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Claire writes...
Is Achilles gay? Was/is he in a romantic relationship with Patroclus?
Greg responds...
I would say so. But honestly, I'm not sure why you're asking me.
Verdragon writes...
Since you've written for the character before, what are your thoughts on the MCU version of Spiderman, and what do you think makes a good Spiderman adaptation as a whole?
Greg responds...
Generally speaking, I like the MCU Spider-Man. There's a lot to like. I like his youth and inexperience. I like his good intentions, not always backed up by his relatively inexperienced actions. I may have quibbles here and there, but they're relatively minor.
What "makes a good Spiderman adaptation as a whole?" Well, for starters, you definitely need a hyphen. It's Spider-Man, not Spiderman.
Beyond that, I think I've answered this question in great detail - over two seasons and twenty-six episodes: it's called THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN. That's my version of the best way to adapt the character. I'll let it speak for itself.
Guest Ramble
I'm attaching a ramble J. Michael Straczynski posted back in 1995 on usenet in response to a very negative reaction to even a hint at a same-sex tryst on an episode of "Babylon 5". The point of Greg Weisman posting this is not to get into a discussion of religion or LGBTQ+ issues. Or even to get into a discussion of "tolerance," which was a big buzzword in the 90s, but which, as I've stated before in many ways, I find insufficient. The point of me posting this is to show that just because SOME FANS don't like something doesn't mean EVERY FAN feels the same way. And so, be careful what you wish for, right? Because if people start telling creators what they can and can't put into their shows, you may not like what ELSE they remove.
See, here's where I start to have a problem. For starters, I don't do any thing to be politically correct, or politically incorrect, I do what I do in any story because that's what the story points me toward. Anybody who says "It's not necessary" isn't entitled to that judgement, frankly; you don't know what's necessary to the story. And by framing it in the "is this NECESSARY?" way is designed to make you defend your position when such defense isn't the point; is it NECESSARY to have humor? to have a romance? to have correct science? No, *nothing* is NECESSARY. It's what the writer feels is right for that scene, that story, that character.
"Oh, well, I saw it, but was all that violence NECESSARY?" This is, frankly, a BS observation usually offered by someone with an agenda, who wishes to invalidate the notion of an artistic view and impose some kind of quota, or objective criterion to what is and isn't necessary for a movie or film. As far as I'm concerned, the first person to throw this into a discussion has, frankly, just lost the argument.
Point the second: one of the most consistent comments I get, in email and regular mail, is the spirituality conveyed in the show, that we have shown, and will continue to show, tolerance toward religion, even created sympathetic religious characters. "Thank you for your tolerance," they say...until we show somebody or some action THEY don't like...and at that point suddenly it's a lot of tsk-tsking and chest thumping and disapproval; so okay, how about I just stop all positive religious aspects of the show?
It seems to me, that if I do *all that* with religion, and with thje (the) simple act of showing maybe ONE PERSON in all the long history of TV science fiction across 40 years has a different view of life, that the show is somehow degraded, or downgraded, or dropped in opinion...this simply reinforces the notion, held by many, that a lot of folks in the religious right wish to make sure no other perspective or lifestyle is ever shown on television, at any time, unless in a negative fashion.
The thing of it is, while on the one hand I'm getting praise from religious folks for addressing spirituality in my series (speaking here as an atheist), I've gotten flack from others who think it has no place in a SCIENCE fiction series, and why the hell am I putting something in that goes right against my own beliefs? "Because," I tell them, "this show is not about reflecting my beliefs, or yours, or somebody else's, it's about telling this story, about these people, with as much honesty and integrity as I can summon up. That means conceding the fact that religious people are going to be around 260 years from now." Well, fact is, all kinds of people are going to be around 260 years from now. And what did the anti-religion folks say specifically about including spirituality in my series? "It's not *necessary*," they said.
Translation: they didn't like it. Well, tough. It was right for this story, and this show. And it seems to me rather hypocritical for some folks, who applaud the show for tolerance, for my standing up to those who want to exclude religion from TV, to then turn around and say the show is diminished because it showed that same tolerance...to another group or perspective. I guess tolerance is only okay as long as it's pointed one way.
You say that as a christian, you think any sex except that between a husband and a wife to be wrong. Well, as I recall, the bible also speaks against murder. We've depicted deaths by the hundreds of thousands. (And we're talking here about the *depicting* of the act, simply showing it, not the value judgements made after the fact.) Why does the one (which is so barely hinted at as to be almost invisible) cause the show to be diminished where the other does not?
My job is not to reinforce your personal political, social or religious beliefs. My job is not to reinforce MY personal political, social or religious beliefs. Then it isn't art or storytelling anymore, it's simply propaganda. My job is to tell this story, about these people, AS people, as mixed and varied as they are today. And there is no outside objective criteria as to what is, or isn't *necessary* in a story; that is the sole province of the author. You may or may not like it. You may or may not choose to watch it. Just as people who don't like to see religion and god discussed on TV may dislike it or choose not to watch it.
But you'll excuse me if I see complaints about this one little thing from the religious side, after all I've done to present religious characters and the religious life in a positive fashion, to be hypocritical and frankly somewhat ungrateful. It's as though all this means nothing because of one thing, one outside-imposed litmus test that disregards anything and everything else that has been done.
So straight up...if I should stop tolerating or showing viewpoints that are not my own (spoken as someone who is absolutely straight), then should I now stop showing religion as well? Because that's what this comes down to. Is that what you want? Because religion is included at my discretion as well as anything else on this show. You want me to be less tolerant? Just say the word.
Borris writes...
Hi Greg.
1: Has Lois won a pulitzer in universe?
2: How proud of you about the continued success of Kaldur'ahm? DC's Aquaman: The Becoming shows that he's become a mainstay of the DC universe
Greg responds...
1. Hm. Not sure. I'd want to discuss that with Brandon.
2. I know I should just say, "It's great!" But iIs it fair to say I have mixed feelings? On the one hand, I feel like the Jake that's soon to star in his own show is two iterations removed from Kaldur (via Jackson), and that Brandon, Phil and I don't get the proper credit for creating what was the basis for the character. On the other hand, I'm glad that his reach is expanding on any level. It's a conundrum.
Anonymous writes...
Have you by some chance seen or read "March Comes In Like A Lion"/"3-gatsu no Lion", somehow the storytelling in that is very reminiscent of your style of writing, if you have not I highly recommend you watch it.
Greg responds...
I have not.
Anonymous writes...
Hi Mr. Weisman, really love watching Phantoms and the fruits of your labor! I had a bit of a different question for you.
You said in the past that you were impressed with Avatar: The Last Airbender and you were planning on watching The Legend of Korra after.
1) What did you think about the sequel series? Particularly in relation to its predecessor?
2) I know you try to keep your own work original and you try to avoid taking outside ideas, but were there certain elements (story or character) from either Avatar:TLA or TLOK that you felt were interesting to use in your stories?
3) If you had an opportunity to work within that universe, would you craft a story with gambits that you're so famously known for or would you take a different direction than usual?
Thank you again. Young Justice and Avatar/Korra were large elements of my childhood and what stands out to me are the very strong themes, characters, and over-arching narrative. I feel pretty blessed to be part of a generation that could have not only enjoyed it but grew up with them as well.
Greg responds...
1. I haven't watched it yet. I watched Avatar with my son. Now, he's all grow'd up and living 3,000 miles away, and we don't have the same kind of time to sit together and watch an entire series. Still would like to someday.
2. I actively try not to think that way.
3. That's such a massive hypothetical, I don't even know how to answer it.
Crossoverparinglover writes...
Unrelated to the last one and thought I'd ask.
Are/were there any other series, beside Scooby Doo, that you explored/are curious about crossing into YJ from beyond DC (I assume if you are, say, in talks for Ben 10 x Young Justice you can't say)
Not sure how the legalese of that question works, as sometimes it feels like rights get lost in WB sometimes.
Greg responds...
I can't think of anything, honestly. Doesn't mean some random idea wasn't tossed out at some point, and I've simply forgotten. But nothing's coming to mind.
Unless you count the just-for-fun Gargoyles/Spectacular Spider-Man/Young Justice crossovers I wrote for various radio plays at various conventions, all of which can be viewed on YouTube.
Isaac writes...
Hello! I was wondering if you ever watched Robert Kirkman's Invincible (2021) animated series? It's about superheroes and gave me the same vibes as Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice (just WAY gorier). I really enjoyed it, and one aspect of it that I absolutely loved was the longer episodes, running about forty-to-fifty minutes each. I know it's way above your pay-grade, but I was just curious, if you had the choice, would you want to extend your episodes to fifty-some minutes like Invincible? Or would you want to keep them a little over twenty minutes? Assuming of course you'd be able to still produce twenty to twenty-six episodes for each season, which Invincible didn't do at just eight episodes per the first season.
Anyways, Happy Halloween! I'm eagerly awaiting the next episode of YJ Phantoms! Artemis' arc is looking to be fantastic!
Greg responds...
I haven't seen Invincible.
In some ways, I'd love to stop worrying about episode lengths entirely. But I'd still want the same quantity of episodes (or more). And budget is definitely a factor. It's been great on the last couple of seasons of YJ that if we have (within our budget) been freed from the constraints of a maximum length. But I don't feel like we've been hugely restricted by running between 22 and 27 minutes. Don't know that we need "fifty-some".
Josh writes...
1. Do you consider yourself a fan of the horror genre?
2. I read on here that you watched the pilot of Penny Dreadful. What did you think of the show in its entirety, assuming you continued to watch it? Personally I thought it was one of the best shows of the 2010's.
3. Did you enjoy the FX show Legion?
Greg responds...
1. Not particularly.
2. I liked it quite a bit until the last season, where I felt they were working REALLY hard to tie it all up and finish it. I also watched Penny Dreadful: City of Angels and wasn't as thrilled.
3. Most of it.
Todd Jensen writes...
A couple of weeks ago or so, the comic strip "Sally Forth" had a scene where the family was discussing Halloween decorations for their house - and suggested gargoyles, but wanted to make them the ones from the "Disney nineties series". I thought it was a pleasant surprise for the show to get a casual allusion like that (and in the Comics Kingdom discussion section, a few posters had fond memories of the series; one particularly praised the voice actors).
Greg responds...
That's nice. Sally Forth isn't in the Los Angeles Times anymore, so I missed that. Too bad.
Antiyonder writes...
1. Is there still the interest in doing a Young Justice/Scooby Doo film? I figure even with YJ now being for a older audience it wouldn't be out of place considering Scooby's appearance on Supernatural.
2. Was it planned as a canon story (and as such the Mysteries Inc. Gang being part of continuity)? Or does the Newsgirl Legion presence change such is previously a yes?
Greg responds...
1. Brandon and I are still interested. I don't know that anyone else at WB ever was.
2. We never got that far. But we were, at the time, willing to do a Scooby import into the YJ universe, or a YJ import into the Scooby universe.
Todd Jensen writes...
Earlier this year, two of Disney's television animated series included allusions to "Gargoyles". The first was the series finale of "Duck Tales", which had an already-established character, a headless horse named Manny, become a Goliath-counterpart (including a scene where he grows a head and wings while the theme music of "Gargoyles" plays, then cries - voiced by Keith David - "I live again, again!" - it makes sense in context). The second was in the Season Two finale of "Amphibia", where one of the characters is seen looking through a book on legends, which had a picture of Goliath drawn in the style of Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man".
I was wondering if you'd heard of these two nods to the show, and if so, what you thought of them.
Greg responds...
I'd heard about both, though I haven't seen them myself.
It tickles me.
Alex writes...
1. Do you think Xanatos will ever form a club with Lex Luthor and Norman Osborn? I can't imagine he would find Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark fun for long :)
2. Regarding their wealth do you think Xanatos and Luthor are billionaires and Osborn was a multi millionaire in terms of wealth?
Greg responds...
1. I think we touched on this in one or two of the RadioPlays. You can check 'em out on YouTube. There are links in the Gargoyles Wiki.
2. I haven't done the math.
Krazyfan writes...
You like Ghost Rider, right? since they have the ability to amplify and boost anything they ride on, what kinda things would you ever want to see one ride? I kinda like the idea of Johnny or another Rider Riding, and therefore Boosting, either The Hulk, or the Helicarrior...
Greg responds...
Um... how about a motorcycle? Is that too radical?
Jim writes...
Would you ever like to write for Power Rangers?
Greg responds...
Ironically, I'm not categorically opposed. But that's a very big hypothetical. No one's ever asked me.
Zero writes...
What do you think of Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Greg responds...
I generally like him quite a bit.
FallenLegend writes...
Hey Greg just wondering if you noticed how Keith David mirrored Puck's role n gargoyles.
In Star vs the forces of evil, Keith plays Glossarick who is basically a magic mentor. In one episode he took a baby magical princess called Meteora in a magical adventure to teach her magic while her mother wasn't aware.
This reminded me of Puck doing the exact same thing with Puck and Alex Xanatos.
Just wanted you to know Goliath now went full circle and played Pucks' role. Cool, isn't it?
Greg responds...
Very.
Jack Carpenter writes...
Who's your favorite Captain America villain?
Greg responds...
Um... probably Red Skull. Haven't given it much thought though.
SLI writes...
Hello,
Like many people, I watched Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse recently and found it delightful (don't worry though, SpecSpidey will always be my favourite rendition of the character).
Into the Spiderverse was very clearly a Sony production and not a Disney one, which I take to mean that while Sony gave Disney back the rights to making animated Spider-Man shows, that clearly does not apply to animated Spider-Man films, at least not at the moment.
1) Does that mean that the SpecSpidey art/story assets would be usable by Sony in a film?
2) Could this realistically mean that if a future "Into The Spiderverse" sequel or spin were made and more "Spider-verses" were introduced (which seems like an obvious next step for them), that we could see SpecSpidey as one of those spider-verses?
Given that they brought spider-man noir into 3D space and somehow made that work, I don't imagine they'd struggle with SpecSpidey's art style, if it came to that.
After all, they were willing to bring in the 1967 cartoon as one of their alternate universes, though hopefully in the case of SpecSpidey they'd take it a bit more seriously, perhaps by bringing in Josh Keaton and a writer or two from the original show...?
Greg responds...
1. I don't know, but I doubt it's that simple.
2. I don't know, but I tend to think it unlikely.
One can dream...
Marvelman writes...
Have you seen Julie Taymor's a Midsummer Night's Dream? Do do you own the Blu-Ray? What did you think of it?
Greg responds...
I did see it, some time ago. I recall liking aspects of it a lot. I don't own the Blu-Ray. I don't own many Blu-Rays.
Alpha 3 writes...
Hello! You most definately get this alot but i am a huge fan, and this question is of a personal nature, although not too personal i think.
You see there is someone close to me who keeps trying to "shame" me because i like to watch cartoons, such as Young Justice/Ducktales/Star vs the forces of evil
Just to name a few. As well as animated movies, this person believes that animation is solely for little kids, and i shouldnt be watching any of them just because im a young adult.
I have tried to get this person to watch some, you know give it a chance and all that, i tried getting him to watch the Gargoyles dvd i bought! but he is hellbent on not doing so. So my question is, how do i explain to this person that not every animated show and movie isnt just for kids?
I know getting him to do a complete 180 on this subject is just wishful thinking lol but i'm mostly asking just to maybe tell him a more indepth response, especially if it comes from someone who works in the industry.
Greg responds...
I'm not sure how to convince your "someone." But if you're a young adult, I think it's fair to say, "I disagree with you strongly. Animation is a medium. It is not by definition for kids or adults. It all depends on the content. And even if some of the stuff I watch IS for kids, how does that affect you in any way? Please respect that I know what I like and watch what I like."
Or something like that.
FallenLegend writes...
Hey greg It saddens me the fact that you will only read this in lik 3 years. I guess this will be a time capsule of sorts. But I jus wanted to take the time and state my admiration of your writting.
I honestly believe you're a very underrated writter. Yes you've been head of many shows.
But I think, big studios haven't fully apreciated your talents.
For example, how Dc comics ia losing big time by not hiring you as lead of their cinematic universe. People love the MCU, but I think that your tv shows have better writting than anything marvel has ever done on cinema.
If I were a big sstudio executive I would have you as lead writer of my franchise or movie universe and not just as freelancer you hire now and then. They would be earning millions.
I played fate go, the mobile game, and Nasu reminded me a lot of you in writing style (except he likes fanservice a lot more). Shakespeare is even playable in that game!
Probably the biggest think that is holding you back is the fact that you, unlike masu, don't own those franchises (hopefully rain will be your big success).
You changed the way I view stories, and taught me a lot by reading your answers and watching your shows.
I just want to thank you for sharing your talent with all of us. Thank you.
Greg responds...
Only two and a half years...
Anyway, it's not like I'd turn down the gig if by some miracle it was offered to me, but I don't honestly know if anyone (myself included) would consider me qualified to run a movie franchise. I might be good for the committee, maybe. But I've never made a live action movie.
And I personally LOVE the MCU. I'm not saying it's perfect, but every single movie has - at minimum - entertained me. And none of them has made me want to shout at the screen in anger.
But thanks for your kind words.
Anonymous writes...
Hi.
I just watched Young Justice Outsiders episode 4 and was wondering if the scene with Superboy & Brion fixing that bike was inspired by the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig?
Greg responds...
To a degree, yes. Maybe influenced is a better word than inspired?
Spitfire writes...
I bought a DCU membership soley for YJ, but since there's a number of shows available on the platform I decided to start watching Batman Beyond too (i'm 3 episodes in, but so far so good)
(1) Do you have a favorite episode/moment that you liked from Batman Beyond?
(2) Thoughts on Terry McGinnis?
Greg responds...
1. I only ever watched the pilot. And that was when it first came out.
2. I'm just not that familiar with the character.
B writes...
In https://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=22687, where Mo asked "I just rewatched spectacular spiderman and I feel there were a few bits inspired by the Rami trilogy, is that true?" and you said "Since I don't know what the Rami trilogy is, I'm gonna say no.", they must have been referring to the original trilogy of Spider-Man films starring Tobey Maguire and directed by Sam Raimi. The Raimi trilogy.
Greg responds...
Oh, I get it. In that case, the answer is definitely yes. Sorry I misunderstood.
Anonymous writes...
"Young Justice: Oustiders" Questions:
1. So the Outsiders on this show is essentially the DC equivalent of Marvel's Secret Avengers...?
2. Barbara is now Oracle; that means "The Killing Joke" happened, right? No point in denying it... Anyway, hope Barbara will be able to recover and walk again...
3. Why is the Roy Harper clone going by the name Will now...? Did you get this idea from Star Trek: The Next Generation; more specifically, William Riker and his duplicate Thomas Riker?
Greg responds...
1. I'm not familiar with Marvel's Secret Avengers.
2. Something happened.
3. Will is Roy's middle name. It's a logical choice for him to give Roy full possession of the "Roy" name. I've seen those Thomas Riker episodes of the Trek franchise, but I don't think we really borrowed it from there. Just the same logic.
Jason R. Carter writes...
1) Thoughts on Jurnee Smollet-Bell playing Black Canary in the Birds of Prey movie?
2) Who would you have cast as a live-action BC?
Greg responds...
1. Haven't seen it. But based on Lovecraft Country, I'm a fan of hers, so it seems like a good potential fit.
2. I've largely stopped playing that game. I've come to think it winds up being potentially insulting to the actors involved, both those I might propose and those who wind up with the roles.
Karney writes...
Hey, Greg.
I just wanted to know what kind of stuff you read as a kid that got you interested in the whole mythological genre. Are there any good books you recommend, and are there any you read as a kid that you just couldn't put down?
Greg responds...
D'aulaire's Norse Gods and Giants and D'aulaire's Greek Myths started me on the path to loving mythology. Mary Renault's The King Must Die and The Bull from the Sea were also influential, as was Mary Stewart's tetralogy about Merlin, King Arthur and Mordred. Also Roger Lancelyn Green's King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table. There were many others, too. But those got me started.
QueerGuy writes...
Big fan of your work. Not really a question, but I felt the need to clarify after seeing your response to another question regarding queer-baiting.
In your response, you (respectfully) provide some push-back against the concept, while expressing a willingness to learn more. I had a few quick responses to your comments I wanted to share.
You talk about some of the examples given in the Wikipedia entry for queer-baiting to be unfair, citing Sherlock Holmes and John Watson as an example. To be clear, in both the Wikipedia article and in popular usage of this example, people refer to Holmes and Watson as they are depicted in the BBC series, "Sherlock", and not (necessarily) in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories or other adaptations.
Queer-baiting refers to creators of media actively misleading a fan-base with hints or indications of "queerness" without any intent of follow-through. NOT -- as you indicated in your prior comment -- a fan-base misinterpreting close same-sex friendships and sexual. "Sherlock" (the BBC series) is a famous example of queer-baiting, as the series very often hints at homoerotic attraction between the two leads in the series' writing, the performances of the lead actors, and in the ways that other characters in series refer to their relationship. I won't go into specific details and examples from the series, but if you are interested in examples there are scores of them documented and easily locateable on the internet.
The key aspect of queer-baiting is the attempt to take advantage of queer fans by providing the bare minimum of queer(ish) interactions, without ever following through for fear of alienating a non-queer audience. This is very different from both presenting close same-sex friendships without any romantic or sexual relationship developing between the two characters, and the presentation of queer characters without the ability to actively show examples of their queerness due to external factors, such as network interference (such as Lexington in "Gargoyles" or Korra in "The Legend of Korra"). These are non-malicious and do not seek to mislead a queer audience.
To be clear, I don't think you have been guilty of queer-baiting in any of your work. I simply wanted to clarify the concept a bit more so that you can hopefully understand where the concern of the initial comment came from. Looking forward to "Young Justice" season three!
Greg responds...
I get the concern. I do.
And my response probably shows my (relative) queer blindness. I've seen every episode of "Sherlock," and never noticed any significant difference between how John and Sherlock are depicted here than in other versions.
I don't want to be defensive; I want to be open. But as you indicated, I've never intentionally queer-baited. Lex was gay to the extent allowed at the time (which was not at all). Some fans read a homo-erotic charge into the Dick/Wally relationship and the Bart/Jaime relationship, but that was never our intention - and I sincerely don't think we were trying to fool anyone. (Though one of those four characters is gay, in our minds, at least. But not in the minds of TPTB, even though TPTB did allow us to be objective about other characters on the show, starting with Season Three.)
Stinkbutt writes...
Are you a fan of digimon if so I have a question for you if a human falls in love with a digimon and the two get married do you think they will adopt a child
Greg responds...
Never seen the show.
Anon writes...
Is there a character in comics that is your personal favorite that you'd like to bring to life in an animated show given the chance?
Greg responds...
You mean beyond the ones I've already done?
Alex Costa writes...
Hi Greg, I read somewhere you're a big X-Men fan. Now that I think about it, I do see some surface similarities between Brooklyn and Scott Summers. Would you say there was some inspiration there or no?
Greg responds...
No. I don't see them as having much in common.
Cyclops is/was originally built in the Gary Cooper mode: solid, laconic tall, thin, heroic, unfancy.
Brooklyn is way more Errol Flynn.
Marvelman writes...
How do you like the plays of Checkhov? In particular, did you enjoy the 1962 black and white version of The Cherry Orchard with Judi Dench as Anya and John Gielgud as Leonid?
Greg responds...
1. I've seen some great productions and some nothing productions.
2. Haven't seen it.
Marvelman writes...
Do you remember Superman: TAS?
There was an episode in which Darkseid creates a nuclear fireball and shoots it towards the center of the world to turn Earth into a second apocalypse. Superman stops the fireball by drilling up and down through the ocean floor around the fireball to allow the salt water to quench the fireball. It was an impressive shot with Superman flying up out of the water and then diving back down again, using his own body as a drill - a real money shot.
Two questions. Do you remember the scene I am referring to? And, is YJ Superman powerful enough to perform the same feat?
Greg responds...
1. I didn't see much of STAS after the pilot. That's not commentary; I simply never had the time. So, no, I don't remember that scene as I'm pretty confident I never saw it.
2. So, since I've never seen it, it's hard for me to evaluate. But from the way you describe it, I'd guess the answer is no. But it's just a guess.
roni writes...
hey greg! gotta ask:
1. How have you been? :)
2. So, what's your opinion on Voltron: Legendary Defender, the one currently airing on Netflix made by Dreamworks? Have you watched it, or worked with anyone who has also worked on it?
3. I wish you knew how excited I am for YJS3, because can't explain in words. :')))
hope you have a good day!
Greg responds...
1. Really good, actually. Got through the pandemic largely unscathed personally. My family stayed healthy, and we all stayed employed. I can't complain. (I mean, I DO complain all the time, but really I shouldn't.) Young Justice: Phantoms is going great guns through Post-Production. So all is well.
2. Haven't seen it, so I have no opinion, but I know a bunch of people who worked on it, and they're all great, so I imagine the show must be great, too.
3. Hope you liked it and are now equally excited for YJS4
You have a good day, too!
Bream writes...
How come Beast BOY did not figure out clack kent and superman were are the same person with the same face and voice ?
Greg responds...
How come Perry White didn't?
I'll refer you to the 1978 SUPERMAN motion picture, starring Christopher Reeve. Before that film, I always just had to suspend disbelief to buy that people didn't realize that Clark and Superman were the same person. But after seeing that movie, I no longer had any problem buying it.
Taha writes...
Would you be interested in working on the upcoming Carmen Sandiego series if you were approached? (And you weren't already busy with the new Young Justice season?)
Greg responds...
Potentially. But I honestly don't know anything about Carmen Sandiego, so it's not a natural fit. But I do consider myself a quick study.
Bob writes...
Hey Greg, just wondering your opinion on the last Jedi? The response is polarizing and me personally, I loved it aside from a few scenes where I'd edit out a line of dialogue out.
Greg responds...
God, it's been awhile now. I seem to recall there's a lot I liked about it. I had some problems with it, but most of my issues were really just extensions of my issues with the previous film's set up.
I liked Rose a lot.
Luthor writes...
I remember reading your mini run with The Amazing Spider-man.
Would you be open to doing a one off comic. I'd love to see you do something with Superman and Batman in the comics, like a fun one off. Like Max Landis does
Greg responds...
"mini run"? I wrote half of one issue. That's VERY mini.
I'd love to do more comics work for the big two. I haven't been invited.
FallenLegend writes...
Hey there it's me again. Sorry for asking so many things, but I admire your writing and love your shows.
I have two questions regarding your storytelling techniques.
First How do you manage to always see up us guessing? I know you're very protective on spoilers. But I mean, how do you plan these seeds of questions in our minds?
I have a lot of questions you won't answer because they are spoilers. But how do you manage to make us want to know in the first place.
Your questions are like Hydra. Whenever you answer a question we have as fans (like who are the members of the light) two more questions take their place.
Second
I've heard you mention that you would do series forever if you could. But how would you do that with licensed properties?
Specially after you said you do like characters growing.
Sure with Gargoyles you said you could keep the story after Goliath dies and sure you could make a lot of villains and plots. We already got Alexander Xanatos in the future for one.
But what about Spectacular Spiderman? by season 2 you had already introduced like 90% of his most famous villains. How could you've kept things fresh without creating original characters?
And with Young justice, not complaining about time skips, but eventually all of them will become adults right? Wouldn't you be running out of teenage superheros by time skipping?
I know you're skilled writer. But it seems like theres no way on making these lost longer and keep character growing without creating new characters that aren't part of the franchise.
I'm very curious. Thank you greg!
Greg responds...
1. Planning, I guess. (If I'm understanding your question correctly.) We block out our stories beat by beat over an entire season. Some of it's instinct, I suppose. A lot of it is experience. But our rule of thumb is if it intrigues us, it might just intrigue our audience.
2. The DC Universe has been going for over 80 years. The Spider-Man corner of the Marvel Universe has been going for almost 60. No one's run out of characters yet. And as I believe YJ proves, you can age your original leads and still constantly intro new young leads as you go. (We're not even vaguely close to running out of young heroes that are canon to DC.) If anything, I think our audience is sometimes annoyed that we don't focus enough on existing characters and keep introducing more.
FallenLegend writes...
Hey there Greg I wanted to clarify and fix question I asked you a while back about how making comics more apealing to the general public.
I correct myself as DC's Rebirth is indeed fantastic.
However new 52 was a disaster (their superman was awful) and Marvel is having a crisis of having low sales of these writting. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/books/marvel-comics-diversity-thor-hulk.html
The think is comics are very niche.
Best selling comics from the big two are at best on the hunred thousands (if they are lucky). And we are talking big names like Spider-Man or Batman.
They are dwarfed by TV. But not even the convenience of TV being free an accesible is an excuse becuase Manga (aka japanese comics) again dwarf them by selling on the millions range.
There was a time Fawcett sold in the millions. Yet today most people simply aren't atracted to comics.
A big issue in my opinion is how the continuity os a nightmare. Just a glance at the retcons and illy explanations like "superboy punched reality" are a nightmare to follow for new comers.
As an outsider I see chaos and very confusing plotlines. But yes as you pointed out "zooming in" there are plenty of fantastic comics.
So my question is, how would you make comics more appealing to the general public?
And
How would you fix all these continuity nighmares caused by cosmic retcons like having hundreds of retcons ( superboy prime, antimonitor, etc)
Thank you Greg. Love your shows.
Greg responds...
I'm not entirely sure what you're asking me? How I would fix things if DC and Marvel gave me full and complete power over their respective Universes? That's a massively huge hypothetical, right?
Otherwise, on a somewhat more reasonable level, if you're asking what I would do with, say, my version of the DC Universe, you can see that by watching YOUNG JUSTICE.
FallenLegend writes...
Hey Greg the topics on my questions are about popularity. The other day I was thinking abiut gargoyles, and W.I.T.C.H and I always wondered why it didn't get a far better mainstream appeal.
This was odd for me as gargoyles being your baby, it does have brilliant writting and well developed characters.
I mean sure it does have a relative big following , theres a fan hosting this very site. But on the whole of dinsey propierties Gargoyles is a bit on the obscure side of things. I apologize if that comes as an insult. By the standards of a 90's disney cartoon your show is reasnably well rememebered, sure.
But had the fanbase being larger, the comic would've lasted longer I think.
I rather consider this a paradox. A brilliant show with great writting doesn't gett that much attention. Consider for a second how ducktales got a revival, and gargoyles is still waiting despite our best wishes as fans.
I think I found the reason.
Gargoyles lacks escapism.
I'm not saying that's a bad thing. You love your show and just how things are. Nothing wrong with that. I don't want you to change what you love.
Gargoyles are supposed to be feared and disliked as the whole point of them is a statment against prejudice. That's the entire point.
But it does affect their popuilarity.
Say people might want to be like Nightwing or spiderman as teens with incredible lifes. But I think few people would want to be a gargoyle hiding from the world.
People admire Goliath but I don't think anyone (mainly the kids of the audience) would like to be him nor Hudson or Lexington.
X-men has also the prejudiced characters. But there's a line of kids that would love to be like Wolverine or even Mystique.
I think it's safe to say that nobody would like to be in Puck's shoes.
Xanatos, Fox and oberon were probably the closes to escapist characters given their confort. But I think that's a stretch give the gargoyles are the focus.
So my question is what do you think?
Greg responds...
I simply disagree. There's plenty of escapism in Gargoyles. More, I'd argue, than in X-Men. Why would someone want to be Wolverine and not, say, Brooklyn? (I mean from an escapist, point of view.) Is it because Wolverine is a badass? Well, so is Goliath.
Warren writes...
In honor of their upcoming 50th anniversary
Why do you think the Duo of Hawk and Dove have struggled so hard in the Modern incarnations -post 2005, Dawn/Holly and Dawn/Hank Redux- compared to Hank/Don and Hank/Dawn 1.0 which are more fondly remembered?
Greg responds...
I can't answer that, honestly, as I have nearly no familiarity with the more recent versions.
Of course, Don and Hank were designed to be emblematic of the Sixties. And it can be tough to contemporize characters so locked to a specific time period. But I liked the Chaos/Order configuration they eventually laid across the characters. And it seems like a fun way to keep the concept going in theory.
Todd Jensen writes...
I thought you might be amused to learn that not long ago, the Titan Comics "Doctor Who" comics did a story where the Doctor (the Christopher Eccleston version) and his friends were tracking a living gargoyle (actually, a human who was turned permanently into a gargoyle - long story) through the woods at night, and encountered a young woman also searching for the gargoyle, who was wearing a red jacket, black t-shirt, and blue jeans. The jacket had a different design than Elisa's, but the overall look of her outfit was close enough to make me wonder if it was intended as a "Gargoyles" tribute. (Then again, Ellen Yin's similar outfit in "The Batman" turned out to be - apparently - a coincidence.) I hope it was intentional - meaning that someone working on that comic still remembered "Gargoyles" after all these years.
Greg responds...
That'd be nice. Also, the ninth doctor is my favorite.
Mecha Mach writes...
Have you seen the new Ducktales reboot? If so what are your thoughts on it?
Greg responds...
I have not. I hear good things.
unbbc writes...
I checked the archives and I couldn't find this question so,what do you think of new 52 superboy?
Greg responds...
I haven't read it/him.
Matthew writes...
I saw from a recent response that you love Ghost Rider. What do you think about the way the character was handled in the 4th Season of "Marvel's Agents of SHIELD"?
Greg responds...
It's not particularly wise for me to answer this kind of question. I'm trying to work in this industry. But, briefly, the version they created fulfilled a need in that show and looked cool. But it didn't have too much to do with what I view as the classic version of the character. Which is just fine.
Aaron writes...
Would you ever make a scooby-doo show?
Greg responds...
If someone asked me too, sure. I love Scooby.
John Doe writes...
Hey Greg. I have a few questions.
1) I've read somewhere that you stopped reading comics all together in the mid 90s. Not asking why as you've already abetted that but rather did that ever stop. The abstaining from comics that is for lack of a better word. I assume that you've picked up a read a comic every now and then since you quit obviously but was there a time where you went back consistently?
2) How do you determine when you will answer questions. I tend to check this site maybe once a month and sometimes I'll be back and you've answered dozens of questions, a lot of the times in one day. Other times you'll haven't answered a question in weeks. Is it just as simple as whenever you have free time and want to our is there some uniquely complicated schedule that you follow. (The question sounded more silly as I continued.)
3) Do you consider yourself to have a dry sense of humor. I've been told I do and I find some of your replies downright hilarious that to others might seem to come off as blunt. Or on the contrary are you just more of very blunt person.
4) Can you explain the little joke you do every time someone asks you who would win what fight and you reply with that quote about the hulk and the thing.
Greg responds...
1. I started reading comics again when I started working on The Spectacular Spider-Man (around 2007, I think) after about a decade break. By the time Marvel did a soft reboot after Secret Wars in 2015, I was reading nearly everything in their line, in part because I was also writing Starbrand & Nightmask for Marvel. Plus I was reading all their Star Wars Books, in part because I was also writing Star Wars Kanan for Marvel and Lucasfilm. Both those books were cancelled, and Marvel no longer had any work for me. And then the third season of Young Justice began, right about the same time as DC did its own soft reboot with Rebirth. I started reading everything in the DC line at that point, edging out any free time I had for Marvel for the time being. I've continued to read the entire DC line (with very few exceptions) ever since. I'm about three or four months behind in my reading, but I'm still purchasing everything and reading as fast as I can manage.
2. It's just when I have time. Ideally, I try to answer five questions every weekday, but there are some days (many days, really) when even that is impossible. And then there are some (rare) days when I find myself with free time, and I just go to town on the queue.
3. I like to think I have a dry sense of humor. Certainly when I write. My verbal humor may be goofier or more sarcastic or whatever. I may also be blunt. The two things aren't mutually exclusive.
4. I think it's fairly self-explanatory. "Hulk vs. Thing, who would win?" is one of the oldest fan questions in comics. It's all situational, and the question - and those like it (including most hypotheticals) - just doesn't interest me. Fans can decide that sort of thing for themselves. They don't need me to weigh in.
Anonymous writes...
1. Have you watched any of the Arrowverse shows (Arrow, The Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl)?
2. In your opinion, what are the strengths and flaws of each show...?
3. In your opinion, do you think it is better that "Supergirl" be in the same universe as the other three shows or is it better that it stays as its own universe...?
Greg responds...
1. Yes.
2. I'm not playing this game.
3. See answer to #2.
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