"first-time users can review the content without feeling overwhelmed"
How about feeling underwhelmed? And why isn't anyone just whelmed?

Blaise> [SPOILER] I hadn't even made the Synchronicity II connection until you brought it up (funny considering it's one of my favorites from The Police). And now thanks to you I can't read that "Many Miles Away" without hearing Sting.

The Inhumans as a group of characters are a bit iffy depending on who's writing them, but Lockjaw remains a Very Good Boy. [/SPOILER]
Matthew the Fedora Guy
You're Gonna Carry That Weight
posted @ Thu, Jan 1, 2026 1:18:09 am EST from 184.23.35.150

which can help you understand the overall process.
Even first-time users can review the content without feeling overwhelmed.
https://xn--jj0b280b17bv5cczitspbqa.com - [replica at yahoo dot com]
posted @ Thu, Jan 1, 2026 1:03:34 am EST from 191.96.170.198

Sorry for the double post, but I realized I'd forgotten to wish the room a happy New Year's Eve/Hogmanay. Here's to a good 2026, starting tomorrow!

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

(from Tennyson, "In Memoriam")
Todd Jensen
posted @ Wed, Dec 31, 2025 7:15:36 pm EST from 68.99.93.213

BLAISE - Thanks for your reviews. I'll definitely have to take another look at that list of Little Golden Books.

If we get any new canon stories in 2026 alongside the Darkwing Duck crossover, the obvious priority will be recovering Egwardo from Demona. (And it struck me very recently that there'd be a ticking clock at work here. Egwardo's due to hatch at the spring equinox in 1998, which, from the perspective of December 1997, is just a few months away. Definitely a recipe for urgency.

And we've got Broadway and Angela's commitment ceremony coming up as well; I've a strong feeling that a lot of us are going to want to see that, not only on Angela and Broadway's behalf, but also to see what a gargoyle commitment ceremony is like (just as we got to see, on a more somber level, a Wind Ceremony [SPOILER] twice in fact, with regional variations [/SPOILER]).

I'd still really like to see the "Weird Macbeth" story (of the various stories that Greg Weisman's hinted at, that's particularly excited me since I learned about it at the 2001 Gathering), but I do think those two above elements are more high-priority.

Finally, if we get a third "Gargoyles" Winter Special next year, I wonder if it might be the Santa Claus story that Greg Weisman had mentioned wanting to tell. I certainly think that the tone that both Winter Specials have shown is the kind of tone that an appearance from Santa would be at home with.

(And that mention of Santa reminded me of a treatment of his legend I'd read some years ago by L. Frank Baum, if not quite as famous as his "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". The part of it that stands out to me here is that in it, Santa was portrayed as an orphaned baby found and raised by a wood-nymph. The ruler of the magical forest-folk that she's want of gives her permission to do so, but has misgivings enough about it that he announces it'll be a one-time only event, explaining that because the wood-nymph is immortal and eternally young, but her son is human and will have the regular life-span of a human, he'll be gradually growing older, so he'll start off seeming young enough to be her son, then the same age as her, then appearing old enough to be her father or, eventually, grandfather. This element is certain to sound familiar to us after the "Demona" mini-series. [SPOILER] Though the book ends on a much happier note than the mini-series, of course, with Santa being granted immortality by the forest-ruler and his fellow immortals. [/SPOILER]
Todd Jensen
posted @ Wed, Dec 31, 2025 6:48:45 pm EST from 68.99.93.213

Blaise: Thanks for that. It was a fun ramble.

Matt: Are you sure that [SPOILER] the *tenant* wasn't Anansi in disguise [/SPOILER] instead? :D

The phenomenon mentioned is not limited to New York. [SPOILER] Normalcy bias is a very real phenomenon everywhere, and the tendency to sort of assume that everything you don't need to pay attention to is going along routinely hits all over the place. (Causes all sorts of issues, too: there have been plenty of cases, including some very gruesome ones, in which people didn't get properly alarmed by legitimately dangerous circumstances because of this bias until it was too late to do anything.)

I grant that having Broadway show up at your door asking nosy questions presses the limits of things you don't need to pay attention to; then again, being in a dense metropolitan area tends to spread the boundaries of what you'd consider normal just due to the wider variety of things encountered in daily life. There was (say) a 6'-4" woman with bright orange hair and a Scrooge McDuck tank top at the coffee shop this morning; normal is kind of a relative trait once that sort of thing is routine, and in the end, how is that really any more normal? [/SPOILER]

Anyway, the hour is approaching, and so I would like to wish all of you reading this a safe night and a better new year to come. There is no group I would rather go into it with.
morrand - [morrand276 at gmail dot com]
posted @ Wed, Dec 31, 2025 6:39:49 pm EST from 108.69.72.60

****Blaise tunnels into the Room from beneath the floor.****
Feels like I'm making a long climb today to get all the things done that I want done before the new year starts. A couple of rambles/reviews among them!

Okay, it's over a month and a half since this came out, but I finally have my thoughts on it down. Does it still need Spoiler tags? Aw, heck with it, I'll include them.

GARGOYLES x FANTASTIC FOUR: CLAN AND FAMILY> [SPOILER] We begin with some exposition about the Labyrinth Clan having found a hidden tunnel, and Broadway and Angela contacting the Fantastic Four before investigating, causing the Human Torch and the Thing to tag along with them. Yeah, I admit I was very aware of expositional aspect of the dialogue during my initial reading. Of course, having scanned some classic Marvel comics (including from early in the Fantastic Four's run), that is a part of the style. But it also helps to have the voices of the characters clear in one's head, and I admit that it took me a second to properly do that. Once I really "heard" Broadway and Angela's voices along with Johnny and Ben's (and I'm mostly going by what I remember of their voices from the 1990s animated show), it's a fun little bit of these four engaging in some "casual danger dialogue" as they prepare to face off against the Mole Man, his Moloids, and an BUNCH OF GIANT MONSTERS!
(Also love the comments between Broadway and Ben about "that mole guy" having a chip on his shoulder.)

Johnny radios Reed Richards for a little help and our narrative now splits! Three-quarters of each page will follow events at the Baxter Building (and later another location), while the bottom quarter will deal with the battle beneath the streets! Not sure how to properly split this ramble, so I’ll just wing it.

At the Baxter building, Reed is preparing "Anti-Kaiju Measures" and I LOVE that he calls it that. Something else I love is Goliath's calling Reed Richards Mr. Fantastic, only for the latter to ask him to just call him Reed, or Doctor Richards (since they came from a culture with no names to speak of, I've often wondered how the Gargoyles react to people with *multiple* names like superheroes). Love seeing the group shot of everyone (the Richards/Storm family, the TimeDancer family, and GxE) in the Baxter Building, especially as, along with Goliath's referring to Angela as his daughter in the dialogue, it helps to solidify the "family" aspect of this story. It's also fun noticing that Franklin and Valeria's outfits don't have a "4" on their chests, but rather the first letters of their names. Anyway, Goliath's wishing to get to the fight ASAP, especially out of concern for Angela, prompting Elisa to gently remind him that both Angela and Broadway are capable warriors, while Reed firmly believes in preparing first. Reed's briefly interrupted by the delivery of an "Oscilating [sic] Virus Filter," which he intends to use to restore Dragon Man to his more benign personality, and I'm actually a bit surprised (pleasantly) that's being followed up on right away like this! Oh, and the device is being delivered by a couple of bad guys. They're bad guys. Bad Guys! BAD GUYS!! I know a big theme is not judging by appearances, but these are two large and imposing nearly identical individuals with shadowed faces and no warmth. BAD. GUYS. Exclamation point, exclamation point, exclamation point. Of course, I can't yell that at the characters (well, I could but they wouldn't hear me), and they're distracted enough anyway by preparing for the fight that Reed sends his kids off with the Obvious-Bad-Guys (OBGs) to show them where to put the Oscillating Virus Filter (OVF). The kids invite Gnash to come with them and, after a humorous bit where he confirms with his mother that he is NOT "getting in on the kaiju fight," he joins them. In addition to anticipating hijinks with the kids all together, I love seeing more of Gnash in general and interacting with kids his age (more-or-less) in particular.

*Many Miles Away...* (probably not that many, but I really wanted to reference "Synchronicity II" by The Police): Johnny "flames on" only to be told to wait by Angela...

Catching up with the kids, and after Franklin's bemusement at one of the OBGs saying "Okey-Dokey," we learn of Valeria's frustration at Reed not fixing Dragon Man (or Draconus as they sometimes call him) RIGHT NOW! Franklin seems a bit more measured in his response, but he does agree that their former tutor and protector deserves better than to be left sitting deactivated in a corner. Well, Valeria seems to have inherited some hubris from her father (or perhaps even her godfather...) and decides to just do it herself! Franklin eagerly gets on board as does Gnash (whose lines about "defying parental authority" are fun).
In the next room the two OBGs begin their Bad Guy stuff by neutralizing the security protocols of the building (oh no, who could have seen this coming...). However, then the two Russian-speaking (huh, didn't anticipate that) giants open up to reveal themselves as exo-frames for two smaller men (...I REALLY didn't anticipate that!). They are Yuri Topolov and his only son Kondrati, also known as the Gargoyle and the Gremlin! Yes, *another* Gargoyle-named character from the Marvel Universe, and this one is probably the first to bear that name! The Gremlin is new to me, but I first learned about this version of Gargoyle from "The Incredible Hulk" animated series of the late 1990's, where he was basically acting as the sidekick to The Leader. Oh, and he was voiced by Mark Hamil, so that's who's voicing him in my head now. Anyway, the two G boys have their suits minimize into suitcases (handy, that) and then set about their work of opening two doors...

*Many Miles Away...*: Angela, clever cookie that she is, points out to Johnny that in order for her and Broadway to gain lift and glide down in this cave they will need hot air, something the torch can provide. Ben, a little quicker to pick up on her meaning than Johnny, fills in the requisite "full of hot air" joke on the next page!

Back at Baxter, the G boys have started opening their doors, one to let in their "second partner," Coldsteel! Their "first partner?" Behind the other door: a dimensional portal leading to the Negative Zone!
The kids are oblivious to this, still working on getting Dragon Man operational. I like Gnash's attempts at commiserating with the kids about being kept out of the action and, when Fanklin mentions they've "seen enough action for about a hundred lifetimes," his attempts at impressing them about being a time traveler. Valeria is just annoyed at being distracted while working. Of course, the *real* distraction comes when Gargoyle and Coldsteel arrive. Love Coldsteel's remark about not seeing a rookling in a millennium and Gnash's practically panicked reaction at seeing the possessed robot, dragging Valeria and Franklin away while leaving Coldsteel momentarily confused about whether they met before. The bad guys don't pursue the kids (or hatchlings, as Coldsteel calls them), though, as they are actually after Dragon Man, who Coldsteel calls their "partner's prize!" Coldsteel's remarks about how his robotic form and "this era" were made for one such as him are a fun, chilling character moment for him. Also feels kind of like an "your approval fills me with shame" moment for the late 20th century and its technology.

*Many Miles Away...*: The Human Torch not-laughs at the previously mentioned requisite joke and super-heats the air.

The bad guys reconnoiter by the portal to the Negative Zone, with a now mobile (but personality-less) Dragon Man among them. Gremlin reactivates his exo-frame, this time not as a disguise but as the Titanium Man armor! I knew of Titanium Man, but I was more familiar with the Boris Bullski version, an Iron Man villain originally. This is the first I've learned that there was a second Titanium Man, and that it was Kondrati Topolov, the Gremlin! Well Titanium Man leads Dragon Man through the portal, leaving Coldsteel and Gargoyle to watch the door. I like Gargoyle's concern for his son here (again, the family theme is at the forefront). And hiding nearby, the three kids try to figure out what to do now, knowing they can't leave Draconus to the Negative Zone.

*Many Miles Away...*: Angela and Broadway happily take advantage of the hot air to start gliding and *now* the fight can really get underway.

At the portal, Gnash leads the Richard's children in a charge into the Negative Zone (maybe he should be named Leeroy Jenkins), much to the apparent horror of the Gargoyle. While Yuri may be upset about this, Coldsteel views it as a knot untying itself, fully expecting the kids to die in there. It's a good contrast between these two, showing that Gargoyle has standards that Coldsteel does not. Also, nice shot of Gnash carrying Franklin and Valeria as he "glides" through the Zone.
In another part of the building, in the room where Reed is doing Science Stuff (tm), *something* is happening in the air. Something involving Kirby Dots. After a fun bit of Goliath trotting out the "What sorcery is this" line and Reed being too absorbed in his work to realize Goliath is NOT talking about that, we see that the disturbance heralds the arrival of Lockjaw of the Inhumans! I only knew of this character because of that short-lived "Inhumans" series from eight years ago. I didn't watch past the first episode (it was...not good), but I definitely remembered Lockjaw from it: a giant teleporting dog and Very Good Boy. Realizing that him showing up means Something Very Bad is happening, Reed finally checks the building's security and resets it. The resultant alarms (which Elisa is understandably curious about) tell Reed that the portal to the Negative Zone has been opened. Cue the two mothers immediately yelling "Where are the children?!"

*Many Miles Away...*: Ben is feeling left out because he can't fly or even glide. Love him referring to himself as "Mama Grimm's blushing, blue-eyed boy, Benji" (nice alliteration, there!). Well, he gets over it and gears up to fight and say the thing...

In the Negative Zone, the kids are able to find and discreetly follow the two Men, Titanium and Dragon, to a meeting with the "other partner": Annihilus. This is a character I know nothing about, but that is a cool design, and appropriate what with the wings and all.
Outside the portal, Our Heroes appear thanks to the teleporting doggo. Reed chews out Topolov (is he avoiding calling him Gargoyle on purpose, I wonder, due to present company) for not observing the necessary protocols to keep anti-matter leaking out of the Negative Zone, potentially causing a city-destroying explosion. Yeah, that seems like a bit of an oversight on your part, Yuri. Of course, Gargoyle isn't about to let anyone close the portal while his son is still in the Zone, activating his own armor suit, and Coldsteel takes this opportunity to mention that the kids are inside, as well, much to the horror of Sue and the TimeDancer parents.

*Many Miles Away...*: THE THING SAYS THE THING! Okay, we can all go home now.
No, but while Ben clobbers a kaiju, the Mole Man prepares for the Human Torch.

Outside the portal, Sue tells Reed to close the portal anyway as they have Lockjaw, the Teleporting Dog who is not bound by dimensional barriers, and who can track the kids because, well...dog. She takes Elisa and Katana with her as they KZAK off. Reed says he'll focus on dealing with the anti-matter threat while the two remaining gargoyles focus on shutting the door.
In the Zone, Annihilus plans to use Dragon Man to conquer the Negative Zone and soon after the "Human World," gloating to Gremlin "You meatbags won't stand a chance" (and just how long as "meatbag" been an insult for organics in fiction? I first remember it in "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic"). Gremlin seems kind of unimpressed by Annihilus' intent to conquer his own world, with a rather wry "Good luck with that." Yeah, Kondrati knows the kind of universe he lives in.... But what is Kondrati, Yuri and Coldsteel getting in return for Dragon Man? Adamantium, of course; enough to make Titanium Man and Coldsteel indestructible!

*Many Miles Away...*: The Mole Man calls out for "Spitter" to do its worst, much to Torch's bemusement at the name.

The kids in the Negative Zone have been watching the meeting but not attacking yet, though Leeroy--I mean, Gnash is wondering why they're not doing just that. While he was Nope-ing out when Coldsteel was around (love the "haunted robot" description, and fascinated by how much fear/caution he engenders in Gnash), it's now Franklin and Valeria's turn with Annihilus' presence. Describing the interdimensional conqueror as "practically Death personified" does add to the feeling of threat (though I am curious what Marvel's actual Death would think about that herself). Bottom line, the kids need some kind of distraction before they can do anything. Cue three women and a giant dog KZAK-ing into the middle of the bad guys' meeting! Love the dialogue between Elisa and Sue about how enemies screaming "Destroy them all" really gets old. And since they need to find the kids, and Sue can't keep up a force field forever, Katana has them switch from defense to offense, with Sue's shattering field knocking over Annihilus as a start. Even better, Elisa is able to immediately spot the kids when they take advantage of the distraction to break cover and run for Draconus.

*Many Miles Away...*: "Spitter" turns out to be a icy-looking creature that spits great gouts of liquid. Torch now acknowledges the name makes sense while dodging the spray.

While Reed works on holding back anti-matter particles, Goliath fights the armored Gargoyle and Brooklyn faces Coldsteel. I’ve been waiting for a Brooklyn vs Coldsteel fight since "Possession", and while this is technically not canon, I am still enjoying it, especially with the nods to Brooklyn having fought him in his own past/Coldsteel's future. That's why he's insulated his sword-hilt against Coldsteel's electrical attack! Brooklyn's so efficient at dealing with Coldsteel, pinning the foe with his broadsword, that he's also able to help Goliath out with Yuri, using his shoulder-mounted rifle to blast the armored foe.

*Many Miles Away...*: Angela calls for Torch to distract Spitter while she and Broadway go after "Man-Mole." Torch makes the mistake of calling her "Angie."

The fight between the mothers and the bad guys continues, with a great moment of Katana using one of her fans to redirect Titanium Man's blast onto Annihilus (and the latter getting angry at TM about it). Elisa can't exactly contribute much to this fight (it's above her weight class, and though she mentions her gun, I don't think Disney lets her wield it anymore), but she knows they're not here to beat the bad guys, anyway. She gets Sue and Katana to fall back to Lockjaw and is able to get the dog to teleport them right next to the kids, and then instantly teleport them all, including Dragon Man away. Annihilus is...unhappy about losing his new toy. And he's going to take that out on Kondrati.

*Many Miles Away...*: Angela politely corrects Torch, with Broadway backing her up as the two swoop down on Mole Man and seize him.

Lockjaw and all his hangers on return to the lab, prompting Coldsteel to cut his losses and flee the scene now that Dragon Man is back and the deal has fallen through. Yuri, however, is not going to abandon his son, yelling that "Nothing is more important than family" as he runs into the portal, just before Goliath and Brooklyn manage to finally close it. I really like all the layers Yuri is able to show even in this short appearance: he has certain standards he upholds and a family that he loves and cares about.
Goliath, of course, agrees with their foe's statement as the TimeDancer family embraces (though not without Brooklyn grounding Gnash), Reed playfully tousles his son's hair, Elisa gives Lockjaw some well-deserved pets, and Sue *tries* to hug Valeria but the little Richards is too busy finishing her work...
Restoring Dragon Man to functionality and his friendly programming! For some reason, I hear Frank Welker's animatronic voice from "Bushido" when Draconus is talking here. All in all, a fun and heartwarming scene.

*Many Miles Away...*: Broadway and Angela drag Mole Man through the air. Love the crack about Angela probably not liking being called a "heathen" either. But Mole Man isn't surrendering, just calling for his army to attack even harder...
And now we reverse things! For the next two pages, the first three-quarters are the underground story and bottom quarter back in the Baxter. While the quartet fighting the Mole Man and his army have been holding their own, they can only do so much (even capturing Mole Man didn't stop the fight) and are really looking for some relief from Reed. Thankfully, Lockjaw is happy to help with another round of teleporting and brings the Baxter group to the subterranean battle scene, where Reed deploys the Anti-Kaiju Compound! Well, *most* of the Baxter group: the kids are left behind, of course, much to their displeasure as well as Elisa's, who stayed behind to "babysit" (love her line here).

After a nice splash page of the big fight scene (kudos to Kambadais, as always), we catch up with everyone at sunrise on the roof of the Baxter Building as the gargoyles roost there for the day. There's some nice bonding between Elisa and the Richards couple about being allies, friends, family, clan, as well as the kids apparently quite happy with their new friend Gnash.

Apologies for the MASSIVE wall of text, but this issue, like the last, was pretty packed. Nice that we got some folks featured this time who weren’t previously, like Elisa, Katana, and Gnash, as well as Franklin and Valeria. Heck, let's add Reed to the list as he was stoned for a good part of the previous issue.
I don't know if we’ll get anymore stories of this particular line of continuity, though I wouldn't object to that. Either way, though, we had a couple of really fun issues come from it. [/SPOILER]

And might as well do this while I'm here:
GARGOYLES LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK> Won't bother with Spoiler tags for this.
Actually the first thing that struck me was what I saw on the back of the book. The listing of other Little Golden Books caught me by surprise because, in addition to a classic like "The Poky Little Puppy" they had books for the "Fantastic Four," "Star Wars", "Pirates of the Caribbean" (OK, not too big a surprise, any of those, I guess), James Cameron's "Avatar" (a little more out there), "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (wait...is she wielding a sharpened stake on that cover?), "The X-Files" (huh?!) and..."A is for ALIEN"?! WTF?! I saw that "Alien" cover one on Facebook a while ago and thought it was a *joke*! Something like "Go the F*** to Sleep" or something. That's an actual Little Golden Book?!

Moving on to the book itself, though: it's cute. It seems that the eggs in the rookery act as a sort of throughline for the book's narrative, being mentioned early (top of page 3, the second page with text) and brought back to close out the book, with Angela's introduction. Naturally, the narrative between these two points is highly condensed and streamlined both for content and to fit in the page-count allotted, but a LOT is still packed in here. No mention is made in the text of the massacre, though a shattered gargoyle is seen. Neither Demona's previous relationship with Goliath (nor her relation to Angela) is mentioned, though you do see her next to Goliath in the Rookery. Tom is focused on as the one Goliath asks to protect the eggs (rather like the "Gargoyles: Defenders of the Night" illustrated book) probably so that he is the only one who needs to be re-introduced at the end. Katharine is not mentioned but is seen in illustration. Other illustration appearances go to the three thugs and Billy and Susan's family (with the kids looking like they're cheering on Goliath fighting the thugs here). No "castle rises above the clouds" stipulation mentioned for the spell, just the 1000 year time frame. In fact, Xanatos isn't even identified as the one who woke them. The Mutates are featured, and this is probably the most direct interaction I've ever seen between Elisa and Maggie with them shaking hands, though they are not named (nor is one of them identified as Elisa's brother). I hope none of these comments come across as being negative in any way, I am just legitmately fascinated with adaptations and the changes that can occur in the process.
Two last thoughts:
1) Seeing Gargoyle Beasts with visible pupils threw me.
2) Is there another children's book that uses the term "Cyborg-Zombie?"

OK, that's me caught up here. Onward and upward! Wishing everyone a very happy start to the new year!
****Blaise continues digging...up through the air to the ceiling and then on through it, up and out. The holes fill in behind him like they weren't there.****
Blaise
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."--The Doctor
posted @ Wed, Dec 31, 2025 3:12:07 pm EST from 45.48.46.39

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https://xn--jj0b33w12jt6nqla.kr/
posted @ Wed, Dec 31, 2025 11:47:17 am EST from 222.110.30.191

Todd> [SPOILER] My personal belief is that the spider was Anansi in disguise and Greg is laying groundwork for the Trickster story. [/SPOILER] ; )

Hope everyone has a Happy New Year! If the Gargoyles theme of 2025 was Fantastic Four and Demona (with a dash of Cold Case), then I wonder what we'll call 2026: Darkwing and...?
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Wed, Dec 31, 2025 9:31:20 am EST from 69.229.197.48

MATTHEW - [SPOILER] And one of the tenants was performing unspecified experiments involving a pet spider (of the tarantula variety); that's almost as oddball as a living gargoyle in a trenchcoat and fedora asking detective-style questions. (I wonder whether the "spider experiments" bit was intended as a little salute to another of Greg Weisman's animated series.

One of the big differences between Scrooge and Mr. Huxley/Clarence was that the weirdness showed up for the latter after his change of heart. [/SPOILER]
Todd Jensen
posted @ Tue, Dec 30, 2025 7:44:33 am EST from 68.99.93.213

Apparently Brainrot makes a lot of those cheap puzzle games that make reference to more well known or popular games.

Anyway, good review, Blaise. [SPOILER] I also felt there was a bit of Christmas Carol feel to the comic as Huxley's stinginess led to the accident that claimed Mr. Fletcher's life. It reminded me of Scrooge's stinginess being a major factor on why Tiny Tim not being able to get the care necessary that might've killed him if Scrooge didn't mend his ways. Though in this case Huxley is too late to help one person and so his penance is quiet obscurity and living in room where his great failure happened.

As for Ms. Bamdad and the tea and biscuits. That would imply some British heritage or in a culture that heavily influenced by British occupation. Though from my experience, both from having a Persian coworker and visiting a Persian bakery not far from work, I can safely say that tea is pretty big deal.

Plenty of people have brought up just how blasé the tenants are to Broadway playing detective. It's kind of a cliché in fiction (and maybe in real life too) that New Yorkers will just get used to any kind of strangeness as long as it doesn't interfere with their lives, I'll have to ask a guy I know in New York how true that it. In any case, I can't help but think of this exchange from the first Ninja Turtles movie when Raph is chasing after Casey Jones and rolls over a cab.

Passenger: (alarmed) What the heck was that??
Cabbie: (shrugs) Looked like sort of a big turtle in a trench coat. (Beat) You're goin to LaGuardia, right? [/SPOILER]
Matthew the Fedora Guy
You're Gonna Carry That Weight
posted @ Tue, Dec 30, 2025 2:49:25 am EST from 184.23.35.150

Word of advice: if you don't want to discourage people from playing those games, do not call them "Brainrot".
Todd Jensen
posted @ Mon, Dec 29, 2025 9:42:12 pm EST from 68.99.93.213

Embrace the thrill of problem-solving with Brainrot Games. Each level brings new surprises and challenges!
brainrot games - [masttho2 at gmail dot com]
posted @ Mon, Dec 29, 2025 9:35:45 pm EST from 185.149.195.73

MATT - Thanks. I thought it'd be particularly appealing to end the Darkwing Duck crossover that way as a nod to the fact that the Gummi Bears were one of the inspirations for "Gargoyles".
Todd Jensen
posted @ Mon, Dec 29, 2025 7:27:00 pm EST from 68.99.93.213

Blaise: Your comment about the invitation to [SPOILER] tea and biscuits did drive me to look up the name "Shahpar Bamdad" in my usual sources. "Shahpar" doesn't come up under that spelling, but "Bamdad" is definitely shown as a Persian name. There is a listing there for "Shahpara" as an Urdu/Persian name, though, and being Urdu might fit with Shahpar herself having an Indian or Pakistani origin. In turn, that would explain a strong British influence on her; hence, "tea and biscuits." [/SPOILER] I'm not personally familiar enough to vouch for any of this, but it does make some sense.

(In fumbling around searching my usual sources, they did come up with the curious point that [SPOILER] "Shahrazad" is also of Persian origin, [/SPOILER] although I make no suggestion of whether that is of any relevance at all, fun though it might be.)

"Usual sources" sounds oddly like I too am now starting [SPOILER] to talk in stereotypical hard-boiled detective language. [/SPOILER] I make no apology for letting comics (or this comic, anyway) be a bad influence.

Anyway: something that I think had been rattling around at the edge of my consciousness just popped out, and it's that, [SPOILER] for all the general acceptance we see of Broadway (and, later, Goliath) among the tenants of 601 Amsterdam, there's a bit of a shadow there in that Broadway gets called in to the cops just for being in the public areas of the building. It's presented somewhat subtly, but there is something pointedly nasty behind the idea that Broadway could end up in cuffs just for being in a building where he "does not belong." Especially with that being very much a reality for far too many people in the world. [/SPOILER]
morrand - [morrand276 at gmail dot com]
posted @ Mon, Dec 29, 2025 10:38:45 am EST from 108.69.72.60

Blaise> "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." Ha!

Todd> That would be absolutely hilarious. I can think of no where better for a Gummi Bears reference in Gargoyles! I mean, if we are going for the absurd, we might as well lean into it.
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Mon, Dec 29, 2025 10:11:20 am EST from 69.229.197.48

PHOENICIAN AND BLAISE - Thanks for your reviews of the new Winter Special.

Summing up the year - we got a "Demona" mini-series which expanded on our knowledge of her background, the second Winter Special, and on the more oddball level, a couple of crossovers between "Gargoyles" and "Fantastic Four" (and we'll be getting another of those crossovers in the new year). It'll be fun to see what 2026 brings (besides that second - and likely to be much more bizarre - crossover).

(Speaking of which - and inspired by a discussion we'd had here a few weeks ago - I have an odd little idea for how the "Gargoyles/Darkwing Duck" crossover could end. After Darkwing and Co. make their good-byes to the Manhattan clan and head back to St. Canard, the gargoyles comment that they're not likely to have another weird adventure like this for a long time - whereupon, a strange crack suddenly opens up, and a group of small bears in medieval clothing stumble - or better yet, bounce - through, accompanied by the caption "Never the End....")
Todd Jensen
posted @ Mon, Dec 29, 2025 8:08:23 am EST from 68.99.93.213

Todd > (re: Voices podcast) [SPOILER] Yes, I enjoyed that moment as well. That's another good example of the collaborative artistic back-and-forth on the series: Guler added certain details to that withered Oberon character model simply because they looked "cool," but then the look of it gave Greg a further idea that that may actually be Oberon's true de-glamourized form. Lots of great details in this latest podcast. [/SPOILER]

Phoenician > (re: Winter Special 2025) [SPOILER] In response to your query about '90s cop shows Broadway references. "Cop shows," "detective shows," and "detective cop shows" are broad enough that they could be any number of series, as the phrases each essentially cover an entire genre. "Spy detective shows" is also pretty broad (most spy stories also fit the detective/mystery show model), but my mind immediately goes to 'MacGyver' in that era (the original run ended in 1992, but reruns were still prevalent on syndication and cable in the late '90s). The "doctor detective" show is almost certainly 'Diagnosis: Murder' (1993-2001). The "writer detective" show is certainly 'Murder, She Wrote' (1984-1996). The "detective in Hawa'i" show is 'Magnum, P.I.' (1980-1988), which was still alive and kicking in syndication/cable reruns. (Broadway unfortunately did not mention "priest detective"...I guess 'Father Dowling Mysteries' was before his time.)
[/SPOILER]
Craig
posted @ Mon, Dec 29, 2025 7:17:10 am EST from 69.118.30.106

****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