A few thoughts on the crossover.

[SPOILER] I quite enjoyed it. It did a good job of explaining who the Marvel characters were (I had a basic knowledge of who the Fantastic Four and Tony Stark/Iron Man were, but Diablo, the Grey Gargoyle, Isaac, and Dragon-Man were all new to me; I don't think I'd heard of any of them before the crossover was announced) - with the possible exception of the friends and family members in the "Fantastic Four at home" scene at the end, and since it was just one panel, it wasn't a problem. (It reminded me of one thing I'd liked about "Young Justice"; the series had made it clear who everybody was, so that, even though I had only a very basic knowledge of DC Comics, I was able to grasp who everybody was - at least, enough to understand their roles in the episodes.)

One of my favorite moments was the Thing's disappointment that this wasn't going to be another case of "the two groups mistake each other for bad guys and get into a fight"; while it was funny in itself, it felt all the more fitting since in Greg Weisman's original "Gargoyles meet a Marvel super-hero story", the Gargoyles/Spectacular Spider-Man crossover radio play, Goliath and Spiderman do initially have that misunderstanding (leading to that wonderful moment where Spiderman's astonished to discover that Goliath: a) can talk, b) can read, and c) what he reads are J. Jonah Jameson's anti-Spiderman editorials).

I also noted that the Grey Gargoyles' original name was "Duval" - fortunately, the Manhattan clan haven't yet encountered the Illuminati leadership (well, not since their awakening - the pre-994 period was another matter); it could have led to some confusion. And Brendan and Margot show once again their tendency to wind up at Ground Zero in the gargoyles' adventures.

the gargoyle Isaac getting to join the clan at the end was a charming moment (even if it won't last, of course, outside of the other crossover issue).

It was also fun getting another glimpse of Angelika (not to mention Demona continuing to show that you do *not* mess with her daughter - either one), not to mention the confrontation between Xanatos and Tony Stark (both out of armor and in it). All in all, not one of the big "Gargoyles" stories on the level of "City of Stone" or "The Price", but an entertaining read, all the same - and I look forward to the second crossover story next month. [/SPOILER]
Todd Jensen
posted @ Wed, Oct 15, 2025 8:12:32 pm EDT from 68.99.93.213

Completely forgot the comic came out today. In any case, here's some quick thoughts on "Both Alike in Dignity."

[SPOILER] This issue is action packed and is very much written for readers who are fans of both properties. Even then there's a few I needed to look up because Greg was obviously using characters who would fit into the Gargoyles feel of this crossover rather than the big names. But obscurity aside, they honestly look like they'd work well in a proper issue of Gargoyles.

The central conflict coming from immortals and mixtures of science and magic certainly does make the crossover feel more natural. On the villain side we've got Diablo the immortal alchemist who's clashed with Demona and is now back to menace the heroes. I like that his Elixir of Life uses gargoyle blood, brings to mind the use of shed gargoyle stone skin used in the Cauldron of Life. Plus, Grey Gargoyle makes an appearance and his (temporary) lapidification powers are on full display. Makes sense that Lex and Broadway would be freaked out over Angela being turned to stone at night, they weren't exactly conscious the first time it happened. And Dragon Man was a good choice for an opponent, he's big and strong enough to to challenge multiple members of the Fantastic Four and doesn't have much agency so he's the perfect stooge to be used by villains.

On the heroes' side we have Isaac Christians Gargoyle, one character I forgot existed. Him being a near immortal figure was a good choice for inclusion, because having fought in two World Wars, seen the absolute worst of humanity and yet still tries to be a hero makes him a good counterpoint to Demona. It's a bit rushed but I do like that he's made an honorary member of the Clan.

One little detail I liked was the mention of the Yancy Street Gang appearing on Celebrity Hockey. That and the battle between Iron Man and Xanatos was less of fight between good and evil and more of two billionaires duking it out to stroke each other's ego. [/SPOILER]

That's all for now, but I'm looking forward to the next one.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
You're Gonna Carry That Weight
posted @ Wed, Oct 15, 2025 8:09:46 pm EDT from 184.23.35.150

I have! I'll probably get around to posting some thoughts when I get a chance.
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Wed, Oct 15, 2025 8:30:29 am EDT from 204.184.178.1

Anyone had a chance to check out the Fantastic Four/Gargoyles crossover yet?
Algae
'Nuff said
posted @ Wed, Oct 15, 2025 7:54:19 am EDT from 88.87.179.191

The questioner emailed me and asked to remove their comment from here since it is not Ask Greg and so I have.
Gorebash
posted @ Tue, Oct 14, 2025 10:03:56 pm EDT from 158.173.25.164

*sigh* Once again, this isn't "Ask Greg". There's a link to "Ask Greg" at the top of the room. (It's been a while since someone mistook the comment room from "Ask Greg".)
Todd Jensen
posted @ Tue, Oct 14, 2025 9:17:44 pm EDT from 68.99.93.213

I'll confess I did one thing today that might be "celebrating Columbus Day" in a sense; for the last few years, I like to reread on that day Don Rosa's "The Lost Charts of Columbus", a delightful sequel to Carl Barks' "The Golden Helmet" story, which does bring up the "indigenous peoples were here long before Columbus and the rest" element in it (complete with a neat little twist at the end).

I added two more of Don Rosa's stories to that this year. According to a "medieval book of days" that I'd recently purchased, today, October 13, was the anniversary of King Philip the Fair arresting the Knights Templar in France in 1307 as part of his strike against their order (October 13 fell on a Friday that year, incidentally, and it's been suggested by some that this contributed to the ominous reputation of Friday the Thirteenth), and I decided as a result to read a couple of stories Rosa had written involving Donald, Scrooge McDuck, and Donald's nephews with the Knights Templar (which, for an additional bonus, worked Columbus into them as well), "The Crown of the Crusader Kings" and "The Old Castle's Other Secret". The latter is particularly worth reading, including some very effective family drama between Scrooge and his sister Matilda.
Todd Jensen
posted @ Mon, Oct 13, 2025 9:39:09 pm EDT from 68.99.93.213

A happy Indigenous Peoples Day indeed!

The only people I see celebrating Columbus Day are doing so out of spite.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
You're Gonna Carry That Weight
posted @ Mon, Oct 13, 2025 9:26:26 pm EDT from 184.23.35.150

Fourth and happy Indigenous Peoples Day!
Karrin Blue
posted @ Mon, Oct 13, 2025 2:52:42 pm EDT from 70.188.154.198

I wonder whether Greg Weisman ever suspected, when he and Disney were talking about the gargoyles being the "Fantastic Four" to a Disney counterpart to the Marvel Universe, that some day he'd actually be writing a couple of stories (the first one due out this week) in which the gargoyles would actually meet the Fantastic Four.
Todd Jensen
posted @ Mon, Oct 13, 2025 9:03:59 am EDT from 68.99.93.213

Second??
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Mon, Oct 13, 2025 8:15:33 am EDT from 204.184.178.1

First?
Algae
'Nuff said
posted @ Mon, Oct 13, 2025 7:57:45 am EDT from 88.87.179.191