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Gargoyles

The Phoenix Gate

Comment Room Archive

Comments for the week ending October 30, 2016

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I didn't think there'd be a place for some typical "teenager sees bigger things for himself/herself" storyline in World of Warcraft (not that I really know anything about it), but Greg Weisman found a way.
Green Lantern's Nightlight

Bought Greg Weisman's new "World of Warcraft" novel today (the bookstore had several copies in the children's section, I'm pleased to report), though I haven't begun reading it yet. I know almost nothing about "World of Warcraft" (just that it's a computer fantasy role-playing game), but that probably won't be a problem; I have only a general knowledge-level familiarity with DC Comics, but was still able to follow the events in "Young Justice" when I watched it - I might have never heard of many of the characters in it, but I could understand who they were in the world of the animated series, what their goals were, etc.

I was amused to notice that the first name of the cover artist was "Samwise" - the first real-life "Samwise" I've encountered. Presumably his parents were Tolkien fans (though, unless the artist is really precocious, it couldn't have been a product of the Peter Jackson movies). (Shortly after "The Lord of the Rings" was published, Tolkien received a curious letter from a Mr. Sam Gamgee who hadn't read the book but was told that there was a character with his name in it. Tolkien was astonished, but sent back a reply - including a copy of "The Lord of the Rings". Reportedly, for some time thereafter, he feared receiving a similar letter from an "S. Gollum.")

Todd Jensen
Hufflepuffs are really good finders

Of course the hashtag couldn't hurt. It's been going around for months. I've even applied it to other shows. :)
Green Lantern's Nightlight

Ah, my mistake. Still... I stand by my hashtag.
Algernon
I am longing to be with you, and by the sea, where we can talk together freely and build our castles in the air.

Algernon - As I've been saying on twitter all week, that article is what we call in the business... baloney. It's a technical term. But I think you get the gist.
Greg Weisman

That article seems to get a number of verifiable facts partially or completely wrong (for example, WB wasn't "targeting to release" a toyline; they already did, and it didn't sell that well), so I dunno if I'd trust they didn't pull any "new" info straight out their ass.

But I second the hashtag. Certainly can never hurt.

Masterdramon - [kmc12009 at mymail dot pomona dot edu]
"I don't want to be the bee's knees, I don't want to be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees." - Ruby Rose

http://www.fxnewscall.com/young-justice-season-3-release-date-netflix-will-add-it-to-the-chopping-block/1957073/

#KeepBingingYJ

Algernon
I am longing to be with you, and by the sea, where we can talk together freely and build our castles in the air.

http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=21548

Thanks to Greg for answering me. I didn't mean any disrepect to Stan in the way I wrote it, it's just the way it came out. Funnily enough, people give more credit to Ditko than Lee.

Green Lantern's Nightlight

Well, well, well. Epic Game Music has branched out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQQIMNjuI-g

In honor of the anniversary.

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 didn't see Awakenings on tv, but I do remember when my parents got me the VHS all those years ago getting it autographed by Greg was one of the highlights of my life. Needless to say I was hooked from that first viewing.
Matthew
This Space For Rent

I remember it.

I'd heard about "Gargoyles" before it premiered, of course - including those promos of a crook running down a street with an unseen gargoyle after him - but wasn't certain whether I'd like it or not, until the first episode began. I'd decided to watch it, out of curiosity - and once the "Scotland - 994 A.D." sequence began, I felt a thrill running through me. I like medieval stories, and the sight of a castle under siege, archers on the battlements, Vikings below with their siege engines (though I didn't know they were Vikings until the Captain specifically called them that) filled me with excitement (though I still remembered that this was just the "origin story" and that the bulk of the series would be set in modern times). Much of that part even reminded me of a PBS documentary I'd seen a few years ago called "Castle", based on one of David Macaulay's books, which included some aniamted scenes depicting the building of a castle in northern Wales, its hosting a visit from King Edward I - the same Edward I who seized the Stone of Destiny from the Scots, and its siege by a Welsh prince (who failed to take it).

I quickly got to like the gargoyles, too, especially their talk with Tom about how they don't have names - "Then what do you call each other?" "Friend." I was surprised when the traitor turned out to be the Captain of the Guard; I'd been expecting him to be the Magus (because of his looking through his spell book - and I knew that, somehow, the gargoyles were going to be transported to the modern world, most likely through one of those "suspended animation/enchanted sleep" cases; I hadn't read many super-hero comics, but I knew that some of them have used such devices to bring super-heroes who originated in the historical past into the present - and also because of the traitor's hooded robe), but it made sense when his identity was revealed. The Captain was unhappy about the way his friends the gargoyles were being treated, giving him the motive to betray the csstle - and then it backfires dreadfully.

I think I was expecting Demona to turn out to be somehow alive (though I didn't know that was her name until the final part); she'd been established in Part One as too important a figure (particularly thanks to her own bitterness) to be written out at the very start of the series.

When Xanatos showed up, I didn't know whether he was really on the gargoyles' side or just pretending to be - of course, we all know that it was the latter now. I was hoping that he was genuine, but felt enough suspicion about him to not be shocked when we learned the truth in Part Five.

And "Awakening" continued to show the gargoyles' medieval origins even after they broke out of their thousand-year-stone-sleep (a great scene, which I thought did an especially effective job of making modern New York seem a strange and alien place), with such details as Lexington asking one of Xanatos's commandos "Are you a Viking?", Hudson mistaking their helicopter for a dragon, Goliath describing Xanatos's monitor as like "a living tapestry" (such a poetic line) or comparing the city streets to the old Roman roads.

I missed the latter part of Part Four, unfortunately, so it wasn't until reruns that I heard Demona's story of how she survived (which turned out to be false, of course). Still, I was able to follow Part Five, its revelation of Xanatos and Demona's real plan, and the triumphant ending. After that, I looked forward to seeing the rest of the series - without knowing what other things would be in store (including Macbeth and King Arthur).

Todd Jensen
Hufflepuffs are really good finders

I was three, so...

Probably not, in my case. But I'm interested in other people's stories if they've got some to share!

By the way, Amazon has kindly reminded me that the first World of Warcraft: Traveler novel dropped today. Despite knowing jack-all about the lore or characters of WoW, I'm really looking forward to checking it out!

Can't go wrong with a little more prose from the Wise Man, and the success of this series can only help Rain.

Masterdramon - [kmc12009 at mymail dot pomona dot edu]
"I don't want to be the bee's knees, I don't want to be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees." - Ruby Rose

So, this being the anniversary of Gargoyles premier week, I wonder how many here remember watching this new show twenty-two years ago.

I enjoyed all the Disney Afternoon shows, so I watched this one, too. For some reason our local station aired them in the morning, so I had to record the shows and watch them when I got home from work. The good part about not being able to watch live is that I could re-watch each episode multiple times. Gargoyles was different from the other Disney shows, but it was the awesome kind of different.

Anyone else actually remember this week twenty-two years ago?

Phil - [p1anderson at yahoo dot com]

London, Ishimura, Maya, Pukhan, Xanadu, Loch Ness, New Olympus, Avalon, Manhattan and the Labyrinth.
Anonymous

Nine(9th)Ninth!!!!!!!!!
Vinnie - [tpeano29 at hotmail dot com]

King Arthur, Merlin, the Lady of the Lake, Percival (whether Peredur, Duval, or both), Blanchefleur, Morgana le Fay, Nimue, and the Green Knight.

I watched the DVD of "Awakening Part One" today, and noticed one detail for the first time. When a couple of the nobles at Castle Wyvern are talking about the Captain of the Guard (and mocking him) at the start of the banquet scene, there's what looks like a dish of potatoes on the table near them. If they are potatoes, this would be a definite anachronism, since potatoes are American vegetables that would be unknown to Europe at the time. But they might be something else; it's difficult to tell. (And it wouldn't be the first time that potatoes have been anachronistically depicted in a medieval setting; I've read at least one piece of Arthurian fiction that did the same thing.)

Todd Jensen
Hufflepuffs are really good finders

22 years -- this is crazy. I've been posting here for over 18 years (well, very infrequently). Also, this year it's been (roughly) as long since the SLG comics launched as between the series ending and now. Come on, Disney -- 2198 on Netflix. You know it makes sense.

I was also hoping for more "Rain" but I guess that's on indefinite hiatus too while Greg tries to get support and works on other projects.

Ed

Goliath, Hudson, Brooklyn, Broadway, Lexington & Bronx.
Algernon
I am longing to be with you, and by the sea, where we can talk together freely and build our castles in the air.

Fox, Wolf, Dingo, Jackal, and Hyena
Phil - [p1anderson at yahoo dot com]

Zafiro, Obsidiana, Turquesa, and Jade!
Masterdramon - [kmc12009 at mymail dot pomona dot edu]
"I don't want to be the bee's knees, I don't want to be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees." - Ruby Rose

Anniversary time eh? In that case...
Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington!

Matthew
This Space For Rent

I'd make a quippy remark about coming in second, but Phoenician kinda stole the thunder on that one (heh) as well.
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!

FIRST and Happy anniversary Gargoyles!

Yes, it has been TWENTY-TWO years since "Awakening: Part One" first aired, and because this year's anniversary landed on Monday, it means that (for those truly dedicated to celebrate this thing, lol) this whole work week can be dedicated to celebrating "Awakening"'s five-parts-in-five-days broadcast premiere.

For those curious, its not often for October 24th to fall on a Monday. Before this year, it happened in 2011, 2005, and of course, 1994. d:

Coincidentally, though the Cinestory isn't out yet, I did this last weekend confirm with Amazon that yes, I still wanted to keep my pre-order active. >_> In any event, here's to everyone, cast, crew, and fan that's kept the love for this series alive!

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