Todd> S'alright. Happens all the time.
Incidentally, I decided to look at the assemblage of Oberon's throne room and I saw that both giants are cycloptic. Well the Greeks are famous for their Cyclopes, you get a much wider variety of one-eyed monsters in Japan like the Hitotsume Kozo (one-eyed priest child) and Hitotsume Nyudo (one-eyed giants). And you also get one-eyed umbrella spirits (kasa-obake), one-eyed mud spirits (doratabo) and even one-eyed dragons (Ichimokuren). And that's just scratching the surface.

When I looked at some the others in the throne room, one caught my eye (heh). It was that woman with the white hair right behind Anubis. While she could be anything (or anyone) I like to think she might be one of "White Ladies" found in folklore around the world like Witte Wiwer or the Dames Blanches.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
You're Gonna Carry That Weight
posted @ Sat, Nov 15, 2025 12:55:40 am EST from 184.23.35.150

Sorry, should have been Matthew, not Matt.
Todd Jensen
posted @ Fri, Nov 14, 2025 9:11:48 pm EST from 68.99.93.213

MATT - You might be right about a hook horror from "Dungeons & Dragons" being an inspiration for the beaked creature; I've seen pictures of those and the beak parts certainly look similar.

Incidentally, I got a closer look at one of the giants in Oberon's throne room, and it apparently had a single eye. If I'm right about that, we can add another Greek mythology creature to Oberon's Children.

[SPOILER] I was amused to learn from GargWiki that one of Mole Man's rivals in the underground world was Romulus Augustulus (under an alias), traditionally the last Emperor of Rome (at least, the Western part of the Empire; the eastern part, from Constantinople, hung on a thousand years lter, as "Gargoyles" #2 and #4 showed), though some historians have challenged that distinction. He does seem to have just disappeared after he was deposed (I recently saw a book at the library called "Et Tu Brute", a humorous examination of the fates of the various Roman Emperors, which pointed out at the end how his death was unrecorded), which would tie in with his - apparently now immortal - turning up in the underworld and ruling over a new realm. Another historical figure portrayed as now immortal and thus surviving into modern times, like Macbeth. [/SPOILER]
Todd Jensen
posted @ Fri, Nov 14, 2025 9:11:17 pm EST from 68.99.93.213

Todd > I was curious about those characters as well. I don't recognize them from any Disney movie I can think of. If they're original designs, who designed them, and why didn't they end up in the final episode? (Especially given that Greg has previously said that they DIDN'T have time to design original b.g. characters for The Gathering!) I guess Brad Rader would be the guy to ask, since Bishansky said he drew the storyboard.
Craig
posted @ Fri, Nov 14, 2025 9:00:11 pm EST from 69.118.30.106

I have so far failed to secure a copy of Demona #4 from my comic shop. They did check, when I was by on Wednesday, and evidently someone there had failed to place the order in time for the shop to get it. The order's in now (and I'm trying heartily to ignore the implications of them not, apparently, having ordered it at all, not even for stock) but it'll evidently be a while before I get to look at that, and to go back over everyone else's thoughts.

Complaining's no use, though, and in any case they did have a copy of Gargoyles x Fantastic Four waiting for me, so I do get to go over that.

[SPOILER] The first thing I notice, generally, is that this one makes more sense to me than the last one. Why, I don't quite know. I do appreciate the return to Dynamite's form, with all the ads pushed into the back of the issue, and with the format that this issue follows, one story playing across the bottom of the pages while the other goes on above, it's for the best that the ads aren't breaking up the story. Somehow it doesn't seem like that organization works as well unless the pages flow right into each other.

Yet again, I have no idea who most of the new characters are (Mole Man, especially) but funnily enough it does not seem as important here. His role is clear enough: he's commanding a menagerie (and Reed's immediate reference to them as "kaiju" is cute) that's going to threaten part of the team, and the team needs to respond. Which works out fine for what runs as the secondary story for most of the issue.

Gnash jumping in and being all about defying parental authority is an interesting read on him. What that even means in the context of gargoyle culture, even given Gnash's unique circumstances, is a bit open to interpretation. Here, it seems like he's more into being a bad influence on Franklin and Valeria ("bad" in a relatively minor sense, of course: fixing up Dragon Man doesn't seem like that much of a defiant act, but perhaps this is again where my lack of exposure to the Fantastic Four is a problem).

But of course the villain of our primary story must show himself. Now, it is fantastically confusing to me to have another character called "The Gargoyle" show up, when we just had someone else using that name in the previous issue, but oh well. At least it's clearly not the same character.

But who clearly is the same character is Coldsteel, back once again to make trouble. Only fair that the "Gargoyles" side should contribute a villain, after all.

Now, the little bit of conversation we get between Gnash, Franklin, and Valeria is interesting as it does sort of put a polish on Gnash's apprach: he's not actually being defiant, so much as (to put it quickly) trying to be cool here. As with the Halloween Special, he's trying to make more friends in his way. It can't have been easy for him to make connections outside of his parents while bouncing around in time; to have him throw out his anchor at every opportunity should not be a surprise.

It's also interesting that the Fantastic Kids brush off Gnash's claim to have been a time traveler for most of his life. I suppose that might get less impressive after a few dozen adventures of their own. But of course Gnash puts himself right to work protecting his new acquaintances against a threat that...actually seems a bit distracted. And then commences to bring them into a new threat.

Oh, have I mentioned there's another story going on? Maybe it's not entirely intentional--I won't guarantee it--but having Ben Grimm complaining about being left alone at the bottom of the page seems oddly appropriate.

And now we suddenly begin the flood of new characters again: Lockjaw and Annihilus showing up in rapid succession, and now the fights start (signaled, in a way, by The Thing giving his catchphrase down at the bottom of the page).

Random thought: why on earth does Reed Richards have a door to the Negative Zone just lying around if it's so much trouble? Someone could wander in, after all. Does the Water Board have to keep asking him to retrieve their meter readers? A question for another time, probably.

Anyway: help arrives on schedule, Elisa has a sharp exchange with Sue, and the fight is on. And for what I think is the first time, we get to see Katana actually in battle, at least for a couple of panels before Elisa comes up with a good plan to get out of there with everyone. Now, by my count (which may be a bit off) this would be the second time that the team has been able to abort a fight involving Katana rather than take it to completion (the first being in the Winter Special where she's able to prevent an attack on her son just by catching the attacker's fist). She's still not quite got the exposure that the others have, and maybe that changes soon, but it's leading toward a sense that Katana is not interested in the fights: prepared to fight, of course, and do it well, but would prefer not to do it. This time it's up to Elisa to find a way out of the fight so maybe that's a misread, or premature, but for someone who feels that being named after a weapon is inapposite, it might track.

Meanwhile, back at headquarters, we have Brooklyn using the same trick his son used previously (the insulated sword hilt) and revealing that there will be other fights to come (or having come, from his P.O.V. and clearly from Gnash's as well) against Coldsteel. And so the threat is eliminated. Coldsteel, having no further reason to remain, legs it. (He really doesn't seem very committed to any of this, honestly.) And we now get a much more gracious and friendly Draconius as the various families regroup.

Mostly. Since of course there's been another fight going all this time along the bottoms of the pages, and with the turn of a page, the, uh, the, um...pages turn. Sorry. It's been a long week, but anyway, with the primary story resolved, the stories switch places on the page, which I like. And so the heroes of the primary story show up to help finish up the secondary story, and to leave Elisa to babysit, which she dislikes.

And so peace is restored, and the bond between the Fantastic Four and the gargoyles are strengthened.

This one was a lot of fun. Somehow I found it more fun than the other half of the crossover. Maybe that's just down to this issue coming from the "Gargoyles" side of things? I can't say for sure. But somehow this story just feels like it moves more smoothly than the other one did. The dual storytelling is a fun touch (and for the secondary story it makes some sense to team up Broadway and Thing--c'mon, that pairing was an easy call even months ago--and with Broadway goes Angela, naturally).
[/SPOILER]

If I had any idea of what goes on in Demona #4, I'd be less skittish about opening up some of the spoilers and seeing what everyone thought about this issue, but I really do want to keep some surprises for that one. (The Socials seem to be hinting at a lot of Angelika love out there, which I get even without knowing if something specific is up, and look forward to figuring out possibly next week or the one after.) And then there's a new "Voices" out that I need to get around to downloading and listening to, and...my goodness me, it is a lot of stuff going on. Love it all.
morrand - [morrand276 at gmail dot com]
posted @ Fri, Nov 14, 2025 8:59:16 pm EST from 108.69.72.60

Todd> Some of those creatures in the storyboard art remind me a bit of the old D&D monsters, the beaked one kind of reminds me of the Hooked Horror. Might be something worth asking about.

[SPOILER] When you were covering the episodes of Gargoyles I remember thinking about why the skiff sent them to Manhattan when it did and theorizing that Avalon specifically sent them there to stop Oberon from taking baby Alexander. Which would imply that Avalon has a will of its own and that it possibly has a better sense of human morality than Oberon and many other members of the Third Race. And going off of that, I wonder if Avalon learned about that from observing Katherine, Tom and Magus and how they grew and learned to care for the eggs. [/SPOILER]
Matthew the Fedora Guy
You're Gonna Carry That Weight
posted @ Fri, Nov 14, 2025 8:26:16 pm EST from 184.23.35.150

A question about the "Gathering" storyboard revealed at the latest "Voices From the Eyrie" podcast (since it's clear to all to see on that page, I don't think we'll need spoilers for it).

Some of the "extra Children of Oberon" on it, I recognized with no difficulty, such as Maleficent, Grumpy, and Tinker Bell. But there are a few who look vaguely familiar, but whom I can't identify. Does anyone here know who the following are?

1. The being just behind Maleficent who seems to be wearing a space helmet.

2. The creature with a large beak, walking in front of the centaur.

3. The creature at the front of the procession (as seen in the storyboard) with four legs and an eyestalk.
Todd Jensen
posted @ Fri, Nov 14, 2025 8:09:18 am EST from 68.99.93.213

https://www.concretermaitland.com.au/concrete-repair
concreting maitland - [a at gmail dot com]
412641
posted @ Fri, Nov 14, 2025 2:07:27 am EST from 136.158.8.252

CRAIG - [SPOILER] I remember that "Gargoyles" Marvel Comics scene as well. (And now it feels a bit weird that "Gargoyles" got some comics from Marvel, in light of a certain recent crossover....)

I've mentioned this before, but the part about Avalon sending Goliath to Manhattan as a mission, rather than releasing him from the quest, stands out all the more given that Goliath's mission in Manhattan was to oppose the will of Oberon, Avalon's ruler. Apparently we've a subtle rebellion by the land against its lord.... [/SPOILER]
Todd Jensen
posted @ Thu, Nov 13, 2025 9:31:22 pm EST from 68.99.93.213

Latest "Voices From The Eyrie" dropped today. Great stuff! After, what, two years, the World Tour is done! I had a few thoughts:

[SPOILER] - I remember by first thoughts when I saw "The Gathering Part One". After "Ill Met..." I told a friend of mine that I thought they'd get home in the next episode. I was half right. Then after "Future Tense" I was convinced they'd be home in the next episode. So for this one to begin first on Avalon and then with the Xanatos family, I was so antsy. Let's get Goliath, Bronx, Elisa, and (especially) Angela back to the Clock Tower already! That first ad break was one of the most frustrating in the series for me! But we finally got that reunion and it was perfect.

- I remember thinking, and hoping, that Oberon would leave Boudicca behind in New York and she would join the Manhattan Clan. In hindsight, I think that would've been too easy and not too satisfying. And I have suspicions, particularly after the Voices episode on "Hound of Ulster" that Boudicca has another path to walk for a bit.

- I hadn't even considered until Greg (Weisman) mentioned it that Jade and Turquesa were sent back to Guatemala for a reason. You all know that the Mayan Clan is my favorite, so the mind boggles. I figure it could be as simple as they needed to get home before all of those eggs hatch, but it sounds like Greg has something else in mind. I hope we get to see that someday soon.

- I remember thinking that I was most excited about Angela meeting the Trio (I think we all knew where that was going), but it ended up that Hudson stole the scene with his reactions to Angela and the news of gargoyles around the world. I'm glad the podcast crew addressed the epic-ness of Asner's work there.

- Until Greg noted it, I never thought that Elisa was crying in that beautiful scene with Goliath. I just figured it was the rain. Definitely worth rewatching!

- I had noticed before that many of the workers evacuating the Eyrie Building were wearing hard hats, but didn't think much of it. But I laughed out loud at the cheeky observation by Jennifer that that Xanatos would have a lot of construction workers on staff for the endless rebuilding of the Castle. And that it is wise to wear a hard hat when walking out of the lobby since rubble is always falling from above! Hilarious observation.

- I love the idea that Oberon's "SLEEP!" command didn't effect people based on Oberon's whims (checking the boxes on who is and isn't immune), but rather based on whether the individual themself considers themself to be a part of Goliath's clan. And the repercussions of this being that Thailog probably fell asleep, Demona might've remained awake, and Elisa fell asleep, not on Oberon's whims, but because her last words to Goliath disqualified herself. Wow.

- And I appreciated that the design for Blaise Reynard was based on the appearance of a younger Halcyon Renard. [/SPOILER]

A great episode. Really fun. And hearing Greg's thoughts on the art for Demona #5 has me even more excited for that! 26 days, 2 hours, and 30 minutes to go!
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Thu, Nov 13, 2025 9:31:13 pm EST from 69.229.197.48

Last post was me. Not sure how I got logged out.
Craig
posted @ Thu, Nov 13, 2025 9:13:27 pm EST from 69.118.30.106

New Voices from the Eyrie:

[SPOILER]
I really enjoyed Bishansky's take on the Tom/Demona interaction in "Fallen from the Ranks..." It hadn't occurred to me before, but makes a lot of sense.

I will admit that the title "The Gathering" worked against the episode a bit for me when I first saw it, as I took the title a bit too literally. I was really hyped to see the actual Gathering of Oberon's Children that had been built up in prior episodes, and when that turned out to be such a tiny part of the episode, I was pretty let down at first. Obviously, I ended up enjoying the episode a lot, and I can't imagine it being titled anything else now. But it set up some expectations for me that led to some initial disappointment. I wonder if we'll ever get to see more of the Gathering (which is presumably still going on). It would be great to see a full storyline set there, which is what I was hoping for.

I was amused at Greg's explanation that Xanatos and Fox sleep au naturale, since one of the 1990s Marvel comics (issue 4, I believe) did indeed show Xanatos sleeping in the buff.

The question of when exactly a "World Tour" ends is fascinating. Greg implies that the travelers always inevitably give up when they arrive back on their home turf, even though that's not truly the end from Avalon's viewpoint. But apparently, since the Skiff takes it as a given that the travelers won't come back, it just decides to sink. But...couldn't one argue that the Skiff sinking reinforces the travelers' viewpoint that the Tour is over? Seems like kind of a "chicken or the egg" thing.
[/SPOILER]
Anonymous
posted @ Thu, Nov 13, 2025 9:12:29 pm EST from 69.118.30.106

"Voices From the Eyrie" had just released a new podcast, on "The Gathering Part One". With an additional bonus: there's a storyboard from that episode featuring the procession of Oberon's Children in the throne room on Avalon - with a few new members who didn't make it into the televised episode.
Todd Jensen
posted @ Thu, Nov 13, 2025 8:41:48 pm EST from 68.99.93.213

Phoenician> [SPOILER] Funny thing, I hear the term "meatbags" and I usually think of HK-47 from Knights of the Old Republic. Bender's usually second. [/SPOILER]

By the way, the second season of Hazbin Hotel will be wrapping up soon and I'd be remiss if I didn't bring up that Keith David once again gets to show off his singing pipes. Because of the mild NSFW language in the lyrics I won't be posting a link but you can hear the song on Youtube under the name "Love In A Bottle."
Matthew the Fedora Guy
You're Gonna Carry That Weight
posted @ Thu, Nov 13, 2025 3:43:49 pm EST from 184.23.35.150

PHOENICIAN - [SPOILER] I thought those guys looked a lot like Lexington, as well. [/SPOILER]
Todd Jensen
posted @ Thu, Nov 13, 2025 8:43:21 am EST from 68.99.93.213

PHEONICIAN> [SPOILER] "Bite my shiny anti-matter ass!" -Annihilus [/SPOILER]
Algae
'Nuff said
posted @ Thu, Nov 13, 2025 5:34:36 am EST from 88.87.179.191

When I picked up my copies of the next chapter of Gargoyles Meets the Fantastic Four, I asked and found that my comic shop did have in stock the latest card packs for Disney Lorcana. So I caved and bought a few. Haven't opened them yet, but it's fun to see new kinds of Gargoyles merch. Especially since, given the types of statues and figures on deck, this is definitely more in my budget (even if they'll inevitably have me chasing rarer cards).

Random thoughts on the crossover:
[SPOILER] A happy welcome back for Kambadais. One page in, and I'm already enjoying those dynamic two-page spreads d:

I really thought Lexington was going to be in that horde of . . . (*checks GargWiki*) -- Moloids. Also thought we'd see more of the Labyrinth's denizens when Broadway mentioned them. Of course, to quote Demona from the first (unofficial) crossover, "Our stage is crowded enough."

Yuri Topolov's conversation with someone off screen with black speech bubbles had me initially thinking it was Coldstone, but it turned out to be their other partner, Annihilus.

Speaking of Annihilus, Fedora Matthew, I know the line was in Young Justice, but I still hear Bender from Futurama every time (even when it's Jeff Bennett's Red Volcano). d:

In addition to Brooklyn's bout with Coldsteel that others mentioned (I wonder if Gnash also insulated his sword because of him, and not future conflicts with future Quarrymen?), I enjoyed Coldsteel's comment to liking the 'wonders of this century'. Being stuck in the same body as "Othello" and "Desdemona" really did stunt his ability to be a nuisance to the Manhattan Clan. Also, how chilling was it of him to just flippantly refer to the idea of the adolescents dying in the Negative Zone as one way to 'solve a problem'. Finally, as soon as the whole endeavor proved unproductive, Coldsteel just departs. So unlike some of our *other* gargoyle antagonists, lol. Anyways, I look forward to his next canonical appearance.

Broadway reminds us that Angela does not care for the nickname 'Angie', and I enjoyed the follow-up that she likely wouldn't appreciate being called a heathen either, hehe.

Finally, I was hoping to see the follow-up to Stark calling both Richards and Xanatos from the previous issue. Oh well, seeds for the (maybe?) future. [/SPOILER]

On to next month's Demona: Better Angels #5 and the next Winter Special!
Phoenician
Gus: "I always forget you're there." Hooty: "I forget I'm here toooooo."
posted @ Thu, Nov 13, 2025 12:47:15 am EST from 68.2.64.232

Sorry for the double-post, but I forgot to mention a new link here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mac08ejoX8
Todd Jensen
posted @ Wed, Nov 12, 2025 6:54:40 pm EST from 68.99.93.213

BLAISE - Thanks for your news about the Kickstarter and your review of "Demona" #4 (a certainly very in-depth review).

MATT - [SPOILER] I've only a nodding acquaintance with the Fantastic Four myself, but I didn't have too much trouble following the story. I've thought that Greg Weisman's shown in both crossover issues a skill for getting across the essentials about the various Marvel guest characters, providing enough information about them that we can understand their role in the story. (As I've mentioned before, "Young Justice" did the same - at least, what I've seen of it - so that while a lot of the characters in it I'd never heard of before, I got the basics about them.) And it helps that GargWiki is including a lot of information about the Marvel elements in their entries.

I found your speculation about how the comic would come across to "Fantastic Four" fans not too familiar with "Gargoyles" interesting, since I'd wondered that myself, and had even brought that up here. (One that I did wonder about was Coldstone sending a message to Demona in the first crossover issue; would someone who hadn't read the Dynamite "Gargoyles" comics have made the connection between that moment and Demona showing up in Diablo's lab?)

Count me as another person much more familiar with "Darkwing Duck" than with "The Fantastic Four", and likely to appreciate that crossover all the more. One creativity demon I had about it recently was that there were two episodes of "Darkwing Duck" where Darkwing encountered humans. The first was the one where he and Megavolt were trapped in the human world, and discovered that they were familiar to its residents thanks to a television series - which turned out to have come about thanks to a television executive having access to a device that could pick up broadcasts from Darkwing's world - and at the end of it, after Darkwing and Megavolt returned home, the device started picking up the adventures of the Rescue Rangers instead! I've mentioned hoping for Darkwing to refer to that adventure when he arrives in Manhattan and gets a look at its inhabitants. But there was a second, much more meta (and so not as likely to be alluded to) where Darkwing was having trouble with some human television executives about his show; one part I particularly remembered was a running gag where, every time Darkwing said "aardvark", he was to get sprayed in the face with seltzer water, followed by a pie - and then he'd keep on saying words that were similar to "aardvark" but not identical (such as "hard work"), got sprayed with the seltzer, protested that he didn't say "aardvark" - and since he'd actually said it, splat! It would be amusing to have Darkwing bringing up that incident in front of Owen, to see Owen's response to the "aardvark" part. [/SPOILER]
Todd Jensen
posted @ Wed, Nov 12, 2025 6:41:22 pm EST from 68.99.93.213

Only had a chance to read the new crossover once so far, but the most interesting part for me was [SPOILER] the stuff with Coldsteel, Gnash, and Brooklyn. We don't know when Coldsteel will encounter them (perhaps as far off as 2198), but suffice to say that he'll be around for a bit. Outside of the main FF cast, I recognized basically no one from that universe. I can't help wondering if FF fans picking up this book feel the same with characters like Coldsteel, or Katana, or Gnash. The power of crossovers, I guess. No slight against these two stories (or two and a half, I suppose), but while I'm not a fan of crossovers in general, the upcoming Darkwing Duck/Gargoyles crossovers appeal to me more since I'm both more familiar with the Darkwing characters and the merging of these worlds is so outrageous as to make the whole thing more comical. We'll see. [/SPOILER]

Blaise> Thanks for the heads up on the Disney Afternoon games. I had no idea. The Gargoyles game, at least, does appeal to me, so I might have to go for that. I need to look into it further to decide about the rest. Also, thanks, as always, for your thoughts on the latest canon story! you have great insights and I enjoyed reading your review.
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Wed, Nov 12, 2025 4:36:09 pm EST from 69.229.197.48

On the latest crossover [SPOILER] , I've skimmed it so far, but found it rather fun (if, again, not one of the deeper "Gargoyles" stories).

We got a couple of extra Marvel characters that weren't mentioned in the solicitations, whom I'd heard a little about before the crossover came out: Mole-Man (the main thing I know about him is that he was the Fantastic Four's first super-villain) and Lockjaw. (I thought it a pity that Lockjaw didn't get to meet Bronx and Fu-Dog, by the way.) We also got another Marvel character going by the name of "Gargoyle" (I'd heard a bit about him as well).

Brooklyn has clashed with Coldsteel during his Timedancing (maybe even in the 2198 setting). I'm assuming that this element will become canon (though the Marvel crossover elements obviously won't).

More to say about it later, when I've digested it more fully, but it made another amusing read. [/SPOILER]
Todd Jensen
posted @ Wed, Nov 12, 2025 7:47:48 am EST from 68.99.93.213

Careful, two releases in two weeks. I'm starting to feel a little spoiled.
Anyway, some quick thoughts on Gargoyles X Fantastic Four.

[SPOILER] Hoo boy, and I thought the last crossover was packed. Besides our main cast of characters we've got Gnash, Frankie and Val taking a big part of the action. And jeez, there's so many villains and threats I'm pretty sure I missed a few things. Let's see, we've got Mole Man, his servants the moloids, Kaiju from Underearth, Yuri Topolov's Gargoyle and his son, the Titanium Man armors showed up and frikkin Annihilus too.

Oh, and the bestest boy on the moon Lockjaw showed up as well, I feel like I'm going to have to do Marvel profiles just like when I reviewed Young Justice.

This is another action packed piece which I honestly don't mind. We've had a lot of story and plot in the Demona series so I don't mind that we get an issue dedicated mostly to action. One thing that really helps is because they skipped out on the obligatory "heroes fight each other when they first meet" bit it allows them to go straight to cooperation and everyone doing what they do best. Reed science-ing a solution, Thing and Torch trading jabs, the kids getting into trouble but also getting out of it and the mom's being the real heroes of the story.

I love the team up between the moms of the group, Sue, Elisa and Katana. It's a different dynamic than what we usually see in Gargoyles and seeing Katana in action once again raises questions about her creation and whether Greg drew inspiration from other fictional mothers. It's great to see her and Sue getting along, I can only imagine the headache-inducing stories involving their kids that they swapped.

A couple things I've noticed. We've had Isaac's Gargoyle, Topolov's Gargoyle, Dragon Man, and now Annihilus. A lot of characters that evoke Disney's Gargoyles and while it's a neat little nod, I can't help but wonder if Greg included them because they might've been an inspiration. Maybe something worth asking on the Q&A. Another is Annihilus dropping the "meatbag" insult that Red Volcano liked to use in Young Justice. Another cute reference.

I didn't see Gorgolla the Living Gargoyle in the lineup of underground monsters. Shame. That would've been quite the deep pull. Maybe in the next crossover. [/SPOILER]

That's all for now, hope everyone had a good read. I can't wait for the next one.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
You're Gonna Carry That Weight
posted @ Wed, Nov 12, 2025 5:46:45 am EST from 184.23.35.150

****Blaise rushes into the Room, a stack of papers and other notes in his arms. He trips and they go flying everywhere. He dashes about collecting them as he speaks.**** Trying to get all my thoughts on the latest issue of "Demona: Better Angels" down before tomorrow's "Gargoyles x Fantastic Four" release. I've got them pretty much lined up, but before that:

KICKSTARTER FOR "DISNEY AFTERNOON REWIND"> If somebody's already posted about this, I must have missed it (sorry!). There is a Kickstarter ending this Friday for "The Disney Afternoon REWIND" board games. It appears to be a board game system with six themes, each based on a Disney Afternoon property. These include "Ducktales" (OG 1980's), "Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers", "Talespin", "Darkwing Duck", "Goof Troop" and, of course, "Gargoyles". I'm not sure how many folks here already know of it or are interested, but just in case, I figured I'd leave the link:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/maestromedia/the-disney-afternoon-rewind

OK, now with that out of the way:
FALLEN FROM THE RANKS...>[SPOILER] We are back in Constantinople (not Istanbul...sorry, I couldn't resist), and specifically the Great Palace. This is a very unique occurrence as far as Angelika is concerned, because she can count "on one hand" the number of times Demona has *willingly* returned to a place they had left (and gargoyles have less digits than humans to begin with...). So Angelika's twigged that Demona is up to something (there's a big surprise), and points out that she always finds out the scheme eventually (giving us a slight indication of their life and interactions off-panel from us) so Demona might as well just tell her now. During this we get our first look at Angelika in the current time of 1195 (as the next page will inform us) and see...the daughter is now older than the mother. Yeah, Angelika has entered the later part of middle age now (50+ physically, and something I'm closer to now than I'd like to think). I mean, we could calculate her age from the solicitation, but just seeing her as she is now, especially when we first saw her as just a little kid? It has a greater impact on me than even seeing her as a teenager or adult in her prime. One can only imagine how this is hitting Demona.
Oh, yeah! Demona. She doesn’t tell Angelika anything, just smiles mysteriously and gives an affectionate gesture to the head, much to older/younger gargoyle's annoyance.

Inside the palace, we see the current Emperor, Isaac Angelos, and his court gathered to listen to a Storyteller at night. And yeah, the Storyteller is familiar to us, though never named in the dialogue. As for the Emperor, I admit that I am not as well versed in the history of old Constantinople as others so the later mentions of the coup caught me by surprise. Regardless, right now Magni and Modi still stand guard on either side of the current Emperor as the Storyteller begins her tale and we see who all is listening in: Angelika is by herself on a balcony while on the floor a crowd of people--wait, is that Puck?! It kind of looks like him...but I could be mistaken. Anyway, moving on...

We find out where Demona is on the next page: she's in the Treasury talking to the Treasurer--sorry, *Archivist*, Abu Jafar Ahmad Ibn Yusuf Ibn Al-Kammad (how many generations back do you need to say your fathers, I wonder). She is surprisingly pleasant in conversation with him, too! She draws particular attention to the Eye of Odin, mentioning a bit of her previous history with it, causing Abu to remark on the surprising longevity of gargoyles, presumably because she still looks so young even compared to the two gargoyles of the Varangian Guard who have been there as long as the Eye themselves. I don't know if Demona had the lie ready or just thought it up on the spot, but she tells him that gargoyle lifespans depend on "the position of the stars when [they] hatch." This influences him as an astronomer (something Demona already seems to know) to gaze out the window with wonder at the night sky. The lies don't stop there, either, as Demona tells Abu to call her "Angel." So yeah, she's definitely up to something and it involves charming him in some way.

Back in the throne room, the Storyteller is closing her story (apparently an earlier version of what we now know as the tale of "Aladdin") on a cliffhanger, much to the consternation of the Emperor. Once again, she indicates she "must" do this, generating more of our intrigue into just what her deal is. The Emperor, however, takes her refusal to continue the story much better than his brother Alexios, who first berates the Storyteller for contradicting the Emperor before backing down at the Emperor's request, albeit in a very passive-aggressive manner. So yeah, he doesn't seem to like his brother and I'm sensing treachery in the wind from him.

But now Angelika has landed and the Emperor is not ignorant of the meaning she holds for Magni, so he gives his gargoyle guards the rest of the night off. Magni goes to greet Angelika immediately, but she asks him to wait (I love the “Querido” term of endearment from her here) as she goes to speak to the Storyteller.
Once more, we have parallel columns depicting two simultaneous conversations: one between Angelika and the Storyteller and one between Modi and...a random blonde guy? Hang on...[flips back to crowd scene on page 3]...okay, THERE he is! I was so distracted by They-Might-Be-Puck that I completely glanced over the obviously important blonde guy in front. I wonder who he is? Anyway, he’s asking Modi, who he sees has "a position of authority" in the court, if the gargoyle feels that his kind are "safe" in this place and time. An interesting question, and one that brings to my mind old Malcolm Canmore's question to Mowbray about still having gargoyles near his castle back in "Fools Rush In...". Is Blondie friend or foe to gargoyles? Either way, Modi brings up sleeping in an Iron Box (wow, still?) and says that "no gargoyle is safe in this world." It seems he has *feelings* about this.
The other conversation seems much more pleasant, with Angelika speaking to the Storyteller about being interested in her craft, finding stories "as essential to our souls as breathing" (reminds me of Hudson's "breathing the air" proverb), something the Storyteller says is "a verity" (there's that word again), especially for herself (another hint). She then holds Angelika's hand and eagerly says the gargoyle must have very interesting stories that should not be lost, even referring to Angelika by name. Maybe she heard Magni say it a moment ago? Or does she already have some idea of who Angelika is and what stories she has? Still hard to tell what all this one knows.

We briefly visit Demona as she finishes her conversation with Abu. She’s still quite pleasant, and he’s complimentary saying she, "Angel," is aptly named. I don't think the irony is lost on her.

Atop a wall, the two lovers (what would have been the medieval gargoyle equivalent of high school sweethearts when they parted, I'm sure) properly reunite. Nice to know that the years have not dulled their affection for each other. Magni voices regret at the lost time while Angelika wisely says to focus on the now and make the most of their time together. I love this exchange in particular:
ANGELIKA: Life is short. That's what I've learned with Demona.
MAGNI: Unaging Demona?
ANGELIKA: I didn't say I learned it *from* her.
It's nice to know that others have noted Demona’s unchanging appearance (though I doubt everyone would be as wry about it as Magni), and to get another glimpse at the idiosyncacies of the relationship between Demona and Angelika. I like how there is affection toward Demona from Angelika, but not a blindness to her faults.

Unfortunately, the tender moment (with Magni even calling Angelika "My Angel," and what would Demona think of THAT?) is interrupted by the alarm bell. Abu the Archivist has been murdered. The Storyteller, an old friend of the old man, had discovered his body when she came to visit him. Alexios is quick to blame a thief, with Modi responding that the foolish robber wouldn’t make it out of the palace. He also mentions it will take some time to discover what’s missing...only for Magni to immediately clock that the Eye of Odin itself is gone. Alexios was apparently within earshot when Demona was having her conversation about the Eye with Abu, and immediately points the finger at her. Exercising remarkable restraint for her, Demona admits the conversation, but pulls the whole "if I’d wanted it I would have taken it earlier" routine (here "earlier" being 87 years ago) and that she wouldn't have needed to kill a "harmless" old man to do it (honestly, that almost feels kind coming from her). Modi, however, is more quick to suspect the "young Scotsman" who was asking questions as a culprit. Wait, Blondie was a Scotsman? Well, OK then. Either way the Emperor says to arrest both the strange Scotsman and Demona, and the only thing stopping Demona from fighting everyone in the room is Angelika's quiet plea. Demona allows her sword to be taken (smugly noting she doesn't need it) and to be led to the cells. I like that Modi is apologetic about it while Alexios is...well, just a jerk about it. As everyone else leaves the room, our two "consulting detectives" for this mystery story, Angelika and the Storyteller, remain behind to investigate. Love the Storyteller's line here about mysteries being stories "with a yet-to-be-told ending" and her being very good at stories.

In the cells, the Scotsman is very upset at being locked up (naturally), and even moreso with his sword being taken away. Apparently, he had a lot of difficulty forging the thing. He also bemoans getting into these situations (we are just racking up "Noodle Incidents" here!). Of course, then he meets his neighbor in the cells, Demona, and...recognizes her?! Or at least he says she looks familiar, something which she attempts to twist into being prejudiced against gargoyles though he claims otherwise. I don't know if she believes him, but she calls him the exception anyway, and he seems to care about gargoyles still being scapegoated. He's also properly afraid when she easily bends the bars as a show of what she'll do if she's not released an hour before sunrise.
Honestly, though, Demona is being very civil and pleasant this issue! I mean, all things considered. I do wonder about the Scotsman, though. Who is he? An iconoclastic Canmore, perhaps?

The victim was stabbed in the back, so our Detectives speak to Modi, asking to look at Demona's sword. It is bloodless, though the Storyteller points out it could have just been cleaned after, prompting Modi to remark how clever that would have been. When Modi is asked to present the Scotsman's sword, on the other hand, the blade he shows has blood on it. Wait, is that the Scotsman's sword? It looks different...
Well, Modi goes off to free Demona (well before the timeline she gave) and our Detectives are left feeling dissatisfied. Neither seems ready to accept this as the end of the mystery.

Others seem to want the whole business over and done with, however, as the Scotsman is brought to the throne room for questioning and execution, with him proclaiming his innocence and ignorance. I love the "I’ve never laid eyes on your damn'd Eye!" line. And hey! We get some more light cussing in "Gargoyles"! Well, Modi brushes off the Scotsman not having the Eye on him by saying it's probably stashed somewhere in the palace and the Emperor is fine to have the poor kid executed then and there. All the Scotsman can do is whisper, "I’m sorry, Princess...".
And with that, the lightbulb goes off above my head. IT'S TOM! Of course, everything makes sense now. Including the earlier gag about Tom's difficulties forging the sword. He probably recognized Demona but talked himself out of it because it's been 200+ years since the Wyvern massacre. Even if she survived that, there's no way she'd still be alive now, so it couldn't possibly be her, right?

Before Tom can be beheaded with an axe, however, the Storyteller manages to appeal to the Emperor, and in particular a sense of poetic justice, by saying it would be more fitting for the culprit to be beheaded by his own bloody sword. Modi moves to do so, but this time Magni stops the execution (poor Tom's going through one heck of a wringer tonight) by recognizing the sword as Modi's. Turns out the sword currently on Modi's belt is Tom's own (all of the details are in the artwork for those who look and I love that), showing that Modi switched them and revealing him as the killer. His earlier comment about cleaning the sword being "clever" takes new meaning now.

Of course, now that the killer has been revealed, it's time for the Motive Rant, and Modi's is all about how Isaac Angelos, the man who betrayed the previous Komnenos emperor and usurped the throne, is not worthy of loyalty. "Betrayal" has always been a hot button issue for gargoyles, so it's not surprising that Modi would resent serving a usurper. Tellingly, Magni does not argue his brother on that issue but instead points out how Modi murdered an innocent man, and framed and was about to execute another innocent man, and that's harder to justify. Modi doesn't even try, just silently rages.
When the Emperor demands the Eye, Modi says he's returning it to the Northmen and flees. The Emperor is all for pursuit, but Alexios calls to let Modi go, surprisingly enough, saying that the gargoyle served their family faithfully for 10 years, and that none of their human guards could catch him in the air and it would be unfair to demand Magni hunt his own brother. Really, this is uncommonly kind and understanding of Alexios from what we’ve seen of him so fa--wwwwwaaaaaAAAAAIIIIIIITAMINUTE!! He was behind all this, wasn't he? The "Man Behind the Gargoyle," as it were. And I think the Storyteller figures that, too, if her expression in the foreground is any indication.

Sure enough, at the post-reveal epilogue, while Magni wonders why Modi developed an interest in the Eye *now* after all these decades, the Storyteller opines that he may have been "suborned to the job," and muses about telling the Emperor the story of Cain and Abel next--a meaning that Magni, to his credit, picks up on immediately. Yeah, some more things slot into place with this little revelation. It was a good show Alexios and Modi put on when Abu's body was first discovered, and I find myself wondering if things like the murder of Abu and potential murder of Tom might have been Alexios' instructions and not something Modi was happy about, hence Modi's rage at Magni bringing them up at the end. Did they intend to not "discover" the loss of the Eye until days later for their "full accounting" to take place, only for Magni immediately throw a wrench in that plan? And how exactly did Alexios "suborn" Modi? I guess some questions still remain....

Magni takes some comfort in the idea that Alexios at least didn't get the Eye...but Angelika has started to piece together her own mystery that she's been trying to figure out since page 1. Demona was indeed up to something, which also involved spending a lot of time with "a smith in Antioch" (and I can't help but wish we had gotten a mention of that earlier so we, the audience, had one more piece of evidence to work with). Turns out Demona had a copy of the Eye of Odin made (and considering it would have been made from her memory, it's a damn good copy) and switched it for the real one when Abu was looking out the window. Demona's smile here seems to veer from sneakily triumphant to...surprisingly adorable? At least to me.
But as for why she stole the Eye, and why now instead of 87 years ago? Demona's been doing some studying of "old lessons," as she calls them, and has figured out that the Eye is a talisman of power. She doesn't exactly want it for herself, though, but instead for Angelika to wear in the hope that its power will grant her immortality. And there it is. Demona again confronting the specter of mortality, this time in her daughter. And once again, her solution is not acceptance but denial. Very emphatic, magical denial.

There is a pause as Angelika considers the Eye in her hand. Magni clearly has Thoughts (capital "T") on this based on his expressions in the background, but lets Angelika make her own choice. Well, the first thing she does is basically propose to Magni and finally ask him to join her and Demona on their journeys as Angelika's mate. Just as this question is a reverse of Magni's asking Angelika to stay from the end of "Fortune Favors the Brave...", Magni's answer is the opposite of Angelika's: he says "yes." With both the Komnenos dynasty and his brother gone, Magni has no reason to stay. Like Matt, I feel a little sad that they never got the chance to have eggs, but they are together now at least. Besides, Angelika was right that they shouldn't dwell on old regrets and old wishes, and she continues to prove herself one of the wisest people in the room by rejecting the Eye and its gifts, including the promise of immortality. Demona starts to panic, but Angelika tries to reassure her (with her own affectionate gesture to the head) that all she wants is to grow old with the two gargoyles she loves the most. The Storyteller can't help but comment that she *likes* this story (and I find myself wondering if Shahrizad is not altogether happy with being immortal). And while Demona tries argue that this decision is irrational, Angelika makes it very clear that, while she loves Demona, she views immortality as a "curse" and will have no part of it. With that, to Demona's horror, Angelika hurls the Eye into the sea.

Also in the sea, a familiar skiff is piloted by Tom the Guardian as he speaks the incantation to take him back to Avalon. And who should be waiting for him to arrive but little Angela herself! Hey, we've got two daughters of Demona in this issue! By the math, she should be about 2 and half years old, and I will have to interact with more kids of that age before I can speak with any authority, but she certainly seems more developed (physically and mentally) than a human of that age, so that's another aspect of gargoyle biology in the canon. Well, it's a happy reunion (I'd imagine especially so from Tom's perspective given the near execution), but Tom says that it's not yet safe for gargoyles in the outside world. But that's OK, because "no one out there knows to miss you." That particular phrasing makes me now wonder if maybe Tom did recognize Demona and just played it down to avoid rousing her suspicions.

And the issue ends with a panel similar to the end of "Fortune Favors the Brave..." as the gargoyles glide away from Constantinople. This time, however, Magni is with them. And Demona is *not* smiling....

A fun little mystery, and an emotional rollercoaster. I look forward to seeing how the Demona miniseries ends next month, but at the same time I will miss seeing the adventures of her and Angelika. [/SPOILER]

OK, now to get ready for tomorrow's crossover issue!
****Blaise finishes gathering up his notes, folds himself into a paper airplane and flies out of the Room.****
Blaise
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."--The Doctor
posted @ Tue, Nov 11, 2025 7:09:23 pm EST from 45.48.46.39

With the second Fantastic Four crossover coming up on Wednesday, there are a couple of things that I think would be fun to see in it - though as long as it's a good story, it doesn't matter whether they get in or not. (I've mentioned them before, but am bringing them up again for this week.)

1. The Fantastic Four suggest that Goliath consider adding a G to his belt-buckle, as a counterpart to the numeral "4" on their outfits; Goliath doesn't think much of the idea, however.

2. Gnash shares with Franklin and Valeria about Blackbeard being a gargoyle (as he'd done with Billy, Susan, and Terry at Halloween), but they reply that they've heard a different take on Blackbeard's true identity, also involving time travel.
Todd Jensen
posted @ Mon, Nov 10, 2025 7:36:36 pm EST from 68.99.93.213

And it'll probably be another FIVE days or so before I get to read Demona 4, as my shop has evidently returned to not getting them on time.

Grumble grumble.
morrand - [morrand276 at gmail dot com]
posted @ Mon, Nov 10, 2025 4:48:32 pm EST from 108.69.72.60

Yeah, Adbots don't count as FIRST.

Todd forgot to say SECOND.

Guess that makes me THIRD!

And this week we get the next crossover with the Fantastic FOUR.
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Mon, Nov 10, 2025 9:15:27 am EST from 204.184.178.1

A thought I had about [SPOILER] Tom's past visits to the outside world, inspired by our seeing one of them in "Demona" #4. I decided to look at the various years ending in "95" between 995 and 1995, which would have marked his various journeys. I've avoided serious speculating about what might have happened on those voyages (after all, Avalon could have sent him anywhere in the world, depending on where he needed to be), but took a look at the basics of "what would be happening then", including the adjacent events we already know about on the "Gargoyles" timeline (plus a few real-world history moments that haven't been mentioned yet in "Gargoyles", but which help us picture the settings better).

1095 - Two years after the death of Canmore, and Demona and Angelika meeting. Demona and Angelika would have presumably been in Spain at the time, fighting alongside El Cid. In actual history that year, Pope Urban II proclaimed the First Crusade.

1295 - The year before Edward I carried off the Stone of Destiny. Angelika will be dead by this point (died twenty-one years earlier) and Demona alone again.

1395 - During the lifetime of Geoffrey Chaucer (who'd started on "The Canterbury Tales" a few years earlier) and the reign of Richard II of England (whose overthrow, the focus of Shakespeare's play about him, would be four years away). Still medieval times, but not for much longer.

1495 - A year which already features on the "Gargoyles" timeline: Demona stealing the Medici Tablet and having a confrontation with a Hunter (Stuart Canmore, according to "canon-in-training") mounted in a flying machine that had presumably been designed by Leonardo da Vinci. No sign of Tom during those events, so he might have been sent somewhere other than Florence by Avalon.

1595 - In the middle of Shakespeare's career; we don't know whether Avalon would have sent Tom to London or somewhere else, of course, and he might not have crossed paths with Shakespeare even if he had.

1695 - Colonial times in North America (just three years after the Salem witch trials). During the reigns of William III in Britain, Louis XIV in France, and Peter the Great in Russia.

1795 - The transition between the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Era.

1895 - Late Victorian times. 1895 is often associated with Sherlock Holmes thanks to Holmes fan Vincent Starrett's famous description of the famous detective living in a world "where it is always 1895" - and since Sherlock Holmes was mentioned in "Gargoyles" (by Elisa in "The Hound of Ulster"), it's tempting to imagine Tom, on this venture, crossing paths with a Gargoyles Universe version of him.

This is definitely just a "barely begun sketch", but it does give a sense of the differences between the various settings in Tom's excursions. Maybe we'll get more stories about them someday. [/SPOILER]
Todd Jensen
posted @ Mon, Nov 10, 2025 8:14:14 am EST from 68.99.93.213

Taking the first this time around.
Ad bots don't count.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
You're Gonna Carry That Weight
posted @ Mon, Nov 10, 2025 3:08:38 am EST from 184.23.35.150

National Techtools is a tool and equipment supplier based in Junagadh, Gujarat, India. The company, founded in 2014, caters to both professionals and DIY enthusiasts with a range of products, including power tools, hand tools, and welding equipment.
nationabltechtools - [techtoolsnational02 at gmail dot com]
https://nationaltechtools.com
posted @ Mon, Nov 10, 2025 2:08:22 am EST from 103.113.217.202