I don't quite remember who wrote it, but someone mentioned that the scene of a dying Renard and how small he looks in his bed was a striking visual and I'm inclined to agree with that. I do remember that I wrote how it was a shame that Renard didn't stick around long as an ally to the Clan. Xanatos is charming, affable and morally shady at best while Renard was grouchy, irritable but strongly dedicated to doing the right thing, even though he slipped up here and there.

The contrast between the two was strong and it's a shame we didn't see more of their undoubtedly long conflict. The looks of regret from Fox and Xanatos are particularly poignant, Fox's games of theft and sabotage were ultimately for naught and while in the past she might've regarded this as weird form of father/daughter bonding time, it looks more like she just wanted actual moments of time back. And Xanatos, we all know his feelings about aging and death so it's a pretty big thing for him to be here at the end. I personally think that while Xanatos has a quip ready he was saying it more as reflex rather than to just say something clever. There's no satisfaction in losing an old adversary like this and he really is going to miss the curmudgeonly old crab.

I think Gnash joining Brooklyn Broadway and Lexington was a nice transition from the old Trio into a new dynamic. With the younger gargoyle acting as the D'Artagnan to their Three Muskateers. What I especially liked is that there early conflicts were ultimately resolved by getting back into their old dynamic so to speak. Broadway distracts the gangsters by having them underestimate his wit. Lexington deduces the weakness of the exo-frames to disable them. And Brooklyn coordinates all of them together. It's a nice touch that all of them use their brains to succeed rather than simply outmuscling them, once again demonstrating Greg's propensity for the heroes fighting smarter not harder.

I'll have more to say on Dino when the finale comes around.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
Ain't nothing crazy 'bout me but my brain!
posted @ Sun, Apr 13, 2025 1:42:49 am EDT from 135.180.3.149

Sorry for the double post, but I have a book of Shakespeare quotes for every day of the year, which picks them according to a historical event or holiday connected to that day - and for today, April 11, it picked the Stone of Destiny being found at Arbroath Abbey on this day in 1951, followed by its "theft" from Westminster Abbey the previous year. I checked my copy of "Clan-Building", and it gave that same day as the one where the Stone addresses Macbeth. (The quote for today in the Shakespeare book was, appropriately, from "Macbeth" - the little-known scene where Hecate is speaking with the Witches, generally considered to have been added in by another writer.)
Todd Jensen
posted @ Fri, Apr 11, 2025 10:46:38 pm EDT from 68.99.93.213

Reread Chapter Eleven of "Here in Manhattan", "Young at Heart", today.

This chapter contained a couple of things I'd expected (actually, hoped for), and a few surprises - including one very big one.

The big thing I'd expected which appeared was the trio doing battle with the trio-masked kidnappers. Such a face-off seemed absolutely essential - all the more so since we'd seen the trio having problems interacting ever since Brooklyn's return from his Timedancing (of course, even as far back as "The Journey", we saw them drifting apart). In the course of defeating the kidnappers, they're able to work as a team once more (to the delight of Gnash, who's the narrator here).

And in the course of that fight, we got the other thing I'd been hoping for: Brooklyn pointing out that that mask of him is out of date. (It does echo the fact that many of the pictures of Brooklyn on the front covers of the Dynamite comics are the "pre-Timedancer" version of him - understandable, of course, given that that's the version of him we saw in the television series.)

What surprised me in the encounter was a few more gangsters popping up, wearing hydraulic-powered high-tech suits of armor - and masks of Goliath, Hudson, Bronx, and Angela. (Note that these are all the clan members from the period before the end of "Clan-Building". No sign of any masks modeled on Coldstone, Coldfire, Katana, Gnash, or Fu-Dog - or Egwardo, though that one would have been difficult to make a mask for. Further evidence, apparently, that Dino's research into the Manhattan clan, while good enough to produce very accurate masks, was also dated.) Assuming that the gang member wearing the Angela mask was male, I can't help wondering if he was feeling anything but thrilled about that particular assignment....

In contrast to this action scene, we get the drama moment - and an effective one at that - of Renard's passing, with Goliath, Fox, Alex, Titania (as Anastasia), Xanatos, Owen, and Preston Vogel all present. We get some wonderful exchanges - I particularly liked the part where Fox says that this isn't how she'd wanted to acquire Cybberbiotics, and Renard comments with a smile "Don't I know it!" A clear allusion back to their exchange at the end of "Outfoxed".

And we got the big surprise that I mentioned earlier - the moment I really hadn't expected. Renard leaves Goliath 2% of Cyberbiotics in his will. I really liked Goliath's alarmed response; as I've mentioned before, when I read that part, I heard his words from "Double Jeopardy" echoing in my head, "Money may be a necessary evil in Xanatos's world, but not in ours".

Renard also gets in a bit more Shakespeare in his "Both alike in dignity" remark to Owen and Vogel (Vogel still doesn't seem to recognize Owen's similarity to himself); that particular line feels all the more fitting in light of all the mentions of Romeo and Juliet in "Here in Manhattan", mostly directed towards Pater and Rosaria (though also partly at Goliath and Elisa). And a lovely moment with Anastasia at the end....

Finally, we see Chavez confronting Elisa over keeping the gargoyles secret from her for so long - and it's all the more a problem for Elisa, since her reason for keeping the gargoyles (as Matt points out) was rather selfish; she liked being the only human friend the gargoyles had. (Which title she didn't even have when she finally introduced Matt to them - Hudson had already made friends with Jeffrey Robbins and Goliath with Renard.) Matt's got a solution at the end - but we'll need to wait until the next chapter to find out what it is....

And, finally, we get a glimpse of Slaughter seeking to point out to the other crime bosses that Dino's been manipulating them (and taking full advantage of the fact that he doesn't have a reputation for that kind of thing), which will bear fruit in the next chapter as well....

FAVORITE LINES.

RENARD: Everything I own... is in turn owned *huh huh* by my ccorporation... *huh huh* Cyberbiotics. I've left forty-nine percent *huh huh* to you, Janine and named you *huh huh* C. E. O.

FOX: Thank you, daddy Though it's not at all the way I wanted to acquire it.

RENARD: Hah! Don't I know it!


BROOKLYN (to Dino): And by the way, your mask's out of date.


RENARD: Janine....

FOX: It's Fox... but tonight, I won't quibble.


RENARD: You know *huh huh* "Titania", you don't have to pretend to be Anastasia for me....

ANASTASIA: There was nothing pretend abut my life as Anastasia Renard, and there was nothing pretend about my feelings for you, love....
Todd Jensen
posted @ Fri, Apr 11, 2025 7:47:57 pm EDT from 68.99.93.213

And so the trial, or rather hearing comes to a close and with a victory no less. It's pretty appropriate that Tobe Crest, a black man, would address both the changing nature of history and how we look back on those who failed in their duty to lift up those who require equal treatment. As Todd put it, the revelation that Xanatos bribed the judge does taint the victory but as I mentioned before, the scales of justice are very rarely balanced (especially these days). At at least this time the nudging of judicial decisions is made for the benefit of those who need it and not for the comfortable who already enjoy a safe position of power.

Katana as the narrator does provide a bit of background information, but still not enough. She's still something of an enigma and even though she is the focal viewpoint, it's for a storyline that she's observing rather than participating in. I'm hoping this changes soon with the quest for her egg. Still, her comments on her name and not making it her whole identity are fascinating. It reminds me a bit of the swordsmith Eiji from Blue Eyes Samurai who waxes philosophic about the nature of the sword both as the soul of a samurai and a line between life and death. It's been a headcanon of mine for some time that Katana's generation were named after Japanese arms and armor, I'm hoping we see more of that and more of her in the near future.

But there's still some big things to work through here, one of course is the Renard and what was revealed last time. And the other is that Dino is still out there and a victory in the courts doesn't detract from the threat he still poses.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
Ain't nothing crazy 'bout me but my brain!
posted @ Fri, Apr 11, 2025 5:22:33 pm EDT from 135.180.3.149

Sorry for the double post, but I've now reread Chapter Ten of "Here in Manhattan", "New Rules".

"New Rules" strikes me as a very appropriate nae for this chapter. First, the hearing concludes that Goliath is indeed a sentient being with the same rights as humans - a ruling that presumably will apply to gargoyles in general. Not only would this be "new rules" for Goliath and his species, but it would mean a big impact on the human race, in a sense; they now know they're not the only sentient beings after all.

And Elisa has now revealed on live television not only that she knows the gargoyles, but that she and Goliath have feelings for each other, are in love. That's definitely a big "nothing will ever be the same again" moment for the series. It's certainly likely to have major consequences for Elisa - all the more so since Captain Chavez now knows what the detective's been keeping secret for her, and doesn't seem pleased.

Katana becomes the narrator here - giving us the opportunity to learn more about her One thing we learn is her thoughts on her name: "I would accept [it] - but would not allow it to define me". Apparently she also doesn't quite view names as natural for gargoyles

In our glimpse of her timedancing with Brooklyn, we find out that they encountered the Three Musketeers. That moment stood out to me, since I'd noted Elisa's comparing and contrasting the trio to the Three Musketeers back in Chapter One - and knowing how one of the unwritten rules of "Gargoyles" is "If it mentions a famous legendary or fictional character or element, that character or element will show up some day", I wondered whether Brooklyn would encounter the Three Musketeers on a Timedancing visit to 17th century France. It struck me as appropriate, since they're one of the most famous trios of all time - and Brooklyn's a member of a trio himself (though his membership has been - strained - since his return, as we've seen).

Katana mentions the Shogunate in connection with her clan, which might narrow down slightly just when she and Brooklyn met and what her original time period was (so far, known only as "feudal Japan", which covers a lot of Japanese history - which might explain why, when we got our big look at Brooklyn's various Timedancing adventures in Chapter Six, his meeting Katana for the first time was not one of them - no specific year yet, to match the other events) - though even then, all it would tell us is that it happened after the Shogunate was founded (and since Katana says that her clan was teaching bushido "*before* and during the Shogunate" - emphasis mine - it could have happened before that event).

And Katana's come across no cases, during several years of Timedancing, of a human and gargoyle falling in love, giving a true sense of Goliath and Elisa as unique.

Dino refers to them as "Maza and the Monster" - a definite nod to the fairy tale that Goliath and Elisa most often get compared to.

Margot goes all out on Elisa in such a gleefully malicious way, it feels appropriate that during the first two seasons, she shared a voice actress with Demona.

Fox's remark about not allowing Vogel to "preempt the best show on television" seems like an in-joke reference to the O. J. Simpson trial pre-empting "Gargoyles" during the early days of Season Two (with the irony that here, the "best show on television" is a trial - well, a hearing). Though even that can't withstand the dramatic appearance from Titania.

We get a great page spread of everyone awaiting the decision: the Manhattan clan, Dino, Antoinette, and Dominic Dracon, Glasses and Pal Joey (still wearing their trio masks), the Labyrinth clan (oddly, Delilah's not among them - but we do see Maggie holding little Michael), Slaughter and his henchmen, Tony Dracon and Brod, Peter, Diane, and Beth Maza, Thailog, Brentwood, Sevarius, and Shahrizad, Billy and Susan and their parents (I think it's fitting that they're included, given the friend Billy and Susan will be making soon), and Demona. It really brings across what a big moment it is.

And in the wake of the ruling for Goliath and his freedom, not only does the clan rejoice, but even Coldstone accepts that the humans did something good for gargoyles - though without it entirely changing his opinion of them, as we shall see.

We also get that wonderful moment of Goliath shaking hands with Tobe Crest - followed by the reporters all wanting to interview Goliath (I got a chuckle out of one of them wanting to see him turning to stone - as if gargoyles can control its timing - and another one wondering what other mythical creatures might be out there; with two of the candidates they raised being ones we know exist in the Gargoyles Universe - we haven't seen Bigfoot yet, but I think it's safe to assume that they're real in the Gargoyles Universe too). While Travis Marshall wants to interview Goliath and Elisa about their love for each other - but it'll have to wait.

We see the meeting between Xanatos and Judge Roebling afterwards, which reveals that Xanatos secretly bribed the judge (he would). This might leave a bit of an ugly aftertaste to this victory, but I still can't help suspecting that even without it, Roebling might have reflected, after hearing Tobe Crest's closing speech, that he wouldn't want to go down in history as the 1990's counterpart to Roger B. Taney.

And Goliath answers the summons - to be present for Renard in his final moments....


FAVORITE LINES.

TOBE CREST: Opposing counsel spoke about the definition of humanity. But there was a time in this country, when someone who looked like me could be told he didn't meet that definition, could be told he didn't deserve any rights at all. Please remember that, Your Honor, for history will not be kind to those who fought for or aided in oppression - and this hearing, this specific moment in time, will be studied down the ages. When history's final verdict is rendered, you do not want to be on the wrong side of it.


TOBE CREST: It's a battle won....

GOLIATH: Yet the way to a true peace between gargoyles and humans has not yet been revealed.

TOBE CREST: That's a verity, but we an still enjoy the moment.

GOLIATH (shaking hands with him): Indeed we can. Thank you, my friend.
Todd Jensen
posted @ Thu, Apr 10, 2025 8:17:36 pm EDT from 68.99.93.213

Todd: Well, that's an opening to thank you for your reviews, first of all. What makes that remark of Gnash's even more interesting to me is that Gnash has, at this point, not even really been a part of Goliath's clan for too long. He's his (biological) parents' son, as his "Mom, Dad" subtly points out. So to have him worry now tells its own story, perhaps: either that Brooklyn's done a lot to talk up Goliath over the past 19 (subjective) years so that Gnash feels for him now, or that the bond of a clan is just that strong that he attaches himself to Clan Manhattan without any effort at all. Or, I suppose, that it's just been so long since he's seen any gargoyles other than his own parents (and Fu-Dog) that he worries about losing any of them. Shadows of things we may yet get to hear, I suppose.

Which puts Coldstone's behavior in sharp, yet subtle, contrast, too. (In light of future developments, it's interesting to speculate whether he's really going off to be alone after all, but that's for later.)

Answering Fedora Matthew's comments, I agree: to some extent, the repeated playfulness over whether it's a hearing or a trial (which even the news gets in on here) does reflect that Goliath is effectively on trial for the crime of being what he is. Margot certainly seems to be taking that track (to her detriment, I think, but that too is for later).

I can't claim legal expertise (but I did stay at a Hotel Cabal Express last night) but the New York statute on habeas corpus petitions says that "A person illegally imprisoned or otherwise restrained in his liberty within the state, or one acting on his behalf, ... may petition without notice for a writ of habeas corpus to inquire into the cause of such detention and for deliverance." If that's the mechanism being employed here, then it seems like there would be two broad points at issue: second, is Goliath's restraint legal, but first, is Goliath a "person" for the purposes of the statute? All the drama, of course, is focused on the first question. I doubt even Margot would try to argue that netting someone out of the park and dragging them off to Riker's represents legal detention, so it's no surprise that Judge Roebling initially states the case more as two sub-points of that first question (sentience, and then entitlement to rights) that, I suppose, add up to personhood under the law.

(I absolutely love the New York statute's use of "deliverance," by the way. Very appropriate in this context, even if that's not quite going to be the outcome of this case.)

Nobody in the story actually calls it a habeas petition, so of course this could be a wrong guess, but I suggest it's not very wrong in that case.
morrand - [morrand276 at gmail dot com]
posted @ Thu, Apr 10, 2025 7:46:59 pm EDT from 108.69.72.60

MORRAND - Thanks for mentioning Gnash's worried question about Goliath; that was one moment I forgot to include in my commentary, but which stood out to me. Gnash has frequently acted in a "rebellious teenager" fashion throughout "Here in Manhattan" so far; now, in his fear for Goliath's safety, he behaves in a more childlike fashion, wanting reassurance from his family that everything will be all right.

MATTHEW - Thanks for your comments as well. I hadn't thought of that particular comparison to Renard's state before you mentioned it, even though I've long been fond of "1776" - almost a U.S. counterpart to Shakespeare's history plays.
Todd Jensen
posted @ Thu, Apr 10, 2025 9:05:52 am EDT from 68.99.93.213

And here it is, the long-awaited trial...or hearing. This one I'd like to get the Legal Eagle treatment and have an expert in the field of law look through the details to see what the comic got right and what got a bit of creative liberty.

But that brings up another thing, morrand mentioned that the story emphasizes that this is a hearing not a trial. And yet narratively speaking Goliath is on trial for being a gargoyle, the Defense argues strongly for his rights and the ADA argues against it. Once you cut through all the...well I'll just use the expression A Few Good Men used, smoke-filled coffee house crap, that's what's going on. The witnesses called in aren't what we would call experts in the fields of human/gargoyle relationships because that's not an officially recognized term. So it all falls to character witnesses to raise up or lower Goliath's standing of character.

The reveal that Renard was responsible for the Task Force wasn't too surprising in retrospect, his methods of morality and responsibility tended to go a bit overboard so it stands to reason that his wanting to bring the gargoyles to humanity's attention would be similar. But the big reveal is that he's not just unwell, he's dying. The scene actually reminds me a lot of the musical 1776 where Delaware delegate Caesar Rodney's cancer hits him hard enough that he's forced to leave Congress and return home. Apologizing to his colleagues, John Adams in particular, that he's leaving them a divided Delaware and another obstacle for the hope of Independence.

And all the while, with everyone's stuck on the legal drama unfolding and Elisa about to take the stand, no one notices the growing frustration from Coldstone...
Matthew the Fedora Guy
Ain't nothing crazy 'bout me but my brain!
posted @ Thu, Apr 10, 2025 4:34:24 am EDT from 135.180.3.149

The courtroom scenes here are well-played. Despite the high stakes (which we're reminded of continually) the actual hearing plays out very procedurally, each side making its case zealously, but through the witnesses. That's a long way from the "shrieking at each other" kind of courtroom scene that'd probably have been a lot easier to write.

The repeated line about it being a hearing and not a trial encapsulates some of that neatly. Based on the circumstances, I guess it's a habeas corpus hearing (though it's never specified, because frankly it doesn't matter what it's called) and attention to detail like that--calling it what it would be, rather than lazily calling it a trial--adds some good verisimilitude to the story.

It does put the respective arguments in light: Goliath arguing his detention is illegal, and Margot probably arguing along the line that he is a dangerous animal, although it is a little fuzzy (more on this later, maybe). Even Tobe's request to have Goliath there to "participate and aid in his defense" connects with that: despite Margot's snipe in response, that's a pretty well-understood encapsulation of the right of a defendant to be present at trial, law degree or not.

Gnash's "Will Goliath be all right?" nips a little (as does Angela's reaction in the same panel). Given what the usual disposition of a dangerous animal is...
morrand - [morrand276 at gmail dot com]
posted @ Wed, Apr 9, 2025 9:28:12 pm EDT from 108.69.72.60

Sorry for the double-post, but:

First, an additional comment I had on Matthew's "The Owl House" post. When he brought up Belos/Philip's hypocrisy - I've probably mentioned this before, but it struck me that an extra piece of hypocrisy was that he, seeking to get rid of witches, became a witch himself in order to do it - and furthermore, the kind of witch he became better fitted a 17th century Puritan New Englander's definition of witchcraft than the magic of the Boiling Isles' inhabitants. To Philip, witches were people who'd made a pact with the Devil and gained magic thereby. This much better matches Philip's deal with the Collector (though he wasn't actually the Devil - and if anything, turned out to be another being who, like Luz, needed to learn and understand the people around him better - and did in the end) than the magic of the witches of the Boiling Isles, which came from their "alien biology".

I reread Chapter Nine of "Here in Manhattan" today, "Your Witness". Lexington becomes the narrator - and here, his narration becomes something more than just "voice-over narration". Up to this point, the narration in all the chapters was straightforward narration (like that of Matt's in "Revelations", for that matter). Lexington's narration is portrayed as his posts to Staghart in London. (We'll see one more example of such narration, when we get to Chapter Twelve.)

Goliath's hearing takes center stage here. Alongside Goliath, Tobe Crest and Margot Yale also play leading roles - and both show themselves to be very capable lawyers, about equally matched. Margot scores a few victories (and in a way that will probably ensure her being all the more disliked as a person among "Gargoyles" fans - we even see Lexington coming up with a new nickname for her), but Tobe counters them equally well. Which definitely makes it effectively suspenseful.

The first witness is Renard, who makes a good character witness for Goliath - until Margot reveals that he was behind the new equipment for the Gargoyle Task Force, shocking the clan (and convincing Coldstone all the more that humans are untrustworthy). Tobe Crest takes care to ask Renard why he did it and get the full story - or as much as he can before Renard's failing health requires him to leave the courtroom (apologizing to Goliath, in a particularly touching moment).

Goliath speaks up next, making it clear that he is indeed sentient - but Margot isn't at all deterred, and comes up with some skilled ripostes (if often twisting Goliath's words in so doing). She argues that the real reason why the gargoyles are living among humans is because there's nowhere else to go, and even uses the differences between the two species to argue that gargoyles shouldn't have human rights.

Both Margot and Tobe question Castaway as well - who doesn't seem to have any problems admitting that he's a member of the Canmore family (though there's a difference between that and acknowledging that he's Jon Canmore, of course) - with Tobe getting in a particularly good shot, to Castaway's annoyance.

And Margot points out, in return, thhat even after the prison guard Renqvist had seen evidence of Goliath's behavior, he's still clinging to the remote control to Goliath's shock-collar, indicating that he's still scared of the gargoyle.

Small wonder, amid all this, that Lexington seems to be seriously considering the possibility of the Manhattan clan moving to London (echoing the infamous "original ending" for the "Goliath Chronicles" of the clan fleeing Manhattan - though at least they wouldn't be splitting up in this version). Not to mention Coldstone storming out of the television room entirely....

And then (despite Goliath's protests) Tobe Crest calls Elisa to the stand....

All in all, a great piece of courtroom drama.

FAVORITE LINES.

TOBE: Counsel for the plaintiff asks that proceedings take place after sundown - so that Goliath may attend, in order to participate and aid in his defense.

MARGOT: "Aid in his defense?" Now the creature has a law degree?


GOLIATH: I have chosen to glide on currents of peace.


LEXINGTON: Ugh. Score one for the Wicked Witch of the West Side.


TOBE CREST: You're descended from Angus Canmore, aren't you?

CASTAWAY: I'm proud to say I am.

TOBE: Which may explain why you founded the Quarrymen, an organization seemingly dedicated to protecting humans from gargoyles.

CASTAWAY: I object to the word "seemingly".

TOBE: As would the leader of any hate group trying to pass itself off as reasonable.


LEXINGTON (as Elisa takes her witness oath): Okay, NOW, things are getting interesting....
Todd Jensen
posted @ Wed, Apr 9, 2025 7:42:36 pm EDT from 68.99.93.213

MATTHEW - Thanks for your comments - very good and insightful ones, once again. Not just on "Gargoyles" but on "The Owl House" as well.

(Your description of Luz struck me this time because I'm currently writing a fantasy/mystery story whose main character is a girl who, like Luz, is expecting a certain set of adventures, based particularly on her favorite books, only to discover a very different kind that she wasn't prepared for. That's all I can say about it at the moment, though.)
Todd Jensen
posted @ Wed, Apr 9, 2025 9:19:27 am EDT from 68.99.93.213

Pardon the double post and this is unrelated but this was the anniversary of the finale of the Owl House and I was looking back at some of my thoughts as I watched it and this one bit from "Watching and Dreaming" stood out to me. It's part of the conversation that Luz had with the Titan.

Luz: Well, Belos says he's trying to save humanity. And we are saying we want to save our families. So isn't that the same thing? Don't—Don't these feelings come from the same place?

Papa Titan: You assume Belos's goal comes from a genuine place. But that man doesn't care about anything but his need to be the hero in his own delusion. And because of that, he fears what he can't control.

I didn't think about it much when I reviewed the episode but Papa Titan's line stood out to me about the major difference between Luz and Belos, "that man doesn't care about anything but his need to be the hero in his own delusion."

Back in the early parts of the series, a lot of the episodes' plots were driven by Luz really not understanding how the Boiling Isles work. Initially believing that this fantastical world was like the fantasy series she loves when in truth the land is much stranger, more macabre and a lot more dangerous than the world of the Good Witch Azura. Likewise, Phillip/Belos came from an era where witchcraft and anything abnormal was not only dangerous but needed to be eradicated lest the soul be corrupted. But despite the Boiling Isles being populated by demons, strange creatures and monsters, the people there are no better nor worse than the humans of his realm.

The key difference was that while Luz wanted to do right and be a heroine in her own story, she was also willing to learn about the world she was staying in. She made mistakes and had misconceptions, oh boy did she make mistakes. But it was her willingness to not hold onto preconceptions and assumptions that allowed her to thrive. And that's especially important considering that Luz not only has trouble picking up social cues but her ADHD tends to put people off as well.

Meanwhile despite all but declaring himself to be a righteous and godly man, Belos never once considers the lives of the people of the Isles and the possibility that just because they practice magic or are called demons that they could be good people. Christianity is meant to practice compassion and charity but he won't engage in that because he still won't see them as anything more than monsters, no matter how many centuries he's lived among them. Heck, that line from Luz about his fashion being out of date ("Yikes, my dude") and his confused reaction really highlights how little he's changed over the centuries.

Belos ultimately remained locked in the past and his unwillingness to see past his own perspective and prejudices ultimately led him to a lonely and miserable end. As for Luz, Her open-mindedness while still remaining true to herself is rewarded not just as the chosen of the Titan and savior of the Boiling Isles. But with a group of tried and true friends, a family that's grown beyond the loss of her father, and a much healthier relationship with her mother.

I think that's a lesson worth remembering, about how it can be unhealthy to cling tightly to concepts and perceptions that feel safe and familiar. We can't control everything and it's foolish to believe that anyone can. The ability to take the time and try to understand others, no matter how different they are from you, can help you grow in ways you can't imagine.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
Ain't nothing crazy 'bout me but my brain!
posted @ Wed, Apr 9, 2025 3:02:54 am EDT from 135.180.3.149

Coldfire as the narrator was a good choice, before now she hadn't really been a viewpoint character in either the show nor the comics so getting things from her perspective was a nice change. I'm hoping to see more of her in the future especially now with Coldstone having left the clan.

Todd, that bit of Superman and his battle with Darkseid is interesting because while the slave metaphor might be apt in some regards, it's much more complicated than Coldstone is willing to consider. Goliath might be unfairly imprisoned but his supplication is meant for a greater purpose, that they are not above the notion of the law (however unfair it might be right now) and they're proving their minds are advanced enough to understand the intricacies of it. Right now, people like Margo, or Castaway or even the guard Renqvist are counting on the gargoyles to lash out in anger and release their brother from captivity or die trying. Because that fuels their rhetoric, that they're little more than monster, or intelligent creatures to whom the law would not apply. And that makes an interesting parallel with the Pack who despite being born human are now little more than bloodthirsty abominations.
But then again, the slavery angle is a tricky one because too many people even willing to go through the process still found justice or fair treatment denied simply because they weren't the right skin color. But that's a discussion for another time.

Speaking of the topic of lashing out, here's where Dino's plan begins to fall apart. While the plan was clever, the description of him not being a mastermind but a tool of violence does hold merit. Calculated and deadly strikes against the leaders of the various factions to incite war between them would certainly work, if they all behaved like Dino would. At first it works fine because they were angry enough to retaliate first and think second. But Slaughter is someone who thinks first and once he starts applying logic to the situation, the ruse falls apart.

By the way, that scene from Superman is poignant because 1: The way the enslaved populace would help their tyrant is an excellent demonstration of the Anti-Life Equation. And 2: the line from Darkseid is wonderfully delivered in a way that only Michael Ironside could.

Darkseid: I am many things, Kal El. But here...I am God.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
Ain't nothing crazy 'bout me but my brain!
posted @ Wed, Apr 9, 2025 2:07:27 am EDT from 135.180.3.149

Reread Chapter Eight of "Here in Manhattan", "Mayday", today.

It's Coldfire's turn to be narrator, and she offers a good viewpoint of her situation (and that of Coldstone). One feature in her "filling in the background" speech particularly stood out to me: the flashback scene where we see Hakon raising his mace next to her mate. It reminded me of my musing over whether Greg Weisman's ever been tempted to re-animate the Wyvern Massacre scene to have "Othello" replace the "anonymous generic gargoyle".

We see Coldstone's increasing exasperation about Goliath's refusing to let Brooklyn break him out, fueled all the more by his suspicion towards humans - understandably so, as he cites events like the Wyvern Massacre. We're clearly seeing him moving closer to the moment where he'll side with Demona. He's in the wrong, but believably in the wrong; from his perspective, Goliath is acting almost like a slave supporting his abusive masters. (I found myself recalling a scene in the series finale of "The New Batman/Superman Adventures" where Superman manages to defeat Darkseid and hurl him in front of his slaves - only for those same slaves to pick him up and offer to tend his wounds, while Darkseid smiles gloatingly up at a shocked Superman. I think Coldstone's seeing Goliath's conduct towards humans in much the same light.)

Wolf carries out his raid on Riker's, in company with Jackal and Hyena. That was one of those moments in "Here in Manhattan" that I'd been hoping for and which came true (there are a couple of other such moments, ahead in Chapter Eleven, that I'll discuss when I get to that chapter); with the talk earlier about security beefed up at Riker's after Brooklyn's attempt to break Goliath out, it must have been obvious to even Wolf that trying to force his way into Riker's on his own would be inadvisable, and Jackal and Hyena were the obvious people to turn to. (We get an allusion, by the way, to Jackal's daydream of what to do to Goliath - which he admits he'll have to pass up thanks to their breaking in at night.)

Of course, Goliath does take down the three Pack members - if needing to get the guard to switch his collar off - and again refuses to break out. (I remember the discussion of this scene in "Voices from the Eyrie", with the agreement that the Pack's due for another upgrade.

Matthew just pointed out that Slaughter's particularly sharp, and his scene in this chapter displays that. He's the first of the gang leaders (so far, the only one) to realize that all these hints that the other gang leaders are all trying to do each other in are too convenient - as if someone's trying to manipulate them into thinking that. A sign that Dino's starting to overplay his hand (I recall a description of him - I forget from whom - as a man trying to think like a devious mastermind when he's really more at home with straightforward violence).

And to top it off, we see Brooklyn telling Broadway and Lexington off for their leaving the castle and going to Slaughter's aid, only for them to stand by their action, and Coldfire wondering if the clan's seriously in danger of breaking up. But she ends the chapter on a more hopeful note. (With a bit of humor in one rejected "Next" after another before finally settling for "You know what we mean!"


FAVORITE LINES.

JACKAL: Hope we're not too late to the party.

HYENA: Impossible, brother. It isn't a party....

WOLF: Not until the Pack makes the scene!


SLAUGHTER: Huh. Volkov's busy crossing swords with Brod and Dane, and choi's going after Sanchez hard.

ALPHABET: Meanwhile, you figure Volkov and Choi still teamed up to take you out?

SLAUGHTER: I figure I'm supposed to figure that. But I figure that figuring that would be a big mistake.
Todd Jensen
posted @ Tue, Apr 8, 2025 8:11:11 pm EDT from 68.99.93.213

JURGAN> Tony might not feel an urgent need to do that. As far as he knows, it was just his uncle who wants him dead. And Dino might be dead now... his grandfather and sister are running things. He doesn't know about Demona.

Now, if this information comes to light... maybe. But I don't think he's going to turn rat right now.
Greg Bishansky
posted @ Tue, Apr 8, 2025 6:31:54 pm EDT from 67.189.200.184

Regarding the gang war, I'm still wondering if Dracon might decide to turn state's evidence, now that he knows quietly serving his time won't protect him from his family. He probably won't enjoy living off the grid in some small town where asking for spaghetti with marinara gets you egg noodles and ketchup, but it's better than dying.
Jurgan - [jurgan6 at yahoo dot com]
posted @ Tue, Apr 8, 2025 6:27:21 pm EDT from 64.106.111.99

Back to the legal drama and there's a few points to make. One is that I'm glad the comic went through the process of having the defense work with his client. It's not brought up a lot (not even in crime/legal dramas) but representation working with their clients, either for the prosecution or the defense, is absolutely crucial. No lawyer wants to be caught off guard by what their client might say and things are already uncertain considering the unusual circumstances that Crest brought up, the challenge against Goliath as a sentient being.

The other subplot involving the gang war hits a snag and surprisingly it's not exactly from what the heroes do but from who they save, Izaak Slaughter. Despite the guy having a name that sounds like it crawled from the dredges of the Dark Ages of Comic Books, he's actually a pretty chill guy and has enough of a sense of honor to recognize when he's in someone's debt. That cooler head of his will be a deciding factor soon enough.

The plot point about nature abhorring a vacuum (which was another plot point from Spectacular and introduced at the end of the Gang War Arc) and the new Keys to Power was an effective bit of foreshadowing. I remember there was a ton of speculation here about what that would mean and what items would fill the void.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
Ain't nothing crazy 'bout me but my brain!
posted @ Tue, Apr 8, 2025 3:17:55 pm EDT from 135.180.3.149

Elisa is allergic to him. LOL!
Denisa - [denisakadlecova at gmail dot com]
posted @ Tue, Apr 8, 2025 2:35:24 pm EDT from 31.30.164.68

Fourth.

Returned to "Here in Manhattan" today, with Chapter Seven, "Everywhere" - the chapter narrated by Demona, which gives us our first close look at her post-"Hunter's Moon" actions (until now, the only scene set in the "present" involving her was the brief moment in "Clan-Building" where we see her recovering the Praying Gargoyle's crystal). We find out that she's on the search for the new Three Keys to Power (which will bear fruit in "Gargoyles Quest"), and takes care to find out what the clan is up to - advancing both the "Goliath's hearing" and "Dino Dracon" plots.

For the former, we see Goliath meeting with Tobe Crest to discuss their case. Tobe brings up the challenge of Goliath being recognized as a sentient being, and I suspect that this would indeed be difficult to accomplish - all the more so because it would mean humanity having to admit that it's not the only sentient species around. To top it off, there'd be the whole question of how to handle an intelligent non-human species in today's world; I have the vision, in fact, of many being likely to urge against recognizing Goliath and the other gargoyles as such, simply so that they wouldn't have to go to all the trouble of working out that problem. (If this had been a novel rather than a comics series, there'd have been more room to explore that particular question.) And we get again the mystery of just whom Tobe Crest is working for - something that intrigues Demona as well.

Also, Crest brings up Elisa as a character witness - but Goliath is not comfortable with that idea, understandably.

Broadway and Lexington rescue Slaughter from the cybot attack - with two results. First, Slaughter states that he's now in their debt - something that none of them are happy about, but which Slaughter still takes seriously. Second, Glasses states that Dino's got a back-up plan....

Demona immediately switches off the television set when they're about to interview Elisa - she definitely doesn't want to see that particular detective. She also quotes from both "The Wizard of Oz" (the movie version) and "Alice in Wonderland" (the "curiouser and curiouser" part) - and notes that Brooklyn's Timedancing explains "many a mystery" she's encountered - suggesting that there's been more than just her meeting Brooklyn in 997. Maybe we'll even even see another such encounter in the upcoming "Demona" mini-series.

And Broadway and Lexington have invented a new variant on a modern-day expression with "high eight".

FAVORITE LINES.


BROADWAY (as Slaughter shoots down a cybot): Thanks.

SLAUGHTER: Don't mention it. I mean, seriously, don't mention it. None of this is good for my rep.


PAL JOEY: Glasses... Glasses! Glasses!

GLASSES: What? Joey, can't you see I'm busy?

PAL JOEY: You're about to get busier!
Todd Jensen
posted @ Mon, Apr 7, 2025 8:20:34 pm EDT from 68.99.93.213

Third?
Matthew the Fedora Guy
Ain't nothing crazy 'bout me but my brain!
posted @ Mon, Apr 7, 2025 1:54:47 pm EDT from 135.180.3.149

Second!
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Mon, Apr 7, 2025 10:15:51 am EDT from 204.184.178.1

First.
morrand - [morrand276 at gmail dot com]
posted @ Mon, Apr 7, 2025 8:16:48 am EDT from 108.69.72.60