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Gargoyles

The Phoenix Gate

Comment Room Archive

Comments for the week ending November 16, 2009

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Actually, I'd switch Brooklyn to a Knight and Broadway to a Bishop.

And cut Zafiro and make Bronx a pawn.

Greg Bishansky

I've never been much of a Monopoly Player, so I'll have to go chess instead.

A Gargoyles Chess set:

White King: Goliath
White Queen: Elisa Maza
White Bishops: Brooklyn and Angela
White Knights: Broadway and Lexington
White Rooks: The Clock Tower and Hudson
White Pawns: Katana, Nashville, Matt Bluestone, Zafiro, Gabriel, Griff, Coldstone, Coldfire.

Black King: David Xanatos
Black Queen: Demona
Black Bishops: Fox and Macbeth
Black Knights: Thailog and John Castaway
Black Rooks: The Eyrie Building and Coyote
Black Pawns: Jackal, Hyena, Wolf, a Steel Clan Robot, Robyn Canmore, Shari, a Quarryman, Coldsteel.

Just my thoughts.

Greg Bishansky

In the hypothetical Gargoyles Monopoly game, would all of the properties be locales in New York City, or would you use stuff from the Avalon World Tour as well?

If the latter, I'd suggest some consistency within each "section." The Eyrie Building and Oberon's palace don't really... go together. One is an expensive property in New York City, the other the major landmark of Avalon.

I'd suggest either have Oberon's palace as Boardwalk and some other location on Avalon as Park Place (the Archmage's gazebo, perhaps) or the Eyrie Building as Boardwalk and some other major landmark of NYC as Park Place (maybe the Statue of Liberty).

Actually, I have some other ideas...

Purple (Manhattan, less expensive properties): The grocery store in "Reawakening" and the dry-cleaner from "Protection." (I don't know their names off hand. Sorry.)

Light Blue (Manhattan, relatively expensive): Elisa's apartment; the Labyrinth; the Clock Tower

Magenta (Scotland and Ireland): Wyvern Hill; Loch Ness; the Cairn of Cu Chullain.

Orange (England and mainland Europe): Leo's and Una's magic shop, whose name I don't remember (again; sorry.); Max Leow's house in Prague; Macbeth's mansion in Paris.

Red (South America): Jungle of Guatemala; the pyramid of ChaclxChel; Vogel's summer home.

Yellow (Africa): The temple of Anubis; the lair of Anansi; I can't think off hand of any other locations in Africa...

Green (Manhattan, more expensive properties): Demona's mansion; Belvedere Castle; the Eyrie Building

Dark Blue (Avalon): the Archmage's gazebo; Oberon's palace.

Paul - [nampahcfluap at yahoo dot com]

Todd: That's the one thing I actually have given actual though to (that and what should be on Go). Right now, I'm leaning more towards the Eyrie. Whatever it ends up being though, the other is going on Park Place anyway. Riker's Island is going to be there Jail, that one doesn't require any effort of thought.

Demonskrye: Don't worry, We're gonna try to make this as much of a legit monopoly game as we can while trying to stay true to the series as well. After all, it is Monopoly, not "some made up game cleverly disguised as Monopoly".

I haven't opened the kit yet (day was rainy, so one cat has been in my room and the other has been a nutcase. Board games and kitties do not mix), so I haven't seen the details. It does say it comes with everything to decorate the board and the software, but I'd have to take a real close look at it in detail to get a better idea of what I will and won't be able to do with the kit alone.

Andrea - [SailorV77 at yahoo dot com]

So what would have the role of Boardwalk? The Eyrie Building or Oberon's Palace on Avalon?
Todd Jensen

Cool idea, and you could use the small applause figures as playing pieces.

(Feeling under the weather-chest cough, chills & aches).

Wingless

Andrea> Personally, I don't consider it a "real" Monopoly version unless you're buying and selling properties. None of this buying and selling characters or powers or episodes or stuff like that. Fortunately, Gargoyles has tons of cool locations to use as properties, so you should have very little problem filling the board.
Demonskrye - [<---"Half-Hour Commercials" at The Ink and Pixel Club]

So, during the Gathering (and I still need to finish my journal, lazybum I am misplaced my notes), my friend and I were making comments on how many different varieties of Monopoly there is. We joked that if we had enough time, and any talent, that we should have made a Gargoyles Monopoly game to showcase just for the hell of it.

Well, during early x-mas shopping today, we found a make-your-own Monopoly game. So yeah, 3 guesses what we're going to do with that! ...Eventually. If we have another Gathering sometime, we'll definately showcase it.

We have no concrete ideas as of yet, but since we didn't give the idea actual serious thought to it until about 4 hours ago, that will change. Any ideas or suggestions are certainly welcome. We want to make this more for the fandom than for ourselves! We probably won't get paast the ideas phase until after New Years, so that gives us plenty of time to brainstorm. It'll be a fun project to work on, I'm sure.

Andrea - [SailorV77 at yahoo dot com]

Viral Marketing> What Patrick said. Websites with games or puzzles can be used in viral marketing, but that's not the whole idea. Pretty much anything can "go viral": a video, a picture, a story or poem, an online game, a website. "Going viral" simply means that lots and lots of people are passing the material along to more and more people, through e-mails, links on blogs, discussing it on message boards, or whatever. Viral marketing is trying to use that phenomenon to sell something. Instead of the ad being spread through the company buying ad space, it is spread by people who find it interesting or entertaining enough that they want to show it to others. The trick is to make the ad funny, or mysterious or interesting so that people will want to show it to their friends and think of it as this cool thing they've found and not an ad.

In theory, SLG could make a page or two of the Gargoyles comics available online for viral marketing purposes. But again, for viral marketing to work, people have to be interested enough in the content that it gets shared and talk about and spread around to a huge number of people. And for it to really work, they actually have to buy the comics, not just read the free stuff, say "Oh, that's nice," and then forget all about it.

We don't really have any evidence that DIsney is against digital distribution. In fact, quite a few of their movies and TV shows are available to buy on iTunes, just not Gargoyles (yet). So I kind of doubt that they've decided that digital distribution is evil. More likely, the contract for the SLG licenses was written with specific restrictions so that there were clear limits on what SLG could do with the material. Online distribution may be a possibility in new negotiations, or it may be that Disney wants more money if there's going to be another venue for selling the material. Right now, it's not clear.

Demonskrye - [<---"Half-Hour Commercials" at The Ink and Pixel Club]

A great example of viral marketing is the District 9 ad campaign.
Guardian - [Guardian105 at gmail dot com]

ANTIYONDER> "Actually his spells are inspired from Latin chants used in Gargoyles."

That and MC Hammer lyrics. ;)

Algernon
"To Guy Fawkes, the only man to enter Parliament with honest intentions" - Greg Bishansky

ROBBY BARROWS> That effect predates Naruto. Probably even predates television. We've had creatures flying out of smoke in movies since the silent film era.
Greg Bishansky

I meant in the way the robots puffed into existence. Cloud of smoke, and then the robot appeared. That's how Kage Bushins from Naruto sometimes come up.
Robby Barrows - [rbgecko at yahoo dot com]
SuperSaiyaMan12

Actually his spells are inspired from Latin chants used in Gargoyles.

BTW, if you have a question to ask Greg, it's best to try asking here first as many questions like the usage of Carnage has been asked frequently. In addition to getting faster results, it keeps the questions for Greg from filling up.

Antiyonder

So no comment about Mysterio's Spell in Blueprints being a subtle homage to the Kage Bushin no Jutsu from Naruto?
Robby Barrows - [rbgecko at yahoo dot com]
SuperSaiyaMan12

Viral marketing doesn't have to involve riddles or puzzles or web sites. I can be as simple as running a bizarre advertisement that people will start talking about and passing around. It's "viral" because it spreads like a virus. It works because spreading something by word of mouth happens a lot faster with the internet. A close cousin of viral marketing are internet memes, like the infamous "Rick Roll."
Patrick - [<-- Gargoyles Comic News!]
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men." - Willy Wonka

Fantastic news -- Greg Weisman's got a Flash Thompson story in Amazing Spider-Man #622! Link below.

Congratulations Greg!!

Ed

It's interesting to see, and even though I'll still collect comics in TPB form, this is a great idea to make more money with comics.

So yeah, big boo-ooo @ Disney.

Brook
I agree with Rebel on EVERYTHING she says!!

Just to be specific, this is what SLG uses for digital distribution: http://www.slgcomic.com/eyemelt for downloading comics in a PDF/JPG-like format for your computer or http://www.comixology.com/ or http://www.panelfly.com/ for downloading comics straight into an iPhone app. It's really pretty cool stuff. Many people think the comics industry will soon convert to mostly graphic novels and digital downloads (no more single issue direct market floppies). Disney could be on the forefront of this, especially since Gargoyles is so hard to find in stores. But no. They don't even put Gargoyles on iTunes (i.e. free money), so they obviously aren't too on top of emerging trends. The MPAA probably put a bug in their ear saying that everything digital is bad.
Landon Thomas - [<- Gargoyles News Twitter Feed]

Another example: http://www.gothamcitypizzeria.com/map.htm
Brook
I agree with Rebel on EVERYTHING she says!!

@ Todd: Here's an example from THE DARK KNIGHT:
http://www.thegothamtimes.com/

Essentially, Viral marketing are connected websites that present the reader/viewer with a sort of riddle that the user has to solver.
If the riddle is solved, the user is able to win something special.
In the case of TDK, people had to find bags at special places that, for example, had a cake in it. Inside of the cake was a plastic bag with a cell phone. A few days prior to the TDK release, the phones rang and led the participants to a cinema where they could see the first few minutes of the film, and eventually the entire film as a preview.

There are different ways of viral marketing - some films have a dozen of riddles and almost no prizes.

So say, if you say "Ah, I'll build up a website for Nightstone with a password protected area and people have to crack it via a riddle, Alternate Reality Gaming fans will pick it up and start focusing on the comic!", you might or might not be contacted by Disney that this is OK/against the policy. I dunno.

So, in a nutshell, that is viral marketing and Alternate Reality Gaming: setting up websites with riddles, that are meant to promote something and were, mostly, the participants are able to win prizes.

Brook
I agree with Rebel on EVERYTHING she says!!

What's viral marketing?
Todd Jensen

OH yeah - the FREEFORUMS (click on my name to visit them) has a new owner.

I'll be busy with work for the next year and just don't have the time to keep the forum up (and not even enough time to post on here or anywhere else... doh...).

From now on, the forum will be in [SPOILER] GUARDIAN's [/SPOILER] hands.

Brook
I agree with Rebel on EVERYTHING she says!!

@ Todd: Having them up on the internet as a webcomic, potentially viral marketing and web-series (I think).

Now, that doesn't mean that fans are unable to do viral marketing sites themselves (see http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6859 ).

Brook
I agree with Rebel on EVERYTHING she says!!

Please forgive my ignorance, but what exactly is digital distribution? Having the stories up on the Internet like a webcomic?
Todd Jensen

Antonio Campo has posted some pencil sketches from issue 2 of Mecha-Nation: http://makampo.blogspot.com/2009/11/mecha-nation-issue2-some-thumbs.html
Landon Thomas - [<- Gargoyles News Twitter Feed]

"New info: the Disney contract does not allow digital distribution."

Insert swear words here.

:(
VEry :(

Brook
I agree with Rebel on EVERYTHING she says!!

Here's Dan Vado talking about the Gargoyles license directly: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/slgradio/2009/11/12/Comics-on-your-Phone-A-Moment-with-Evan-Dorkin (skip to 10:15) They're still working on it. New info: the Disney contract does not allow digital distribution.
Landon Thomas - [<- Gargoyles News Twitter Feed]

Purplegoldfish > Extremely well said. I agree with every word.
Rebel

Peter: Brian, are you suggesting that 9/11 didn't change everything?

Brian: What? No, I was just...

Peter: 'Cause 9/11 changed everything, Brian! 9/11 changed everything!

Brian: Peter, you didn't even know what 9/11 *was* until 2004.

- Family Guy

Patrick - [<-- T-shirt Clearance Sale]
"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men." - Willy Wonka

Just watched Blueprints from Spectacular Spider-Man and I think we had a subtle Naruto shout out when Mysterio puffed into existance his robots. Did anyone else see it?
Robby Barrows - [rbgecko at yahoo dot com]
SuperSaiyaMan12

OH YEAH - I'm leaving the Gargoyles Freeforum. I've got too much work at the moment, so I'm looking for somebody to take it over.

PM me over there, and I'll be glad to handle it. :)

Brook
I agree with Rebel on EVERYTHING she says!!

Oh, just to clarify: I also dislike people disrespect victims of such tragedies, but if they're politicians, who should know better, it really offends me. Esp. if they're from a party I did not vote for. ;)
Brook
I agree with Rebel on EVERYTHING she says!!

@ Purple: Hear hear.

Personally, I'm only offended if politicians disrespect big tragedies. There were some politicians in recent years who, out of nowhere, compared people to Hitler or played down the genocide in Africa.

Personally, I think the question for any fictional series that takes place in NY was how to deal with 9/11 - and we have yet to see if it is brought up in gargoyles or not, if it happens or if it doesn't. Up until then, I don't think discussing it is of any weight. I think Greg wrote a long time ago that he's not made up his mind if/how to address what happened then, and I think it's a good settlement. After all, he (and we) don't know if the show would ever made it that far, so... yeah, whatever, I think discussing it is a bit pointless (we might as well discuss if Clintons, uh... well... this... if it did happen... or if George W was elected, twice... it's pointless up to the point were we're given proof).

Brook
I agree with Rebel on EVERYTHING she says!!

VoLpE> You around?
Matt - [St Louis, Missouri, USA]
"For science, which, as my associate Fang indicated, must move ever forward. Plus there's the money... and I do love the drama!" -Sevarius, 'Louse'

Oh Dear God...
um Harlan, I hope you don't talk like that in real life- because when I read your post the phrase "creepy serial killer/rapist" came to mind. Please go back to lurking.

My two cents on the 9/11 thing: actually I don't really think about connections to Gargoyles because these conversations always lead to people acting like superior jerks to other people.

Look, no one here is broadcasting on Fox News in order to exploit 9/11 victims to further their evil Gargoyles agenda.(And Fox News has done much worse). It is just TALK in a GARGOYLES FORUM. Some ignorant things were posted, but I honestly din't see any disrespect made to the victims of that horrible tragedy. It is just innocent speculation, and it makes sense that it would be brought up in here since the show is set in NYC, and an event like that would have a major effect on the characters in the show. It's not like anyone's going onto a 9/11 message board and posting how awesome Gargoyles is.

And yes, Gargoyles is just a cartoon, but saying people are comparing it to 9/11 or any tragic event is just ridiculous. The truth is, I'm sure, that many people here are more emotionally connected to Gargoyles than 9/11. Not because they're terrible or trivial people, but because 9/11 hasn't effected their lives in a profound way, other than the news stories. I just really hate it when people get up on their high horse and and spout their self rightous "well you should be ashamed because *enter fictional medium here* is so much less important than *enter horrible real life tragedy here*." Not only are these phrases demeaning and obnoxious, but ALWAYS hyprocritical. There is always tragedy happening all over the world and there will always be a tragedy that the speaker either doesn't know about or have any emotional attachment to. Let's be mature adults here. (And I am speaking as someone who was born in NYC and spent much of my childhood there.)

Purplegoldfish

Vampires that sparkle in the Gargoyles universe?! KEWL!!! Does that mean there are also Gargoyles that think clans are pointless, can fly without wings, and think George Bush was the best president ever!?
Warcrafter - [grafixfangamer1 at sbcglobal dot net]
VAMPIRES DON'T SPARKLE!!!!!!!!!

It's a great poem, isn't it? It also on our $5 bill. IT is a very moving poem... I jsut wish more people new it (of it). :/
battle Beast - [Canada]
That is all I will say.

BATTLE BEAST> A touching tribute indeed. Of course being Irish most of my forefathers spent WWI & WWII respectively trying to topple the British Empire and hoping Hitler wouldn't notice us. :P
Algernon
"To Guy Fawkes, the only man to enter Parliament with honest intentions" - Greg Bishansky

BATTLE BEAST - Thanks for posting "In Flanders Fields" here. I remember my first encounter with that poem; an animated Peanuts Memorial Day special (and a very moving one, too) about Charlie Brown and his friends, on their way back from an exchange student visit to France, stumbling upon a few World War I and World War II battlefields (including the Normandy beaches used for the D-Day landings); at one point, someone recited that poem.

Jumping back to Black Shuck - "The Hound of Ulster" hinted that gargoyle beasts inspired the black dog legends of the British Isles (or at least, some of them), so the reports of Black Shuck might have grown out of gargoyle beast sightings. Though we know that there aren't any gargoyle beasts left in England (and haven't been any for a long time). [SPOILER] Brooklyn and Fu-Dog could have paid England a few visits during their TimeDancing, but Fu-Dog looks more like a lion than a dog. [/SPOILER] Of course, a few of the black dogs might have been Children of Oberon instead. We just don't know at present.

Todd Jensen

Thanks for the heads up, Battle beast.
Demonalisa

Todd> re:sparkle? you don't want to know.
Demonalisa

why are we talking about Dracula? i'm confused
Beckybug
beckybug

Hey Everyone... It's Rememberance Day (Memorial Day) and it's almost 11 AM. Please take a moment to remember today.

It's a day to remember the fallen, of friends and loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep the world free and safe.

WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan... we all msut know someone who has been in battle. Even if you only know someone in the military...

My Great Grandfather fought in WW1, dying on a battlefield in Poland. He left five young children...

My Grandfather fought in WW2, helping bomb the Germans, He eventually won six medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross.

I am proud of both men, though one survived and one didn't, my love for them and their sacrifice never waivers.

Please read the following poem, and remember...

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Thanks.

battle Beast - [Canada]
That is all I will say.

TODD> "Sparkle?"

You don't want to know, trust me.

Algernon
"To Guy Fawkes, the only man to enter Parliament with honest intentions" - Greg Bishansky

The Wendigo notion is the one that stuck with me. Can't figure out how to make it a link but if you type "wendigo" into the search function at Ask Greg there's a short exchange on the unused WT ideas.
Ed

I also guess he wouldn't start counting the Gargoyles out of nowhere...
Brook
I agree with Rebel on EVERYTHING she says!!

Sparkle?
Todd Jensen

If Dracula does exist in the "Gargoyles" universe, I'm pretty sure he and his ilk do NOT sparkle.
Patrick - [<-- T-shirt Clearance Sale]
"Who just betrayed his best friend? THIS GUY! ... What, too soon?" - Lando Calrisian, "Star Wars Robot Chicken"

ROBBY - The problem with those kinds of questions is that Greg can't answer them - can't even look at them. He doesn't want to get sued, and there's the danger that if he *did* decide to write a story about the gargoyles meeting Black Shuck, say, after you'd asked that question, it might look as if he'd taken your idea - which could invite lawsuits from audience members claiming "He stole my idea". So he won't let himself look at any original idea submissions for "Gargoyles", including idea submissions disguised as questions.
Todd Jensen

@ Robby: Dracula does exist in the Gargverse, but Greg has not clarified what role he'll play and what his intention is with him.

I'd be pleasantly surprised if Greg spoils any of this though. With the comics and all, we just might be lucky enough to get new Garg-material in the next 3 or so years, so, fingers crossed, and we'll read what comes next. :)

Brook
I agree with Rebel on EVERYTHING she says!!

So then was Black Shuck an idea then Greg? Or how about encountering Dracula?
Robby Barrows - [rbgecko at yahoo dot com]
SuperSaiyaMan12

GREG> My bad then, I thought you got them all on TV and the Coldstone and Shambalah ones were the only ones left.

Mea culpa.

Greg Bishansky

There were a number of World Tour ideas that did not get made for the series... but will hopefully (eventually) find their way into the comics. I certainly haven't covered all of them yet.
Greg Weisman

ROBBY BARROWS> The ideas they had for the World Tour got made (one, eleven years later), so, no there wasn't.
Greg Bishansky

I wonder, during the Avalon Grand Tour, was there a idea to fight the Hellhound Black Shuck in England?
Robby Barrows - [rbgecko at yahoo dot com]
SuperSaiyaMan12

what if they didn't recreate the events of 911 into the fictional world directly. Gargoyles has been gone a long time you could for one not draw the twin towers and then include the characters knew of 911 and what a dismal day for man kind maybe even some of Goliath's internal feelings of not being able to protect the city as he was asleep during the day. but again, it is simply too soon for a lot of people. *shrugs*
Demonalisa

Greg B, Patrick> Thanks. That clears up some things for me.
battle Beast - [Canada]
That is all I will say.

Brook> Other's have described it better, but Demona would simply view 9/11 as another reason to prepare for ridding the world of humanity.


On a much lighter note, Greg's interview on the TSSM episode Subtext: http://tv.ign.com/articles/104/1044112p1.html

Antiyonder - [antiyonder at yahoo dot com]
Algernon's comment about Norman Osborn: One of the neat things about Dark Reign is that it gives Osborn the chance to expand his horizons beyond tormenting a twenty nine year old who still lives with his mom.

MICHAEL> No one is saying that "Gargoyles" can't mention it. The issue here was how to handle it respectfully.
Greg Bishansky

MICHAEL> "9/11 was mentioned in TV shows like Law & order and JAG. If those shows could handle the issues, so could Gargoyles."

Oh don't get me wrong, I'm sure when the time comes Greg can rise to the challenge of writing a story that treats 9/11 with the respect it's due. But some people here would seem to prefer a story where Titania waves her hand and turns the two planes into sparkly cotton candy or some crap like that.

Algernon
"To Guy Fawkes, the only man to enter Parliament with honest intentions" - Greg Bishansky

9/11 was mentioned in TV shows like Law & order and JAG.

If those shows could handle the issues, so could Gargoyles.

Michael Ejercito - [mejercit at hotmail dot com]

ROBBY BARROWS> Hey man, sorry if it sounded like we were targeting you, and I certainly don't blame you for anything others have said on this topic. Really in an ideal woorld we should be able to talk about stuff like this in an intelligent, mature and respectful manner. But of course if we lived in an ideal world 9/11 would never have happened in the first place.

I think we just need a little perspective here. As much as we love Gargoyles, as deep and profound as it's underlying themes may have been and as much as it may have enriched the lives of both it's fans and it's creators; at t5he end of the day it's just a silly cartoon show about medieval monsters fighting supervillains. 9/11 was a tragedy that claimed the lives of over 3000 innocents, it shouldn't be hard to see which one is owed the greater respect.

Algernon
"To Guy Fawkes, the only man to enter Parliament with honest intentions" - Greg Bishansky

@ Harvester: Oh, my point was not that the public would forget about the Gargoyles, but I remember how the days after 9/11, pretty much all of my everyday problems were wiped from my memory... at least for a few days. I did not know any victims personally, but I was really struck by the entire tragedy and the feeling of uncertainty and... unsafety. The sudden exposition to what could or might happen afterwards and to what just DID happen.

So I wondered that - IF there would be a sort of fear of Gargoyles, if this would subside temporarily or if it would actually increase.

Brook
I agree with Rebel on EVERYTHING she says!!

Addressing a major real-world tragedy - especially a recent one - in a fictional world is very, very difficult.

If I was responsible for a fictional universe, quite honestly, I would do everything in my power to just avoid September 11 altogether. Not every fiction is required to address it and when they do it's pretty much a tightrope walk over three foot spikes. Leave your main cast unscathed by the events and you risk making the event seem trivial because no one the audience knows in that universe was hurt. If one of your characters dies, not only can it derail any plans you had for that character, but it can make it seem like you're acting as though the death of your fictional character is more important the deaths of the real people who lost their lives.

I really wish that Marvel had resisted the urge to address September 11. They didn't have to. Even though most Marvel characters are based in New York, the Marvel universe is not kept to any kind of real timeline. (Far from it.) I will give the creators of that comic the benefit of the doubt and assume that they had the best of intentions. But the problem was that, within the context of the Marvel universe, the importance of 9/11 was somewhat lost. In the Marvel universe, New York has been under attack before. Large numbers of innocent people have died before. Entire populated worlds have been destroyed. What was different about 9/11 was that it really happened, but in the Marvel universe, it wasn't any more real than Phoenix blowing up the planet of the asparagus people.

My impression from the few things that Greg has said about 9/11 and Gargoyles is that he does intend to address it, though it will be difficult. The Gargoyles universe does have established dates and the implication is that most things that happen in our world happen there. I don't know what he's planning, but my gut feeling is that it will be something.

If I was in a no other choice, gun to my head situation where I absolutely had to cover 9/11 in a fictional universe, the one thing I would not do would be to say that it didn't happen or that it wasn't as bad in the fictional world. I just wouldn't feel right implying that if something had been different, even if it was something completely fantasy based, people who really died might still be alive. If I lost someone in a tragedy that made the news, I would not want anyone writing a story where if things were just a little different, my loved one would still be alive. It just seems cruel, even exploitative. It's still too fresh of a wound.

Demonskrye - [<---"Half-Hour Commercials" at The Ink and Pixel Club]

@ Harlan: Reading your post, I see that you certainly did either a.) did not read the message I posted or b.) that you confused my message with that of someone else.

As I pointed out, we do not know what will happen on Gargverse 9/11, therefore all discussion is fruitless. I did never write that the Eyrie building would be attacked or that it wouldn't be (that was somebody a few posts below).
What I did say that I would like to see what effects the attacks would have on the various cast and characters of the show, even if just for a few days in the aftermath.

I do not get why you're spitting so much venom at me for things I did not post, please stop it, now, or spit venom at what I have written.

Apart from that, a lot of movies, books and comics have been done on 9/11 in various ways - EX MACHINA for example set up a universe where a super hero existed and discussed his feelings after he could only "safe" one of the two twin towers from the attack. Various books and film projects discussed how it affected people worldwide. In X-MEN, Genosha was destroyed in a terrorist attack shortly after 9/11 (I think).
I don't find any handling of it disrespectful in any way as long as the tragic impact is portrayed. And why not portray it in a comic? These things happen. They happen to us, to our parents, friends and kids, to work-mates and drinking buddies.
I don't see a problem with handling such themes as long as they're written with respect and with care.
In both cases, the writers of said comic books portrayed those scenes with a lot of respect and tragedy, and did not exploit 9/11 or any of its victims.

And IF 9/11 would happen in the Gargverse in one way or another (both of which we are not sure), then I think Greg would handle it with a LOT of care.

Anyways, I think you messed up my name.

Brook
I agree with Rebel on EVERYTHING she says!!

ROBBY BARROWS> I can assure you that the last several posts were not directed at you.
Greg Bishansky

I wasn't trivializing the events of 9/11 for wondering if they were to be included in the Gargoyles universe. Marvel and DC both did special comic issues to raise money for the victims with Spider-Man, Superman, and other heroes helping people in Ground Zero and it could have became a very emotional story in the Gargoyles Universe.

I didn't mean for it to be offensive in the slightest when I asked.

Robby Barrows - [rbgecko at yahoo dot com]
SuperSaiyaMan12

P.S. - In comedy, there's the phrase "Too soon." Give it a few decades and it may be safe to play the "what if" fiction game with 9/11. It only took 60 years, after all, for it to be considered "fun" to play a video game of the Normandy invasion.
Patrick - [<-- T-shirt Clearance Sale]
"Who just betrayed his best friend? THIS GUY! ... What, too soon?" - Lando Calrisian, "Star Wars Robot Chicken"

What the heck does "the story will be made to fit a course" mean? There's fundamentally no difference between the backdrop world in the "Gargoyles" universe in 1996 and the real world in 1996. There's no forcing of story that needs to happen at all. It simply needs to continue on as it did, not involving itself with the larger political landscape.
Patrick - [<-- T-shirt Clearance Sale]
"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan

ANONYMOUSE> I've trying to be patient but I have to warn you that your walking a tightrope over a pool of lava. We're talking about a tragedy of such horrific scale that America may take decades to fully recover. And I'm not talking about the economic or phisical damage here. Let me break it down to you...

OVER THREE THOUSAND INNOCENT PEOPLE WERE MURDERED!

Do you even begin to comprehend the enormity of that fact? Do you really want Greg to write a story where Oberon or the Illuminati deus ex machina those planes away? Do you expect the families of those 3000 murder victims to find that comforting?

For your own sake, I strongly suggest you walk away from this topic while you still have an ounce of crediblity left.

Algernon
"To Guy Fawkes, the only man to enter Parliament with honest intentions" - Greg Bishansky

Sorry for the double post, but I discovered a web page on televised treatments of the Middle Ages, which included a recent (late October) post on the "Gargoyles" comic. Here's the URL, if you'd like to see it:

http://popularcultureandthemiddleages.blogspot.com/

Todd Jensen

Um, Harlan, I think you should have stated that in a more diplomatic way. (Though I agree with you that the events of September 11 shouldn't be trivialized.)
Todd Jensen

I was a student teacher for two years. Mostly middle schoolers. In a proof of the intelligence of children, even the mindless babbling of the dumbest student I ever had is significantly more intelligent than what Brook and this silly Mouse have been saying. Clearly, our Mouse is the Meth'd up Epic Mickey. I'm assuming meth, as only that violent of a substance could possibly render someone as unintelligent as you are. Also, Brook.

So let me get this straight.

In the Gargoyles Universe, either 9/11 didn't happen...or a more plausible target would be the Eerie Building? What type of fucked up, retarded flipper baby would possibly even try to create or discuss such circumstances while trying to introduce fantasy elements? Do we ever talk about the Holocaust with Illuminati retardation thrown into it? Or any other insane act against humanity with magic elements and ulterior motives abused for the sake of the story of a fictional universe?

I would hope not. Then again, I think a few people would qualify for legal retardation. To take such an issue of high genocidal number, an issue born out of hatred against one's fellow man, and try to contextualize it within the grand tapestry of a cartoon show is a vile offense. I would imagine the only way to guarantee this conversation would have a good end is to put a bullet through your genitalia to guarantee that your offspring will never curse the world you decided, against better judgment, to not kill yourself in.

Stop. Stop talking. Stop forming headaches you think are ideas, and show enough respect to not try to rationalize what's still a fairly recent tragedy into fictional plot points. Cunts.

Harlan Phoenix

Brook: I don't think the public would forget about gargoyles. I was a student in Hamden, Connecticut, when the attacks happened. That's close to New York City. I had several fellow students who knew people who worked at the towers. I didn't attend any of my classes the day of the attacks, but the next day... life continued. Felt a little strange, but it continued.

Yes, September 11th was a terrible tragedy, but it didn't bring existence to a grinding halt. Maybe it helped some people put things in perspective, but everyday things continued to persevere. So I don't think the public will forget about gargoyles.

In fact, I just had an idea of my own. If, as Greg B suggested, it was dangerous for gargoyles to be airborne the night of 9/11, I imagine John Castaway contributing manpower or money to the 9/11 rescue effort. The Quarrymen seem to be about providing support against things which threaten everyday life, anyway.

Harvester of Eyes
"Yeah, you're right about that part. I am not fit to wear the uniform. And maybe I never was. Then again neither are you." -Apollo ("Battlestar Galactica")

The robots of Fortress II weren't by a super-villain and might actually be a way for Rainard to recover the costs of Fortress I and II. Although robots don't make sense, they take up space, put the thing into the the comps themselves. And just because Xanatos' robots have a really low learning curve, doesn't mean that someone else can't come up with better programmes, especially in the five years and with things like Matrix already around (if it has been done once, it can be done again).

But that's probably a moot point, because whatever happens in the Gargoyle universe, the story will be made to fit a course leading to the WTC's destruction and if the Gargoyles' "We have our fingers in everything" world conspiracy organization has to lay down and keep its fingers out for a while, so be it. Because it was such a catatonic event to many of you that it would be perceived as really, really upsetting and unimaginable and offensive, if those lives lost were saved at least in fiction.

Anonymouse

After reading all this (at least it brought the comment room back to life after an almost-dead Monday), I'm grateful that:

a) I'm not working on "Gargoyles" (not that I'd wish the burden of how to handle September 11 on Greg), and

b) That my own stories aren't set in modern-day New York, and so won't have to address that event.

Todd Jensen

One Demona too much down there - all work and no play makes my head go light and places...
Brook
I agree with Rebel on EVERYTHING she says!!

9/11 : I think whatever would or could happen in the Garg Universe is up to Greg. To him, maybe 9/11 never DID happen in the Gargverse, maybe only one tower was destroyed thanks to Xanatos and the Illuminati taking actions (see, EX MACHINA), maybe it would have been the same. We don't know up to the point that Greg writes the story, so speculating is rather unfruitful.

Personally, I think it would be a good way to once more not see a story revolve around 9/11, but rather focus on the reactions. The Gargoyles wake up at night - Brooklyn and Broadway will surely try to help, Lex and Angela would be struck and Goliath would surely try to keep them all safe in the castle. How would Demona react, how the Quarrymen and how Demona? And how would it affect the weeks to come? Would the population "foget" about the supposed Garg-threat, or would it lead to another panic? Would the Quarrymen try to help people that were struck by tragedy, thus establishing a better picture of themselves?

Looking at how comics have dealt with such tragedies (Btman NO MANS LAND and Morrisons X-Men run come to mind), there's a lot of potential to show how it affects the clan, its foes and allies.

"ROBBY BARROWS> << Anyway, if Weisman knew about this, I'd have liked to see a cameo of Thorkell in Timedancer or something.>>

Greg B,; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright"

Say, does that actually include background cameos? As in, if I do an animated show, and would put a Demona-like-figure in the background, with her back to us, but the same coloring, would it still be violating copyright?

Brook
I agree with Rebel on EVERYTHING she says!!

ALGERNON> Exactly. The Eyrie has more in common with Trump Towers than it has with the Twin Towers.

The Eyrie and Trump Towers might be apples and oranges. But the Eyrie and the Twin Towers are apples and steam engines.

Now, all that aside, I will freely admit that this topic pisses me off. Do I trust Greg to handle it well should he get there? Yes. But, well, these discussions are, quite frankly, proof that this is a very easy subject to botch.

I tend to think that the only way to have a mature discussion about September 11th is to have a basic understanding of what happened that day and why. Asking questions is fine, but just tossing random stuff out there just...

... I hope you can understand why it'd be offensive to some people.

Greg Bishansky

ANONYMOUSE> While the Gargoyles universe does seem quite a few steps ahead of us technologicaly. Most of the real high end stuff like robotic airships seem confined to mega-rich quasi-supervillain types. I don't expect to see robotic flight crews on commercial airlines in the Gargoyles universe anytime soon, besides they're hardly foolproof.

As for your second point, keep in mind that one of the main goals of the 9/11 attacks, in addition to wreaking carnage on an inhuman scale, was to strike aganist symbols of America's millitary and economic power, hence targeting the WTC & the Pentagon. I really doubt most people see the Erie Building as a symbol of any thing except maybe one rich guys's eccentricities. Same reason Al Qaeda were unlikely to target Trump Towers.

Algernon
"To Guy Fawkes, the only man to enter Parliament with honest intentions" - Greg Bishansky

The Eyrie Building is near Central Park, at the other end of Manhattan from the WTC. You can see there's quite a distance very clearly in the shots that are looking out from the castle in that direction.

I posted a long discussion several 9/11 anniversaries ago about why the WTC would still have been the target even in a world where NYC had a taller privately owned building. It was a target because it was a symbol U.S. financial power, not because it was tall. The Pentago was a target because it was a symbol of U.S. military power. It was most definitely NOT the tallest target to go after in Washington D.C.

I don't even want to touch the "but with superior technology it wouldn't have happened" discussion. I'm just going to get too riled up. Suffice it to say that I'm pretty sure all the amazing technology in the world is not going to stop someone determined to stage an attack.

Patrick - [<-- T-shirt Clearance Sale]
"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan

Oh, for god's sake...

ANONYMOUSE> The Twin Towers were hit to destroy the World Trade Center. The World Trade Center was one of the financial capitals of the world. They were located in the Financial District of Manhattan. It wasn't just to bring down a tall building, it was an attempt to destabilize the entire economy.

The Eyrie Building is a skyscraper privately owned by an individual and his corporation. It does not function the way the Twin Towers did.

If al Qaeda wanted to attack Xanatos Enterprises, they'd attack the Eyrie. But they wanted to attack the financial center of the United States and the free world... that's the World Trade Center.

It was not about just knocking down a tall building.

<<Does the WTC even exist in the Gargoyles universe in 2001? Maybe it got decommissioned or destroyed in a fight with on the Gargoyles' more powerful adversaries.>>

O.o

BATTLE BEAST> The Eyrie is located on Central Park South. They're about four, maybe five miles apart.

Greg Bishansky

Does the WTC even exist in the Gargoyles universe in 2001? Maybe it got decommissioned or destroyed in a fight with on the Gargoyles' more powerful adversaries.
Anonymouse

Given the technological and developmental stage of the series would it even be likely that 9/11 could have happened?
There's a working, apparently sapient AI, there are several highly advanced air vehicles with at least partially guided flight systems by 1996. Fortress II is being flown by robots. Security tech probably isn't that far behind. I'd think it's far more likely, that there wouldn't even have been the chance to high jack those planes.

The other matter is the target, the World Trade Center was the highest building in New York and a symbol. In the Gargoyles universe the Eerie is by far the highest building, it may have less international symbolic value, although we don't know whether the Eerie hasn't risen above the WTC in that too, as seat of a multinational corporation having a higher budget than some countries, and who Xanatos may have made enemies of, bringing the Eerie down would cause far more destruction and chaos than the WTC. So I think the Eerie is just as likely to be a target, but has the better security and safety systems, so the attack would be far more likely to fail.

Anonymouse

Robby - Were you referring to the actual events of the series, or the historical characters, appearing in Gargoyles? Cause the historical characters definitely could, without infringing on copyrights. See wiki pages here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorfinn_Sigurdsson & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorkell

UncleDeadly

How far is the Clock Tower and Eyrie Building from Ground Zero? does anyone know?
battle Beast - [Canada]
That is all I will say.

ROBBY BARROWS> << Anyway, if Weisman knew about this, I'd have liked to see a cameo of Thorkell in Timedancer or something.>>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright

Greg Bishansky

Okay, thanks for the answers.

On another topic. There are a couple Anime series I can see taking place in the Gargoyles' universe very easily. Vinland Saga, Rurouni Kenshin, Vagabond, Basilisk, Blade of the Immortal and Yaygu Ninja Scrolls and other historical anime/manga fictions that'd mesh well into the Gargoyles universe.

If you don't know, Vinland Saga is about Vikings, the first part being of Thorfinn's attempt to get revenge on Askeladd, a descendant of King Arthur, who killed his father, a former Viking Warrior named Thors, during the Viking Invasions of England in the 1010's, starting with Askeladd planning the fall of the Danish Viking King, Sweyn Forkbeard so he could put the then Prince Canute on the throne. All the while we met historical Viking Warriors (Thorfinn's uncle, Thorkell is even there and is an opponent). Anyway, if Weisman knew about this, I'd have liked to see a cameo of Thorkell in Timedancer or something. Here's a link to more information just in case you're interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinland_Saga_%28manga%29

And you can read it here: http://www.onemanga.com/Vinland_Saga/1/01/

Robby Barrows - [rbgecko at yahoo dot com]
SuperSaiyaMan12

Greg B> I think it's going to depend on whether or not believes that there's any chance that his clan could help. Yes, it would be a highly dangerous situation for the gargoyles, but keep in mind that these are characters who have made a choice to protect the city they live in. It hasn't directly become an issue yet, but I do think they take this responsibility seriously enough to lay down their lives for what they believe in. Sure, the gargoyles could get shot, but that could happen any night of the week and the clan still leaves the castle. If Goliath and the rest of the clan believed that their presence could make a positive difference and not just cause more fear and panic, then I don't really think fear of death would keep them from going anywhere.

All that said, I think taking on a major recent tragic event like September 11th in a fictional world is an incredibly daunting task. As I've been considering the potential pitfalls, I've realized that it's probably a good thing that Gargoyles no longer takes place in the present day in real time. It gives Greg more opportunity to keep the Gargoyles Universe feeling like it is very similar to our own. If September 11, 2001 had been just another day for the Manhattan Clan, it would have been a pretty big blow to that illusion.

Demonskrye - [<---"Half-Hour Commercials" at The Ink and Pixel Club]

ROBBY BARROWS> Probably because maybe Greg hasn't cracked a 9/11 story for his universe. It's a pretty daunting idea.

That being said, and I really mean no offense, but your idea sounds way too much like a wish fulfillment idea, and not something that is at all realistic, even in the context of the fictional Gargoyle Universe.

There was a definite no-fly zone in Manhattan, and fear, and panic. There were stories about planes that were still up in the air that had gone missing. The city was terrified.

Any gargoyle that went out that evening would have been shot down, and if by any chance they made it to Ground Zero, they'd be shot dead before they even touched the ground.

Now, I would love to see a 9/11 story that Greg could come up with. And knowing him it would be very respectful, and realistic to the very real events of that tragic day.

But I don't think you'll see Greg using his fictional gargoyles to undercut what real people did that day.

Now, in universe, I think the best thing Goliath could do would be to keep the gargoyles in that castle for at least a few nights.

If I were to write the story, the focus would be on Elisa. Not saying we wouldn't see the gargoyles and their reactions in it, we would. But it seems to me mostly like it should be her story.

There's telling a dramatic story, and then there's wish fulfillment. A 9/11 story should be the former.

Greg Bishansky

Checking the timeline, Weisman didn't include the September 11th attacks. Is there a reason for that? Considering that New York was attacked in the worst way possible, it should have been a big thing for the Manhattan Clan and they could have established a good reputation to further damage the Quarrymen's view on them by helping the police and firemen look for survivors and everything.
Robby Barrows - [rbgecko at yahoo dot com]
SuperSaiyaMan12

I see. Watching the movie Dragonheart got me thinking about it.
Robby Barrows - [rbgecko at yahoo dot com]
SuperSaiyaMan12

Robby Barrows> No one is certain whether dragons exist in the Gargoyle Universe, yet. The only "dragon"that ever showed up in the canon was a stone statue that was brought to life, which doesn't prove anything about the existence of real dragons one way or the other. Both Demona and "Iago" use the phrase "By the Dragon" as a mild oath but what "Dragon" that might refer to is not clear. Greg has mentioned that the "Dragon" is not a part of the gargoyle religion. Current speculation is that it may have something to do with how Castle Wyvern got its name, since "wyvern" is a term for a two-legged dragon.

All things being true, I would guess that there are or were dragons in the Gargoyles universe, though I don't feel like I have enough information to hazard a guess on what kind of dragons they might be.

Demonskrye - [<---"Half-Hour Commercials" at The Ink and Pixel Club]

I have to ask, are Dragons real life creatures in the world of Gargoyles? And if they are, do they get the 'Gargoyle Treatment', like they are/were noble creatures or were they chaotic evil creatures?

And what would said dragons look like? European, Chinese, Japanese?

Robby Barrows - [rbgecko at yahoo dot com]
SuperSaiyaMan12

Demonalisa> Hey, I understand. :) I still have the hard copy, so I'm not disappointed. I figured, since this was going to be the last Gathering, I'd try and get as many Guardians as I could, and that also prompted me to try and relocate soft copies of some of my older Guardians. I hope you're doing well, drop me a line sometime, yes? :)
Guardian - [Guardian105 at gmail dot com]

Guardian> Hey :) I have changed computers over the years and the uncolored sketch is long gone, the cgi copy, gone. I got sick of hauling huge thick folders of art from apt to apt having to relocate so much. Sorry :(
An old HS friend of mine still has my drawing I did for her on her wall. We're 27 years old. I was 14 when I gave it to her. Now I wish I bit the bullet and kept them all. haha that's dedication!

Demonalisa

Hello Greg
I just finished Clan buliding 2 and was so pleased with it. After rereading it (for the 3rd time)I thought what about Thailog and the blood he took? Or Demona and the jem she found? This story isnt finished! Yay theres more! ( at some point). That being said I have somthing to get off my chest, its bother me since 95'I never liked how Angela became a regular on the show. It felt like when Married With Children added Seven to the show it just didnt click with me. Now that being said I hope for more comics in the future.

greg - [eggow at hotmail dot com]
Greg

Demonalisa, if you're still around, would you be willing to send me an e-mail? I'm trying to recollect soft copies of the Guardian pics people have done for me over the years, and I only have hard copy of my commission for you. If it were the original, I wouldn't be bothering you, but it's a printed version of the soft copy from years back.
Guardian - [Guardian105 at gmail dot com]

Scary thought for the week: Alex behaving like Anthony in Jerome Bixby's "It's a Good Life".
Todd Jensen

10th!
Jurgan - [jurgan6 at yahoo dot com]

9th
VickyUK - [vickyfanofwwe at aol dot com]

(8th)Eighth!
Vinnie - [tpeano29 at hotmail dot com]

I guess I'm 7th.
KingCobra_582 - [KingCobra582 at gmail dot com]
Grr. Arg.

6th~!!
The One Known As Mochi - [shogi dot keima dot 08 at gmail dot com]
Current Mood: (>O.o)> Epic Mickey...

Fifth!!
Phoenician
"The suspense is terrible . . . I hope it lasts" -- Willy Wonka

4
Charisma82 - [charisma82 at clearwire dot net]
"The alien mothership is in orbit here. If we can hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate." -Zap Brannigan

Third. Make that 2 Canadians for the price of one.
Wingless

Second!
battle Beast - [Canada]
That is all I will say.

first
oneuke