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Clan-Building #4: Masque

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Shadow Wing writes...

Written before release of Issue 5

ISSUE 4 - MASQUE

Once again, Greg, you have completely failed to disappoint.

Last issue, when Hudson said that he had a "previous engagement," I had a feeling that he was going to be spending Hallowe'en with Jeffrey. (Hey, it was either that or spend the party night watching Celebrity Hockey, eh?)

I'm assuming that Margot had intended for herself and Brendan to have a "couple's costume". If Brendan was supposed to be Valentino, who was Margot dressed as?

And the Clan is continuing the costume themes: the Trio (now plus Angela) with their "costume over a costume" as someone put it in "Eye" (was it Vinnie?), and Elisa with her Disney Princess motif. I think she makes a good Jas.

I like Angela's reaction to Elisa with a date. She's a "daddy's girl" through and through.

Nice little continuation from the previous issue with Thailog. A follow-up on his "Trick or treat?" line at the start of the "commercial break." Also, his preparation for the assault is another prime example of his Xanatos-like mindset - prepare for anything. And of course, with Thailog alive, it only makes sense that he'd try to reclaim the Clones.

How did Judge Roebling mistake Delilah for Demona? The coloring's all wrong, and when last he saw, she and Goliath were clearly not on pleasant terms.

Poor "G"…heart breaking… and poor Brooklyn, still ever-so-smitten.

You've commented that Alex X. looks old for his age. Am I correct in guessing that this has to do with his heritage - specifically his maternal grandmother?

I notice that, in contrast with his meeting with Agent Hacker, David looks not at all pleased to speak with mister "Two."

So, the Clones are not quite free of Thailog's programming. Makes sense, as it's been three months at the most since they were "liberated" from him.

I hope we finally get to find out what our mysterious goth girl's name is next ish (she looks like an Alex to me, but with Baby X, that might get confusing).

I kind of feel sorry for Morgan. Elisa built up his hopes on this date, and now it looks like he's being let down again.

Yay for more troubles in the G&E romance dept. I feel bad for them, but it makes for good story writing. Speaking of good writing, I hope that things don't end up all better at the end of the "episode," that would seem a little too sitcom-like to me.

"…your penchant for drama always exceeds expectations, Father." Thailog always seems to know how to push Goliath's buttons, doesn't he?

And let's hear a "Good boy, Owen!" He wouldn't be the major-domo he is, if he didn't try to keep the party going well.

And Owen raises a good point: if Delilah is to have free will, she needs the opportunity to make the decision for herself - even if the decision she makes is the "wrong" one.

OOOHH! Cliffhanger! Great place for the commercial break. Can't wait to see what happens in the final act. Will Goliath survive?!

Well, of course he will, as our leading man. But still…

And I leave you with this thought: You said that, in the comics, three issues is the equivalent of one TV episode. If you were to clump issues 3-5 together into an episode, what title would you use?

Greg responds...

Either "Masque" or "Bash", but I'm trying not to slip into t.v. habits. We're in a new medium now.

Margot was a flapper of your choice.

Roebling doesn't really think in terms of their being a lot of gargoyles. He saw a female, he thought of the female he knew of. They all look alike to him. Particularly when he's a touch sloshed.

Response recorded on August 28, 2007

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Moeen writes...

Belatedly, a few things about Gargoyles #4: Masque. I actually liked the artistry in this one, a nice change from the previous ones. Too bad Nir Paniry's name was left out. I guess what annoys me about David Hedgecock's style is that the eyebrows are too high on the face, they look about an inch above the eyes themselves. I guess that's his style, but it still bothers me a bit. David also tends to put too many lines on characters faces, sometimes making them look older than they really are. Nir Paniry doesn't do that, though in his case he tends to make things (particularly hair) a bit too shiny, and likes to draw veins popping out of some of the more buff characters. So I guess I liked Nir's style more. Wouldn't mind seeing more of his work in some of the later comics.

A couple of questions:

1) Is that Dominic Dracon towards the bottom left of page 5 with the blue-green mask on his head, or just a very good look alike? If it is DD, what's he doing out of jail?

2) Xanatos' reply to "thirty-six" this time was "two", not "thirty-two", was that a typo? If it isn't, I presume we'll find out soon enough the reason for the difference?

Thanks for your time.

Greg responds...

1. It's not.

2. There's no typo. You misread it. Xanatos said Thirty-six. THe response TO him was "Two", which is NOT a mistake. It'll be explained in issue #5.

Response recorded on July 30, 2007

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Radio Play on YouTube

Thanks to Patrick Toman, the Gathering 2007 Radio Play has been uploaded to YouTube. Because YouTube has a new rule that permits videos to be no more than 10 minutes long, Patrick had to split the 42 minutes of footage into five segments in order to also include titles and credits. Here are the links:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j63pDlPaKnQ
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRkv56AC-F4
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s58H_Tdi09E
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6PUx6GsdFA
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkurc-TW99o


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Audra writes...

My review on comic #4. To put it simply, it was really great, and I am really looking forward to #5.

I wonder why Robbins thought it was weird that Hudson said he was wearing a mask. He could of very well been, I mean Robbins can't really tell if he is or not. I really wonder if Robbins has any idea who, or really what Hudson really is…

I never even gave Lexington's cyborg costume a second thought, and I read that so many fans thought of the Future Tense Lexington by that costume. I just thought Lex looked kind of cute in that panel.

Hehe, Elisa as Jasmine. She makes a pretty nice Jasmine… I do wonder if there was more thought into her costume then we realize. (Since Jasmine was the princess that really didn't want to be a princess anymore, the princess who wanted a normal life)

Poor Brooklyn… I feel so sorry for him… If I was a female gargoyle, I wouldn't miss my chance to be with him! =P He's my favorite character and I think he's attractive, hehe. I can't wait to see what his costume will be.

And poor Maggie, I hope she will be ok! There is so much to look forward in #5. And I worry about Goliath… I just can't wait for #5!

I hope you always post here in the latest response of "Ask Greg" when the new comic comes out. (The date) I believe you have for all the comics except #2. But it would help me out a lot since I depend on this site to let me know when the next comic is available. Also you seem kind of sad that no one really writes in for the "Etched in Stone" section, but I think it's because people are so used to writing in here to "Ask Greg" plus it's just easier to write online then send a letter through the mail. I don't think it's much of a problem if you can just use some of the comments posted here on "Ask Greg." (Like you have before)

Greg responds...

I've decided -- belatedly -- that ASK GREG is the place to write to in order to be included in Etched in Stone. And as soon as I have an exact date for #5, I will announce it here.

Response recorded on July 05, 2007

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Matthew writes...

Just finished reading #4 for the third time. Let's see I liked the scene at the beginning. I always liked Jeffrey Robbins and would like to see more of him. The costume party was cool. I guess Margot's a fan of old movies if she wanted Brendan to dress as Rudolf Valentino. I like the irony of her complimenting the gargoyles without realizing they were gargoyles. This was also the first I think we've ever seen her complimenting anything. You'd think that she would have recognize the gargoyles though considering all the times she has encounter them. I did not at first remember who Judge Roebling was at first since he was only in Vows.
So at the Labrynthe Thailog thrashes the Mutates. I have to wonder does Thailog have some plan for the Clones or is he just "collecting his property" as he put it?
I'd say that's quite shocker at the end. I'm not sure you could have done that in the cartoon, but like you said in an earlier post it would be how you do it. I think a slightly elevated level of violence might lend the comic a bit more gravitas than the cartoon. Though I don't want it turning into a Garth Ennis comic or anything.

Greg responds...

The sensibility is still my own, and I'm not big on the ultra-violence, personally.

Response recorded on July 02, 2007

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Shannon 'Shan' Muir writes...

Still reserving anything overall commentwise until issue 5 comes out, but there's a question I keep coming back to and that is Elisa's costume choice as Jasmine, considering she was planning on going with Goliath initially.

Thematically, I'm sure there's some symbolism tied into that choice and I love the thoughts several have shared here.

But part of me wonders why not Esmeralda from NOTRE DAME as that was the Disney movie of Summer 1996? Or did she boycott it due to the comic portrayal of gargoyles?

I know that's probably setup to a smartass answer but I'm ok with that.

Greg responds...

Too much pressure to come up with a funny smartass response.

I just think that Elisa probably had the Jasmine costume in mind for some time... Also, she spent most of the summer traveling the world, so she may have missed that movie.

Response recorded on June 29, 2007

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Todd Jensen writes...

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

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

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

Greg responds...

All things are true.

Response recorded on June 29, 2007

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Charisma82 writes...

Hey! Here's the second half of my ramble on the 4th comic book.

Gargoyles: Clan-Building
Part Four: Masque

Part 2 Pages 13-24

Page 13: Okay, this is where I got mixed up and didn't think that Terry was Ambassador Chung's son, because when I saw her name I immediately thought of the detective Tri Chung from the previous comic book. More on that on the next page. I like how we get a big shot of the party in D.C. like we got on page 5 of Xanatos's party back at the castle. It looks a lot alike except that most of the people in this scene look old (except for Xanatos and his family) and like they're not having much fun. But it does look a lot like the other scene. It might just be me thinking that though. I like how Alex's age is brought up and how he looks older than he really is. He's also saying stuff now like "Doggie". Interesting… (not the word "Doggie", but that he can actually say the word).

Page 14: Back to the whole Chung thing. When Ambassador Chung is talking about Terry, I'm thinking of Tri, partly because I had forgotten Tri's name and the way she talks about her son, it seems like he'd be a lot older than the Terry off the first page. That's just the impression I got. And when she was talking about him trick-or-treating, I thought that maybe Tri (thinking he was Terry) had a kid or knew a kid and was taking him around. I never thought of him being the Terry at the beginning of the comic. I can't remember when I finally put it together… I think I looked up Tri's name in the 3rd comic book and realized that his name was not Terry, and then I read some reviews her at ASK GREG saying that Terry at the beginning of the comic was the Ambassador's son. I was a slow learner on that one… but I got it eventually. The rest of the page is about Illuminate stuff. A lot of people seem mystified over the Illuminate and keep wondering about what the number system means. I haven't been so big on that. I figured it was a ranking thing the first time I read it and haven't thought much of it since. Sure, I'm somewhat curious as to why the Illuminate want to meet Xanatos in D.C., but it's not really up there with some of the other story elements that are at work in the plot. At least for me anyway.

Page 15: Poor claw. That looks like it hurt. He had to know that Thailog couldn't be stopped so easily. The whole free will thing… not happening right now with the clones.

Page 16: Maybe there is some hope for the free will thing… until Maggie gets buried in rubble. Wow, Thailog was really going to shoot Maggie. There's this whole idea that he's not a wasteful guy… I guess he really has no future plans for Maggie the Cat. I had to actually look up the movie title online for Norma Rae to get what he was referencing to on this page. I read what the movie was about, so now I get it. I think.

Page 17: People say it looks bad for Maggie here, but I've seen the gargoyles get buried in about this much rubble before and survive it. Then I thought about how Maggie isn't as strong as them and is a bit on the weaker and smaller side. And she can't heal at dawn. I guess those things don't go in her favor. The whole thing about Thailog finding out about Delilah and Goliath made me laugh… but probably not maniacally. When I read this, my mind went right back to Double Jeopardy with Hudson asking Goliath, "Do you even know how to laugh maniacally?" Goliath might not (well… he was laughing kinda creepy in Enter Macbeth), but Thailog sure can. And Thailog's surprised look that Delilah and Goliath went out together is priceless. I'm glad that Claw didn't have to fight Thailog and the entire clone clan by himself. That couldn't have turned out good. It's funny… Thailog doesn't waste him…

Page 18: There's Al!!! I wondered where he'd slipped off to. Wow… Maggie looks like a zombie. And here we see Talon's weakness. He won't leave Maggie to help Goliath. If anyone wanted to take over down there, all they need to do is capture Maggie. Thailog made a bad choice in trying to get rid of her, because if she dies and he ever wants anything from the Labyrinth clan, he can't just kidnap her and demand stuff. He'll have to figure something else out. And here comes the mystery girl up to bat. She's going to the castle? She'll have a heck of a time trying to get there before Thailog does. And she doesn't have a costume… will they let her in without a costume? Now we get more of Elisa and Morgan. I feel bad for Morgan. He knows he's just the rebound guy. I wonder how this will affect their relationship at work once this is all over and done with.

Page 19: By the way… I love Morgan's outfit. I can't really explain why, I just do. It suits him. He's dressed up as a detective, which he's being for the night, trying to figure out just what is going on between everyone… especially between "G" and Elisa. I really don't like how Goliath "commands" Delilah to stay where she is. It makes me feel like he doesn't think of her much except as a clone that needs directing when she's supposed to have her own free will. I like how Morgan asks her if she's having fun yet. Neither of them looks like they're having any fun. Here's an idea… how about they ditch the broken up love birds and get together for the rest of the party. It beats being used. And now we have Goliath trying to confront Elisa… I wonder how this'll turn out… though I have an idea (since I've read the whole thing already).

Page 20: Some more sharing of feelings between the broken up couple and then a run away by Elisa. I do like that she acknowledges that it was not only a mistake, but that is was her mistake to have the double date. At least she takes responsibility… in a sense. But then I think more on it and realize that she shouldn't have to feel bad for the mistake. She just wanted a shot at a normal life, and even though it blew up in her face, she still took that chance and I have to admire her for that. Now we have Thailog's voice in the background to really make the evening brighter. It's bad enough Goliath is going through all this without his "evil twin" getting in the way and making fun of the situation.

Page 21: I like the two scenes next to each other of Goliath and Thailog. We have the angry Goliath and then the smiling Thailog. Goliath should try smiling at his enemies. It could freak them out. Then he could start laughing manically at them… maybe not. I like how Owen walks up calmly and professionally. That's Owen for you. Oh, and Thailog's entrance looks great. I love how he lands in this scene.

Page 22: And there's the army. I wonder which one is Bruno. I love Owen's reasoning and his bit about having to rebuild the castle over and over again after all the fights that take place there. I can hear his voice in my head perfectly when he says these lines. Now, Goliath looks really perturbed over Owen's choice to release Delilah. Is it really about Delilah's free choice or is it actually just about beating Thailog?

Page 23: Now why is it that Brentwood is the only one in the background here and the only one who said anything about free will earlier in the Labyrinth? Perhaps he has a bigger role to play in the next comic book. And what is with Owen's line "I'll leave you to your own devices". It sounds like he knows Thailog is about to do what he is about to do. I really like the split face of Goliath (who still looks angry) and Thailog (who is still smiling).

Page 24: WOW! Goliath stabbed! You'd think he'd have thought something was up when Thailog was saying he wanted to try something he'd been wondering about and then a knife pops out of his wrist thing. Maybe he didn't have enough time to act, but still… If Thailog was telling me (while smiling scarily) that he was wondering what would happen if he tried something, I'd be running… though I'm sure that wouldn't help much. And Goliath does look comical in the scene where he's being stabbed. He's also WAY too muscular. It looks like he took some of that stuff that Bane uses in Batman. I do think that Elisa, after seeing Goliath in this state, will rethink everything she's been thinking about their relationship. At least, I'd hope so.

So there it is. I finally finished the 4th comic book ramble. I knew I'd get it in sooner or later. I can't wait to find out what happens in the next comic book. I'm also very impatient for the 7th comic book from what I've heard of it. It sounds very interesting. And of course I can't forget that BAD GUYS is coming out. YEAH!!!

Thank you for your time and all that you do.

-Charimsa82

Greg responds...

You're very welcome. Glad you're enjoying the stuff. I know I am.

Response recorded on June 24, 2007

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Charisma82 writes...

Hey! I'm really glad to have the new comic book, but I have to say that I really hate having to order the comic book online because it takes forever to get it compared to going to a comic book store and buying it, but there are no comic book stores near where I live. What makes it really bad is that I love coming here to read all the new answers you give each day to fans about their questions, but when the comic book comes out, everything is a review on the comic book, so I can't read any of them until I get the comic book. But that doesn't matter now, 'cause I have the comic book. YES!!! Here is the first half of my ramble on the Gargoyles #4 comic book, even though it is late (I didn't get it done in time to post because ASK GREG filled up with questions & reviews so fast and was closed down when I finished my review).

Gargoyles: Clan-Building
Part Four: Masque

Part 1 Pages 1-12

Page 1: The first thing I noticed is that the drawings were different in this comic compared to those of the past. It looks more like the show WITCH and how it was drawn. I'm not complaining at all though. Lots of people have ideas on who draws better than others in comic books, but I'm more about the story myself. As long as the comics aren't done in stick figures, I'll be okay with it. I had forgotten that Terry Chung was the guy in the spin off New Olympians and didn't put the connection together until I read someone else's review online. I also didn't get that this was Ambassador Chung's son that shows up later in the comic, but I'll get to why I didn't think of that later. I laughed when I noticed that the kids were dressed like Hyena & Jackal. I love their fake claws. Billy seems pretty bratty to me, so I can figure he got his way when he wanted to dress like a criminal. His mom: (After being at a Quarrymen meeting) "Honey, wouldn't you rather go as something else?" Billy: "I WANT TO BE JACKAL!" "But he's a felon, sweetheart…" (Crying) "I DON'T CARE!!!"… Anyways, that's how I see it.

Page 2: By the way, how does Terry's mother know Billy & Suzie's mother? Not through the Quarrymen I hope… Billy roles his eyes at a disciplining mom. Then she sees the Quarrymen. I wouldn't feel comfortable if I were her, taking a kid around in a gargoyle costume. At least the Quarrymen are doing as Castaway asked them. They seem to be making a presence on the street known. Hopefully they don't have hammers that we can't see in the shot we get of them. Nothing more on this page except for kids bickering.

Page 3: "Nice mask…" HA! I love it. That's your line (but you already know that). And here is Hudson, towering over the kids. I love how you can still get the feeling that he is talking in his accent with his "ye" stuff. I also like how the kids are stunned and speechless for the moment at seeing him. Terry even takes off his mask to get a better look at this "costume".

Page 4: IT'S JEFFREY!!! I knew this is where Hudson was going, and I'm so glad to see him again, as he's one of my favorite characters from the Gargoyle's universe. I love the shot with the two "dogs" (so to speak). I don't know if it is just me, but Jeffrey looks a bit upset in his first shot. That' s unusual. He's always wise, thoughtful, happy, content… these are just a few things I think of when I think of the guy. I like Hudson's line "We all wear masks." He avoids the question. I, personally, think that Jeffrey knows about Hudson. I think he had to get up some courage to ask Hudson about the mask thing, knowing the truth, but not wanting to come out with "You're a gargoyle." I think Jeffrey would rather have Hudson tell him the truth than admit he knows what Hudson is. That's my thoughts on it.

Page 5: It's a party! What else is there to say? Margot is being her usual self. You can already guess whom she is yelling at without looking at the next page.

Page 6: The costumes! I love Angela's costume. It fits her perfectly. I know the whole meaning behind it, but even without the meaning, it still fits her personality. Lex's costume is great, too. It's just too bad that we didn't get to see Goliath's reaction to it. I don't care too much for Broadway's costume. I liked him better in the detective coat in Eye of the Beholder.

Page 7: Morgan looks happy while Elisa looks uncomfortable. I can only imagine why… I really like Elisa as Jasmine. The first time I saw it, I had a whole theory of why she dressed that way, and then I read a post where you wrote that she'd already picked out her costume before hand when she and Goliath were going to go to the party together. I don't know what the reasoning would be behind her dressing as Jasmine when with Goliath besides her loving the costume, so I'm going to write my theory on why she'd dress that way going with Morgan. (*NOTE* My sister was just in the Aladdin play, so it helped me out a bit with this since I haven't seen the movie in a while). In the movie, Jasmine's whole thing is feeling trapped. She doesn't get to make her own decisions on what she wants to do. She is being forced to find someone to marry when she truly doesn't want to be with the choices she's given. When she escapes her "prison" and goes out onto the streets, she finds Aladdin, but then circumstances lead to them being separated and she is put back in her old situation of having to find someone to marry. This seems a lot like Elisa to me. She found her "Aladdin", but, due to circumstances, she is back to being trapped because of wanting a normal life. I kind of see Jason from the 3rd comic book being like Jasmine's father in telling her she needs to find someone worthy to be with. I see Morgan as one of the "suitors" coming to call on her. The main thing I see is Elisa (forcing herself) to be in a trapped situation as Jasmine was also trapped. She has to find a partner who she really doesn't want to be with, like Jasmine, even though she's found her "Aladdin". There are other comparisons that come to mind between the two, but I feel I've gotten the main point across here. Then again, I could be totally off. Because, as you said, she'd picked the costume when she was still with Goliath… even so, I like the Jasmine and Elisa comparison. I also have to mention Angela's upsetting tone on this page. Does she not know that her father is bring a date too?

Page 8: THAILOG!!! Okay, that's out of my system. Poor Al. And the girl is in the middle of Thailog and Talon. Not a great place to be at this time. I love the lines exchanged between Talon and herself. "Move, girl!" "Moving!"

Page 9: It's so like Thailog to come prepared. He's thought it all through… at least so far. We still don't know how his plan will work out in the next issue. I like that Claw tackled Thailog and actually pinned him down. It's also cool that Thailog continues on his conversation after this happens and during his whole battle like the fighting isn't a big deal for him. I also like how Thailog called Maggie "Miss Cat." It sounds funny.

Page 10: Back to the party. And now entering is Goliath with Delilah. Judge Roebling didn't look like the guy I remember off the show, so that threw me a bit. I had to think back to who he was, and finally remembered after a while of contemplating. Also, is there any significance in the name he chose, "Sir Ian of Oxford"? I don't know if that refers to someone who actually existed or not, but I was just wondering. I find Roebling's part humorous when Delilah explains all the genetics stuff about Demona and Elisa. If it had been any other guest, they'd have though Delilah was on something.

Page 11: Delilah meet Elisa. Elisa, Delilah. Morgan meet Delilah. Delilah, Morgan. Morgan meet… "G". If I were Morgan, I'd think "G" was a weird name for someone. Then I'd think that maybe it was a nickname. Still, it's a weird nickname. But that's not nearly as weird as meeting your gargoyle clone. Poor Elisa. That had to give her a shock. I also noticed more so in the comics than in the show how Delilah looks a lot like Elisa when Elisa was a gargoyle. Interesting. I love the scene with all four of them standing alone with no one around. It's great. I also like the fact that all four characters, if done in a show, would only need the two voice actors Keith and Salli. I'd have really liked to see that, as I'm sure a lot of Gargoyle fans would have.

Page 12: And here's poor Brooklyn. With his wings draped over his shoulders! YES!!! That's how it's supposed to look. I hated how the other comics had his wings under his arms. It wasn't right. I'm glad it's back to normal now. Broadway and Lex look like dogs in this scene. It's not very appealing on them. Angela still looks as cute in her costume as ever. It's too bad she's giving Brooklyn the wrong ideas here, even though it's not intentional. I can't wait to see Brooklyn's costume.

So there you have it. The first half of the comic book analyzed by yours truly. I'll start on the second half as soon as possible.

Thank you for your time and all that you do.

-Charisma82

Greg responds...

Glad you liked it so far. Hope the second half holds up for you.

Response recorded on June 24, 2007

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Blaise writes...

A little later than everyone else's, but here are my thoughts on Issue #4 (mostly they're a reprint of my stuff from the Comment Room, with a few changes and other thoughts).

MASQUES

This is definitely the middle act. No beginnings or resolutions, just action and advancement all the way.

--Billy and Susan (dressed as Jackal and Hyena, of ALL people!) are trick-or-treating with a boy named Terry (who has an Asian cast to his features--this, coupled with a comment from Ambassador Chung(!) later in the comic leads me to wonder if we may not see "The New Olympians" for a while...either that, or you're REALLY yanking our chains, Greg). Sarah is there, along with a couple of silent Quarrymen on patrol. And who should answer their knock at the door but...Hudson ("Nice mask" indeed). And yes, we were right, he IS spending the evening with his friend Jeffrey Robbins, who is surprised to hear that the kids thought Hudson was wearing a mask.... Hudson just ducks the question with a "We all wear masks" line. I wonder if Jeffery will figure things out within the next few issues.
--We FINALLY learn Brendan's last name!
--It's fun to see anti-gargoyle Margot chatting with the clan. And nice costumes for Angela (Dorothy), Broadway (Lion) and Lexington (Post-modern Tin Man--er, cyborg...a very "Future Tense"-like cyborg!). I do wonder how Angela managed to pull off that hair-do, though--it just looks like her hair is so much shorter than it usually is!
--Morgan and Elisa show up. Morgan as Sherlock Holmes, and Elisa...well, "last" Halloween Elisa was dressed as Belle, from "Beauty and the Beast" and this year she's dressed as Jasmine.... I'll say one thing for her: she knows what she looks GOOD in!
Actually, I have to admit, when I first saw her in costume, my mind threw itself back to that one TGC episode with the animation by Diz-Oz in which Elisa really did look like Jasmine (at least as she was usually animated in the TV series). I know you only watched that episode ONCE, Greg, so I don't think it had much of an influence on you, but still...it made my eyes go wide.
Angela is none too happy about Elisa being on a date (and she refers to Goliath as "Father" here--I only notice that because she usually calls him by name).
--Cut to the Labyrinth where all hell is breaking loose. Apparantly, Thailog's blasters are able to absorb the Mutate's electric discharges and redirect them right back again. And yes, he is there to reclaim his "property".
--Judge Roebling returns! I wondered when we'd see him again. A bit of an awkward moment when he thinks Delilah is Demona. Poor bastard had the right idea of getting out of there. Especially when Morgan and Elisa show up...and Elisa truly meets Delilah for the first time. Nice panel of the four of them all alone in a little pool of light.
By the way, did I detect a "Monty Python" vibe from Roebling's "Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more"?
--Of course, my favorite garg, Brooklyn isn't wearing a costume at the moment...he's too depressed, apparantly. And yet, a smile and a few words from Angela provide all the motivation he needs to hurry off to change.
Before Angela starts talking to him, Brooklyn seems to be watching Goliath and Delilah. Is he mentally replacing Goliath with himself on Delilah's arm? Just a thought I had.
--We're off to the White House where not just Xanatos, but Fox and Alex as well, are attending another party (love Fox's little "tattoo-mask"!). And who should they meet there but Ambassador Chung(!), who notes that Alex seems pretty big for his age. While dinner is served, Xanatos moves off to meet with one of the serving staff. We have a sort of repeat of the "Number Greeting"--Xanatos greets with 36, as usual and the server responds with...2. Uh-oh.
--Hell is continuing to break loose at the Labyrinth, with the clones obeying Thailog's command. Maggie tries to give them an inspirational about free will, and Thailog prepares to shoot her. So Talon attacks Thailog...and the shot goes wild causing part of the wall to collapse on Maggie. I really am concerned for Maggie here--she looks pretty bad off, and I don't know if they have any medical help down there in the Labyrinth.
Anyway, with her injured, Talon occupied trying to help her, and Claw restrained by the clones, Thailog finally notices he's missing someone. Malibu tells him about Goliath and Delilah, and Thailog has his first good maniacal laugh in weeks before heading off with the clones to crash the party. Al suggests sending someone to warn Goliath, and who volunteers but...the new kid. Hmmm.
--I love Morgan here. He's a very perceptive guy. He figures out that "G" is Elisa's ex...the one she broke up with that day...the reason he's getting his shot..."Assuming I AM getting my shot...?" Like I said, perceptive. And I just love his "So, we having fun yet?" to Delilah when both their respective dates head off for another heart-to-heart.
Some have called Morgan a bit thick for bringing up what is obviously a sore spot for Elisa, but I actually don't see it that way. I mean, here's Morgan finally on a date with a woman he's interested in (and she's HOT), but I think he knows he's something of a "rebound relationship"--which is never a fun thing to be--and I think he's trying to let Elisa know that he knows that. Or at least let Elisa know that that's what she's doing.
--We have another Goliath/Elisa discussion where Elisa admits that seeing Goliath with Delilah hurt, and that "tonight was a mistake." More specifically, HER mistake. But that it still doesn't change anything. I get the feeling Elisa is pretty much swinging back and forth between denials at this stage.
Well, she runs off...which is when Thailog shows up complimenting Goliath on the show.
--Thailog (who refers to Golaith as "Father" as well) has brought the rest of the clones, and his two guns. Of course, only the guns displease Owen, who has called out the (obviously re-staffed) Xanatos Goon Squad. Owen has a great line here about having "transcended any pleasure received from supervising the endless reconstruction of this castle." A nice nod to how often the Eyrie got trashed in the series. However, Owen is no saint, offering to call off security and send up Delilah in exchange for disarmament. This, naturally, outrages Goliath, but Owen points out that he's not trading Delilah...she will still have a choice (that whole "free will" thing again.)
--While they wait (and there's a great half-n-half shot of Goliath and Thailog's faces) Thailog decides to satisfy some curiosity...what would happen if he popped a blade from his wristguard and stabbed Goliath in the abdomen! :-o
And that's where the comic ends...for TWO MONTHS (at least). Man, I really HATE bi-monthly schedules.
--Well, now that the summary is done, I must say the art was a little...uneven for me here. For the most part I thought it was good (I like the gang in their costumes...especially Elisa and Angela). However, I did think the faces of the kids at the beginning were a little too cutsey for me. And Broadway's (and even Lexington's!) salivating over food (complete with tongues hanging out) on page 12 seemed a little overboard. And I'm not too sure about Goliath's expression in the last panel of the last page (but then again, what look WOULD a person being stabbed have on their face, anyway?). Overall, though, it's pretty nice. Thailog looks great!
I did notice the wrong name was on the credits page, and that the title was missing. That is unfortunate, but it will be corrected in the trade paperback I'm sure (yes, I am being very optimistic).
--Other notes: I STILL want to see Talon's full reaction to the clan being back with Xanatos. Also, I feel sorry for Morgan and Delilah since this evening will probably end with their respective dates essentially dumping them.
Oh, I LOVED that you guys managed to keep the art continuity of Thailog wearing the domino mask!
I'm going practically crazy wondering what Brooklyn's costume will be. I don't THINK it's going to be the Scarecrow, but I won't know until July.
It may be just me, but it seems that a lot of this story seems centered on the theme of "relationships"--specifically, in the romantic sense. I mean, right off the bat, we have Goliath and Elisa's relationship, which of course branches off into the relationships (or lack thereof) between Elisa and Morgan (and Elisa and Jason, even) and Goliath and Delilah, which further extrapolates into the relationship between Delilah and Thailog. As for happy, healthy couples, we started issue #3 with the Xanatos Family, and we see a lot of Broadway and Angela, as well as Talon and Maggie. And all throughout the background of this we have Brooklyn in his SEARCH for a relationship.

Impatient for the next issue!

Greg responds...

I'm not above yanking your chains, but Terry is Terry Chung.

Response recorded on June 13, 2007


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