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REPLIES 2003-05 (May)
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Lynati writes...
Why can't I sleep?
I've been up since 7 am yesterday. This just isn't fair.
Getting to the *actual* question...(I've looked through the archives, and haven't seen this one. I apologize if I missed it. And even more so If I've previously asked this question but forgot your response because it was a smart-ass one.)
"All things are true" you say, but I would appreciate it if you would clarify this for me:
In your conception of the gargoyles universe, are all "non-mortal" beings of the Fae race, or do you allow for the existence of anthropomorphic personifications?
(My, you do get a lot of Neil Gaimen inspired questions, don't you?)
[And as Aaron seems to have become lax in his posting of webcomic (and related) links...]
http://pixelscapes.com/sailornothing/
Greg responds...
Well, I hope you've been able to get some sleep since November 9, 2001...
I guess, and I'm not trying to be a smart-ass here, I'm not sure how you're defining "anthropomorphic personifications"? How is that different from, say, Anansi or The Stone of Destiny?
Anansi is definitely a "Child of Oberon." Not literally his kid, but one of his race. (Note: he's not Fae, which is not a term from the series. I view the Fae as a subset of the Children. Same with the Norse Pantheon and the Egyptian Pantheon, etc.)
Whereas, the Stone of Destiny is either an enchanted object or a Child of Oberon. I've intentionally left that vague for now.
As you've seen, the New Olympians are, strictly speaking, not Children of Oberon, though they are descended from them. Do they count as anthromorphic personifications?
So, I'm not trying to dodge the answer. I just honestly don't know how to define your terms.
Saucer writes...
In the Reckoning, Demona stated, "I know every remaining gargoyle." Does that mean she knew every remaining clan including the ones that weren't introduced in the show. If not, which clans was she refering to?
Greg responds...
I'm going to leave that to your interpretation. Demona certainly seems to believe that she knows every remaining gargoyle, PERIOD.
But she could be (a) mistaken or (b) lying. She's certainly not above either possibility.
matt writes...
some questions about Demona's "City of Stone Clan":
1. did Demona know any of them before the Wyvern Massacre?
2. were any of them once members of the Wyvern Clan?
3. were any of them once members of the clan that seperated from the Wyvern Clan?
4. were any of them banished gargoyles?
5. did you have any plans (in Gargoyles, or Dark Ages maybe) for showing where these gargs came from? i remember watching City of Stone for the first ime and wondering if i'd forgotten something from Awakenings or a flashback cuz one second they were the last of their kind and the next we found another group of them. kinda confused me...
Greg responds...
1. Yes.
2. Yes.
3. Yes.
4. Probably.
5. The group that was the "last of their kind" (which also turned out not to be true) in "Awakening" were the six survivors who woke up in Manhattan in 1994. Nobody in 994 ever said that the Wyvern clan were the last of their kind.
And as with most things, given enough episodes I would have eventually dealt with just about EVERYTHING.
Alex writes...
Hi, I always had this question about The Gathering part II. During the fight with Oberon if Xanatos knows that he's vulnerable to iron WHY THE HELL DOESN'T HE REGULAR MACHINE GUNS AND REGULAR IRON BULLETS ? What is this fascination with energy weapons if a good old M-16 would shred Oberon to pieces. (I mean a shot from a harpoon gun weakened him greatly) .(Of course I understand that making the God-Like Oberon appear so vulnerable,or showing him neary defeated would ruin the episode )
Greg responds...
Well, frankly, the real reason is that we're generally not allowed to use real world weapons except at great discretion. Shooting even a magical being up -- one who'd be vulnerable to bullets -- would definitely not get past S&P. No way.
I think we justify this in the show by presenting our cast with even more impressive weapons. And by demonstrating their limits. An iron harpoon through the chest weakened but didn't kill him. The bullets would have hurt certainly, but might have ultimately done even less damage. Who knows?
Aaron writes...
In a similar vein to the question about Back to the Future 2, how do you feel about movies where, via the magic of makeup, Eddie Murphy plays something like half the cast?
Greg responds...
Well, I haven't seen most of those Eddie Murphy movies where he does that, so it's not really fair for me to comment. A lot depends on tone. But it seems to me that there's a certain amount of winking at the audience implied at the very least. A certain complicity.
adam writes...
who played the voices of Desdemona/Coldfire and Iago/Coldsteel.
Greg responds...
C.C.H. Pounder (who, I believe is a regular on 'The Shield') was Desdemona/Coldfire.
Xander Berkeley (who most recently was the belatedly noble boss on '24' who died saving Los Angeles from an atomic bomb) played Iago/Coldfire.
Jimmy_Q writes...
I know that you are/were to be co-producer of the live-action movie and I also remember you saying that you'd actually have slim to nothing to do with the development/production or whatever. Still, I doubt you'd be paid to do absolutely nothing, so what, at least in general, would you be doing? Just curious...
Greg responds...
Well, I was paid originally to write a treatment with Michael Reaves that Touchstone rejected. Michael's agent negotiated the co-producer credit and back-end fees, which I believe Touchstone agreed to, to a large extent, because having us on the project offered their division some protection and/or legitimacy vis-a-vis, Gary Krisel, my boss at the time at Walt Disney TV Animation. Gargoyles, being a WDTVA property, was in Gary's bailiwick. Gary pushed Michael and I on Touchstone. So we got our deal.
Then Gary left Disney. I do not think it's coincidental that right when Gary left, Michael and I were swept aside on the project. We were told that we'd be consulted, but in point of fact we never were. I developed a decent once-a-year phone relationship with some of the Touchstone execs, who would keep me posted on where things stood. But it never went beyond that. Michael and I were paid for the (unused) work we did. And should the movie go forward into production, we would get a second check -- for doing absolutely nothing.
We also are supposed to get a very small percentage of the "net" profits (as opposed to the "gross") which if you follow Hollywood at all, probably means nothing at all.
When you think about it, no money for no work seems fair.
Jimmy_Q writes...
You know, one of these days I would actually like to attend a Gathering. However, I've found that the past Gatherings have been around the coasts, Virginia, Florida, and the next one is to take place in LA? Here's my problem: I live smack in the middle of the country (Nebraska). With college and a part-time job, not only do I lack the time for a lengthy trip, but I'm not exactly swimming in money, either. I may be a wee bit hopeful, but what are the chances of a Gathering taking place in or around Nebraska in the near-future (within the next 5 years or so)?
Greg responds...
Well, here's the (abridged) history of the Gathering...
1997 - Fans got together and organized the first New York Gathering. Most of the work was done by Mae Li, who should be hailed by fandom as the woman who gave birth to our cons.
1998 - Out of the fist Gathering, a group of fans got together and organized the second New York Gathering.
1999 - Having completely exhausted the New York fandom, another group of fans got together and organized the Dallas Gathering.
2000 - Still another group of fans got together and organized the Orlando Gathering.
2001 - Survivors of the Dallas Gathering got together (with some fresh fan blood) and organized the Los Angeles Gathering.
2002 - Survivors of the Orlando Gathering got together (with some fresh fan blood) and organized the Williamsburg Gathering.
2003 - A new group of fans got together (with a few familiar faces) to organize this year's new New York Gathering. For info, check out http://gathering.gargoyles-fans.org .
2004 - A group of Canadian fans have gotten together and are already organizing next year's Gathering in Montreal.
2005 - Is up for grabs. As you can see from this history, there's no magic to it. Dedicated fans just decide to make it happen. In fact, it's a lot of hard work. But if you want a Gathering in Nebraska, organize a group of fans and put together a bid. You've got at least six to eight months to get your act together before next year's bidding process begins. Go for it.
As for attending before then... it's not necessarily as expensive and time-consuming as you may think. Look into cheap fares or ride sharing and/or room sharing. Just LOOK into it, before deciding it isn't possible. Give it a try. I guarantee you won't be sorry.
Aaron writes...
Greg writes: "There's the amazing NEW GUY. He's terrifying."
Does NEW GUY come from the planet Mertz? If so, that really would be terrifying.
Greg responds...
I don't even remember what I was talking about.
And Planet Mertz sounds familiar, but I can't place it right now.
matt writes...
1. is the leader of the Mayan Clan always or usually one of the Pendant Wearers?
2. does the name of the Pendant Wearer change in relation to sex? like the Sapphire Pendent on a male would be Zafiro, on a female Zafira for instance...
3. have gargoyles been in Guatemala longer than humans?
4. did Oberon ever find out about those tropical plants transplanted to Avalon? if so, what was his reaction?
5. how are those plants doing in 2001 anyway?
Greg responds...
1. Usually, I'd say. Almost always.
2. I'd think so.
3. I'd think so.
4. I'm guessing he's okay with it.
5. As far as I know they're flourishing.
Aaron writes...
Found a few more...
Greg writes: "I think Demona can fake integrity with the best of them. She's a survivor."
So, if we took the entire cast of gargoyles, put them on a deserted island, and let them vote each other off one by one, Demmie would be the one to walk away with the money? ;)
Greg responds...
I don't know, because I've never watched Survivor, so I don't know what kind of personality tends to win. Demona is her own worst enemy, of course.
adam writes...
why was it that all of the 6 original gargoyles in manhattan were male?
Greg responds...
Well, you're not counting Demona, of course.
Originally, we had two females. Dakota and Coco. Dakota evolved into Demona. Coco evolved into Broadway. At which point, to be honest about our cowardice, we didn't feel comfortable making our only positive female character overweight. In addition, there's a conventional wisdom -- which I don't subscribe to, but which influences my choices because so many in the industry DO subscribe to it -- that states that boys don't want female heroines in their boys action shows. Our primary target (not our only target) was boys 6-11 years old. No one wanted a female hero.
Of course, I love writing female heroes. They're easily my favorite. And I think properties like Buffy or Tomb Raider prove that I ain't wrong about the appeal to both gals and guys.
But, I don't always have the courage of my convictions. Introducing Angela was, in part, a way to make up for a clear void in the original show.
Aaron writes...
Artemis writes: "They can't flip people off either!"
Sure they can! Not having a ring or pinkie talon (consensus differs as to which gargs don't have) doesn't mean you don't have a middle talon, and thus, still have the ability to flip people the bird. (Yes Greg, we have sat around and debated this)
Greg responds...
No argument.
Anonymous writes...
As of 1996 are there any hunters besides Jason, Robyn, Jon and Fiona?
Greg responds...
Not officially. But there may be other Canmores. And Fiona was retired by that time. Largely.
Anonymous writes...
Since Jon and Robyn were named after your siblings why didn't you name Jason after yourself?
Greg responds...
Too arrogant even for me.
Aaron writes...
Enquiring minds want to know, Greg: When you were in college, did you ever wall yourself into your dorm room and spend two days writing fan fic about an animated show? ;)
Greg responds...
No. I didn't have a t.v. in college -- and thus there's a four year gap in my otherwise copious television knowledge.
Of course, I didn't have a computer until the last semester of my senior year. And I hated typing before computers. I wrote everything long hand and then typed it up only when I was confident that I didn't want to make any changes. So I typed very little. And the internet? Forgeddaboudit. Didn't exist -- at least not to my knowledge.
Also, I was an English Major with an emphasis in Fiction Writing, so I had plenty of writing to do for classes. And starting in my sophomore year, I was already writing professionally for DC Comics. So any non-school writing at that time, tended toward paid work, not fanfic.
Besides, the whole concept of fanfic didn't really exist for me until after the Garg fans told me about it.
I guess I did right a King Lear fanfic once -- as a term paper.
Aaron writes...
Shavri wrote: "...Anyway, I'm just glad the whole thing was a dream_sequence scheme created by Puck and not something that would actually happen in "your" Gargoyle Universe."
By contrast, I *loved* the idea of a Brooklyn/Demona romance. It's one of the many reasons Future Tense is my favorite episode. But then, I've seen too much anime and believe the bickering couple will always end up together by the end of the series. ;) (It's also one of the funniest touches of FT, IMHO, that only in a world where everything else has gone to Hell can Brooklyn have a happy relationship)
http://www.avalonhigh.com
Greg responds...
I enjoyed it too.
But I'm still holding out for Katana.
Aaron writes...
Again, I forget who asked this: "4. Where was Vinnie when the Mirror took place? ~_^ "
Greg responds: "4. Haven't thought about it."
It would have been kinda funny to see Vinnie walk by in the background, maybe trip on his tail or something, and say "Can you believe it?" just so we'd be sure it was him.
In fact, and I realize there was neither time to design them, nor a place for such a thing in the story, but it would have been a great deal of fun to see what the human cast, Matt, Chavez, Morgan, Fox, Xanatos, Dracon, etc., would have looked like as gargs. (Especially those last three) Heck, it'd be fun to see what Owen would look like as a gargoyle, even though that obviously wasn't possible.
MacBeth... Was MacBeth in town for The Mirror, and if so, was he changed into a gargoyle? Puck said "All humans on this concrete isle...", and MacBeth is still a human, albeit a magically immortal one. Again, fun to imagine.
And, I know you don't like hypotheticals, but would a fey in human form, such as Anastasia Renard have been affected by the spell or not, since you said that in mortal form, Oberon's Children take on all aspects of that form.
http://www.adventurers-comic.com
Greg responds...
In my opinion, yes, Anastasia -- had she been in town, which is unlikely -- would have transformed. Of course, at will she could abandon her mortal (now gargoyle) form for and look however she wanted.
Aaron writes...
I just wanted to ask, what's your feeling on clip shows? I think they can be fun, in a kind of remember great moments of a series, or recap for new audience members way, but they can also be percieved as laziness on the part of the writers and/or actors. (Or am I completely wrong, and it's really, really hard to find a decent plot contrivance to string a clip show out)
Anyway, what's your feeling on them, and would we ever have seen a gargoyle clip show?
Greg responds...
I've never been a huge fan of clip shows -- which are absolutely NOT about writer (or any other staff member's) laziness. Rather they are a reflection of budgetary (and occasionally deadline) concerns. Clip shows are MUCH less expensive, for obvious reasons. And they can be put together, even with a framing sequence, much more rapidly than a typical episode.
I recall admiring some early year SIMPSONS clip shows, for being cleverer than most. And I actually think FRIENDS has done a half-decent job at taking a clip show and making it matter to the audience by tying the flashbacks to a character's important decision. But usually, I don't much care for clip shows. For example the STARSHIP clip shows all make me cringe, though I know that the people involved were working their hardest to make something worthwhile out of them. And the fact that some of my material was used in the clips is flattering, but doesn't actually make it work any better. Of course, I'm biased. Those clip shows on ROUGHNECKS were done to save money -- and they took the place of my last three episodes which would have concluded the series.
Like I said, just not a fan.
matt writes...
i think i figured out when and how Xanatos found out the gargoyles lived in the Clocktower
i don't think Xanatos found out the gargs lived in the Clocktower in Hunters Moon for several reasons.
1) i can't see either Owen or Puck just slipping up like that.
2) Fox and Xanatos just took it way too casually as if they had known for some time.
after viewing some episodes, i'm convinced that Xanatos found out nearly a year before Hunters Moon, possibly before Owen/Puck knew. i think he found out in Eye of the Beholder. heres my reasons.
1) Xanatos places another tracking device on Goliath and then does not remove it for probably at LEAST an hour.
2) when Goliath leaves the castle he takes Elisa with him and in that time Elisa changes into her costume. her costume is probably at one of three places, at her apartment, in her car, or at the police station. if it was at the police station where she put on the costume then Xanatos only has to track them that far and he can figure out the rest (remember that Xanatos was probably tailing them for as much as he could, he may have even snuck into the Clocktower and seen the gargs furnishings). Elisa's car was at the police station and her costume was likely to be there since it is most probable she was planning to go with Goliath directly from the station to the Halloween party. and if her costume was at her apartment it is still very possible that they returned to the Clocktower for Elisa's car at least.
3) the show seemed to suggest that while tracking them, Xanatos was following Goliath and Elisa around and listening to their conversations. its possible that they mentioned the Clocktower and Xanatos could've overheard it.
4) if Elisa could come up with this great home for the gargs, i think that a year later Xanatos has probably had time to think about it and possibly figure it out just by guessing. hes a bright guy, you know...
i also have a couple reasons why Xanatos did not make a big deal or mention that he knew where the gargs were living.
1) this IS Xanatos, why would he reveal his hand, if anything he could save this information for use when he wasn't so busy with other matters.
2) i think that Xanatos is hardly going to make a big deal or even really think about the gargs home being revealed when in this episode (maybe more than any other save The Gathering) he is very emotionally stressed. the woman he loves may die soon, i hardly think he cares at the moment.
3) i think he didn't cause trouble for the gargs after discovering their home due to Goliaths help in saving Fox. this really mirrors his reinstatement of the gargs to Wyvern due to Goliath saving Alex. in fact, immediatly following Eye of the Beholder he certaintly makes large steps in calling truce with Goliath. he was very benevolent to Goliath in Vows and allied with him in City of Stone. i think Xanatos was silently granting Goliath and the clan a break for their help.
so, there is my theory, what do you think? mystery solved?
Greg responds...
If it makes you happy.
Aaron writes...
Greg writes: "Reboot is fun."
Hmm, of course, it'll be in reruns by the time you see this, but has anybody told you about the 4th season starting on Cartoon Network this year?
http//:strangecandy.keenspace.com
Greg responds...
Nope. Of course, I haven't seen many episodes total. Just a handful. But I enjoyed what I saw, especially the X-Files parody episode.
Aaron writes...
Greg writes: Re: The Oberati. "But they can't die of old age, unless they stubbornly insist on maintaining a mortal form until it kills them."
So, if one of Oberon's Children dies in mortal form, that's it? Poof, all gone? No reversion to their normal form, no last-second save? Nada? One second they're walking along, happily playing mortal, somebody drops a lunchbox off the 90th floor, and splat!, no more Child of Oberon?
If so, geez, they really take their lives in their hands every time they take mortal form, don't they?
http://rpgworld.keenspace.com
Greg responds...
Don't we all?
matt writes...
1. was the New Wyvern Clan founded at Wyvern because thats one of the only places that the Gargoyles knew there was once a clan, but wasn't currently? were the Gargoyles attempting to colonize all places associated with Gargoyles in the past (Notre Dame)?
2. did Scotland make a bid for a Gargoyle clan or did they see the place as theirs to colonize?
3. in 1996, does Xanatos own any of the land surrounding where Wyvern once stood?
4. when Gargoyles recolonized Wyvern, did they attempt to populate it with Gargoyles of Wyvern/Scottish descent, or did they care?
5. how far is Wyvern from Loch ness?
Greg responds...
1. The new Wyvern Clan was, at least in part, a spin-off of the Manhattan Clan, so the "nostalgia" was much more personal.
1a. Not in particular.
2. The group felt they were returning home, so to speak.
3. I haven't thought about whether he owns any land there.
4. It was mostly Wyvern descent, because it was mostly gargs from Manhattan who were of Wyvern descent. But not exclusively. Nor was there any attempt to achieve anything like "clan purity".
5. I don't have a map handy, but you can find Loch Ness on a map at home. The fictional Wyvern's on Scotland's west coast.
Aaron writes...
Greg writes:
"If Disney 'goes under' (a fairly ridiculous notion) than the property becomes one of their assets."
I dunno, Disney was $19 BILLION in the hole, last time I looked. Buying Fox Family alone set them back a little over five billion, which is I'm sure a great deal more then Fox paid (Was it Pat Robertson who used to own it, back when it was just TFC?) for it. Attendance at the parks, at least stateside, is at an all time low, and that was before the horrible events of September 11th which, aside from the devastating loss of life, depressed an American economy already sliding toward recession. (And certainly didn't make anybody feel like running out and going to Disneyland) All the Disney Stores in the US are closing as soon as their leases are up. Of course you're right, the idea that they'd sell off anything is still absurd. They'll just make cut-backs, (Like canceling Team Atlantis) and lay people off until the ship rights itself again. More's the pity.
If it's any consolation, in contrast to Entity's view, I think you've gotten sillier since G2K1. "On second thought, let's not go to Ask Greg, 'tis a silly place." ;)
http://www.exploitationnow.com
Greg responds...
I've certainly gotten sillier since G1997.
Aaron writes...
I forget who asked this: "10. Does Dracon dream about Elisa and him being together?"
Greg replies: "10. Probably." By dream, would that be in the context of fantasizing about Elisa, (Poor Tony's never met Demona, has he?) or does Tony genuinely have some really strange dreams?
http://www.inktank.com
Greg responds...
Maybe both.
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