construction. If everything is a play, no unhappy things will exist. It may be a tragedy, but it'll all be part of the script. The play stops on Walpurgisnacht, and the earth does not turn even once more. The story will not change. Tomorrow, and the day after, is the night of Walpurgis.

On the "unspeakable dance of the gargoyles" - I recall only one scene with a gargoyle dancing in the series, when Goliath was dancing with Elisa at the Halloween party in "Eye of the Beholder", and that was graceful and elegant. "Unspeakable" would definitely have been the wrong word for it.
Todd Jensen

Algernon> Quite likely. I'm fairly certain things would go quite poorly if he ran into a certain Timedancer.
Brainiac - [OSUBrainiac at gmail dot com]
There is balance in all things. Live in symmetry with the world around you. If you must blow things up and steal from those around you, THAT'S WHAT RPGS ARE FOR!

TODD> "Unspeakable" is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. Gargoyles is ultimately a story about reaching out to the Other while "Yog-Sothothery" is primarily based on recoiling from it in fear and disgust.

I've always imagined if HPL was a character in the GU, he'd be pro-Quarrymen.

Algernon
She will turn all of fate's misfortune to nothing. She will flood the earth with magic, and take all of humankind into her play. A moving stage construction. If everything is a play, no unhappy things will exist. It may be a tragedy, but it'll all be part of the script. The play stops on Walpurgisnacht, and the earth does not turn even once more. The story will not change. Tomorrow, and the day after, is the night of Walpurgis.

Todd> Good catch. Yeah, Lovecraft probably would have focused on the horrific and demonic elements of gargoyle/grotesque mythology rather than the protective element.

Vinnie> Yes.

Heh.

Brainiac - [OSUBrainiac at gmail dot com]
There is balance in all things. Live in symmetry with the world around you. If you must blow things up and steal from those around you, THAT'S WHAT RPGS ARE FOR!

I think people read too much into the name Space-Spawn. Is that even a real name of the aliens or just a derogatory curse word.
Vinnie - [tpeano29 at hotmail dot com]
Deplorable and loving it!

Sorry for the double-post, but I found this extract from Lovecraft's Commonplace Book (a list of story ideas he wrote) on-line:

"76. Ancient cathedral—hideous gargoyle—man seeks to rob—found dead—gargoyle’s jaw bloody.

77. Unspeakable dance of the gargoyles—in morning several gargoyles on old cathedral found transposed."

The latter would better fit the gargoyles we know - except maybe for the "Unspeakable" part. (The former might fit Demona, perhaps - though not after "The Mirror", obviously.)

Todd Jensen

BRAINIAC - I agree that the indifferent gloom at the heart of Lovecraft's stories (he saw the Great Old Ones as not evil, but testimonies to the universe not being human-centered) would keep them from fitting in well with "Gargoyles". (Though I still think that "Space-Spawn" sounds like something out of his works.)

Of course, Disney's tackled Lovecraft's works in a more parodic fashion with the Duckthulhu arc in the "Darkwing Duck" comic book.

Todd Jensen

Algernon> "Scholars in other fields use the term myth in varied ways. In a broad sense, the word can refer to any traditional story, popular misconception or imaginary entity. Due to this pejorative sense, some scholars opted for the term mythos. Its use was similarly pejorative and now more commonly refers to its Aristotelian sense as a 'plot point' or to a collective mythology, as in the world building of H.P. Lovecraft."

Yog-Sothothery isn't a traditional mythology, no, but the term is usually bandied about. However, given the scourge that is the copyright of those works, I'm betting it would fail simply due to not being (completely) public domain unlike something like Dracula or Holmes (not to mention I think a lot of Eldritch/Cosmic Horror has too much pessimism at its core to fully gel with Gargoyles).

Brainiac - [OSUBrainiac at gmail dot com]
There is balance in all things. Live in symmetry with the world around you. If you must blow things up and steal from those around you, THAT'S WHAT RPGS ARE FOR!

BRAINIAC> Does Lovecraft's works count as a "mythology"? I'd say so but it's one I can't see fitting into the GU without being heavily deconstructed first?

Like maybe Brooklyn TimeDances to a 1920s Massachusetts fishing village where the local humans live in peace with a neighboring clan of aquatic gargoyles...

Only to have it all come crashing down when some crazy racist antiquarian from Providence stumbles on their secret and sics J. Edgar Hoover on the whole town?

Algernon
She will turn all of fate's misfortune to nothing. She will flood the earth with magic, and take all of humankind into her play. A moving stage construction. If everything is a play, no unhappy things will exist. It may be a tragedy, but it'll all be part of the script. The play stops on Walpurgisnacht, and the earth does not turn even once more. The story will not change. Tomorrow, and the day after, is the night of Walpurgis.

Come now Algernon, do you think one such as I wouldn't be prepared for miniscule investigation?

<breaks out the microscope>

FOR SCIENCE!

Brainiac - [OSUBrainiac at gmail dot com]
There is balance in all things. Live in symmetry with the world around you. If you must blow things up and steal from those around you, THAT'S WHAT RPGS ARE FOR!

BRAINIAC> Alas, the list is so small that if I posted it, you wouldn't be able to read it for being so tiny. :P
Algernon
She will turn all of fate's misfortune to nothing. She will flood the earth with magic, and take all of humankind into her play. A moving stage construction. If everything is a play, no unhappy things will exist. It may be a tragedy, but it'll all be part of the script. The play stops on Walpurgisnacht, and the earth does not turn even once more. The story will not change. Tomorrow, and the day after, is the night of Walpurgis.

<raises eyebrow>

Algernon, I'm rather curious about that list of unwanted mythologies.

Brainiac - [OSUBrainiac at gmail dot com]
There is balance in all things. Live in symmetry with the world around you. If you must blow things up and steal from those around you, THAT'S WHAT RPGS ARE FOR!

It'd probably be easier for me to list all the myths and legends I DON'T want to see incorporated into the GU is some way.

Among the ones I do wanna see... Aztec, Babylonian and Irish Mythologies are all fairly near the top of the list.

Algernon
She will turn all of fate's misfortune to nothing. She will flood the earth with magic, and take all of humankind into her play. A moving stage construction. If everything is a play, no unhappy things will exist. It may be a tragedy, but it'll all be part of the script. The play stops on Walpurgisnacht, and the earth does not turn even once more. The story will not change. Tomorrow, and the day after, is the night of Walpurgis.

Everyone pre-order their Hudson Pop? I pre-ordered one from Big Apple Collectibles.

https://www.bigapplecollectibles.com/products/gargoyles-funko-pop-hudson-pre-order?variant=8645519048803

I also went to two of my local comic book shops and asked them to order them. They're going to let me know. Please continue to spread the word, and if you can speak monetarily with your wallet. With any luck this could eventually lead to more Gargoyles Pops and maybe even more content in the future.

Anthony Tini

[Speaking of Greek mythology, the latest Ducktales episode featured quite a bit of Greek myths in it, some of it was pretty accurate and some was changed to fit the Ducktales universe.]

One detail I noticed was that the little Siren girl was named "Ligeia" in the ending credits, which was an actual name of one of the Sirens. And the multi-eyed sea monster was named "Charybdis" - and looked a lot like a depiction of Charybdis (as in, Scylla and Charybdis) that appeared in the illustrations of the d'Aulaires' retelling of the Greek myths.

Todd Jensen

Regarding Greek mythology, I'd say a TimeDancer story or two is pretty much a no-brainer. Precisely where and when Brook might show up is an open question, but given his oft-expressed affection for the character, I gotta imagine an adventure with Theseus is all but guaranteed.

As for what I'd personally like to see...well, I'm good with pretty much any mythology that hasn't gotten enough limelight in popular culture. Greek, Egyptian, and Norse mythology are all awesome, of course, but interpretations of their major figures are a dime-a-dozen.

Given Greg's success at reinterpreting the lore of the native Taino people in Rain of the Ghosts, I'd love to see "Gargoyles" touch on all sorts of underexplored tales. Chinese mythology, Central American mythology, Polynesian mythology (my personal fave), African mythology (apart from Anansi)...the list goes on and on and on and on.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, most Western pop culture is very...well, Western-centric. And while it certainly has the potential for it, "Gargoyles" as a property has still only dipped a few toes out of that rich-but-narrow frame of reference.

The room to grow is all but limitless, and while I wouldn't begrudge Greg for telling stories with Jason and Herakles if he comes up with a really good angle, I'd be way more interested in seeing his takes on figures who haven't seen nearly as many modern pens.

Masterdramon - [kmc12009 at mymail dot pomona dot edu]
"It is a pleasure to meet you. If it is your wish, I will travel anywhere to meet your request. I am Auto Memories Doll...Violet Evergarden." - Violet Evergarden

Which myths would I like to see in Gargoyles. That's actually kind of tough because I was introduced to a lot of world mythology through Gargoyles.
But if I had to choose I would like to see some of Russia's folklore make it's way in, especially Koschei the Deathless which I think would make a good antagonist.

Speaking of Greek mythology, the latest Ducktales episode featured quite a bit of Greek myths in it, some of it was pretty accurate and some was changed to fit the Ducktales universe. Like the mighty hero Storkules.

Matthew
Muscles fade and the mind dulls.But as long as the heart is willing, strength remains.

ADAM - I suspect a lot of Greek mythology in the Gargoyles Universe would have revolved around the New Olympians' ancestors; the more humanoid "monsters" (such as centaurs and minotaurs) were among them (though I don't know where the "all animal" ones like the Nemean Lion, the Hydra, or the Chimera would have fitted in), as were probably many of the Greek gods (though others were most likely members of the Third Race).

I've mentioned this before, but one modern myth that would have to get into "Gargoyles" at some point, if it ever comes back, is the superstitions around the "Scottish play". Given the role of Macbeth and the Weird Sisters, the "curse of the Scottish play" would have to get in, just as, once Avalon was revealed to be the place of refuge for the Eggs, King Arthur had to get in.

One earlier myth that I sometimes wonder about in connection with "Gargoyles" is Thor. Greg Weisman's stated that Thor is probably dead in the present-day part of the Gargoyles Universe (largely because he's been used so often, especially by Marvel), but I've speculated over how Goliath and his clan would have gotten along with the Thunderer. Thor was a protector-figure, like the gargoyles - but his favorite weapon was a hammer, which would make the Manhattan clan feel uneasy after the emergence of the Quarrymen (all the more so because Mjolnir's being a thunder-and-lightning-themed weapon would recall the electric nature of the Quarrymen's hammers).

Todd Jensen

Brainiac> yes, what about revenge of the 6th?

https://youtu.be/bYWAHuFbLoc

Greg Bishansky

But Matthew, what about the Revenge of the Sixth?

(thanks Adam, I've been waiting to spring that one)

Brainiac - [OSUBrainiac at gmail dot com]
There is balance in all things. Live in symmetry with the world around you. If you must blow things up and steal from those around you, THAT'S WHAT RPGS ARE FOR!

5th. So, how about a conversation topic. I recently watched the original Jason and the Argonaughts and Clash of the Titans. It got me wonder how legends like that (and Troy) will be incorporated into the Gargoyles universe (if at all). Things like Hercules, Zeus, the odyssey, the Golden Fleece.

So, what do you think. What kind of legends would you like to see brought into Gargoyles.

Adam

Hope everyone had a good May the Fourth be with you.
Matthew
Muscles fade and the mind dulls.But as long as the heart is willing, strength remains.

"Three things. You must always remember three things."
Masterdramon - [kmc12009 at mymail dot pomona dot edu]
"It is a pleasure to meet you. If it is your wish, I will travel anywhere to meet your request. I am Auto Memories Doll...Violet Evergarden." - Violet Evergarden

Second!
BrooksBabe

#1 with a bullet but always first over all!
Vinnie - [tpeano29 at hotmail dot com]
Deplorable and loving it!