Todd Jensen writes...

I was hesitant about making this comment for a while, since I was afraid that it might be read as an idea. But I finally decided (especially since it only uses information directly from "A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time") that it was probably safe.

You mentioned in your ramble on "A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time" that the significance of the inscription on the chest containing Merlin's Scrolls, "The seeker of knowledge has nothing to fear; the destroyer everything" was that the chest was magically warded so that anybody intending to destroy the Scrolls in the manner of Hakon burning pages from the Grimorium Arcanorum would apparently have met an unpleasant fate (and that it was a good thing for Morwood-Smythe and Duane that they were seekers of knowledge). But I found myself seeing another significance to those words beside that.

Macbeth's purpose in stealing the Scrolls was to use the magic that he believed was in them for his own purposes, apparently as part of his hunt for Demona. Goliath clearly feared that others would be after Merlin's magic for the same reason (such as Xanatos - and indeed, we've seen at least two other magic-workers in the series who would have no doubt been eager to exploit the spells that Merlin's Scrolls were thought to contain for their own dark ends). I believe that you could term anyone seeking to put the Scrolls to such use a "destroyer".

But it turns out that the Scrolls are of no value to a "destroyer" in that sense, but only to the "seeker of knowledge" - for what they contain is not Merlin's spells but his memoirs about his life and his tutoring the young King Arthur. Such information seemed useless to Macbeth, but a "seeker of knowledge" would indeed have found them invaluable - an eye-witness account of King Arthur's times, written by Merlin himself! So indeed, in a different sense than you mentioned in the ramble, the search for the Scrolls of Merlin would only be rewarding to the "seeker of knowledge" and not to the "destroyer".

Demon@ writes...

Hello Greg,
What im going to asked you is not comic related. Im from argentina and i cant find any website or something that could bring an issue here. But well i was complaining about the same thing a year ago abouth the dvd and i finally manage to get it :D Origynal and all!! :D.
But well, on with my questions:
I was reading the archives and i read something like "Thailog was the most evil of the three.." comparing him with Demona and Macbeth. That got me thinking...
How is that someone can be more evil than a creature who is planing to destroy the human race (wich has some sense. Humans themselves have destroy entire species of animals considering them as dangerous, but thats not the point on these post). If we consider Evil as the capacity of someone to do, willingly and consciously, damage to others, Thailog should hardly be consider more evil than Demona, since both of them are as equal to destroy another sentient been.
But if we consider Evil someone who actually enjoys causing damage and suffering to others, that may change things a bit and thats what brought those questions up.
1- Does Demona enjoy killing humans?
2- Does she see the killing only as something that has to be done?
3- Is it something born only from rage and grief, or does she has a sadic pleasure on killing those who made her life miserable?
4- Can we consider Demona as someoe cruel and that finds actual pleasure on the suffering of others?
5- What would Thailog do that Demona wouldnt even think of? Something that would make him more evil than she is.
Well thanks again for any respons you give me. And i WONT loose my hopes of getting the comic :D (someway somehow).

Phoenician writes...

Hey Greg! Finally found the time to submit my tale/review on Clan Building: III - "Invitation Only." (I did a shorter version in the CR already).

Frankly, I was pretty anxious if I was going to be lucky enough to grab it on March 28, 2007, the day of the release. With the last two issues, the timing worked just right where I was able to buy them at my local comic book store in Phoenix. However, this issue was coming out while I was still at school in Los Angeles. Thus, I had to find a new comic shop QUICK. So the MINUTE I found out the release date, I asked anybody I knew if they had a reliable comic shop - and with a stroke of luck one of my buddies down the hallway in the dorm told me he went to one nearby for years, and was willing to give me a ride!

As I entered the shop, I rushed toward the wall where it said "New Releases" -- with a panic in my eyes when I DID NOT SEE IT!! Then a split second later, my good friend taps my shoulder and shows me a giant table where they place the new releases just released for all the customers to see . . . and right there, in the front of them all, was five or six copies of "Invitation Only." I snatched one quite quickly and ran to the register. My friend was quite amused by my giddyness (I've actually been showing him my Garg DVDs and we're currently at the point of "Protection").

I was able to restrain myself not to read my copy during the ride back so that I could thank him a bunch

Personally, I'm quite comfortable with Elisa sitting on the battlements, and thinking about it, after all she and Goliath have gone through, if she DID slip, Goliath - hurt or unhurt - would still jump to save her (he is a gentleman, after all).

I also loved Thailog's line at the end, clearly proving that radio announcer guy was COMPLETELY wrong! (In truth, I didn't notice this one on my own, until it was brought up in the Comment Room . . . nevertheless, I love it!)

Other random thoughts:

I love the invitation by the Xanatos family . . . I don't know, I just think the Eyrie Building rocks.

Alex is so cute in that costume (I'd love my kid to have one of those . . . heck, "I" want one of those!)

I do have a feeling Tri Chung is related to another Chung we may know one day . . . .

Love the clarification that it's Officer Morgan Morgan.

Love to hate Margot for being so "Margot-y" -- wonder what Brendan's doing??

Hacker is . . . wow. Cool to see him doing an Illuminati job of his that isn't just throwing Matt on wild goose-chases.

I'm curious if Jason is using his English or Scottish accent when talking to Elisa? Hmmm . . . .

Love the enchanted jewelry line -- Fox is such a great match for X.

Owen rocks, even though he's in just one panel.

I wonder where I can get a ring like Hacker's?? (and no, I won't visit the Hotel Cabal to earn one!)

I love the symmetric panel of Goliath and Elisa when talking about their relationship.

I love that little kid in the Labyrinth with the Superman "G" shirt. Wonder what that stands for?? :P

Love the whole flashback scene, and I know I'm going to be losing alot of those points in the Contest the CR had a couple of weeks ago . . . .

And finally, I enjoyed the more intelligent Castaway.

Once again, Greg, a thousand thanks for everything you've done for Gargoyles, even after ELEVEN years (I was eight when the show ended!) And seriously - May can't come soon enough . . . but after eleven years waiting, I think its possible, no?

Julia writes...

Hi! In regards to Max Steel (which I love dearly), I've always wondered: where did Jefferson Smith's name come from? Is that an homage to 'Mr. Smith Goes To Washington', an amazing coincidence, or something else altogether? Thanks!

Harvester of Eyes writes...

Picked up a copy of Issue #3 from a shop on Jefferson Davis Highway earlier today (I was out for another reason, and happened upon this place by accident). Read it as soon as I got home. What follows is a review:

First off, I have to say that I was more impressed with the coloring in this one. The coloring in the last issue was a huge nit with me, perhaps moreso than the pencils. I think the coloring in this issue has perhaps, more than the other two, best captured the feel of hopefulness that I know I heard someone mention on one of the bonus features on the first DVD (I can't remember if it was you or not; haven't watched the bonus stuff in a while).

Elisa and Goliath have the talk already, and Elisa actually brings up some good points. I think it was probably on Elisa's mind, but it had never actually been brought out in the open until now. Seems a little sudden, but Elisa's probably had a lot on her mind of late. I also found the chat between her and Jason interesting. For some reason, I always had the impression that Jason knew that the one Elisa was referring to at the end of "Hunter's Moon" was Goliath. But I think it's actually more interesting that he doesn't know.

It was also nice to see Hacker again. His conversation between him and Matt has me wondering if the Society had planned for Bluestone to head the Gargoyle Task Force. And I love how the Society "approves" of everyone's actions. Makes one wonder what their real agenda is.

I also liked Delilah's response to Goliath's invitation. Served as a subtle reminder that she was created to be Thailog's pet. Looking forward to hopefully seeing more dialogue between her and Goliath in the next issue.

The last panel was also quite good. Thailog with the dual guns. Thankfully, it reminded me of Spike from "Cowboy Bebop" and not a character from a John Woo movie. Don't think we've seen a gargoyle wield two guns before. I liked it.

I'm very much looking forward to Number 4 now.

AMY writes...

HOW MUCH TRAINING IS NEEDED TO BE A QUALIFIED NURSE?

Shannon 'Shan' Muir writes...

Forgive me if this is in the archives and I couldn't come up with the right keywords. Is Goliath the first thing Elisa's ever had in the way of a serious relationship? Between the fact we know she was very job focused from the beginning, and the heavy amount of almost childlike naivete in how she describes her dreams to Goliath in Issue 3, I'm inclined to think that this is the case that she's never been anywhere near a balanced work-life relationship before. But I'm not certain.

Matt writes...

My Issue #3 Review, mostly a collection of random thoughts:

- First off, I have to say. I was (and still am) extremely excited to finally have the first canon story in 11 years! Ask my boyfriend, for the last couple days I've been running around the apartment, usually with the comic in hand, saying things like "It's TOO good." and laughing like a kid. I had no idea I'd be this excited. Thank you so much to Greg, the rest of the fandom, the comic staff and Disney. This is wonderful.

- The cover is very nice. Coloring is gorgeous and it is kinda cool having the group "pose" for the "camera. I do wonder, however, why Hudson is all darkly put in the background. It makes him look like he is going to be the villain in this issue or something.

- I noticed that the invitation to the White House states the month and day but not the year. That seems different from most invites, even when the year is understood. I'm guessing Greg didn't mention the year so as not to date the series much and keep it relatively "current". Of course, we sadly don't get a street address for the Eyrie, so I can't send them anything. Pity.

- Okay, Alex is adorable in his gargoyle costume. I was sad to no longer see the winged teddy bear that we saw in "The Journey" TGC episode, but Alex's costume more than makes up in the cuteness department.

- The radio (?) dialogue gives a nice sense of what the mainstream public is thinking about gargoyles. "Infested... monsters... can't talk, right?" Clearly the public is still uncertain what these things are, though the prevailing feeling is negative. "Humans fear what they do not understand." Too true. Also, I know Greg's writing well enough that when I read "So if the creature knocking at your door tonight roars "Trick or Treat", odds are you're safe!" I had a pretty good idea how the issue would end, though I wasn't sure exactly who would be saying the line... or whether they'd be friend or foe.

- The Gargoyle Taskforce. It is so exciting to see this group developed more. Elisa and Morgan are members, which is pretty cool, but we also have Margot and Hacker, so we know there is plenty of opportunity for conflict within the group. Then of course there are the new characters, who knows what they'll be like. Can't say much about Detective Harris yet. Tri Chung makes me think or Terry Chung, though I doubt Greg is gonna reveal the connection there is any at this point. Officer Travanti looks familiar. Is he Morgan's partner, the guy we saw with Morgan in "Temptation"? Are Harris and Chung partners as well?

- Looking at the Gargoyles Taskforce, I can't help but get the sense that Season 3 is going to be a big one for Matt Bluestone. Heading the Taskforce with both his current police partner and former FBI partner as members is interesting. Moreover, I think having him pulled in the different directions (allegiance to Chavez and the NYPD, friendship with the gargoyles, membership in the Illuminati) will really be hard for him, and a lot of fun for us fans to watch.

- As for Hacker himself... well, honestly, I can't help but think about the Weird Sisters. See, when we first saw the Sisters in "City of Stone", they seemed so benevolent, like they were trying to help. They definitely seemed like the "good guys". Of course, we come to find out that things and people are not often so black in white, not in real life and not in Gargoyles. Hacker in "The Silver Falcon" seemed like such a good guy. Trying to help Elisa out and all that. In the beginning of "Revelations" he still seemed like a pretty good guy until the ending, where I began to feel like maybe he had his dark side too, or at least his dark secrets. Now in "Invitation Only", I'm really feeling the same "Is he a good guy or bad guy?" feeling I had with the Sisters. He seems to be yanking a lot of people around. Is he just "following orders"? I dunno, Hacker has me worried now. The Illuminati is up to something, and I don't know whether to feel sorry for Hacker or not.

- Having Jason in the episode was nice. It seems that in a lot of ways he understands Elisa a lot better than Goliath does. I think this is largely a cultural issue. Goliath thinks like a gargoyle. Elisa is like his mate. Jason knows that Elisa is human and has human needs and wants. This is all very heart-breaking. Jason loves Elisa but doesn't feel like he can give her what she wants, and maybe has felt he lost his chance. Goliath loves Elisa and is starting to realize that he may not be able to give her what she wants either "You do not want a mate. You want a husband." Ugh, brutal, Greg, brutal! And Elisa herself may be starting to wonder what it is she really wants in life. It's sad stuff, and I must say that I've never been as interested in the Goliath-Elisa relationship as I am right now after reading "Invitation Only". Can't wait to watch the development. I'm only happy that at least Goliath and Elisa are finally talking about their feelings, even if they might be holding back a little too.

- I remember saying something to the effect of "Poor Brooklyn" when I reviewed "The Journey". I have a feeling I'll be saying that a few more times... Poor Brooklyn. Even before Delilah enters the picture you could see that he is still very distracted by Angela and Broadway. And then this episode really stabs him hard. He goes to the Labyrinth and gets to see Maggie... with Talon and then sees Delilah... and she goes off with Goliath. He must feel that life is terribly unfair. I keep wanting to say, "Stick it out Brooklyn, keep the faith! She is out there... somewhere."

- Demona's first real appearance in Season 3. Nice to see what happened to the Praying Gargoyle remnants, and nice to have the crystal inside be recognized as canon.

- One thing about this episode... it has SOO many characters in it. I have the feeling the reason we didn't see TV episodes with this many characters in it was the cost of all the voice actors, and now the pages are exploding with characters. By the time I was half-way through the book, I was beginning to think I'd turn the page to see Oberon or Zafiro or Nokkar or Dracon! It is kinda fun to have such a big cast in this one though. Gives us a lot to think about. It is fun to see Al again, and fun to see him take a more prominent position in the Labyrinth. I love his omission of Fang when he is talking to the new girl. Who is she anyway? We also hear a mention of Chaz, who apparently is a Quarryman now. Swell. It's a lot of fun to see the Mutates and the Clones. I noticed the weird black teeth are gone from the Clones. A lot of fans actually suspected this would change in time for purely biological reasons, so it is cool to see they have more normal mouths, like Thailog. The cloning must've really weirded up their hormones. All the male clone's eyes glow red and Delilah's glow white. I'm really interested in Burbank. It is fun to see a younger version of Hudson, though I sometimes feel that with the beard this isn't neccesarily visually obvious.

- And finally, Thailog makes his first appearance since "The Reckoning". What is after in the Labyrinth? The Clones? Delilah in particular? Maybe even revenge? I dunno, but I find it interesting that he enters with laser guns blazing. The homeless can't get a break...

So, thats my thoughts on this episode. I'm excited to learn what is coming up next!!!!

Liz writes...

Okay, I read Issue #3 the day it came out, and my only complaint is that it's too short! ;) I do have a few questions about Angela, and in part, Broadway.

1. Angela is sort of like a good version of Demona, the two of them occupying opposite ends of the Good/Evil spectrum. She's somewhat naive, where her mother is wise and jaded: she's a sweetheart who can sometimes have a temper, but Demona's bitter and angry. I have noticed that there are some subtle similarities between the two of them, though. In the comic, Angela seems annoyed and insulted that they have to disguise themselves, and like Demona she seems to have a lot of pride in the fact that she's a gargoyle. Demona's younger self wasn't unkind, but she resented the fact that her kind didn't fit in with humans and yet they had to protect them anyway. Angela grew up loving humans, but had a rude awakening when she entered the 'real' world, and was treated like just another monster. What I'm getting at is, what are the odds of Angela becoming bitter towards humans in the future, even if it's the distant future?

2. Did you notice that Angela's lips are red on the cover of the comic, like in the cartoon, but inside they're purple? I was wondering if you knew whether or not this was intentionally done. Personally, I think she looks better with red lips, like Demona, and if they were going by skin color Demona's lips would be blue, hehe...Sorry if it sounds like I'm nitpicking, because I'm not, I was just intrigued.

3. I'll try to keep this as polite as possible, I know this is a touchy subject for here. As of Issue #3, has Angela been intimate with Broadway, other than kissing? I'm not asking for specifics, just a yes or no. :) I just noticed that they were holding hands a lot, and basically seemed to be joined at the hip!

Really enjoying it so far!

dph_of_rules writes...

Thanks for answering my earlier questions.

In a previous response to my question, you mentioned most of the police members of the gargoyles task force are from the 23rd precint. 1)Is this coincidence or by choice?

2)If a future issue of the comic will deal with this question, please ignore it: Aside from Matt Bluestone's membership in the society, were there any other factors that led to him being put in charge of the gargoyles task force?