Ed Reynolds writes...

GARGOYLES #7

Amazing issue.

I love how jam-packed each of these comics are. Some comics you've got all there is to get first read-through; this gets better and better with each successive reading. The non-linear structure flummoxed me first off, but now I'm completely in love. It's got a rhythm completely of its own. (Piecing together the Ask Greg clues to work out where the missing parts of the story are made it doubly fun so thanks for that 'Easter Egg'!). I'm really curious about the inspiration for this. Obviously in literature there are plenty of books which disassemble time but usually to mirror consciousness. 'Memento' is the only film I can recall which is this fragmented, but again there's a strict order. (Sometime, not while the story's still running necessarily, but eventually, I'd be interested to read about the thought processes behind this structure.)

Here, we're really dotting around but it gives the impression of a patchwork of themes: sibling rivalries (Jacob/Esau, Brooklyn/Broadway, Othello/Iago) particularly stand out. Perhaps also lineage -- never has the interconnectedness of man been so apparent than seeing the links from Egypt to Portugal to Ireland; and in modern times, we have the Maza family expanding into new boundaries, with Elisa & Goliath and Talon & Maggie's child. And of course, we have all these dark mirrors to our leads: Xanatos and Coyote, the ColdTrio and the Angela triangle, Lex/Brentwood, and as has been mentioned, Thailog/Shari who look very Goliath/Elisa in some panels.

I love the scene of Thailog & Shari playing chess though -- more Fox & David. I wonder if the bathtub scene is meant to suggest how Sevarius would like to spend his nights. Shari is by far my favourite new character so far. She's utterly fascinating. And while we have no evidence there's anything between them, they certainly seem pretty intimate. And whatever their relationship is, it fits that while Goliath & Elisa's life is based on protecting and serving, Thailog & Shari's seems to be about knowledge and power.

Although this is another story on a huge scale, I'm really glad the clan is proactive at the centre this time. I love, adore, the big, eclectic 'Gargoyles' cast, but more than that, I love our core guys. And Macbeth. Broadway and Angela seemed kind of mean to Brooklyn -- I hope this is in aid of them intervening to resolve their issues. Lex and Hudson taking centre stage fills me with joy.

(Oddly, I was in central London in November 1996. My brother was in Great Ormond Street getting his cochlear implant and it was around this time that we'd recently discovered 'Gargoyles'. I know he watched 'A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time' on television with his ward; and also I remember looking for 'Gargoyles' figurines in a London toy shop and coming out with a Lexington one for his Christmas. It's one of my most vivid memories, but it gives me a real kick to think that the 'real' Macbeth and Lexington would have been running around about the same time only a few miles away.)

The cover -- bit of a quiet one. I don't mind covers that don't reflect the inside too well (#1 and #3 are probably my favourites to date and have no real relevance to the interior), but this one attempts to find a hook from inside and comes up with something pretty mild. I still love Greg Guler's covers though. Will be very interested to see David Hedgecock on #8 but I hope Greg sticks around.

The art -- Really gorgeous. David Hedgecock has received some flak for his model work, but I have to say... I grew up on lisenced books. Spidey and X-Men were all too convoluted to get into, but Turtles, Sonic, Bucky O'Hare -- this stuff I knew where I was. And I know being 'off-model' is considered a pretty heinous crime by people who read these kinds of books. But my favourite artists, and often the most popular artists, were never the most on-model. Often the artists who tacked closest to the models produced characters who looked just a little plastic, a little too perfect, a little dead behind the eyes. David's model work is decent given the scores of characters he has to master each issue, but more than that, we really get a sense of the characters' intelligence and purpose, of momentum and fluidity. It's good, compelling art and I'm so glad he's having a good run at it. (My only hope is that if it is necessary to switch artists for a future issue that we can have the same person working on a sequence of stories -- this was what felt a little jarring about #3-5, though it was for entirely understandable reasons).

The colours -- Rich, atmospheric, true to the original, but really dramatic and bold as well. I particularly appreciate London on the last page looking like the late 20th century and not the late 19th -- alive with light. Often I'll see American presentations of London -- including in 'M.I.A.' where admittedly there was probably pressure to reuse the same backdrops for the 1940s and 1990s sections -- where it feels somehow dated. And of course, parts of it are historic. But growing up in London, all this seemed normal to me and so presentations which really honed in on the ancient aspects always startled me a bit. The Shari/Thailog colours are especially splendid. (Although -- being ultra-pernickety -- stars can't turn up in front of the shadowy portion on a crescent moon!).

I'm thrilled King Arthur is turning up, the London clan look amazing, and the details about the history of the stone and the naming of Portugal really stand out for me. I'm completely psyched to see where this goes next.

Big thanks to Greg, David, Robby, Greg G and the guys at SLG!

Ed Reynolds writes...

Hiya Greg. The comics take a while to reach me and I don't always manage to get the reviews in before the queue closes, but the comic's really going from strength to strength. Anyway, my BG #1 review...

BAD GUYS #1

'Bad Guys' doesn't instantly grab me. I love the universe and I trust the creators, but I don't yet feel close to the characters. I care about Hudson and Demona and Macbeth because we've been through so much with them, and with these guys we've known them for a long time but relatively shallowly. I'm really excited for the comic to peel back the layers on the characters in the same way the original series has done with the 'Gargoyles' leads. Glad to see Dingo used as a starting point for this reason; he's already the most familiar, and the most intriguing (though my favourite is Fang!). The Harry Monmouth tease is lovely. I got into 'Gargoyles' first off because of the 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' characters so I can't wait to see this angle developed.

I'd be lying if I said it didn't take a while to adjust to the lack of colour. Nothing against B&W as a form, I'm all for it; but colour, to me, is in the DNA of this universe. But the art's really great. The beautiful Sydney panorama, the exquisite fight scenes and the lovely stuff of Dingo in flight. Oh, love the logo too. The paper actually feels a bit more solid than the parent title, if less glossy. There seems to be an errant red dot in the middle of the cover but perhaps that's just my copy.

So the story. I love the structure here. The opening section reminded me of 'Awakening', although it's a standard thing with television pilots (and a few comic #1s) to start in the middle and flash back. Often, I don't like the effect. Occasionally it works really well, but sometimes it feels like an in-story trailer. But that final panel of the flash-forward -- "redemption" metaphorically and literally dead in the water -- is fantastic. Same with the "redemption taking off" image at the end. And then there's the music. Threw me at first, but it actually gives the thing a real linking thread and a sense of pace. I've found a clip of part of it on youtube but by now I prefer to run my own music to it in my head -- truth be told I always like to score things I read (and write) in my head anyway as I go. The explosion panel is particularly powerful contrasting with the music. It's an interesting experiment. Not sure it would work too often, but I think it sets the tone quite effectively. And I just like innovation with the narrative.

There are plenty of great moments as always. The helicopter gag was the funniest; Matrix's spine-insertation the creepiest.

One thing nags me though. The masked supervillain -- concept and execution. Concept-wise, it interests me how this guy was in a position to do something like this, and I love the idea of Dingo living this weird idealised hero v villain world. But in a period fast developing DNA testing and biometrics and CCTV, would anyone really go blowing up downtown Sydney and then walking around in a highly recognisable suit? In the Marvel universe, I wouldn't blink twice, but in 'Gargoyles' it seems startling. Not what I'd have expected.

One of the things I often have trouble tracking with the universe is what the perception of the man on the street is to everything that goes on in the stories. Yeah, the Vinnies and the Brendans are people who have had exceptional encounters. What about people who live in Oregon or Melborne or Cardiff -- nowhere that's a hotbed of activity in the universe (yet, anyway). How is their experience of the world different from ours? What's known about advances in technology on robots and cloning and artificial intelligence? And how astonished should they be at a guy in a mask blowing up a bank only to be accosted by an ex-con TV superstar in a metal suit which allows him to fly? Not very, is the impression I get from this comic. And that surprises me a little.

Overall, it's an enjoyable read, but hasn't yet got under my skin quite like the parent comic. And that's fine -- I'm not going anywhere and I have nothing but faith it's going somewhere amazing. I do suspect it's one of those I'll enjoy best in trade since we're only yet dipping a toe into the waters of 'Bad Guys'.

Thanks to everyone who worked on it -- Greg, Karine and David, as well as Greg & Stephanie and the SLG editorial people!

Anonymous writes...

I've always wondered, out of all the words out there, how did you ever come up with using and sticking with "jalapeña" as a catchphrase?

Rebel writes...

Hi Greg, this is something I meant to ask in my earlier comment, but I forgot to. For the comic, how much direction do you give to your artists in coming up with the designs for new canon characters?

I am specifically referring to the two new London Gargoyles at the end of #7. I know you had mentioned before that the London gargs would look like unicorns, lions, or griffins. Did you change your mind recently, or had it always been your plan to make them look like other heraldry animals, and you were just teasing us? Did David Hedgecock talk you out of it? Did the two of you decide together what animals they would resemble, or had you already decided? If you chose beforehand, did you give him specific details about their appearance, or relatively vague details and let him come up with them himself? I would be interested to know any information you can tell me about this. I find the process of creating a character's look to be very interesting.

Also, feel free to volunteer information about the development of the designs of other new characters which have appeared in the comic. Shari, the Tasmanian tiger villain in Bad Guys, Coyote's new look, etc. Whatever comes to mind.

Diego González V. writes...

Hi Greg,

First, I want to thank you very much for give us a great, gorgeous show!!!

So now, my question... Any plans to do an international release of the SLG comic? I would like so much to see the comic in my local comic shop. I know this is more an SLG business than yours, btw, I want to know if you know something about this :)

I mean, it would be just great to read the comic in my native language, spanish (more accurately, "en chileno", hehehe)

Greetings from Chile, South America.
Diego González V., a fan who learned a lot of english thanks to Gargoyles and fanart about the show! So again, thank you :D

Rebel writes...

This isn't really a question as it is a review/comment/whatever. Anyway, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for deciding to have the London Gargoyles resemble more animals than just lions, unicorns, and griffins. For the last ten years or so, I had always assumed that the London clan gargoyles would resemble other animals of heraldry as well, such as bears, boars, wolves, foxes, stags, rams, bats, etc., and when I read in the wiki a few months ago that they would all look like unicorns, griffins, and lions, I was SO disappointed. I am so glad that this is not the case. The two new gargoyles are beautiful and I am looking forward to learning more about them in the next two issues, and possibly seeing some other London Clan members as well. Once again THANKS!

Also, I just wanted to mention that Hedgecock's art is greatly improving and is really, really good in this issue. There are still a few things that seem a little off, like for instance he often seems to make the characters' heads a little too big which makes them seem cartoony, and they sometimes look really angular instead of organic. But overall he's doing a great job. He's really good with facial expressions. I LOVE the look on Lex's face when they first wake up with jetlag! Also the pages where Shari is telling Thailog those stories are all really great. Of course the final page is beautiful as well. And he does a really awesome job with mechanical characters; the page with Coldsteel and Coyote is awesome! Anyway kudos to Hedgecock!

Overall #7 was a great issue. The non-linear format was great (incidentally, although I miss the cartoon it's worth noting that this non-linear format likely would not have worked as well on the TV show). Thanks for all you do.

Demonskrye writes...

Given that Bronx and Boudicca mated very shortly after their first meeting, I'm guessing gargoyle beasts are a lot more casual about mating than gargoyles are. So I have a few questions about gargoyle beast mates:

1) Do they mate for life?
2) Do they generally choose new mates if their mates dies before them?
3) Are they monogamous?
4) Di Bronx and Boudicca feel sad at all about being separated after they mated?

Anonymous writes...

You might say I'm a little obsessive with this website because of my interest in Gargoyles. I read a lot of other peoples questions in "Unanswered Questions" and then keep a watch to see when you answer them in "Latest Responses". I noticed that sometimes questions submitted in "Unanswered Questions" will be removed from the web site altogether without even a "not saying at this time" response from you. I figure these questions are removed because they don't follow the guidelines you made for the website. I figure its got to be really annoying when someone submits something you don't think is appropriate to answer and have to remove it from the website. Do you feel irritated when it happens?

Phil writes...

Back in 2004, you responded to a question about the call letters WVRN by explaining that a station owner can choose it's own call letters. You then suggested that it was a huge hint as to who owns WVRN. So just to confirm my suspicions, is WVRN a division of Xanatos Enterprises?

Ntripy writes...

Are the scrolls depicted in #7 just a creative way to present the story in the comic, or do they actually exist in the Gargoyles Universe?

Benji writes...

Hi Greg, what's up? I can tell you're getting sick and everyone asking and begging for the rest of Gargoyles on dvd. And it had nothing to do with you don't care, I know you did, it's just that you've made it clear why they aren't coming out several times, and we keep asking,lol so I understand it can get a little annoying. So don't worry I'm not going to beg for the rest of Season 2 or ask when it's coming out. I was curious about something else though concerning the episodes. I was wondering if you thought Disney might be willing to let iTunes sell the entire series? Like all 3 Season's of it? iTunes has gotten more popular with selling tv shows, and it seems like that wouldn't be as expensive to do as making dvds, because it's really just a file. I don't know how all that works though. But I would really like to hear your thoughts about it.

Again I'm not trying to be annoying, I know you have a ton of fans constantly bugging you about Season 2 Volume 2. But I do miss the show, and since the rest of the dvds probably aren't coming out, or at least not anytime soon, iTunes would be the next best thing. I'd totally buy all 3 Season's of it!! I really miss the show. I haven't watched it in a long time. Especially the episodes that aren't on dvd, because where I live the show only comes on at like 3:30 in the morning. Anyway thanks for your time Greg!!

John Pannozzi writes...

Is it true that Bonkers was originally conceived as a Roger Rabbit TV series, but the Roger Rabbit were replaced due to Spielberg and his Amblin Entertainment company and Gary K. Wolf co-owning Roger Rabbit along with Disney?

simon jardine writes...

What is the translation of the spell that gives you entry to Avalon.

Charisma82 writes...

Yes! It finally came! Bad Guys #1 is mine! I did a lot of jumping up and down and laughing when I got this comic today. Here's my page-by-page review, as usual, but this time, not cut into 2 parts. I'm doing it all in one shot this time.

Bad Guys: Redemption
Chapter 1: Strangers

Pages 1-24

Page 1: Nice helicopter. And good work on not making it a full moon. My first reaction while reading this was the different texture of the pages. It was unusual, but I adjusted quickly. It's Matt's song from Witch! I really liked that episode where he sings this song and the other one; I think the name is "The Demon In Me". I have no clue what island the Redemption Squad is heading to, so I'll go on to the next page now.

Page 2: So here's the Redemption Squad. I was a bit confused because I thought that this comic was going to be about recruiting the squad, and yet here they all are, going on a mission. I figured out that the recruiting would take place a couple pages later. I find it funny that Matrix is the one holding the boom box and listening to the music. I love how Fang loses a bullet. His expression is very funny. I didn't catch that until my 3rd time looking through the comic. I get the feeling that Dingo seems very angry about something else besides just the mission they're about to go on. I guess only time will tell.

Page 3: Hunter & Dingo have some fun lines near the end of this page. And of course, Fang has to put his two cents into the matter. I knew it was him speaking at the bottom of this page, even without his picture, because he's always getting in on other people's business.

Page 4: I love Fang's lines. I have no problem hearing Jim Belushi's voice in my head when Fang is talking here. In fact, I had an easier time hearing the voices of these characters in this comic in my head than I do with the regular characters in the Gargoyles comic book series. I wonder why.

Page 5: And here we are led to believe that the Redemption Helicopter is no more… in fact I think it's safe to say it is no more. I am curious to see how the Redemption Squad managed to escape. Many fans who have been to the Gatherings have said in reviews that this scene was part of a clip shown at the Gathering, so they know how this part turns out. Since I haven't been to any Gatherings, I am still left in the dark about how they escaped the explosion. I can't wait to find out.

Page 6: Now we travel back in time two months to Australia. And you know what? Matt's song is still playing. I guess he must've made it big to have his song playing all the way in Australia. Good for him. Unless, of course, Matt doesn't exist in this universe and someone else wrote his exact same song and made it a big hit. The page ends with a big bang.

Page 7: Okay, he had a great intro, but this guy looks pretty corny. In fact, the first thing I thought of when I saw the Tazmanian Tiger was that he looked like a very corny version of Batman without a cape. His pets are cool looking though.

Page 8: I love the reference to Superman here. It's funny to hear what the Australians have to say about whom they think is up in the sky. Dingo had a pretty good entrance. The Tazmanian Tiger doesn't even bother talking, he just starts shooting. I find that interesting, because at first glance, I would've figured this guy to be an all talk, not much fight kind of guy.

Page 9: We find out that Hunter is tracking Dingo. We also get to learn a bit more about the bad guy's pets. I've never heard of these animals before. They're cool though. I want to know how the Tazmanian Tiger has them under control. Someone had to have gone through a lot of training with these animals to get them to do all the "tricks" he's having them do.

Page 10: About this time, the lyrics to the song were taking away from the action in the story for me, so from this point on, I read through all the lyrics on each page before reading what the characters were saying and what they were doing. The Thylacines start out well enough and put up a good fight, but not a good enough fight for Matrix and Dingo. They are quickly apprehended.

Page 11: Here's the part where the Tazmanian Tiger doesn't seem so corny. He takes a good slice out of the back of Dingo and Matrix. Before this happens, I really like Dingo's line, "Don't know where he dug up two extinct tazzie tigers…" It just helps get his voice in my head. He also shows how much he's trying to be a good guy by not harming his enemies after they've been apprehended, since they are extinct (nearly extinct) animals.

Page 12: Dingo has some really good action moves on this page. He really lets the Tazmanian Tiger have it. And he doesn't use any one-liners to get the job done.

Page 13: This is probably one of my favorite lines in this comic, "Thanks kid. Love the Mohawk." I had a good laugh with that one. Again, we get the Superman feel on this page. We also get the end of the "Will to Love" song. Everything seems to be going great for the new Australian superhero so far. Oh, yeah, I have to mention the GW on the police car in this scene. I have to give credit to my sister for this because I didn't catch this on my own. She had to point it out to me.

Page 14: It's the Shaman! I honestly didn't think I'd see him again so soon in the comics, but then it makes sense since we are seeing Dingo's new life. The Shaman helped find this new path for Dingo to take, so it makes a lot of sense for him to be there when Dingo joins the Redemption Squad. The picture of the Pack was awesome. I felt like I was seeing the TV show again.

Page 15: Dingo doesn't seem thrilled about Matrix "inserting" himself into his spine. I wouldn't be either. I'm glad to have gotten the explanation on this page about how Dingo and Matrix are connected when they "team up". I'm guessing now that Dingo knows this, he'll not want to connect as often, and Matrix will start to become his own person and not just Dingo's armor accessory.

Page 16: Dingo's name is finally revealed in the comics. Now it is officially cannon. I like Robyn's response to Dingo when he asks if she's a bounty hunter. I also like how you show here that even if you change your life and try to forget your past wrongs, you still have consequences. Even if Dingo is now a hero in Australia, he did some bad stuff in the past, and he needs to make up for it, not run from it, because the past does catch up with you eventually.

Page 17: This was a great situation to put Dingo in. The fight with Hunter would not have been as interesting, I think, if he had "saddled up" with Matrix. This way, we can see what he is capable of on his own.

Page 18-20: Great fight scene. I have a harder time with action in comics than I do with TV, so I went through these 3 pages a few times to get it all in.

Page 21: So there is something that can stop Matrix. Fancy that. And the Shaman does a good job here with Matrix, helping him to see the logic of the situation.

Page 22: Another great line, and I know it's been mentioned before, but I can't pass it up. "Look I've gone the super-villain route…" "Who hasn't?" The shot of the Shaman shows that he sees the good that could come out of this union between Robyn, Dingo, and Matrix.

Page 23: I really like the full body picture of Hunter here. Her facial expressions on this page are good too. Where did she put her crossbow? She must be really fast, 'cause one second it's there, and the next it's hidden away again. Another good line, "The pulse grenade's worn off!" "Was the helicopter too big a tip-off?" And lastly, the Shaman gives his input on the matter. I'm not sure if he wants Dingo to join up with Hunter because he thinks Dingo needs to be working with others to do good in the world (other than Matrix) or if he sees that Dingo needs to "clean up his act", such as making up for past wrongs. Maybe a bit of both with some other reasons in the mix as well?

Page 24: I don't find it too alarming that it was Matrix and not Dingo who wanted to go with Hunter. Matrix wants law and order (every time I see those words in the comic, I automatically think of the show Law and Order) and believes that, after what Hunter just said, that is what she is pursuing. There's that, plus the fact that Matrix just learned that Dingo hasn't always been for law and order. It gives him some cause to want to follow this new person and not Dingo as much. And why should Dingo want to accept? He's like a superhero in his home country now. Why should he be concerned with this new person who has been hunting him and is now blackmailing him? I wouldn't want to partner up with someone who was doing that to me. I think the one thing that surprises me the most is how quickly Dingo changed his mind after Matrix agreed to go with Hunter. I guess he wouldn't want to leave Matrix with her and that maybe Shaman's inspiring words helped, but it seemed too soon for me to believe. I do love the relationship between Dingo and Hunter right now. It's the beginning of an interesting ride.

Well, all in all, I LOVED this comic. Out of all the spin-offs, I wanted to see this one the most (well, it was tied with Timedancer). The end of the comic has set up the next comic very well and I'm very excited to see the recruitment of Yama. That, and hopefully we'll find out how the Redemption Squad survived the exploding helicopter and who they were about to go up against. I can't wait for the next issue and I hope that this series does really well. Thanks for a great job.

Thank you for your time and all that you do.

-Charisma82

Queen of Night writes...

Wow, I had no idea Bad Guys was already out. It's been a busy month. But I got a lot of thinking time since I've been on medical leave and I came up with these little gems.

1. OK, in the case of Owen/Puck you've said that Owen is fully human and can't do magic unless he's Puck (as far as I know anyway) and that rule applies to all Faeries. However, Fox is the offspring of Titania as a human and Reynard but she and her son are able to cast spells. I've read a few things about the differences between human and faerie magic but the only times we've seen magic in humans is through an object of some sort i.e. the Grimoire, the Eye of Odin, the Pheonix Gate ect. So what kind of magic do Fox and Alex (and presumely Merlin) use? If human why don't they need an object; if Fairy how?

2. I'm a HUGE fan of Midsummer's Night Dream but there is one thing that has irritaed me even when I was 10 years old. You switched the roles of Titania and Oberon. In the play Oberon was the consort though he was King of the Elves, Titania was the Queen of Fairies. What made you switch their roles?

3. I know you'll hate this question but is Mab plotting the destruction of Titania and Oberon or is she just gonna destroy us all outright?

Thanks for the answers!

Greg Bishansky writes...

I was wondering about Shari's role as Thailog's executive assistant. We've already seen her feeding Thailog grapes, and telling him stories, alongside playing chess with him. The latter reminded me of Xanatos and Fox in "Upgrade" while the image of her being carried by Thailog in flight seemed very "Evil Goliath & Elisa" to me, but that's just a tangent.

My question is, who is Alexander Thailog's public face? Before "The Reckoning", obviously Dominique Destine was able to speak for both herself and Thailog. Now with Thailog operating Nightstone alone, and Demona laying low, I wonder. Does Shari represent Alexander Thailog in any corporate capacity? Or does someone else? He probably has a middleman of some kind.

Purplegoldfish writes...

My review for #7, "The Rock"

I really like the non-linear format. I think it's really creative. It's like a puzzle with missing pieces that makes me ache for more. The first time I read it, it appeared to be totally random-but the more I read it, the more I realized that it's not random at all-the panels all seem to be very deliberately placed the way they are for a reason. This leads me to think that those three enigmatic panels on page two,(Bomb unit, "Amp", and Fox's shoes), are tied together somehow.

I like the little snippets of Shari's stories to Thailog, and the muted sepia tones used to convey the stories. It took my third reading to realize that the story pages are shaped like scrolls, nice little touch. I just love those little glimpses we get of Shari and Thailog (and sometimes Brentwood). For some reason I find it humorous to see Thailog performing mundane tasks like bathing, being on the computer, and playing chess while Shari drones on to him. I wonder what their relationship is exactly-probably more of a power struggle than anything, but in a bizarre way, they are kind of a match for each other.

It's nice to see Macbeth working with the gargoyles and becoming the clan's ally. I trust him, but I'm mildly surprised that Goilath is so quick to send his clanmates out to help him-seeing as he wasn't always their friend. I guess all one needs to do to convince Goliath is to pull the "Xanatos card." And it turns out they're right-Xanatos is working behind their backs.

Goliath's line is interesting-"healed but not whole." I was under the impression that gargoyles fully heal at sunrise. So I take it to mean that he's emotionally drained.

Personally, I don't feel sorry for Brooklyn. He had the chance to go to London and potentially meet unattached female gargoyles...but he passed on it. Angela didn't choose him, he needs to get over it. Though I am very curious as to Angela's and Broadway's intent-they were so happy at the prospect of going to Scotland-but then easily changed their minds. Angela's got some sort of plan brewing-to try to cheer Brooklyn up maybe? She's got to realize that brooklyn is pining for her-she's always been able to catch on to things pretty quiclkly in the show.

The clans seem to have found another ally in Dr. Sato-that's very good-especially since he can be a very helpful ally in troubling times.

Hehe, I loved the panels of Macbeth waiting for Lex and Hudson to wake up-nice subtle humour there. And gargoyle jetlag, lol. I once lost a whole day thanks to jetlag. I'm kind of curious as to what Lex and Hudson did in that ten day interim.

I found that panel that shows Macbeth trying to take back the stone in 1950 hilarious. "Scotland Forever!" LOL. "You'de be surprised" indeed.

Telling panel placement here-the scheming Xanatos scene taking place directly after the panel in which Hudson asks "Who exactly are we expecting?"
The Coyote Diamond...Nothing ever wasted in Gargoyles. Xanatos, Cyote, and Coldsteel...not a good combination. Part of the Illuminati's plan? Or something else?

I love the Othello/Desdemona/Iago story page. The way they're subtley turning to stone, and the iconic Hakon mace image. That must've been their last sunrise as flesh beings. And I love how the "Timeless love story" caption integrates into the Goliath and Elisa scene.

Speaking of the G/E scene, love it. The way it parallels the breakup scene in issue #3. Goliath and Elisa are careful not to mention the children issue, a discussion for another night. But the not-so-subtle placement of the panel where Maggie is revealed to be pregnant is brilliant. It's nice to see Goliath so happy-he's been having a tough week. And I love how passionate that kiss looked. Did Goliath initiate it?

I wasn't all that surprised at Maggie's pregnancy for some reason. Though if I were her, I would be terrified. What is their kid going to be? Mutate? Human? A mixture of both? I have kind of a bad feeling that things are going to be rough for them.

And the exciting cliffhanger-King Arthur and the London Gargoyles are up to something as well. Are they on the same side? Nice designs for the new London gargs, and as others have mentioned, it's nice to see a full figured female gargoyle.

The art: There's a few minor problems-like that closeup of Elisa's face-kind of reminds me of Ariel from the Little Mermaid-but Hedgecock's art has vastly improved, I think. Characters are much more on-model. I'm impressed. And kudos to Robby Bevard and his terrific coloring. The best coloring work on the book, in my opinion. He really payed attention to giving the correct lighting to the diffrent settings, and like I mentioned earlier, I love the effect of the scroll scenes.

Terrific start to an intrigueing new story arc, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Todd Jensen writes...

A comment, rather than a question. One of my fondest memories from the days when "Gargoyles" was on the air was, after seeing "City of Stone" and "Avalon", reading up all that I could find about the historical Macbeth, and Constantine's murder of Kenneth II. I already knew some things about early medieval Scotland (enough to know that Gruoch was the name of the real Lady Macbeth, that Macbeth overthrew Duncan in battle in actual history, and about his stepson Lulach), but after seeing those episodes, I learned even more.

Now, after Bad Guys #1 and Gargoyles #7, I've experienced once again that feeling. I've looked up whatever I could find about thylacines, and Gathelus and Scota, after reading the issues that they appeared in. Now I know even more than ever that "Gargoyles" is back. Thanks, Greg.

KingCobra_582 writes...

Picked up my copy of Gargoyles #7 today. After all these weeks, it's finally here.

And, after the very mild disappointment I had with issue 6, it was worth the wait too.

**SPOILERS**

PROS:

More great story twists.

-I didn't see Maggie's pregnancy coming, oddly. Those were some great moments, with Talon and Maggie looking at each other like that.
-It was cool seeing Claw again, even if it was only for one panel, and he didn't do anything.
-The cover threw me off somewhat, which is a good thing.
-More Elisa and Goliath stuff. At least it's not too angsty this time.
-Does Goliath know that Brooklyn is bothered by B & A's relationship? I had the impression at first, when he looks over Brooklyn's shoulder at them, that he had a good idea. But then it occurred to me that Goliath may have been silently asking them to stay with his second. So which is it?
-Nice little Lex moments. I liked the expression on his face when he complains about 'I don't feel so hot.'
-On a semi-related note, who's this 'Amp'? Is Lex naming someone or simply giving them a nickname?
-I loved that MacBeth/King Arthur moment. Though I admit that, since I thought they left on good terms in 'Pendragon', I am a little confused. What's Arthur hiding/protecting? Also, since Arthur's here, kudos on introducing the new gargoyles at the end. And is that Griff behind Lex and Hudson?
-Nice throwback to the Cold Trio. And I'm eager to know what Xanatos, Coyote, and Coldsteel are up to. Whatever it is, it can't be good. Is this part of Xanatos' Illuminati assignment?
-The bits about Gathelus interested me greatly. Thanks, Greg. You made me want to do research on this guy.

As usual, Greg, you have left me with so many questions, and very few answers. Thank you.

The art was decent. Hedgecock has definitely come a long way since #1.

CONS:

These are very minor things that I was able to let go of. They didn't really ruin my enjoyment too much.
-The biblical reference. Mainly because (and this is a self-personal quip. I'm not trying to offend anyone or push my beliefs.) I'm not really into religion. No offense.
-The constant time changes were a little confusing.

End the rant.

A near-perfect issue that I really enjoyed. Great writing, great story, and I loved the artwork. Plot threads left dangling, but then, I love being in suspense, so that was a big plus too. There were a couple of flaws, but I was able to ignore them.

What a hell of an great issue. I can't wait for #8. :)

Merry Christmas.

Amanda writes...

If I was evry want to become a writer what sould I do to make people like my storys? How old where you when you wrote storys? I been thinking of some good storys but I don't know if any one would like them? When I read a bionicle story I feel like I am in a different world. Am I cary or what?