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!

Ice Tyrant writes...

Hey. I got into gargoyles a few months ago when one night during summer break I was staying up late like always and noticed it on. Thought "Oh hey, Maybe I should watch that" so I set it on DVR. I'm a sophmore now, so I forgot just about everything (except for lexingtons name and Goliath it seems...) from back when I was a kid. Great show. Oh yes, and thank you. Thanks to you, and this site, I started reading macbet. Now I'm reading Beowulf (not sure if you've read that.) I owe my uhh... making reading more important to me, to you, so thanks. I'm still watching the series (Or I will start back on it I hope when I get my channels back.) and I haven't read the comics, though from what I hear they are good. Don't really have a question I guess. Just wanted to say thanks. Oh, Uhh...

1. Do you have any future plans for Nokkar in the current gargoyles series (Not 2198. Might be obvious...>_>)?

David writes...

Does Thailog have more respect for Brentwood now then he did originally? If so, is it due to Brentwood's chosing Thailog over the others, or due to something else?

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.

WyvernGuardian writes...

I'm sure you're sick and tired of the very mention anymore of season 2 volume 2 of Gargoyles, but I thought I'd pitch an idea out that maybe you could propose.

Instead of making loads of copies, I thought maybe Disney could try just releasing volume 2 in a limited quantity, either making it exclusive to certain stores or simply make it exclusive to Amazon.com or even their own website store. If they went the website route they could test the waters and make a limit of maybe 500 copies to start off (maybe alittle less depending on how many they would want to make to try it out).

Again, I know you're tired of fans asking about this and throwing suggestions out (if any have), and I'm sorry if mentioning this annoys or angers you, but I just thought it might be one way to get it out. What do you think?

Piemaster113 writes...

Greg, I am A huge fan of both W.I.T.C.H. and Gargolyes, the best shows on TV. I'm glad they are at least runing reruns of them both, and I hope that'll continue for a long time. I am also a huge fan of Disney World, een going at least once a year since I was 3. Do you belive that there will ever be any continuation of either seires on TV? and even if not I want to thank you for you work on two incredible shows.

Grey Wolf writes...

June 24th

We missed open story reading because Dad had some shopping he wanted to get done. But because I'm SUCH a good daughter, I didn't complain. The fact that he bribed me with a chocolate milkshake didn't hurt either. Pigeon Forge is like one huge, open-air mall; it's amazing what they can cram into three miles of land.

Dad and I got back in time for the Gargoyles Physiology and Culture Open Discussion. I think that may have been my dad's favorite part, he was impressed how much thought went into the scientific and cultural aspect of the characters. I was particually intrested in gargoyle customs, but by the end, I also was convinced the common ansestor of gargoyles and gargbeasts must have been pretty creepy looking. I like creepy.

I think I was hyperventilating when the Bad Guys Panel came up. The animated preview was fun to watch because we could hear the actors' voices again. We didn't get to learn a whole lot, but we were really pumped up. I think that was the point.
By the way, I will be rooting so hard for Yama.

At the banquet, there was some REALLY good food and a table full of nice people to talk to. I was the youngest person stting there, but I kept up pretty well. Most of the questions that came up I hadn't even thought of. Greg had to remind the guests at a point that it was not a 'blue' Q&A, by the adults who were laughing I guessed I had learned a new term. Anyway, we had a lot of fun and I was saddened when Dad and I had to leave early to go back to the cabin. I doubt I'll be able to make it to Chicago, but if I can, I will!

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

I have a few more questions I'm wondering about the Children of Oberon. I'm trying not to ask too many at one time.

1. a. The Children of Oberon are shapeshifters, able to appear any way they want, right? So I'm wondering, why did Odin always have one eye in "Eye of the Storm" (before he got it back) in all forms? The obvious/immediate answer is that in the myths he's one-eyed, so he had to be one-eyed in the show, but what is the reason for that in the Gargoyles Universe? After giving an eye to Mimir, was Odin unable to change shape into a form with two (or more) eyes, or did he just chose not to (that we saw)?
b. In the myths of some cultures (like the Norse) gods can lose body parts, but in some other cultures the myths say gods can't be permanently injured. Is it possible for Children of Oberon to permanently lose body parts (um, until they find them again and reattach them like Odin did), or be injured seriously enough to leave permanent scars? I've gotten the impression they are not flesh and blood -- even when Oberon was stabbed with the iron harpoon, he didn't bleed.

2. a. In the past when asked if the Third Race need food you answered "Yes, depending on their chosen form."
When a Child of Oberon is not in a truly mortal form, does he or she need food? (By "truly mortal form" I mean a mortal flesh-and-blood body like Owen, not just a shape that looks like a human or gargoyle.)
b. When a Child of Oberon is not in a truly mortal form, does he or she need to breathe?

3. When a Child of Oberon takes on a completely mortal body and mates with a mortal of the appropriate species, the offspring is a "halfling." But what happens if two Children of Oberon both take mortal forms of the same species, and then have kids together? What would their offspring be?

And thank you again for answering our questions! It's really great to have this website.