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Gargoyles

The Phoenix Gate

Comment Room Archive

Comments for the week ending December 8, 2013

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I know you've never had a cartoon show last more than two seasons, which is a shame because I believe your the Joss Whedon of cartoons. And I've always noticed something changes on a show by season 3:

1) A Character leaving to get a spin-off (Fish, Rhoda and Angel)

2) Character and/or characters getting killed off (Colonel Blake from M*A*S*H, Charile, Jin & Sun from Lost and Game of Thrones "Red Wedding")

3) Major Cliffhangers (Lost (once again): "Jack and Kate back in L.A.", Star Trek: Next Generation: "Captain Jean-Luc Picard turned into a Borg" and Dallas: "Who Shot J.R.?")


My question to you is, if you were given a three season would you have done something like this, or is it just beneath you?

Vincent Aaron Stauffer - [Vincent2514 at AOL dot com]
Vincent Stauffer

Well I posted my review of "Rain of the Ghosts" over on Amazon and it's (relatively) free of spoilers, or at least not any major ones. I see that Greg X has posted his review as well. Who will be next to post their review?
Rebel - [rebelfornea at gmail dot com]

MATT - Yes, it was a pleasant surprise finding my name in the Acknowledgements too.

MASTERDRAMON - I'm in favor of dropping it. (I should have been clearing the questions in the queue, but so many of them focused on "Young Justice" and the DC Comics source material that I decided I was safer leaving it to you.)

Todd Jensen
Hufflepuffs are really good finders

I agonized over that one question for at least 20 minutes when I was last going through the queue. I'll admit, it's pretty borderline...as a lot of "idea" questions can be.

[Not that I expect it'll get anything other than a "SPOILER REQUEST" response, anyway.]

But I'll defer to your judgment, Todd. You have more experience with this than I do.

Masterdramon - [kmc12009 at mymail dot pomona dot edu]
"But I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no...not gonna let 'em catch the Midnight Rider..." - The Allman Brothers Band

Yeah, Todd is probably right since the moment I read his post I started generating some interesting plotlines based off of it.

And I got my copy of Ghosts in the mail today. Going to start it tonight. Didn't read Todd's spoilers. Thanks, Todd, for that. Lets all try to be courteous in that regard for the next few weeks at least.

And, by the way, Todd. Way to make it into Greg's acknowledgements. You deserve it! As do all the others, I'm sure. I'm looking forward to delving further into the book than that.

Matt - [Saint Louis, Missouri, USA]
"For science, which, as my associate Fang indicated, must move ever forward. Plus there's the money... and I do love the drama!" - Sevarius, "Louse"

Sorry for the double post, but:

I noticed in the "Ask Greg" queue that a question about whether the Quarrymen in 2198 would have any LXM robots was approved. Should it have been, since that does seem a lot like an idea disguised as a question?

Todd Jensen
Hufflepuffs are really good finders

I picked up my copy of "Rain of the Ghosts" today at Left Bank Books. I've only read the first few chapters, but so far, I'm enjoying it.

[SPOILER] It contains a fair amount of head-hopping, which I usually don't like. Here, however, it works, since it's being told by a so-far-unidentified narrator watching on the side, who can tell what everyone else is thinking. As you'd expect from Greg, a lot of Shakespeare allusions - mostly from "The Tempest", but also a possible nod to "Henry VI Part One", or at least to the historical events which inspired it - in the form of names. Also a Mark Twain reference, and a bit character named Terry Chung. [/SPOILER]

Todd Jensen
Hufflepuffs are really good finders

Last night I decided to e-mail Disney Infinity. https://infinity.disney.com/contact-us#

Below is my message and their response. I suggest that everyone take a few minutes and do the same and suggest that Gargoyles be considered for their 2014 line.

Me:
> I would love to see Disney's Gargoyles figures become part of the Infinity family. Characters like Goliath, Brooklyn and Demona would stand out and bring in old fans as well as new customers to the Infinity brand. Thank you for your time.

Them:
> Great suggestion! I will be sure to pass along your feedback. Everything we're releasing for 2013 has been announced. We're not sure what next year has in store for Disney Infinity so be sure to continue checking our website for updates in the future.
>
> Feel free to contact us with any future questions you may have!
>
> Amanda
> Infinity Support

Anthony Tini

Not including Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated invalidates that list immediately.
Harlan Phoenix
The enemy is clever. We're smaller but whatever. When we put it together, I'll form the head.

Here's a poll for best animated series of 2013.

http://www.tv.com/features/best-of-2013/vote/poll/SpecialFeatures:list:best-animated-series-2013

I'm not surprised that My Little Pony is beating Young Justice. I don't think it's better than YJ, but it's still very good (for what it is) outside of the Season openers and finales, and it has a MASSIVE fanbase. However, I'm extremely surprised that Adventure Time and Gravity Falls are beating YJ. Please vote and promote this to your friends and help YJ get a solid 2nd place victory!

Rebel - [rebelfornea at gmail dot com]

BRAINIAC - [Of course, Koschei's also the supposed "real" name of The Master from Doctor Who..."Deathless" seems a pretty valid epithet for a Time Lord, doesn't it?]

Your post reminded me of another "Gargoyles"-ish moment in "Doctor Who". In one episode, the Doctor encounters an archaeologist named River Song whom he's meeting for the first time from his perspective, but who's met him many times before from her perspective (time travel's strange that way); to gain his trust, River Song whispers something in his ear. That moment reminded me of Titania whispering something in Fox's ear. (The big difference is that we find out - kind of - what River Song whispered to the Doctor - his real name, which only he could have told her. Though we don't find out what his real name is.)

Todd Jensen
Hufflepuffs are really good finders

Todd> Could slip by easier than you'd think:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K46McMq9IF4

Harlan Phoenix
The enemy is clever. We're smaller but whatever. When we put it together, I'll form the head.

Ah, Koschei. One of the better-known bits of Slavic folklore (in my opinion, at least). Amusingly, a Russian-American band I heard live about two years ago (Random Encounter) had a song about fighting Koschei which pretty much covered the mythology quite well. It's here if anyone is interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgJZcmFSGRc

Of course, Koschei's also the supposed "real" name of The Master from Doctor Who..."Deathless" seems a pretty valid epithet for a Time Lord, doesn't it?

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 ordered a copy of "Rain of the Ghosts" at Left Bank Books last night, since I couldn't find it on the shelves in either the children's fiction or young adult sections.

One of the questions Greg answered last night was about Mars as handled in "Young Justice"; the question mentioned that in one of DC's Martian Manhunter books, the native name for Mars was "Ma'aleca'andra". That amused me since in C. S. Lewis's "Out of the Silent Planet", a science fantasy book about a journey to Mars, the Martians' name for Mars was "Malacandra". Evidently someone at DC Comics wanted to pay tribute to the book.

I've thought recently about a possible "TimeDancer" adventure for Brooklyn. There's a Russian legend about a prince (named Igor, I believe; the story's rusty in my memory) who defeats a monstrous sorcerer named Koshchei the Deathless (whose description suggests he might have been one of the nastier members of Oberon's Children - or Mab's Children, if the adventure took place early enough - in the Gargoyles Universe) with the aid of the Firebird. Now, the Phoenix would definitely appear a "firebird" if it showed up to deposit Brooklyn in early Russia - and Brooklyn's coloring, beak, and wings could have made it easy for later accounts of the story to merge him with the Firebird that brought him there.

(Brooklyn's presence in Russia inspired a further creativity demon, though one which most likely wouldn't make it past Standards and Practices. Brooklyn is learning about Russian patronymics - how, for example, if your father's name was Ivan, you're called "Ivanovich", if your father's name was Peter, you're called "Petrovich", and so on. Brooklyn asks "So what do they call you if your dad's name was Sonov?")

Todd Jensen
Hufflepuffs are really good finders

The queue was also opened because Greg's book was just released!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17286840-rain-of-the-ghosts

My copy is currently "in transit". Can't wait.

Gorebash

Executive Producer Greg Weisman Talks Star Wars Rebels
http://youtu.be/3nP9i5-QxUQ

Anthony Tini

Hi Everyone,

When the Ask Greg queue reopened along with the release of Legacy there was no announcement as far as I can tell. Was that done to minimize the torrent of postings that usually happen?

Laura 'ad astra' Sack

That was the most artful "I can't admit how terrible the prequels are" dodge I've ever heard.

If previous Ask Greg rambles are any indication, anyway, as to his opinion.

Harlan Phoenix
The enemy is clever. We're smaller but whatever. When we put it together, I'll form the head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=idfnqNo-rn8#t=1384

He basically admits that one of his main focuses will be adding shades of grey. Shades of grey to one of the most black and white universes I can think of. Not surprising.

ESG

Just received my two copies of Rain of the Ghosts! One for me, one as a Christmas present for a friend of mine. I'll be fairly busy with end-of-semester projects and finals over the next two weeks, but hopefully I can make some time soon to start reading.
Ross
"The future is in the past! Onwards, Aoshima!"

Todd: Indeed it is. Significant spoilers for "Young Justice: Legacy" below.

[SPOILER] The main plot of "Legacy" concerns the Light gathering up the pieces of a statue of Tiamat in order to resurrect her. In line with Peter David's "Aquaman" run in the comics, Tiamat is depicted in the game as a biological, alien superweapon with the power to affect severe weather patterns.

Marduk, in turn, is described as an "ancient superhero" who used the Tablet of Destiny to seal Tiamat in the statue and spread it across the globe, at the cost of his own life. For this act he was deified post-mortem.

Klarion does eventually manage to assemble the statue and bring back Tiamat as a weapon for the Light, his price being the Tablet of Destiny. But after it is destroyed in battle with the Team, Tula sacrifices herself to repeat Marduk's sealing-spell and save the world.

Overall, an interesting way to blend the central tenets of the classic mythology with the wider setting of a superhero-based universe. Shame that we may not ever learn much more on the subject. [/SPOILER]

Masterdramon - [kmc12009 at mymail dot pomona dot edu]
"But I'm not gonna let 'em catch me, no...not gonna let 'em catch the Midnight Rider..." - The Allman Brothers Band

I was looking over a few of the recent questions to "Ask Greg", and noticed [SPOILER] some references to Marduk and Tiamat (presumably based on the ones from Babylonian mythology) in a "Young Justice" context [/SPOILER]. Was this something that happened in the recently released "Young Justice: Legacy" game?
Todd Jensen

Just got back from Barnes and Noble to grab my copy of Rain of the Ghosts . . . pre-ordered it too last summer, but I figured a while back that'd I'd be donating a copy to the library at the school I work at. The moment I read Greg's ramble, I knew I had to see if my Barnes and Noble also put their copies on the shelves early. d:

About as thick as I imagined for the paperback, but just a bit larger than I was anticipating.

Definitely cracking it open tonight :D

Phoenician
"The suspense is terrible, I hope it lasts" -- Willy Wonka

Matthew> It should be set in the same universe as Arrow and every episode is a recycled script from the later seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Harlan Phoenix
The enemy is clever. We're smaller but whatever. When we put it together, I'll form the head.

ANT> There is indeed a tragic lack of general Weisman toonage available in Region 2. About the only things available on this side of the Atlantic are season 1 of SpecSpidey and YJ respectively.

Ironically, you can't even get Season One of W.I.T.C.H. in Europe. You know, the show based on a European comic?

Algernon
He will have other names before the end. The Storm, the Beast, the Valeyard.

Greg Weisman is working on YJ now. If he's not involved with this, then I am not interested.
Greg Bishansky
Here's the problem with most fanfic writers: they seem to think Dominique is a second life. It isn't. Demona spelled it plainly in "High Noon." She's a gargoyle. Dominique is just a tool to help her in her goals. She'll use the form because she changes into a human, whether she likes it or not, but Dominique is not another life for her.

So this may turn into a thing, thoughts?

http://www.comicvine.com/articles/cw-allegedly-working-on-live-action-young-justice-/1100-147665/

Matthew
I have nothing more to say...So why am I still talking?

"3. Why is there so little fanfiction to do with Owen/Puck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I think this one's hard to write, although he's fun to read.
Most fanfic is either Goliath+Elisa stuff, or crappy Demona fics... or self-inserts/OCs which are usally horrible.
There are a few good fanfic writers out there, though.

Comet
Double, double, toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Ant, I'm from the UK and I can watch Gargoyles on Youtube, you can get the DVD's from Amazon.co.uk but you need a multi region DVD player as they are only region 1 DVD's.
VickyUK - [Vickysunseeker at aol dot com]

ANT> Buy the DVD's.
Greg Bishansky
Here's the problem with most fanfic writers: they seem to think Dominique is a second life. It isn't. Demona spelled it plainly in "High Noon." She's a gargoyle. Dominique is just a tool to help her in her goals. She'll use the form because she changes into a human, whether she likes it or not, but Dominique is not another life for her.

To do with the Media Archive tabs
1. Disney episodes - I'm in UK - how would I go about finding and watching the episodes or do I need to go to the USA site?
2. DisneyShows YouTube - I think the Gargoyles seasons are either blocked or deleted from UK
3. Why is there so little fanfiction to do with Owen/Puck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ant
A

Eight
Supermorff

To correct the count...

All Lucky Sevens!

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)Fifth!!!!!
Vinnie - [tpeano29 at hotmail dot com]
Mark Twain: "Don't argue with stupid people. They'll take you down to their level and beat you with experience."

FOURTH!
ESG

Sum quartus.
Paul - [nampahcfluap at yahoo dot com]

Third!

Rain of the Ghosts this week :D

Phoenician
"The suspense is terrible, I hope it lasts" -- Willy Wonka

Second!
Matt - [Saint Louis, Missouri, USA]
"For science, which, as my associate Fang indicated, must move ever forward. Plus there's the money... and I do love the drama!" - Sevarius, "Louse"

FIRST for the second time
Matthew
I have nothing more to say...So why am I still talking?