Young Justice Character Countback

#767. Diabolique

Young Justice Character Countback

#768. Champs Elysees*

*Note: No accents included, as Ask Greg can't seem to handle 'em.

Young Justice Character Countback

#769. Montmartre

Young Justice Character Countback

#770. Montparnasse

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#771. Seine

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#772. Rive Gauche

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#773. Principal Sanchez

Young Justice Character Countback

#774. Sackett

Young Justice Character Countback

#775. Flaming C

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#776. Blue Falcon

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#777. Dyno-Mutt

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#778. Brother Power the Geek

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#779. Flex Mentallo

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#780. Ulthoon

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#781. Bgztlqwar

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#782 Branwilla's Ghost

Time for a Breather

So...

I've been trying to answer at least five questions a day here, every weekday, for quite a few months running. I'm still nowhere near coming close to emptying the queue.

But, as I'm certain some of you have noticed, the questions are, well, starting to grind on me. To get on my nerves. To tick me off.

Sometimes it's folks asking questions that are clearly answered by the material itself. On screen or on the page.

Sometimes it's folks asking for story spoilers, when that's clearly something I'm not going to reveal.

Sometimes it's folks ascribing motives for what I do that they can't possibly know.

Sometimes it's folks demanding that I acknowledge that my show sucks, with intense explanations for why I should do that. I'm okay with people not liking my stuff - wish they did, but you can't please everyone, all the time - but I resent people trying to convince ME that my stuff is bad. Maybe it's all in the phrasing, but it is, frankly, infuriating. Besides, I like my stuff.

Etc.

I don't know if I've just hit a bad batch recently, but I think what's more likely is that I'm just burned out on it. That I'm reading negativity into perfectly innocent or at least neutral questions and statements. It's very possible I'm over-reacting.

Either way, my responses recently have been ire-filled, and I don't like that. It's not what I want ASK GREG to be. It's not, generally, what I think it's been for the last couple decades plus. (Give or take a tirade or smart-ass response, here and there.)

I took a few days off, posting Hercules premises, and thought that might help. And it did, a little. But clearly not enough. So I'm going to take an extensive break.

I'm tempted to close the question asking function for a time. But Young Justice: Targets is still coming out. And the new Gargoyles comic launches in December, and I want folks to be able to respond to those. So I've decided to leave the function alone for now. I realize that means that the backlog is going to continue to grow. But such is life, I guess.

I'm hoping that in a month or two, I'll be ready to come back. But for now, I need a break. Thanks and sorry.

One Last HERCULES springboard

This last HERCULES springboard I can recall must have only been a verbal pitch, as I don't seem to have a document to cut and paste here. So, I don't remember too much about it. But it was a Western pastiche, based on the television series BONANZA, called "Hercules and the Sons of Poseidon".

The idea was to treat Poseidon like he was Lorne Greene/Ben Cartwright.

And he had three sons:

THESEUS (Pernell Roberts/Adam Cartwright)
POLYPHEMOS (Dan Blocker/Hoss Cartwright)
TRITON (Michael Landon/Little Joe Cartwright)

Polyphemos, of course, is the cyclops from the Odyssey. Triton was going to be the youngest brother, but he was going to be the Triton who would someday grow up to become Ariel's father in THE LITTLE MERMAID.

And that's about all I can remember about the idea. Mark and Bob didn't go for it. But somehow, we took Theseus and found our way to making him the Grim Avenger for the one episode I DID end up writing for HERCULES.

Another rejected HERCULES premise...

HERCULES
"Versus the Volcano"
(premise)

THE SET UP
CASSANDRA's twin sister POLLYANDRA is in town for a visit. Polly also has the "sight," but she’s the complete opposite of her sister. Where Cassandra predicts gloom and doom, Pollyandra predicts sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. Her perky personality (she even thinks Icarus is cute) drives Cass up a wall, but everyone else seems to like Polly a lot. Worse yet, they believe her predictions and completely ignore Cassandra's. At the peak of her frustration, Cassandra's struck by a massive vision revealing that the local dormant volcano is about to blow. Everyone turns to Pollyandra. She pauses then cries out: "We’re all getting free food processors!!" The crowd cheers.

THE COMPLICATIONS
HEPHAISTOS, GOD OF THE FORGE, just doesn't get enough respect. So he decides to change his name to VULCAN and become the VOLCANO GOD. Unfortunately, he does this right after Cassandra's prediction. With everyone in full-out scoff mode, no one believes that a guy as creative and productive as Heph-- sorry, as Vulcan, would ever destroy a whole town. Well, Vulcan's gonna prove them wrong once and for all. He blows his stack. HERCULES and PEGASUS have to hustle to contain the boulders and lava that the volcano’s spewing. That leaves Cassandra, Icarus and Pollyandra to deal with Vulcan before his volcano destroys all of Greece.

IN THE END
Cassandra and Pollyandra have to work together to both reach Vulcan and calm him down. Each one learns a bit from the other. Vulcan sees the error of his ways, stops the eruption and helps Herc to contain the damage. In fact, Vulc -- I mean Hephaistos -- feels so guilty he gives everyone a free food processor. The crowd cheers!!

CASSANDRA ISSUE
Some people are glass half-empty types. Some are glass half-full types. It takes all kinds to keep the world spinning.

Hercules Premise

Just as a change of pace, here's a [rejected] premise that I wrote for Disney's HERCULES animated series:

HERCULES
“Clean & Jerk”
(premise)

HERCULES is doing his strongman/hero-in-training thing. He’s showing off a bit for this new girl in town. A very pretty young lady named DELILAH. Delilah seems impressed, and Herc is fairly pleased with himself, until Delilah says, “That was great, Hercules. You’re almost as strong as SAMSON.” In fact, no matter what Hercules does, Delilah continues to damn him with faint praise in comparison to Samson.

Herc’s had all he can take, and we’re off on a road trip to JUDAICA to prove once and for all who’s stronger, Herc or Sam.

Samson, who’s just finished holding off the PHILISTINES with the jawbone of an ass (and there’s a running joke in there somewhere), is a good ol’ boy, happy to oblige in a contest of strength. But the boys are pretty equal, and no clear victor emerges. The contest culminates with a bit of arm wrestling: the combatants wind up holding hands all weekend, uh... that is they’re locked in conflict for three days and three nights. And still, no winner is declared.

Finally, Samson gets word that the Philistines are attacking again. He has to break off the contest to stop them. By this time, Herc is pretty worked up (thanks at least in part to Delilah). He wants to prove once and for all that he’s the top dog. He insists that Samson fight him, really fight him. Samson refuses. He’s a Judge. Not much of a Judge, he’ll admit, but at least he knows enough not to waste time fighting a buddy when there are real enemies to do battle against. He departs. Herc’s fuming, and Delilah gives him a tiny little “nudge.”

Samson prepares to do battle with the Philistines. The guy Sam’s most worried about is this new kid, a nasty punk GIANT named GOLIATH. But Goliath isn’t alone. He’s got a new partner. Hercules.

Herc and Samson fight, but eventually Herc realizes what a jerk he’s become. He switches sides and helps Samson defeat Goliath and the Philistines. In the end, it doesn’t matter who’s stronger, as long as they work together.

Oh, and Delilah, who turns out to be a Philistine herself, gets her comeuppance from Herc. Although as soon as Herc departs, she’s already working on getting back in Samson’s good graces. She particularly admires his gorgeous long hair.

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.

Where to Turn...

This comment, posted on ASK GREG, was brought to my attention today, and I thought I should respond sooner rather than later...

Question received on Wed, February 02, 2022 12:26:33 AM
Anonymous writes...
I'm not really a fan of how you've increasingly used GLAAD and MPAC to shield yourself from criticism from fans. I've seen you use their support to say the criticism isn't a monolith more than once. Yeah of course it's not a monolith, but that doesn't mean the criticism isn't valid. It comes off a little -i can't be racist i have a black friend- Not to mention that these Hollywood institutions are often out of touch with everyday people, so you should listen to your fans as much as you listen to them. And as a cis white straight man, you dont ever have the right to tell someone who is LGBT or a POC that they're wrong. Just log off Twitter and stop responding. People are allowed to have their own opinions.

This is clearly a response to the following Twitter exchange:

Xaar
@Xaar95340771
@Greg_Weisman
Stop misrepresenting Islam and Muslims in your cartoons. The bare minimum is to educate yourself about the topic. Being a Muslim magician is oxymoronic the 2 are not compatible. Performing magic takes one out of Islam. One cannot be both like Khalid claims.
5:56 PM · Jan 28, 2022·Twitter Web App

Greg Weisman
@Greg_Weisman
We ran everything on that episode, which was written by @nidachowdhry and performed by @UsmanAlly, by @SueObeidi and the folks at @mpac_national. And they were happy with it. So perhaps - just perhaps - you should consider that not every Muslim agrees with you.

First off, I agree that people are allowed to have their opinions. I never said otherwise. I NEVER said that Xaar was "wrong". I clearly wrote that perhaps not every Muslim viewer agrees with him, her or them, and I clearly have evidence to back that statement up. Yet, you seem to have no problem mischaracterizing what I wrote. Likewise, you seem to have no problem disrespecting me, and by implication disrespecting the Muslim writer of the episode, disrespecting the Muslim actor who performed the role of Khalid, and disrespecting the Muslim organization that works daily to improve how Muslims are depicted in the media. (And for no particular reason, disrespecting GLAAD while you were at it.)

Meanwhile, as a pragmatic matter, I'm not exactly sure what alternative you're preaching.

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that you are right about MPAC and GLAAD being "Hollywood institutions" that "are often out of touch with everyday people." [And to be clear, I disagree with that statement strongly. I even take some umbrage at the notion that MPAC's Sue Obedi is not "everyday people," or the implication that I'm not.] But again, for the sake of argument, who else should I be consulting when I and the rest of the YJ crew make a concerted effort to accurately and respectfully depict Muslims? The fans? How would that work in advance of us making something for the fans to see. Should I poll a random selection of fans? And would that make everyone happy? As it currently stands, I've received complaints on this point from only two "fans". The relatively anonymous "Xaar" and the completely anonymous you (and that's assuming that you yourself are not Xaar, i.e. that you are not the same person slamming me twice on two separate forums). The dozen or so other comments I've received from self-stated Muslim fans have all been highly positive. So do I need 100% agreement in order to do ANYTHING? Or can I go with the prevailing sentiment expressed by most fans (a.k.a. everyday people), MPAC, the writer and the actor?

See, the thing is I'm not hiding behind MPAC or GLAAD. But I am respecting their opinions - and relating those opinions to you and the rest of the fandom, because I think its pertinent information.

Mostly, as a self-admitted "cis white straight [animist Jewish] man," I'm admitting I'm NOT an expert on being a cis biracial straight Muslim man. So instead, I WENT to experts. That's how this works. And I don't see how else it could work. Or are you suggesting that I should only write about cis white straight [animist Jewish] male characters, and never attempt to add diversity to the projects I work on? Cuz, frankly, that's not going to happen, and I don't really think anyone wants that - unless what they really want is a DIFFERENT "crime" with which to hammer me.

As for logging off Twitter, there are days (like today) when I want nothing more. But (a) I feel the need to promote the projects I've worked on, both for the sake of my own career and for the other people who've worked so hard on those projects, and (b) if, as you say, people are entitled to their opinions, then I figure I'm also entitled to mine. So I'm not going to allow you or anyone like you to chase me off. Certainly not over the sin of YOU misquoting ME.

Young Justice Statistics

Well, as I tweeted today, YOUNG JUSTICE: PHANTOMS is complete, with all 26 episodes in the can. I've also updated all my various reference documents to include everything from Season Four (not to mention Seasons 1-3, our various comic books, the AudioPlay and the video game). And since statistics kinda fascinate me - and since maybe they might fascinate you as well - here are a few.

The Young Justice Timeline is currently 718 pages long. In the past, I've reported that the length of the timeline mysteriously differed between my laptop and my desktop computers, but during the pandemic, my (relatively) ancient desktop finally bit the dust. So now the laptop page count triumphs.

There are 759 characters confirmed - one way or another - to be in the Earth-16 Universe. Some have only been mentioned or referenced briefly. Others, obviously, have had entire arcs dedicated to them. Calling some of them "characters" might also be a bit of a stretch, but I have reasons for including every single one. And - anal individual that I am - I have actually ranked them all in order of their importance to the series. This is something I once did as a hobby for the Buffyverse (which you can find in the ASK GREG archives under the heading of "Buffyverse Geek-Out"), and I've been perfecting my ranking system ever since. The idea is to attempt to make an incredibly subjective thing as objective as possible, based on things like screen time and amount of dialogue and the amount of times other characters reference them, etc. It's still not perfect because I do wind up with point scores, and especially with the lower ranking characters, I wind up with a number of ties. Thus, in order to break any tie, I'm forced to apply more subjective criteria.I was thinking about listing them a few per week, starting with 759 and working my way backwards toward number one. But some of the names haven't been intro'd yet. So it occurs to me that I need to wait until the Phantoms' season finishes airing.

Across four seasons (98 episodes) an AudioPlay and a video game, we've used 128 actors, a phenomenally talented group if ever there was one. Some have only voiced one character. Others have voiced over a dozen. I'm honored to be included among them - even if hiring myself is a rather dubious way to earn this distinction.

There's probably more, but this will do for now.

Just a little peek into my weird brain. Hope you enjoyed it. And I hope you enjoy the show.

RIP Peter Scolari

I only met Peter Scolari on the handful of occasions that he came in to play Preston Vogel for us on Gargoyles. But he was wry and funny and thoroughly professional. He had most of his scenes with the late Robert Culp, who was a ton of fun bur a challenge in the booth. But Peter played off Culp wonderfully and kept the sessions flowing. Outside, the booth Peter had great stories that kept us laughing and fascinated.

And, man, was he talented. Gargoyles and Vogel aside, I ADORED Scolari in Bosom Buddies, and treasured his performances in Newhart.

He will be missed.

How I Spent My Weekend...

So... I had a LOT going on this past weekend.

On Saturday, DC FanDome premiered trailers for both CATWOMAN: HUNTED and YOUNG JUSTICE: PHANTOMS, and revealed that the first two episodes of the latter were dropping THAT DAY!

I spent considerable time online - and I don't usually do the online thing over the weekend; in fact, I don't even check my email most weekends - trying to #SpreadTheWord.

But to sum up, here's the news...

CATWOMAN: HUNTED, an anime movie based on my original script, is being released in early 2022. You can see the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYPqTLS_g9c. It stars Elizabeth Gilles as Catwoman and Stephanie Beatriz as Batwoman. Voice directed by our old friend Jamie Thomason, it also features Jonathan Banks, Lauren Cohan, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Ron Yuan and my peeps, Steve Blum, Keith David, Zehra Fazal, Jonathan Frakes, Kelly Hu, Andrew Kishino, Eric Lopez and Jacqueline Obradors. Folks have asked me if it's in continuity with Young Justice. My answer: it's YJ-adjacent, much like that old Green Arrow/DC Showcase short I wrote years ago. A version of these events happened on Earth-16. If you're a completist, you're going to want to watch. (Also, I really think it turned out great!)

Meanwhile, the fourth season of YOUNG JUSTICE, i.e. YOUNG JUSTICE PHANTOMS, dropped its first two episodes this past Saturday on HBOMax. Episode 403 will drop this coming Thursday, 10/21. With another episode (through 413) dropping every Thursday through December 30th. The back half of the season (i.e. 414-426) will drop weekly in Spring, 2022. I'm truly excited for the fans to see the season - and evil creator that I am - also glad that the show isn't all dropping at once. I firmly believe television - especially a show like YJ - is a better experience if you have time to savor and sort and absorb and predict for a week in between episodes.

As for the fourth season's production, we have 21 episodes in the can and ready to air. The last five have all been animated and are currently in post-production. And since there was no IATSE strike today, we're still hard at work. (And to be clear, I'm a member of IATSE as part of the Animation Guild, and I was 100% supportive of the union.) We should be done with all 26 episodes by the end of November.

IMPORTANT ADDENDUM: YOUNG JUSTICE has NOT yet been picked up for a fifth season. So if fans want more of Earth-16, the answer is simple: #KeepBingingYJ (all four seasons) over and over. And over and over. And help us #SpreadTheWord. We want to #SaveEarth16.

So use the following hashtags ad nauseam - just as I'm doing in this post:

#CatwomanHunted
#YoungJustice
#YoungJusticePhantoms
#KeepBingingYJ
#SaveEarth16
#SpreadTheWord

And watch the show on HBO Max!!! Please...

For international fans, I wish I could give you info on when any or all of the above will be available in your countries. But unfortunately, TPTB do not keep us folks in the trenches well-informed. Asking me over and over won't magically reveal that information to me so that I can reveal it to you.

Finally, by the time all my work was done on Saturday, I was completely exhausted and took a nap. In the nap, I dreamed I wrote a hit song. Seriously. Now, normally, my dreams slip away entirely upon waking. And even when I do remember the gist of a dream, the details are lost within seconds. But I actually woke up with a clear memory of the song - both the lyrics AND the tune. Here are the lyrics:

I'm taking my pants off,
Cuz it's that kind of party!
I'm walking a straight line,
And it's luminous!

That's the whole song. You can see why it was such a big hit in Dreamland. I'm expecting the Dream-Royalties to roll in any minute.

STAY WHELMED, everyone!

EMPTY QUEUE

Well, it took me YEARS, but I finally have cleared the ASK GREG queue. I'm going to take a bit of a break now, but we'll open the question asking function for DC FANDOME on October 16th. I honestly don't know what YJ will be doing for Fandome, but I assume we'll have some presence of some kind, and by then I should have had enough of a rest to jump back in.

Thanks for your patience.

EDWARD ASNER

So...

This is hard.

It's been a bit of a stressful weekend, as my father went into the hospital with chest pains. A stint that had been replaced last year had failed and was replaced again Saturday morning during an angioplasty. I've been concerned, worried. But the procedure seemed to go well, and he was set to go home today. We seemed to have dodged a bullet.

But there was a second gun.

I slept in today. I woke up to two pieces of news:

1. My dad was good. Solid. My sister picked him up at the hospital and took him straight to breakfast. (My mother was annoyed at not being included - but that's a whole other story.) He's home now. I've talked to him. He sounded cheerful. All good.

2. Ed Asner had passed away.

I spent most of the day doing laundry and other mundane tasks. Life goes on, right? It has to. But it's been difficult getting my head around the whole thing. I've gotten many calls and texts today, offering condolences as if I were part of the Asner family. Folks seem to know how close I felt to Ed. But I don't want to exaggerate. Ed was my friend. I hope he knew I was his, as well. But I haven't talked to him in at least a couple of years. (You can partially blame that on the pandemic, I suppose. There are a lot of people I've lost touch with. If anything, this is a reminder to GET in touch. And I'm going to make an effort to do that.) In any case, there are many, many people who knew Ed better than I did, who were closer to Ed than I was.

Nevertheless, at the risk of turning this post into my own self-aggrandizement, I am going to spend a few paragraphs here on the subject of the Ed Asner that I knew and loved.

I was a fan of Ed's long before I met him. Like many, many people, he first entered my awareness playing Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. (Later, I got a kick out of picking him out of reruns, where he usually played the heavy in such series as The Wild Wild West and others.) But as Lou, Ed was simply brilliant. One of the truly classic scenes in all of television is the scene in the TMTMS pilot, where Lou interviews Mary for a job. Do yourself a favor and view it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj286uBKCu0

That scene had a major effect on me, even seeing it as a kid.

Now, having just rewatched it, the genius of the writing and the two performances still knocks me out. But there was something else about Lou and Mary. Watching their interactions was a bit like watching my parents. The connection in my mind between Lou and my dad was especially strong.

Ed and my father were two Ashkenazi Jews from the midwest. My dad was from Chicago; Ed, from Kansas City. They were gruff AND loving. They even had mannerisms in common. There was much more, I'm sure, that they DIDN'T have in common. But something connected the two men in my mind. And, meanwhile, my admiration for Asner as a performer knew no bounds. When I saw him in the Lou Grant series, in Rich Man, Poor Man, in Roots, that admiration only increased. When I learned of his activism - and the price he paid for it - that admiration shot through the roof.

Years later, when we had begun pre-production on GARGOYLES, I thought of Ed Asner - or of Lou Grant, at least - as the inspiration for Hudson. In fact, when we held auditions for the role, I wrote at the bottom of the character description that "Hudson hates spunk." This was, of course, a variation on Lou's classic line from the above job interview scene. Now, to be clear, I never imagined we'd get Ed to play the role. I figured he was way too big a star for us to land. But low and behold, a few days later, Ed came in to audition for the part. Later, he told me that when he read the character description, he was initially thrilled. The "Hudson hates spunk" line made him feel like he was a lock to land the role. Then a couple minutes later, he thought that if he didn't land the role it would really be awful. But of course, he immediately understood the character and nailed his audition... only for Jamie Thomason and I to throw him a curveball, asking him to do it again in a Scottish accent. He nailed that, too.

Working with Ed was a joy. He was fun and funny and so supportive. In addition to playing Hudson (and Burbank and Jack Danforth/Dane) on Gargoyles, I also cast him as recurring characters on Max Steel (Chuck Marshak), 3x3 Eyes (Grandpa Ayanokoji), W.I.T.C.H. (Napoleon the talking cat), Young Justice (Kent Nelson) and Rain of the Ghosts (Joe Charone). When casting Peter Parker's late Uncle Ben in The Spectacular Spider-Man, Ed was the only person I ever considered. He always brought so much to each and every role.

And more than that he was a great friend to me. After the first season of Max Steel, when I couldn't find a job for over a year and thought I might have to give up on my writing career, Ed was there, offering me support. We had lunch at Musso & Frank's. He looked at pictures of my kids out of my wallet and told me to laminate them. He introduced me to his son, Matt Asner, a producer. He didn't allow me to wallow in self-pity or to badmouth guys who I believed had done me wrong. He just reassured me that I had ability and would find my way through. He was, in essence, my work dad.

So today, as you might imagine, has been complicated. My dad is home and healthy. And Ed is gone. I'm grateful and sorrowful. And struggling. But life goes on. It has to, right?

Finally, I'm going to quote Hudson from Gargoyles. In "The Price," an episode that spotlighted the character, Ed as Hudson told Xanatos: "A friendly word of advice: True immortality isn't about living forever, man. It's about what you do with the time you have. When all your scheming's done, what will be your legacy, Xanatos?"

I think we all know that Ed Asner did amazing things with the time he had. And though we'll miss him dearly, his legacy is clear and shining.

CORRECTIONS

Fans pointed out some errors that I will correct here:

By the end of Team Year Zero:

Henry Fyff is 14.

Tatsu Yamashiro is 21.

Temporary Shut Down

Hello,

Just wanted to let people know that at the end of this month, we're going to shut down the ASK GREG a question function for the time being. I don't have anything new coming out any time soon, and I believe everyone has had time to respond to (or question) my latest output. And in any case you've got a little more than a couple weeks yet to get your burning questions in.

I've been very busy working on Season Four of YOUNG JUSTICE, and I simply haven't had times to answer questions at the rate any of us would like. And the back-log has just gotten ridiculous. So we'll cut off questions for the time being, and I'll try to cut down on some of that back-log in time for the release of YJ S4.

I'm not on Twitter that much these days either... and I've even cut down on convention appearances, but I still jump on Twitter when I'm at loose ends, so you can potentially find me @Greg_Weisman.

Chandra Nalaar

Response to my latest novel, War of the Spark: Forsaken, has been understandably negative, particularly as a result of how the character of Chandra Nalaar was depicted in the book. My response is a bit late in coming, but here it is:

After reading the materials that preceded my work on Magic: The Gathering, I was particularly intrigued by the burgeoning relationship between Chandra and Nissa. I felt that it should culminate in the War of the Spark books. In lieu of bringing them together, as it was not a relationship that WotC planned to pursue, my goal was to write something that honored Chandra's feelings for Nissa and Nissa's feelings for Chandra, something that would give closure to their relationship in a sad but satisfying and understandable way. I believe that if readers had seen my original ideas for the chapter in question, they might have gotten a better sense of what I was trying to accomplish. They might have liked it better. Or maybe they wouldn't have. In any case, through the mutual creative/editorial process with WotC and Del Rey, we ended up with the final product that was published in Forsaken, which clearly didn't meet anyone's expectations or delivers on my intentions. And for that, I am truly sorry.

THE SMARTEST MAN IN THE ROOM

The following needs saying, so I'm taking time out from my very packed weekend - not to procrastinate, which would not be unusual - but to write up something that I think is important.

But first, some backstory...

I'm not particularly smart about very many things. I am in many ways a bear of very little brain. Ask anyone. I use an iPhone 4.0 because I literally believe that I don't have the brain space to deal with upgrading. I'm a slow reader. My dyslexia makes math difficult as I am constantly transposing numbers. I'm afraid of change. Etc., etc., etc.

But one thing - maybe the ONLY thing - I am smart about is STORY. Now, I've studied story for decades and decades in small ways and large. I also believe I have an innate gift for story. Like a great pianist, the gift itself would have been wasted without years of study and practice. I've had and done both.

What that means is that - when it comes to story - I have often (not always, but quite often) considered myself - with no modesty and tremendous arrogance - to be the smartest person in the room. In any room where this is a topic of conversation, but especially in any room where story was being professionally discussed. (You can see why - with an attitude like that - I'm so popular with animation executives and the like, and why I've been fired from so many jobs.)

Even on the many, many occasions when I have felt that I am among peers who understand story as well as I do, I never felt like they understood it better than I. As good, yes. Differently, sure. Stylistically, of course. But not better. I never felt anyone knew story better.

Oh, I've made mistakes, missed opportunities, slipped up, ad nauseam. I'm human and have never claimed perfection. I've collaborated with some brilliant and wonderful people. The list is nearly endless. But none of that ever shook my basic feeling that when it came to story, I was as smart or smarter than anyone in the room.

All that changed with YOUNG JUSTICE.

So let me state it for the record: when it comes to story, BRANDON VIETTI is the Smartest Human Being in the Room.

I'd love to tell you - BELIEVE ME, I'd love to tell you - that he learned all this at my ancient knee, and that if the student has surpassed the master, the master can at least take some satisfaction in that. But that, dear readers, would simply be a load of crap.

From Day One of YJ, as witness Kevin Hopps could attest, Brandon Vietti knew story, understood it deep, the way I do. And he was smarter about it than I.

The ultimate example of this dropped this past Friday.

Episode 307 of Young Justice: Outsiders, entitled "Evolution."

SPOILERS coming, so if you haven't seen the episode then please go watch it first before reading any further.

Like all YJ episodes this season, Brandon and I broke this story together. A pretty even 50-50 collaboration. There were certain things I wanted specifically to see, like the Cave Bear. Certain things I had researched such as that in (actual documented non-DC Comics) mythology, Nabu was the son of Marduk. And there were certain things that BV wanted in there, like the meta-human kid that Kalibak sacrifices. Certain things he had researched like The Art of War by Sun Tzu (a.k.a. Vandal Savage, a.k.a. Genghis Khan, a.k.a. Marduk, a.k.a. etc.)

And together, we created a pretty kick-ass story for the episode. I don't actually remember the day of the week, but for the sake of simplifying the story, let's say we finished breaking/building the story with index cards all neatly pushpinned into my office bulletin board on a Monday. Monday evening. We both felt pretty good about it, or at least I did, and we left for the day.

Tuesday morning, he comes in and says, "Something's missing."

I tell him he's crazy. There's nothing missing from 307. Nothing. It's a great damn episode. Maybe one of our best.

BV says no. Something's missing.

I say, "What? What's missing?!"

BV says, "I don't know yet. Something. Give me a day."

I roll my eyes in as pronounced a fashion as I possibly can and say, fine.

Wednesday morning he comes in and says, "I want to add a character."

I'm resistant. "It'll mess up the works, I tell him."

But he explains, and of course, he's right. Because Brandon Vietti is the Smartest Person in the Room.

The character he wants to add is Olympia. Olympia Savage. (I take credit for the first name only.) That's right. In our first version of this story, Olympia simply did not exist.

Try to picture "Evolution" without Olympia. Be honest. It's still a solid story. A few of the actual things Olympia does, we had Cassandra doing. But otherwise the plot remains almost completely unchanged.

But not the ending.

With Olympia in the story, the episode isn't merely a solid YJ episode. It's not merely a great YJ episode. To my mind, "Evolution" transcends YJ. It is a phenomenal, even revolutionary twenty-plus minutes of television.

And I tried to talk the guy out of it.

Of course, BV's contributions don't end there. He wrote the script, too, which is fantastic. And if you knew how much he contributed to every facet of production it would humble you. It humbles me, and as you can see above, I'm NOT a humble guy.

But screw all that. I'm not talking about pretty pictures, or color, or sound, or music or even dialogue.

This post is ONLY about STORY. And when it comes to STORY... BRANDON VIETTI will always be the SMARTEST HUMAN BEING IN THE ROOM.

I bow to his greatness. And trust me, I do not do that lightly.

To be honest, he's so good, it's pretty damn annoying.

But it's an honor to be his partner.

RIP Steven Bochco

Rest in Peace, Steven Bochco.

I met Mr. Bochco only once. My brother and I were planning to write a book about Hill Street Blues, and after interviewing Grant Tinker, I interviewed Mr. Bochco for the book. Producing Gargoyles got in the way of finishing the research for the book, and unfortunately I never got back to it. But I enjoyed our conversation, and I still ADORE the man's work.

Hill Street Blues remains television's turning point. Few of the series you enjoy today, including #YoungJustice, #Gargoyles, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, etc. could or would exist without Hill Street Blues.

He will be missed.

Mythic Legions

Just a quick plug for the MYTHIC LEGIONS comic book I wrote based on the toys from the Four Horsemen: http://www.newsarama.com/33096-greg-weisman-brings-mythic-legions-to-life.html

R.I.P. Miguel Ferrer

Just a few words about Miguel Ferrer, who passed away yesterday. I won't pretend I knew him very well, but he was always a pleasure to have in the booth. He was the voice of Silvio "Silvermane" Manfredi on The Spectacular Spider-Man, and Bo "Bibbo" Bibbowski and Tribune #1 on Young Justice.

Did I forget anything? Oh, yes. His brilliant portrayal of Vandal Savage in Young Justice, making him one of the most interesting and complex hero/villains I've ever had the pleasure of working on.

His talent - both in material I was involved in and in the many, many things I simply watched as a fan - was immense.

He will be missed.

TRAVELER SIGNING

I'll be doing a reading, signing and Q&A of my new novel, WORLD OF WARCRAFT: TRAVELER at Chevalier's Books on Wednesday, January 11th at 7pm.

More info here: https://chevaliersbooks.com/2016/12/07/author-gargoyles-creator-greg-weisman-reads-signs-world-of-warcraft-traveler-a-new-book-series-for-middle-readers/

Please help spread the word!

Want more YJ sooner?

Brandon Vietti and I are hard at work on Season Three of the Young Justice television series. But (a) we just got started and (2) making animated episodes takes a LONG time. (Ten months minimum. MINIMUM.)

So, if you want more new YJ stories sooner, the answer is pretty simple. Artist Christopher Jones and I are chomping at the bit to make more YOUNG JUSTICE stories in comic book form. Producing a comic book takes considerably less time than producing television episodes,so if we got a green light on a comic book series now, you could theoretically have new stories in a matter of months.

So the question is how do we get the green light for more YJ comic?. And the answer to that is pretty simple too. We just need to convince DC Comics that there's a market for YJ comics even before the third season premieres.

Which begs the next question: How do we convince DC of that?

And the answer is again simple. BUY THE COMICS THAT ALREADY EXIST!

Issues #0 - #25 of our companion YJ comic have been collected into four trade paperbacks. (And ALL of these stories are canon to the series, with time stamps and everything. In fact, stuff in Season Three will play off of stuff from Seasons One and Two AND from the comics.) The best way to show DC that you want more comics is to purchase these stories electronically on the DC APP, on COMIXOLOGY, or on iTUNES.

Now, I'm an old school guy, and I love having actual hard copies to hold in my hand. Unfortunately, the books are all out of print. So if you do find hard copies online or in a store, those are secondary sales, and DC won't know about them. So you need to buy them electronically. Put money in DC's pocket and they'll want more of that green. Buy a lot of YJ comics and it just follows that they'll order up more YJ comics.

If you already have those issues, give them as holiday gifts. And in any case, help us SPREAD THE WORD!

It's just logic. The more the existing comics sell, the more DC will want to make more. And if more sell fast enough, you'll be getting more YJ stories sooner!

Convention Appearances 2017 - Update #1

Reminder: convention arrangements are often in flux, so the following may change.

But here's what I have scheduled so far in 2017:

February 17-19: Gallifrey-One in Los Angeles. I'll only be there for one day - probably Saturday, February 18th. http://www.gallifreyone.com

May 5-7: Wizard World Minneapolis. http://wizardworld.com/comiccon/minneapolis

June 16-18: Wizard World Sacramento. http://wizardworld.com/comiccon/sacramento

October 20-22: Grand Rapids Comic-Con http://www.grcomiccon.com

That's it, so far. I'm sure there will be others, particularly if Warner Bros decides to start sending Brandon Vietti and I "on tour" to talk about Young Justice. I'll try to update as I know more. BUT - ALL OF THIS IS TENTATIVE!!! ALL OF IT!!

YOUNG JUSTICE, SEASON THREE!!!!

So the big news:

YOUNG JUSTICE is coming back for a third season! Yes, that's right! Warner Bros. announced it today! It's official. Here are some links to some articles on the subject:

http://comicbook.com/dc/2016/11/07/young-justice-season-3-officially-announced/
http://io9.gizmodo.com/its-official-young-justice-is-coming-back-1788676249
http://deadline.com/2016/11/young-justice-warner-bros-animation-productions-season-3-1201850391/

Not too much more to tell. I start back at Warner Bros. on Monday, 11/14/16. Brandon Vietti and I, of course, had plans for Season Three way back when. Now, we'll get the chance to make those plans a reality!!

It's so crash!

BLIZZCON 2016

Today, I head down to Anaheim for my final convention of the year. It's BlizzCon 2016.

BLIZZCON 2016
Anaheim Convention Center
800 West Katella Avenue
Anaheim, CA 92802
Scholastic Liason: Lindsey Johnson, 910-827-2673.

Their website is here: https://blizzcon.com/en-us/

Unlike other conventions that I attend, I won't personally be selling anything. Mostly, I'm going to be doing panels, Q&As and signings in support of my new novel, WORLD OF WARCRAFT: TRAVELER

Here's my schedule:

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 04, 2016.
SIGNING 01:15pm - 02:15pm
Blizzard Booth 2042 w/artist Samwise Didier.

MEET & GREET 03:00pm - 04:30pm
Scholastic Booth 3044. I'll be signing special Traveler posters here.

Q&A 06:45pm - 07:30pm
Come chat with author Greg Weisman and illustrator Samwise Didier about Aramar Thorne and the new World of Warcraft: Traveler book series.
Community Amphitheater w/Samwise Didier.

SIGNING 07:45pm - 08:45pm
Blizzard Booth 2042 w/Samwise Didier.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 05, 2016.
MEET & GREET 11:00am
Scholastic Booth 3044.

BUILDING WORLDS 01:00pm - 02:00pm
Books, novels, and short stories have been a part of Blizzard's storytelling heritage for more than twenty years. Join us for a look inside the process of exploring our worlds through prose.
Panel Stage Hall A w/Robert Brooks, Matt Burns, Christie Golden, Chelsea Monroe-Cassel, Timothy Zahn.

PANEL SIGNING 02:15pm - 03:30pm
Blizzard Booth 2042 w/Brooks, Burns, Golden, Monroe-Cassel, Zahn.

SIGNING 06:15pm - 07:15pm
Blizzard Booth 2042 w/Samwise Didier.

World of Warcraft Traveler

Hello everyone,

Please check out my new novel, WORLD OF WARCRAFT TRAVELER, available now at Amazon and bookstores everywhere.

I'm very proud of it. Here's a short blurb:

It's been years since twelve-year-old Aramar Thorne, a clever boy who is never without his precious sketch book, has seen his father. So when Captain Greydon Thorne comes ashore and asks his son to join him at sea, it feels as if someone has redrawn Aram's entire world. Once aboard ship, Aram struggles to get along--especially with second mate Makasa Flintwill, a tough teenaged girl who has been reluctantly placed in charge of him. Just as Aram starts to get his head above water, pirates attack, turning his world upside down once again. As Aram and Makasa try to find their way home, they encounter creatures both terrible and wondrous, and Aram will seek to understand Azeroth's denizens, forming unlikely friendships along the way. But the journey is hindered by Greydon's compass, which never points north. If the compass isn't leading Aram and Makasa home--to safety--to what destiny is it leading?

GRAND RAPIDS COMIC-CON

I'm about to depart for to GRAND RAPIDS COMIC-CON.

GRAND RAPIDS COMIC-CON - DeVos Place
303 Monroe Avenue NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
http://www.grcomiccon.com

Here's my schedule for the weekend:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2016
02:00pm - 06:45pm
BOOTH 434
I'll be at my table, which is "ANIMATION ISLAND 13". (Well, the con opens at 9:30am, but I'll be driving down that morning to Long Beach from Los Angeles, so I'll get there as close to 9:30am as I can manage it.) I'll be signing and selling copies of my novels RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM for $10 each. If you buy both, you get a free RAIN OF THE GHOSTS art print, illustrated by Christopher Jones. I'll also be selling CD sets of the RAIN OF THE GHOSTS AudioPlay for $30 This is an unabridged four hour production with 20 actors (including Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis, Ed Asner, Vanessa Marshall, Jim Cummings, Steve Blum, Thom Adcox and more), a full original musical score (by the composers of YOUNG JUSTICE and THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN) and sound effects. It's like a four hour movie in your head! Buy the CD set and you also receive a free print. If you ONLY want the print, it's $20. Plus I'll also be selling original Christopher Jones art prints of YOUNG JUSTICE and GARGOYLES for $20 each. Finally, I'll be selling copies of my animation scripts (from series including GARGOYLES, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, YOUNG JUSTICE, STAR WARS REBELS and many others) for $20 each. All transactions are cash only. Signatures - if you bring something of your own for me to sign - are FREE!

06:45pm - 07:45pm
YOUNG JUSTICE
River Overlook D.
Greg Weisman - writer, story editor, voice actor, producer and co-creator of YOUNG JUSTICE - discusses the popular animated series and answers your questions about the characters, stories, people and process that went into making it's unique take on the DC Universe's Earth-16.

07:45pm - 08:00pm - BOOTH 434

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2016
10:00am - 02:00pm
BOOTH 434

02:00pm - 03:00pm
LET'S MAKE A HERO
River Overlook A&B.
Everybody loves a hero - they're the characters you root for and the people you want to be. Six-time Harvey Award nominated husband and wife Action Faction Comfort Love and Adam Withers lead this seminar in two parts: first, you'll learn what makes great heroes in both writing and in art. Then, Comfort & Adam will invite the audience to participate in creating a new hero which will be designed and drawn live. Comfort and Adam will be joined by Greg Weisman and Thom Zahler.

03:00pm - 06:45pm
BOOTH 434

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2016
10:00am - 11:30am
BOOTH 434

11:30am - 12:30pm
TV PRODUCTION
Grand Gallery A-C.
The producer of "Gargoyles" and "Young Justice" discusses the job of a television producer from concept to premiere and answers questions on how the magic happens.

12:30pm - 02:00pm
BOOTH 434

02:00pm - 03:00pm
LET'S MAKE VILLAIN
River Overlook A&B
Creating great villains is essential for making great stories - whether you love their every appearance or just love to hate them. Six-time Harvey Award nominated husband and wife action faction Comfort Love and Adam Withers lead this seminar in two parts: first, you'll learn what makes great villains in both writing and in art. Then, Comfort & Adam will invite the audience to participate in creating a new villain which will be designed and drawn live. Dirk Manning, Greg Weisman, and Stuart Sayger will join Comfort and Adam with this panel..

03:00pm - 03:30pm
BOOTH 434

Spectacular Radio

For fans of THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, I've been doing a podcast where we go through the series, episode by episode, with guest starts including Josh Keaton (Peter/Spidey), Ben Diskin (Eddie/Venom), Supervising Director Vic Cook and others. The entire first season of "SPECTACULAR RADIO" is up now, here:

http://www.spidey-dude.com/?cat=118

Plus, check out Spidey-Dude.com, which also does the podcasts Mayday Mondays (based on Spider-Girl) and Clone Saga Chronicles!

LONG BEACH COMIC CON

Hey gang,

Heading off to yet another convention. This time it's...

LONG BEACH COMIC CON
Long Beach Convention Center
300 East Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802

I'm there this Saturday and Sunday. Here's my schedule:

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016
09:30am - 03:00pm - I'll be at my table, which is "ANIMATION ISLAND 13". (Well, the con opens at 9:30am, but I'll be driving down that morning to Long Beach from Los Angeles, so I'll get there as close to 9:30am as I can manage it.) I'll be signing and selling copies of my novels RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM for $10 each. If you buy both, you get a free RAIN OF THE GHOSTS art print, illustrated by Christopher Jones. I'll also be selling CD sets of the RAIN OF THE GHOSTS AudioPlay for $30 This is an unabridged four hour production with 20 actors (including Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis, Ed Asner, Vanessa Marshall, Jim Cummings, Steve Blum, Thom Adcox and more), a full original musical score (by the composers of YOUNG JUSTICE and THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN) and sound effects. It's like a four hour movie in your head! Buy the CD set and you also receive a free print. If you ONLY want the print, it's $20. Plus I'll also be selling original Christopher Jones art prints of YOUNG JUSTICE and GARGOYLES for $20 each. Finally, I'll be selling copies of my animation scripts (from series including GARGOYLES, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, YOUNG JUSTICE, STAR WARS REBELS and many others) for $20 each. All transactions are cash only. Signatures - if you bring something of your own for me to sign - are FREE!

03:00pm - 04:00pm - The Star Wars Perspectives
Join Greg Weisman (Star Wars Rebels), Craig Miller (Director of Fan Relations for Lucasfilm from 1977-1980), Brian Miller (Star Wars artist), and Mike Mayhew (Star Wars comic book artist) as they discuss the different aspects of Star Wars that they have been involved in. Unique perspectives and experiences are brought to the table in this can't-miss panel! Moderated by Blair Marnell, Q&A to follow.

04:00pm - 07:00pm - I'll be back, signing & selling, at my ANIMATION ISLAND 13 table.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016
10:00am - 01:00pm - Signing & Selling at ANIMATION ISLAND 13.

01:00pm - 02:00pm - Young Justice: Panels to Pixels
Greg Weisman, Peter David, Todd Nauck and Kevin Hopps discuss everything Young Justice from the comics to the animation. Moderated by Ken Rolow, Q&A to follow!

02:00pm - 05:00pm - Signing & Selling at ANIMATION ISLAND 13.

Hope to see you there!

COMIC CON PALM SPRINGS

Hey gang,

I leave tomorrow for Comic Con Palm Springs: http://comicconpalmsprings.com/index.php

COMIC CON PALM SPRINGS
Palm Springs Convention Center
277 North Avenida Caballeros
Palm Springs, CA 92262

Here's my schedule for the weekend:

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016
03:30pm - 08:00pm. I'll be at TABLE G12, where I'll be selling copies of my novels RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM for $10 each. If you buy both, you get a free RAIN OF THE GHOSTS print, illustrated by Christopher Jones. I'll also be selling CD sets of the RAIN OF THE GHOSTS AudioPlay for $30 This is an unabridged four hour production with 20 actors (including Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis, Ed Asner, Vanessa Marshall, Jim Cummings, Steve Blum, Thom Adcox and more), a full original musical score (by the composers of YOUNG JUSTICE and THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN) and sound effects. It's like a four hour movie in your head! Buy the CD set and you also receive a free print. If you ONLY want the print, it's $20. Plus I'll also be selling original Christopher Jones art prints of YOUNG JUSTICE and GARGOYLES for $20 each. Finally, I'll be selling copies of my animation scripts (from series including GARGOYLES, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, YOUNG JUSTICE, STAR WARS REBELS and many others) for $20 each. All transactions are cash only. Signatures - if you bring something for me to sign - are FREE!

SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 2016
10:00am - 12:00pm. Back at TABLE G1.

12:30pm - 01:30pm. WONDER WOMAN 75th Anniversary Celebration
In Smoketree C with Amanda Deibert, Susan Eisenberg, Phil Jimenez, Yanick Paquette & Cat Staggs.
I'll be moderating, as we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the most popular female super hero to grace the pages of DC Comics!

01:30pm - 02:30pm. REAWAKEN GARGOYLES
In Smoketree A with Thom Adcox (voice of Lexington).
Explore the nocturnal world of the popular animated TV series of these creatures that are stone by day and warriors at night!

02:30pm - 07:00pm. TABLE G12.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 28, 2016
09:30am - 12:00pm. TABLE G12.

12:00pm - 01:00pm. INSIDE YOUNG JUSTICE
In Smoketree C with Thom Adcox (voice of Klarion), Phil Bourassa (Emmy-winning lead character designer), Jason Spisak (voice of Kid Flash) and Brandon Vietti (Producer).
Revisit the lives of a group of teenaged protégés attempting to establish themselves as proven superheroes as they deal with normal adolescent issues in their personal lives.

01:00pm - 04:00pm. TABLE G12.

Hope to see you there!

WIZARD WORLD CHICAGO COMIC CON

Hey there folks,

I'm about to depart for Wizard World Chicago Comic Con: http://wizardworld.com/comiccon/chicago

WIZARDWORLD CHICAGO COMIC CON
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
5555 North River Road
Rosemont, IL 60018

Here's my schedule:

THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2016
03:00pm - 08:00pm - I'll be at BOOTH A31, where I'll be selling copies of my novels RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM for $10 each. If you buy both, you get a free RAIN OF THE GHOSTS print, illustrated by Christopher Jones. I'll also be selling CD sets of the RAIN OF THE GHOSTS AudioPlay for $30 This is an unabridged four hour production with 20 actors (including Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis, Ed Asner, Vanessa Marshall, Jim Cummings, Steve Blum and more), a full original musical score (by the composers of YOUNG JUSTICE and THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN) and sound effects. It's like a four hour movie in your head! Buy the CD set and you also receive a free print. If you ONLY want the print, it's $20. Plus I'll also be selling original Christopher Jones art prints of YOUNG JUSTICE and GARGOYLES for $20 each. Finally, I'll be selling copies of my animation scripts (from series including GARGOYLES, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, YOUNG JUSTICE, STAR WARS REBELS and many others) for $20 each. All transactions are cash only. Signatures - if you bring something for me to sign - are FREE!

FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2016
BOOTH A31 12:00pm - 06:00pm

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2016
BOOTH A31 10:00am - 06:00pm

PANEL: WORDS INTO PICTURES: HOW TO WRITE COMICS 06:00pm - 06:45pm. ROOM 2.
Here's the description: Accomplished comics writers Greg Weisman (Gargoyles; Young Justice), Dean Haspiel (The Fox; Beef With Tomato), Jai Nitz (Dream Thief; El Diablo for Suicide Squad) and Danny Fingeroth (How to Create Comics From Script to Print; Spider-Man) talk about how to put together a compelling comics story. Plus, they'll answer your questions about both the creative and business sides of the comics writing profession, including how to find an artist to work with (hint: a comics convention is the number one place!) and how to write exciting dialogue!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2016
BOOTH A31 10:00am - 02:30pm

PANEL: TRIPLE DC ANNIVERSARY: FLASH, BATMAN & WONDER WOMAN 02:30pm - 03:15pm. ROOM 2.
Description: 2016 is a landmark year for three key comics characters. 75 years ago, WONDER WOMAN debuted in 1941, establishing herself as the first important female superhero! 60 years ago, in 1956, the modern FLASH first appeared, starting not only his own career, but ushering in what has come to be known as "The Silver Age of Comics!" And in 1966, 50 years ago, the BATMAN "camp" TV series debuted (starring Adam West and Burt Ward), marking what is seen as both a high and low point in the history of the character! Comics and animation writer/producer Greg Weisman (Young Justice; The Batman) and comics historian Danny Fingeroth (Superman on the Couch; Disguised as Clark Kent) take you on a slideshow-guided tour of the histories of the heroes and the highlights of their careers in comics, on TV and in the movies! Join the celebration! .

Hope to see you there!

Evil Geeks Podcast Fun!

Check out the latest podcast I did:

Website: https://evilgeeks.com/2016/08/01/ep-163-talking-toons-with-greg-weisman/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvilGeeks/posts/1059457520816588

Bringing YJ Back

Here's a short primer on how fans can help to bring Young Justice back for a third season:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwoI2gSj1Sk

CONvergence 2016

I leave tomorrow for CONvergence 2016 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Okay, really Bloomington, MN, but close enough.) CONvergence is one of my favorite cons. And I have the honor of being their first fan-funded guest. Here's my schedule for the long weekend:

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2016
GUEST RECEPTION 07:00pm - 09:00pm
Atrium 4

THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2016
"Why Gargoyles is Still Relevant" 12:30pm - 01:30pm
Atrium 6 w/Christopher Jones, Patrick Fisher, Alana Profit, Chandra Reyer.

RADIO PLAY AUDITIONS 02:00pm - 03:00pm
Plaza 3 w/Christopher Jones.

"Physics of Time Travel" 03:30pm - 04:30pm
Edina w/Renate Fiora (m), Dan Berliner, Melanie Galloway, Jim Kakalios.

"Fancy Bastard Pie Competition" 08:30pm - 09:30pm
Garden Court - Southwest w/GPS.

FRIDAY, JULY 01, 2016
SIGNING 11:00am - 12:00pm
Autograph Table B.

RADIO PLAY AUDITIONS 12:30pm - 01:30pm
Plaza 3 w/Christopher Jones, Khary Payton.

"Writing by Ear" 02:00pm - 03:00pm
Bloomington w/Patrick Marsh (m), Emma Bull, Aimee Kuzenski, Jim McDoniel.

"Don't Call Them Sidekicks: The Enduring Power of Teenage Superheroes" 03:30pm - 04:30pm
Bloomington w/ Christopher Jones, Jessa Markert, Khary Payton, Sylus Rademacher.

"Drawing with the Masters" 07:00pm - 08:00pm
Plaza 2 w/Christopher Jones, Ruth Thompson.

"Why Diversity Needs to be Deeper than Marketing" 08:30pm - 09:30pm
Edina w/ Trisha Lynn (m), Kate Norlander, Jonathan Palmer, Dirk Ykema.

"Xanadu Cinema Pleasure Dome Live Podcast" 10:00pm - 11:00pm
Edina w/Windy Bowlsby, Melissa Kaercher.

SATURDAY, JULY 02, 2016
"Building Worlds for Fiction" 09:30am - 10:30am
Plaza 1 w/Michael Carus (m), J.M. Lee, Melissa Olson, Lynne M. Thomas.

"Why We Need Representation in Superheroes" 11:00am - 12:00pm
Edina w/ Christopher Jones, Bri Lopez Donovan, Khary Payton, Lynne M. Thomas.

RADIO PLAY REHEARSAL 12:30pm - 01:30pm
Atrium 6 w/ Christopher Jones, Jim Kakalios, Khary Payton and a cast of tens.

RADIO PLAY PERFORMANCE 02:00pm - 03:00pm
Atrium 6 w/ Christopher Jones, Jim Kakalios, Khary Payton and a cast of tens.

"Superficially Strong Female Characters" 05:00pm - 06:00pm
Edina w/ Crystal Huff (m), Kathryn Sullivan, Chrysoula Tzavelas, Joan Marie Verba.

"One on One with Christopher Jones" 07:00pm - 08:00pm
Edina (m) w/Christopher Jones.

ANIMATION BLUE 07:00pm - 08:00pm
Atrium 6 w/Christopher Jones, Lyda Morehouse, Khary Payton, Jenna Powers, Edmund Tsabard.

SUNDAY, JULY 03, 2016
YOUNG JUSTICE 09:30am - 10:30am
Atrium 6 w/Christopher Jones, Khary Payton.

SIGNING 11:00am - 12:00pm
Autograph Table B.

RAIN OF THE GHOSTS 12:30pm - 01:30pm
Edina.

READING 02:00pm - 03:00pm
Rm 2201.

ONE ON ONE 07:00pm - 08:00pm
Atrium 6 w/Melissa Kaercher.

Podcast

Here's a podcast and a half I did...

Here's the interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXwsojrctzM

...aaand here's the separate chunk of the interview all about how people can support YJ Season 3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBvQTrBRAvI

Blather

It's that time again:

Blather
So in a tryce came the documentary depicting many a Chinese doll and also the three wise men (who may or may not have been kings) that needed sixty-two dollars between them to redeem the coupon, which offered up solace and not a little irony to anyone who hadn't yet seen the crew chewing on leaves that weren't tobacco, but might have been sage and still left horrible stains in the dirt floor of the lean-to where I left my ski poles after the overnight with the cranes that were kept on the lake domestically for the purpose of tourism but who could also speak Latin on occasion when prompted by offers of cheese or jerky -- though not just any jerky, it had to be salmon jerky -- which isn't always easy to come by when you've agreed to leave before closing on summer days in the springtime of your life, which has been known to last longer in people who aren't concerned about under-inebriation or over-intoxication or both: it's the balance which is everything when nothing else will do and no one else will participate in the extravaganza that's been created by the giant invisible flying monkey brain that is modern life in the Twenty-First Century, counting since the (approximate) birth of Christ -- as long as the lack of the number zero doesn't disturb your math sensibilities as, frankly, it does mine, though I like to think I've made peace with that and with the Skrull too, since I haven't picked up an issue of that book in about nine years, which wasn't an intentional or explicit act of cold turkey so much as a sliding away followed by a none-too-impressive epiphany -- far from the best epiphany I've ever had, say, compared to Tintagel or Lego, not to mention the birth of certain children, which couldn't get more personal than the zany antics of the semi-erotic flea circus, which used to travel the stars waiting for an invitation to land at your door, since you are the personal target of the extra-lunar probe that counted all the seahorses that Aquaman used to make the giant seahorse that he could actually ride, though no faster than he could swim himself on his own power -- and no, we're not talking Super Friends here, but something older, more primal, something that was born back when the Ptero-whatever streaked across the sky leaving behind contrails made not of smoke but of pure and unadulterated grace, a commodity in which we are sorely shy as a planet, and yet which we find in the most unlikley of places, including but not limited to contracts which dictate how we will interact with each other but do it in such a way that no normal human being could possibly wrap their heads around the language and internalize the meaning, which we declare to be progress or civilization and which is not meant as a criticism so much as a detachment of troopers marching on a hill that you wouldn't pay five ducats -- FIVE! -- to buy yourself, or so I told myself and Hamlet night after night, but now Hamlet is a Thief on FX and I haven't seen him face to face in over twenty years, which sometimes seems quite normal but sometimes blows me away, not that I want to move backwards at all, though I'm not sure that I'm truly moving forward and I'm convinced I'm not moving sideways, though the metaphor of the sidewinder is appealing, not in the cliché sense of something sinister and left-handed, though I do throw with my left hand, I can bowl just as badly with either hand, and even though I'm 42, I quite prefer to have bumpers instead of gutters, where the rain gets backed up and sometimes flows over the lip and creates leaks in the roof and drips, drips, drips down into the shiny metal bowl that's usually used for something much more pleasant like mixing cookie dough to create chewy wonderful ... well.. cookies (I mean "duh") that taste a little bit like home even when you are home and it is raining, or maybe ESPECIALLY when you are home and it is raining and the water overflows and the ocean fills and the giant seahorse peaks out and winks at the cranes, which is exactly what the documentary crew was hoping to capture when they first took out their cameras and shot the whole thing from three different angles across six different days and still never saw the giant invisible flying monkey brain, because it was, to put it mildly, invisible.