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.

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?

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...

Jim writes...

Would you ever like to write for Power Rangers?

Zero writes...

What do you think of Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

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?

Jack Carpenter writes...

Who's your favorite Captain America villain?

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...?

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?

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.

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.

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?

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?

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.

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?

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?

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?

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!

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

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?

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?

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?

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?

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!

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 ?

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?)

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.

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

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!

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.

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?

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?

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.

Mecha Mach writes...

Have you seen the new Ducktales reboot? If so what are your thoughts on it?

unbbc writes...

I checked the archives and I couldn't find this question so,what do you think of new 52 superboy?

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"?

Aaron writes...

Would you ever make a scooby-doo show?

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.

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...?

Marvelman writes...

1) Have you read Marvel's Power Pack by Louise Simonson and June Brigman? What did you think of it?

2) Don't you think someone should make a movie or tv series based on it? To me, it's a no-brainer.

Anonymous writes...

Good day.

1.) In regards to the "4 Robins" question, you forgot Duke Thomas. Biggest one you left out from your list

2.) On top of that, there're also the other Robins who head-lined "We Are Robin": Riko, Dre, Dax, and Izzy. And then there are all the other kids/teens who were apart of that movement, though so far, Duke's the only one who's mentored under Batman (unless Alfred counts in place of Batman; if so, that'd include pretty much everyone).

3.) Is it sometimes hard to think about what you like most about these characters (any, not just Robins specifically)?

Thanks for your time!

Steven writes...

Hi Greg, did you that there was an avengers cartoon titled avengers earths mightiest heroes which was also cancelled after 2 seasons it was great show and if you didn't watch it I highly recommend it. It also featured spider man who was originally voiced by Josh Keaton but then redubbed by drake bell if you would like to hear Josh's voice in that show I would recommend spreading the #joshkeatonisspiderman and #drakebellisnotspiderman

ThatEnglishChap writes...

Hi Greg, I was reading up on Disney's Atlantis and it was said that Mike Mignola had been approached by Disney before about doing a Hellboy animated series, but declined. It was implied that the idea to do the Hellboy series evolved into Gargoyles. I was curious how much of this was true? Thanks!

RexBlazer1 writes...

Hi Greg,

I can't honestly predict when you'll get around to answering this, but it is something that I would like your opinion on. From what I've been informed, a lot of science fiction stories, including that of the anime variety, tend to be rather lacking in optimism, revolving the sense that the future of mankind is either compromised or in jeopardy.

One guy whose show I watch pointed it out, and after doing some reading and viewing myself, I have to say, he's not far off. Interestingly, he set up a graph of sorts, placing science fiction stories according to how rosy each one views the future.

On one end is Star Trek, the optimist; war is abolished, sentient races work together, and the only conflict that pops up is by unknown forces that are encountered through exploration.

On the other end is the Sigourney Weaver "Alien" movies, the pessimist; mankind barely made it out into space, and only by the virtue of corrupt businesses and unethical private military contractors, and where a killer alien attack would be a welcomed reprieve from the daily drudgery under the company's thumb.

In between these two is every science fiction story ever made, with the ones that are smack dab in the middle presenting us with worlds that are too fantastical for the pessimist, but too fraught with danger for the optimist. In other words, not too light and not too dark; middle-ground.

Do you know of any science fiction movies, books, comic books, and/or TV shows that would qualify for the middle ground?

Anonymous writes...

Hi Greg!

I saw that you said you're more familiar with Cassandra Cain now :D Were you able to read her Pre-nu52 run as batgirl ?

FallenLegend writes...

Hey Greg, theres something I would like to ask your opinion about.

You see comics have been notorious for being hard on average people to get into. You should know that your cartoons have been much more influential than whatever it's publised on printed form.

For millions of people when they think Young Justice they think of earth 16 and when they think of spiderman they think of spectacular.

Say Teen Titans Tv show' has Starfire as a cute alien and naive girl wich is among the best female characters ever in my opinion. While on comics she is a dumb bimbo with hardly more personalitybthan a brick

Comics on the other hand are harder to get into and well you might jot agree but the quality is much better in cartoons such as yours. I would rather watch young justice that get into the continuity mess that comics are.

It would seem that every continiuity reboot that tries to make things simpler just makes things worse.

In your experience what would you do to make comics as approachable as tv shows are?

Jake Cannon writes...

Hi Greg,

My name is Jake Cannon and I'm working on an oral history podcast about Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere focusing on One Saturday Morning, using the participants real voices. For the podcast, I've already spoken with Jymn Magon, Bill Kopp, and Tad Stones from Disney Afternoon.

I was wondering if you would be interested in being interviewed since your show is the largest break from the Disney style and universe.

I could do a quick skype or phone interview if you're available.

Thanks,

Jake Cannon

Other guests interviewed:
Holly Huckins
Denis Hannigan
Mark Mueller
Jim Lang
Barry Blumberg
Tom Snyder
Jeff Pescetto
Dave Robb
Phil Walsh

Jack Carpenter writes...

What is your favorite animated series that you haven't worked on?

And why?

giorno writes...

hey greg do you watch anime if not try watching jojo bizarre adventure or read the manga its a really good anime

Jack Carpenter writes...

1) So aside from Spider-Man and Young Justice, are there any other comic properties you'd love to adapt?

2) Which one would you like to have the chance to do most?