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Clan-Building #6: Reunion

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Clan-Building Review

There's a pretty comprehensive review of Clan-Building here:

http://www.examiner.com/review/celebrate-twenty-years-of-gargoyles-with-slave-labor-graphics-clan-building

This guy really knows the series.


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Antiyonder writes...

"I know where my copy of the Gargoyles Trade Paperback "Clan-Building" Volume One is. Do you?"

On the computer desk for the moment, as I'm staying at my dad's place tonight. Good job on your part of putting the TPB together. While I do have the individual issues, getting the trade wasn't really any problem as I've done the same for the Spider-Girl series from Marvel.

As for the next volume of Clan Building when it comes out (going for optimism here) have you considered putting in the scenes than didn't make it in the #6 flashback? You know, much like a Deleted Scene section on a DVD? Or did you you only script the scenes in question?

Greg responds...

I guess I have the old script, but I'm not sure I need or want to see the page or so that didn't make the cut into #6. They don't really fit anymore. And, of course, they were never drawn.

Response recorded on February 01, 2008

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The One Known As Mochi writes...

So... Last week, I finally managed to pick up #6 (the corrected version), #7 and Bad Guys #1. I knowingly overdrew my checking account getting these issues (don't worry, I won't do that again...$30 overdraft charges aren't always fun to deal with...) and I was eager to catch up with everyone else. I'll briefly share my thoughts on these issues.

Gargoyles #6
I almost laughed when Goliath, Elisa, Bronx and Angela ended up in a huge pot of...whatever was boiling in there... Bronx looks good in a sherpa (it is a sherpa, right?). It seems Avalon has sent them to find Coldstone and reunite the clan. They end up waking up upon a lake and whether or not they were successful has yet to be known. Coldsteel working for Xanatos... That's surprise for me. It made me wonder what Coldsteel had been doing since he disappeared after being seperated from Coldstone's body.

Gargoyles #7
Now I see why all those dates and times were withheld. Lots of skipping around in terms of time. Made for interesting reading I have to admit. I'm wondering if issue #8 will reveal what happened on the morning of November 15... Fox is shopping for shoes...and curiosity as to why is killing me a little. Shari is quite a story teller. Perhaps her knowledge is why she ranks high in the Illuminati? I'm wondering what Xanatos has planned, especially since the Stone of Destiny might be involved... The page with Macbeth waiting for Lexington and Hudson to wake up was funny. I know jetlag is not a fun thing to experience... I noticed Angela whispers something to Broadway... Perhaps it's alluding to something that will be revealed later? Wow...Macbeth tried to steal the stone back in 1950. Very interesting... Another Coyote and Coldsteel...helping Xanatos... Definitely lots of foreshadowing present in this issue. "...and normalcy is over-rated." So true... So very true... It's good to see Goliath and Elisa patching up things. Maggie is pregnant! Yay! Is she getting a baby shower? King Arthur! Good to see him make an appearance, although having him hold a sword to Macbeth's neck has me wanting to read #8 to see what happens. The London Clan makes an appearance too. Again, can't wait for #8 to be released...

Bad Guys #1
After reading through it the first time, I found myself having mixed reactions from the content (it's not that bad though). I liked seeing Matrix with a boombox. It seemed very apropos for him. Hmm...I'm curious as to who attacked the group... The Tazmanian Tiger was something I wasn't expecting. I'll admit, it's something new, but it didn't distract me too much. In a way, he looked like Batman in a tiger suit...at least that's what first came to mind when I first read through it. I'm glad there was a panel that shows where Dingo was being "inserted." Otherwise, I would've had to imagine where...and it would be very, VERY awry just to think about that... I liked Dingo's reaction to it though. The song lyrics... I'm wondering if that's alluding to some foreshadowing... Perhaps I'm reading too much into it? I won't know until the next issue... Nicely written lyrics, by the way... So far, I think it's off to a good start and I hope it gets better from here.

I guess I should mention now that I'll soon be a proud owner of the Season 1 DVD box set! I haven't ordered it just yet, but I will be after Christmas. In two weeks, Season 2 Volume 1... I can't wait!

Greg responds...

Cool.

Response recorded on January 23, 2008

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Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Here's more scattered, random reactions to the comics, in lieu of actual reviews. So because I already posted a lot about it in the comment room, and I'm lazy, I'm skipping a review of 3-5 for now and going on to review the latest issues that I bought. Starting with #6, others coming later. How many times can I post in a row without being rude?

SPOILERS (if you haven't got #6 yet)
The art in this issue mostly looks really good, once I got used to the pencils, but Lexington and Brooklyn and some of the early frames of Angela looked wrong.

I noticed that the pictures of Gabriel and Iago were copied directly from specific shots in the animated series. That's interesting, they were immediately recognizable and I thought it was cool, it indicates that the artists are getting a hold of the episodes and paying attention to the art in them. I do wonder if they are supplied with the character model sheets, though.

I'm surprised that you changed the Avalon situation so that the magic does not translate. It is definitely cool to see the language issue addressed, but I thought that the magic translateion was more probable than that every single person they met on the other Tour stops spoke English, and well. Now I wonder how Angela, Tom, and King Arthur are able to communicate with English-speakers.

Lots of new mysteries. How do the Illuminati know about that World Tour stop? And what "seeds" were "sown" at that time? No doubt Xanatos is up to something...

Landing in a giant cooking/laundry pot is definitely a new way to travel.

Shari feeding Thailog grapes while he's dressed like a Roman emperor is... intereting. She should be careful about taunting him, though.

I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't see real yetis, but since All Things Are True, they are probably out there somewhere.

I enjoyed all the issues I've read so far and although this wasn't quite as fun as some of the others, it was still good.
SPOILERS (if you haven't got #6 yet)

Greg responds...

I'm not sure I DID change the rules here. They were sent to speak to Coldstone, not Master Dawa or Sangpo.

Response recorded on January 09, 2008

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Charisma82 writes...

Here's the 2nd half of my ramble on the 6th issue of the Gargoyles Comic Book series.

Gargoyles: Clan-Building
Part Five: Reunion

Part 2 Pages 13-24

Page 13: Goliath seems very happy on this page. He's reunited with his brother. Nothing is posing any threats to him or his friends. All's well with the big guy. This page is a nice and subtle way of introducing the idea of Avalon and the fact that there are other gargoyles around Angela's age to readers who haven't seen the shows yet. They are also told about how Avalon had once sent Goliath, Elisa, Angela, & Bronx to different places, before the present time in the comic books; not only did Avalon send them places, it sent them places where they were needed for some purpose. That's a lot to work into one page. And the two monks have some cute lines, now that I actually go back and re-read them (I kinda skimmed some of their parts the first time around, just to get to the Coldstone parts).

Page 14: Here we get cannon proof that Gabriel and Coldstone (Othello) are biologically related. Angela speaks more of biological parentage, and Goliath still seems uneasy about the subject, even if he has accepted Angela as his daughter (I'm assuming this episode was to be after "The Panther Queen" and not before; I hope I'm correct in assuming that). I'm not sure how Coldstone is taking the news of having a biological son, since we don't get to hear his tone of voice. I'm sure he's glad that he has many sons and daughters on Avalon, but I don't know what he's thinking about his own biological son at this moment. He might be considering not just his biological son in his statement, but might be thinking of all his sons and daughters, and that's what helps bring him to his decision. I'm just guessing though.

Page 15: The readers are introduced to the concept of Coldstone being made of 3 gargoyles and not just one. It's another quick hint to those who didn't watch the TV show, to help them catch up on what they've missed. This is also when Coldstone starts to act differently…

Page 16: The first time I read this through I was confused as to why Coldstone suddenly wanted to go with Goliath after he'd just said he didn't want to leave. Then Goliath states that Coldstone must have switched personalities to the evil one (Iago). I didn't really buy that idea. I don't know why, it just seems out of place for that to happen. I can't really explain, but I just have a hard time wanting to believe that Coldstone switched personalities at that moment (not saying that he can't, 'cause Iago has taken over Coldstone plenty of times at the wrong times for Goliath). I like Master Dawa's line, "Friends sacrifice for each other," in response to Sangpo's comment.

Page 17: Even more fighting and no dialogue. Goliath gets a taste of some stone wall.

Page 18: Angela gets a good punch in before the scene cuts to Elisa trying to make the monks leave. Sangpo is probably still trying to listen with his heart, trying to figure out what Elisa is saying, if not still trying to figure out why Coldstone is attacking his friends.

Page 19: Never threaten Elisa unless you want Goliath to attempt to rip your head off. And what an interesting line for Coldstone to choose to get Goliath's goat. I doubt that would've been heard on TV. Another reason for the comics. Oh, and I love the shot of everyone trying to take Coldstone down and we see Bronx chewing on his kneecap. It kinda reminds me of Xanatos' line in "Future Tense" when he's talking to Goliath's stone head in his hand.

Page 20: This scene reminds me a lot of when Coldstone (as Iago) takes down Goliath and his clan in "High Noon".

Page 21: I like knowing now that the monks can sense when evil is present and when it is not, at least in Coldstone's situation. That would come in handy if Iago ever decided to show up and try to act like Othello. Now I'm curious, since Othello is in control, does that mean that Desdemona has to keep Iago at bay the entire time? Does Desdemona get any training from the monks to help keep Iago away like Othello does? The rest of this page explains why Coldstone (Othello) pretended to be evil, so he couldn't put his clan, his children, at risk. He figures the only way he could've done this was to take them out as "the evil one". I agree with his logic. Goliath was happy being reunited with his brother again, and he did believe that Avalon sent him to his brother so he could join them, so I think that Goliath would've gone to great lengths to have his brother at his side, even if Coldstone didn't believe he was ready to be with his clan yet.

Page 22: Shari finishes the story, talking about a place called Shambahla. I figured this was just another place in the world that I didn't know about, but then I read in a review that it was a mystical place, so I looked it up on GargWiki to find out that it is indeed a mystical place like Avalon. Hmm… interesting cliffhanger there. Next we find Thailog chortling at his own amusement of Goliath's past, so-called, failure. Then Shari gives him the idea that they didn't fail.

Page 23: Thailog seems a bit perturbed. Okay, I was a bit confused with Shari's lines when she says that "seeds were sown that night… seeds that have yet to bear fruit." Is she referencing to the episode "Possession", since Coldstone no longer has to worry about the "evil one", or is she referencing to something that is going to happen in the future? Thailog seems even more upset, and right before he goes to sleep too. Shari seems like a pretty good player thus far. Why was it such a big deal that the lettering was a bit different for the logo? It was the same word. And finally, we get to see Xanatos.

Page 24: And here's Coldsteel! Can't wait to find out what Xanatos has in mind for him, though I do have some theories of my own…

Once again, a good comic book, though it wasn't my favorite so far. I did think the story was a bit rushed, but it was also great to see a "lost" episode from season 2. Keep up the great work and I can't wait for the next comic (I've been craving it's plotline since I read a summary on it on GargWiki several months back…).

Thank you for your time and all that you do.

-Charisma82

Greg responds...

Page 23 - Everything's relative. The fact that we went to the trouble to create an actual logo, as opposed to scratchy lettering -- and we wound up printing the old version was frustrating. Obviously, that was not the most serious mistake in the book, and had it been the ONLY mistake, I would have just quietly had it corrected for the Trade Paperback, and seen whether or not ANYONE noticed.

Response recorded on November 16, 2007

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Charisma82 writes...

Hey! Okay, here it is, with no long rambles before hand, the first part of my review on the 6th comic book.

Gargoyles: Clan-Building
Part Five: Reunion

Part 1 Pages 1-12

Page 1: Angela looks cute in this picture. I'm glad that it's not a full moon, 'cause the gargoyles have had enough things going on during full moons already. I do want to say that I am very thankful to you for putting up this page on GargWiki with the title and all that in the corner. This way I know how you wanted it to look, though it wasn't a big deal for me not to see it in the comic.

Page 2: Angela looks like she aged or something in the next shot of her with the trio. I think the drawings of them look a bit off, but I really liked the drawings in the rest of the comic. And again with poor Brooklyn. Timedancer can't come soon enough for him.

Page 3: Okay, what's with the swan ice sculpture? Any story behind that one? And it's shown dripping/melting, just to let us know that Thailog isn't freezing in his room. Shari didn't seem much the type to me to be feeding Thailog grapes like a servant. I suppose she's trying to lay low when she is really a crafty one herself. I also have to say that Thailog has some nice taste in decorating, or at least good taste in ordering around someone else to decorate for him.

Page 4: So does Shari only wear her Illuminate pen/necklace when she feels like it, 'cause it's not on her in this comic. I would assume so, since other Illuminate members don't wear theirs all the time either.

Page 5: This is my favorite scene in this comic, the skiff in the big boiling pot. It's funny 'cause you wouldn't expect it, but then how else would Avalon get Goliath & company up in those mountains? And then our heroes go from the heat to the cold…

Page 6: They all look so cute in their coats, especially Bronx. But why's Goliath looking so angry? They haven't been attacked yet. Sangpo needs his eyes checked. Yeti are supposed to be furry things. And they don't have wings. But he realizes this later. I really like how you have Sangpo speaking in a different language, though we read it as English (the first time I read it, I thought they were speaking to each other through their minds psychically). It's a nice touch to make it seem more believable that they're in a different part of the world.

Page 7: Now introducing Master Dawa. Not much here except Dawa stopping the shooting of arrows at the gargoyles, him getting after Sangpo for ordering the shooting, and then his line on how "their souls are fortunate that their bodies are such lousy shots."

Page 8: The gargoyles and Elisa find a cave on this page. That, and Bronx goes after something in the dark cave…

Page 9: You just had to stick a jalapena line in there, huh? (That wasn't a complaint; I like those lines; keep 'em coming!) I might as well mention here that I like the fact that you had Angela in her other outfit that she wore during the Avalon World Tour, and not her new outfit so that it all works out with continuity stuff. Bronx finds what he was looking for in the cave, and, of course, attacks it…

Page 10: Just a fighting page, no dialogue. We do get to see father daughter team work at play here. I like the one red eye, one glowing white eye for the hooded figure. It is a big clue for fans (who didn't already read about it on GargWiki) to know that Coldstone is back.

Page 11: A big picture of Goliath realizing that he is fighting Coldstone.

Page 12: All I have to say is that it happens to the best of us. I was confused a bit, but got the drift of what was going on on this page. Once again, thanks a bunch for putting what you had planned out for this page on GargWiki. It helped me out a lot to see it. It's a warm reunion between Goliath and his rookery brother. Angela gets to meet another rookery father, though I think she seems more interested in biological fathers. I like finding out that Coldstone didn't have to face his "inner demons" alone, and that he gets some help from, what seems to be, a good man named Master Dawa.

There's the first half. I'll get around to the 2nd some time in the near future (I hope).

Thank you for your time and all that you do.

-Charisma82

Greg responds...

Thank you too.

Response recorded on November 16, 2007

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#6 Reprint

FYI - I stopped by my local comic book store last night and the corrected reprint of Gargoyles #6 was there.


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Latest Update

Okay, here's what I know as of right now.

First off, the reprint of Gargoyles #6 should be in stores tomorrow (11/14/07). You SHOULD be able to exchange first printing copies for the reprint if you'd like. Notice the emphasis on SHOULD. Let me quote a recent e-mail from SLG publisher Dan Vado in answer to my question as to whether local stores know about this:

"The store issue is a tough one. They have been as informed as they possibly can be, that is we paid to have notices sent to them, there will be an item on their invoice and there was a mention in the weekly newsletter from Diamond Comics as well as from me personally in my retailer newsletter and on a retailer message board. That being said, I was on a conference call with two retailers yesterday, two who buy direct form me regualrly and are among those stores I would count as hard core supporters, and they had no clue they were getting new copies this week or about the replacement issue. So, as I have been mentioning to fans, the best thing to do if the retailer looks at them like they were crazy is to not bother them or get angry with them, just tear off the cover [of their old printing copy] and send it to us [at SLG] and we will replace the book directly. This is why we have not sent copies to Amazon yet and why it has not been on our website yet."

So, not a perfect world, but I really do think it's as good as it gets given the situation.

Next up, Bad Guys #1. This SHOULD be out by the end of this month. Unfortunately, because of Thanksgiving, that's not a lock. But if it's not out the last week of November, it will be out the first week of December. (In any case, it's ALL finished -- and approved.)

After that, expect Gargoyles #7 approximately three weeks after Bad Guys #1 hits the stores -- which SHOULD still put it in December -- unless Christmas messes that up, in which case it should be out the first week in January. The book is also ALL finished, but has not yet been approved.

After that, the Gargoyles Clan-Building Volume #1 Trade Paperback. Galleys are being reviewed now, but it should be out in late December or early January. We may delay it a week or two so that it isn't coming out the EXACT same week as BG1 or G7. Then again we may not.

After that, um, I guess Bad Guys #2, which is currently being finished by Karine.

After that Gargoyles #8, which is being pencilled by David.

After that Bad Guys #3, which is being scripted now by me.

After that Gargoyles #9, which has ALREADY been scripted by me. Uh... how did that happen?

Anyway, that's all I know at this time.

gdw


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Matt writes...

My Review For Gargoyles #6, "Reunion"...

- My friend Ryan and I went to pick up our copies of Reunion the day it came out. The store we went to told me they had received 12 copies and when we left only one copy was remaining, which is good. The cover is awesome, one of my favorites so far. I like the dynamic nature of it. All the covers have been gorgeous so far, but this one really pulls you into the action and the story.

- There are a lot of neat little details that I loved in this issue. The fact that it was snowing in New York, Lex's continuing preoccupation with Brentwood's choice, Brook's face when Angela puts her hand on his shoulder (another poor Brooklyn moment), the arrival of the travelers in the laundry pot, Elisa's line about Hawaii, the way Coldstone picks up Bronx, and others.

- The art in this issue was... alright. I think Mr. Purcell did an excellant job on all the human characters (Elisa, Shari, Xanatos, Dawa and Sangpo), but I wasn't impressed by his depiction of the gargoyle characters. The sketches look too rough, like they were unfinished. Some of the faces and poses seemed way off. My friend Ryan said that in the top panel of page 2, Angela looks like a velociraptor. I think Coldstone and Coldsteel were well drawn, but it irked me that some drawings (particularly Gabriel and Iago) were traced right off the GargWiki pictures. Out of the four artists we've seen in the books so far, I'd have to rank Purcell my least favorite. It isn't terrible, it's just I like the style of the others so much more. Charlebois and Hedgecock are my favorites, so I look forward to them taking on the bulk of Gargoyles and Bad Guys issues from here on out.

- Greg, I know you are tired of hearing about the errors, but I wanted to mention my own impressions of them briefly. Ryan and I read the comic together and we both sat there scratching our heads trying to figure out the 12th page. It's funny that the first couple frames seem perfectly fine. Anyway, it's a shame, but with the reprint and trade paperback coming out, it isn't a big deal. I'm more annoyed by the wrong "Vows" ending being on the DVD. As for the title page and Scarab logo errors, I didn't notice that until it was pointed out to me, I feel those are very minor, frustrating for the staff, I'm sure, but minor.

- The story of this issue is one I've been looking forward to for years. I always loved the various Coldstone episodes, and it intrigued me that this story had been written to be in comic form many years ago. That said, it felt very rushed. I'm sure that was somewhat unavoidable, but in a way I feel leaving some things out would've resulted in a more natural pacing. Angela going on about Gabriel seemed jarring. I like that anyone could look and see that Gabriel was Coldstone's son, but having Angela spell it out bothered me a lot. If anyone would talk about biological parentage, it would be her, but still she really seems to not care about the Gargoyle Way here at all. At first, I thought Coldstone was acknowledging Gabriel as his son, and then I caught the quotes around biological. I was thrilled that Coldstone didn't care much about Angela's revelation. It's almost like he didn't understand what she was talking about, which was awesome, probably my favorite part of the story. He sees Gabriel and Angela and the others as his rookery children. All of them.

- Now, obviously Goliath and the others want Coldstone to return to the clan, but Coldstone points out what Goliath should already know. Coldstone is dangerous and unpredictable. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, in the middle of this explanation, Coldstone pretends the "evil one" takes control to illustrate the point. This seemed extremely rushed and odd. Coldstone didn't even wait for Goliath to try to understand before just assuming he has to take matters into his own hands. He attacks the travelers, throwing them around, shooting at them, and, most alarmingly lifting Elisa off the ground by her neck! This really makes Coldstone look really bad, worse then the so called "evil one". Hes a good guy who is attacking his family to prove a point before trying to show his point with simple conversation. And on top of that, it would be one thing to simply stun them all and send them on their way, but what he did to Elisa could've seriously injured her. I'm not sure whether to blame all this on the rushing of the story or on Coldstone's character or maybe something else was going on, I dunno. It just seemed outrageous. Coldstone tells Dawa that "They would never have left [him] behind." and "[He] had to make them believe the evil one had taken control..." but honestly, he hardly even tried to convince them. I know I'm rambling now, so suffice to say, I hope there was more going on here that we don't know yet. Shari's lines concerning the adventure hints that more was going on before, during or because of this event, so who knows.

- I liked that Coldstone went to Dawa for help in his internal battle. I like that Sangpo correctly sensed that the evil one had not taken control. These were great characters and it'll be fascinating to learn more about them in the future.

- Finally, as for the bookends of this story we have Thailog and Shari and Xanatos and Coldsteel. Suffice to say I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to see how their stories will play out. A story for another night indeed...

- All in all, I have to say that though I liked this story, the art was not my favorite and the story seemed too condensed. The ending leaves us all wanting more though, so I guess thats a good thing. And since Greg claims this story "will have major ramifications in the issues to come", I'll be interested in looking back at this one in a year or two with the advantage of hindsight.

Looking forward to Issue #7 and Bad Guys #1!!! Thanks again to the staff!

Greg responds...

Not sure what to make of the fact that your "favorite part of the story" comes directly out of something you're suggesting I should have trimmed out...

Response recorded on November 13, 2007

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Jurgan writes...

Been working non-stop lately, but I did get a chance to read issue 6, and now that I've got a little time off, I'm going to try to drop a review.

Good news, first: when I went to my usual comics store, which has always stocked several of each issue, on the afternoon of release day, they were sold out. I know your question is always "will you order more?" so you'll be happy to know that I heard the employee say, "we need to up our orders for Gargoyles." At least, I'm pretty sure he said that, though I don't know if they ordered any more of issue 6 than the two copies I ordered (I keep one in plastic, mainly so that if I'm reading one on the bus or I loan it to a friend and lose it, I'll always have a complete set that never leaves my house). The upshot for me was that, by the time I got to reading it a week later, I already knew about the production errors and wasn't as confused by them. It did throw me a bit when I saw Coldstone and Goliath fighting and talking, but then I remembered talk about errors and figured it out. And I've seen similar errors before- my Death of Jean DeWolff paperback had two pages in reverse order, so it jumps from Daredevil fighting a mob, to Spider-man (with a hyphen!) and Daredevil talking on a roof, to Spider-man swinging into the mob to save Daredevil. Anyway, the point is that I thought the errors were a bit confusing, but nothing so bad that I couldn't figure them out. So, 'nuff said on that issue.

Reunion was a rather down issue in a number of ways. Since it was a flashback, we already knew how things would ultimately turn out, so it didn't advance the plot much (although there were some hints about future developments). It felt more like a highlights reel than an actual complete story- the travelers had barely arrived when they were on their way out again. Still, there were certainly some good things in it:

I was a bit confused right at the beginning why Angela said Goliath was "healing." Wouldn't stone sleep cure him instantly? Was Thailog's wound that bad that it took days to recover?

I'm very amused by Thailog's emperor get-up. He's barely touched the wine, though. But I also like how Shari is pretending to be subject to him. She seems to enjoy the game of being his servant, knowing that at any moment she can switch to her master role. Also, artwise (I rarely have much to say about art), I like the very dark eyeliner Shari wears. Some people thought that was another mistake, but I have no problem with her looking different from day to day. One of the advantages of comics over cartoons- methinks Elisa's buying a whole new wardrobe.

Shari starts telling the story, but opens with the line "who can say if it be true." This raises an interesting question- how reliable is Shari as a narrator? I enjoy the device of the unreliable narrator, but I can't tell if it's being employed here. So, can you tell us: is what we see in the flashback literally what happened to the travelers, or is it a distorted version of the story told by Shari?

The laundry room arrival was rather silly, but clever at the same time. I can't decide whether I like it or not.

I love Bronx's vest.

Master Dawa's kind of fun. Far too many sage characters only speak in vague, portentous platitudes. It's nice when they know how to crack a joke or two, as in "their bodies are such lousy shots."

The action sequence in the cave is excellent, with a great sense of motion. And I can hear Frank Welker's barks in my head. And then, jalapena. This word should stay around forever, and now you don't have to worry about the art crew's objections (I've never understood what it was about that word that was so objectionable, anyway).

Goliath and Angela may not look very Yetiish, but in his white fur get-up, Coldstone actually does. The next action scene is also pretty good, though not quite up to the first.

The conversation scenes are nice, and Goliath gets his first chance to tell someone about the eggs surviving. I love his little grin. I also like Bronx asleep by the fire.

Angela's talk about Gabriel being his "biological" son was a little odd to me. I thought that once Goliath acknowledged her as his daughter, her talk of biology had ended. I assumed Gabriel's heritage would be an issue obvious to us, the viewers, but never made explicit to the characters, just like Hudson/Broadway.

So, you managed to slip a quick recap of Coldstone's situation in. Probably for the best, as Coldstone's story was always one of the more confusing elements of the series for me. I didn't figure it out until my second run with the series in college, five years after it went off the air. I also like that Coldstone is learning monastic meditation techniques, or something, to control Iago. I'm not sure how that will matter in the long run.

And then there's another great fight. Tell Purcell that he does some of the best action sequences in the book so far. I know Hedgecock's working hard, but Purcell should be on your short list of fill-ins. So far, 5 and 6 definitely have the best artwork. Unlike some, I've enjoyed almost all of the art we've seen so far, even if there've been a few problems (I didn't care for some of the goofy extras in #4, and there were a few Hedgecock panels that were ridiculously out-of-proportion). However, Karine and Purcell are the ones whose art really looks like the Gargoyles we grew up with. Anyway.

Coldstone's "neck-snapping" comment was downright disturbing. There's something you never would have pulled off on television. The funny thing is, while it does seem a bit over-the-top, it works when we realize who's really in control. Othello's trying to impersonate his evil brother, but he's a hammy actor and plays it too broadly. Maybe I'm reading too much into his few lines as "Iago," but that's what it seems to me. If only I could hear Michael Dorn do this one.

Speaking of Othello, I was impressed by his character in this issue. I've never been too fond of the guy. He strikes me as a moral coward who's willing to compromise his integrity and take the easy way out until cajoled into doing the right thing, in both "High Noon" and "Posession," and perhaps other places as well (a big part of his relationship with Desdemona seems to be that she acts as his conscience). So it was nice to see him take action immediately to protect his family, even though he surely would have preferred to return with them. Of course, it's a very status quo choice- Coldstone had already left the clan, and nothing seems to have changed in this issue. Or has it? There are some hints.

I've never heard of Shambahla. I ran across suggestion that it's another name for Shangri-La- is that right? The travelers left with apparently nothing accomplished, but Avalon did not send them back. Having them leave unconscious was probably the only solution, since they would not have gone voluntarily without him (well, Elisa might have, but Goliath can be pretty stubborn).

"A story for another night." Sounds very similar to the Weird Sisters' pronouncement. In their case, though, they were talking about themselves. Shari's story is certainly one we'd like to hear sooner or later. The comment room denizens have a great theory about her which I wish I'd thought of myself (then again, I came up with the reigning theory on Number 1's identity, so I shouldn't be too jealous). A little bit I liked was Thailog referring to Iago as his "uncle." It shows how un-gargoyle he is mentally, since any gargoyle would refer to Othello as one of his rookery fathers. And then Shari suggests that Goliath may not have failed- and Thailog freaks out. We've seen Thailog angry before, but I don't think we've ever seen him completely lose his composure like this. He seems genuinely afraid at this point. Shari's an incredibly captivating character, and I can't wait to see more of her. Her talk about "fruit" suggests something big is brewing, and the possibility that there's more going on here than meets the eye saves this issue from the doldrums of mediocrity.

Scarab returns, and Xanatos meets with Coldsteel. Wonder what that's about...

All in all, this wasn't a bad issue, but it strikes me as a bit of a dud. It was nice to fill in some gaps, but there was nothing really surprising or significant about the Himalayas adventure. However, if this pays off in the next story arc, and the pay off is good enough, I may change my tune. I wonder how this would have worked as an episode of the TV show. It would have to be framed quite a bit differently. Here, we're willing to see a sort of mundane story because we sense that it's still significant. As part of the World Tour, though, it wouldn't be very satisfying to see an episode in which nothing significant appears to take place- the gang show up, get chased away, and leave. I assume the plot would have been expanded quite a bit- maybe adding in an external threat so that there could be a sense of closure to the episode.

This issue also brings to mind two of the bigger disappointments in Gargoyles. One was the other untold World Tour story, showing how Xanatos took advantage of Goliath's absence. The other is the end of Legion. While a decent episode on the whole, Legion always feels weak to me because of its ending. The Xanatos tag was that he stole a computer virus, but compared to the stunners immediately preceding in Leader of the Pack and Metamorphosis, it's not that impressive. Even worse, though, was that there was never any follow-up to this virus that Xanatos thought was so valuable- you'd think he would have found some use for it eventually. A rare moment of waste in the Gargoyles universe. So I'm making a formal request that we find out what Xanatos used that virus for. I can think of possible uses in the next story arc, but those are ideas, so I'll keep them to myself (of course, you've already written the next story arc, but something down the road might be similar to what I'm thinking, so...). If you've already got plans, I don't want to know specifics (not that you'd give them anyway). I'm happy hanging on for the ride. Just letting you know that that's something I've always been curious about.

All in all, a decent issue, but nothing too spectacular. The weakest issue of the book so far, due to the fact that it currently seems like mostly filler. 2.5/4 stars (note that this is by Gargoyles standards- compared to other comics, it'd probably get 3 or 3.5). If it's redeemed by future issues and takes on greater significance, as I suspect it will, my opinion may improve a good bit. Thanks for listening.

Greg responds...

The M in Spider-Man is capitalized after the hyphen.

Response recorded on November 12, 2007

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Blaise writes...

POSSIBLE ISSUE #6 SPOILERS!

Okay, Greg, since you brought it up in an earlier response...

In your original version of the "World Tour Travellers meet Coldstone" story:

1) What exactly happened with the "mountain climbers?"

2) What exactly was the "'Twilight Zone' kicker?"

You know me, I'm just curious.

Greg responds...

1. The mountain climbers run into a fur-covered Coldstone and think he's a yeti.

2. May use it somewhere else someday, so I'll hold my peace on this one.

Response recorded on November 08, 2007

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Blaise writes...

ISSUE #6: REUNION

SPOILERS!

I was unable to afford it until Saturday the 13th, by which time it had sold out of my local store. They assured me that they would have more by Tuesday the 16th. In the interim, I checked out "Ask Greg" and discovered the "page-16-art-for-12" error. In a way this was a blessing in disguise as it caused me to modify my plans--instead of buying two issues, I would now buy one copy of the misprint (keep it as a collector's item) and then purchase two corrected copies when they came out.
Of course, possibly because they WERE going back to the printers on this, my comic shop didn't get new issues on the 16th...or at any other time of the following week. They wound up overnighting a copy (the last one) from their Valley Branch because they're cool like that.

--I LOVED the first page of Angela. She looks good there. I just wish Purcell were more consistent with her. Overall, I liked his work--I found it a solid art style. However, he seems to have difficulty when it comes to Angela's face. The middle of the three horizontal panels on page 2 looks especially weird; more like the rictus grin of a corpse. I thought the middle panel on page 14 looked a bit off, too. It's a pity, because I rather enjoyed the rest of it.
--I love Lex's rather bitter "--all except Brentwood" in response to Angela's statement that "the clones have chosen good over evil." You can tell he's still upset by that.
--Nice to know Maggie's all right and Goliath is healing. Also we receive confirmation that their days of just hiding out in the castle are now over. Of course, this new development will undoubtedly bring its own problems.
--Brooklyn's still not too comfortable around the lovebirds. Did anyone else notice that while she was holding hands with Broadway she had her other hand on Brooklyn's shoulder? No wonder he took off in such a hurry.
--I laughed out loud at page 3. Behold: "Alexander (Thailog) the Great!" Okay, okay, so Alexander wasn't a Roman, but COME ON! It's too perfect! I loved the ice swan and Thailog's "leisure attire" (white and red seems to be his favorite motif). And Shari feeding him grapes…I guess he figures if he's got to have a #9 as his "Executive Assistant" he might as well enjoy it.
--Shari's definitely an interesting character. I look forward to learning more about her.
--The skiff showing up in the giant laundry tub would be the second time I laughed out loud. I mean seriously, how else do you beat a swimming pool for a unique body of water? I loved Elisa's asking to skip this particular adventure and see if Avalon needed them someplace else…like Hawaii. The cut to her "Guess not" was a great follow-up.
--The Gargoyles mistaken for Yeti is kind of funny, though I agree with Master Dawa; Sangpo should not be so hasty in his actions or judgments. Dawa gets some of the best lines, of course, but since others have already noted them, I shall not repeat them. Suffice to say, he has been presented as an interesting character and I look forward to seeing more of him.
--I loved the top panel of page 7, specifically, Goliath carrying Elisa. Don't ask me why, it just struck me.
--"Jalapena"...of course. Should I really be surprised?
--Cloak or no cloak, I figured that was Coldstone.
--The page 12 mistake was pretty obvious, especially the first and last panels. Having seen the REAL page 12, thanks to the efforts of you, Greg, as well as Greg X. and SLG, I have to say I really like Coldstone's expression in the last panel. I don't remember when I've ever seen him look that happy.
--I really liked the "pan in" on Coldstone's red eye for the quickie back-story on the Cold Trio. It especially manages to definitively explain what Coldstone is, and it sets up Coldsteel for his later appearance. "Unspeakably evil," eh? Interesting.
--Oddly enough, I suspected Coldstone was faking his possession from the beginning. In the past, his switches between personalities have always been a little more...well, obvious. Here it happened too quickly. There were some times, however, when he made me doubt. That one line, "I wonder if in this century human necks make the same noise when they snap" was especially chilling.
--Angela broke his arm-cannon! I wonder when and how he fixed it. Also, he has one HECK of a stun attack. Haven't seen him use that one before. It is a little odd for it to be coming out of his eye (at least, that's what it looks like), but it's still visually impressive.
--Coldstone's actually quite poignant in this last bit on page 21. I like his sad expression and the close-up of Angela when Coldstone mentions his children's safety (which to me reinforces the idea of "Rookery Parentage"). On that note, I'm a bit surprised by how quickly and easily Gabriel's parentage was revealed.
--They wake up on the shores of Shambalah (leaving me with a Three Dog Night song stuck in my head) and then Shari (and through her, YOU, Greg) cuts us off. DAMMIT! And just how the heck does she know this story anyway?
--Thailog enjoys a cup of wine and a maniacal laugh. Strange how he refers to Coldstone as his "uncle." Just another indicator of how Thailog doesn't really think like a gargoyle, I guess. Then Shari has to tease him (and us) with a few tantalizing hints leaving Thailog in a towering rage as he turns to stone. Why do I have an image of a cat sitting just outside the reach of a dog's chain? Illuminatus or not, she better not test the strength of that chain too much.
--I, too, am intrigued that Thailog's clothes did not turn to stone with him. I guess he really is more at home in battle armor.
--Hey, we finally see the Scarab Corporation's name (or at least most of it) in a canon story!
--This was my (censored) reaction to Coldsteel's appearance in the final page: "HOLY FREAKING SHOOT!" Oh, Xanatos is up to something. Gotta say, though, he doesn't look too happy to see Coldsteel.

Overall: Is it at the same level of the last three comics? Well, maybe not. But it's well done, it filled in a bit of a story we've only heard about for a decade, and it whetted my appetite for the next story arc. You go, Greg!

Greg responds...

You too, friend. Glad you liked it.

Response recorded on November 08, 2007

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Rachel N. writes...

Hello, Greg.

I just got Issue #6 of the comic this week, and I liked the story and the artwork overall. It's great that we learn about this "lost" chapter in the Avalon World Tour, and that Angela had the chance to meet Coldstone...I liked how she surmised that he must be Gabriel's biological father. Anyway, another really good issue of the "Clan Building" storyline, and I look forward to both Issue #7 and the first issue of "Bad Guys".

That having been said, I also want to say Thank You for keeping us fans informed and "in the loop" by telling us about the work being done on the comics...and yes, that includes the printing errors that occur. I certainly appreciate the fact that you feel the need to share such info with us so that we're not left "in the dark" so to speak. Having been an employee in a printing shop for the past 3 years, I can very much sympathize with your situation regarding the production errors in Issue #6, as I have seen how easily mistakes can be made in the process of printing multiple-page items like booklets, ad journals, newsletters, etc. So printing a comic book can't be all that different. Of course, that's why I've learned how important proofs and mock-ups are in the printing process.

So, again, you have my complete understanding and empathy on that front. Good luck with all the upcoming comics...I will certainly continue to purchase them no matter what.

Greg responds...

Thank you.

Response recorded on November 08, 2007

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the ArchBishop Franken-Chokey esq. Da Vth Bringer ov DOOM! writes...

Greetings!

I'm wondering what the word (if any) is on the season two volume two DVDs? Also, why I saw someone selling issue 6 of the comic book on eBay the other day & SLG doesn't show it on their site.

Thanks~!

F-C

Greg responds...

There's no new word on the DVDs.

Perhaps the reason SLG doesn't have #6 on its site is because it's reprinting the issue. But I'm not sure.

Response recorded on November 06, 2007

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Avalon1178 writes...

Just finished reading issue #6 of the Clan Building comic series. I'm sure this has been said by many gargoyle fans out there but THANKS for reviving the series through comics! Its so awesome there are really no words for me to describe it! Reading through issues 1-6 is like watching the episodes all over again. They all come to life much like the animation. Some comments on Issue #6 though. I noticed this one doesn't have a title (it wasn't printed anywhere). Was this an error? Also, it looks like there were two pages that are identical but different captions (one page where it starts off with Coldstone saying "BROTHER", and the other starts off with Coldstone saying "...I'd like that!). Is this intentional?

Greg responds...

<sigh>

Check the Ask Greg archives under "Clan-Building #6: Reunion".

Response recorded on November 05, 2007

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Charisma82 writes...

Here's the 2nd half of my ramble on the Gargoyles comic book #5.

Gargoyles: Clan-Building
Part Five: Bash

Part 2 Pages 13-24

Page 13: This is where we get to know more about Quincy Hemings (nice name; is it anyone you know or did you make it up?) and why he is meeting Xanatos. I like how he and Xanatos "shoot the breeze" while talking about past presidents that Quincy has known. Then Xanatos is given an envelope containing his first real assignment for the Illuminati. What will it be? Well, I don't really know… I guess we'll find out in another comic book, 'cause we don't find out in this one.

Page 14: Brandon mumbling to himself. Why doesn't that surprise me? He seems the type to go around mumbling about his problems and what he wishes he might have said in certain situations. It's a good thing he went by that window, or else he might not have seen that Goliath needed medical attention. I wonder how it worked when he was trying to find a doctor. Did he already know Dr. Sato was a doctor, or did he just rush into the party and start yelling out for a doctor? If he did that, I think there would be more people outside with Dr. Sato when he shows up to help Goliath, since people would be curious as to who was injured. So does that mean that Brandon knows the doctor (personally)? Oh, and I really like the big shot here, getting to see all the gargoyles fighting from up above.

Page 15: Hudson and Bronx finally show up. Would Thailog have come back at a later date if they hadn't shown up, seeing as he's collecting everyone's blood? I like Thailog's line (he has a lot of good lines in this comic) when he says, "Please, Hudson. You now I am the party!" Go Bronx! Way to try to take out the main bad guy, like you usually do.

Page 16: Now what is Delilah doing in one of Xanatos' laboratory rooms? I find this very odd. I have no clue as to why she'd be down there, except that maybe Owen told her to wait there. But I really don't think that could be the reason. So this question will haunt me until I figure it out… or until I go to the next page and forget about it. But still. Her DNA is partly from Demona. And that worries me just a little bit…

Page 17: More fighting, until Delilah shows up. Now I am wondering, had Thailog planned to go to the castle to take the gargoyles' blood right after he took his clones, or was it because Delilah was there that he decided to move his plans forward and attack that night, too? Well, whatever it was, he got what he came for. I guess that's all that matters.

Page 18: Wow, Delilah has really started to think more for herself. And she's coming along nicely with her speaking. The other clones still speak poorly, like they did in "Reckoning", but she has improved a lot. And I'm very glad that she stood up to the gargoyles, letting them know that she wasn't going to be used any more.

Page 19: And after Delilah stands up to the gargoyles, she stands up to Thailog too. She's on a roll! And I'm glad she included the other clones in the decision as well. I really like her character a lot more now that she has her "free will" worked out.

Page 20: Okay, I laughed so hard when I read Lexington's line, "Dude, you're really making me look bad." And Brentwood's expression when Lex says this to him is great too. Of course Goliath has his few inspiring words to the villain before he leaves, and Thailog has a great exit line before he goes, as usual.

Page 21: Entering now is Dr. Sato. Elisa is really giving out the orders now. And Dr. Sato is mystified, not knowing if he can help a gargoyle (and I'm not talking about the sense that he doesn't want to help him 'cause he's a gargoyle, but the fact that he doesn't know how to help since he's never worked on a gargoyle before; guess that never came up in doctor classes at his school).

Page 22: Owen is as calm as ever. Goliath and Elisa finally have their "I love you" moment. It wasn't that big of a moment for me, as some of the other moments in the comic were, but it was nice to see that there is hope for their relationship yet. I had a feeling that Elisa would show her true feelings once she saw Goliath in his current condition. And then, this was the 2nd big laugh I got out of this comic, Brooklyn's line after he sees Broadway and Angela holding hands and his clone with Delilah, "Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me…" Poor guy. But still, a really funny line, nonetheless.

Page 23: Okay, all those buildings look pretty normal, and then we see this huge, elaborate one on the corner of the block. What would be funny is if Thailog was really in the normal looking building next to the great looking one, with Sevarius complaining about why they couldn't have the great looking one. Anyways, here we finally find out what the real reason was for Thailog going to the castle and confronting Goliath and his clan. He was after their blood. One can only imagine what Thailog and Sevarius have planned for their DNA. Those two make a really scary pair of villains. And who are we about to add to this mix? Why, who other than…

Page 24: …Shari! So that's the mystery girl's name. So did she know Thailog's plan all along, and that's why she was down in the Labyrinth? Have we finally found someone who can play one of the ultimate players (Thailog) in the Gargoyle's universe? Perhaps. I suppose we'll find out later on in the comics. It's interesting to find out that they are both Illuminate. I wasn't all too surprised to find out Thailog was part of the society, but it was interesting to find out Shari is. I have to say that I just watched the Radio Play of this comic on You Tube, and the reaction from the crowd when they find out that these two characters were Illuminate was great. Everyone seemed surprised, which it's nice to get surprises every now and again. And I also have to say that I really liked the Radio Play performance. Everyone did great jobs, and I hope that the Radio Plays will continue to be put on You Tube from future Gatherings. It was a real treat to watch, seeing as I couldn't be there.

Well, there's the ramble. I'm glad I finally got to write it. I think that this comic has been my favorite one so far since the comics have come out. Thanks for doing such a great job on all of them.

Thank you for your time and all that you do.

-Charisma82

Greg responds...

THe "huge elaborate" building is Nightstone Unlimited.

Response recorded on November 02, 2007

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Charisma82 writes...

Hey! Okay, I have to say that waiting for comic book #5 was VERY hard to do. I had so many temptations to find out what had really happened before getting the comic, but I did not give into them. First, I couldn't get the comic book when it came out because of certain reasons, and was hoping to get it for my birthday in late August. It turns out my sister tried to get it for me online, but the seller never came through with the comic book. Then I found out that the radio play is on You Tube. I watched it up to the point where comic book 5 starts, and it was very hard to stop it. On top of all that, I had to pass by every ramble done on #5 that is on Ask Greg & I couldn't look at any of the characters in the comic book on GargWiki or else I'd find out what happened (and I LOVE to go there and just look around). Finally, the 6th one comes out and I am finally able to get both of them. I order both online at the same time, but what happens? The 6th one gets here before the 5th one! I have had to stare at that 6th one, waiting for the 5th one, 'cause I don't want to spoil anything for me. AHHH!!! I think the worst part of it is being out of the loop here at Ask Greg, not being able to read at my leisure all the recent posts on here. But I now have the 5th one and I can't begin to express my joy seeing as I've waited around 5 months for it! I'll stop rambling on about my difficulties now, and get to the good stuff. So here it is, after much anticipation, the first half of my ramble on Gargoyles #5: Bash.

Gargoyles: Clan-Building
Part Five: Bash

Part 1 Pages 1-12

Page 1: Here we have a shot of Xanatos' place, castle and all. We get to see Sir Ian again, and he's talking to some new faces at the party, or more like old, familiar faces to Gargoyle fans. I really like that teaser, putting Finella and Mary in there (or two women who look exactly like them). I can't wait to find out why they were there, if the story is told either later in this series or, more likely, in Timedancer. Then in the bottom of the page we see Dr. Sato. I can't believe it! What is really funny about seeing him here is that about 2 months before this comic book came out, I wrote here to Ask Greg about Dr. Sato. I had been reading some of your rambles on different shows, was reading the one on Deadly Force, read that you really liked this character, and decided to write to you and see why you liked him (since there wasn't anything about him in the archives at the time). I also asked if he would have some kind of cameo appearance in any of the comics. I had no idea he'd be in the next comic coming out, 'cause he's a character we only see once in the series. How ironic is that?

Page 2: Morgan is finally coming out with what he's been thinking all night on this page. We also see Angela spying on Elisa, still thinking of her father. It's funny that she is judging Elisa on getting a date, but has nothing to say about Goliath bringing Delilah.

Page 3: Thailog being Thailog here. Still makes sarcastic remarks even when the only one smart enough to get the jokes there is dying. It's like he likes to hear himself make these puns, but really, in this scene, who is getting them but him? The clones don't even know if they want free will, so they're not likely to get it, and Goliath is concentrating on dying. I find it very humorous and very much like Thailog to be doing this.

Page 4: So Thailog got in the word "Bash". That's good, seeing as that is the name of the comic. Not much else going on here except Goliath colliding with a wall (which is ruining the castle; Owen won't be happy with that) and Thailog talking about his other 2 "fathers".

Page 5: It's not often we get to hear Xanatos sound genuinely surprised, but we do get to see it on this page. We also learn how many people are in the Illuminate and how their ranking order works.

Page 6: Margot is really being a pain in the… yeah, anyway, I really don't see why Brandon sticks around the woman. There must be some good explanation, just one I'm not seeing. And I LOVED Brooklyn's entrance, with his super-goyle costume, with the big "G" on it (hey, he has something in common with the kid running around in the Labyrinth!). Sadly for him, Angela wasn't there to see his grand entrance. She is much too busy with finding her father stabbed in the gut.

Page 7: So Angela, Broadway, & Lex finally find where the real party is happening. I find it funny that Angela thought that Thailog's voice was her father's. I don't know the tone Thailog used when he said her name, but I guess it wasn't too evil, like I thought it would be, or else Angela wouldn't have asked if it was Goliath. I like Lex's response to Angela blowing up with anger. He quickly gets out of her way. And then, Angela and her language. Wow. I didn't see that one coming. And of course Thailog is quick to tell her (with daggers in tow) "Language…"

Page 8: Wow, there's a lot of slashing with blood going on here with Thailog. There's no way that this episode could've been put on TV with all the blood and stuff. I guess that's one advantage of having a comic book now. Going back and reading this through a second time, I can see now why Thailog was wondering where the other gargoyles were and why he kept changing knives. Interesting bit of info I didn't get the first time though.

Page 9: Yes! It's Robbins again! I didn't think we'd see him again for a while. I thought after the last comic, you'd leave us in the air for a while about what Robbins thinks of Hudson and if he knew he was a gargoyle or not. But no, we get to see it here, which was a big, but great surprise for me, since Robbins is one of my favorite characters. I knew the way Robbins was talking to Hudson in issue #4 that something was up with him, and figured that he knew about Hudson's secret. In fact, that's what I wrote in my last review, and I'm really thrilled to see I was actually right about it. I'm really glad that Hudson no longer has to pretend any longer and that Robbins knows the truth. I love how they finally shake hands. I think this was one of the best parts in this comic book.

Page 10: It was really funny to hear Hollywood say "Gar-girl" in reference to Angela. I also love Angela's look as she fights in her Dorthy outfit. That's one side of Dorthy Kansas never thought they'd see.

Page 11: Again with the free will thing. Thailog's response to it is great. "Why does everyone insist on pitching free will to my minions?" Funny, funny (scary) Thailog.

Page 12: And now arriving to the party is Brooklyn and a distraught Elisa. Brooklyn has another nice entrance (using his already used "forgery" line from the episode "Reckoning") until we see that Thailog has no problem in taking him out. Elisa's short speech on her being part of the clan as Goliath dies is a nice touch. And then Thailog knifes her. I didn't quite expect him to do that, seeing as she wasn't fighting him (and I didn't know that he was collecting their blood the first time I read this) and he had never wanted to attack her before out of the blue like that (unless she was in his way). I guess I just assumed that he was doing it to make Goliath even madder than he already was. But still, I wasn't expecting that.

So there you have it. The first half of my review on comic book #5: Bash. Hope you liked it, and I'll get right on to the next half soon enough.

Thank you for your time and all that you do.

-Charisma82

Greg responds...

Thanks for your perserverance!

Response recorded on November 02, 2007

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Phoenician writes...

Hey, Greg! I may be a week or two late, but here's my review of 'Clan Building: Chapter VI - Reunion!"

First off, I got the comic the first Saturday after it came out, and I'm positive the only reason I was able to still find a copy was that I asked my comic shop to hold one for me the previous Tuesday. That, and the clerk said, "Last copy, buddy!" I then asked if they were going to be carrying Bad Guys #1, and he said not to worry, they would have it when it comes out (I was so happy from this wonderful news I forgot to ask if they were ordering more of #6 . . . sorry!)

Anyways, won't go into everything, since it's mostly all been said, but here's what I enjoyed:

-LOVED the cover, we don't get many shots of Bronx, so it's pretty cool.
-Again another shot of the Eyrie Building, I may be a geek about it, but you can't deny it's beauty.
-Snow in New York again, the year's slowly quickly coming to a close, now that Halloween's over!
-Lexington still miffed about Brentwood . . . eh, can't blame him really for that.
-Thailog in a toga . . . I like it, in retrospect it kinda makes his battle armor more "Roman-y" as well.
-#9 Shari . . . though she's 'serving' Thailog, it's clear she's the one in control (more-so at the end).
-The return of the skiff!!! It feels like seeing an old friend.
-Nice continuity on returning to Angela's one piece wardrobe during the flashback.
-Elisa in a cloak . . . this is a rare sight to see (and appreciate!)
-Even MORE rare is a third-quarter moon when the World Travelers flee the Monastary. Any idea if that's in sync with the timeline?
-Hmm, Bronx was even growling when Coldstone "shifted" personalities, so I guess he fell for it too ('course it's mostly tone . . . he DID fall for Demona's smooth talk in City of Stone)
-Xanatos wearing a trenchcoat billowing in the wind . . . one of his cooler poses.

I am curious about one thing -- Are Thailog and Shari still at Nightstone Unlimited, or in a new setting altogether?

Finally, I actually think it's pretty in-character in how Othello tricked the World Travelers. other have previously said it was overly violent, but then again, Othello's back-story hints that he can lose his temper pretty easily, with just the right amount of pushing. Sure, this time he was acting as Iago (who is definitely violent) this time around, but I think it fits with his character.

Anyways, thanks again for another great story - some questions were answered, with a few new ones creeping up! Can't wait for 'The Rock' and the first Bad Guys!!

Greg responds...

I'm TRYING to get the moons in sync with reality. Trying.

Thailog & Shari are at Nightstone.

Response recorded on October 31, 2007

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Ricky writes...

I've gotta say to everyone who keeps complaining about the errors in #6...get over it, let it go. Stop bringing it up, it was a mistake, and in my opinion it didn't take away from what was a great story. It was nice to see this "lost episode" of sorts from the World Tour, really took me back to all those great episodes from the show, while still providing us with a bit of the new. I can't wait for the next issue, the stories are great. As for the errors, not to dwell on the topic, but personally, I'm just glad to have brand new Gargoyles stories back in my life, that's what I think we should be focusing on. Keep up the great work!

Greg responds...

"Stop bringing it up." Sound advice.

Response recorded on October 30, 2007

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dph writes...

To clarify a comment in my review of issue #6, when I said "The ending with Coldsteel was quite interesting and also quite trusting of David Xanatos.", I meant that Xanatos didn't appear to be wearing armor or have any visible security forces watching him when he was meeting with Coldsteel. In other words, it looked like David Xanatos left himself wide open to be attacked by Coldsteel unless there are unknown mechanisms in place to keep Coldsteel from attacking David Xanatos.

Greg responds...

I'm sure David's prepared for any contingency.

Response recorded on October 30, 2007

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Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

By the way, it was very kind of you to pass on SLG's apology even though none of the problems were your fault at all. It must be very frustrating to you, too. But as long as the property is still producing, we've come out ahead.

Greg responds...

Thanks.

Response recorded on October 30, 2007

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TiniTinyTony writes...

I'm glad to hear that safety measures have been put into place. Just to be more clear, my anger lies with SLG, not you, and I probably should have never posted the question the way that I did. Emotion overtook logic. I posted before knowing the facts and before your apology and felt awful about it, but what's done is done.

I would like to apologize about the hyperbole from my earlier post. Just to clear the air, factually, my friend has approximately 2,000 comics and has been collecting them for 15 years of his life. Also, I misquoted him earlier. He has also seen WAY worse errors, but he's never seen that specific error.

You are correct to say that the virtues of the issue and the series as a whole still outweigh the errors. It's going to take more than a one page error to make me walk away from this comic or Gargoyles as a whole. My friends laugh and shake their heads when I hang The Gathering fliers, but I still do it because I love Gargoyles, I love the comic and nothing is going to change those facts. Just keep writing 'em, I'll keep reading 'em.

Greg responds...

Thanks.

And now... let's all just move on.

Response recorded on October 26, 2007

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Todd Jensen writes...

I want to apologize about returning to the production errors in the final paragraph of my review of #6. I should have looked over the whole thing before submitting it, remembered what I had said in the first paragraph, and omitted the comment on the errors in the end paragraph accordingly. I'm sorry if I upset you, Greg.

Greg responds...

No biggie. I was just cranky.

Response recorded on October 26, 2007

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Shannon 'Shan' Muir writes...

Follow up to your question about Shari and Claw in my Issue 3-5 review:

Why I thought Shari and Claw should have left together is that the last time we see them in Issue 4, Claw is slumped over Shari's shoulder. Her reference is "And since Claw here isn't much of a storyteller, I'll go." The fact she is visually carrying Claw implies an intenet to take him as visual proof of what has happened, but she'll be the one to provide the words, especially given her emphasis on Claw in the panel's dialogue besides just supporting him physically. It certaintly wasn't required, I suppose, but somehow I had expected this to be what Shari would do.

Greg responds...

Well... Claw isn't exactly a subtle visual aid...

Response recorded on October 25, 2007

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Michael N writes...

I really enjoyed issue #6 even with the missing page.

Angela telling Colstone her assumption about his biological children seemed a bit forward, but that's part of who Angela is. Did she have any knowledge about who Coldstone was before she met him?

Coldstone's immediate reaction to the news of his son, as well as his later reasonings for attacking Goliath and company, seem to show some genuine care and concern specifically towards his biological child. That surprised me. When Goliath first meets Angela he expresses that gargoyle children of the clan and not of individuals. Angela feels the biological relationship carries more weight; probably influenced by the humans who raised her. Coldstone wasn't raised by humans, but by Gargoyles. (I'm assuming that, but it seems a safe assumption. Is it?) Why doesn't Coldstone have a similar view to that of Goliath? Did many others in the Wyvern clan share Coldstone and Angela's feelings or is it a small minority? Would/Could such feelings be openly expressed (in the Wyvern clan)?

Thanks for all the time you put into us fans. It's a really unique and special thing. Good luck with Bad Guys! I can't wait!

Greg responds...

Presumably, Angela had by this time in the World Tour heard many tales of Manhattan, so may have known about Coldstone.

I'm not sure I agree with your characterization of Coldstone and his reaction to Angela's statements about Gabriel.

Response recorded on October 25, 2007


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