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Todd Jensen writes...

I decided to reread "Clan-Building" as well, after rewatching the first two seasons of "Gargoyles" on DVD, starting with Chapters One and Two ("The Journey)).

The "hunting" analogy continues even past "Hunter's Moon" with Vinnie stating that he hunted a gargoyle down, and Castaway mentioning it (both specifically use the word "hunted").

In my "review comments" on "Hunter's Moon", I noted how it ended, in its final scene at the castle, on what went well for the gargoyles (they're back in the castle, they've made peace with Xanatos, etc.), with their being revealed to the public not mentioned. "The Journey" opens with it being made clear that their problems aren't that over after all, with the public's alarm, the foundation of the Quarrymen, and even Brooklyn raising the question of whether Xanatos really has changed that much. I think his sardonic "Welcome home" establishes the "It's not so happily ever after, after all" tone - in contrast to the way Elisa said "Welcome home" at the very end of "Hunter's Moon".

Greg responds...

It was nice to finally be able to do my version of "The Journey" - as opposed to the reedited piece that was used in The Goliath Chronicles.

Response recorded on August 17, 2021

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Sasha writes...

Hello Greg,

It is with great pleasure that I see Gargoyles is now available to binge on Disney+. With that in mind, I wanted to ask a question concerning the Goliath Chronicles. I know that, with the exception of Episode 1, the Chronicles season is not canon. I'm also aware that, in your comics, you made a nod to one of the Chronicles episodes, where Jeffrey Robbins discovers that Hudson is a gargoyle. At the time you said that you echoed this interaction from the series an a nod to the creators for "getting it right."

My question is this: Apart from "The Journey" and "The Dying Light," (featuring Hudson and Jeffrey Robbins,) are there any Goliath Chronicles episodes that you recommend watching? Do you have any particular opinions on the Chronicles season, as it is displayed on Disney+ alongside the first two canon seasons of Gargoyles? And, in supporting Gargoyles as a whole, should fans watch the Goliath Chronicles as well as the other two seasons?

It is a real joy to see the excitement that has resurged around the series. I hope that it does finally get the renewal it so fiercely deserves!

Thank you for reading my question.
Wishing you all the best,
Sasha

Greg responds...

Hi Sasha,

I don't really recommend any episodes of The Goliath Chronicles, per say, including "The Journey". Think of the comics as my personal official third season, and my adaptation there of "The Journey" as my official version of that story.

I think it's okay to watch Chronicles on Disney+ or NOT watch 'em. Whichever you prefer. I'm just hoping that, at minimum, folks keep binging the first two seasons over and over. #KeepBingingGargoyle.

Response recorded on August 16, 2021

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Zachary Parrish writes...

Just learned about the proposed spin-offs after all these years, and I ask:

Dude?! Seriously, why was 2198 never picked up?

That spin-off would've been awesome. I'm truly upset Disney or any other company overlooked such an amazing idea.

Greg responds...

No other company except Disney could have picked it up. And for a couple decades after Goliath Chronicles basically bombed, no one at Disney was interested in Gargoyles.

Response recorded on August 13, 2021

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Mike writes...

If you had a chance to do another season of Gargoyles (and hopefully you will for Disney+ at some point), but Disney stipulated you had to keep season 3 in continuity, would you still return?

Greg responds...

Yep. I'd find work arounds.

Response recorded on August 12, 2021

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Drew writes...

Hello, I have a "Goliath Chronicles" question. I know you're not fond of them, but this has been bugging me for quite a while now.
Why did the higher ups at Disney feel the need to just fire everyone who had been working on the show up to that point when it went Network? I can understand they needed you guys to tone it down because Network shows have tighter constraints than Syndication, but I don't see what they had to gain by ditching a preexisting crew and then having to go to the trouble of hiring a whole new one.
Were you ever given so much as an excuse for that by them?

Greg responds...

That's not really how it happened. The crew was already laid off because no one knew we were going to continue after Season Two.

Then both Frank Paur and Michael Reaves announced that they were leaving to go to Dreamworks.

I was offered the opportunity to work on what became Goliath Chronicles, but they wanted me to take a demotion from Producer to Story Editor. They gave me an impossible schedule, and they told me that Pre-Production was moving (for largely budgetary reasons) from Walt Disney Television Animation to DIC. They were, I think, so sure that I was going to pass on that offer, that they hired my replacement before I had time to give my answer. So I passed.

Later, the show wound up being pre-produced at Nelvana rather than DIC, but it still felt like a step down.

Response recorded on August 12, 2021

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Bronson Baer writes...

Mr. Greg, even though the Goliath Chronicle episodes wasn't your idea, do you still support them? They're very believable even so.

Greg responds...

No. I think nearly every character behaves way out of character. And I don't like most of the story ideas, some of which don't fit our plans for the series. I don't consider them canon.

Response recorded on December 18, 2017

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Ashlee writes...

Hello there~
First of all, I just recently re-discovered Gargoyles. I watched some episodes as a kid, but after rewatching the whole series again (minus TGC because I can't find that ANYWHERE), I only now as a 21 year old understand how fantastic that show really was. I'm only sad I'm just now finding this out, just to see that it was cancelled for various reasons.

However, I still want to support this series as much as I can. I just bought the 2nd part of season 2 from Walmart (was very shocked to see that in the Disney section!), and I've recently discovered you made a comic series that takes place after the end of season 2. I want to read this so bad, but this is such an old series now that any trace of scans are all gone due to the sites being dead. And unless I used my credit, I couldn't even afford the comics because Clan Building 1 alone goes for almost $200 now...

Sorry for the splurge of info, but I would like to know if you know of another way I can read these comics? I know I'll buy them someday, but for now I just want to read them - I'm really interested in it!

Anyway, hope life's going well, and would love to see a Gathering maybe in Wisconsin sometime! ^^

Greg responds...

I can't recommend Goliath Chronicles. We don't consider it canon.

As for the comics, I don't have a good answer for you now. They're just flat-out out of print. We're trying to rectify it, but unless you want to spend bucks on used copies - or can borrow 'em from a friend, you're just out of luck for the time being. That does NOT make me happy, as I want fans to be able to read them. But there's not much I can do about it now.

We don't really do Gatherings anymore. But I was in Madison for a convention last summer. Were you there?

Response recorded on April 06, 2016


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My Long Beach Comic Con Schedule

Stop #6 on the Gargoyles Twentieth Anniversary Tour is LONG BEACH COMIC CON: http://longbeachcomiccon.com/

The full schedule can be found here: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=55700

But here's MY schedule. I'll only be there the one day - Saturday, September 27, 2014 - but as you can see, I'm certainly keeping busy, with five panels and three signings!

LONG BEACH COMIC CON
Saturday, September 27, 2014

11:30am - 12:20pm - Room 102B/C
GARGOYLES TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY
Moderator: Greg Weisman (Creator, Producer, Writer)
1. Thom Adcox-Hernandez (Voice of Lexington, Brentwood)
2. Vic Cook (Storyboard Artist)
3. Elisa Gabrielli (Voice of Obsidiana & Maria Chavez)
4. Frank Paur (Producer, Director)
5. Dave Schwartz (Development Art Director)

12:30pm - 01:30pm - Signing Area
GARGOYLES SIGNING
I won't be attending this signing (because I have to rush off to another panel), but the rest of the Gargoyles panelists will probably be there.

12:30pm - 01:50pm - Hero Complex Theater, Room 104A
WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION PRESENTS YOUNG JUSTICE
Moderator: Jevon Phillips (Los Angeles Times)
1. Phil Bourassa (Emmy Winning Character Designer)
2. Cameron Bowen (Voice of Robin/Tim Drake)
3. Kris Carter (Composer)
4. Nicole Dubuc (Writer, Voice of Iris West-Allen)
5. Oded Fehr (Voice of Ra's al Ghul)
6. Kevin Grevioux (Voice of Black Beetle)
7. Kevin Hopps (Writer)
8. Bryton James (Voice of Virgil Hawkins/Static)
9. Josh Keaton (Voice of Black Spider)
10. Curtis Koller (Talent Coordinator)
11. Eric Lopez (Voice of Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes, Scarab)
12. Michael McCuistion (Composer)
13. Jay Oliva (Director)
14. Mark Rolston (Voice of Lex Luthor, Jonathan Kent)
15. Jason Spisak (Voice of Kid Flash/Wally West)
16. James Arnold Taylor (Voice of Flash, Neutron, Topo, Burton Thompson)
17. Brandon Vietti (Producer, Writer)
18. Greg Weisman (Producer, Writer, Voice of Lucas Carr)
19. David Wilcox (Line Producer)

02:00pm - 03:00pm - Signing Area
YOUNG JUSTICE SIGNING
I plan on being here for only the first twenty minutes or so - before I have to run off to yet another panel. But for as long as I can stay, I will sign for free, anything you put in front of me. I will also be signing and selling copies of my animation teleplays for $20 cash. Among the series you'll have to choose from are Gargoyles, Men In Black, Team Atlantis, W.I.T.C.H., The Batman, The Spectacular Spider-Man, DC Showcase/Green Arrow, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Young Justice, Beware the Batman and two radio-plays: The Spectacular Spider-Man Meets Gargoyles and Gargoyles Meets The Spectacular Spider-Man Meets Young Justice. All while supplies last, and for as long as I can stay. So show up promptly at 2pm.

02:30pm - 03:20pm - Room 102B/C
THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN
Moderator: Greg Weisman (Supervising Producer, Writer, Voice of Donald Menken)
1. Kevin Altieri (Director)
2. Kris Carter (Composer)
3. Victor Cook (Supervising Producer, Supervising Director)
4. Nicole Dubuc (Writer)
5. Elisa Gabrielli (Voice of Ashley Kafka)
6. Sean "Cheeks" Galloway (Lead Character Designer)
7. Kevin Hopps (Writer)
8. Josh Keaton (Voice of Peter Parker/The Spectacular Spider-Man)
9. Andrew Kishino (Voice of Kenny Kong, Ned Lee)
10. Phil LaMarr (Voice of Fancy Dan/Ricochet, Joe "Robbie" Robertson, Rand Robertson, Homunculus)
11. Joshua LeBar (Voice of Flash Thompson)
12. Eric Lopez (Voice of Mark Allen/Molten Man)
13. Michael McCuistion (Composer)
14. Daran Norris (Voice of J. Jonah Jameson, John Jameson/Colonel Jupiter)
15. Deborah Strang (Voice of Aunt May Parker)
16. James Arnold Taylor (Voice of Harry Osborn, Frederick Foswell/Patch, Alan O'Neil, Homunculus)
17. Wade Wisinski (Line Producer)

03:30pm - 04:20pm - Room 102B/C
DISNEY AFTERNOON: THE CONTINUING LEGACY
Moderator: Aaron Sparrow (Writer of Darkwing Duck: The Duck Knight Returns)
1. Jim Cummings (Voice of Darkwing Duck, Bonkers, etc.)
2. Jymn Magon (Creator/Producer Talespin)
3. Greg Weisman (Creator/Producer Gargoyles)
4. Mark Zaslove (Story Editor/Producer Talespin)

04:00pm - 05:00pm - Signing Area
SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN SIGNING
I'll have to miss this one too, as I'll be in the Disney Afternoon Panel, followed by the Disney Afternoon signing.

04:30pm - 05:20pm - Disney Afternoon Reunion Booth/Signing Area
DISNEY AFTERNOON SIGNING
I'll be at this one for the entire signing. Again, I'll sign anything you bring along for free. And I'll also be signing and selling my teleplays.

05:30pm - 06:20pm - Room 102B/C
RAIN OF THE GHOSTS
Greg Weisman (Author)

06:30pm - 7:30pm - Booth 104 on Show Floor
MYSTERIOUS GALAXY SIGNING
I'll be selling and signing copies of my two novels, RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM.

(Whew!)


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Juan Gonzalez writes...

Hello Greg,

I just rewatched the shows of gargoyles and read the comics. First my hat goes off to you on the excellent universe you created. I also read the comics before watching season 3 since I know its not canonical, and I couldnt help but notice that the way you finished the comics and how season 3 is structured you could almost take the shows of said season as stories that could have easily taken place after the end of the clan building arc. Itried to view them as such and think that (looking over some slight differences in caracter developments) they make a decent ending until you can once again retake work on Gargoyles.

Did you structure it this way when you closed the Comics? If so diddo. Hope you are able to retake work on Gargoyles in the future, it is definately a very rich world that deserves to continue.

Once again thank you for your great work and I was and continue to be an avid fan of Gargoyles.

Greg responds...

Nope.

Response recorded on July 10, 2013

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Brian Bartoccini writes...

Hello Mr. Weisman it is me again; I forgot to ask you an other question: will be a special edition of the goliath chronicles with the supervision of you and your colleagues(Frank Paur, Michael Riveas and the japanese film producers)? maybe with the episodes that you've wrote in the comic books(Clan Building volume 1 and the others)?I saw the Goliath chronicles on youtube and it disappointed me.
Hey when you have time why don't you see on youtube the italian episodes of the Gargoyles, the voices are pretty beautiful, Goliath is voiced by Alessandro Rossi.

Greg responds...

I'm not exactly sure what you're asking, Brian. Frank and Michael didn't work on Goliath Chronicles at all. Neither did Walt Disney Television Animation Japan. And I barely worked on any of it beyond the first episode. If this is a DVD question, than I doubt they'll be releasing Goliath Chronicles on DVD. Certainly not while Season Two isn't fully released.

Response recorded on August 31, 2010

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Kaveh writes...

I've watched season 3 of Gargoyles and I thought it was pretty bad. The quality of the season went down with each episode. I was wondering what are your thoughts on season 3 and why didn't you continue working on the show?

Greg responds...

I've answered this many times before. Please check the Ask Greg Archives under "Goliath Chronicles".

Response recorded on June 28, 2010

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Big Boy writes...

Have you watched The Goliath Chronicles (season 3 Gargoyles)? If yes, what did you think of it?

P.S. The Manhattan Clan is the best super hero TEAM ever made. It's better than the Justice League, better than Teen Titans, better than the Avengers, better than the Autobots, better than the ninja turtles, BETTER THAN ANY SUPERHERO TEAM EVER!!!! Also, your version of Spider-Man is the best super hero ever!!!

Greg responds...

Check the archives for the answer to your question.

Thanks for your kind words.

Response recorded on October 13, 2009

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David writes...

when do you think the will put the second part of season two on dvd & will they be puting the goliath chronicles on dvd too? also do you think you will be making more episodes os spin off of the series?

Greg responds...

The "more episodes" exist in comic book form. Check 'em out. And Disney currently has no plans to put out more DVDs. See the archives for more info.

Response recorded on September 17, 2009

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Thorgrimur writes...

I know you weren't involved in the Goliath Chronicles and I do not wish to annoy you with questions from there that you couldn't possibly answer, but... in the episode Genesis Undone, Sevarius mentions having the middle name "Bartholomew". Do you consider this to be actually a part of his name?

Greg responds...

Not particularly. But I don't object to it either.

Response recorded on April 09, 2009

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Nina writes...

Hello Greg,
First of all, thank you for such an intelligent, brilliantly-written series.
Secondly, I have a question regarding Broadway and Angela's kiss in The Journey. I'm sorry if this has been answered before, but I don't recall finding anything related to it in the archives.
Anyway.
You've stated (I believe in the DVD commentary) that gargoyles don't kiss to show affection, but rather wrap their wings around each other and stroke each other's hair. So why do Broadway and Angela kiss? I've had a number of theories, myself:
1. being younger, Broadway and Angela (especially Angela) have been heavily influenced by the tendencies of humans, ie. ways of displaying affection. I mean, Angela must have seen Tom macking on Katherine a few times back on Avalon, right? Not to mention the fact that the eggs were raised in an unconventional (human) way.
2. To show the pair actally kissing would have truly established them as a solid couple in the minds of viewers. It's also a lot more heart-wrenching to see them kiss with Brooklyn watching them.
3. It WAS The Goliath Chronicles, and the writers weren't aware of all the nuances in the world of the gargoyles.

Well, I've probably gone and answered my question, in there. But thanks for taking the time to read through this, anyway!
You and Gargoyles truly are the bees' knees.

Greg responds...

We're stuck with 1 & 2, since I was the writer of "The Journey".

Response recorded on June 10, 2008

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Matthew writes...

When is season 3 of Gargoyles going to be available on DVD?

Greg responds...

I give up. When?

Response recorded on April 02, 2008

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Matthew writes...

Greg, why is it that you and many others feel that the final season of gargoyles was terrible? I liked it just as much as the prior seasons and I know it doesnt have as much intellect as seasons 1 and 2 but I still felt that, that season was just as good.

I dont know if this second question has been answered yet but will there be more gargoyle comics? I just received one and two and plan on getting the rest soon. Also why do comics one and two seem to be exactly like the episodes following the end of season 2?

Greg responds...

This has been answered, copiously, elsewhere in the ASK GREG archives. Feel free to search there for a more complete response.

But in short...

You are WELCOME to enjoy the Goliath Chronicles, but don't expect me to do the same. I feel like many characters behaved out-of-characters, and in general, I felt the quality level of the third season wasn't up to the level of the first two. But to each his or her own.

As for the first two episodes of the comic, I felt I needed to use my script of "The Journey", which was altered considerably for "Goliath Chronicles" in order to introduce MY version of the third season.

Response recorded on February 06, 2008

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Anonymous writes...

Is there anymore episodes after "Angels in the Night"? I really hope so.

Greg responds...

Yep. They're called "Gargoyles: The Comic Book" Pick up an issue... PLEASE!!!!

Response recorded on January 30, 2008

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Todd Jensen writes...

You've mentioned that many of the Goliath Chronicles stories were based on stories that you'd planned to do for Season Three, but which the new production team drastically altered (so that "Runaways" was based on Brooklyn's Timedancer story, and "Ransom" on the multiple tricksters and Alex story). Was "Genesis Undone" (the story about Thailog and the Clones dying) similarly based on the Double Date story that we got to see at last in #3 - #5? Both involved Thailog, the Clones, and Sevarius - and both had Sevarius obtaining the DNA of Goliath's clan for his experiments.

Greg responds...

I honestly don't remember. Sorry.

Response recorded on January 30, 2008

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Benji writes...

Hi Greg, I've written to you a couple of times, you've always given me great answers on things, there was something I was just thinking about today that I was wondering about? You were the creator of Gargoyles, so I was just wondering how did you come up with the idea of the series? I think the plot lines for the series were often better than that of a Disney film that made it to Theater's. I just think it was a cool idea, and I really like good writing. If you can show me a good story you'll have my respect, and you Greg most definitely have my respect, not that you'd care,hahahah just saying. What episodes did you write?? I know there were some you wrote that were awesome!! I never really heard the story on what happened to Gargoyles in Season 3?? Howcome it was changed from Gargoyles, to Gargoyles The Goliath Chronicles? I know you worked on The Journey, (which is the best episode of that Season by the way) but there was a different crew working on the rest of the season. And a lot of fans hated it, and that's what ultiumately killed the series aside from the comics. I don't think it was as bad as a lot of people make it out to be, but I do agree that was the weakest season, and the show was better with you in the picture. What happened that made you leave??

Greg responds...

Uh... Benji, I'm going to refer you to the ASK GREG FAQ and Archives. 95% of your questions can be answered there quickly.

Though I did a lot of plotting, editing and some rewriting, the only episode that I personally wrote was "The Journey".

Response recorded on January 22, 2008

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Lenny writes...

Hey Greg, I always wanted to know did the plan to have Gargoyles The Goliath Chronicles continue a second season? or was it just ment to last 1 season? i always considered it the 3rd season so i guess if it had gone on it would of been season 4 ect..

Greg responds...

I don't think the ratings on Goliath Chronicles were ever good enough to consider an additional season.

Response recorded on January 22, 2008

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Todd Jensen writes...

I know that you're not that fond of questions involving "The Goliath Chronicles", but this is something that I thought I should mention here anyway.

One of the episodes of "The Goliath Chronicles" (it was the one involving Taurus and Proteus in New York) has gained particular notoriety among "Gargoyles" fans because the animators somehow made Elisa resemble Jasmine from "Aladdin". As a result, I found it amusing when, in #4 of the new comic, you had Elisa going to the masquerade party as Jasmine.

Given your past comments on the Goliath Chronicles and how you don't even remember them that clearly, I doubt that you deliberately intended that as an in-joke; also, it makes sense that Elisa would choose that costume because in the previous Halloween party in "Gargoyles", she'd gone as another Disney heroine (Belle from "Beauty and the Beast"). But I still thought that I should mention the additional level of meaning that I'd gotten out of her costume choice to you.

Greg responds...

All things are true.

Response recorded on June 29, 2007

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Dustin writes...

Hey Greg
I have really been enjoying the comic and am very impressed with how you have stuck with the Gargoyles and also the fans all this time. I recently got a dvr and have been enjoying episodes I never saw from the latter part of season 2 (what isn't out on DVD) on toon Disney. You probably know this by now but they do air Lethal Force these days. I have also caught a couple episodes of The Goliath Chronicles (The Journey, Runaways, and the last episode), but not enough to form a real opinion on the overall quality. It seems to me though that animation as a medium gets a lot more viewers than comics attracts readers so I guess it feels sort of odd to discount those episodes when more people will watch those than read the comics I am guessing. I mean I am not saying you have to pick up where they left off, but it is sort of like in other comics continuity, you can ignore events without contradicting them. They are your creation and I trust your judgement, it just goes against my geeky continuity obsessed mind. It also makes me wonder what people who actually worked on that season think of the negativity surrounding their work. Maybe it was just a pay check to them, but maybe they actually did try to do right by what you had set up. They were also probably under more pressure with BS+P that year which may have affected what they could do. It also seems like it puts you at risk of burning certain bridges, but I do not know about animation so maybe it is a big enough world where it doesn't matter too much to express opinions like that. Alright questions.
1) I couldn't find it anywhere in the archive and maybe its none of my business but since you clearly love the universe you created so much, why did you leave Disney in the 1st place assuming you could have stayed and run season 3 the way you had wanted?

Well I guess thats all I have for questions. No further questions. Other things....you mentioned #6 is a stand alone issue, which sounds like a great idea to me. Comics is different medium than animation/television. Sometimes storytelling has to be compressed a bit. If each 3 issues=1 episode that is like $10 bucks an episode (that is like 3-4 episodes for the price of the entire Sedason 2 Vol.1 DVD, not that its not worth it ). There are a lot of great comics that tell complete stories in one issue. Especially with a bi-monthly schedule it is nice when each issue packs a lot of story (not at the sacrifice of character or pace or anything). I also sort of dislike the decision to use to 1st 2 issues to retell a story that has already been in the series. I understand why it was probably a necessary evil for bringing back a 10 year old world, but it just feels like it had the potential to kill the excitment and momentum of a new series for the loyal fans who will be the primary audience of the series most likely. And I thought if you were doing it anyway it would have been nice to have Vinnie decide not to go to Japan in the end since there is all this talk of him being your surrogate and now you are back with the characters. Seems like a missed opportunity for a nice little wink towards the die hard fans. Maybe you have plans for him in Japan? I am looking forward to having a consistent artist in the upcoming issues. Fill-ins really do have a negative effect on a series in my mind, but weighed against huge delays I suppose they are a better option in this case. Overall I am very excited to have new Gargoyles stories around and I hope the run ends up being very successful because I feel like once you guys get into the groove, it could end up being pretty fantastic and I would hate to see it get cancelled before you even really get into it. And at the end of an arc if time is an issue it seems like it would be pretty easy to skip ahead a few years to catch us up to the present. I personally do not mind it being set in the 90's and I think just not mentioning the year works just fine for casual readers and the loyal fanbase. I guess skipping ahead might ruin your whole timeline you have mapped out as well. I sort of wish a bigger publisher had teamed up with Disney because the issues seem to get shoved in the independent and or kids sections in some shops, when they would probably do much better just mixed in on the shelf with all the other titles.

How about a Northwest Gathering. Portland, Seattle? Maybe even somewhere in Montana.

I think your post about "second base" was probably one of the most entertaining read on this whole page. If you want an example of tv broaching the topic the OC comes to mind 1st when Seth has a hilariously awkward conversation with his father about "preheating the oven".

And you are one episode away from finishing your ramblings on your seasons of the series. Let's get that done. I really enjoy the commentary like feel to those. It might even be interesting to do The Goliath Chronicles to hear what you had to say about those, or at least The Journey.

Well thanks a lot for sticking with these characters and indulging the fans. I was planning just write something as a letter to the comic but my thoughts kind of spilled over into all things Gargoyle. Sorry to go on so long. Hope I didn't come off really critical, the show has been one of my favorites since I was a kid and one of the few shows from then that still holds up to regular viewings. Thanks for your time.
The letters page is called written in stone right? I do not have an issue with me, but if its not it should be. How is that for a ramble...
Dustin

Greg responds...

Friends of mine worked on Goliath Chronicles. Including Cary Bates, one of my best friends. I know -- and have ALWAYS said -- that they were working very hard under nearly impossible constraints. They did not have the time to LEARN the show; they just had to hit the ground running -- and running very fast. In addition, TPTB changed nearly the ENTIRE crew. So there was nobody around -- or nearly nobody -- in any kind of position of authority to provide any continuity (to the production, let alone to the storyline). I have great sympathy for the people involved... but it just doesn't change how personally painful it was for me to watch those episodes. You're right of course, that the worst rated episode of Goliath Chronicles has been seen by WAY, WAY, WAY more people than have read all the issues of the comic book put together. But at the end of the day, I'm the goofball who has to write the darn thing. And it just would have been too painful to have to include Goliath Chronicles in the continuity. And simply ignoring it wouldn't work, as I think is obvious from issues 3 & 4. Think about it. No clones. No THAILOG?!! Sorry, couldn't do it.

1. This has been answered elsewhere in greater detail, but suffice it to say, I was being pushed out the door and back then -- as much as I appreciated what a unique and great thing Gargoyles was -- I didn't appreciate it enough, and allowed myself to be pushed. I could see the writing on the wall that resources would have been reduced on the show, and didn't want to preside over its demise. I myself was offered a demotion from Supervising Producer to Story Editor. And even before I said yes or no, my replacement was hired. Having said all that, I should have fought to stay. Really. It is the single biggest professional regret of my career. But BIG PICTURE, I can't regret it, because a million things effect each other, and my son was born (specific egg/specific sperm) while I was at DreamWorks. So it's really not even a contest, from a LIFE standpoint.

As for Vinnie, don't overplay the surrogate thing. Vinnie has a life of his own and a destiny to fulfill and if I didn't send him to Japan it would screw up all sorts of future plans. I am also not going to continue to defend my reasons for starting off the comic as I did. I've stated my case. You buy it or you don't.

If you want a Gathering in any specific area, put together a group of fans and submit a bid. It's not a magic process, but it is a lot of hard work.

And the letters page is called "Etched in Stone".

Response recorded on June 13, 2007

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Cole writes...

I recently watched "Goliath Chronicles" episode "Journey" and found it interesting that there were female quarrymen. I felt having the female quarrymen was a good idea and kind of original. I was curious if the later season three episodes featured any female quarrymen, or female voices for quarrymen?

Greg responds...

I don't recall what they did after "The Journey" in the Goliath Chronicles on this issue. It's been over ten years since I last saw any of those episodes. In the comics, there are definitely male and female Quarrymen.

Response recorded on June 01, 2007

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Cori writes...

Hi!

Well, first of all, like everyone else here I loved the series (even though I started watching it many many years after it ended, xD).

But I have a small question. Why is "Seeing Isn't Believing" animated differently? It seams like a compleatly different style then all the other episodes.

Just wondering. :)

An Ask Greg Helper responds...

Greg Weisman says:

I don't know why.

Response recorded on March 09, 2007

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Bobby writes...

I was wondering if there was a place where I could find a bunch of quote that Goliath says later in the series during, The Goliath Chronicles. I love reading good quotes, and I remember this show having good ones. Thanks.

Greg responds...

You have a better memory than I, then. No, I'm afraid I don't have any info on Goliath Chronicles.

Response recorded on October 09, 2006

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Secret_Agent_Gerbil writes...

Is your timeline (you did once say you had some sorda timeline correct?) based on the fact that TGC isn't canon? How much would the timeline change if you had to consider TGc part of the storyline?

Greg responds...

The timeline wouldn't change, it would just add more events and material. But this is a pretty pointless hypothetical if ever there was one.

Response recorded on December 05, 2005

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Bass mexican guy(also my friends call me brooklyn ^^) writes...

hey, it's me again, the mexican guy, I wana know if they're going to bring the DVDs to Mexico too, cause they're a lot of fans too, but I didn't told that are going to be in DVD cause I don't know if it's going to come here too.
By the way, Who made the goliath chronicles? sorry, but a lot of them suck, I only like "The journey" and "runaways", but the others, I hate it, and, if it's not going to be in mexico, it's right if I search for the episodes in the internet? or it is illegal? cause in mexico I can't find some channel or videos(at least in VHS "piratas"(illegal copy)) cause in Disney Channel Mexico it doesn't appear, thanks to read all this thing(todo este rollo) I hope you can respond me this

Greg responds...

I don't know what the international gameplan (Mexico included) was or is. Sorry.

Goliath Chronicles was produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, but with the exception of the voice cast, nearly the entire crew was replaced. The new crew had very little time even to familiarize themselves with the existing series.

Response recorded on November 11, 2005

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proteus . writes...

How did proteus escape from new olympus - in seeing isn't believing .
How did proteus kill taurus's father , where , and when .

Greg responds...

I've only seen that episode of Goliath Chronicles once. And I have very little memory of it. I don't personally consider it canon.

As for how, where and when he killed Taurus' father, that's an entire story... for another day.

Response recorded on September 20, 2005

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Aves writes...

Considering that, since "The Journey," nothing horribly important happened in the rest of the series - except possibly the finale, and the death of all the clones (which, in the way it was done, would be relatively easy to get around) - if (various Gods willing) you did manage to resurrect the series or found a spin-off, would you pretend that the Goliath Chronicles never happened? Or would you make alterations to your Master Plan to allow for the events of the series? Or have you not decided/thought about it?

Greg responds...

I've thought about it a lot -- and gone back and forth a lot...

The current plan (which I hope to do in the new comic book series from Slave Labor Graphics and Creature Comics.Com) is very... nuancy.

I don't plan on denying the Chronicles, but I do plan on ignoring them. Eh, we'll see how it works...

Response recorded on June 27, 2005

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Karc writes...

First off, thank you and the staff of Gargoyles for giving us such a great series. I have a few questions about The Goliath Chronicles though, as I never got a good understanding of its production. Why was it distinctly different than the first two season of Gargoyles? Was there some sort of new direction that Disney decided to take with the series, or was this the sole discretion of the creators? Actually, I was also wondering how much creative freedom you really had on the first two seasons. My only guess has to do with syndication vs. network standards, but I think I'm way off. Help, I'm confused. Thanks.

Greg responds...

You're not way off. We had considerable freedom the first two years, and one of the main reasons was because we were a syndicated series.

The third year - The Goliath Chronicles - was network and had much tougher standard & practices rules. But the main reason that the third season was different was because they replaced nearly the entire crew, including all the producers and story editors.

Response recorded on April 27, 2005

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Babs writes...

hallo again,
In episode " seeing is'nt believeing, Elisa doesnt call Goliath by his name when he is human, was that done on purpose so it gave us a more understanding that he was human ( because no in thier right mind would name thier child that) or was it just left out for another reason and if so , what was it.
danke for answering,
Gargoyles Forever !
(man work is boring)

Greg responds...

I had nothing to do with the production of that episode. I've only ever seen it once. I have no idea what their intent was.

Response recorded on July 01, 2004

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Sata writes...

it seems to me there is a difference from season 3 Seeing Isn"t Bleaving maby more shadowing do you notice any difference?

Greg responds...

What's with all these "Seeing isn't Believing" questions recently? Is this one person posting under many names?

Anyway, I've seen this (and all non-Journey Chronicles episodes) exactly once, way back in '96/'97.

I remember there was one that was sort of Aladdinesque in its animation, but I'm not even sure which ep that was. And I don't know why.

Response recorded on June 21, 2004

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roxanne writes...

last night I whached the episode "seeing isn't believing". I think it's the second to last episode in The Goliath Chronicals. Anyway, the animation style was really really weird, I wondering if you happened to know what that was about.

Greg responds...

No.

Response recorded on June 21, 2004

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Forliya writes...

hey,Um, I'm wondering if you could tell me how many gargoyal
cronicals are thear? because I'm embarresed to say that I'm in love with goliath. I know its stupid but I cant help it.Oh by the way can you tell me who dose the voice of goliath ? because it goes by so fast on the credits I cant read it on the screan!

Greg responds...

We made 65 episodes of "Gargoyles" over two seasons.

They made a third season, 13 episodes, called "Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles". I wrote the first of those 13, but had no real involvement beyond that script.

And the voice of Goliath is the amazing Keith David.

Response recorded on June 21, 2004

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Babs writes...

In the Episode Seeing isn't believeing I noticed that the drawings were different, which to say the truth I was thinking about how different they looked during the whole show which made it hard to pay attention to what was going on. I was wondering what happened to the orginal drawers, and why was the drawings of everyone different ?
Gargoyles Forever!

Greg responds...

Except for "The Journey", I've only seen each episode of "The Goliath Chronicles" once (back in 1996/97). Frankly, I can't even remember which episode you're referring to.

I do recall that one of the episodes looked like it was an episode of Aladdin.

In any case, I had nothing to do with the production of those episodes. Couldn't tell you why it looks the way it does. Sorry.

Response recorded on June 10, 2004

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Erin writes...

Have you made any progress on getting the new gargoyles series up and running? If so then when can we expect it? Also, if this series does get going, will you disregard what happened to the characters in the goliath chronicles?

Greg responds...

No real progress, no. Though I think some positive steps include (1) the fact that they're now airing reruns in the Jetix block on ABC Family and (2) the coming release of the DVD.

As to your second question, I've answered it many, many times before. It will depend on the situation of our pick-up.

Response recorded on May 04, 2004

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Jumping sharks...

My brother e-mailed me this link:

http://www.jumptheshark.com/g/gargoyles.htm

so I decided to check it out for myself. Might do a couple rambles on the commentary there, but today let's just look at the vote tally as to when people think the series "Jumped the Shark" (i.e. started to suck)...

Network Switch (SYN to ABC) - 8 votes
Never Jumped - 7
The third season - 3
The Goliath Chronicles - 2
They found the Island of Gargoyles - 1
Time Slot (They moved it to the morning) - 1
Xanatos repents - 1
Gargoyle of the Week - 1
Thailog - 1

Of course, four of those categories are really one and the same. The "Network Switch (SYN to ABC)" and "Time Slot (They moved it to the morning)" was for "The third season", which was subtitled "The Goliath Chronicles". So if you add up those votes, you get a whopping (if any number out of 25 can be called whopping) 14 out of 25 votes for TGC as our shark jumping moment. Since I have to agree and since another 7 voters (bringing the total up to 21 out of 25) think that the show didn't jump at all, I'm feeling pretty good right about now.

So let me obssess about the remaining four votes.

I'll try to take them in chronological order...

One person thought we jumped the shark by introducing Thailog. I don't know what to say, except that I disagree. I think Thailog was a pretty cool addition to the series. A great villain and a complex character. I'd tend to think that the fanbase would agree.

(I know that at this time the submit function here at ASK GREG has been suspended, but I invite folks at the Station 8 Gargoyles comment room at:

http://s8.org/gargoyles/comment.php

to entertain this topic.)

Another viewer thought we jumped the shark when "They found the Island of Gargoyles", (i.e. Avalon, I assume). Hard to figure exactly what the person didn't like about this. Don't know if it's Avalon itself that bothered the viewer or the addition of more gargs, or Angela or the World Tour that followed. Maybe it got too fantasy. But again, I have no regrets on this score.

Our third rogue shark-sighter cites "Gargoyle of the Week" as our problem. I can only guess that this refers to the World Tour. Of course, we certainly never intro'd anything close to a gargoyle a week. We intro'd four new clans (Avalon, London, Ishimura & Mayan) over twenty-three episodes (which initially aired over something like a six month period). But maybe Gargoyle-A-Month is a more accurate criticism. Did we make a mistake saying that our sextet (plus Demona) weren't the only survivors of the gargoyle race? Maybe. It does remove some drama. But I liked adding hope into the equation for the gargoyle race. And I definitely liked how the World Tour (and not just the new clans, but especially the new clans) widened the scope of our tapestry/series. But many have disagreed.

Finally, our last shark-sighter cites "Xanatos repents". But I'm not sure that Xanatos ever really repented. He called a truce certainly, but not until the fourth to last scene of the last episode of the 2nd season. And I don't think anyone really thinks that we jumped the shark during "Hunter's Moon". So I'm going to be generous to myself and assume that it was how X was handled during TGC that this guy was voting for. (That may include my episode "The Journey", but I'll have to live with that and the notion that if people had been able to see where _I_ would have taken David in subsequent episodes, they might be less inclined to even think he repented, let alone that it caused the series to jump.)

Well, that was fun. I'll try to tackle the commentary tomorrow...


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Arystella writes...

Why was Goliath's human form different when Puck made him human than when Titania made him human?

Greg responds...

I had nothing to do with the Goliath Chronicle episode where Titania made Goliath human. So I can't answer why they changed the model... though I'll question IF they truly changed it.

Aside from clothes and hair-length -- are you sure the model was different? (I've only seen that episode once, eight years ago, so I can't remember.)

Response recorded on February 23, 2004

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Todd Jensen writes...

I know that you don't like answering "Goliath Chronicles"-related questions, but this is something that's been puzzling me for some time, and I was hoping that you might be able to throw some light on the subject.

I was recalling your mention of how the production team for "The Goliath Chronicles" originally wanted to end the series with the clan and Elisa simply running away from New York and scattering, though you fortunately talked them out of it. I'm still grateful that you did so, but what really puzzles me is why they wanted to end it that way in the first place.

Now, a lot of the changes that the production team made do have a certain explicability about them, when you consider that the bulk of them were still new to "Gargoyles" and not very familiar with it (and didn't have enough time to become familiar with it). But that "original ending" didn't. Because, even if I wasn't familiar with the first two seasons, I'd still have considered a bad ending, simply because it had the protagonists just give up and run away instead of persevering. After spending the entire season attempting to make peace with the humans and solve the "racial hatred" problem, they just give up trying and run away in defeat. That would certainly be dramatically unsatisfying, even anticlimactic.

So what I'm wondering is: did the new production team ever tell you why they wanted to end "The Goliath Chronicles" that way, when you found out about their plan? Because that original ending certainly didn't make sense to me.

Greg responds...

I think they simply had a notion to bring the series to a definitive end (without literally killing everyone off). Why they would want to do that, I'm not sure. But that was the sense I had.

Response recorded on February 12, 2004