morrand > As far as the multiple "#1"s go, that's just sort of a long-standing comic book industry convention, and in particular something that Dynamite has latched onto: #1s (supposedly) sell well, so publishers like to constantly reboot. Dynamite's Darkwing Duck series has already had two #1s (in 2023 and 2025), with nothing to distinguish between them on the covers. I'm glad that at least the Gargoyles Winter Special does specify the year on the cover, and I hope that the inevitable upcoming Gargoyles #1 later this year has something on the cover to distinguish it from the "Here in Manhattan" arc, to avoid confusion.
Craig
posted @ Thu, Dec 25, 2025 11:03:02 am EST from 69.118.30.106

"Angels we have heard on high / Tell us to go out and buy." -- Tom Lehrer

So of course yesterday I did, firing up the motorcycle and heading directly into the heart of the restricted-parking zone to get my copy of the new Winter Special. I've complained plenty about my comic shop here already and don't entirely want to do so again: that they didn't seem to secure the cover I had ordered is trivial. Also trivial: that they asked if I had gotten "Demona" number 4 yet.

No, I said I do not want to complain about them.

At any event, the Winter Special, and I hope it is not a spoiler at all to mention that it is a light-hearted story, and very welcome at that. Being what it is, it probably does not support a lot of deep examination and analysis. This one's for fun.

Still, we dive right in, and right away the opening narration sets the tone. [SPOILER] "Nose for trouble," indeed. Imagining Goliath speaking this is the first chuckle out of this issue.

Into a building in Manhattan. I'm sure the signs on 1A are meant to indicate a landlord who's shunning human contact, but my first thoughts go somewhere completely different. A rooming house on 1860 West Division Street, in fact, and Schwabatski's desk on the second floor, over which, Nelson Algren tells us, he'd hung a sign saying, "QUIET / Or out you go too." Schwabatski was a little more personal with his tenants, so it's not a parallel. Not much of one, anyway, other than that all landlords seem to have the same kind of gripes with their tenants everywhere.

Anyway: the story turns a bit grim (not "Man with the Golden Arm" grim, fortunately) as violation of the building codes comes to the end that the trades are always warned that it will, and we find that Elisa is having kind of a glum night, talking with Goliath, who's listening attentively, and being amazing. (Despite Elisa's misgivings about bringing things down, it's kind of nice to see them bonding that way: it's not all just kissy-face with them, not that it ever has been.) But lurking in the shadows is someone else, who's paying close attention...and off we go.

The dialogue as Broadway suits up is just cute as heck. He is, of course, cosplaying a detective and makes no attempt to hide it, as he makes his preference in TV viewing very clear. (I wonder if they've gotten a TiVo in the castle for him to be able to watch all those shows or if they're taping them, or what.) And right away it's clear that at least one reason for him to be involved with this at all is to try to help out Elisa. What's not so clear at this point is just why he feels like he needs to go it alone, other than an overdose of TV detective shows with poor narrative skills, but it looks like he's having fun with it, anyway.

So, as Hudson dozes off to what looks like an ice-skating competition (that, or "Celebrity Hockey" took a weird turn) and Fu-Dog dozes with a silly grin on his face, Bronx insists on joining, and off they go.

"Back to the scene of the crime. For the first time." And I won't say this touches off the string of cliche phrases that Broadway strings together in service of being a detective, but it surely is representative. So they drop in on the poor super and Broadway grills him: it's a bit much that his eyes are glowing while he challenges this poor guy just shoveling the snow, and fortunate that Shahpar intervenes with him, along with a familiar face from the previous Winter Special: Lance is back! And Bronx is happy to see him. I am impressed that Shahpar is just so...unbothered by being face-to-face with a mildly-aggressive Broadway and his big ol' puppy beast. And even less impressed by his comment about handling cold cases in the winter (Broadway's satisfied grin at this, and Shahpar's mild exasperation, is played nicely here).

Broadway sets to work, after answering his own internal monologue, and again, it's slightly astonishing to me that Shapar and Clarence are sort of unbothered about him poking around in the building. So he plays at it a bit and sets off to look into witnesses.

And what a crowd it is, too. It's interesting that, for the original case having been "years ago," Mario's kids still seem to be at that same rowdy age; it can't have been that many years ago, from the look of things. What's even more interesting is just how chill all of the tenants are at having a gargoyle turn up at their door, asking pointed questions. I mean, I've never had an apartment in Manhattan, so maybe things are just different there, but, well.

I am curious about who's in 3B, drawing on a deadline.

But anyway, back to the top, and a cozy apartment (despite the window being open--wonder why? Is the steam that high in the radiators?) with the various animals all hanging out (kitties!) and some blunt questioning from what seems to be a spent Broadway. Clearly the building's gotten better after an explosion, but he's getting no closer to any answers.

And then a reckoning. Goliath descending, looking all "gnarly," Elisa in high dudgeon, and Broadway realizing he's in deep doo-doo at the moment and not making things much better for himself. But then things come to a resolution, and a fairly sweet one at that. The resolution to the mystery isn't especially satisfying, I'd have to say, but then I suppose that is yet another difference between TV detectives and real ones, and it's appropriate that the real detective in the group is the one who solves the case.

This one finishes with "The End," unusually, although I won't give that any particular significance besides the script having been by Nate Cosby, and the "Never the end" being more of Greg's tagline. [/SPOILER]

As I say, this is a sweet one, and after a lot of the heavier stories we've been getting in the "Demona" arc it's a good break. It feels very appropriate for this issue to come out on this side of the solstice, when the days begin to get lighter ands where we're bridging toward the Darkwing Duck crossover (which I cannot believe for an instant will be a story of high drama). I am a little confused about the numbering of these specials: while it's technically a one-shot, making this one issue number 1 of the "Winter Special 2025" sort of ignores that it is in-continuity with the previous Winter Special. The presence of Bronx's friend on the cover is evidence enough of that. But, a minor detail in all, and nothing that detracts from what is otherwise a fun issue and a good way to close the year out.

And so I would like to wish everyone here a happy Christmas, whether it be a high holiday or just the day everything is closed, and hope you will have a pleasant day whatever your circumstances are. Though, maybe keep your windows closed, at least in the northern latitudes.
morrand - [morrand276 at gmail dot com]
posted @ Thu, Dec 25, 2025 10:32:10 am EST from 108.69.72.60

Yes, merry Christmas!
Todd Jensen
posted @ Thu, Dec 25, 2025 8:14:01 am EST from 68.99.93.213

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!
Craig
posted @ Thu, Dec 25, 2025 6:29:32 am EST from 69.118.30.106

A Merry Christmas for all celebrating today.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
You're Gonna Carry That Weight
posted @ Thu, Dec 25, 2025 3:16:55 am EST from 184.23.35.150

A side-thought, related to the part in the new Winter Special about [SPOILER] Broadway's interest in television detectives. I've been watching a fair amount of mystery stories on television, though in the "British imports" category, that air on the local PBS station. And a couple of scenes in them have reminded me of "Gargoyles".

One I've mentioned, an episode of the Hercule Poirot adaptation series in which David Suchet played Poirot - there was a scene where Poirot went to a fancy-dress ball in his regular clothes, and the other characters point out to him that he's not in costume, finally telling him that everyone attending is to be dressed up as someone famous. Poirot replies that he *is* dressed as someone famous. That reminded me a lot of Brooklyn's explanation for why he wasn't in costume at the Halloween party in the Halloween Special.

Another one, which I haven't mentioned, from a different series: a woman is kidnapped, and the kidnappers send a photograph of her as a prisoner to her father (a master-thief-type figure whose skills they wanted to use; they abducted his daughter as a way of forcing him to co-operate with them). In the photograph, there was a newspaper shown in front of her, in the same manner as the Daily Tattler in the photographs Dino Dracon sent of the kidnapped Rosaria and Peter in "Here in Manhattan". [/SPOILER]
Todd Jensen
posted @ Wed, Dec 24, 2025 7:39:29 pm EST from 68.99.93.213

Good morning, all and Happy Christmas Eve. I waited up all night for a chance to spot Santa Cl.... Wait, no I mean to to read the second Gargoyles Winter Special. I had a few thoughts:

[SPOILER] - I'm going to start by saying that I find this to be a very unusual Gargoyles story in a way. Obviously, this franchise is all over the place and we've gotten all sorts of genres before, but this one feels different to me somehow. There is nothing wrong with it, it just feels like a simple little tale with a couple gargoyles thrown in. I don't know. Again, I like it and there are some great moments, but it kind of feels like the Fantastic Four crossovers felt to me: Interesting. Fun. But kind of... detached from the rest of canon. Oh well. That weak observation is my only complaint, so on to better things!

- Great to have Kambadais back! I like that he has handled both of the Winter Specials since it gives them a stronger continuity. He does good work and his take on Broadway and Bronx in particular has always been great, so it's wonderful that they have the spotlight here.

- I like that Elisa and Broadway share narration in this story. Feels like a nod to their unofficial partner status. This story gives us something that I've been wanting for years: a glimpse of Elisa's career before she met the gargoyles and life got "a little crazy". That is something that I always appreciated in the old Marvel comics and so I'm glad we now have a bit more of her history here. I'm very curious about when the backstory happened and when she first became a detective. I'm also very curious about who her faceless partner was back in those days. Elisa does seem the type to dwell on an unsolved case, especially it being her first. So, I liked that too.

- Very interestingly, I had lunch yesterday with a friend that I hadn't seen in 20 years. He now lives in Manhattan but was home for the holidays. Because of Gargoyles, I was very curious about where in Manhattan he lived and he said, "You know where Amsterdam Avenue is?" I told him that I'd never even heard of it. Apparently he lives near there on the West Side or something. So, when Amsterdam Ave popped up in this story I was flabbergasted. What are the odds?! What a world.

- I like Elisa chatting with Goliath about just normal life stuff. Theres some normalcy for ya! Not talking about their relationship or supervillains or action-adventure hijinks, just normal life. Good stuff. This kind of reminded me of Greg's Hyppolyta short story where Goliath talks about the old days with Elisa.

- Detective Broadway is on the case! I love that that is becoming more of a thing for him. I mean, aside from Goliath, Demona, and Xanatos, he was the only character to get a second NECA figure! An elite club. I've been imagining he would eventually join the police force since 1995, so this story is a step in that direction for him, I think. Personally, I think that the Gargoyle TaskForce is going to slowly evolve into an entity where gargoyles work with the NYPD in an official capacity. Goliath being inducted is a big step towards that, but I think it will eventually be Broadway that will lead the charge. Little moments like this story might be even more satisfying to look back on down the road. We'll see.

- Bronx insisiting on joining Broadway reminds me a lot of Bronx joining Goliath to go meet Tom and Elisa in "Avalon" and thus on the whole World Tour. Behind the scenes though, I'm sure Bronx joining was more of a Nate Cosby push than a critical story element. Honestly, Bronx doesn't do much in this story, but if he, and Nate, want him to be the faithful hound to Detective Broadway, I have no complaints!

- Seeing Hudson laughing at the TV while Fu-Dog and Bronx snooze nearby still gives me the same feels that I did in last year's Winter Special during the snowball fight. It is really hard for me to get my head around all these moments of levity and contentedness when Egwardo has been stolen. This is the Manhattan Clan's child kidnapped, after all. And having your child stolen seems to make parents narrow-minded in their focus on getting them back safely. So, this still feels off to me. To be fair, Katana in particular has never participated in these antics, and we are only seeing little moments in the month that follows the kidnapping, not the whole picture. I imagine that most of the clan is engaged in the search night after night. I hope once we eventually get back to that storyline that this is all made more clear.

- Broadway slipping into his TV and movie vernacular is fun. Always the gargoyle to quote his favorite movies. Really all the way back to "Deadly Force" he's been doing this. And often his quotes fall flatly which is really funny. Like when he says "lettuce" in "Protection" or "Charmed", "boys in blue", etc. here.

- The nonchalantness of the tenants to being questioned by Broadway is kind of hysterical. I guess things have changed a lot since Goliath's televised hearing. Still, I'm glad someone called the cops about it. I wonder who the clerk at the station is that knows about Elisa's connection to the gargoyles. Actually, after her testimony, doesn't everyone kind of know now? Anyway, Elisa and Broadway get a cute moment with their callback line to "Silver Falcon". These two have always had a heart-warming relationship, so this was great.

- I'll admit that I solved the case a couple pages before Elisa did. We just seemed to be getting a lot of exposition about the Trust and the superintendent. Props to Elisa for solving it without the help of story tropes, albeit years after she started!

- So, a nice little winter story. A lot less stakes and impact than Demona #5, but that was always going to be a tough act to follow. Especially coming only a week later! Well done, Nate, Greg, and George! [/SPOILER]

Now we head into our yearly tradition (apparently) of waiting months between the Winter Special and new canon stories. Of course, we will have the Darkwing crossovers in the meantime and those will be fun. Still, I'm eager to get back to the main storyline. It's looking like May or June, right?

Those are my thoughts, looking forward to yours!
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Wed, Dec 24, 2025 10:40:56 am EST from 69.229.197.48

Just read the new Winter Special.

[SPOILER] While this one had more dialogue than last year's (not a difficult achievement), it had much in common with it. The snowy weather, Bronx is back (as are Lance and the other characters introduced in the previous Winter Special - even the kittens make an appearance, climbing on top of Bronx), and another gentle story.

I was definitely surprised by the disappeared landlord turning out to be Clarence the super, come back under a change of identity, but it fitted the tone - the stingy guy seeing the error of his ways and having a change of heart.

The story shows that the gargoyles have made some progress in public perception - to the point where Broadway can be invited in to an apartment for tea and biscuits (even if one of the other people in the building is alarmed enough at a gargoyle present to call the police).

It was fun seeing Broadway's detective work again (with some echoes of "The Silver Falcon"). Despite his learning how to read, he still seems focused on television detectives over ones in books.

Incidentally, "Amsterdam Avenue" immediately suggests, to me, New York's Dutch origins, though I don't know if the name was given with that in mind.

Thanks to everyone involved in this holiday present of a "Gargoyles" story.

[/SPOILER]
Todd Jensen
posted @ Wed, Dec 24, 2025 7:54:07 am EST from 68.99.93.213

Another comic in time for Christmas, what a lovely gift.

[SPOILER] A landlord that grew a heart? Now there's a Christmas miracle.

This was a nice little comic, I like that it both homages but also parodies the detective mystery genre. Elisa gets wistful over her first case, one that she didn't solve at that, so Broadway decides to pick it up and try and solve it for her. At the same time he has no idea what he's doing and how you're supposed to reopen a cold case. Auto-referring to everyone he meets as a suspect, forgetting that there's no guarantee that the same tenants might not occupy the same place where the incident took place, forgetting that remodeling can throw off any clues and just generally going about it like a cliché.

I like the references to other film and television crime stories and detectives, because there's a distinct difference between solving crime on tv and solving it in real life. And it also shows that Broadway still has a lot to learn about criminology considering the big mystery is ultimately pretty mundane. The death was just an accident and the missing person was just going by an assumed name. The fantastical elements blending with the mundane make for a slightly quirky but ultimately heartfelt story. Reminds me a bit of Astro City.

Speaking of reminding me. There's something interesting about Huxley, a former miserly landlord who now works charitably in secret. Maybe it's the season but his penny-pinching and secluded nature makes me think of Ebenezer Scrooge, only this one makes the decision to change his ways after the death of Tiny Tim. He's an interesting character and I'd like to know more about him. In most fiction (and in real life), plenty of those parsimonious owners don't live where they squeeze the money from the renters so the fact that he remained an unseen but looming shadow over them makes me wonder how he ended up like that. And maybe the ghost of Mr. Fletcher (and maybe three others) got him to mend his ways. [/SPOILER]

Thanks for the little comic, I'm looking forward to the new year and a new crossover. And hopefully a continuation of the current storyline.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
You're Gonna Carry That Weight
posted @ Wed, Dec 24, 2025 3:45:04 am EST from 184.23.35.150

Winter Special 2025:

[SPOILER]
A slight story, and a bit facile in its feel-good ending, but a heartwarming holiday tale nonetheless. As with last year's Winter Special, it's not explicitly a Christmas story; but the themes of redemption, and human kindness triumphing over greed, feel very much like a modern-day update of 'A Christmas Carol,' 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas,' and many similar holiday tales. I'm personally far too cynical to believe that any NYC landlord would truly be capable of such a reformation...but hey, it's nice to dream.

"Julie Gavmore" from the prior Winter Special returns, and I guess that turns out to have just been a placeholder name. Her name is actually spoken in dialogue this time, and she's Shahpar Bamdad. The new name definitely suits her far better.

I wonder how long ago Huxley disappeared. Elisa was a very young detective at 25, when we met her in 1994. She seemed pretty seasoned already, but realistically, she couldn't have been a detective for more than a couple of years max at that point. Assuming that Huxley disappeared in '92 or '93, it strikes me as kind of unusual that all the same residents are still living at 601 Amsterdam four or five years later. Mario's kids also don't seem to have visibly aged much.

The choice of 601 Amsterdam Ave. is somewhat interesting, as it appears to be a real address, and is located in the Upper West Side--a posh area, not what I envisioned from the story's setting. I wonder if Nate/Greg selected the address at random, or (more likely) it has some personal significance to one of them.

The Elisa/Goliath scene is very sweet (although I have a little difficulty hearing Goliath saying, "You first"). Nate's dialogue is somewhat different from Greg's, a bit more tongue-in-cheek/goofy, but it works nicely for Broadway's character, especially when we're in his head listening to his half-assed attempt at hardboiled detective narration.

It's pretty funny how adjusted most people seem to be about the idea of gargoyles living in their midst. It feels very NYC...this is the new normal, accept it and go about your day.

I wonder how much the story changed from its initial conception, given that the solicitation is very different from what we ended up with (no stolen family heirloom, no "lumbering 'thing,'" no break-in).

Overall, it's always fun seeing Broadway playing detective, it was nice to see Bronx reunited with Lance and the cats (who apparently also have new, revised canon-in-training names per GargWiki), and we got a little backstory on Elisa's career. Not exactly the same dramatic weight of the non-canon Elisa backstory from the final two issues of the 1990s Marvel comic (which I still wouldn't mind seeing incorporated into canon in some form someday), but an enjoyable little story to get us in the holiday spirit.
[/SPOILER]
Craig
posted @ Wed, Dec 24, 2025 1:45:24 am EST from 69.118.30.106

We've got a few preview pages for tomorrow's Winter Special up already:

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/gargoyles-winter-special-2025-1-preview-stone-cold-case-files/
Todd Jensen
posted @ Tue, Dec 23, 2025 7:52:39 pm EST from 68.99.93.213

Additionally, [SPOILER] not only are Angelika and Magni the first gargoyles we've seen die of natural causes (old age), Angelika is the first dead gargoyle we've seen during the daytime and not stone (or smashed stone). This, of course, is because turning to stone is a biological process and thus ends with death. Nice to have that in canon, in a morbid way.

Morrand, great thoughts. I suspect that he redemption one day will tie into her and Macbeth dying finally and she will then receive a Wind Ceremony of her own. I like to think it will be a still functioning Coldfire who performs the ceremony, with Samson as one of the torchbearers. And, just as Mentor saw Verity in the sky at the end of Alliance, I hope we see butterflies, Angelika, Angela, and others in the sky. Or something like that.

Todd, I originally had the same thought. But now I'm thinking that there is an unrevealed message that Katana has yet to deliver. I suppose we'll see. [/SPOILER]
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Tue, Dec 23, 2025 9:16:26 am EST from 69.229.197.48

I thought, upon rereading "Demona" #5, that [SPOILER] Angelika's message for Katana to deliver to Demona was how she was sorry she couldn't wait - the words she delivers a few panels later [/SPOILER].
Todd Jensen
posted @ Mon, Dec 22, 2025 10:21:51 pm EST from 68.99.93.213

There's one other thing I'd actually thought of last week and forgot to mention. It's not necessarily very deep, but probably worth putting in words.

[SPOILER] The last line of the Wind Ceremony as we see it here is, "And thus, be one with all whom the wind has carried away from us!" This is one point that Angelika brings up in her discussion with Demona: that she is ready to be one with Magni.

Only, Demona never can. Or at least at this point in the story, there's no hope for her ever going to the wind: her life goes on, unending, tied to the earth (more or less). In its way, no wonder that she so desperately wants someone she can keep. No wonder that she is so devastated when the end finally comes for Angelika. There is for her no reasonable hope of ever rejoining those she has loved and lost, and this is entirely down to the choices that she has made.

The tragedy of Demona is that she does not change, but in this one way, she absolutely cannot change. She traded that away long ago.

Flicking backwards into the future a bit, Coldstone shares that trait with her (albeit not by his choice) and it is, and will be, an interesting facet of his relation to Demona. True enough that he isn't going to need to go to the Wind to reunite with his mate--that will require something else, but at least she is around, and as undying as he is--but he too is forever cut off from those in his clan who have passed, and will someday be cut off from those who now survive. [/SPOILER]

Egad, this is bleak. Perhaps it's so appropriate for the darkest days of the year, knowing that brighter days are ahead of us.
morrand - [morrand276 at gmail dot com]
posted @ Mon, Dec 22, 2025 8:26:15 pm EST from 108.69.72.60

I don't know if anyone else has brought this up already, but [SPOILER] Magni and Angelka are the first gargoyles whom we've seen die from natural causes (old age) rather than being slain in battle or smashed in stone sleep. Which seems a particularly remarkable accomplishment. [/SPOILER]
Todd Jensen
posted @ Mon, Dec 22, 2025 7:21:17 pm EST from 68.99.93.213

Third!

Again, great thoughts. Blaise, your post got me thinking that [SPOILER] we've got another "what did Titania whisper to Fox?" mystery on our hands. I think with everything else oing on in this story, I kind of forgot to consider "what did Angelika tell Katana?". I'd like to think that whatever it is, Katana has already delivered the message to Demona in 2198 and that it plays a role in Demona's redemption. 1997 Katana may even recognize that the message would've fallen on deaf ears in 1274 and barely worked in 2198, so there is little point in trying in 1997. [/SPOILER] Anyway, something to think about...
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Mon, Dec 22, 2025 10:03:11 am EST from 69.229.197.48

Still the Solstice on my end too.

Good coverage, Blaise. And yeah, I was saddened to hear about Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's passing. He was a great character actor and played some wonderfully terrible villains, though I think one of his last roles in Blue Eye Samurai was some of his best acting.

morrand> Thanks for the compliment. [SPOILER] One thing I forgot to mention was that probably the biggest reason the invasion failed was because a freak typhoon appeared while the invading forces were in retreat and destroyed most of the fleet. Japan later referred to it as a kamikaze or "divine wind." [/SPOILER]

[SPOILER] Now that we have the date of 1274, this really does help the context of gargoyles and the concept of bushido. As I mentioned before, the samurai class was in its infancy at the time so it stands to reason a lot of their philosophy and swordsmanship was impacted by the gargoyles who of course are natural warriors and defenders.

Now, if you know anything about history it's that the noble warrior myth is pretty much that, a myth. Samurai weren't exactly the noble defenders of the helpless anymore than knights of European legends were. So my theory is that over the years the concept of bushido was...corrupted seems too strong a word, let's say lessened until it became more of a code of service to authority rather than what the gargoyles originally intended. And that might explain why the Ishimura Clan has kept such a strong relationship with the human populace to this day. It was the birthplace of their teachings of bushido so the lessons would remain strong there even if it wasn't in the rest of Japan. This is just a theory on my part though. [/SPOILER]
Matthew the Fedora Guy
You're Gonna Carry That Weight
posted @ Mon, Dec 22, 2025 2:12:24 am EST from 184.23.35.150

****Blaise *poofs* into the Comment Room.**** Something simple just so I can get myself in here.

FIRST!
Happy Solstice everyone! (Yes, it's still the 21st where I am.)
The past few weeks have been a little stressful, so I haven't been able to put down my thoughts on "Gargoyles x Fantastic Four: Clan and Family." I hope to do so before the year is out, but I definitely wanted to get my thoughts on Demona #5 down now.

One thing first though:
CARY-HIROYUKI TAGAWA> I didn't see this mentioned (and if someone already did, I apologise), but actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa passed away a few weeks back on December 4th. While he's best known in nerd circles for having played Shang Tsung in the first "Mortal Kombat" movie, in the realm of "Gargoyles" he was the second voice for Yama: voicing the character in the "Bad Guys" leica reel, and would have voiced him in the series had it been green lit. I just wanted to acknowledge his passing before too much time had passed, and say I would have loved to have heard more of his take on Yama.


FOREVER SOUND THE MYSTIC CHORDS OF MEMORY...> [SPOILER] (I hadn't noticed the missing title before, but now that it's been brought up it seems obvious. I'm guessing it was supposed to go on the first page with Magni. Hopefully it will be re-instated by the collected trade.)
We begin at the end, as it were, with Magni's Wind Ceremony. This first page is beautiful, both with the full shot of Magni on the pyre (like others, I love the detail of his tail wrapped around his legs) and the reaction shots of Demona and Angelika--the latter now clearly a senior citizen. Demona is even one of the torch bearers for this Wind Ceremony, alongside the gargoyle we will come to know as Sensei. I have no idea if Sensei is the Leader or Priestess of the Ishimura clan (because, of course, that is where we are), or both, but either way she seems to be the (for lack of a better term) highest-ranking gargoyle we will meet in this issue.
In any event, it's cool to compare and contrast the Wind Ceremony here to the one in "The Oath": it seems some terminology is universal among gargoyle clans, while certain practices are more regional. In this case, that practice is the release of butterflies. From what little I've learned about Japanese culture (which is still more than I have learned about their history, I admit), that seems appropriate. And, wait! Who is that little rookling holding Angelika's hand and given the task of releasing the butterflies? All of us who suspected something behind Katana's reluctance to join the fray against Demona in "A Prize Beyond Compare..." can pump our fists in the air. Turns out she knew Demona and was close with Angelika.
Speaking of the older gargoyle, she can no longer glide so Demona offers to carry her. That's another thing I really like about this mini-series: how it highlights what it's like to be unageing when those around you are not. Anyway, Angelika demurs, cradling the locket as she states that Magni is always with her. Angelika's grief here, especially with the streams of tears, is very well done.

We get our full page stating the date: 1274. So, Angelika is now 196 years old, roughly 98 physically, and she and Magni had a good 79 years together before he passed away. From what we can see, that passing was peaceful, too. Considering the lives they led and must have continued to lead in the interim, that is a good, long life.

We see Sensei training the Ishimurans, humans and gargoyles alongside each other, as Demona looks on. I must admit, when I first read this page, just based on some of the "staging," I thought she was talking to Demona. Of course, that would make no sense given what we soon learn. Instead, Demona is just there to allow Katana the chance to sneak up behind her with a blade and cut off a lock of her red hair before running off laughing. As others have already noted, this scene provides a great contrast to a similar scene in "Fools Rush In..." where another rookling "sneaks up" on Demona and the flame-haired gargoyle had a *very* different reaction. Here, Demona's eyes don't even glow and she seems more amused than anything, with the promise of some "choice suggestions" for the little gargoyle's Naming Ceremony. So Katana technically isn't "Katana" yet, but I'm just going to call her that for simplicity's sake.

Cut to an interior where Angelika sits at a table, writing, with some very familiar artwork behind her. Demona pops in and refers to Katana as Angelika's "protegee," which adds yet another layer to this web of relationships we have. Of course, Katana only "assaulted" Demona at Angelika's request, for currently mysterious reasons, but I like that Demona is more amused and confused here than angry. It just shows how much this whole situation (Angelika, Magni, Ishimura, etc.) has affected her. I also like their conversation regarding the subject of Angelika's writing--the very same narration we saw at the beginning of "Fools Rush In...". Apparently, Angelika was inspired by Shahrizad (whom she actually name drops, too) to write down her and Demona's stories. I find it telling that Angelika at first thinks Demona will be angry at this being written down, but (again, after all this time NOT being alone) Demona is more stunned to finally be called "mother" by the younger/older gargoyle. And after a sweet line ("We are gargoyles. We do not need to name a thing for it to be true.") we get an even sweeter panel of the two smiling as Demona embraces Angelika.

Something that struck me, though I'm not sure exactly when I saw it, or even if I'm correct, but to me in this issue it looks like Demona's hair has lost its..."angry quality." The spikiness at the front of her hair that we usually see on her seems to be gone or at least downplayed more than usual, to my eyes. I could be seeing things, but it feels like this is a visual indicator that Demona is more at peace than we usually see her.

Bottom line: that panel at the bottom of page 7 is one of the happiest moments for Demona that I have ever seen.
So, of course, it will not last...

On the very next page, at the docks in Hakata, a blonde woman in black disembarks from a ship. I didn't need much else to tell me that this is a Canmore descendent on The Hunt. Her name is never spoken, but she has one in the script just like many characters before her (Banquo, Fleance, the "Dark Ages" gargoyles, etc.), and while we don't have credits to tell it to us we do have GargWiki. She is Siobhan.

Back in Ishimura, though, we have another scene of domestic life as the reason for Katana's theft of Demona's hair is revealed: at Angelika's instruction (since her hands are no longer able to do such fine work) the young hatchling is binding the red hair together with an old lock of Angelika's blonde hair she had once given to Magni. After some light jibes from Angelika toward herself regarding her age (and a further sign that she accepts aging far more than Demona ever did), we learn that the three European gargoyles arrived in Ishimura 16 years ago, just in time for Katana's rookery generation to hatch, and that Angelika and Katana consider themselves grandmother and granddaughter to each other. So this is probably the longest Demona and Angelika have ever stayed in one place, and probably the one time Angelika and Magni got to participate in raising a rookery.
Angelika dismisses Katana to talk to Demona alone. This locket with the entwined hairs is for Demona to remember Angelika after the elderly gargoyle is gone, something Demona is still protesting against. Seeing Demona practically on her knees as she talks about finding a way to make Angelika young again...it's like she's begging to do so. But Angelika is wiser than Demona in so many ways and wants to join her mate in the Wind (I like the terminology there). Demona growls at this, but her eyes are not glowing, so I'm guessing there is frustration (and denial) but no real rage. Still, Angelika is worried about Demona being on her own and seems to be indicating that Katana would be the next young gargoyle who should accompany Demona on her journeys, "helping to tame your worst impulses and realize the better angels of your nature" (SERIES TITLE DROP!). I love that this statement is contrasted against the young Katana gleefully beating another hatchling at some form of impromptu fighting (seriously, how long was it from when Katana left the room?). But yeah, Angelika knows that Demona needs someone to care for, a family, to keep her from becoming...well, what she becomes by the time Goliath and the rest wake up.

Going back to Siobhan, she has been busy asking around about Demona, utilizing a drawing that is not a great likeness (spindlier than the real deal, for one thing) but good enough to (with a bit of money) get pointed in the right direction. She then armors up, hires someone who appears to be a ninja (the 13th century equivalent of them), and finally dons her Hunter's Mask, thereby confirming her identity to us in the audience. And confirming that Demona's peaceful life here is about to end.

Speaking of Demona, she is actually taking part in the training of the Ishimura students as an instructor. It's fascinating to see her getting along with (or at least tolerating) humans again enough to do this, and to hear her talk about a sword as an extension of oneself. She really leaned into the art of sword fighting for the past almost-two centuries, it seems! And the full moon (contrasted with the waning moon we saw when the ship landed in Hakata) helps indicate that Siobhan's search has been going on for weeks at this point. However, the thing that gets Demona's attention right now is Katana coming with bad news about Angelika, whose health has taken a turn for the worse. Demona and Katana immediately head to Angelika's side, leaving the students on their own...just as the band of ninja mercenaries Siobhan hired attack. The other hatchling who had been watching from a tree flies off to give warning, and the only reason he's not shot out of the sky with an arrow is because Siobhan wants him to bring Demona back to the fight. There’s a nice little argument here between her and the man she hired about the best time to attack this school for samurai and gargoyles (he wasn't going to go against samurai without the cover of darkness, she would have preferred to murder the gargoyles in their sleep), but the end result is Siobhan accepting she will face "the Demon" at night.

Demona and Katana arrive by Angelika's side, with Demona pleading with her daughter to make it to sunrise. Angelika says she will try (with a title drop of "Long Way to Morning" for good measure), but that's when the other hatchling comes with news of the attack, and who is behind it. Demona and Angelika's reaction to the description of the Hunter's Mask leaves me wondering if they're just remembering Canmore from back in 1093, or if they may have encountered other Hunters during their journeys. Either way, they know the meaning of this, and Demona (along with Sensei) goes forth to stop the Hunter before she gets "within a hundred feet" of Demona's daughter. The scene of Demona asking Angelika to "be here" when she returns is heartbreaking because I can already see how this will end. Young Katana promising to protect Angelika with her life is both adorable and awesome.

Interspersed with shots of Demona and other gargoyles joining the battle (that is a big Gargoyle Beast to be ridden like that!) and Demona slashing her swords through the enemy on her way to confront the Hunter, are images of Angelika at different ages, but going in reverse to when we (and Demona) first met her as a young hatchling. Demona confronts the Hunter as Sensei dispatches the leader of the ninjas before he can skewer the helpful hatchling from earlier. It's almost funny how quickly Siobhan goes down, as Demona just confirms she's a Canmore and takes her out while saying "Then share his fate" (though Demona's smile indicates she took more joy in doing the deed than she perhaps should have). I'm reminded of something I heard the other day that I think applies here: Siobhan was doubtless the "hero" of her own story, but she was just a footnote in other peoples'. Though maybe a slightly more important footnote for Demona given what's happening back home, with Angelika imparting a message for Katana to pass onto Demona and then saying she's sorry she couldn’t wait. The candles going out is a nice, symbolic touch.

Demona rushes back only to be met with a house with no more light, and a crying Katana to greet her. Before Katana can relay Angelika's message (and I can't wait to see that come up later) Demona goes berserk, blaming not just the Hunter, but all humans again. Even Sensei pointing out that humans fought alongside Demona doesn't change anything as Demona dismisses that as being done for selfish reasons. It's not surprising, honestly, as blaming Humanity for when her life is at its most painful is kind of Demona's coping mechanism. Likewise, wrath has ever been Demona's sanctuary from her grief.
I am a little torn on Demona echoing Goliath's line from "Awakening" Part 2 ("I’ve been denied everything..."). On the one hand, it feels a bit "on the nose." But on the other hand, I feel like it helps to identify the parallels between them here and highlight Demona's headspace in the moment. This is (as far as we've seen) the THIRD TIME Demona has had her world shattered (the first was Wyvern in 994 of course, and the second the fallout with Macbeth in 1057), but this time is unique in that it's not the destruction of a whole clan but the loss of one life (and by natural causes more or less) and that this time (even if she only realizes it on a subconscious level) she had almost *nothing* to do with the disaster. Yeah, she may have created the original Hunter, but she is not responsible for every Canmore that chose to take up the mantle. Heck, she was practically *on the other side of the world* from Scotland at this point. This was a human pursuing a feud beyond all reason, and it cost Demona the last moments with her daughter. The echo of Goliath's line highlights how their grief and rage synch at this moment. The contrast is that while he ultimately gave into the grief (and his "suicide"), she throws herself into the rage. And even being told that rage and vengeance is not what Angelika would want does nothing to quell it, because "Angelika is gone!"
The sun rises now on this tableau: three stone gargoyles and one of dead flesh. Katana's tears are still fresh (giving us more "tears from a stone" imagery), Sensei is still grappling with Demona's wrists, and Demona is frozen in her silent scream.

The next night (most likely), Demona is now dressed in her classic look (the kind from the 10th century) and her hair has regained its trademark spikiness. To me, that helps solidify her rejection of all the growth she had gone through in those 181 years with Angelika, regressing in many ways to her earlier rage. Furthermore, she is now burying all the treasures the two of them had accumulated over those years, including the shield, all swords, and even the locket Angelika meant for Demona to remember her by. Katana arrives to tell Demona that Angelika's Wind Ceremony is starting, but Demona has gone back to not caring for such things. If it can't bring back that which she has lost, she doesn't care. Ironically for someone burying all that stuff, she doesn't want to let go in the way that matters most.
The echoes of past dialogues continue as Demona confirms to Katana that the immortal gargoyle is leaving this "cursed land," and Katana attempts to follow while saying she's just "going the same direction." I don't know whether Katana is knowingly echoing the young Angelika's line (if Angelika told her that story), but it certainly seems to trigger Demona, who tackles the rookling to the ground. It even looks like she specifically hurts Katana's wing so the younger gargoyle is physically incapable of following her. Demona absolutely refuses to feel hurt like this again, and takes off back into the night sky as Katana looks on and we hear more of Angelika's narration from her writing. Specifically, that Demona is "cursed to a life of eternal loneliness...if so she chooses." This final bit helps drive home how so much of Demona’s pain is still from her own choices, and that, ironically, her attempts to avoid pain just make things more painful for her.
And a butterfly briefly alights on Demona's hand as she tearfully glides away....

This was a great conclusion to this fascinating mini-series. Little snippets of time in Demona's first few centuries when she wasn't alone but had a daughter who could help her be a better person. But we still see her shortcomings, the ones that make her a villain in the "modern" day, even then. This issue also helped us learn a little more about Katana, who apparently was always leaning towards leaving the clan and land of her hatching even as a hatchling. Small wonder she wound up going on an even more expansive journey in the future.

Looking forward to the next story. [/SPOILER]
You know, I never intend for these rambles to be as...THICK as they are, but that's the only way I can get out all my thoughts.

OK, I'll definitely do my thoughts on the next Winter Special probably the same time next week and get my thoughts on the GxFF crossover before the New Year!
****Blaise zooms out of the Room like a rocket.****
Blaise
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."--The Doctor
posted @ Mon, Dec 22, 2025 12:10:09 am EST from 45.48.46.39