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W.I.T.C.H.
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Abdullah Khan writes...
Hey Greg,
Q1)I wanted to ask regarding the castings for Young Justice Outsiders, How did you and the crew decide to give the roles of Geo-Force, Terra, Halo, Forager,Cyborg and Darkseid to Troy Baker,Tara Strong,Zehra Fazal,Jason Spisak, Zeno Robinson and Michael Leon Wooley?
Q2)And for replacments decide on David Kaye and Greg Cipes to be Vandal Savage and Beast Boy, i know regarding Greg as Beast Boy u did not cast him in the initially because u did not want any Teen Titans reprisals at the time so what change your mind instead of picking another actor because Logan Grove was unavailable for S3?
Greg responds...
Geo-Force - Brandon had worked with Troy Baker before and knew he was a good candidate to play Geo-Force/Brion Markov. We did have him audition (against no competition) just to confirm he could do the Eastern European accent without it sliding into Boris Badenov territory. He could. So we cast him. And he's been great as Brion and other characters ever since.
Terra - We held auditions for Terra/Tara Markov, and Tara Strong just nailed it.
Halo - I knew I wanted to cast Zehra Fazal as Halo / Violet Harper / Gabrielle Daou, and basically wrote the part with her in mind. Brandon and Jamie and I went to see her in a stage play, where she played multiple roles, so that they could confirm just how great and versatile she was.
Forager - With Wally West largely out of the picture, we knew we wanted to find something else to keep Jason Spisak in our cast. Brandon thought Forager would be a good bet and talked about the character with Jason, who loved the idea. We hired him without any try-out, and he was instantly great.
Cyborg - We held auditions for Victor Stone/Cyborg under the false flag of a pretend show with a fake character name. Zeno Robinson was our clear favorite for the role. We brought him in for a callback (with no competition), mostly to see if he had the versatility to play any other roles (such as Steel). We decided then and there that he was our Vic, and seeing Brandon and I in the Control Room, he had already begun to suspect whom he might be playing. We told him he had the role and confirmed he was playing Cyborg, and he practically BURST right in front of us. It was great fun.
Darkseid - We had already discussed a number of potential people to find YJ's version of Darkseid, when Brandon remembered Michael Leon Wooley's performance of the character from Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Jamie and I listened, and immediately Michael had the job.
Vandal Savage - We held auditions to see who could do the best job performing in the giant shoes that the late, great Miguel Ferrer had left behind. David Kaye was the clear favorite.
Beast Boy - When it became clear that Logan Grove was not going to be available to us, we talked with Jamie about who might be able to take his place. After we described the character's journey in Season Three, Jamie suggested Greg Cipes, knowing that we might not go for it, but feeling like Greg'd be perfect for the part. I'd worked with Greg on W.I.T.C.H. and agreed, but our upper management had been pretty adamant about us not using Titans' lead actors to play the same roles they had played on Titans. (Other Titans' actors were kiboshed for certain parts for that reason.) It was something Brandon and I initially agreed with way back in Season One, but by this time, we felt YJ had established itself as its own thing, and we were less afraid of comparisons. And for whatever reason, TPTB were fine with us casting Greg as Beast Boy.
B. B. writes...
Hello. Humble W.I.T.C.H. fan here.
One of the most mysterious characters for me is the Mage. So my questions are:
1.) Was the Mage a Guardian before C.H.Y.K.N.? (She is seen in the first season holding the heart of Kandrakar.)
2.) Why does the Mage's appearance change so drastically from the flashbacks to the current time? (She goes from a long haired beutiful woman to a bald and scary-looking hag. Is there a reason for that?)
Greg responds...
1. It's been a long time, but I don't believe so.
2. I just don't remember. Sorry!
Mr. Red writes...
Hello, huge fan of your work, i have rewatched the first 13 episodes of Young Justice Outsiders 6 times over as i write this. I wanted to know, why is Greg Cipes voicing Beast Boy? Now i am a big fan of his and of course the his previous work as Beast Boy.
But i wonder what happened to Logan Grove, did he not want to reprise the role? Or was he to busy with other work? or was it already planned to have Greg come in and do the voice?
Greg responds...
We were looking forward to using Logan in Season Three, but were told that Logan was no longer acting and was attending Annapolis as part of the U.S. Navy. So after some discussion with our director Jamie Thomason, Brandon and I agreed that given where we were heading with the character, Greg Cipes (whom I'd enjoyed working with on WITCH) was our top choice to replace Logan as Garfield, irrespective of Greg's history with the character.
Anonymous writes...
did you know that your show is awesome?
Greg responds...
I kinda feel like it's awesome. It is to me, at least. It's the kinda show I would like to watch. But I'm happy to have you and others confirm that. Very happy.
Um... which show are we talking about?
Anonymous writes...
Hello! A big fan of your work here. The WITCH series was a part of my childhood I’ll always remember. I have several questions concerning this show (mainly the old generation):
1. How old were the previous Guardians when Nerissa cracked, Cassidy died and everything went downhill? Were they the same age?
2. Did you have some last names in mind when creating the characters or they were always simply Nerissa, Halinor, etc?
3. How was the disappearance of Cassidy/Nerissa explained to the public (their relatives, friends)?
Greg responds...
1. The five members of CHYKN were all approximately the same age as each other.
2. The names came from the comics or the first season. I don't think I named any of them myself.
3. She didn't disappear; she died. Or at least that's what I recall. It has been awhile.
Wreck 55 writes...
Just want to start off by saying I watched W.I.T.C.H. for the first time when I was 5 years old and I'm turning 20 next month. I still, to this day, enjoy the show so much so that I can quote from it word for word at my big age (whether thats sad or impressive I'll let you decide). I've also only recently discovered that you, the same guy who had a hand in making my favourite show (W.I.T.C.H.), also had a hand in making another show I love (YJ) - so thank you for bringing me such joy! And thank you for managing to bring YJ back to our screens, I am eagerly awaiting it's return :)
I am aware that one of the main reasons that YJ was able to come back was because fans endlessly binged watched it on Netflix, so I was wondering whether there is any way that you, or we as your fans, could get W.I.T.C.H. on Netflix so that it could possibly enjoy the same successful return? I strongly believe that if the show is put on a platform where it's popularity can be measured, the necessary people will see that the show is worth investing in again. A friend of mine (who's a bit of tom boy and who absolutely LOVES YJ) agreed to watch W.I.T.C.H. because I pestered her to. Three days later she came up to me and demanded to know who Raphael Sylla was and why there were only two seasons of the show - and shes the same age as me!
I also have other bits of evidence that suggest W.I.T.C.H. would have fruitful ratings were it to return to TV, such as countless online petitions by fans asking for a season 3 and also the fact that Yen Press has acquired the rights to remaster and reprint all issues of the comics as graphic novels - which could not only draw previous viewers back to the beloved show but also attract a whole new audience that have never even heard of W.I.T.C.H.. After all, the show did end twelve, nearly thirteen years ago.
Greg responds...
You give me too much credit. I didn't "get" YJ on Netflix. I took advantage of it, once it was there, guiding fans to binge. But I have no ability to "get" a series on to any particular service, channel or network. WAY ABOVE MY PAYGRADE, I'm afraid.
If enough FANS request WITCH for Disney+, maybe they'll listen and put it there. (Netflix is corporately unlikely for WITCH. But Disney+ might be a real possibility.
Dercio Lichucha writes...
Hello Greg,
I’m a huge fan of your work but I need to ask. Who do I speak to about rebooting childhood favorites like W.I.T.C.H ? I LOVE THAT SHOW.
It deserves many more seasons than just two.
Greg responds...
Disney, I guess. It would help if you could view it on Disney+, and I believe subscribers can request that they include it on the service.
Jennifer Griel writes...
Hey. I was just watching one of my favorite TV shows ever, Ben 10. And while watching I discovered that you wrote not only the best episode of the show objectively, Ben 10,000, but also my personal favorite episode Under Wraps. I just wanted to say thank you. You did a great job making a great show even better. What was it like working with those guys on that show if you remember. I know it was a long time ago.
Greg responds...
I had a great time working with Tom Pugsley and Greg Klein (the latter of whom I also went to high school with). They made my freelance gigs on that series pretty easy. They also did me a big favor. I had been working on the non-union show W.I.T.C.H. for some time and was in danger of losing my union health insurance. The work they gave me allowed me to keep my coverage.
Emily The Disney Fan writes...
Hello again Mr. Weisman!
I know you've made Radio Plays of Cross overs with Gargoyles, Spider-Man, and Young Justice! Which leads me to this Question if you don't mind!
Is There by chance any Other Particular Disney Animated Series, Like The ones from Disney Channel or any other the other Disney Afternoon shows, That you would like to Cross Over with 'Gargoyles'?
Greg responds...
W.I.T.C.H., probably.
Jared. L Powell writes...
What has it been like to work on so many different show that so many people remember fondly?
What was your favorite show to work on out of all of them?
Greg responds...
1. It's very cool, honestly. Though, if I'm being even more honest, I do wish that I'd been able to make more of fewer series than so many different series.
2. Choosing between my "children" is not something I tend to do. Ultimately, I truly enjoyed working on Gargoyles, WITCH, The Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice as a writer-producer. And although it was never "my" show, the writing team on Shimmer & Shine were such great people, that I truly loved working with them on it.
Katharine writes...
Hello Greg,
I would like to ask a question regarding W.I.T.C.H. as well to thank you for the wonderful job you have done with the second season. It seems to me the series is sadly overlooked & hardly remember and seen for the clever, clever thing it is. I know it has been really very long and it's perfectly alright if you simply no longer remember.
At the end of the second season Nerissa is revealed to be trapped within the jewel while the others suceed in escaping their prison.
Was there ever a plan should the series continue for her to realise that what she sees is mere illusion or was it your intention she be trapped for good?
Did you intend to continue her story?
Do you think she would be likely to wake from her dream or rather secretly prefer the fallacious bliss of her own illusion ?
Again, thank you for your time.
Greg responds...
I didn't have any immediate plans to extract her. And the comic gave me plenty of fodder to go on without her, as I vaguely recall. But it's tough to keep a good villain down, so - knowing me - I might have gotten back to her eventually. Maybe. But it's all very hypothetical.
Anonymous writes...
Hi, I'm a massive fan of yours and I was wondering if there would ever be a possibility of you bringing back the tv series W.I.T.C.H? So many people adored the show and would love if it was brought back to TV.I know you were a producer and it seems like a very long shot, but there is actually a petition with nearly 3000 supporters that are willing to do anything we can to help bring back the show. The show had and still has so many supporters of it and if you could do anything to bring us a third season we would be eternally grateful to you please respond!
Greg responds...
There's nothing I can do, I'm afraid. I'd be happy to produce more episodes, but that's really up to Disney, not me.
Is W.I.T.C.H. available on Disney+? If it is, that's a way for the fans to try to get the show back. Petitions are nice and all, but have little effect these days. But by subscribing to Disney+ and voting with your wallet by rewatching a series over and over again, the chances of success are greater.
In essence, that's what brought YJ back.
Greg Bishansky writes...
Lately I've been thinking of a villain trope that is decades (if not centuries) old. The maniacal laugh or the evil laugh. When used properly, I love it. When not, it can be hammy, over the top, and out of character.
Several of the villains you've written over the years have used it, and many haven't.
Off the top of my head, Thailog comes to mind first. And I wouldn't want Thailog without it. Granted, I sometimes wonder where he picked it up. It definitely wasn't from Xanatos. And while Sevarius might be hammy, I don't recall him doing it.
Hyena also has a maniacal laugh, and given her name (and personality) it definitely suits her.
The Archmage had a maniacal laugh.
Demona laughed maniacally three or four times. But it's not a trait we normally associate with her.
And let us not forget the Green Goblin in "Spectacular Spider-Man". I think he was the only villain on the show to have one. Likewise, I recall Nerissa doing it on "W.I.T.C.H." at least once.
The Joker aside, I do not recall any of the villains on "Young Justice" doing it. Any of them. Maybe I'm misremembering, it's been a while since I watched through the show, but I am struggling to remember and coming up blank.
Which leads to me to ask. Is the maniacal laugh a dated relic? Especially as we expect supervillains to be more sophisticated in our dramatic fiction, superhero or otherwise.
For example, in "Transformers", the classic Megatron used to laugh maniacally all the time. All the time. More modern takes on Megatron have done away with the maniacal laugh.
I love it, don't get me wrong, but should villains still be doing it. If we ever get more "Gargoyles", I definitely want Thailog to continue doing it. But, had Thailog made his debut in the year 2017, would I still want him doing it?
You have gotten the chance to create your own great supervillains as well as write many of the classic and iconic supervillains. Right now, what are your thoughts on the villainous laugh?
Greg responds...
I haven't exactly studied this issue.
I use it when it feels right in terms of character and situation. Obviously, some characters have more of a sense of humor about what they do than others.
Not all villainous laughs qualify as "maniacal" in my book either.
I would never outlaw the practice, but I think I do use it sparingly, both to avoid silliness and to make it special if and when we do use it.
FallenLegend writes...
And another question from me. I feel bad for doing so much, but given these are like a year away I kinda want to talk advantage of now before the flood of YJ season 3 questions.
I wanted to share my thoughts on W.I.T.C.H
Your writing was superb, but I did wonder why it failed to beat WINX club on popularity despite having your superior writing. WITCH was popular on Italy, but otherwise it's not the cash cow franchise WITCH still is.
I read a bit of the comic and some of the show season 1 (things you didn't do). My impression is that the concept was great, the artwork was gorgeous. But the execution was flawed.
W.I.T.C.H had for the most part poor villains from the source material. Phobos despite being their "nemesis", their joker to their batman, is particularly as flat as a sheet of paper. Evil without any redeeming qualities whatsoever. The complete opposite of your great villains.
Phobos whole character is basically "I want ultimate power and I will always do evil" He is so predictable that he will backstab or do evil always.
WINX had the advantage there as the trix definitively are more interesting. It would seem as they took notes from you as they are like you said "a twisted reflection of the hero."
The girls were very overpowered in the original comics. I glanced the wiki and they have even more powers than Superman, each. Say Hay Lin can turn invisible or "hear the past" and for example and not even Avatar Aang or Korra can do that.
Now your influence was great as you did a great job with Nerissa improving the source material giving her depth she didn't had. You never disappoint on villiains.
By saying it was too easy for them,I'll give an example. It's telling how on season 2 (before you worked on the show) all the girls had their "soulmates" . While Peter was still struggling with love on season 2. Also on season 2 the main couples Wally X Artemis and Superboy Miss Martian were struggling in one way or another. By the end of Gargoyles, Eliza and Goliath still had room to grow as a couple and so on.
I feel a lot of character development was stolen before you got to them. But I think you did the best with what you got.
For a magical girl show the magic trinkets was unnecessarily complex, I think. Meaning all of them had to be close to the heart to transform and close to WIll. WINX had them not dependent on a jewel. As far as kids playing as WINX they had more fun without a doubt. But again this was from the source.
As for the girls you defitiveley wrote them better than WINX. But I feel that girls wanted to be more like Bloom (their redhead lead) than Will. Bloom was a secret flame princess or something and Will had divorced parents. Which made Will more relatable but less escapist.
Regardless I just want to say that I loved what you did on that show. In fact I only checked it out because you worked on it.
I would love to see you develop a magical girl show, but on your terms.
So my question would be, what are your thoughts on it?
Keep the good work!
Greg responds...
I WISH my answers had only been a year away and not nearly four years. Sorry about that.
Anyway, I've never seen WINX. So I have no opinion on it one way or another, and I can't compare the two series. But I truly LOVED doing WITCH and would have loved to have done a third season. I had definite ideas, based on the comics and coming out of what we had already built in Season Two.
Alex writes...
I couldn't find the answer to the question but,
The staff that Nerrisa had at the beginning of the 2nd series, not the seal of Nerissa, but the one she was carrying as an old hag. What was the deal with that one? Was she trying to make a fashion statement?
Greg responds...
My memory's not too clear on this. Maybe she needed it to walk when she was in that form?
Big Choc Choc writes...
Would you come back for a Season 4?
Greg responds...
Of what?
(But pretty much the answer is always yes.)
Em writes...
Hi Greg,
I'm a longtime fan of everything W.I.T.C.H., so I appreciate you taking the time to answer questions about the animated series all these years later. It helps keep the series and its magic alive even after it (unfortunately) ended.
My question is in regards to the Matt-Shagon twist (which is still to this day one of my favorite adaptational changes and TV plots overall). I really enjoyed how Matt developed as a character in the second season, and, of course, this storyline played a huge role in his characterization.
I realize that it's been years and the exact reason might not be clear anymore, but I figured I'd ask: what made you decide to pursue this storyline with Matt? So many interesting developments came out of this twist, and by the end of the season I felt there were even more potentials that could be explored, had the series continued. I've just always been curious about how this idea came up.
Thanks so much!
Greg responds...
It's all very vague now, but as I recall, there seemed to be some mystery over who Shagon really was in the comics, mystery that never was revealed nor paid off. So I slotted Matt into that role, to make the mystery pay off and to give Will the maximum amount of turbulence.
Jacob writes...
Hi Greg,
I'm a big fan of your works and I greatly admire your determination to always keep going. Congrats on Young Justice Season 3, by the way: power from the fans to you!
What I'm writing about is W.I.T.C.H. I have recently binged the two seasons and I've fallen. In. Love with the show! Also read your thing about Irma being gay. Not sure I agree, but hey, today anything is possible. Nerissa and Cassidy being together? Maybe ;-).
I was SO bummed that it never got a 3rd season for the other arcs (I bet it could have gone at least 4 or 5 seasons), but is it possible it could make a comeback- if not this year, than maybe next?
One main reason it was cancelled (other than some silly ratings) was because Winx Club had shown up. Now that it's ended, W.I.T.C.H. could make a comeback and gain more popularity like it did in season 1 (I read a lot of people liked both series, so they'd be happy). Also, the 10th anniversary of the comic was last year and they've started reprints of the Disney comics in the native Italy. That could help gain attention again if they start reprinting in America. Plus, I doubt Disney XD wouldn't say no to a show like that on their action and comedy airspace, especially with your work on Rebels. They could re-air the first two seasons and then unveil Season 3. I bet even the original actors would go for it (work, pay, and fun all at the same time).
So what do you think? Is it possible?
P.S. Good luck with your other projects.
Greg responds...
Ratings aren't silly. They're what pays the bills. And Winx had little to do with it. There could be a hundred Winx variations on the air, but if WITCH had strong ratings it wouldn't have mattered.
Anything is possible, but it doesn't seem likely - unless the fans PROVE that there's a market for it, as they did with Young Justice. Not sure how to do that with WITCH, however. Fans had an outlet to show their support financially on YJ. Not sure what that outlet would be on W.I.T.C.H.
But I'd love to do more, if given the opportunity.
Emma writes...
Thanks for taking the time to answer so many fan questions. I was a big W.I.T.C.H. fan when it was on the air and one thing that always confused me in season 2 was when Nerissa said that Caleb was created by her "entirely for that purpose" (of leading the rebellion.) Did she actually have some role in him becoming the leader of the rebellion and can she have possibly have known it before he was even born? Or was she just saying that to get in his head at that moment?
Greg responds...
All of the above.
Lexi B. writes...
So I'm back, I won't judge you if you don't remember the questions I asked before but, as I'm following your guidelines, those were for one topic and now I'm in need for answers about W.I.T.C.H., which by far was on my top 5 favorite tv shows as a kid.
1). Was it always Cornelia and Caleb that would be together or did you try a different W.I.T.C.H. girl with him? If so, who?
2). In season 1, Will didn't really have an elemental power, but later on, she discovered it, fro, the beginning did you guys know that that would be her elemental power?
3). Around the time W.I.T.C.H. aired, Winx Club was also going on, did the writers of W.I.T.C.H. ever get accused of taking ideas from the show, or did you ever see anything that was strangely similar to yours? If so, did you actively try to make sure the plot didn't really correlate with Winx Club's?
4). Was there ever going to be a season three of W.I.T.C.H.? Or was it untimely cancelled?
5). Whose your favorite character on the show and why?
Thanks so much!!
Greg responds...
1. Did you see the episodes? If so, you saw what we did.
2. I didn't work on Season One. But when I came aboard to produce Season Two, I felt it odd that she had no power. Traditionally, the fifth element is Quintessence. So I gave her that, and it made some sense to express that as Lightning. So we knew from the beginning of Season Two that that was the plan. But I don't see how they could have had that in mind during Season One. But you'd have to ask the showrunner for that season to be sure.
3. I never watched WINX. To my knowledge, no one ever accused us of stealing from WINX - unless you're doing that now. And, no, we didn't work to be different. We just did our own thing.
4. Um... we hoped for one. But the series wasn't picked up for a third season.
5. I don't have a single favorite. I love 'em all.
Lo writes...
Hello Greg! Long time fan, first time asking a question. My ask is about W.I.T.C.H. I know it's been a long time, and you've said there's things you can't remember and I completely understand that - but I thought I'd ask anyway.
I was always so invested in Cornelia and Caleb's relationship and thought it was so wonderfully well written and engaging. My questions are these:
1. Can you recall if you had a plan for them going forward into season three?
2. If so, what kind of things were going to happen to them?
Much appreciated!
Lo
Greg responds...
1. I recall that we had a plan.
2. No spoilers.
Marius writes...
Hi Greg. I want your opinion on a few things. Do you believe in a W.I.T.C.H. comeback in the future, maybe as live action TV series, a movie, or why not a season 3? And do you think a better option will be starting over from 0, and not go for a season 3? Maybe with a new original adaptation of the comic for this comeback? Btw I'm a big a fun of your work, and I follow all your tweets on Twitter.
Greg responds...
I really don't know.
Obviously - selfishly - my preference would be for them to re-air or make available the first two seasons and then have me work on a season three. A reboot wouldn't interest me at all.
Hannah writes...
Hi there! I'm a huge fan of the W.I.T.C.H tv series, I grew up on it and it actually inspired me to study animation (first year student)! I recently discovered your speculation about Nerissa and Cassidy being lovers and as a bisexual woman this fills my heart with so much joy (even if it did end in, well, death). I have a few questions about C.H.Y.K.N. if that's okay!
1. Do you believe that Kadma and Halinor had a romantic relationship, either as guardians or later on in life?
2. Was their a reason for Kadma and Halinor's stories being drastically changed in the show? I recall them running and orphanage together in the comics, I'm curious if there was a reason why at least one of them wasn't still on Earth (and why Halinor was written as a loyal follower of the Oracle, and not a defector).
3. What time period exactly were C.H.Y.K.N. at large in? I've calculated the late fifties to mid sixties, but it really depends when the show is set.
4. Was there ever going to be a C.H.Y.KN. arc showing more flashbacks of their time as guardians, if more seasons were produced?
Thank you so much for your time, W.I.T.C.H. is one of my biggest inspirations as an aspiring animator and I especially really enjoyed the second season's plot with the past guardians! I hope you're doing well!
Greg responds...
1. I'm not saying no, but I don't recall ever thinking that.
2. We adapted the comics we had at hand at the time. But we needed to make some changes, both to fit the first season of the television show and to create certain dynamics for our second season. That meant putting all five members of CHYKN in diverse locations, doing different thing so that none of their corruptions would feel repetitive.
3. I don't remember the math.
4. Given enough episodes, I would have loved to do that. I didn't have any specific plans. But I loved the characters.
Hazecrisp writes...
I've recently been obsessed with W.I.T.C.H recently and have been rewatching all the episodes. I absolutely love the show from the plot, writing, voice acting, animation and sound. And over all it's so fun to wacth
1)How do you think Nerissa and Cassidy fell in love and got together?
2)Do you have a favourite pairing within W.I.T.C.H. I personally quite like the idea of Will and Hay Lin.
Greg responds...
1. It's been sooooo long that if I had a specific notion, I don't remember. Otherwise, they were teammates and spent a lot of time together, so one thing led to another.
2. Well, I think both Will and Hay Lin are straight. But this sounds like shipping, and it's not my job to rain on your parade. So have fun with it.
Zergrinch writes...
Hypothetical question.
ALL of your past and present projects have been renewed, and you have been asked to help them all. Which one would you prioritize, and why?
Greg responds...
Well, as many regular readers of this site know, I'm not big on hypotheticals. Reality is so much more complicated, but I'll give it a shot:
GARGOYLES first, always. We're trying to get another comic book version now. Tweet the hashtag #WeLiveAgain!
YOUNG JUSTICE, second. Season Three is real. It's here. I'm working on it.
I'm also working on the second book in the WORLD OF WARCRAFT: TRAVELER series, THE SPIRAL PATH, and recently completed co-plotting work on THE FALL AND RISE OF CAPTAIN ATOM, w/my old Captain Atom partner Cary Bates.
The third book in the RAIN OF THE GHOSTS series, MASQUE OF BONES, which I still plan to get back to as soon as I possibly can.
Everything else falls into the category of it's just too hypothetical to differentiate. But I'm very fond of THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, W.I.T.C.H., ROUGHNECKS: THE STARSHIP TROOPER CHRONICLES, STARBRAND & NIGHTMASK, anything with the STAR WARS REBELS characters [especially STAR WARS KANAN], 3X3 EYES, DISNEY'S VILLAINS and many others.
And I'm sure Edmund Tsabard would love to finish Last Tengu in Paris.
Ana writes...
Hi! I know it's been a long time since W.I.T.C.H season 2 but is there are any possibilities of new seasons? Just in love with the cartoon from the childhood
Greg responds...
I doubt it. But I'd love to do more.
Cillian B. Flood writes...
Hey. I've searched through your archives about W.I.T.C.H related questions, initially I wanted to ask you about a timeline related question that seems to be a continuity error but I've seen you don't have a timeline for W.I.T.C.H and don't remember a whole lot of it. But in searching the archives I have thought up another question. You claim credit for the "X is for Xword" format of the Episode Titles. This was sometimes worked very well, sometimes forced but always fun and a great way of remembering what happened in each episode. My question is, had a third season been made and you were involved, would you have continued this trend or replaced it with something similar, and if so, what would it be?
Greg responds...
It's embarrassing to admit, but I don't remember. I know I had a plan for Season Three titles, but I've got no memory of what that plan was. It wouldn't have been exactly the same, i.e. I wouldn't have just started over with the letter A. But beyond that....
Sorry!
EXALT writes...
1)Why do you think that Irma from W.I.T.C.H. is a lesbian? Even after watching the series twice, I must admit I don't see it.
2)We know that Nerissa is bisexual, but is Cassidy a lesbian or bisexual?
Greg responds...
1. Then you don't see it. For me it has to do with her only truly being interested in guys that are obviously out of reach. She's fighting to be straight, which I think is not uncommon in our culture. But by choosing unattainable choices, she's guaranteeing that she won't have to actually wind up with a guy. (And when she actually comes close to landing one of them, she bolts.) None of this makes it impossible for her to be straight or bisexual or whatever. But in my gut, that's what I sense is going on.
2. I think she's a lesbian.
But I should say, this is all just my opinion.
Long Beach Comic Expo - 2016
Here's my schedule for this weekend's Long Beach Comic Expo at the Long Beach Convention Center:
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016
11:30am - 12:30pm
DOWN TO NERD: INVADER ZIM AND GARGOYLES: CONQUEROR VS PROTECTOR
Thunderdome (Seaside Pre-Function) w/RuthAnn Thompson (moderator), Dave Crosland, Greg Weisman.
Description: Some come from another time to protect, another from a different planet to conquer- but both hold a special place in our hearts! Gargoyles VS Invader Zim. We will focus on the first 5 episodes of the TV series Gargoyles with writer/creator Greg Weisman and the first 5 issues of the Invader Zim comic books with Dave Crosland. What are the differences and similarities do these creatures out of space and time have? How will they fit in on modern day earth? Casual Fans and Hard Core Nerds alike join host RuthAnn Thompson and be "Down To Nerd"!
01:00pm - 02:00pm
THE ART OF STAR WARS & THE FANDOM BEHIND IT
Danger Room (S1) w/Ben Paddon (moderator), Terry Dodson, Craig Miller, Cat Staggs, Greg Weisman.
Description: Cat Staggs has been working for the Star Wars / LUCASFILM family since 2004, for which she has illustrated short fiction for starwars.com, produced sketch and trading cards, exclusive prints for Star Wars Celebrations III, IV, Europe, Celebration V, and Celebration VI. Terry Dodson is an American comic book artist who penciled the Dark Force Rising comic series in 1997. He has also provided art for Mark Waid's Princess Leia limited series. Moreover, Dodson has drawn the Books-A-Million variant cover to the first issue of the Shattered Empire miniseries, and the CBLDF variant to Star Wars: Vader Down, Part I. Greg Weisman is the writer for Star Wars Rebels - "The Machine in the Ghost", "Art Attack", "Droids in Distress", "Breaking Ranks", "Gathering Forces" and Star Wars: Kanan: The Last Padawan. Craig Miller was Director of Fan Relations for Lucasfilm from 1977-1980. He created and oversaw the Official Star Wars Fan Club as well as having edited and written virtually all of the first two years of Bantha Tracks. He was the producer of the Star Wars Sesame Street episodes in addition to operating R2-D2's head in the episodes, as well as being Producer for Lucasfilm on commercials such as the ones for licensee Underoos.. He was also responsible for creating the 800-number telephone hotline for The Empire Strikes Back that allowed fans to call up to receive more information about the movies and characters.
02:30pm - 03:30pm
DWAYNE MCDUFFIE AWARDS
Creator's Lab (S5)
Description: Long Beach Comic Con is proud to announce the commencement of the Second Annual Dwayne McDuffie Award. This one of a kind award will be granted on February 20, 2016 to an American comics work, published in print or digitally in 2015, deemed by the Selection Committee to promote diversity. In the spirit of Dwayne McDuffie, "promoting diversity" can be judged as either broadening the range of characters portrayed in comics, or adding to the variety of creators contributing to the medium.
04:00pm - 05:00pm
THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN PANEL
Danger Room (S1) w/Greg Weisman (moderator), Victor Cook, Kevin Hopps, Kelly Hu, Josh Keaton, Pamela Long.
Description: In 2008, a new version of everybody's favorite friendly neighborhood Web-Slinger - dedicated to recreating the feel of the original Stan Lee & Steve Ditko and Stan Lee & John Romita, Sr. comics - hit the air. Come hear the creative talents behind The Spectacular Spider-Man talk about what went in to making this classic take on a classic character. Panelists include Victor Cook (Director-Producer), Kevin Hopps (Writer), Kelly Hu (voice of Sha Shan Nguyen), Josh Keaton (voice of Peter Parker/The Spectacular Spider-Man), Pamela Long (Color Stylist) and Greg Weisman (Writer-Producer)!
06:00pm - 07:00pm
GETTING ANIMATED WITH TOP ANIMATION EXPERTS
Rumble Room (S4B) w/Ray-Anthony Height (moderator), Chris Copeland, Greg Weisman, Dean Yeagle.
Description: Top animation experts Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, Spectacular Spider-Man), Dean Yeagle (Caged Beagle Productions), and Chris Copeland (Marvel/Disney Animation) discuss how they broke into animation, their work and a Q&A with the audience!
I'll also have a table a on the show floor, specifically table AN-11 in "ANIMATION ISLAND" between Ellen Jin Over and Amy Mebberson, and near Dino Andrade, Michael Bell, Keith Coogan, Chris Copeland, Matt Doherty, Loren Lester, Tiffanie Mang, Joey McCormick, Chuck Patton, Peter Paul, Sara Richards and Aaron Sparrow. I'll be there between panels on Saturday and all Sunday morning until noon. (Not as sure about Sunday afternoon. We'll have to see.)
I'll sign and personalize anything you put in front of me, but I will also be selling copies of my two novels, RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM ($10 each), CD sets of the RAIN OF THE GHOSTS AudioPlay ($30 each) and RAIN OF THE GHOSTS prints, drawn by artist Christopher Jones ($10 each, but free with a purchase of the AudioPlay and/or both RAIN and SPIRITS). In addition, I'll be selling animation scripts from series including GARGOYLES, W.I.T.C.H., THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, YOUNG JUSTICE, STAR WARS REBELS and others, ($20 each). Finally, I'll be selling script copies of a couple of the special one-off convention radio plays we did, i.e. THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN MEETS GARGOYLES and GARGOYLES MEETS THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN MEETS YOUNG JUSTICE ($20 each). All purchases are cash only.
I hope to see you there!
Anonymous writes...
You revealed at CONvergence that Nerissa and Cassidy were lovers.
1. Did the rest of CHKYN know?
2. If not, was it a secret because the 50's and 60's weren't the slightest bit progressive about same-sex relationships?
3. Were Nerissa and Cassidy still in a relationship when Nerissa killed her?
Greg responds...
What's said in a Blue Mug should stay in a Blue Mug, and in any case should be taken with a grain of salt. It's at best my opinion, and certainly NOT company sanctioned.
But anyway...
1. I think so.
2. Yes.
3. Yes.
Anonymous writes...
Did Nerissa kill the real Mage?
Greg responds...
Yes, I believe so. (Though it's been a long time.)
Anonymous writes...
Hello Greg,
I know this question has nothing to do with the show "Gargoyles" but it is about "W.I.T.C.H", one of my favorite shows of all times. It is 2014 and W.I.T.C.H is still being viewed by newer fans and I wanted to ask about the songs from "S is for Self". "The Will to Love" and "Demon in Me" are my most favorite songs from the series and wanted to ask if there will be ANY chance at all for them to be shown in public and even if there was a chance for them to end up in iTunes. I would love to be able to buy the songs and be able to listen to them all day everyday. Thank you for your time.
Greg responds...
I have no idea, I'm afraid. I'd love it if they were. I wrote the lyrics to "Will to Love" and my brother Jon Weisman wrote the lyrics to "Demon in Me". It'd be very cool if they were available. We're proud of 'em.
Black Nerd Problems interview
Find it here: http://blacknerdproblems.com/i-knew-it-was-something-special-an-exclusive-interview-with-gargoyles-creator-greg-weisman/
Miya writes...
Hey Greg,
I know W.I.T.C.H must feel like forever ago for you now, but I want to say I really loved watching that show over and over again. It's really wonderful. I especially loved the whole Elyon story.
That being said, do you ever think W.I.T.C.H will see the light of day with a nice dvd release? Maybe you could nudge someone at Disney with a nice email asking about your other (less known) baby?
Greg responds...
I don't know. It'd be great. I no longer even have a contact at Disney Home Entertainment, I'm afraid. But fans can make requests as easily as I can.
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!)
EXALT writes...
I have another little question.
We know that the Guardians are directly selected by the Oracle for specific reasons: was there any plan to reveal the specific reasons for the C.H.Y.K.N.'s selection (in particular Nerissa)?
Greg responds...
No specific plans, but given enough episodes...
EXALT writes...
A couple questions about "O is for obedience"...
1)Before learning the truth, did Caleb ever ask Julian abouth his mother's identity?
2A)If yes, what did Julian tell him?
2B)If no, who did he think his mother was?
3)What's the reason Julian decided not to tell Caleb of his mother's identity? Was there some kind of taboo against his love with the "Mage"?
4)Why wasn't Nerissa a part in Caleb's upbringing (or at least a stable part in his upbringing, since he still knew the "Mage")?
Thanks for your time!
Greg responds...
1. Probably.
2A. Not the truth.
2B. Never decided on the specifics of that.
3. It was, in theory, to protect Caleb from those who would seek to force the Mage to do their bidding.
4. I really don't understand what you're asking here.
beck writes...
if you had a choice what superhero show would you like to do
Greg responds...
Honestly, I'm not too picky. But my preference would be to return to a series I did before, whether Gargoyles, W.I.T.C.H., The Spectacular Spider-Man or Young Justice.
My CONvergence 2014 Schedule
So the #Gargoyles20 U.S. Tour continues. Stop #3 is CONvergence in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Well, actually in Bloomington, Minnesota, but close enough.) http://www.convergence-con.org
This is a big one for us. It includes a number of events that we used to do at the old Gathering of the Gargoyles Conventions, which ran from 1997-2009. And I know a bunch of Gargoyles fans will be attending, so it'll also be a reunion of sorts.
My schedule for the long weekend is quite packed - which is just how I like it!
THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2014
2:00pm - 3:00pm GARGOYLES RADIO PLAY AUDITIONS
Ever wanted to be in a radio play? Now is your chance! We are holding auditions for a live performance at CONvergence! You don't even have to be a fan of Gargoyles to enter. You just have to know how to read! Casting: Myself and Jennifer Anderson (Talent Coordinator on The Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice). Casting decisions will be posted by 7:00pm on Friday, July 4th. ATRIUM 7.
3:30pm - 4:30pm BUFFYVERSE TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Okay, so Gargoyles ISN'T the only show celebrating an anniversary. The Buffy/Angel universe has been off the air for ten years. Let's reminisce and talk about the impact these shows have had on TV fantasy since their cancellation. Panelists: Myself, Tim Lieder, Cetius d'Raven, Madeleine Rowe, Mark Goldberg. EDINA.
7:00pm - 8:00pm OPENING CEREMONY
If it's not exactly a magical invocation, it is nonetheless our official kick-off for the convention! Join CONvergence mascot Connie as we welcome our Guests of Honor, give out some awards (including the Mark Time and Ogle winners), and get this party started. Panelists: Myself, Amy Berg, Emma Bull, C. Robert Cargill, Sarah Clemens, Scott Lynch, Marina Sirtis, Frank Paur, Matthew Ebel, Dawn Krosnowski, Greg Guler, Rob Callahan, Windy Bowlsby, Michael Lee. MAIN STAGE.
9:00pm - 10:00pm GREG WEISMAN'S FANCY BASTARD PIE COMPETITION
Geek Partnership Society is excited to host the Greg Weisman Fancy Bastard Pie Competition at CONvergence 2014! It is open to all CONvergence members who wish to participate. The goal is to make a pie that Greg Weisman, herein to be known as "Fancy Bastard", likes best. The winner will be told super-secret Young Justice spoilers. Find out [some of] what would have happened in Season 3! (But winner must swear to secrecy to claim prize.) See below for some helpful hints.* CABANA 110.
FRIDAY, JULY 4th, 2014
11:00am - 12:00pm GARGOYLES RADIO PLAY AUDITIONS
Ever wanted to be in a radio play? Now is your chance! We are holding auditions for a live performance at CONvergence! You don't even have to be a fan of Gargoyles to enter. You just have to know how to read! Last chance to audition! Casting: Myself and Jennifer Anderson (Talent Coordinator on The Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice). Casting decisions will be posted by 7:00pm on Friday, July 4th. ATRIUM 7.
12:30pm - 1:30pm FROM TV TO COMICS
We'll discuss the TV shows that expanded into the comicverse, such as Buffy, Smallville, Young Justice and Gargoyles. Did they succeed? Were any of the comics improvements on the shows? How did canon change during the transition? Panelists: Myself (Gargoyles, Young Justice), Shawn van Briesen, Jonathan Palmer, Greg Guler (Gargoyles), Karine Charlebois (Gargoyles, Bad Guys), Christopher Jones (Batman Strikes, Young Justice, Bad Guys). PLAZA 2.
2:00pm - 3:00pm SIGNING
Myself, Christopher Jones (Young Justice, The Batman Strikes, Parallel Man) and Greg Guler (Gargoyles, Phineas and Ferb) will be holding a signing session. Both Chris and Greg always have an array of stuff (books, prints, etc.) to sell and sign. But this time I'm pretty darn prepared as well. First off, I'll be selling and signing copies of my first novel RAIN OF THE GHOSTS for $10 cash, which includes the book, a personalized signature and signed copies of the original development character designs by Kuni Tomita for the television version of Rain that never was. In addition - and by popular demand - I am selling and signing an array of my animation teleplays for $20 cash from such series as Gargoyles, Team Atlantis, DC Showcase (Green Arrow), Men in Black: The Series, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles, W.I.T.C.H., Young Justice and even the 2009 Radio Play "The Spectacular Spider-Man Meets Gargoyles". I'll also sign anything else you bring and put in front of me for FREE - especially if you buy my book. ;) CONVERGENCE CENTRAL.
3:30pm - 4:30pm CREATING GARGOYLES
This is what we used to call (at the Gathering) the Rocky Horror Gargoyles Show. The creators of Gargoyles show clips and tell stories of how the show came to be. Lots of visual aids. Panelists: Myself (Creator, Supervising Producer/Story Editor, Writer), Frank Paur ( (Supervising Producer/Director), Greg Guler (Lead Character Designer). ATRIUM 6.
7:00pm - 8:00pm TIME TRAVEL THEORY
Let's assume for a moment that Time Travel is possible. This panel will explore the theories behind such technology. We'll explore quantum realities, temporal anomalies and all other challenges our theoretical time travelers will be face! [Now, I suggested this panel, but then they went and put some actual scientists on the damn thing. So I may quickly be embarrassed into silence.] ;) Panelists: Myself, Nicole Gugliucci, Jim Kakalios, G. David Nordley, Amy Berg. ATRIUM 4.
8:30pm - 9:30pm GARGOYLES Q&A
Join the cast and creators of the "Gargoyles" series and SLG companion comic books to ask and talk about the property. And, as always, Cosplayers are welcome! Panelists: Myself (Creator, Supervising Producer/Story Editor, Writer), Christopher Jones (Bad Guys guest artist), Marina Sirtis (voice of Demona and Margot Yale), Frank Paur (Supervising Producer/Director), Karine Charlebois (Gargoyles Guest Artist, Bad Guys Artist), Greg Guler (Lead Character Designer, Gargoyles Guest Artist). MAIN STAGE.
SATURDAY, JULY 5th, 2014
9:30am - 10:30am GARGOYLES SIGNING
Myself, Marina Sirtis (voice of Demona and Margot Yale) and Frank Paur (Supervising Producer/Director) will be holding a signing session. Again, I'll be selling and signing copies of my first novel RAIN OF THE GHOSTS for $10 cash, which includes the book, a personalized signature and signed copies of the original development character designs by Kuni Tomita for the television version of Rain that never was. In addition - and by popular demand - I am selling and signing an array of my animation teleplays for $20 cash from such series as Gargoyles, Team Atlantis, DC Showcase (Green Arrow), Men in Black: The Series, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles, W.I.T.C.H., The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Young Justice and even the 2009 Radio Play "The Spectacular Spider-Man Meets Gargoyles". I'll also sign anything else you bring and put in front of me for FREE. CONVERGENCE CENTRAL.
11:00am - 12:25pm GARGOYLES RADIO PLAY REHEARSAL
This is a closed session - for those who were cast in the Radio Play - led by Myself, Jennifer Anderson (Talent Coordinator on The Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice) & Marina Sirtis (voice of Demona, Margot Yale and Queen Bee). ATRIUM 6.
12:30pm - 1:30pm GARGOYLES RADIO PLAY PERFORMANCE
Fans and professionals - including Myself (voice of Donald Menken and Lucas "Snapper" Carr), Jennifer Anderson (Talent Coordinator on The Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice), and of course, Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi from Star Trek TNG and the voice of Demona, Margot Yale and Queen Bee) - perform a LIVE, ORIGINAL Gargoyles radio play! ATRIUM 6.
2:00pm - 3:00pm GARGOYLES BIOLOGY AND CULTURE
A "what if" panel about the biology and culture of the Gargoyles universe. Creators and performers speculate about anything and everything going on outside the frames of the TV series. Panelists: Craig A. Finseth moderates Myself (Creator, Producer) and Greg Guler (Lead Character Designer). ATRIUM 7.
3:30pm - 4:30pm RAIN OF THE GHOSTS
I'll be reading from and talking about the world and characters of my novel "Rain of the Ghosts" and its sequel, "Spirits of Ash and Foam," which comes out July 8th, 2014, one week after the convention! ATRIUM 3.
7:00pm - 8:00pm ONE ON ONE WITH GREG WEISMAN
Hal Bichel will moderate a one-on-one panel with Myself. PLAZA 2.
8:30pm - 9:30pm SIGNING
Once again, I'll be selling and signing copies of my first novel RAIN OF THE GHOSTS for $10 cash, which includes the book, a personalized signature and signed copies of the original development character designs by Kuni Tomita for the television version of Rain that never was. In addition - and by popular demand - I am selling and signing an array of my animation teleplays for $20 cash from such series as Gargoyles, Team Atlantis, DC Showcase (Green Arrow), Men in Black: The Series, The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles, W.I.T.C.H., Young Justice and even the 2009 Radio Play "The Spectacular Spider-Man Meets Gargoyles". I'll also sign anything else you bring and put in front of me for FREE. CONVERGENCE CENTRAL.
10:00pm - 11:00pm BLUE MUG
Ever wonder about the sexual habits of Gargoyles? Ever wonder who was sleeping with whom among the Young Justice Team or the cast of Spectacular Spider-Man? Join us for for a late night peek at your favorite animated series. This panel will get blue! (So attendees will be carded!) Panelists: Myself, Christopher Jones, Mara Cordova (Last Tengu in Paris Artist). It is also rumored that Edmund Tsabard (an unfancy bastard and Last Tengu in Paris Writer) may make an appearance. EDINA.
SUNDAY, JULY 6th, 2014
11:00am - 12:00pm PROTOFEMINISTS IN SHAKESPEARE
Shakespeare portrayed several intelligent, independent, and self-aware women--Juliet, Lady Macbeth, Katharine, Beatrice, Viola, Rosalind. We'll discuss the problematic and the remarkably (for the era) fleshed-out aspects of their representation. Panelists: Myself, Elizabeth Bear, Ashley F. Miller, Joseph Erickson, Alexandra Howes. EDINA.
12:30pm - 1:30pm GARGOYLES FAN PANEL
It's the 20th Anniversary of Gargoyles. Come share your favorite moments from the show. As always, Cosplayers are welcome! Panelists: Daniel Mohr moderates Myself, Ryan Alexander, Robert Wagner, Maggie Schultz, Jennifer Anderson, Karine Charlebois. ATRIUM 6.
2:00pm - 3:00pm SIGNING
Myself and Greg Guler (Gargoyles, Phineas and Ferb) will be holding one last signing session. Greg G. always has an array of stuff (books, prints, etc.) to sell and sign. And I'll be selling and signing copies of my first novel RAIN OF THE GHOSTS for $10 cash, which includes the book, a personalized signature and signed copies of the original development character designs by Kuni Tomita for the television version of Rain that never was. In addition - and by popular demand - I am selling and signing an array of my animation teleplays for $20 cash from such series as Gargoyles, Team Atlantis, DC Showcase (Green Arrow), Men in Black: The Series, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles, The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, W.I.T.C.H., Young Justice and even the 2009 Radio Play "The Spectacular Spider-Man Meets Gargoyles". I'll also sign anything else you bring and put in front of me for FREE - especially if you buy my book. CONVERGENCE CENTRAL.
3:30pm - 4:30pm YOUNG JUSTICE
Creative minds behind the Young Justice TV and comic book series will talk about this fan favorite. We're planning some special surprises as well. And, as always, Cosplayers are welcome! Panelists: Myself, Marina Sirtis (voice of Queen Bee), Christopher Jones (Artist YJ Comic). MAIN STAGE.
5:00pm - 6:00pm CLOSING CEREMONY
It's not over 'til the gynoid sings - or something like that. Join CONvergence mascot Connie and our Guests of Honor as we say farewell to another convention. Shenanigans may ensue. Panelists: Myself, Amy Berg, Emma Bull, C. Robert Cargill, Sarah Clemens, Scott Lynch, Marina Sirtis, Matthew Ebel, Frank Paur, Dawn Krosnowski, Greg Guler, Windy Bowlsby, Rob Callahan, Michael Lee. MAIN STAGE
SEE?!! I told you there was a lot. And that's only the stuff that I'm doing. CONvergence is jam-packed with all sorts of pop culture nutritional goodness. So stop by and say hello!!
*In the interest of Full Disclosure, Fancy Bastard would like all to know that he especially likes the following pies:
APPLE
BERRY (pretty much any kind of berry or a mix of same)
PEACH
APRICOT
PUMPKIN
BANANA CREAM (herein to be known as the funniest pie)
Combinations of some of the fruit pies can be great. Contestants are welcome to try other pies at their own risk.
Fancy Bastard does NOT especially like the following pies:
PECAN
Anything with Chocolate or Lemon or Meringue
Raisins in Apple Pie
Almost never Cherry, though he has tasted the rare exception...
fallenlegend writes...
Hello Greg!
Just a quick question this time. The other time I asked you something about gargoyles and you said that you wouldn't write it for free... wich came as a bit of a shock to me as you have said before that it is your baby proyect.
It's understandable as this is your job and main source of income... But I have to wonder if you would ever have or if you have a personal proyect wich you would do for free.
You deserve every cent you get paid but.. Many (amateur/fanfic) writters write stories for fun and I wonder if this is the case with you. thank you!
Greg responds...
I don't write for fun anymore. To be honest, it's too much like work.
I don't write for free, though I do (occasionally) write "on spec". That is, I'll write something that has the chance of paying off later, even if no one is paying me for it immediately. For example, my first novel, RAIN OF THE GHOSTS, was written on spec. (And took over a decade to pay off - minimally.) The second book in the series, SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM, was not written on spec. My publisher, St. Martin's Press, ordered it. The third, MASQUE OF BONES, which I've barely begun researching, will also be written on spec, unless St. Martin's Press decides to pick it up.
But the big difference with those books, over something like GARGOYLES, for example, is that I OWN the RAIN property. I don't own GARGOYLES or YOUNG JUSTICE or WITCH or THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN. It would, frankly, just be foolish for me to invest my time (which is money to me) in something that isn't mine.
GARGOYLES is without a doubt my baby. I feel that strongly. But it doesn't change the hard, cruel fact that I hold no ownership in it at all.
fallenlegend writes...
Hello Greg it's me still annoying you :p
I would like to share my thoughts on WITCH if you don't mind.
I read the original comics a bit and one my issues is that in the original story the villains were superbland. I think you did a great job with "Nerissa". But villains like "phobos" came to me as one dimensional evil for the sake of being evil boringness (in the comic). I know you can't acknowledge this but I think your writing made the story much better than the original.
Another thing I didn't like from the original is that they basically gave everything easily to the main characters. (Superboy and superman didn't begin to bond until the season finale for instance...) WOuld you have done things differently?
thank you for your time!
Greg responds...
I'm not sure I understand your question, but on WITCH Season Two, I did exactly as I wanted. So, no, I wouldn't have done anything differently - other than obviously, I would have loved to have done more seasons...
fallenlegend writes...
Hello Greg! I have a question related now to witch tv series.
I know that you were basically hired to write a "magical girl series" that you had zero input on it's creation with this in mind...
Would you pitch a "magical girl" show idea of your own or would you rather pursue other projects?
Was it ever odd or hard to write for a girl power fantasy show? I don't know if you had experience but I think a show like "WITCH" could be hard to relate as a man when it is so obviously directed at girls as a main audience.
(I am sure many boys liked it but... I am sure most would enjoy more playing being like iron man than being a guardian)
what do you think was the main appeal of "WITCH"?
Do you think boys could relate to "magical girls" like the witch ?
Greg responds...
1. I was NOT hired to write a "magical girl series". Quite the reverse. WITCH was originally developed to be that in Season One, but I was specifically brought in with marching orders to make it more of an action-adventure show (with humor) that appealed to boys and girls.
2. I've pitched many series with female leads (and magic), including RAIN OF THE GHOSTS, which I sold. It didn't go, so I turned it into a novel.
3. Not for me. I'll leave it to others to judge whether or not I was successful, but I like - maybe even prefer - to write for female characters.
4. Story and characters. Same as any series I've worked on.
5. Yes. Though they might not readily admit it.
Jibby A writes...
My question is about W.I.T.C.H. more specifically about Will. I was wondering what inspired you to give her the specific power of Quintessence? Because in the comics I don't think that's been mentioned, its always been Energy. However I think it's such an awesome power and your work on W.I.T.C.H. was exceptional! I thank you
Greg responds...
Quintessence (literally the "fifth essence") has traditionally been the fifth element, after earth, air, fire and water.
Diversity
Diversity in pop culture has always been an issue that concerns me greatly. I've tried to do my share to increase diversity on series like Gargoyles, W.I.T.C.H., The Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice.
Now, that I've entered the world of publishing, my sister Robyn brought this article to my attention:
The article asks valid questions, and - yes, to toot my own horn - I'm going to provide at least a piece of the answer with my new books, Rain of the Ghosts and Spirits of Ash and Foam. Both feature protagonists of color. Rain Cacique is Native American, as is her grandfather Sebastian Bohique. Her best friends are Charlie Dauphin, who's African American and Miranda Guerrero, who is Hispanic-American. Many - if not most - of the other characters are also of color. This reflects the Caribbean setting of the novels, i.e. the fictional Ghost Keys and the actual mythology of that region.
The books are available here:
http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Ghosts-Greg-Weisman/dp/1250029791
and here:
I urge you to check them out, and to suggest them at schools and libraries.
GoldenAgeTeen writes...
Hi greg! First off , Young justice and W.I.T.C.H are some of my favorite tv shows ever. While watching young justice i couldn't help but notice that Rocket had the same voice as taranee! my questions are:
1. Was Asami's concept at all inspired by Hay Lin?
2. Was the Tye/Asami pairing inspired by Eric/hay lin?
3. How old is Rumaan Harjavti?
4. How old is Sumaan Harjavti?
And I wanted to say thanks for having this forum where fans can ask questions, Happy holidays!
Greg responds...
1. Nope.
2. Nope.
3. At the end of Team Year Zero, Rumaan Harjavti is 52.
4. At the end of Team Year Zero, Sumaan Harjavti is 50.
Laura 'as astra' Sack writes...
Now that I've posted all my episode thoughts...(in theory I still plan on doing the same on the comics, but...) I want to say thank you for the series in general. (I'd go into details, but it seems redundant after posting all those responses.) I've thoroughly enjoyed it in all its parts. Well, by the time you read this the video game will be out. [Yep!] I probably will have to sit it out. Pathetic as it is, I have to admit to some motion sickness from a lot of video games. I'm assuming I'll be able to get some pretty detailed descriptions from the good folks here. I hope that there will be other continuations as well. (Also good luck on your new Star Wars series.)
I have to admit to more than a little annoyance that another show I enjoy is canceled, but also some confusion. If I understand correctly one of the major factors, if not the major factor in the cancellation is that the merchandise didn't sell as well as they companies had hoped. Good viewership numbers are almost inconsequential. If this is true, (big if, I admit), I don't understand the business model. Why continue making cartoons targeting the older demographic at all? I know the show aimed for a broad audience, but it aimed for each part directly. A lot of cartoons aim themselves at kids directly, and place bonus references and jokes for the older viewers. I've loved many shows like that. But the complexity of characters and plots in shows like Young Justice is not a bonus for older viewers, it is integral. (IMHO) A relationship like, for example, Guardian and Bumblebee is more relateable to a college or adult viewer than a kid. (I would have gone to Babs and Dick, but that was mainly expanded upon in the comics.) A kid would gravitate to the first season romances, or the M'gan/L'gan/Conner triangle. All the relationships were interesting and important to the show, and none were simple, it's just different parts resonant (from experience or at least plot type familiarity) better to different age sets. (Or for out of YJ examples- In Green Lantern- the complexity of Razor and Ia's relationship- given his past lost love, her resemblance, his survivor guilt and rage issues and her ultimate sacrifice is not something that targets the younger viewers of the show. They'll just accept the two are a couple and enjoy the fight scenes. It was perhaps more integral to the show than any Hal based plot. In Tron the entire looks of the show was aimed older, high teens and 20s would be my guess, and not particularly conducive to action figures to my eye.)
Older fans are less likely to buy toys, (or have toys bought for them), but they also have control over their own finances to buy what is actually advertised during broadcast. Between the 24 hour cable tv cycle and dvrs, grown ups will be watching when kids can't, allowing for targeted ads of the none happy meal/stompies/pillow pet variety. (For the record, my 4.5 year old adores her stompies. ~she's 5 now~) I get that a franchise like DC or Marvel or Star Wars can expect some cross product sales, and even a show not squarely aimed at a small kid can have a cool iconic action figure that sells well. But no one expects Smallville or Arrow to survive on toy and apparel sales, they stays on air based on the number and demographics of viewers, just like Birds of Prey did not last for the same reason. Have cartoons, or at least the beautifully animated ones, become loss leaders for merchandise like comics have become loss leaders for movies? And is that a reasonable burden to place on a show that does not squarely target the audience that will buy those toys? Is a high level video game an attempt to tap into an action figure equivalent of older viewers?
I don't want to turn this into a rant about how annoyed I am that YJ was canceled....er, not renewed. I will admit to being mightily confused why DC Nation isn't aiming to expand into more than an hour of programming. I just assumed it was planned to become a 2 or 3 hour block like the old Disney Afternoon, with perhaps a rotating stable of shows. But I am interested on your more insider insight on what the none creative aims are when a new cartoon is unleashed upon the world nowadays and whether they are reasonable. Thanks,
Greg responds...
I think one thing to keep in mind is ratings these days are NOT what they used to be.
Ducktales was a ratings smash. It made it's money by itself. Any merchandising was gravy.
Our numbers on Gargoyles, back in the day, puts the ratings of many of today's quote-unquote top-rated animated series to shame. (And Gargoyles was a hit, but never a home run, ratings-wise. Just a single or double.)
So with lower numbers overall, that means less income is coming in from advertising. Meanwhile, the costs of production have either held steady or gone up. That's pretty simple math, isn't it?
So to pay for the production of these shows, you're counting on other streams of revenue to balance the books - and for an action show that mostly means TOYS.
So if the toys don't sell - for whatever reason - how do you pay for the series?
Whether that's reasonable or not is somewhat immaterial. It's just the cold, hard truth of the situation.
So EVERY show I've ever been asked to produce has a core target that it's trying to reach, and usually that's BOYS 6-11, because the belief is (whether you agree or not) that Boys 6-11 drive toy sales for action figures. Doesn't mean the networks object to other demographics (girls or younger kids or older kids, tweens, teens and adults) ALSO watching. But you still have to hit the target.
Picture it like a bullseye. Concentric circles. You MUST hit the center. But hopefully in hitting that sweet spot, you are also reaching the other demos. Back on Gargoyles, I was farely successful at hitting that target audience AND reaching other demos too. And that has always been my goal on these shows. We didn't quite manage it on W.I.T.C.H. We did on Spectacular Spider-Man. And our success was mixed on Young Justice. Ratings were decent overall (by today's standards though not by any absolute standard at all), but our ratings in our target demo were inconsistent at best. (We could go on forever about why, but it doesn't change the FACT of the numbers.)
Throw in Mattel's decision to abandon their YJ line (again, without going into the reasons behind it), and frankly it's no surprise we weren't renewed.
Because how could Warner Bros afford to make it?
After experimenting for two seasons and 46 episodes of YJ, why wouldn't they take the chance on something new that might bring in more money? Or at least pay its own way?
Frankly, we need a new business model. But the studios haven't landed on one that works yet. So they still chase hits.
B writes...
In your W.I.T.C.H. canon, was Taranee adopted, as she was revealed to be in the comics, or was she the biological child of Mr. and Mrs. Cook? (Assuming, of course, that you thought about this)
Greg responds...
I don't recall Taranee being adopted in the comics I read way back then. Did that revelation come after we were done making the series?
In any case, I had no thought of making her adopted at the time.
B writes...
If the W.I.T.C.H. TV series had continued, did you plan to eventually have Caleb break up with Cornelia and get together with Elyon, as in the comics? Or, if there wasn't a solid plan about that yet, was that a possibility you were considering?
Greg responds...
As I've said many times before, I'm not interested in expressing my ideas absent their execution.
Everything in the comic would, of course, have been considered. I won't say what I was or wasn't planning, beyond the obvious - given our Season Two finale - return of Scylla and Riddle.
FallenLegend writes...
Hello greg
You previously said that you don't like gran finales and you don't intend to really give closure to any of your shows/stories. Not even gargoyles that as you described it is your "baby" even if you don't own it.
Does that mean that we will always get cliffhanger endings from your tv show when they get canceled?
What about your new book series, will it end in a cliffhanger too?
As much as I am a fan of your stories Greg, It feels empty not to have any closure at all.
No offense but basic story telling has beginning-conflict-resolution and as fans we never get to see a resolution of the overall plot.
I mean having an ending that gives the illusion that "the story never truly ends" is great (that's not what I am critical of).
But I think that not having an ending that acknowledges that the story has to end for real life reasons(maybe becuase you simply can't write stories forever, becuase you aren't getting more episodes, becuase you have to move on etc)... is disrespectuful to your fans that expect to have a complete story.
Take JLU unlimited ending. It even ended with wonderwoman saying "...and the adventure continues" and even left two unresolved plot points, But at the same time it ended the main plots and acted as a send off/good bye to it's fans and it didn't feel empty.
Sorry for being so critical, you are a big inspiration and even if I don't agree with you always I think you are a fantastic story teller (an inspiration for me in fct) and I am planing on buying our new book.
Greg responds...
I NEVER leave a season with a cliffhanger.
I ALWAYS leave a season with open-ended closure.
I don't mean to sound disrespectful to you or any of my fans, but that's how my mind works. If you don't like it, I can't really help you, because you'd be asking me to change the way I tell stories.
But perhaps we're not so far apart. You cite the JLU ending, which I haven't seen. But you state that, in essence, it has open-ended closure, even noting it had unresolved plot points. That's EXACTLY what I do at the end of EVERY season. Not everything is going to be tied up into a neat knot, but every major plot point of that season will be, as happened at the end of Gargoyles, WITCH, Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice.
So what exactly are you looking for from me that's any different?
And thank you for buying RAIN OF THE GHOSTS. It's much appreciated! Sincerely!!
Greg Xanatos writes...
Dear Greg,
Through your career, you've shown a fondness for various "Master Planner" type villains (Xanatos, The Light, Nerrisaa etc.) You've also become notable for thinking out things to great detail (as your timelines and posts on askgreg have shown). So I wanted to know, has your own "master planning" informed these characters? For example, does Xanatos plan his schemes out with cards like you do? Do the Light's group planning sessions reflect an evil version of the Writer's room?
Thanks!
Greg responds...
God, I hope not. I like to think they're all much slicker than I am.
GARGOYLES NEWS - DVDS and CONvergence/Gathering
Well, I've been out of the country and OUT OF THE LOOP, but we have some REALLY BIG news on the GARGOYLES front.
Season Two, Volume Two of Gargoyles has been released on DVD as a Disney Movie Club exclusive. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm planning on getting at least a couple copies, as I'm told by reliable fan sources who have already received their disks that these are the uncut and correct versions of the last twenty-six episodes of Season Two, including such fan favorites as "M.I.A.", Future Tense" and all three parts of "Hunter's Moon".
Wish I knew more. I've e-mailed a Disney contact for more info but haven't received a response yet. But you can probably find all the information you need by asking the fans in the comment room:
http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/comment/index.php
Anyway, as always, I'm not asking you to spend money you don't have. But if you can afford it, please help us prove to Disney that Gargoyles is a viable property with a strong fanbase. You can do that in two important ways. (1) Buy the DVDs, of course. And (2) SPREAD THE WORD! Use Tumbler, Twitter, Pony Express, whatever. Just help us let people know that these DVDs exist and are out there for sale.
AND MORE BIG NEWS...
I was waiting until CONvergence was over on Sunday to announce this, but it seems they've already made the announcement here:
https://twitter.com/GargoylesNews/status/353393780675715074/photo/1
Next summer, one of my favorite conventions, CONVERGENCE in Minneapolis, will be dedicating their annual convention to the theme of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". And a major part of that theme will be the celebration of the TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF GARGOYLES!!! I'm going to be a guest of the convention, and we've already begun discussions to create a Gargoyles convention within the convention. That's right, folks, the GATHERING OF THE GARGOYLES is back!! There will be a RADIO PLAY! There will be a BLUE MUG!! There will be the ROCKY HORROR GARGOYLES SHOW-ING OF THE TRADITIONAL VIDEOS!! There will be ASK GREG LIVE!! And there will be other Gargoyles related guests to be announced!!!
If you came to any one of the thirteen Gatherings that we held between 1997 and 2009, you know how much fun this can be. You'll want to be there again! If you missed the Gatherings and always wished you had had the opportunity, now is your chance! If you've never heard of the Gathering, but like Gargoyles (or any of the other shows I've done or am doing - including W.I.T.C.H., Spectacular Spider-Man, Young Justice, Rain of the Ghosts and/or Star Wars Rebels, etc.) then this is an opportunity to talk with me and other like-minded fans about them. (We'll probably have panels on them all!)
And if you're interested in just attending a great comic book and science fiction and fantasy and genre convention, then Gargoyles aside, you just can't beat CONvergence:
The camaraderie of the Gatherings was truly something wonderful, and the closest I've ever come to that outside the Gatherings is CONvergence. I honestly can't think of a better con to merge with, even if it's just for one year. (For starters, the ENTIRE hotel is rented to the convention, and the parties go on all night. No more being told by management that we have to stop talking and/or move to some other location. We can and will continue until we drop!)
Now, let's think. Let's strategize. CONvergence is going on NOW. As I type this. And it will last through the end of this July 4th weekend. Next year's convention is exactly one year away. That's plenty of time to plan, to save up money, make travel and hotel arrangements etc. But mostly, what we've got to do in that year is SPREAD THE WORD!!! I want to see a HUGE GARGOYLE FAN TURNOUT at CONvergence 2014. Let's stun CONvergence, the world and DISNEY by showing them how immensely popular Gargoyles still is. And for sure, I don't want any Gargoyles fan saying, "Gee, I didn't hear about it."
So help me, please. I'm sure there are a lot of old fans out there that long ago stopped reading ASK GREG. Contact them. Contact EVERY Gargoyles fan you know, young and/or old. (Don't assume they must already know.) I want to see all my old friends. And a lot of new ones. So, please. Help me. SPREAD. THE. WORD!!!!!!
TIMEBRO writes...
Hey Greg a timeline question or threerather.
1. You have detailed timelines for Young Justice and Gargoyls, do you do this for everything you do even when you havent built the universe from scratch like in your Captain Atom comics or WITCH?
2. When did you start this trait?
3. You have time and time again noted that YJ has no "canon year" and that 2010 worked for Year Zero as a math thing. So does that mean season two being in 2016 by that reckoning was a coincidence?
Greg responds...
1. Not everything, no. I have a Captain Atom timeline from way back, but I'm sure it has no relevance to current DC continuity anymore. I don't think I ever did a WITCH timeline in the strictest sense, but I did make an effort to keep track of the backstories, etc.
2. In elementary school.
3. Heh heh heh.
MasterGhandalf writes...
I've recently been reflecting on your shows, and one thing that's really jumped out at me is that every one of them I've seen is extremely arc and continuity based, but also has, rather than a single "Big Bad", at least two core villains who contrast with and play off each other- Xanatos and Demona, Nerissa and Phobos, Tombstone and Norman Osborn, the Light and the Reach. Even the unproduced Stargate spin-off you posted about a while back had Osyros and Anubis. I was wondering if this was a conscious decision on your part to deliberately include this element in your shows, or if it's just something that flows naturally while designing a series?
Greg responds...
Huh. You know, it's clearly not conscious, since I never noticed it before now.
Maybe it's about trying to world-build something convincing, something that logically plays out the consequences of the world created, which therefore sets up multiple responses from different antagonists to a set of circumstances. And perhaps it also comes out of my belief that nothing is truly monolithic. Even the bad guys aren't just a unified mass of evil. They have agendas of their own.
But honestly, you're guess is as good as mine at this moment.
VERY INTERESTING POST THOUGH.
Because I think I've done the same thing in RAIN OF THE GHOSTS without trying.
THANKS!!
Anonymous writes...
What are your thoughts about:
1- The Gargoyles fandom?
2- The W.I.T.C.H. fandom?
3- The Spectacular Spider-man fandom?
4- The Young Justice fandom?
Greg responds...
I'm not sure what exactly you're looking for here. Generally speaking, I love all four fandoms (and there's a lot of overlap). My life has - without a doubt - been enriched by my associations with the fandoms of the series' I've worked on. Some of the Gargoyles' fans are some of my best friends.
In person, the fandoms are almost without exception fantastic.
Sometimes on line, less so. I think that the anonymity of the internet does at times encourage bad behavior. And I think that's gotten progressively worse with each passing year. But that has more to do with the internet than with any individual fandom. And, yet, even with that caveat, I love interacting with fans on line. At least most of the time.
Akino writes...
Sorry if these questions mean having to think way back. I've been reviewing the W.I.T.C.H. series, and now that I'm on season 2, I had a couple questions about developments in the show.
1. When season 2 first aired, rumors went around that Will's father was originally going to be written as unpleasant and manipulative as he had been in the comics, but due to resistance from Disney, this idea was scrapped. Is there any truth to this?
2. I absolutely loved how Matt ended up becoming Shagon. Did you plan from the beginning that this would happen, or did the idea come later on? Because this was brilliant.
3. Similar to the above, the relationship between Caleb and Nerissa. You hinted early enough into season 2 that the Mage might be Caleb's mother and that Nerissa was the Mage. Caleb was already very different from his counterpart in the comics. How did you decide that Nerissa should be his mother? It was such a surprise.
4. The final question is more of an opinion question. As I watch the series, I find myself wanting to feel sympathy toward Nerissa, despite the things she does throughout the series. What is your take on her?
Thank you and all the staff for doing an awesome job with this show, and for everything else you've worked on.
Greg responds...
Actually, I'm kinda impressed I remembered as much as I did:
1. No. He was originally written as more at odds with Susan over custody, but we never were going to write him as a bad guy like in the comics. We were just going to have two well-meaning parents at odds, and then realizing that they were only hurting Will by fighting. But Disney didn't like Susan and Tony to even argue. So instead of the issue being custody, we made the issue Tony's new wife and Will's (mistaken) belief that she was really Nerissa in disguise. In a way, this worked out even better for our overall arc.
2. Well, I planned it from the beginning of my run, but keep in mind I didn't start on the series until Season Two.
3. It all seemed to fit with Nerissa having multiple identities throughout the cast. And, heck, the whole "Luke, I am your father" thing is still too tempting not to use.
4. That she's complex, interesting and fascinating with the tragic flaw of most great villains. Plus she loved and mourned Cassidy. And in her twisted way, loved Caleb and Julian too. And that makes her at least a little sympathetic. Though, of course, the fact that she killed Cassidy and used her, Caleb AND Julian also undercuts that sympathy more than a little.
FallenLegend writes...
Hey Greg I just wanted to ask you if you have ever thought on finishing writing all your stories in case you never got to finish them in your life time?.
I don't want to be pessimistic. But just like Moses wasn't able to be on the promised land...
I recall Tolkien had the same issue with his unfinished tales. It would be cool if you at least considered finishing gargoyles. Many of your fans would be grateful if we got to know the full story :)
Greg responds...
I'm not sure what you mean by "finishing"...? I mean, just for starters, what medium are you referring to? It's not like I can just magically whip up some cartoons for ya.
But (1) let's start with this notion: it can't be done. Because my mind doesn't work that way. No matter how much I wrote on Gargoyles or Young Justice or SpecSpidey or WITCH or whatever, those stories and those characters would simply inspire new stories and yet more characters. To me, the universe (any universe) doesn't come to an end, so how could I ever bring any of theses sagas to an end?
(2) I gotta earn a living, pal. I don't own Gargoyles. For me to spend unpaid time writing stories that I can never publish, is, I hate to say it, even dopier than a doing post-production on a series for free. And there are limits to even my dopiness.
Jesse writes...
Hi Greg!!
First I would like to say i love Gargoyles and W.I.T.C.H.!
My question about the show is
-when did Beast Bboy find out about M'gaan's true form?
-Is Zatanna single at the moment?
Keep it up with the amazing show, Young Justice!!
Greg responds...
1. Between seasons.
2. Why, are you interested?
Blaze writes...
Hello, I'm a big fan of your work, especially W.I.T.C.H, which never seems to get the credit it deserves. So I've just a got a few questions on that front.
1. About how old is Phobos?
2. Was there ever a plan to show more about Elyon/Phobos's biological parents, and if so, what were they like, especially to Phobos?
3. I know this is a bit vague,so no worries if there's no answer. I like to write, but I always have a hard time coming up with villains. Any advice on how to create an interesting bad guy?
Thanks!
Greg responds...
1. I don't recall, I'm afraid. SO LONG AGO.
2. They were decent people. Perhaps over-indulgent. And probably in some denial.
3. Start with your hero and hold a mirror up to some aspect of him or her. Then twist.
gaiachild writes...
It isn't really much of a question, but all in all, I just wanted to say "Thank you". Thank you for all the high quality shows you produced that enriched my childhood and still give me intelligent and gripping entertainment in my favorite media, animated shows, as an adult.
Most off all, I also wanted to express my admiration for your resolve. While privately I may often joke bitterly about the "Weisman curse" whenever one of your shows gets unfairly canceled way too soon despite (arguably) having the best quality in the entire program. You will always have my gratitude for continuing to produce great shows despite all the stones placed in your way.
As for questions:
1. If you had the means to, would you do a Young Justice/Gargoyles Crossover?
2. Sorry to bring up this unfairly missed opportunity gain, but if you had remained on the staff for "The Roswell Conspiracies", do you think that show would at some point crossed over with Gargoyles?
3. In the spirit of question one, do you think Demona would make a good Red Lantern?
In any case, once again, thank you. Thank you for raising the quality and complexity of the already great W.I.T.C.H. cartoon, thank you for producing the best animated Spider-Man series to date, thank you for bringing Starshiptroopers to the screen in the way it should have been in the first place, thank you for doing such a great job with Max Steel, thank you for doing a huge part in keeping animated DC material extremely high quality, especially at the moment, and of course, thank you for Gargoyles, probably my favorite franchise ever, and I am rooting for you to one day get it back and do more wonders with it.
Greg responds...
1. I don't think so. Maybe as a radio play. But I don't see the two universes as being particularly compatible.
2. No. Two different companies.
3. See, this kinda thing doesn't interest me much. If you think so, great.
Thanks for all your kind words.
Simon writes...
Dear Greg.
My question is regarding the W.I.T.C.H. series and it would be greatly appreciated if you would take your time and answer my question. I will try to keep my questions as short as possible.
1. First of all, I loved the W.I.T.C.H. as a youth, it teached me important and valuable things in life. I would hope future generation can have the same opportunity to watch series like this. I think the series came to an abrupt end, when instead it was set for a new season, given introductionen of the new teacher. Why did it end like this?
2. Is there any chance that the series will see a resurrection?
3. What can I do as a fan, to affect the possibility of a resurrection?
4. Can you do anything to get all of us who wish that our dreams of a season, not just remain a dream, but a reality? If not, who can?
Once again, if you would answer, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Simon
Greg responds...
1. It wasn't picked up for new episodes. I'm assuming because of low ratings, but no one ever gives me a definitive answer on this sort of thing.
2. ANY chance? Sure. But I see no indication of it currently, and I have no reason to expect it.
3. Honestly, at this stage: nothing. It's way too long after the fact. I mean, you can try to generate a groundswell by gathering a LOT of likeminded fans, but when I say a LOT, I mean a LOT!!!!
4. All I can really do is say that if they do bring it back, I'd love to produce more episodes.
4a. In theory, someone at Disney. But I have no idea who.
Nerd1001 writes...
When I was watching W.I.T.C.H., I always wondered one thing. Does Mr.Huggles have some sort of increased intelligence when he's in his Regent form? Normally, he's just a regular dormouse. Napoleon was already magically enhanced, so does the same apply to Huggles so he understands when to regent up?
Greg responds...
Sure.
Motti writes...
When I was young i watched Gargoyles. My reaction? Meh. Fast forward, year 2009. TvTropes recomended The Spectacular Spider-Man as best animated Spidey show. I hate Spider-Man, but hey, let's give a try. My reaction? AWESOME!!! Hm, lets check other stuff this Weisman guy did. And i rewatched Gargoyles and W.I.T.C.H. My reaction? THIS WEISMAN GUY IS AWESOME!!! He's funny, creative and his villains are amazing. Hm, he's gonna produce Young Justice. Let's check it when it comes out. My reaction? GREG WEISMAN IS OFFICIALLY DEITY IN MY EYES!!! So thank you, Mr. Weisman for giving human kind such awesome cartoons! And now some questions:
1) If you have a billion dollar budget what movie or show would you create? (Shakespeare excluded. We know you would do Kennet Branagh style, 4 hours long, Hamlet)
2) Did you ever met Alan Moore or Neil Gaiman or Grant Morrison?
3) Did you ever considered writing again comics? P.S. Loved Captain Atom both in YJ and comics
4) Whom do you preffer: DC or Marvel? As world, not as a employer
5) Ever been in Europe?
Also, I'm kinda worried for YJ. It seems TV network can't endure your awesomeness, so they ruin 3rd seasons for your shows. That, and Teen Titans are back and new Batman show is in production. Of course, i could be paranoid. No matter what, your work will be always epic! Once again, thank you Mr. Weisman for your awesome work!
P.S. Steve Blum as Green Goblin and Josh Keaton as Spider-Man? BEST. CHOICES. EVER.
Greg responds...
1. I don't know. Too many options. Too hypothetical.
2. I met Alan Moore once VERY briefly, in 1985 in San Diego. I've never met Gaiman or Morrison.
3. I'd love to write more comics. No one's asked.
4. ASKED AND ANSWERED. I have no preference. I grew up on both, love both and initially - when I was a kid - didn't even realize there were two different companies.
5. Yes.
EXALT writes...
Ok, my question is about the "death rules" in your shows, AKA the conditions under which you could kill a character off (for example, you said in your Gargoyles' rambles that you could show Othello and Desdemona in "City of Stone, Part 1" because A)the audience already knew they were dead and B)it already knew they'd be back as Coldstone, otherwise you couldn't have personalized the victims of the massacre; you also said that, even though you killed off the Magus in "Avalon, Part 3", you couldn't actually say outloud that he was dead).
So, the question is: under which conditions you could actually kill a character off in Gargoyles, W.I.T.C.H. and Young Justice?
(Ok, fine, I suppose it counts as three questions)
Greg responds...
Well, you seem to have already answered your own question vis-a-vis Gargoyles. And I'm not going to reveal anything along these lines for Young Justice.
That just leaves W.I.T.C.H. And I can't remember killing off anyone in W.I.T.C.H. Though we had characters who were already dead.
Todd Jensen writes...
The first season of "Young Justice" takes place over the course of half a year, starting on the Fourth of July and continuing to New Year's Eve in the Season One finale (with episodes set on Halloween and Thanksgiving along the way). I remember that the first season of "The Spectacular Spider-Man" similarly stretched from the start of the school year in September to Thanksgiving (with a Halloween episode along the way), and that the second season got up at least to Valentine's Day. The time progression in "Gargoyles" was more vague, but we had two Halloween stories ("Eye of the Beholder" and the Double Date story) and three wintry episodes in New York ("Her Brother's Keeper", which ends with a snowfall, "Re-Awakening", and "The Price"), as well as a clear timeline for the Stone of Destiny story.
I like this sense of the year's progress through the seasons and landmark days (like the Fourth of July and Halloween), but it doesn't seem that common in animated series outside your own work. I've seen two speculations on why that element is so rare in animated series. One is that a lot of the people who engage in such creative work aren't big on continuity and change, far less than you are. Another is that most people involved in creating animated television series live in or near Los Angeles and other parts of California, where the climate is pretty much the same year around and there's less a sense of four seasons than in other parts of the United States. I was wondering what your thoughts were on these theories.
Greg responds...
Both these theories seem valid to me, but they probably pale from the economic explanation: if you progress through the seasons then you have to redress backgrounds and characters, and that's expensive. Me, I believe it's WORTH the expense. But that's only true if you're really going to DO something with it. If you're not, then there's not much point. (We also did it on W.I.T.C.H. by the way.)
EXALT writes...
In W.I.T.C.H., why some of the Hearts, like Lillian and Elyon, have sentient forms, while others are simply majical objects?
Greg responds...
That's just the way it works.
EXALT writes...
Hello, Greg! I have some W.I.T.C.H. questions.
1)In the series finale, when the C.H.Y.K.N escaped from the jewel, why did Nerissa remain young, while the reverted back to their original forms?
2)Why Cassidy stayed alive, instead of becoming a ghost again?
3)Does Nerissa know that her fantasies (when she remains trapped in the jewel) are just fantasies, at least deep down, or she really believes they're real?
Greg responds...
1. Nerissa didn't ever really escape from the Jewel. But in her imagination, she was still young.
2. Because that magic had been accomplished. It was a done deal.
3. I'll leave that to your interpretation.
Zach Baker writes...
Hey Greg!
I recently saw this line from an interview with Steven Bochco in the early 80's, talking about Hill Street Blues (which currently has its first two-and-a-half seasons on Hulu Plus, by the way):
"Maybe the biggest problem with Hill Street, in terms of popular success, is that it is a show that demands to be watched. And most people do not watch television. They simply are in its presence."
I love that quote. What an insightful way to encapsulate about what was essential and great about Hill Street Blues, without going into all the details of what made it so outstanding. Just leave at this: unlike nearly anything before it, in many ways it was a show that demanded to be watched. I think that characteristic also applies to Gargoyles as well, no doubt due to the major influence Hill Street Blues had on the show (as you've often mentioned).
Nowadays, that quality, of being a show that "demands to be watched," is characteristic of so many excellent shows that appear on HBO, Showtime or AMC (before hitting DVD boxsets and iTunes), places where popular success isn't the one and only yardstick. And again and again, we've seen how this kind of series can flourish in the atmosphere of creative freedom offered by these outlets.
Can viewers hope that someday soon, that kind of environment will produce an animated serial drama that has the same level of quality, complexity and acclaim as these channels' current headline series? If so, what might it take for that to happen?
Greg responds...
Hey, Zach. Long time no see. I'd heard that quotation about Hill Street before, and couldn't agree more.
I appreciate you think Gargoyles falls in the same category. It's flattering and certainly what we strived for. I don't pretend that we were as good as Hill Street Blues, but no one can accuse us of not going for it.
As to your question, I like to think that W.I.T.C.H., Spectacular Spider-Man, Young Justice and Young Justice: Invasion also qualify. At least at Gargoyles' level. So I think it's already possible. But that's just my - apparently not so - humble opinion.
Fluttershy writes...
Hey greg what's up I would love to ask you a questions regarding your story telling techniques
You have said in the past that you could go be telling stories forever if you wanted and in fact sometimes not even the tv show is enough for them hence the comics.
But have you ever considered in giving your characters and stories a Grand finale?.
I think something that has made me a bit sad is that in your past shows you have been cut short due to executive decitions out of your control and we have been unable to get anything resembling an ending that actually gives closure (w.i.t.c.h,Spectacular spiderman, gargoyles etc)
However it is always nice when a tv show character directly says goodbye to te audience(like batman the brave and the bold) or when every major plot point is solved at the end.
A big trait of western media in it's majority like tv shows and specially comics is that the characters "are frozen in time".
Spiderman for instance will always be a young man that fights crime and the story won't go beyond that,same for superman and batman. When the story gets after a certain point we as fans tend to get reboots reapeaing the smae story.
I would like to ask you if given the chance will you give us a finale to your works like gargoyles.
Will we ever see the closure of them?
Do you believe in "grand finales"?
Or do you want simply to never give them a real ending o your shows and simply give the idea that the story will be around forever?
Greg responds...
Yeah, I'm not so much into Grand Finales. Probably why I'm more of a television or comic book guy than a movie or graphic novel guy. I believe (whole-heartedly) in the on-going story. That's what LIFE feels like to me.
Gargoyles is a perfect example. Characters come; characters go and some even die, but the world goes on. I even know (but don't ask) how Goliath dies, but I don't see it as the end of that world. It's only A FINALE, because there is no THE FINALE.
I suppose if one was writing a story with a single lead, a la Spider-Man, and either (a) one killed him off or (b) one really ran out of stories to tell, then I could see staging that big Grand F before you waved goodbye forever. But that assumes there isn't a new Spider-Man waiting in the wings and/or that a guy like me would actually run out of stories. And that hasn't happened to me, at least not yet.
Lavariel writes...
Dear Mr. Weisman,
Thank you for all the wonderful work you've done from Gargoyles, to Spiderman, to Young Justice. Been a fan for years.
1) From your experience, what was more enjoyable to work with? Working on a show that was completely yours to control - Gargoyles - from character development, plot, and storyline? Or Spiderman and Young Justice where the basics has already laid out?
2) Was there more pressure to succeed working on Gargoyles because it was original and the creativity was your to control? Or was there more pressure to work on an adaption on Spiderman and Young Justice because the bar has already been set?
Greg responds...
1. They're different. Gargoyles is my baby. But in terms of the actual work, I don't think I had any more or less fun working on SpecSpidey, W.I.T.C.H. or YJ.
2. I think the pressure rises with each series, but I blame the internet more than anything inherent in the series. (I blame the internet for a lot, which is not to say I could go back to living without it.)
Julia writes...
This is...going to be an odd post.
Six years ago, I was a lonely and bored kid surfing the Internet for pretty pictures of one of my favorite shows, WITCH. I stumbled upon my first fanfiction. I was eleven and hooked. I've managed to bond with many people because of that discovery and self-published some of my writing.
Fast forward to December 2010. I heard of this fantastic new show, Young Justice, and unfortunately missed the premiere due to my DVR not working. I decided to surf the Web and stumbled upon an anonymous writing meme for Young Justice. It's still the most interactive, fun place I've been online, and it got me out of a slump I'd fallen into with my writing. In fact, the Young Justice fandom is the most active and interactive fandom I've ever been in.
I have Asperger's Syndrome- I find it difficult to connect with people at all. So...thank you. Thank you for making such great shows that people love so much that we can all connect to. It's really made my life so much better.
Greg responds...
You know, I really don't think I know the definition of "meme".
Otherwise, you're very welcome!!
Harlan Phoenix writes...
Only two episodes of your run on WITCH, namely the first and last, have your writing credit (if my research is correct). Was there anything about WITCH's production that prevented you from contributing more scripts personally or was it a creative choice?
Greg responds...
Honestly, I don't remember. Did I really only write two myself?
Sophie writes...
I love how badass Aqualad and all the other Atlantians are on YJ! Usually, Aquaman is considered kind of a joke by a lot of people, but you made them so cool and powerful on the show, which is great. I was wondering, was some of the water controlling powers Aqualad use inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender?
Greg responds...
Well, not really, because I've seen that stuff for years before I was exposed to A:TLAb. For example, W.I.T.C.H. But you know, it's all in there, I guess.
Charlie writes...
Hey Greg
I heard that you wrote the lyrics for the will to love and even though the full song was never released, the lyrics for the full version were released. recently i have been learning the song by ear and have been making a tab for it. the one problem is that even though i can learn almost all of the song from 'S is for Self' the bridge is quite a problem for me. i would be quite happy to create my own chords and melody for it but i would much rather write it with the correct chords and melody. i was wondering if you would know any of the chords from the bridge or know anybody who might know them? just the chords will do because i will be able to create my own melody ontop. Please don't just look over this question as this project means quite alot to me as it is my first one.
Thanks!
Charlie
Greg responds...
I'm not sure how to help you. The entire song was recorded, even if it wasn't all used. But I don't have a copy of the sheet music.
Harlan Phoenix writes...
Though I know your mind isn't the kind to play favorites, but given how you acknowledge The Mirror as your favorite/the best episode of Gargoyles, I think this might be able to fly.
Do you have any particular episodes of WITCH or The Spectacular Spider-Man that, if it wasn't your favorite necessarily, you felt was the best of those shows? And for what reasons, if so?
Greg responds...
At the moment, I can't think of just one for either series. But it's been a while since I've watched them.
Matthew writes...
This is about pretty much all the series you've worked on. I've noticed that most of your series has a large cast of recurring characters (and that despite this characters tend to be very well delineated.) Now for Young Justice, WITCH, and Spectacular Spiderman that may be just because they were pre-existing properties and already have large casts. However, Gargoyles also had a large cast.
Was this a because of conscious choice?
Do you perfer working with a large cast of characters?
Greg responds...
I do. I like creating worlds that feel real and populated.
Greg Bishansky writes...
I know I wrote to you about a year ago with some thoughts on “W.I.T.C.H.,†but I just went through the series for a second time, and rather than just watch it, I was able to study it, catch all the clues and pieces of foreshadowing and other things that I missed.
Last year, it took me two weeks to make it through the first season, and twenty-four hours to make it through the second season. This time, well, I wanted to let the second season breathe a little more, which is why it took twenty-seven hours to make it through this time.
What can I say, it’s addictive.
I think I’ll start with the large cast, which seems to be a feature in every series you produce. I don’t feel like anybody got the short end of the stick. Will, being the lead, of course got the most time. Everyone else was well balanced also. Casts this big can be pretty hard to juggle. Five main characters, and so many supporting characters, recurring characters, villains, etc.
Irma was probably my favorite of the Guardians. She just had so much spunk. A huge sense of humor. I enjoyed how she often seemed like she would be the most fun to hang out with, but at the same time, probably the meanest when she was in a bad mood. Cornelia at her worst has nothing on a pissed off Irma. Very scary. God help you if you push her to anger. I’ve known people like that in real life, but I find that TV seldom ever does it well. So I have to commend a series that can take someone so likeable and make them nasty without losing their likeability.
The theme of the season seemed to be growing up. Hay-Lin and Taranee change and grow the most this season. Cornelia does well too, learning to be a better sister to Lillian. Will growing in her powers, as a leader, in her relationship with her parents, and their new love interests, and in her own relationship with Matt.
Ironically, Irma seems to change the least over the course of the season, but that’s okay, because she still got a lot of characterization.
Surprising nobody, my favorite character in the series was Nerissa. She always kept me guessing. Going through the series for the second time, I could really see her master plan and all the pipe-laying for her. I probably shouldn’t mention season one, but I paid much more attention to Trill this time, as well as the Mage. Nerissa just seemed to be everywhere, pulling everybody’s strings. I liked the twist that she wasn’t really out for vengeance, which is a twist that made sense. Watching it the first time, I asked myself why would she want to avenge Phobos, she wasn’t there. Well, she was, but you know what I mean. The Knights were all a distraction, and the second time, that seemed much more obvious. But I enjoyed how cold and intelligent she was. She was always scheming; always Machiavellian; and two steps ahead of everyone; all the while carrying around a mountain of repressed guilt. I once described her to a friend with the following words: “imagine if Xanatos and Demona had a baby together, that child would be Nerissa.†I thought Kath Soucie did a magnificent job.
I must also say that the twist that Nerissa was Caleb’s mother was brilliant. As I understand it, this was not the case I the original comic book. But I enjoyed it; I thought it worked quite well. It also made things even more chilling in that, when you think about it, she essentially raped Julian. Rape by deception is still rape, and that’s not something you see often in a cartoon. It almost reminds me of Merlin helping Uther deceive Igraine in order to create King Arthur.
And then there was Prince Phobos. It’s impossible to discuss what was done with him in the second season without talking about the first. I thought he was pretty one note throughout the first season, but season two did something far different with him, and you really felt how this guy could have held the entire world of Meridian under his control for so long.
I felt the same way about Lord Cedric, he got old really fast in the first season, and when he finally gets out of his cell in season two, he’s not doing much that he didn’t do in the first season until what had to be the shock moment of the entire season. I won’t say anymore, but it was nice to see a character I thought so poorly of get that moment. What inspired that twist, I wonder.
The Shagon mini-arc was very well done too. It seems to be a theme in Weisman produced shows to have a character change into something else, all under the control of a villain. David Xanatos turned Derek Maza into Talon; the Green Goblin turned Mark Allan into Molten Man; and Nerissa turns Matt into Shagon. What I also enjoy is just how different each of these scenarios really are. Shagon was a nice personal antagonist towards Will. As I understand it, this is another case where the TV series deviated from the comics for the better. Turning Matt into Shagon just gives that character a lot more chemistry with our heroes than he otherwise would have had.
Would I have liked to see a third season? Sure. But aside from the mystery of who this new teacher was, I thought it was all wrapped up very well, and didn’t leave me “needing†to see more the same way “Gargoyles†and “Spectacular Spider-Man†did. It was great television, and I’m sorry I didn’t get to see it when it was originally airing.
Greg responds...
Thanks. I was really proud of the work we did with WITCH. Tried to stay true to Season One and build in more material from the comic, and take it all to a new level. Would have loved to have done another season, but...
Harlan Phoenix writes...
When working on WITCH, did you ever meet or otherwise communicate with the creator of the original comic?
Greg responds...
Nope.
Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...
Silly little question- Do you ever feel the urge, (or give into the urge), to slip something into a script purely because you know something about the actor? Like writing a song into a scene because you know the actor sings, (but maybe not telling them that they're going to be doing Sondheim or Gilbert & Sullivan till after they agree to sing 'some ditty'), or make them speak a foreign language because someone is fluent (but perhaps has a horrid accent)? Someone has a great cackle? Find a reason to have it come up. Someone is afraid of canaries? Put on on the character's shoulder for the whole episode. etc The only example I can think of now would be to have M'gan spout a long series of made up equations to see if Danica McKellar's head explodes in the face of nonsensical math. (Or replace of a series of made up equations with her own theorem at the last moment and wait for her to notice.)
Or does "Jalapeno!" qualify as such evil?
Greg responds...
Jalapena definitely qualifies.
Thailog qualifies in general. (How can I write for Keith David and never give him the chance to laugh?!)
I would have loved to do musical episodes of Gargoyles and/or Spectacular Spider-Man, but in the former I couldn't think of a smart way to make it work (pre-Joss Whedon's "Once More With Feeling") and in the latter, we didn't get enough episodes...
But it was fun doing the two musical episodes of W.I.T.C.H.
Jamie writes...
Hey greg,first of all, you're awesome, i remember when i was only 5 and i would re enact your gargoyles haha good times.
If you were to compare Young Justice and your other works, would young justice be in the top 5?
How many views are you having on Young justice ?
Greg responds...
Wow, did you just make me feel old...
Yes, YJ would be in my top five, along with Gargoyles (of course) and in no particular order, Spectacular Spider-Man, W.I.T.C.H. and Captain Atom.
Edward writes...
Is the Green Arrow short in continuity with Young Justice since you were/are involved with both?
Greg responds...
I was also involved with W.I.T.C.H., Starship Troopers, Gargoyles and the Spectacular Spider-Man, and none of those are in continuity with Young Justice.
tomi writes...
I really enjoyed these first preview episodes of Young Justice. And perhaps even moreso than that i enjoyed to hear Crispin Freeman to return back to your services: i think he made fantastic work as both Speedy and Guardian, and eventhough you can still hear a bit that it is the same actor, he made it possible for those two characters to be divided and personified from one and another.
He was excellent as Electro, and i was fan of him before that(i came hooked sometimes around i first saw first few episodes of Wolf,s Rain).
From what i,ve been able to gather, he seems to be not only true professional, but also smart, intelligent guy with great thoughts, coupled with sharp and delightful sense of humor. I have seem him to appear in many of Gatherings(often paired with good old Thom Lexington Adcox), and i,ve heard that he was fan long before your paths crossed, often discussing with his fans about serie,s themes.
If it isnt too much trouble, could you give little bit of greenlight how you two met, and how your cooperation began?
Hopes for better to your work from fan from far-off-land Finland: maybe there arent too many Finnish Gargfans, but i am one of them.
Pidä lippu korkealla!/Keep your spirits high!
Greg responds...
I met him through the Gathering, actually. 2001 in Los Angeles, I believe. He was a guest of the convention, giving his mythology seminar. We first worked together on a pitch for Mecha-Nation, i.e. he did us a favor and recorded a bit of dialogue for us. The first paying job I could offer him was on the very last episode of W.I.T.C.H.
John Derrick writes...
I hate to say it, but I was extremely disappointed in the Young Justice premiere. Don't get me wrong--the animation was gorgeous, the dialogue entertaining, the story intriguing. But the gender imbalance was a huge turn-off for me.
Why was it that the women of the Justice League were only shown in the last five minutes of a two-part pilot? Why did the male sidekicks get to go on a rebellious adventure and force the League to accept them as a team of their own, while the first girl is only added to "Young Justice" at the very end, introduced by her uncle and guardian like some sort of token?
I expect that the women will have a lot more to do in the episodes to come, but I still find it profoundly problematic to introduce the characters in such an unequal manner. I believe there are too many men in the world as it is who see women as mere supporting players in their stories. Why reinforce this stereotype for a whole new generation of superhero cartoon fans?
Greg responds...
It's a legitimate gripe. And I doubt my answer will satisfy you, but it came down to a couple factors that we at least found important: (1) practicality and to a lesser extent - but intertwined with - (2) tradition.
Let's start with practicality.
You asked why there were no female Leaguers until the end. But where would they have fit? There are no female Leaguers with traditional first generation sidekicks. So Batman, Green Arrow, Aquaman and Flash could not be replaced by Wonder Woman, Black Canary or Hawkwoman. That leaves the four Leaguers introduced at the Hall of Justice. I needed Martian Manhunter to be there to set up Miss Martian. I needed Red Tornado there to set up his interest in the teens. I needed Superman there to set up Superboy. That leaves only Zatara. He was certainly replaceable. But then I would have had to hire another voice actress to read ONE LINE. I couldn't afford to do that. We have budgets. (And you'll notice that Red Tornado never speaks in the episode. Couldn't afford giving him a line either. None of which had anything to do with gender.)
There was NEVER any intent to introduce Artemis this early in the season for story reasons. Wouldn't make sense for her character. And I think the reasons why will become clear as the season progresses.
As for Miss Martian, yes, in theory, we could have introduced her sooner. Manhunter COULD have brought her along at the beginning. But then I'd have had FOUR characters running around the first half hour and FIVE in the second. That steals screen time and characterization from everyone. I think the entire production would have been weaker for adding another character -- ANY other character (gender notwithstanding).
Of course, that begs the obvious question - why not ditch one of the boys in favor of her to create a little balance.
But it seemed to us that would create balance at a cost.
There are FOUR TRADITIONAL sidekicks: Robin, Speedy, Aqualad and Kid Flash. To leave one out seemed wrong to us. Which brings in the Tradition argument, which I'll admit is somewhat feeble, but as an old comic book geek, I'll also admit it matters to me and to everyone else here.
The very first Teen Titans story ever in Brave and the Bold featured only THREE heroes: Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash. Wonder Girl did not join until their second adventure. So we felt there was a precedent for beginning with Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash and saving the real introduction of Miss Martian (beyond hellos) for OUR second adventure.
For what it's worth, if you give the series another chance, starting with episode three (i.e. the one immediately following the pilot "movie"), I think you'll see that female characters including Miss Martian, Black Canary, Artemis, Wonder Woman and MANY others will be playing ESSENTIAL roles in the show as we progress. I think the balance - and then some - is absolutely present in the first season when viewed in its entirety.
Yes, the pilot was very boy-centric, but that's not the rubric for the series. Personally, I love writing female characters, and if you're at all familiar with my past work, you'll know I have a history of doing them justice. (At least, I think so.) Gargoyles, for example, is FULL of strong female characters, including Elisa, Demona, Angela, Fox, etc. WITCH was nearly ALL female leads. Even Spider-Man had a strong female supporting cast, in my opinion at least.
If we did "reinforce a stereotype" (which I think is overstating it) then perhaps we've lured in kids that we will reeducate over the course of the season - organically without forcing it.
So I'd beg a little patience, a little indulgence... maybe even a little trust that we'll do right by this issue.
But judge for yourself.
Anonymous writes...
Who would you rather be trapped in an eight hour car ride with; Demona; Nerissa; or Green Goblin?
Greg responds...
Nerissa, I guess. She'd have less reason to kill me at random. She might even appreciate the company.
Andrea writes...
Hi Greg, i've heard about some unaired 15-minute pilot episode of W.I.T.C.H. with a different story on halloween and i know they wore made for some test or something like this. I've heard on a topic on a forum that they are on a tape and it was just one copy of that. Now i was wondering if you can tell me were can i find those 15 minutes, because i didn't find anything on internet or maybe you know were it is or you can find that copy and share it with me. I really want to see those 15 minutes.
Greg responds...
Sorry. I don't know where you can find it.
Algernon writes...
Hey Greg,
Long time fan, first time asker. I’ve actually been posting over on in the Comment Room on and off for the past couple of years. I would have posted something here on Ask Greg sooner but frankly I could never think of anything particularly interesting say other then various permutations of “YOU ROCK!â€
Anyway I’ve been a huge “Gargoyles†fan since I first saw “Awakenings Part One†waaay back in ‘94, and I loved “The Spectacular Spider-Man†throughout it’s glorious yet tragically brief run. Needless to say, I’m eagerly looking forward to “Young Justiceâ€.
Yet up until recently, I’d been grossly negligent of the forgotten middle child of your career. A few weeks ago I got the chance to watch season two of “W.I.T.C.H.†and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even going back to watch season one and then re-watching season two all the way through again, just so I had all the back story.
Season two was a wonderfully crafted epic that managed to be true to the established continuity of season one yet at the same time managed to elevate and expand it into something truly astounding. I was especially impressed with the characterisation of Nerissa, she seemed to combined some of the most dangerous qualities of Demona and Xanatos, obsessive and vengeful yet at the same time very cool and calculating.
It really is a tragedy that this show isn’t better remembered, I’ve actually spoken to hardcore “Gargoyles†and “Spectacular Spider-Man†fans who’ve never seen it. Personally, I’d heartily recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of your better known toons.
Greg responds...
Thank you.
We were VERY proud of the work we did on W.I.T.C.H. There was some great story craft there by a diverse group of writers, some of whom would be very familiar to Gargoyles and Spidey fans, including Cary Bates, Andrew Robinson, Kevin Hopps, Greg Weisman, Jon Weisman and Nicole Dubuc. Also involved were Sam Bernstein (writer of the movie Bobby's Girl) and Steve Peterman (one of the show-runners on Hannah Montana). And our great boss Justine Cheynet.
Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...
I’ve heard you mention several times that you have had very good luck with S&P over several series, praising people who really understood the series and were more interested in showing consequence than keeping any violence off screen. When they put their foot down it was generally to avoid what a child can copy, even willing to have a different violent action in place they couldn’t. Did you ever have bad experiences? (Either on a series you were running, or one you freelanced on.)
Greg responds...
Yes, I've had many. Some completely inexplicable. Others explicable, but still wrong-headed.
Taranee on W.I.T.C.H. was a constant problem, as her power was fire and the S&P executive was very uncomfortable with... I'm not quite sure... the notion that we were encouraging child pyromania? The possibility that kids would use magic to generate flames?
I can't think of a really funny example just this second, though God knows I have more than a handful.
sanya writes...
Hi Greg,
i am wondering do you know which singers sang the song The will to love and The demon in me.
both of the songs have been sang in Witch episode s is for self part.
Greg responds...
Jason Marsden, who played Matt Olsen.
Jessica Walker writes...
Greetings Greg!
First off I wanted to say what a huge fan I am of your series. Gargoyles was by far one of the greatest cartoons back in the day. Now that I'm done fangirling, on to my question. I've read up on various sources saying that the comics may no longer be published due to Disney's iron grip on the Gargoyles franchise. I understand that there will no longer be any comics returning any time soon. My real question to you is WITCH related. Is there going to be a season 3 or any continuation of the series? I'm a huge fan of the original comic's and it seems like shame Disney would cancel it.
Greg responds...
I don't know anything about the status of the WITCH comics. The t.v. series was not picked up for a third season.
maritza writes...
hi, mr. weisman if many people sign on sds.org to save witch will it have a chance to go back on tv or witch will be gone forever.
Greg responds...
It's a bit late, I think, to save W.I.T.C.H. (Although I don't know what sds.org is.)
philip writes...
hi greg,did you wrote lyrics "will to love"? ...when i searched the lyrics i found
the the full version...wich is a lot more than it was sang on tv...why? heres the rest of the song:I figured I’d stay on the shelf.
Truth be told, didn’t trust myself:
Always fade, don’t make the grade, too afraid
Of rejection. Oh…
I didn’t think I had the strength
To find a girl on my wavelength.
Just a runt, always punt. No will to hunt
For perfection.
Then everything changes.
She’s there. Life rearranges.
Winged angel from above…
Helped me find the Will… the Will to love…
The Will to love… The Will to love…
Game’s full of surprises.
Live our share of compromises.
Still when push comes to shove…
She’s just the Will to love.
She’s just the Will to love.
I found the Will to love.
And everything changes.
She’s here. Life rearranges.
Winged angel from above…
She is just the Will… the Will to love.
The Will to love… The Will to love… Oh…
The Wïll to love…
Greg responds...
We put as much of the song in the episode as there was time for. And, yes, I wrote the lyrics. The full version can be found in, of all place, the Gargoyles: Bad Guys trade paperback, available now from Amazon.
Ivan Terehin writes...
Hey, Mr. Weisman, I have a question.
You spoke that you still had scenario of 3 parts "W.i.t.c.h.". If the project have closed. You could not give us the scenario? It would be desirable it to study. And fans would be very glad.
I am sorry for the bad English language.
Greg responds...
I did have plans for a third season of W.I.T.C.H., but I'm afraid that was years ago, and I've forgotten most of it.
samuel writes...
ummmmmmmm you probably cant answer this but who is in charge of putting witch back on tv
i was just gonna form a petition and see if we can get it back on the air and i had numerous amounts of ideas for episodes.
THANK YOU SO MUCH
PS
how many signatures would be needed to get witch back on the air if u can email that back to me
email is Olasehinde12@gmail.com
Greg responds...
I'd guess it's someone at Disney, if you're talking about the reruns. But I don't think there's any real chance of new episodes getting made at this point.
Matthew writes...
Hey, Mr. Weisman, I have a question.
I know you served as the director for W.I.T.C.H's second and final season. Many people attribute the fact that W.I.T.C.H never really caught on as well as it could have to it's first season, which deviated heavily from the spirit of the source material. As I've heard you made it a big goal to do better with that in the second season, I'd like to ask: if you had been working on W.I.T.C.H from the start (the first season), what would you have done differently? How would the whole Meridian/Phobos/Elyon storyline have gone under your direction?
Thanks.
Greg responds...
I served as Supervisory Producer for the second season of W.I.T.C.H. I was not the director.
Your question is impossible to answer. There are too many "IF"s in that hypothetical. If I had been in charge. If Disney had told me it was a comedy show for the Disney Channel set in a high school with a little magic thrown in and then halfway through production changed their collective mind to make it a fantasy action show with a little comedy for Jetix instead (which is what happened to the Season One producers). Etc.
Simon "writer in training" writes...
Do you think you would ever post the actual scripts of the shows you've worked on? W.I.T.C.H. , Gargoyles, Spiderman ect. I would love to read them. I've never actually seen a cartoon script and I was wondering the major differences format/process wise vs film scripts.(which seem easy to find off the internet, but I don't know any sites that offer libraries of animation and comic formats)Thanks!
PS love the new spiderman episodes!
Greg responds...
Different issues for different shows.
For Spider-Man, the answer for the time being is no. The show is (hopefully) on-going, and posting the scripts -- even first season scripts -- might reveal secrets I don't want revealed.
For Gargoyles, I don't have electronic copies of most of the scripts. Really, I only have "The Journey". And I definitely don't have the time to transcribe them.
W.I.T.C.H. is more of a possibility. But you're asking about Format and all formatting would be lost if I posted the script here at ASK GREG.
Masterdramon writes...
Hi! One of the greatest pleasures of visiting AskGreg when you were rambling about each episode of "Gargoyles" individually was seeing the production memos and other behind-the-scenes documents that gave us all a long peek at exactly what went into producing the episodes that eventually aired.
Given this, I was wondering if you would be willing to post any of the memos that you might have with regards to the production of "W.I.T.C.H." and "The Spectacular Spider-Man." I have greatly enjoyed both shows, and I would absolutely love to see some of the thinking that went into them.
On a related note, since a third season of "W.I.T.C.H." is apparently (and unfortunately) never going to see the light of day, are there any ideas that you would be willing to share as to how Season 3 would have been if you had worked on it? Evidently Raphael Sylla would have been involved, but what other characters/storylines did you have planned?
Thank you for your time, and good luck with your work!
Greg responds...
I'm not going to put up any internal documentation on Spidey while the show is still alive.
Which suggests, I might be willing to do it on WITCH, since it's not. I'll think about it.
I have to admit that my memory on WITCH's never-happened third season are a bit vague now. But Sylla and Riddle were very important, and Taranee and I think Martin and Cornelia would transfer to Riddle's school. The Guardians would take on a temporary new member, as in the comics. There were other elements from the comic, including characters I can now picture in my head -- but whose names I can't immediately call to mind. But Irma's mom would have been very important.
George writes...
Hello.First i sorry for the bad English but I'm Bulgarian and I'm still young.I wanted to ask you if there is going to be a 3th season of W.I.T.C.H. ? i know this question was already asked but i hope Disney changed there minds.This anime is the greatest and i really hope it continues.
Thanks.
George:your biggest fan.
to your work:keep it going YOU ARE THE BEST ;)
and sorry if i didnt wrote something not write
Greg responds...
To my knowledge, there are no plans for a third season. Sorry.
Kiwi writes...
Hi Greg, would you know anything about if Disney truly is planning to release a W.I.T.C.H movie possibly in the next two years and if it will be live action or animated?
Also thank you so much for writing "The Will to Love". It's definitely one of my all time favorite songs.
Greg responds...
I have no information on this one way or another.
save the shows writes...
i know this is not a question but it's a helpful way to save shows. if any one would like to save a show and get it aired again such as *hint hint* WITCH then go on this web http://help.savedisneyshows.org/ and follow the instructions also get as many people as possible to go on http://help.savedisneyshows.org/ and follow the instuctions (it says it was made by a greg, and im not sure if thats coincedental or the same person)
remember save great shows *hint hint* such as WITCH from not being aired ever again thank you
Greg responds...
a public service announcement -- all in lower case to save money, I suppose -- from save the show.
Liz writes...
Hey! just wanted to know if you could talk to disney over making more WITCH or could i a fan do so, also wnated to know that if disney say no could another company make a differnt spin on witch such as jetix, 'coz back here in england WITCH is played on jetix not disney
any help would be appericiated
thanks Liz
Greg responds...
It was Jetix here too. See my previous response.
ollie writes...
orry for the double comment but i just read the rules again, if i broke any sorry! i'm not looking for employment or mascarading any idea's i jus wanna know if W.I.T.C.H is ever gonna continue and if theres any specific reason or any reason at all why
sorry again if i've made a mistake Ollie
Greg responds...
You're fine. See my previous post.
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