****With a sound of jingling bells and a burst of red and green lights, Blaise appears in the Room.****
FIRST!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday period (Christmas if you do that, just good days if you don't). Mine was quiet, but it was nice to pick up a bit of seasonal joy on Christmas Eve...

WINTER SPECIAL: STONE COLD CASE> [SPOILER] As always, it's nice seeing George Kambadais again. At this point, his art feels a bit like home with the Dynamite comics.

And speaking of homes, we’re learning about the apartment building where the woman from the first Winter Special, lives. Oh, and her name is actually Shahpar (last name Bamdad, as we later learn), not Julie Gavmore. She has a friendly neighbor named Mario...and a very UNfriendly landlord known as Mr. Huxley. He lives on site, which can be handy if your landlord is a good one. He is not a good one, however. In addition to the needlessly aggressive signage on his door, he secured the largest apartment for himself, he does as little maintenance as possible on the building (though I'm convinced his apartment is thoroughly maintained and well furnished) and raises the rent as much as he can. Sounds like one of those "lawful evil" types that push the laws and codes to their limits to get away with as much as possible. And he apparently doesn't even meet with his tenants; just staying in his apartment, getting rent slipped under his door, and avoiding all contact. We later learn that no one ever even saw him (wonder what rental interviews were like). The tenants aren't happy, but not unhappy enough to brave apartment hunting in New York City again (not yet, anyway).

Then the smallest apartment up on top blows up. The combination of Huxley's various lacks of maintenance (wiring, gas, trash) caused a blow up that resulted in the death of its tenant: Mr. Fletcher, retired trumpet player whom everybody liked.
*Wonderfully* grim start to a feel-good Winter Special story, isn't it?! It's very well illustrated, too, with the panel of Mr. Fletcher being wheeled away on a stretcher surrounded by his neighbors being immediately followed with a panel of the same composition only with the now somberly dressed neighbors around his snow-covered grave.
Surprisingly, though, Mr. Huxley doesn't get punished as the whole death is ruled accidental, or at least no criminal charges are brought (once again, "lawful evil" enough to remain *just* within the laws and codes). I'm sure a civil suit would go differently, and the neighbors all definitely blame Huxley, however nothing comes of that because Mr. Huxley just up and vanishes. And this is where Elisa (who has been our narrator again, just like in "A Little Crazy" and even the Marvel run) comes in, as Huxley's disappearance was her first case as a detective. I was a little confused when I saw her partner there as he seems to be wearing Matt's trench-coat, but this would have been before she met Matt. Guess she just keeps getting partners with the same taste in clothing. Unfortunately for Elisa, she never figured out what happened to Huxley as there's no evidence of either foul play or him moving out (all of his possessions were left behind, even his clothes), and that has apparently been a sore point for Elisa. Especially if he was some kind of criminal mastermind who intentionally caused the explosion to kill Mr. Fletcher for...reasons? Yeah, that feels like a bit of a stretch, Maza. Bottom Line: If mysteries are stories with a "yet-to-be-told ending" (as Shahrizad said), Elisa really doesn't like not knowing the ending here.

Why is she bringing this up to us? She's not, she's bringing it up to Goliath because it's about the time of year she took that case and it's snowing, weather which has filled her with a sense of melancholy since then (as if she didn't need another reason to look down at the end of "Her Brother’s Keeper"). I like the dialogue between the dating couple here, as Elisa apologizes for dumping this on Goliath but he's a supportive boyfriend and here for it. Love the "Stop being so perfect" line and Goliath's response of "You first." I've seen it mentioned that this line seems a little "modern" or something for Goliath, but I don’t think so. Goliath's shown he can make the (very) occasional wry comment (see "Awakening" Part Three and "Sanctuary").

But Goliath isn’t the only one that overheard Elisa's story. Broadway has been standing in the shadows and, thanks to Elisa clearly saying the building's address, knows where to go. He now becomes our narrator for most of this book, and he knows it! He's trying to adopt the stereotypical "hard-boiled detective" monologue while listing his experience watching detectives on TV, "Cuz if you want results, you gotta put the work in." And he's getting all suited up (trench-coat and fedora all the way!) and ready to go it alone when Bronx interrupts. The pooch had been dozing (or the gargoyle beast equivalent) along with Fu-Dog around Hudson in the TV room when he noticed Broadway dressing up and decided to follow. I'm pretty sure Bronx knows this is a Nate Cosby story (script credit, even!) and that he is contractually required to be prominently featured in this.
Kidding aside, folks have brought up that this is taking place while Egwardo is in Demona's clutches and questioning the clan's reactions or rather seeming lack thereof. Of course, we're only seeing snapshots, and we can be certain that the clan knows Demona won't destroy Egwardo so they don't have to worry so much about the egg's physical safety. And this is still some time after the loss, so a certain "new normal" feeling can set in. So, what do we see here? We see Hudson probably taking some comfort in watching TV, and we see Broadway being proactive in an area he feels he can actually make a difference in. Oh, and Bronx wanting to be proactive, too.
At any rate, Broadway begrudgingly carts Bronx along while still trying to maintain the "hard-boiled detective" facade.

"Back to the scene of the crime. For the first time." Yeah, I'm loving Broadway's *attempts* at a detective monologue here. It also shows that Broadway needs a bit more grounding than he gets from his TV shows as he apparently takes the phrase "everyone's a suspect" a little too seriously, even labeling Lance the dog (good to see him again) as "possible accomplice." Well, the first person encountered is the old gentleman shoveling snow outside of the building who we learn is its Superintendent (or just "Super" much to Broadway's confusion) and, thanks to Shahpar's arrival, that he is named Clarence and that he started nine months after Huxley vanished. Clarence's reaction to the sudden appearance of Bronx and Broadway is pretty appropriate, but Shahpar seems a lot more calm and collected about it. It probably helps that they didn't startle her by dropping out of the sky, but I also thinks this points to the Gargoyles' new standing in New York City. Their existence has been confirmed for over a year now, and Goliath has been on TV and they've attended a party on Halloween. They're a bit more of a known quantity now. Then, too, this is Broadway and while he can be VERY scary when he wants to be, his default mode is a bit closer to "teddy bear." Also, he's wearing a trench-coat and fedora and introducing himself as a "gargoyle detective." I admit, I’d want to see where that was going, too. One last thing: I like that Broadway calls Bronx a "Beast" here (so we get more of that terminology in the canon material).

Shahpar doesn’t look like she’s buying Broadway's story (especially with his misunderstanding of the term "cold case"--you haven't watched enough TV, Broadway!), but she's going to humor him for now. I love the contrast of their expressions in the third panel on page 12! Still, she and Clarence say he can look in Huxley's old apartment, which surprisingly doesn't have anyone living in it after however many years. It also doesn't have any of Huxley's stuff in it (except for an abandoned coat/hat rack) as it was all donated to charity by the "Trust" that took over the building, and that's the first we have heard about this Trust or anything to do with the building's new ownership. After inadvertently talking to himself (I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love the fun with Broadway's monologue in this!), Broadway starts investigating the apartment while Shahpar goes home and Clarence returns to shoveling.
Three things here:
1) Lance's name is finally said in dialogue!
2) Clarence's strong work ethic and the concern Shahpar has for his health.
3) That corridor is looking a lot better than it did at the beginning of this issue. Clean and whole, yes, but also lighter and warmer.

We get a fun scene of Broadway playing detective (because that's really what he's doing). I love Bronx and Lance's reactions to him telling them to "shout if you see anything important" (like Bronx is saying "Sure" and Lance is saying "What?") and their interrupting Broadway's attempt to "magnify the unmagnifiable."

Finding nothing in the apartment, Broadway decides to move on to questioning the tenants. We get fun snapshots of the various tenants of the building, all of whom Broadway labels as suspects and most of whom we haven't met before, including an artist on a deadline in 3B (and like others, I wonder if he's a reference to someone) and a man running an experiment with his pet spider in 4A (OK, I *want* to know more about him, but I'm afraid that would also spoil some of the fun of him). I’m also amused by the goth girl in 2A saying she hates everyone and the very pleasant fellow in 2B. Honestly, I could see these as a cast of characters in their own series. It might seem odd that none of the tenants have changed in the intervening years, but it's not outside the realm of possibility. Especially as it doesn't seem that long ago (4 to 5 years I would think, at most), and the place got a lot nicer to stay after Huxley vanished. Plus, moving usually sucks.

We return to Shahpar who kindly invites Broadway into her apartment for tea and biscuits (is she using the British terminology where they're like cookies?). Her apartment looks a lot better than it did at the beginning of the issue (and apparently gets warm enough that she's comfortable opening a window to the snowy night outside). The cat and her kittens are here, too, and it's great to see them in more homey surroundings, with the kittens playing on a very patient Bronx (Shahpar still has no idea of the part Bronx played in bringing them all home). And yeah, Broadway's interrogation technique needs work! Maybe if he asked Elisa and Matt for pointers...

Still, Shahpar does open up about how horrible Huxley was, admitting that she hopes nothing bad happened to him but is still glad he's no longer the landlord. We learn about the Trust again, though she's not sure of the specifics because she's not in real estate, she designs greeting cards with Lance as her new muse (nice to know more about her!). And we learn a lot more Clarence: that he lives in the tiniest apartment (the one that blew up and still smells of smoke), has gone above and beyond to fix up the building (even working what are supposed to be his days off), and even now he's shoveling the snow with a smile on his bearded face. Mario brings out his kids (who, yeah, don't seem to have grown too much in the intervening years, but maybe they're late bloomers?) who ask for permission to build a "snowguy" (I admit, I've never heard that term before) and Clarence gladly gives it. Shahpar says he even learned to knit just to make mittens for everyone in the building. Yeah, my significance sense is tingling here, and at first I thought Broadway realized something, too, when he said "Uh-oh" at the end of Shahpar's gushing about Clarence. But no, he just looked up and noticed who was arriving on the scene...

Goliath and Elisa arrive outside, with the latter asking if anyone has seen a "blue-ish green guy in a hat" (and that description just tickles me for some reason). Broadway knows he's in trouble (even motormouths it repeatedly in panic) and hops out to face the music. Turns out the old woman in 1B (who had appeared to be hard of hearing and misunderstanding the situation) had actually called the police to report "a 'gargoyle in a trenchcoat' snooping around her hallway." So yeah, gargoyles exist and are people, too, but that doesn't mean folks won't still call the cops on them. Thankfully, the clerk who took the call was friendly with Elisa (I'm sure pretty much everyone knows Elisa is "involved" with Goliath now, but probably only a few know how close she is with all of them and are willing to help her out about it).

Well, Elisa lets Broadway have it, chewing him out (rightfully) for invading the tenants' privacy as well as her own over a case that still hurts her. And Broadway, after a shamed silence, quietly explains that he didn't mean to eavesdrop, thought the story was sad and just wanted to help, especially because of "the holidays and everything" (and again, I feel like this is him doing something he feels like he can do, since they still can't find Egwardo). I like the touch of Broadway taking off his hat here--it's like he's finally dropping the detective persona he was putting on and just being himself. Oh, Lance is there also, being cute and fun (a good dog can help most situations, I find). Well, with an echo of the line from "The Silver Falcon" (and whatever that movie Broadway was watching was called), Elisa pretty much forgives Broadway and asks for whatever he might have found. By this time, ALL of the tenants have started gathering in front of the building to watch the spectacle (though Shahpar seems to still be making her way down). Broadway has concluded that while everyone in the building had reason to hurt Huxley, "nobody's mean enough to do that," which is kind of a heartwarming conclusion for the "hard-boiled detective" to reach. He figures Huxley just got scared and ran away, but that's what drives Elisa crazy: he had to go *somewhere.* And that's when she finally looks at someone she hadn't seen during her initial investigation...

Flashback to Elisa pouring over the missing person's file and her old partner, still faceless, telling her to give it a rest and that she "can't let every case matter this much," with idealistic Elisa responding that she'll turn in her badge if cases stop mattering this much. In addition to a nice moment showing the contrast between Elisa and her more cynical original partner, it also shows us the face of Huxley...and doesn’t he look like someone we know now...

Clarence the Super. Mr. Fletcher's death hit him hard and he left his previous life completely behind to find a new one, which ultimately led him back to the building and trying to make life better for everyone inside as penance. That includes giving ownership of the building to the people living in it: the Trust was set up to administer the property for them, though the tenants didn't know anything about it, apparently. It is surprising that they remained ignorant of this until tonight, though presumably Clarence Huxley wanted everything in place and finalized before they were informed. Those plans include turning his former apartment, the largest in the building, into a common area. And from the look of things, while he may have come back and served as Super to find a way to forgive himself, I think he actually found joy in helping making people's lives better, too.
Other folks have already talked/joked about how a "landlord becoming good" shatters all suspension of disbelief, and count me as another who would make a joke about that. But it works for me here, both because I find it evocative of "A Christmas Carol," and because I remember the computer game "Planescape: Torment" and the overarching question of its narrative: "What can change the nature of a man?" Minor spoiler, but for one character in the game, the answer to that question is "regret." And I think that applies to Clarence here. As Mr. Huxley the Landlord, it was probably like a game to him: what can you do to get the most out of your resources (i.e. the tenants) with as little put in as possible. Min/maxing in the worst way. Then, something happens and you're forced to face the reality that these resources are real people with real lives, and your actions and in-actions just ended one of those lives. To someone who is not completely divorced from all heart and soul, that can be shattering. I'd imagine his apartment was filled with luxuries, and he left all that behind (and ultimately gave to charity) as tainted goods.

By this point, Clarence Huxley is crying, both from the emotions of Mr. Fletcher’s death coming back and probably from the fear of being rejected by the people he had so wronged in the past. But Shahpar's hug seems to dispel that fear, as the rest of the tenants start absorbing the realization that they have joint ownership of their building. I don't know what legal issues may arise from Clarence Huxley reappearing after being missing, but for now Elisa seems satisfied and herds her detectives home as her narration comes back to close out the story. It's an echo of her narration at the beginning, with the exception of her description for the former landlord, who is now shedding quiet tears of joy. And yeah, it affects me.

As with the previous Winter Special, this is a small and quiet story, albeit with a little more plot and a lot more characters than last time. It brings a feeling of warmth and goodness for me. And it just has some fun dialogue and expressions. I very much enjoyed it. [/SPOILER]


I just have the one comic left ("Gargoyles x Fantastic Four") and right now I plan to post that ramble on New Year's Eve. Good health and good times everyone!

****Blaise dissolves into a flurry of snow that flies out of the Room.****
Blaise
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."--The Doctor
posted @ Mon, Dec 29, 2025 1:02:51 am EST from 45.48.46.39