gipdac writes...

1. What is the name of the Illuminatus Norman Ambassador from 975?
2. What was his Illuminati rank during 975?
3. What year was he born?
4. As of December 31st, 1996, is he still alive?
5. As of December 31st, 1996, what is his rank?

gipdac writes...

Xanatos, Matt Bluestone, Thailog and John Castaway all became members of the Illuminati in fairly quick succession, but we are only told of one opening with the death of Mace Malone. With so many Illuminatus being nearly immortal, it seems odd that there would be 4 open positions within a few months.
1. Does the Illuminati always have 666 members or do they have 666 positions, but not all positions are necessarily filled all the time?
2. If they do have 666 filled position at all times, then who died to make room for Xanatos, Thailog, and Castaway? I’m assuming here the Bluestone replace Malone.

gipdac writes...

1. What year was Quincy Hemings born?
2. What year did Quincy Hemings become an Illuminatus?
3. What was Quincy Hemings Illuminati rank when he started working at the White House?
4. Is Quincy Hemings his birth name?
5. What year did Quincy Hemings become an Illuminatus?

gipdac writes...

When was Shari born?

gipdac writes...

1. What year was Martin Hacker born?
2. What year did Martin Hacker become an Illuminatus?

Paul writes...

1. Does Demona absorb thermal energy while in human form, the way other gargoyles absorb thermal energy while in "stone" form?

2. If not, how has Demona adapted?

Anonymous writes...

Question 1: When can you tell us if there is going to be a third season or not of TSSM at the most and the least.
Question 2: Is there any other possible plot details that you can tell us about the third season if it gets comminsioned besides that the Scorpion and the Hobgoblin are going to be in it and the Human Torch might be in it.
Question 3: Can you tell us if the story on Spiderman wiki about the third series of TSSM (tv series) is true or not.

gipdac writes...

1. Were any of the Falstaff's Band of Thieves members Illuminati or are they just minions or henchmen?
2. If they are members of the Illuminati, what is the rank of:
A. Falstaff (John Oldcastle)?
B. Pistol?
C. Mistress Quickly?
D. Bardolph?
E. Points?
F. Doll?
3. What's the real name of:
A. Pistol?
B. Mistress Quickly?
C. Bardolph?
D. Points?
E. Doll?
4. Did Dingo know any of the Band of Thieves besides Falstaff and Pistol?
5. Why did John Oldcastle (Falstaff) strangle Dingo's mom?
6. What did the Redemption Squad plan on doing with Mistress Quickly?

gipdac writes...

1. When was Katana hatched?
2a. How old is Katana biologically when Brooklyn & Co. return to Manhattan 1996?
2b. How old is Katana chronologically when Brooklyn & Co. return to Manhattan 1996?
3. What year did Katana and Brooklyn first meet?
4. I hope this doesn't sound vulgar because it's not meant to be, but when did Brooklyn and Katana find time to mate with Nashville hanging around? I just imagine lots and lots of awkwardness:-Z

Anonymous writes...

Hi, I checked the archives and I didn't see these questions asked, but if they were and you have answered them already, sorry. I had some questions in regards to "The Spectacular Spider-Man". Please keep in mind, I'm asking you this on September 1st, but it'll be a while before this reaches you, so if any of these are answered in between the time it takes these questions to reach you to be answered, sorry for the repeat questions.

Warning, SEASON TWO SPOILERS herein:

1.) Now that Disney and Marvel have merged, does this mean you CAN use forbidden guys like Kingpin, The Incredible Hulk, Ant Man or anyone else like that? I hope so. I'd imagine the X-Men or Daredevil or any Marvel characters Fox owns might be tricky, but still, you never know, right?

2.) Now that Sony has given the Spider-Man TV rights to Marvel and Disney, do you think when (not if) you get a third season, you might be more restricted by Disney or less restricted on what you can and can't do on the show?

3.) Why is the Rhino an American? I know on the show he's Alex O'Hirn, but in the comics, he's a Russian named Mikhail Sytsevitch. Why was the nationality changed? I find it weird Rhino's a Russian but never has been on any Spider-Man cartoon series.

4.) You listed Ian Bassett as the voice of Cletus Kasady/Carnage for the Gargoyles/Spidey crossover, so I guess you do like Carnage after all. Stupid internet rumors and false reports. Would you be interested in having Mr. Bassett reprise the role of Carnage on "Spectacular", or maybe have him as another voice if he's available?

5.) Do you know when Season Two comes out on DVD? Have you been told yet?

6.) Can Doctor Octopus improve his harness now that he's bonded to it? Like can he add some kind of security system to keep Spider-Man from stealing his power packs, like he did in "Gangland"?

7.) This isn't a question. I just want to say that I hope you guys get a third season and that I hope to see multiple episodes with all of Spidey's returning and new foes in season two (Scorpion, Doc Ock, Mysterio, Hobgoblin, Electro, Lizard, Rhino, Sandman, Tombstone, etc., etc.).

8.) Last question: If Disney and Marvel can work out a way to have Spider-Man on Cartoon Network's "The Super-Hero Squad Show", what would you think of Spidey being on there if he's allowed to appear? Do you think Josh Keaton could guest voice on there when he's not busy on a third season of "Spectacular"? I know this is speculation right now, but even so, I just wanted to know what you thought.

Thanks so muc for reading, sir. Best wishes with the series and I hope you guys get a pick-up for season three sooner rather than later. 'Nuff said.

Paul writes...

Hi, Greg.

I have a few questions about Anubis:

1. Anubis' power over death was so great that while the Emir kept him imprisoned, nobody could die. How long had Anubis had that power?

2. Oberon banished the entire Third Race from Avalon in 995 AD to teach them humility. Did Anubis learn humility from his banishment as well, or had he always been as even-handed as he is shown to be in "Grief"? (After all, Anubis had been an Egyptian god long before his banishment from Avalon.)

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Hi Greg,

Thanks for posting the radio plays.

Reading the chronological version of 7-8-9 reminds me again that this story is like a mystery... when you know from the beginning what happened and when, it isn't nearly as interesting.

"The story is told â€" though who can say if it be true â€" of Moses, who led the Hebrews out of Egypt and into the desert… bringing forth water from Jacob's Pillow to quench their--"
"You said Moses gave the Stone to Gathelus and Scota before leading the Hebrews out of Egypt!"
"The story is told…"
<pause> "Though who can say if it be true? Right. Continue."
"The Hebrews passed the Stone down the centuries, until the prophet Jeremiah offered it in dowry to King Eochaid of Ireland when he wed Tamar Tea Tephi, Princess of Judah. Eochaid ensconced the Stone at Tara and dubbed it Lia Fail."

===========SPOILERS!!!==========SPOILERS!!!=========
This exchange reminds me of the scene when Hudson (examining a copy of "The Death of Arthur"!) asks King Arthur if any of the stories are true, and he replies "All things are true... few things are accurate." With the revelations about the Stone, it's pretty awesome that BOTH of Shari's stories are equally true. I really like that.

Also, it lets me write this:

Hebrew messenger: "And as the dowry of our princess Tamar Tea Tephi, we will give to your king Eochaid the Stone of Destiny itself..."
Gael messenger: "Well, I'll ask him, but I don't think he'll be too keen... you see, he's already got one."
Random Hebrew 1: "What did he say?"
Random Hebrew 2: "He said they've already got one!"
===========SPOILERS!!!==========SPOILERS!!!=========

GargFan writes...

Is Macbeth a Scottish separatist/nationalist?

Rachel N. writes...

My Con Journal for the Gathering 2009

My friend Kathie and I arrived late Thurs night (8/20) at the hotel. We both met up at LAX airport, she having flown in from Philadelphia, PA and I from Newark, NJ.
Highly recommend Prime Time Shuttle service to and from LAX. We used it and it was very reliable.

The Hilton hotel at Universal Studios: Really nice!!! As was our room.

First day of the Gathering - Friday (8/21):

Waiting for the Registration table to open (which it did @ 10am), Kathie and I met some of our fellow Con goers, including Carol (Guardian) and Gorbash. They were all so nice and welcoming (as I figured my fellow Gargoyles fans would be).

Kathie and I picked up our Gathering t-shirts, badges, and programs at the Registration table, and then I had to go and set up my 3 artwork pieces for the Art Show. As Kathie was helping me out with this, and as we took a peek at everyone else’s artwork being set up, Greg Weisman showed up to observe the Art Show set-up (it was mine and Kathie’s first time seeing Greg in person, and it was exciting to see him taking a look at my artwork).

Around noon, Kathie and I were lucky enough to attend Greg’s “Mug-a-Guest” session, and it was really great! Greg’s answers to all the questions asked were very interesting, insightful, and sometimes funny. We learned A LOT!

1:30pm â€" Kathie and I sat in on the panel “Fanfiction in the Post-Canon Market”, where many great and new ideas for Gargoyles fanfic were tossed around and discussed. Tigris did a really good job as panel moderator, and she had some very interesting ideas and suggestions for all the fanfic writers in the room.

3pm â€" Kathie and I attended Thom Adcox’s Q&A panel, which was a lot of fun. Thom is such an entertaining and funny guy! Like Greg, Thom has a great sense of humor, and he’s so down-to-earth and easy-going. He told some great stories and shared memories of his career and working on Gargoyles.

A little after 5pm were the Opening Ceremonies (led by Greg Weisman, Patrick and Jennifer), and Kathie and I were there of course. Wow â€" it was awesome! Being first-timers, we really enjoyed all that took place, especially getting to watch the videos of the Pitches for Gargoyles and its spin-offs (New Olympians, Bad Guys), and the fan-made “Team Atlantis” episode that tied in to the Gargoyles universe. Terrific job to all who worked on it, and it’s still a work-in-progress! Here’s hoping we get to see it completed one day.

Second day of the Gathering - Saturday (8/22):

11am â€" Kathie and I were really lucky enough to attend Keith David’s “Mug-a-Guest” session (having been among the last two people to sign up for it), and it was without a doubt one of the highlights of the Gathering for me. Pardon me for gushing just a bit, but Keith is awesome!!! I’m such a great admirer of his film and stage acting and his voiceover work, and of course Goliath is my favorite Keith David character. To be able to sit in the same room with him (among my fellow fans) and listen to him talk about his career and the work he did on Gargoyles was so wonderful! And man do I LOVE his voice!!! I could listen to him read the phone book. Anyway, it was such an honor to meet him in person, and Kathie felt the same way. I do hope we get to see him again at a future gathering/convention of some kind. And have I mentioned how much I REALLY like those “Mug-a-Guest” sessions!

Right after the session, I got the chance to meet Marina Sirtis and she autographed a Demona poster for me. She has a warm smile and was so nice! I’m a great admirer of her work on both Star Trek TNG and Gargoyles.

Kathie and I managed to catch the last half hour of Crispin Freeman’s panel on Anime Mythology, and it made us wish we had seen the entire panel because what we did see was fantastic. Crispin is a very engaging and dynamic speaker, and what he spoke about was fascinating! I learned a lot about dragon lore and its influences on certain anime series. Great job, Crispin!

Then around 1pm we attended the panel for “Gargoyles: The Voice Acting Process”
which featured Greg W., Thom, Keith, Marina, Elisa Gabrielli, and Jamie Thomason. This panel was another highlight of the Gathering for me…it was so awesome to see all these Gargoyles voice actors together and the interactions btw them were great! As Greg said in his Con journal, some great stories were told, and a lot of laughs were shared.

Next, Kathie and I sat in on the “Anatomy of Fantasy Creatures” art panel, which was really interesting. And then came the final big event of the day â€" the Radio Play. Two words: TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!!!!! A Gargoyles and Spider-Man crossover was a wonderful idea for the Radio Play at this Gathering, and I can say for sure that Kathie and I really enjoyed it! All the Players, both pro and non-pro, were terrific! They all totally made it work so well, so congrats to them, and congrats to Greg W. on a very successful Radio Play!!! Afterward, Kathie and I stuck around and got autographs from some of the Radio Play actors.

Third day of the Gathering - Sunday (8/23):

10am â€" Kathie and I attended the panel for “Gargoyles: The Production Process”, and it was awesome to see all the Production crew members there and listen to them as they shared their experiences working on Gargoyles. Another wonderful panel at this year’s Gathering! Afterward we stuck around and got autographs from some of the Production members.

4pm â€" The other panel Kathie and I attended that day was Wendy Pini’s “Adapting Stories from Novels to Film”. We learned quite a bit about the history of ElfQuest and its journey to becoming a film. Wendy gave a great talk, and I know I’m definitely going to be seeing the ElfQuest movie whenever it’s released.

6pm till rest of the night:
Good food was had at the Banquet, great conversations with those who sat at our table, and the Guest Q&A afterwards was very entertaining! Then came the Masquerade Costume Contest and Dance. I wore a costume but did not enter the contest, instead choosing to observe it all. It was awesome â€" some really terrific costumes! And while the judges took a break to choose the winners, we watched some fabulous music videos paying homage to both Gargoyles and Spider-Man.
Congrats to all the winners of the Costume Contest!

Fourth (and final) day of the Gathering - Monday (8/24):

10am â€" Kathie and I attended the panel for “The Future of the Gargoyles Fandom”, and some very good ideas were discussed and debated. So hopefully with all the interest there appeared to be in keeping the fandom going, we’ll all be able to attend Gargoyles-related events and gatherings of some kind in the future.

11:30am â€" Next was the very interesting “Gargoyles Biology and Culture” panel led by Greg W., Jade and Matt. Now I know why it’s one of Greg’s favorite panels at the Gathering…it was fascinating with some really great questions being asked.

And finally, after I collected my artwork from the Art Show closing, it was time to attend the Closing Ceremonies of the Gathering. And what emotional and moving Ceremonies they were!!! I think there wasn’t a dry eye in the room! I cried along with everyone else, even though this Gathering had been my one and only, but maybe because of that too, I just didn’t want it to end. Which really made me wish I had attended all the past 12 Gatherings (believe me, I’m kicking myself now). Kathie and I were really touched by all the love in that room; we could see how it was like one big family, and no one wanted to say goodbye. But like Greg said, this final Gathering definitely went out with a BANG!

Kathie’s flight back home to Philly left that night, and my flight back to NJ left early Tuesday morning.

To conclude my Con journal, I want to say that for those who couldn’t attend, you all missed a fantastic Gathering; a really great weekend was had by all!!! It was both fun and bittersweet…we laughed and cried, and enjoyed every moment. It was an unforgettable Gathering! BIG thank-you’s go to the entire staff for all their hard work and dedication in organizing such a wonderful Con. And of course, special thanks go to Greg W. and all the terrific guests from both Gargoyles and the Spectacular Spider-Man, including fellow Gargoyles fan and ElfQuest creator Wendy Pini. It was an honor and pleasure to meet you all, and here’s hoping we can all meet up again at a future Gargoyles-related event. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

David B. Jacobs writes...

Hey Greg!
I am really upset that I couldn't make it to the Gathering (no seriously, I am - and it was THE LAST ONE??? ;_;), but unfortunately, plane tickets ARE kind of expensive.... And I'm somewhat broke.... (No seriously, I really DO wish I could've gone! I don't care that I would've been a newbie there! I ACTUALLY wanted to go!)
What I most regret missing is that Spidey/Gargoyles crossover. I would've LOVED to be able to see that! (In fact, it was when I heard about that that I was convinced I wanted to go.) But then, just last night, I thought of this: Is there any chance that you could post the script here on Ask Greg?
I understand if you can't, but I would REALLY appreciate if you did, and I'm sure a lot of other people would too.
Thanks for your time!

Jeremy Pierce writes...

In the latest move by The Walt Disney Corporation in acquiring Marvel, Disney has shown a renewed interest in comic book and superhero literature.

Can you see this as beneficial to getting Gargoyles back as an active property? Id Disney sell-able on making a now lateral pass of the Gargoyles property as a new Marvel entity? Given your stint writing for Spider-man, could you foresee a world in which The Manhattan Clan was a full member of the Marvel Pantheon?

M. writes...

Related to "Future Tense":
When/How did Puck find out about Goliath having the Phoenix Gate. I don't recall Puck ever knowing this before.

Daniel writes...

Do the tricksters get along with each other? Do they like to commit shenanigans together during Gatherings, or do they have different dynamics between each other?

Daniel writes...

Hi Greg. In the Cauldron of Life episode, why was Xanatos so disheartened when he lost Hudson as a test subject?

"I was so close to finding out if the legend was true. Now there's no one to test it on."

Couldn't he have secured a simple test animal to dip into the cauldron? You'd said that he never expected Owen to lend a hand. It's odd for him to voice defeat without thinking of another plan.

On the subject of stone skin, why weren't there any skin shards lying around from all the times the Gargoyles had awakened at the castle? I seem to recall an episode where someone assumed an identity to get to the castle and he found a skin shard (unless, of course, that was from season 3).

Landon Thomas writes...

Hi, I'm posting on Disney/Marvel Merger Day and I'm looking for some historical perspective. Someone in the comment room says "I recall Greg once saying that back in the 90s Disney was interested in buying Marvel, but instead decided to create their own universe with Gargoyles." I've found this on the New Olympians episode ramble:

"ORIGINS
Well, the Greek Myths of course. But that's not really what I'm talking about. As many of you know, The New Olympians was a concept -- originally created by Bob Kline -- that we began developing at Disney TV Animation even BEFORE Gargoyles. It was definitely a concept that evolved, but it was also a concept that we felt fit nicely into the Gargoyles Universe. So this episode was created as a backdoor pilot. At the time we had big plans for the Gargoyles Universe. Hopes that it would eventually evolve into Disney's equivalent of the Marvel or DC Universe. The World Tour expanded our Universe in many ways -- mostly for the sake of the Gargoyles series itself. But also to demonstrate that our universe had the "chops" to go the distance."

Could you elaborate?

1) Is it true that Disney considered buying Marvel in the 90s?

2) Did the Disney higher-ups want a Gargoyles Universe to rival Marvel/DCU, if briefly, or was that your idea?

3) How heady were the days of season 2? Was Gargoyles being positioned as a significant face of Disney? I remember the Anaheim Gargoyles baseball team memo is from around that time too.

Lylat Warrior Galaxia writes...

So does this mean that Gargoyles is part Marvel?

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

==== SPOILERS!!!!!=========SPOILERS!!!!!=========SPOILERS!!!!!=======
I have more questions, inspired by the Timedancer arc in the trade paperback. I hope you are in the mood to answer some fan questions in between the con-journals.

I am quite curious now about what the Phoenix Gate actually is.
1. The Weird Sisters said that "The Eye and the Gate were forged on Avalon..." so is the Phoenix Gate Third Race magic?
2. Is the phoenix itself an actual living being?
3. If the phoenix is an actual living being, what kind of life-form is it? (Other than being a phoenix.)

Thanks again for answering our questions. I'm planning on reading Brooklyn's adventures again in between watching Avalon and City of Stone.
==== SPOILERS!!!!!=========SPOILERS!!!!!=========SPOILERS!!!!!=======

Michael writes...

What do you think about the Disney Marvel merger? Do you think it will change anything for you(or in other words you're struggle to get more episodes of Gargoyles made)? Do you think we will see you're gargoyles comics published by Marvel in the future?

The Fox Bandit writes...

I see there are two other questions about Disney buying Marvel - but I'm going to ask two other related questions:

(1) Were you aware ahead of time that Disney would be purchasing Marvel?
(2) I'm sure the legal complexities involved in this transaction are very... well, complex... as they interface with your show. However, to your knowledge, how does Disney's purchase of Marvel impact the possibilities of using previous off-limits characters on Spectacular Spider-Man? (Especially Kingpin, but also other characters you said you wanted to use on rare occasion, such as Human Torch.)

Paul writes...

Did you ever seriously consider leaving Venom and/or Mary Jane Watson out of season 1 of The Spectacular Spiderman? I heard that you didn't want to use one of them (but I forget which) in the first season.

Rebel writes...

I know that whether any more Gargoyles trades are made by SLG depends in large part on the sales of the existing trades. Did Dan Vado give you any specific numbers (or even ballpark figures) of how many copies of the trades need to be sold so that SLG will consider approaching Disney to make more Gargoyles trades? If he did, what are those numbers/figures/estimates? Also, I don't know how closely you keep up with the sales of the trades, but can you tell us approximately how many have been sold so far so that we know how close we are to potentially meeting the goal so that we might get new trade paperbacks in the future?

Joltman writes...

Now that Disney is buying Marvel, do you think will affect, positively or negatively, The Spectacular Spider-Man's future?

Chris writes...

Will Disney buying Marvel Comics mean anything for the Gargoyles comic book series?

simon writes...

hi Greg
I just watch Gargoylese episode-future tense and I wonder if you have been inspired by x men -days of the future past storyline when you wrote that episode?

There is also a moment when brooklyn said that" thailog was killed during clone
wars"Was it intentional wink for star wars fans,or did you just wanted to gave George Lucas headache.

I appologise every Gargoyle if I made some mistakes in English.

The Pumpkin Bomb writes...

This wasn't my first con, but it was my first gathering. I was only 4 or 5 when Gargoyles first aired--so now, at the age of 20, it really felt like I was part of this younger generation just barely getting to the point of shouldering the responsibility of the fandom. There were people twice my age who lived with this show and supported it by attending the con, working with Greg and forming these very close bonds--it was really something to see, how your own love and appreciation is reflected in so many other people, especially when they've had to go farther for it, like maintaining the expense of the Gathering and bringing it back for so many years.

So I was a bit sad going in--my first gathering, and it would be the last one? It was hard not to feel this way at certain times, but mostly everything was so fun and exiting I was on cloud nine all weekend long.

FRIDAY
I'm from Arkansas, and our NATIONAL AIRPORT in our capitol of Little Rock has a total of TWELVE GATES. This meant a connecting flight in Dallas, which meant a long delay due to bad weather, which ultimately meant arriving at the Gathering at 2 instead of 12, despite those handy hours we gained on the trip. Got my badge, and bought a copy of Bad Guys, talked with some people and eventually found my way for Thom's panel. It was so cool! He's such an interesting guy, and really really funny. I wish I had told him how when I was younger my cousin and I would fight over who got to be Lexington when we played Gargoyles, but I only thought of it after...oh well. Opening ceremonies: it was cool to see how many con-virgins their were--myself included. Huzzah for young blood, if I may cheer for myself. Seeing all the promos and clips was great, because I hadn't seen a lot of them. Was very late for supper, but my dad who came with me (I'm old enough to drive and vote and go to school out of state, but alone in LA for one weekend? Forget about it. But I love my dad and he's good company, even though he doesn't get Gargoyles or cartoons in general) was waiting for me and we got dinner at the hotel. Sushi and smoked salmon, like they don't have in Arkansas. So good.

SATURDAY
I wavered and missed out on Keith David's mug-a-guest, so I went to audition for the radio play. Brought back all those delightful feelings I had in high school drama of the nervous audition, the fragile hope, and ultimate rejection. So I called a friend and CHILLED OUT. And I read for Gwen, and gave my best high pitched shriek. Walking away, and I swear I really thought this--I figured if I got any part at all it would be for the screaming bit.
Went to Cripsin Freeman's panel on Dragons for a lark and was really surprised. I hadn't expected it to be so good--it was really thought out, informative, and entertaining. I've been listening to Freeman in my anime for years (he brought be to tears for his work in Wolf's Rain, but I didn't mention that either--shoot!) but I never expected him to have the same passion for myths and folklore I do. I need to check out his site.
Then I stayed for the Gargoyles and the Spectacular Spider-Man voice panels--words cannot describe how hilarious they were. I asked a few questions but mostly listened and laughed, utterly content. After I shook Phil Lamarr's hand, and told him that I loved his work and could always tell when it was him, even though his range is so varied, which is true--that man has acted in probably every cartoon I've loved (and a few that I merely liked) since I was 11. I took a bit of time out to chat with Karine Charlebois, artist of Bad Guys. I want to work in comics or animation one day, so her insight was very useful. Thanks Karine!

After the voice panels I went to check the cast list, certain that I would merely be watching the players tonight and attending David Hedgecock's panel during the hour before the play--but my name was on this list! It felt like magic. And if wasn't magic it was certainly a little weird, as I had been given the role of the Pumpkin Bomb--the shrieking part. Score one for my intuition!
I was elated all night. Hearing all the actors reprise their old roles and work off of all the other actors WAS magic. It made it seem like that show I loved, those stories and those characters were still out there, just waiting to be brought back. It was amazing fun, and I shrieked with all my might! Phil Lamarr who sat in front of me, I'm sorry if I hurt your ears!

And after the play, I met my dad and we both walked and ate in Universal city. I gushed out everything to him, and while I'm certain he was extremely bemused he was also happy for me. A really wonderful night. Thanks Greg (and Mir. Thomason, and Victor Cook who thought up the screaming pumpkin bomb) for allowing me to be a part in that magic. I'll be the pumpkin bomb forever.

SUNDAY
I attended both panels of the production process for both shows--if Saturday was all about fun and play, Sunday was (for me, anyway) all about fun and learning. I learned so much about how it felt to make a show, both from Greg and his comrades and from Victor Cook, whose mug-a-guest session I attended. Mr. Cook even gave me his card--the shining dream of working in animation (and um...the potential scary parts of that shining dream) seemed so much closer! I came in a bit late for the writer's panel, but still learned a lot. After the panel I shook Michael Reeves' hand, and I was really sad to hear that he was ill. He wrote some of my favorite shows on Gargoyles, and I hope he gets better. I also got Greg to sign my script, and told him how glad I was to be the pumpkin bomb. I still am, Greg! I still am!!

At the banquet I sat at Crispin Freeman's table, and had a nice dinner. The Q & A was also great then too--though I felt bad that everyone had to stand on stage like that; their feet must have been killing them, especially Greg. The Masquerade was great too. If there ever is another one, I'm definitely dressing up at least once. I had to leave pretty soon, as my dad and I had an early flight out Monday. So I didn't get to go at all on Monday, but I still felt that twinge of sadness that I'm sure was felt more acutely at closing ceremonies. I had a great time, but I had a long drive waiting to go to school once I got back home, and not enough time to say goodbye properly. I don't think I want to say goodbye.

Instead, I'll just say good night, and thank you. To Greg, to Michael Reeves and Vic Cook, to the con staff, to the guests, to the attendees and to the fans who couldn't go but were there in spirit: thank you. I hope I'll see you again.

RSG(again) writes...

I also was wondering if you get the go ahead to produce a 3 season do you already know the fate of gwen stacy? like you have it all planned out on what will happen to her?

CUgone writes...

Hey, Greg:

Longtime fan, first-time con-goer here. I attended the 2009 Gathering (sadly, now I'm regretting not going sooner since I had a good time and now it's over) and noticed during the Radio Play that the session's audio was being recorded. Is there an intent to release these recordings or is it for internal use only?

Is there a way to get a hold of the older recordings, if any?

Tomi writes...

I have heard a rumor that if Spectacular Spiderman continues, Tony Todd would possibly play Hobgoblin. Have you ever considered this possibility yourself?

RSG writes...

Hi
I was just wondering if you get the go ahead to season 3 will you announce it on that same day? and if so how will you announce it?

And a side note I'm buying the season 1 DVD for support

Caitlin (again) writes...

Since your only involvement in the Goliath Chronicles was the first episode why did you have Goliath standing outside of Elisa's apartment? Wouldn't it have been safe to be inside while New York City is on a manhunt for gargoyles?

Caitlin writes...

Hi Greg,
I always wander what the blue thing is on Fox's eye. Is it a tattoo? Metal scrap? Is it removable? It has always bothered me.

David B. Jacobs writes...

Hey again Greg! Got a few more TSSM questions here.
1) You have said in the past that you have a general map for the entire series. But of course, since there's no finite end, I was wondering how far your ideas stretched. Since you've set 5 seasons as your goal, is that where your plans end or do you have plans stretching into the possible DTVs/Season 6?
2) Regarding the potential DTVs, would you be allowed to get away with more things in there? I mean, you obviously manage to get away a lot in the series itself ("Don't get your goop in my hair!"), but there are some plots, like Kraven's Last Hunt, for example, that they would NEVER pass for TV. But would you be allowed to tackle these darker plots in DTVs, or would they still be censored to the same level?
3) Also regarding DTVs, how many do you think you'll aim for?

Antiyonder writes...

These couple of questions I'm asking pertain to Goliath's reaction to why Avalon sent them to Manhattan:

1. As of the end of Golem, was it Goliath's intention to stay in Manhattan whether Avalon released them from their journey or not?

2. When Goliath states that Avalon sent them to Manhatten because of the present danger, was that scene suppose to give the audience the impression that Goliath, Angela, Elisa and Bronx would resume their travel?

Lexar writes...

Hi there, Mr. Weisman.
It's a great oportunity for all of us fans to be able to write you a few questions (a few thousands by now) about a show that we all enjoyed so long ago and keep loving through all these time, and to keep up with the spirit to publish/share your ideas withs us is even more than I had dreamed possible. Thank you for your time, your efforts, and for sharing that gift of creativity that makes us dream of another world of great adventures, while we secretly (or openly) hope someday will become true.
Now what intrigues me:
I was watching episode 10 - The Edge, and about minute 17, when Broadway makes a Steel Clan robot crash into the book of the Liberty Statue, he makes a very distinctive gesture: to pass a finger over his tonge and then draw a "1" in the air... the same gesture that Gillian uses in the opening sequence of Jayce and the Wheeled warriors. Who's idea was it to include a reference to the Wheelies? I almost fall from my chair when I saw this (and a lot of other puns, references and dialogs!). I'm sorry if someone already pointed it out, but I have read more than 500 records from the archive (only 138 from the search of "edge") and I haven't seen any reference to this.
By the way, I love some (if not most) of your short answers... The "Hey, if we can keep you uneasy, then I think we've succeeded." to Greg Bishannsky... wonderful. And answering to one of your questions in the rambling "Chapter XLIX: Eye of the Storm" that has an "edge" word in it, I was lightning-struck to find out that Odin's eye was actually his EYE!

Tyger writes...

My Con Journal

I never would've gotten to go to Gathering at all if it weren't for Guardian.

Guardian and I met... YEARS ago. And ironically, what brought us together wasn't our mutual love for Gargoyles, but our mutual love for Dinotopia. We met on the Dinotopia Official Messageboard, and our two characters quickly became Dinotopian life partners (NOT what you think - in Dinotopia, that's the term for a very close bond between a dinosaur and a human (I was the dinosaur, and she was the human). When she was attacked on the OMB, I backed her up. And when she left, I left, too.

We hung out at my messageboard, discussing the other fandoms we had in common (Buffy, Gargoyles), and I got introduced to Riftwar (EPIC RP, omg, so sad that it's been wiped from EZ Board), and her main character/self Guardian.

Flash forward to earlier this year when I made the conscious decision to get back in touch with the four old online friends that have meant the most to me, over the years. Two, Guard, and the Chief Rabbit of my old Watership Down forum, I've managed to get into constant contact with. The other two... well, one hasn't answered my email, and the other doesn't have an up to date email address, anywhere I can find... But that's beside the point.

Anyway, while talking to Guard, the subject of Gathering came up. We started talking about how badly Nyx and I wanted to go, but how I couldn't afford it. And Guard commissioned me for enough art to pay my way, essentially, into the whole con.

Now, shortly after that, Nyx's grandmother went into the hospital... and from there into hospice care on a deathwatch. We supported her, and stayed with her, but I wasn't able to finish the commissions on time. When it really began to look like we couldn't go, I talked to Guard again, apologized for the delay, explained it, and asked if there was any way she could get us something, and maybe get the Future Of The fandom panel recorded...

Then she offered to just... pay for me and Nyx to get into the con. After all, I'm already doing the commissions, and she has no doubt I'll finish them... So plans were made, and we met her at the hotel Sunday morning. She bought our con badges after an hour or so of waiting, and then we split up for the day, going to different panels.

The panels the first day were fun. I enjoyed Dynamic Drawing (I think I've finally got a handle (pun intended) on the basic shapes of the hand and foot, now), and also the panel of writers was amazing... I got to meet one of my writer heroes, Greg Weisman, and let him know that he is one of the reasons that I'm a writer today. I got his autograph, as well as the autograph of another writer there who also worked on Transformers: Beast Machines... *geeks out*

Anyway, we hadn't had enough to afford the banquet Sunday night, and we didn't have costumes for the masquerade ball afterwards, so we went home after the second panel. We spent the night at Nyx's mom's house (which lead to me realizing that I don't computer well on a floor), watched all of the first five episodes of Gargoyles (the Awakening saga), and then went to sleep.

Keeping in mind that I'd gotten up at 4am Sunday, after having gone to bed at 1:30 in the morning. I embarrassed myself by falling asleep in the writing panel, but it all worked out eventually - the anxiety of getting the autographs woke me up for awhile. By the time we actually tried to go to bed, I'd gotten my second... or third... wind, and laid awake for awhile. Then, when I DID fall asleep, I jerked awake at 3 am, seeing a light outside and thinking the alarm hadn't gone off. I climbed over Nyx (we were sharing her twin bed at her mom's house), checked my phone, saw that it was 2:59am... thought "That can't be right... Wait!" My phone was plugged into Lona's computer in order to charge. And most of the time, when it's plugged in, it randomly sets it's time zone to something strange... "Enwetok" or something like that, that's -12 hours from where we are. But... it hadn't done that, this time. Yes, it was 3am... And having scared myself awake, I was wide awake. (Keeping in mind, we didn't get to bed until 11:30-midnight.)

So, I sat up for an hour, played my DS, sat in the living room (where it was marginally cooler - it was really hot in that bedroom), then finally came back to bed, sleepy, at almost 4:30am. I woke up again one or two minutes before the alarm would go OFF, so for all my panic about sleeping through the alarm, I was still up on time.

A few slices of leftover pizza, the rest of my starbucks coffee from the previous day, and I was ready to go. On to the last day of the Con!

First was the Future Of The Fandom panel. Essentially a panel moderated by one of the people who runs the con, getting fan ideas for how to keep the con alive. I was proud of myself for speaking up several times. I even gave the idea that the con could be expanded to honor the other Disney Afternoon shows that were with Gargoyles in that block. Everyone seemed to like that.

After that, the Gargoyles: Biology And Culture (I asked a question there, too... and Greg Weisman himself answered it!)... that was the most awesome panel, ever. Gargoyles were tied into paleontology, even. SO incredibly awesome. And I learned that I'm not nuts. :P Lots of people question as if the Gargoyles world is/was real, as I do. That was just...awesome. Totally awesome.

The best part of the day, however, was the Closing Ceremonies... So many people, fan and Guest alike, spoke about past Gatherings, their memories... no one was ready for it to be over. We all just kept filling the silence with stories after stories... Greg Weisman, the creator of Gargoyles, was crying through most of it... I don't even know where to start.

The Con was amazing. I regret never having been to all the Gatherings, previous to this one.

UncleDeadly writes...

In "High Noon" as Demona transforms in front of MacBeth, there are paintings of women all over the walls. Just artwork he likes or are the subjects more significant to Macbeth?

Jim writes...

So now that you've released the cast list/title of the Spidey crossover radio play, I have to ask: Is "Religious Studies 101" out of the running for arc titles?

John aka Flanker writes...

Consciousness returned to my body. My eyes were stinging and heavy. I cracked open a dried socket and tried to make sense of where I was. The sun was up, enough light was getting through to help me establish I was in a hotel room. My last memories were hazy, involving a military facility and being rushed onto an aircraft. Was I drugged?

I took stock of myself. I was on the floor, still wearing my clothing from yesterday. I sensed I wasn't alone in the room, whoever was keeping me here seemed to not be paying attention. I clawed my way across the floor into the washroom. I quietly used the facilities and showered, not wanting to find out what would happen if my 'hosts' were woken up. I slipped out of the room and found myself in a large and upscale hotel. I stumbled out into the sunlight. The heat and flora told me I was in California. Disoriented, it took me some time to scale down the hill and find a street. The presence of Universal Studios meant I could only be in Los Angeles. My advanced knowledge of American geography dictates that walking in any one direction long enough will bring me to a McDonalds. Like most Canadians I had a useful amount of US currency in my wallet and obtained some vague semblance of nurishment. And coffee.

The only way to figure out why I was brought here was to get back into the hotel. The climb back was further burdened with the fast food rotting away in my stomach. Approaching cautiously, I found a contact had left a dead drop in the form of an envelope with my codename on it. Inside was a T shirt that would help me blend in with the locals and a book full of coded instructions. I could infiltrate this secret society by hiding in the background or in plain sight. I chose plain sight. A number of events seemed to rotate around a 'Radio Play'. This requried an audition so I feigned an accent to make the leaders of this group think I was European. Ironically, after the audition, the group I was trying to infiltrate offered a lecture on voice acting, which would likely be useful should I be cast in the play. This was also an opportunity to examine the leaders of this strange group. After conducting some surveillance and link analysis I had a chance to speak with a British operative who may have been on the same mission as me. I determined this because other people were noting that nobody had seen her there before. We also assessed together that Top Gear is the best show on British Television that isn't Gargoyles. I also conversed briefly with a fellow Canadian. But being both female and French I knew she wasn't to be trusted. Also her badge identified her as ONE OF THEM. Someone responsible for a project called 'Bad Guys' can't be up to anything good.

Soon it was time for the play rehearsal and play itself. I was delighted to find we weren't going to read 'Dianetics' or something. I was able to keep a copy of the script which, as we speak, is being analyzed for subliminal subversion. Also I felt I may have been losing myself in my cover. I was starting to feel the mind control effects of the group's supreme leader.

I made contact with a former US Navy operator and we able to abduct a 'biology research scientist' that belonged to this secret society and we debriefed her at a 'Fatburger'. What would this group need with a biology scientist? Germ warfare? Genetic manipulation? I was in deep, thankfully I wasn't alone.

Back at the hotel I slid into a late night session code named 'Blue Mug'. Nothing I had seen previously had prepared me for this. People were discussing things like how a gargoyle would [CLASSIFIED=========================================================================================================CLASSIFIED]with salad dressing.

Also a cultist presented a ranking member with somekind of magic underwear. It was difficult to see from the back. Exfiltration occurred around 1150 hours GMT -8

More to follow...over.

Blaise writes...

GATHERING OF THE GARGOYLES

FINAL THOUGHTS

Due to my own limited funds, as well as my young age (17) at the time, I was unable to attend the first Gathering. In fact, I have only been able to attend the Gathering three times: in 2001, 2006, and this most recent one. In short, only the ones in and around Los Angeles. This was because travel and lodging were expenses I could ill afford. And for those last two (2006 and 2009), I didn't know if I would be able to pay the registration fee until (literally) two months before the Gathering. For that reason, I consider myself supremely fortunate to have been able to attend this, the last Gathering.

The Gathering was always something I loved to hear about, even when I wasn't there. And it was something I always felt was worth looking forward to. I looked forward to the day when I would be able to afford a trip beyond LA. Heck, let's be honest: I looked forward to a day when, like Karine, I would cross from "fan" to "professional" (actor, in my case) and be given that nifty "Guest" ribbon! Have my very own Mug-a-Guest, panels and everything! Yeah, yeah, I know--my swelled head makes it difficult to walk through doors. ;-)

And, of course, I regret not being able to go to any of the other Gatherings (especially the one in Montreal that the DVD crew filmed). I also kick myself for not being more proactive and helping out the staff for the LA conventions.

But, I am thankful for what I did have.

-The 2001 Gathering has a special place in my heart, simply for being my first Gathering. And the BIGGEST, I've every been to. Seriously, we had SO MANY panels in that first LA convention. And JEFF BENNETT! One of my favorite actors (I wish I could have gone to his Mug-a-Guest: he seemed like such a cool guy). Plus, we had a panel where fans got to try their hand at reading bits of "Gargoyles" episodes (specifically "Vows" and "M.I.A.") outside of the radio play or its auditions. And alongside Morgan Sheppard and Crispin Freeman, to boot. A couple of folks even got to try dubbing anime (I didn't have a chance to do that, but I did get to read for Goliath in the "M.I.A." scene--which was very intimidating, given how light my voice is in comparison to Keith David's--and Brooklyn's audition side). This was also the only convention I brought a costume for: Nought. I didn't enter the Masquerade contest, but I did thoroughly enjoy myself that night, as I did throughout the entire con. I think I got the most autographs from that one. But one of the biggest things was finally meeting everyone I had known online in person. It was great putting faces to names, learning the real names behind the 'net monikers, and just being able to talk with them face to face.
And for the "Hunter's Moon: Part 3" radio play, I was Matt Bluestone. It was so fun--and my first real chance to perform with professional actors from the show.

-2006 I remember mostly because I was at such a tough point in my finances I couldn't afford to drive the 30 miles back and forth to Valencia for each of the 4 days. So I drove up there once, parked in the hotel's free parking, and slept in my truck (it had a camper shell over the bed so I was comfortable) until the Gathering was over. I couldn't go to the Banquet for this one, unfortunately, but I still had a great time. The first issue of the comic had come out, so there was plenty to talk about. And on the first day, Crispin and Thom held a panel where I finally got to try my hand at dubbing a scene from an anime. Other than a particularly egregious P-pop, I feel I did pretty well for my first attempt. Plus, there was that HUGE room of voice-actors from "W.I.T.C.H." (and I still feel a little guilty about asking a question that caused the panel to go over time). This one wasn't as big as the first LA Gathering, but still a very nice size, with plenty of panels to choose from (and torture me with not being able to go to them all). Since this was my second Gathering, I felt a bit more open and comfortable with other people, especially those I remembered from my first time. In a way, that made this my most..."relaxed" Gathering.
And the radio play was "The Mirror." I'm still surprised that my Broadway managed to sound kind of like the real thing.

-And 2009...well, I've just gone into all the details over the past few days. It was not the biggest of the Gathering's I had been to, no...but in some ways the smaller, more intimate nature of it helped to make it all the more memorable. Not to mention all the voices that participated in the radio play (which was the most fun of the three, just for all the in-jokes and references if nothing else).

God...I count myself fortunate for each of the Gathering's I've gone to, and doubly fortunate for making it to the last one. I don't know what's going to happen next year, or the year after that. I still hold on to hope that, like the series it's based on, the Gathering will return in some form or another (or at least another "Gargoyles" convention like it). Until then, though, I have my memories, my radio play scripts, and the friends I've made (as well as the DVDs and comics the Gathering made possible). Not a bad legacy, all things considered.

Clark Cradic writes...

Have Peter and Aunt May ever seen the Cat Burgler after Uncle Ben's murder? I assume they would have been there for the his conviction.

Phoenician writes...

Monday

With the last morning, I once again beat my alarm, this time about fifteen minutes short of the buzzer. No Mug-A-Guests today, so we didn’t feel the same need to rush to get there . . . nevertheless, I wanted to see these last panels . . . especially one of the first ones. The drive wasn’t that bad, considering the fact that it was a new week and we were worried about Traffic. Aside from a little slow up, it turned out to be better than Saturday’s drive (though not as good as Sunday’s) . . . and anything was better than that first Friday morning drive (I was soooo worried I wasn’t going to get there on time, glad that wasn’t the case). Songs played during the ride included ‘Around the Bend’ (a song used by Apple for one of their I-Touch commercials), Ludo’s ‘Love Me Dead,’ REM’s ‘It’s the end of the world,’ and as we finally neared the hotel for the last time, one more sing along of the Spectacular Spider-Man theme. d:

I was torn a bit as to which of the first two panels I wanted to go to â€" a Q&A about the recent Trades or a discussion on the Future of the Fandom. Remembering the massive flame war that occurred months ago when it was announced that this would be the last Gathering . . . in which despite all the messed up things that were said, a few legit concerns did arise . . . I felt that going to listen and maybe contribute an idea or two the least that I owed the fandom that already given so much to us.
Goose opted for the Q&A.

Again, I’ve said it on occasion in the CR . . . I’m a listener more than anything else, that’s why I don’t post often, and its perhaps why I do have a tendency to ACTUALLY read the archives (both the CR’s and Ask Greg). Such was the case at this panel, I just kept my ears and mind open and fans suggested various methods to continue a Gargoyles convention to some degree in the future. While I was there (and I stayed for the bulk of the panel, leaving about a half hour early), I heard everything brought to attention, starting with the basic expenses for a Gathering of ‘this caliber.’ Bluntly, it is a LOT, something to the extent of $20,000 dollars which includes a TON of things . . . from travel expenses for special guests, the booking and down-payment of the hotel, T-shirts, banquets, Con-badges, as well as other things which I have now forgotten and I guess continue to take for granted. Some suggestions I’ve heard before on the CR, from seeking other conventions to join or to host an online convention of some fashion. A seemingly accepted notion was the understanding that a convention didn’t necessarily have to take place every year. Another thing brought into consideration was the roaming nature of the Gathering, and whether or not it was more beneficial than harmful. Positive and negative things could be said about both, from a set city (like Los Angeles) can provide a larger supply of guests at a cheaper cost but it would be a challenge to those on the other side of the country (and vice-versa for the roaming city method). I for one personally enjoyed the ‘World Tour’ aspect of the Gathering, despite the fact that I myself did use the distance of a location to rationalize not going. Before that announcement earlier this year, Jade Griffin told us that she was considering a bid for Reno in 2010, but has since reworked it as a smaller convention, of which I have now forgotten the name. *Sigh* I don’t know. I didn’t have any ideas myself during that panel. I left my contact information with Jade though â€" I’m graduating within the year, and whatever happens in the next few years, I’m not sure â€" but maybe I can be of some help. Reno’s not terribly far away . . . .

I left the panel early because I had caught wind of people talking about this year’s anthology (and forgetting it being mentioned earlier in the weekend) and I wanted to know where I could grab a copy. A quick question asked at the Dealer’s Room reminded me that it would be available online as a PDF (a quick read in the CR tells me it is now available, and I’m curious to read it, feeling it’s going to be one more bit of this Gathering experience to enjoy now that it is over). Question answered, I slowly made my way toward Salon 6, where the Trade Q&A was wrapping up and the Gargoyle Bio & Culture panel would be starting up soon. Before I got there I was once again treated by Chyna with more sweets, this time jelly beans. Yum yum.

I finally caught up with Goose in Salon 6 just minutes before the Bio & Culture panel was to start. Though I’m hardly the bio expert myself, I’ve been fascinated with a question asked on Ask Greg months and months ago, one concerning Gargates and the extent of their origins in Pangaea. Before the panel, I liked the idea that the Gargoyles Beast and Being, as we know and love them today were already evolved in the time of Pangaea simply because it REALLY gave them a chunk of time on this planet that compared to our own time as modern humans, is HUGE. I liked this because it really seems like a fitting description/explanation as to why they are soooo attuned to the Earth’s biorhythms and such. Greg virtually no idea when I brought it up, though Matt had some thoughts to share, even suggesting just what branch of the animal kingdom they could have belonged to, but ultimately concluding that it had to be a more primitive gargate in the time of Pangaea, but the modern Gargoyle Being and Beast weren’t that far away (and I’m saying ‘far away’ in the context of millions and millions of years, which I just realized how relative and mathematical these discussions tend to all become).

Other questions included the basic nature of the species . . . eating, sleeping, defecating, and mating (oh my!). There were a TON of questions regarding the nature and abilities of Stone Sleep, some pretty gnarly as well . . . whether broken, severed, or even dangling limbs had a chance of surviving if given the chance to turn to stone . . . for the most part . . . a ton of this is severe stuff, so it’s just not likely at all. With luck, a broken bone set back into place properly stood a chance, but that’s the extent of it. Stone sleep providing thermal energy was key in this healing, often at the cost of energizing the Gargoyle for the next night (Goliath’s ‘healed but not whole’ line from the Trades was brought up). A few questions regarding the Humility Spell and the panel had hit its time limit . . . it was time for the Closing Ceremonies.

“Like a Virgin”

Appropriate enough, since me and Goose were in fact, ‘Con-Virgins.’ As such, we had no idea what closing ceremonies typically were like . . . but I know we were part of the most emotional and touching moments the fandom ever experienced. It was seriously hard to cope in that room . . . the bulk of the beginning was really tear-jerking, yet by the end we were howling in laughter with of the stories told in that room (FINALLY got the Bishansky-worst chauffeur bit from Spectacular Spidey). Aw man, seeing Greg and Thom as well as the rest of the staff break down . . . it was incredibly hard not to join them. Without a doubt, this is a tight knit group, accused of many things during that God-awful flame war â€" the least of which was ‘clique-ish’ . . . and that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Despite these folks being busy beyond the notions of sanity, I did not know one person that was unpleasant this weekend. These guys and gals were the most incredibly helpful staff I could ever hope to meet, even when they were juggling a dozen things at once.

If this last Gathering needed anything left, it came right there at these closing ceremonies, where people from behind the tables and in the audience told their favorite stories from cons past. I know those stories mean much more to those who got to live those moments, but for fans like me where this was my first Gathering . . . I really appreciated the chance to get to know these stories, to be able to really become a part of this Gathering family. Like a nephew listening to their uncle telling him a prank he pulled on the kid’s father when they were little, we learned just a little bit of what it was like to be a Gathering attendee in years past . . . from nearly dying on a highway en route to Taco Bell (I seriously vote that as one of the worst ways to go out) to the marathon to (and from) the Red Lobster. From the pitch-in of fans saving all those comic memorabilia after the roof collapsed, to Thom perpetually losing his pants. The tattoos of the Phoenix Gate and the Opening Ceremonies spiel. Thom stranded on the side of the road. Greg trying to talk to an audience wayyyy more ‘interested’ in each other. Marriages. Kids being born. Air Hockey. Karaoke. Late night chats . . . and that ever-miffing question of what Titania whispered into Fox’s ear. Thanks for sharing all those memories to us first timers, Gathering veterans.

At the end of all the story telling when Greg told us to get out for like the fifth time, I had to thank each of these guys in person . . . they put on the meanest and most awesome convention I had ever been to, and I know that will still be the case whenever I finally do go to my second, or third, or tenth. As Greg said more than once in his rambling final speech . . . thirteen years is quite a run, a run that has been influential the lives of hundreds of people, in more ways than one, and responsible in convincing Disney and SLG to produce the DVDs and comics we did get. And after thirteen years they DID go out with a F*CKING bang. It was my first and only Gathering, and I was giddy from day one, but I was never happier of attending than during those Closing Ceremonies. After we asked Thom for a picture together, me and Goose finally left the room.

The drive back to Goose’s place was funny, as Goose had just realized that totally gushed over when we told Greg thanks . . . he said he had something really thought out but when it came to it he only managed to blurt out, “You’re a really great writer!” I laughed, thinking of what Grey Wolf’s story when she first met Greg. I told him I was surprised I didn’t do the same thing since I’ve been in love with the show sooo much longer than he has (then again, maybe I did, my memory is no doubt biased). We comforted ourselves with the knowledge that Greg is fluent in geekasm (;

After a quick lunch at a Jack in the Box, we got back to his place, and I finished packing all my stuff (meaning, checking to see if I was missing anything). Despite my well-kept camp out, I managed to lose my Hard Rock Café key chain. Grrr . . . hopefully the Goose will find it.

We slowly made our way to LAX, this time listening to Patton Oswalt’s latest album, which no doubt could have inspired a ton of Blue Mug material if it mentioned a gargoyle here or there . . . sadly it didn’t, but it still was worth a listen . . . Lord knows that I did laugh quite a bit while on that long ride to the airport. See ya again when school starts, Goose.

Once I was dropped off, I made my way through security and to my Gate. Waiting, I wanted to keep the Gargoyles high going, so I whipped out my heavily autographed Clan Building (shame David Hedgecock wasn’t there, I did love his work in his later issues) and decided to read the whole TimeDancer/997 arc once more, now armed with information I had learned from the Gathering, specifically the knowledge of Brooklyn’s biological brother and his ‘Bro’ rookery brother . . . the appearance of Hudson’s daughter True, and the appearance of Bronx’s biological parents.

I had only managed to get mid-way to the second part when I boarded my plane (Group A baby!) and I continued to read as I was taking off. Heading back home.
Well, that’s it I guess. There’s really only one thing left to do and that’s Thank Yous . . . and I got plenty of them:

Though I found most of the staff and thanked them, I know I missed one: Patrick â€" so better late than never . . . Patrick, thanks so much for all the work you put in â€" you were the first frequenter of the CR that I met in person, and though I didn’t really got a chance to chat with you, when I thought my name wasn’t there, and while I was quietly panicking that I wasn’t registered, you simply and quietly realized the name snafu on my part and handed me my Gathering packet. If you’re reading this, know that you are awesome.

I know I thanked a bunch in person, but I have to say it just the once more â€" Jennifer, it was such a blast sitting at your table . . . so many hilarious stories that I know is just got to be a small sample of many, many more :) Yeah, Mike was hilarious as well at that table, but everyone, from Ben Diskin to Goose, was in stitches thanks to you as well.

To all the CR folk from over the years that I got the chance to meet: Blaise, Lurker, Justin ‘I’d Rather be Pillaging,’ Gorebash, VickyUK, Greg B, Grey Wolf, Matt, Jade Griffin, Karine, Jennifer, and Patrick. I’m sure there were others in which I didn’t make the connection, and if so, it was still nice getting the chance to see you folks in person (and if we didn’t meet, then I’m bummed I missed that chance). I know there’s a scattershot of places to talk about Gargoyles online, but quite honestly, I’ve only really visited Station 8 and Ask Greg since I first saw the site back in 2003, first commented back in 2006. This is the site that developed my interest in the series well after my initial viewing at six and my first full-series watch on Toon Disney back in 2001. But to meet a chunk of the good folks that always come up with topics to talk, ramble, and wonder each and every week was honestly very fun and exciting, especially with those that I did end up really chatting and hanging out with this weekend.

My sole regret is that if I could, I would have OF COURSE opted to actually stay at the hotel where all the action was. But of course, then the price would have been beyond my own means (it was pretty stretched by the end of it). And that would have been copping out for ANOTHER year, and for the FINAL year . . . and then my liver would be in total and utter pain (*wink wink, nudge nudge*). Besides, Goose’s parents were such gracious hosts, putting up with our consistent early morning breakfast sprees and late-night returns. All things considered, I am grateful to just being able to come. There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll be remembering this past weekend for many years to come.

So thanks Greg Weisman . . . and thank you con-staff for putting it ALL together. Thank you to the dozens of professionals I got to meet, chat, and take pics with. And thank you fellow fans that also attended â€" no doubt we all had one last blast together (not forgetting it was my FIRST blast d: )

But it was a blast nevertheless.

Phoenician writes...

Sunday

It’s seriously getting harder and harder to start writing about how each day began, because by the time I write these entries (night of) there’s just SOOO much that goes on inbetween. For those that only get the chance to do write after the convention, I seriously pity them for having to remember all this stuff . . . especially keeping in mind that their nights didn’t likely end BEFORE midnight.

Well, wake up for me this morning was before my alarm set at 8:30 AM . . . I do believe I have so far beat my alarm every single day of this Gathering . . . just simple and perpetual anticipation. After a quick bowl of cereal and a near-dragging of Goose to wake up (he DIDN’T beat his alarm), we made our way back to Universal City and the Hilton. I can’t remember what we played in the car, but at one point I told Goose that I actually had the song ‘Rappin Drakken’ from Kim Possible. He chuckled. As he laughed, I told him to say, ‘I don’t believe you.’ The second he said it, I whipped out my cell phone, saying, ‘well, I’ll guess I’ll just have to show you then!” Also along the way we looked at the schedule and we tried to figure out just who our last Mug-A-Guest should be . . . we couldn’t decide between Sean Galloway and Victor Cook . . . and if it wasn’t for the act that we’ve had a healthy exposure (pun intended) time with Thom Adcox, we’d probably be considering his Mugging as well. In the end we kinda chose Victor knowing that we wouldn’t be there at nine and expected Sean’s to fill up really quickly.

As we parked in the hotel parking, we head toward the elevator which was held open by a guy who noticed our Con-Badges. His quick reaction to say ‘Gargoyles, huh?’ made us think was a fellow fan, but he quickly silenced all speculation as he told us he was none other than Frank Paur, which was just crazy-obvious at that point, or anyone remembering his face on the season one DVD . . . his hair’s just longer. As the elevator brought us to the Lobby, he told us he’d see us later after he checked in, much to our excitement.

Anyhoo, we arrive about a half hour after nine (traffic was oddly more-so than Saturday and Goose took FOREVER to eat his breakfast) and were delighted to see that not only Victor Cook’s Mug was still open, but Sean’ as well! Thus, we quickly found ourselves in a dilemma we thought we got through . . . Sean or Victor, Victor or Sean? Oy vey . . . in the end Victor was, well the victor since we both wanted to see the panel with the Gargoyles Production Crew. As we waited for that panel to start, we hanged out in the lobby area, where we were greeted by a few fans . . . finally got the chance to tell Blaise what an awesome Zafiro he was, as well as tell Nikki how great she was at being the Gobby-pumpkin bombs at the Radio Play. I was also treated by Guardian who let me not only see her wicked collection of Gargoyles trading cards, but actually pick a couple of her various extras as well! Again, another small moment in between events, but this is an aspect about Gargoyles I never experienced as a kid . . . I don’t remember once talking to a fellow classmate about Gargoyles . . . recesses were almost always about Power Rangers . . . what was a six year old to do then, guys?

So the Gargoyles Production Panel began, and it was great to hear from such talented artists (of various expertises, some even multiple expertises) talk about the creation of the show that I got hooked to nearly fifteen years ago. Discussions regarding the backgrounds of New York City, and making sure the artists overseas actually got a chance to KNOW what NYC was like was truly insightful . . . that and hearing that the team that did ‘research’ on the Big Apple was just Frank Paur and his camera. I don’t know where I heard it myself, but I DO remember hearing about a New York City team . . . that was a kick to find out d:

Following the panel, I then started my day-long bout of hounding for autographs, trying to rush out in time to get Frank, Michael Reeves, and the other panelist autographs just in time before the special screening of the Spectacular Spider-Man Comic Con footage was to be seen. A quick text from Goose told me that wasn’t going to happen, so I dashed my way back to the room (I think I told Brooklyn X it was starting while in line and he ran with me), finding my seat in the front with Blaise and Greg B sitting in the same row.

The footage was â€" you know its coming â€" spectacular! Best moment that was cut had to have been Hammerhead watching the Enforcers get duped in some pool bet with Hammy’s chauffeur, even with that error of the eight ball as the cue ball (never played pool myself, but maybe she’s just THAT good?). The Enforcer’ reactions were priceless. I also enjoyed seeing the interaction of Ned Lee and Betty Brant, something that â€" with SO MUCH else we get to see on the show â€" has just barely squeezed itself in with Ned asking Betty out in season two. Shocker’s escape in ‘Group Therapy’ was definite miss in the sense of continuity . . . as well as the Chameleon bit â€" looks like Beck has NEVER been to prison, hee hee.

And of course, after Greg W mentioned it, I would have loved to have seen the Emma giving mouth to mouth to Aunt May in the same ep â€" some day, maybe we’ll be lucky to see it.

This is where it gets hard to remember . . . I do know I saw the Spidey-Panel . . . that’s easy to remember because I did notice the difference in guest numbers . . . Spidey-guest doubled Garg-guest there, though a few Garg-guests (Vic, Pamela Long, Greg Gular, and oh yeah, Greg W) were doing double guest duties in these panels. Problem is, I’m not sure when I left the panel, cause I know I managed to get the Garg crew autographs as well as the Spidey crew following the panel . . . I think maybe I left as the panel ended, cause Frank and Greg G were at the Spidey panel as well, now that I think about it, I remember them watching the special screening . . . so I think I just blitzed them all with Garg and Spidey merchandise after the Spidey Crew ended. *shrug*

Funny bit â€" getting Frank’s autograph and telling him a second time (after the elevator this morning), “Nice to meet you!” He responded, “Nice to meet you . . . again!” hah! Good stuff.

Anyways, this version of events so far makes sense to me, as I do remember walking in late for the Composing panel, which I didn’t really get a chance to hear from much anyway (mostly all of their backgrounds and how they got in the business â€" that was the gist of what I got to hear), because Vic’s Mug-A-Guest was starting soon. Me and Goose quietly tucked ourselves outta there as we made our way to the outside hallway of Salon 5, where we ran into Nikki again . . . she would be joining us in our second Mug-A-Guest as well. Maybe it was due to the fact that there were so many Mugs on this day, but I noticed the room was not signed up all the way this time as it was for Josh Keaton or Keith David the day before. The more awesome for us, because we all got a chance to pick Vic’s head on various things . . . one mugger (forget his name) worked as an assistant of some extant in animation before, so he wanted to know just how the various animation sent overseas gets sent back, and specifically in what form (answer: digitally, in a way that they can add stuff like snow in scenes where they might not have intended it for). I ask questions more story-related, from favorite action sequence (had to tell him mine was the Tombstone-opera) which happened to be the various Everyday-Thug-Beatings simply because that’ where Spider-Man can be his most smart-alec self, and just how complex and unique Spidey fights with these non-super-villains . . . a particular favorite . . . using one bad guy as a weapon to attack another. I also asked favorite arc and which villain he’d most like to see next (knowing full well, that it wouldn’t be a guarantee for the oh-so-desired season three) â€" instead of arcs he gave eps, as that was too hard (Lizard, Sinister Six eps, Hammy vs. Silver Sable, among others) and he decided that his favorites were already in the series . . . Green Goblin, Doc Ock . . . maybe a copout, but it didn’t feel that way . . . and it wasn’t like I was looking for spoilers like a kid pits his parents against each other when they want something:

(What villains we going to see next season, Mr. Weisman? . . . Greg W: For the gazillion bazillionth time, NO COMMENT!! And don’t bug Vic as well!!! / What villains we going to see next season, Mr. Cook? . . . Vic: Did you ask Greg if it’s okay? . . . Yes, we did!! . . . Vic: Well, in the first episode of season three we’ll start the scene at Ravencroft . . .)

Yeah, you guys are smarter than that d:

Before the time was over, Vic even got a chance to mug all of us a bit . . . we all mentioned what we were doing, whether we were in school or already trying to find a job out there. Vic also mentioned his involvement with Mecha-Nation, something I do think I’ll check out while Gargoyles comics are on the (hopeful) hiatus.

After a quick picture with Vic (awesome! â€" already said so in person, but if your reading, thanks!!), Goose went to the Writers Panel while I took a little trip to the Con Suite, where I properly met A Fan, saw Vicky UK again, and was treated to some vanilla fudge all the way from Boston from the friendly Chyna. I didn’t have so much of chance to chat with them, as it was I was just really hungry and thirsty. After a quick thanks for the fudge, I found my way to the Writers Panel where I grabbed a seat just in time for Greg to ramble on things he’s written about on Ask Greg . . . the status of the DVDs and the ever-changing hands of execs at Disney. Except it wasn’t just that, it became a full-on rant about ‘UNIMPRESSIVE’ execs, such as the folks that were desperate to knock KP down. This was news to my ears, especially since KP is in fact a show I very much loved and supported. I knew of the fan campaigns to support the show into an additional 22 episodes after the final 65 aired (movie included), but I never, never, NEVER knew it had such a rocky beginning . . . mad props to McCorkle and Schooley for handling that the best they could so they could actually make a great show. As for the brief talk about W.I.T.C.H. â€" the second season I never got a chance to see, though I made an effort to see the first because I heard Greg W was working on the second . . . what I saw I enjoyed, though I wasn’t sold . . . if I had ever got the chance to see the second season (as well as the rest of the first, ABC Kids moved it on me I think), no doubt I would be impressed as well. *Sigh*

Following the Writers Panel, I made another gambit for autographs, with all the writers that appeared in the panel and ending with none other than Greg Weisman himself . . . I have to say, I felt sorry for him as he wrote a different witty thing for each thing I handed him (Gargoyles Season One: “Welcome to the Clan!” / Clan Building I: “We Live Again!” / Clan Building II: “We Own the Knight!” / Bad Guys: “Pheon’ is wanted!” / Spidey Season One: “Keep Swingin’!”) By the time I gave him Bad Guys, he responded, “I’m running out of witty things to write here, man!” My only excuse was that it was my first and last Gathering, which I then thanked for actually signing all those things. You DO rock, Greg! d:

Following the massive Greg signings, I heard from Goose that he wasn’t feeling so hot, and that he wasn’t sure if his headache would be okay by the Masquerade. As my only ride and my friend, I told him to take it easy and that he should check out the Con Suite. He opted to stay at a couch nearby the Registration Table, while I took a peak at the Live Auction (a Brooklyn Applause figure went for 100 bucks I think!) before I realized the Silent Auction was coming to a close.

Now, throughout the entire weekend, I had my eye set on getting a key chain. I collect key chains from any chance I can get . . . from any city I visit, to any major (or minor) moment in my life that I can account for . . .it gets a key chain that I hang on my bedroom roof linked to several rings from oter key chains forming one long, long chain. My two trips to Disneyland (1998 & 2009) both got Chains. My two trips to Washington DC (2005 & 2009) both got chains hanging. My high school graduation even has a little tassle key chain among the rest in line. I even got one last night at the Hard Rock Café in City Walk, as it was the first Hard Rock I actually ate at. So it seemed perfectly awesome to try and bid on a certain Phoenix Gate key chain and have it represent my time at the last Gathering.

Well, there was just one problem â€" as the last hour of the silent bidding for the various art pieces was coming to a close, I found out one of my newly made friends here â€" Abby, or Abigail â€" was also set to win that key chain. So then began the struggle of one convincing the other they wanted the key chain more. The conversation between us was civil in the beginning . . . from chit chat about the series and comics to figuring out ways to make the other understand why they should get the keychain Gate. I went with the fact that I actually TOOK Latin at my high school cause of Gargoyles and actually used the Gate in a little project we had in trying to find Latin in today’s culture (most kids used university mottos, I used the Latin incantations on Gargoyles, including, um, THE PHOENIX GATE). She went with the pity angle, saying how she was leaving Sunday morning and that she also couldn’t attend the banquet, unlike me. I reminded her that I lived in, uh, hellooo PHOENIX (Arizona, folks). About seven minutes left in the silent bidding and she was already stomping my feet (steel toes, baby!) and pushing me away from the bidding sheet, as I prepared to poise my pen to make my final bid. At the rate we were going, this chain wasn’t going to come cheap. At about three minutes left in the count I realized that she wasn’t going to let me have it cheap, even if I tried, and that I’d get a better deal if I aimed for the Phoenix Gate 2-Piece necklace . . . only problem was the bidding sheet showed a bidder with some serious effort to claim the winning bid. So I made my pact with Abby . . . she help me cover the table to win the necklace (should the other serious bidder show up in these last minutes) and I’ll remove my bid on the key chain. In the last seconds everything flowed smoothly, and we were ecstatic as being winners of our respective Gates. (The third Gate went to Justin “I’d Rather be Pillaging” to no real last-minute competition and the three of us took a picture with Aaron ‘Halloweenking,’ the maker of all these gorgeous Gates.)

All in all, this was continuing to be an awesome con experience . . . we were all laughing about the last minute silent auction feuding as we saw Greg W. slowly making his way what I believe was the Banquet. A quick, yet polite request for a picture between conversations, and we also made our way to the Banquet separately, glowing in the excitement that we’ve been experiencing all day. A quick question to Greg B as to where the Banquet was, and we soon found ourselves waiting for the feast to begin. As our badges were checked for ‘banquet’ stickers, we opted to sit next to Ben Diskin (Venom), since neither me nor Goose really got to hear from him outside the Spidey Panel the day before. As our table filled up with Mike and Jennifer ‘Crzy Demona’ Anderson herself (the two names I remembered), we discovered that Ben was a really awesome guy. Getting to know him was as cool and natural as getting to know Josh at his Mug-A-Guest, and this was with the challenge of talking over the dinner babbling.

Ben may proclaim himself as the quiet one, but this guy has a definite sense of humor, laughing at my retelling of what just went down at the silent auction (he just spotted my Gate necklace in my hands, which I had no found a way to carefully put it away, there wasn’t like a box for it and both chains were small for my neck) as well as virtually anything Mike, Goose, or Jennifer had to say. This was a great table to sit at â€" and great view of the stage too, as Greg W. brought up all the guests for a special Q&A.

Aside from asking if Ben did anything as goofy as Crispin being Peter MacNicol’s arms (to which I got a surprised look of ‘I’m the quiet guy!’ and a explanation from Greg of the crazy challenges they put Ben’s voice through), I simply enjoyed hearing the other people’s questions, though I DID enjoy getting interrupted by the sudden late arrival of Thom Adcox, waving a fresh empty plate like hat from the set of Hello Dolly . . . but that’s cause I just saw Wall-E recently on DVD . . .if he wasn’t as short maybe I’d think of a different musical d:

A touching moment during the Q&A was hearing Michael Reeves return the credit back to Greg Weisman. The two have been bouncing the credit back and forth all day during the various panels, but it was especially touching here . . . Michael is truly an example of a brilliantly talented person who’s also such a gentleman. I was so happy to see him at this Gathering.

As the banquet ended we asked and took a picture with Ben and Crispin Freeman . . . both are terribly gifted voice actors and tremendously friendly people . . .along with pretty much the rest of the cast from both shows.

Well, the wait for the Masquerade was on the longer side this time, further accentuated by the fact that despite the awesome time he had at the Banquet, there wasn’t much distracting Goose from his headache now, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to stay much longer. I basically asked if it was okay if we got a glimpse of the Masquerade, as I never been to one before (my excuse ALL weekend, and a good one at that. If we do get another convention sometime in the future, I’ll definitely have to provide my own transportation, cause the old excuse just won’t work anymore d: ). While we waited I ran into Nikki again and the two of chatted about the recent Trades, mostly Clan Building Volume II. All three of us were costume-less, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the ones other people were wearing and thinking about costumes we each worn in the past, mostly for Harry Potter release parties d:

As the clock was starting to approach 10 PM I was wondering if the masquerade was ever going to start when the doors opened and we flooded in. A quick look at the panel of judges revealed Keith David and Carl Johnson, two people I haven’t yet had a chance to ask for an autograph. But there was no time to ask as the show was already on the road with the Masquerade contest . . . my definite favorite were Justin’s King Arthur, Aaron’s Jackal, and Jade’s baby’s Alex costume . . . that thing was adorable on paper and it became exponentially cuter in real life. I was particularly jealous of the Illuminati pins worn by Shari and Illuminati members d:

While the judging was being finalized, music video came next, and some real good one at that . . . my two favorites after the special tribute to Greg were the Demona vids . . . ‘Between these Hazel Eyes’ and the ‘Poor Unfortunate Demona’ â€" there’s no doubt in my head that while both were awesome, the second enjoyed a better atmosphere following the first. After an emotional Demona video, nothing was more fitting than Demona as the Little Mermaid and Puck as Ursulla. Priceless.

**Takes long breath and cracks fingers**

After the Dance ‘officially’ began, I made my way for the Judge’s panel and asked for Keith and Carl’s autographs . . . seriously, I must come off as annoying at this point, despite my sincerest Please and Thank yous. Again, these pros (voice actor and otherwise) have been awesome the entire weekend, and I so appreciate their patience and understanding through such a busy weekend where they pulled and tugged every which way.

As I put my DVDs away, I found Goose again and we slowly headed back to the parking lot, knowing that I was going to be up all night writing this latest entry. I of course would have liked to have stayed longer to see the dance, but I’m not complaining â€" I got to see the Masquerade, see the music videos, as well as the presentation of the ‘Thom Adcox Memorial’ Award . . . nothing more touching d:
Gotta say it again: Jade’s baby stole the show with her down-right cuteness!!!

Oh yeah, tomorrow’s the LAST day . . . man, this flew by quick!

Phoenician writes...

Saturday

Well, here’s where the crazy fun begins, no doubt about that. After breakfast with Goose and his family, we hightailed it back to the hotel in hopes of signing up for one of the Mug-A-Guests that morning. (Can’t really remember what was played on the way there, music-wise, so I guess it couldn’t have been too good. I do remember the two of us listening to the Kevin & Bean show, where they talked about OCD . . . odd) We had just barely missed Keith David but we manage to sign up or Josh Keaton with room to spare. While waiting for his arrival, we chatted with some of the fans nearby the Registration and Dealer Room, including, but not limited to Blaise and Abby.

Josh came just as he was supposed to, and after him grabbing some ice water, we headed inside the suite with a group of 9ish, (2 more would come after trying out for the Radio Play, I believe). Everyone sitting at a table, I suddenly understood the difference of intimate setting that I couldn’t imagine the day before (hey, Thom’s just a really personal guy I guess). In short (too late!) Josh talked about how he got into the business, how he got involved with Spectacular Spidey, how he was a dork in high school, and how he knew about Spider-Man all his life. One of the questions I asked regarded who he enjoyed villain-wise, from the point of view as a comic-fan that he is, and from a behind-the-scenes who he liked to work with-point-of-view. I was giddy upon hearing him mention his excitement regarding the show’s Tombstone, who he said, ‘Would kick Kingpin’s a**’ . . . hee hee. He also mentioned having a great time working with John DiMaggio. He went on to say that he would love to see the Spot one day on the show, simply because â€" given the show’s animation â€" it would be awesome. We soon passed the allotted time, which meant we kept on talking till the kicked us out to bring in Keith David and his muggers. d:

After the Mug-A-Guest with Josh, while Goose went to go see Crispin Freeman’s Anime Mythology while I went to go find the audition line for the Radio Play. Having never been to a Gathering, I knew I at least wanted to try out, even though I haven’t been in a production of anything since Goldilocks and the Three Bears in Kindergarten (and I was the ‘Baby Bear’ Bed . . . seriously). As I got in line, I was behind the fellow that would eventually rock as Carnage (I believe he auditioned with a Green Goblin script), while I took a gander at a Harry Osborn bit. Again, no experience of acting AT ALL . . . but it’s my first (and by default, last) Gathering so yippee kai yay, I even attempted a shriek . . . sooo didn’t sound pretty.

As I left the audition, feeling (at the least) great for the fact that I at least gave it a shot, I discovered the line for Marina Sirtis. Upon realizing it was for MARINA SIRTIS, I popped right in line, much to the amusement of those already in line. I was soon joined in the line by none other than Gorebash, who was awesome to meet in person. Marina was an absolutely wonderful, signing by Season II, Volume I DVD of Gargoyles (the Demona side). I would later thoroughly enjoy her participation in the Gargoyles Voice Actors Panel (especially her chucking Jolly Ranchers at both Greg Weisman and Jamie Thompson) d:

After getting Marina’s autograph, I made my way to what was left of Crispin’ presentation . . . and from what I saw, the guy REALLY REALLY knows his stuff. If ever a fan were to think that the pros think we are all dorks . . . it’s almost certain that these pros are dorks, geeks, and gamers as well.

As Crispin ended, I joined the front of the room where the Gargoyles Voice Acting Panel would take place â€" oh what fun indeed. Jamie Thompson, Thom, Keith, Marina, and Greg were all a delight and hilarious to see in person . . . though it was one small sample of the original cast, its clear that these folks had fun working on the set. The same thing was obvious as we then saw the Voice Acting Panel for Spectacular Spider-Man . . . but this time with a fair majority of the main cast. Laughter was in no short supply during these panels, and I was happy to see them. Afters, when we were being kicked out for the Radio Play Rehearsals, I asked Steve Blum to sign the glider of my Green Goblin action figure . . . which I think gave him a smile, seeing a toy version of his character d:

As we waited for the Radio Play to begin an hour and a half later, I thought to go outside for a bit while Goose went to see the special screening o Michael Reeve’s special Star Trek screening. Instead, I found myself discovering the Con Suite in the Boarding Room, whereupon I met two fellow fans also from the Phoenix area (we actually don’t live that far from each other) and VickyUK again. During this time we talked to fellow fan and how he discovered the fandom and how he had never realized its decent size and longevity. I wasn’t a big event, but for me, the chance to actually chat with people who actually KNOW about the show . . . as much as I do . . . this was just so cool.

I soon found my way to the Dealer’s Room, voting on the various pieces . . . and shortly afterward I walked toward to see what was left of the Star Trek screening . I may not have seen one episode of Star Trek, let alone a Trekkie, but there were definitely some fun moments that reminded me of Gargoyles (can’t remember any at the moment, but there was this ‘vibe’ about it, which is a total cop out I guess).
Caught up with Goose and the two of us got in line for the Radio Play, which was just starting to get big . . . we were in a lucky spot . . . we managed to get in the second row :)

The Radio Play was . . . well, as Greg put it . . . a work of three days, which means the man’s a GENIUS. It was awesome to see it pick up right where both series left off, from the last issue of Clan Building for Gargoyles, to the finale of the second season of Spidey. For fans of both shows, this was the Radio Play to see . . . it offered no major conclusion to either series, but it satisified that desperate wish most fans currently have about both . . . which is that they want MORE STORIES. It was absolutely spectacularly epicly awesome . . . what with the various insidejokes, both the on and off screen type, and the huge ensemble from BOTH series really gave any fan something to enjoy, because this monster of a play had something for everyone. Like Goliath/Elisa? Check. Enjoy Demona scheming? Check. Love Spidey/Goblin quips? Check. Enjoy the various incarnations of the Sinister Six? Check. Like the Liz/Pete/MJ/Gwen/Harry hurricane of teen romance? Check. Like the gangster stories . . . be it Big Man/Manfredis or the Brod/Dracons? Check. Love making and hearing grunts, wails, groans, shrieks, and roars? Check. Want to hear iconic lines from either series? Check-a-roo. Enjoy breaking the 4th Wall? Check. Enjoy double entendres AS WELL AS plain-out entendres? A definite Check there, good sirs and ladies. Like hearing characters interact with characters by the SAME voice actor? Check! (Thom’s Lex line of ‘what an annoying voice’ was flat-out hilarious) Want more Hormunculi? Check to the 5th power! You REALLY want Carnage? CHECK! Enjoy magic? Check Check, and a very almost-sacriligious-but-very-awesome CHECK (Seeing Marina/Demona ‘lick’ her own oozing blood . . . man, she may not have done Demona in over a decade, but she’s STILL got it)!!!

And unsurprisingly, that’s just the tip of the iceberg . . . flat out amazing. The entire Gathering players were awesome . . . special nod to Blaise and his Zafiro (seriously, a freakin’ HUGE cast). It was absolutely wonderful to hear the talent of Marina, Darran, Phil LaMar, Steve Blum, Keith David, and other in person. I can’t possibly imagine where I’ll have this opportunity again. So. Definitely. Worth. It.

An inexperienced mind would see a script for this play and think it was a stack of five copies . . . this thing was HUGE, and it went by SO fast. Just. Awesome.
After the Radio Play, I found Josh Keaton and asked him to sign my season one DVD of Spidey. It was soon joined by Crispin’s, Daran Norris’s, Debra Strang’s, James Arnold Taylor’s, Eric Vesbin’s, Thom Adcox’s (who also signed by Clan Building Volume II), Ben Diskin’s, and even Greg B’s . . . oh come on, he was the worst chauffeur! Wendy Pini would sign the first page to Clan Building Volume I, where her introduction rests d:

With the Radio Play over, Goose and I were hungry indeed, so we went out to the City Walk and saw a bit of the sites . . . definitely awesome to do, as I’ve never been near Universal Studios before. We eventually stopped to eat at the Hard Rock Café . . . my first time at a HRC, in fact . . . despite the long wait for TWO people, the food was good enough to say it worthwhile and we then hightailed it back to see if we got back in time for the Blue Mug Session.

Not sure what I can say about it, but it was fun indeed to be there during the time we were there, we just got in right after Thom dropped by with his little pooch, not to mention some snacks in tow . . . I myself gnarked a Ding Dong as I listened to questions regarding to Gargoyles and even some Spidey. Highlight definitely involved . . . well, let’s just say ‘Lexington’ and be done with it. d:

Unfortunately, we had to head back to my pal’s place . . . he doesn’t live really close, and we weren’t sure on the traffic sitch, so we left before anything regarding the ‘Last Tengu’ was brought up. Oh well. It was definitely fun what we saw. I would of course like to have stuck around longer, but hey, I did have to write all this soon after . . . how would it be remembered?? d:

Plus, Sunday looks to be even MORE awesome.

Phoenician writes...

And here be my 2009 Gathering Con-Journal!! It is the first of its kind that I have ever written, and I’m amazed at just what exactly I remembered! (Though writing entries the night of I do believe makes them easier, I would hope). The one constant in each of these entries (besides the giddyness) is the fact that I DIDN’T stay at the Hilton where all the festivities took place. Despite the obvious awesome reasons why that was preferred choice, if I even tried to consider the cost of the Registration AND the hotel AND the flight . . . then it just wasn’t going to happen (and I DIDN’T want that to happen, not when it’s the last year, and when I‘ve put off going for years now). So my friend, Goose, and his family graciously hosted me while I dragged him to a 4-day geekasm. Needless to say, we both had a blast, as it is described below in enough detail (I don’t describe the color of the chairs used . . . oh all right, RED. Ish).

Thursday

Though we arrived in Sky Harbor International at around 6:20 PM, it was soon revealed to us that our flight at 7:20 PM was delayed till 8:10 PM. *Sigh* whatever, I bought a Coke and we waited at the airport as my roommate, Goose, bought souvenirs for his family back in Los Angeles. When we arrived we were picked up by his family, where we chatted over a real late dinner at Denny’s. By the time we were exhausted to go to bed it was past one in the morning.

Friday

Okay, sooo wake up for me was at about 9ish, where I enjoyed breakfast with Goose at his place. Soon after, we headed toward the hotel and Gathering, where we started with a Gorillaz song but ended up blasting Gargoyles music and singing the theme to Spectacular Spider-Man. Despite the traffic we hit, we got there just as the first events began. A quick little visit to the Registration table (where upon I discovered I did my badge name ‘unright’ . . . it WAS my name, just not my avatar-username as most guests had done . . . oh well, no matter, that would be easily rectifiable) and we headed to one of the first events, the panel on drawing comics by Karine Charlebois. When her panel was over, me and my friend decided to stick around in that room for the next two panels . . . the Banshee’s ‘Machiavelli on Gargoyles’ and the ‘Rookery Brothers’ with Thom Adcox and Bill Faggerbake. Except for the fact that Faggerbake wasn’t around (no idea why, :( ) Thom was an absolute blast to get to know and hear from. From his various stories on and off the set (one about him goofing around with Ed Asner while recording for Gargoyles still gives me laughs) to the questions he answered regarding the characters he played over the years . . . Lexington and Tinkerer of course, but a guy-fairy in the next Tinkerbell film and a turtle in a somewhat recent Taco Bell commercial . . . the entire group was having a good time and certainly in stitches d: You can really tell he enjoys coming to these conventions.

It was the same room for those three events that afternoon, so it was interesting who stuck around for which ones . . . in between the second and third event, my friend and I met â€" Abby was it? â€" where we enjoyed having a not-so-short discussion on the comics and Spectacular Spider-Man (gist: comics were spoiler-free, Spectacular Spidey was not!)

Now, I have never attended a Mug-A-Guest -- and having just arrived when we did, we missed our chance at signing up for Greg or Diskin â€" but despite the larger group, I felt there was some ample time for most everyone that wanted to ask a question or have a comment to be able to do so. I also have to confess that one event finished and I was still too giddy to show patience with Karine . . . I just had to ask for her autograph for my Bad Guys Trade . . . hey, folks, she did a fantastic job! The giddiness would decrease to a more natural level later in the day, and I stopped myself from bugging Thom and Greg Weisman when I met them (don’t take it personally, I have all weekend d: )

By the time we were done hanging out with Thom, it was something of a half-hour before the start of the Opening Ceremonies. So, after a quick look around at the Art Show (crazy good stuff there, by the way), we headed towards the Ballroom, where I noticed a discussion regarding the latest comics nearby . . . a somewhat shy walk towards the group revealed to me to be CR vets Bishansky, Matt, and Blaise, with some others that I wasn’t able to catch their names. I also spotted and met VickyUK and I totally had to tell her that it was just awesome to know that she had flown 10 hours to enjoy this last Gathering.

When it comes down to it, my favorite part of the evening was getting to see this group of dedicated fans in person . . . there is no doubt in my mind that that my enthusiasm for the series has lasted this long due to my (somewhat passive) interaction with these folks online in the CR.

Anyways, after a slight delay, we all entered the Ballroom and took our seats as Opening Ceremonies began. Greg W opened up with the icebreaker of pure demographics . . . who’s new and virgin and who’s old and veterany. After telling all the 1st time newbies to rise (couldn’t really tell from where I was, but it was a lot wasn’t it??) he then dwindled the group one year at a time (there seemed to me to be a big drop after six, but who’s counting ?) until finally all that was left was Patrick, Jennifer, Greg, Karine, and A Fan â€" the kids that decided to stick it out for 13 years. Kudos for all the hard work, guys . . . and to everyone else that’s been vital to the Gathering. Kudos.

So after introductions and general FYI, Greg started his usual spiel . . . which apparently is almost verbatim for over a decade d: Though I’ve never been to one, the story was familiar simply from reading the Ask Greg archives all these years, as well as some of the bonus features on the DVDs. Nevertheless, there was quite a bit of detail that I didn’t know or remember (I don’t believe I ever read about Faggerbake’s ‘It’s better than Barney’ quip after the preview of the show to the press).

Interesting note . . . its probably well known fact, but I do remember watching what was apparently cropped from the footage shown at the SciFi footage â€" the mostly Johnathan Frakes vid â€" on a VHS of A Goof Movie (I think that’s the one) . . . I haven’t seen it in over a decade, but the music and animation clips-cutted look familiar to me, as well as the brief interviews from Frakes, Marina Sirits, and Keith David (though I distinctly remember seeing Salli Ricardson as well in that VHS preview). Certaintly reminded me just how much time has passed since I first saw this show when I was WAAAYY little.

So after seeing the original show pitches and the spinoff pitches (including the Bad Guys leica reel . . . I guess I’m in a special class of fan that got to see the reel AFTER the reading the Trade Paperback) I finally got to see the latest work on ‘The Last’ . . . still incomplete, but there was a ton done in those twenty-odd minutes and while ‘unofficial’ â€" it’s really awesome to see the conglomeration of the professional Voice Acting with all the art that fans have come to put together. Having never seen it before, I really wonder which scenes were completed first and which ones were new additions. All in all, an entertaining episode that made me further appreciate my copy of ‘Bad Guys.’ d:

Total random moment when a cell phone sounding just like Kim Possible’s Kimmunicator started beeping . . . Greg even recognized it, stopping mid-sentence to blurt out while looking at the crowd: ‘Kim? Kim?’ Too funny.

With the conclusion of the Opening Ceremonies, I imagine most guests and fans and staff grabbed something to eat somewhere . . . me and my friend made our way back across the city back to his place, where we enjoyed dinner there.

Hey, it’s day one . . . the fun’s just getting started.

Matt writes...

Just to be clear for the sake of the GargWiki,

The six gargoyles and two beasts that Demona initially talks to in "Tyrants", they are all originally from the Wyvern Clan, right? Meaning they all hatched at Wyvern, moved away when the Wyvern Clan split and eventually all joined Demona's Clan as a single cell. Is that right?

And I believe you said this at the Gathering, but I want to clarify something else along these lines: I think you said that each cell was divided up by location and that each cell had its origins with a specific clan. Is that right?

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Greetings Greg,

I have a quick question about one of the gargoyle models in The Gathering. Since you have revealed some interesting tidbits about the City of Stone and comics models it seems like the time to ask this:

There is a female gargoyle model who appears in the throne room scene in The Gathering, seen on the left in this scene next to a gorgon-like Child of Oberon: http://gargoyles.dracandros.com/Image:The_Gathering2.jpg

There are some gargoyles in the scene serving as Honor Guard, but this female is not, and from the way she seems to be chatting with the Child of Oberon, and since the Third Race can look however they want, I have never been confident I know what she is.

Was she intended to be a gargoyle, or a Child of Oberon who is in a gargoyle shape?

Thanks!

Matt writes...

Just wondering about the origin of a couple of monikers.

1. Where did the nickname "The Grim" come from for Kenneth? Why did you use it?

2. What is the origin of "True", the young female in Demona's Clan. Meaning, why do you call her "True"?

vgmaster831 writes...

Dear Greg Weisman,

How exactly did Boudicca get beack to Avalon after "The Gathering: Part 1"? If I am not mistaken, she is not seen throughout the rest of "The Gathering".

Your brand new fan,
vgmaster831

Greg Bishansky writes...

Since you said to ask these questions here,

What are Falstaff and Fiona Canmore's Illuminati numbers?

Full Gathering journal coming soon, I promise.

Blaise writes...

GATHERING OF THE GARGOYLES
CON-JOURNAL

DAY 4
MONDAY AUGUST 24, 2009

And so we come at last to the last day of the last Gathering. There were several reasons why I felt a bit down that morning, but that very fact of finality was a very strong one. Fortunately, both Guardian and Gside were there to offer me sympathetic pats on either shoulder.
I had arrived at 9AM and was surprised to see almost no one by the Mandarin room when the past three days were always fairly poppin' by about that time. At first I was by myself, but then Gside arrived and soon after Guardian. After discussing various subjects, we were slowly joined by A Fan, then Gorebash, Abby and VickyUK arrived pretty much one after the other. I was sad to learn Gore would have to leave before closing ceremonies, as would A Fan. For my part, I was glad I would be able to attend since it felt like something I HAD to take part in.

I attended the "Gargoyles" and "Bad Guys" comic book Q&A panel. I wish I could have gone to both that and the "Future of the 'Gargoyles' fandom" panel, but they were both at the same time, and I hadn't attended the comic panel back in 2006, so I had to go with this one. A number of questions about plot developments and art styles were answered (and a few questions were actually raised). I remember asking Karine and Greg Guler who were there favorite characters to design. Karine felt she had way too many to choose from, but was particularly fond of the new mutate designs she had done. Greg G. didn't think he had designed any real "new" characters (except a few extras, but he liked the Porter) until Greg W. indicated that he designed The Grim (AKA, Kenneth III). Interesting note, they made him blonde in order to contrast him from Findlaech and Maol Chalvim (since they all have pretty much the same general style in beards). Also, Greg admitted that he fairly quickly dispensed with his idea of "nothing in the comic that wouldn't be in the animated series." He's pretty sure they wouldn't have been able to pull off Brooklyn cutting off Valmont's hand on TV (and even in the comic, he specifically instructed that they never show the "stump" of the severed appendage).

After that panel, I took one last look in the Dealer's Room, but they were already packing everything up. I briefly sampled Karine's "Animating with Flash" panel, which looked very well done and informative with excellent visual aids, but I found I had little interest in flash, and went to the "Gargoyles Biology & Culture" panel. I don't know why only the front half of the room had light, but apparently someone fell asleep in the dark half and began to snore. Greg, Jade Griffin and Matt Parker didn't notice (or at least pretended not to) and someone else woke the first person up. I remember asking about how most gargoyles have four digits per appendage, but now we've seen Katana, who has three per appendage. And of course Sora, who had the usual 4 per hand, but only 3 per foot. Apparently, the Ishimura clan (or all Japanese) gargoyles are just unique in that way. Just like how the Mayan clan can have snake-like lower bodies, and the Loch Ness clan can have "dolphinesque" lower bodies. Funny thing...I remember from Crispin Freeman's panel on dragons, that in China, the dragon is usually shown with four toes on each foot, unless it is the Imperial dragon (only for the emperor), which has five toes per foot. But in Japan, the dragon is usually shown with THREE toes per foot. Hmmmmm. Okay maybe I'm over thinking things.

At last, we came to Closing Ceremonies. This was it. The End (at least for the time being). The usual awards for art were given out (and we had some really great ones this year). And then Greg Weisman began making a final speech, and had to constantly fight back tears during it. A lot of jokes came flying just so we had some laughter to try to counteract the water works. Actually, laughter and tears were pretty much the theme of closing ceremonies. Thom Adcox, god, you could tell he loved the Gatherings just as much as anyone. For over an hour, various members of the con staff, as well as Greg W. and Thom, began telling stories about their first Gathering, and how much being a part of this brought joy to their lives. There was a whole lotta hugging going on! Greg W. emphasized how many things (the DVDs, the comics), were directly attributable to the Gathering. We even had a few members of the audience tell their stories (and get handed tissues).
I think...no, I know nobody wanted this (the ceremonies, the Gathering, anything) to end. But it had to eventually, and it did.

We all said our good-byes (and I discovered that Guardian actually lives within the LA area as well). I hung around for a bit, but there was really not much left to help pack, and I was getting hungry. So I made my way out of the Gathering and back to the real world.

That's my con-journal, but I do have a few final thoughts of my own that I'll post later on.

Ageist writes...

====SPOILERS FROM CLAN-BUILDING 2====

A lot of new faces were seen in Demona's clan in CB2 - and it sounds like some interesting facts were given out about the whole clan's relationships to Wyvern clan members during this last Gathering. So a couple questions:

1) Were all of the Gargates seen in the cell that Demona's Second/True/etc were part of from the Wyvern Split clan?

2) What year were these Gargates born in?
a - Demona's Second's Mate/Sacrifice
b - "Bro" the red Gargoyle Brooklyn spoke with.
c - Brooklyn's bioBrother, seen behind Brook and "Bro"
d - the little Green gargoyle standing next to True.
e - Bronx's parents

3) Was Sacrifice related biologically to any other Gargoyle we've seen from Wyvern? If so which?

4) The little Blue Gargoyle from City of Stone was not seen here (that I found). Where was he?

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Greetings Greg,

No con journal from me obviously, just questions inspired by Clan-Building Volume 2.

============CAUTION: MAYBE SPOILER-ISH================================
I have a question (or two), which I really hope you are willing to answer. In a response years ago, you suggested that the Stone of Destiny might be either a magical object, or a Child of Oberon. However, the new trade paperback has seriously called these possibilities into question. Neither of them look very probable to me at this point.

So my question is:
Is the Stone of Destiny (or the Spirit of Destiny) one of the Third Race after all?
Is it a magical talisman?
============CAUTION: MAYBE SPOILER-ISH================================

As always, thanks a bunch for answering fan questions!

Kythera of Anevern writes...

The last Gathering of the Gargoyles.

I can't help feeling the kind of rending melancholy that comes with KNOWING beyond all hope of doubt and denial that an important element of your life is past.

I honestly don't think I would be alive today if not for the Gathering, and the wonderful friends I made there. I attended my first Gathering in 1999, at a very pivotal time in my life, when I felt very alone and afraid and freakish in the world. The Gathering and the people there showed me that I wasn't alone, that there wasn't so much to be afraid of, and that even if I AM strange, the people who really matter in life will love me in part because of my strangeness, not in spite of it. To a very young and frightened me, I do think that this meant the difference between life and death, which I had seriously contemplated more than once at that time.

I also owe the first great love of my life to the Gathering. Even though it didn't have the happy ending I wanted, I still wouldn't trade having loved and lost for anything at all.

Many stories of how Gargoyles and the Gathering touched all of us were shared during closing ceremonies. I chose to share one of my favourite happy memories--of my first Gathering, when an acquaintance and I had put on our costumes before the banquet. We were riding down in the elevator in all of our makeup when the elevator slowed to a stop, and we decided we would roar at whoever was on the other side of the doors. As the doors opened, we struck fierce poses and bellowed at the top of our lungs...at THOM ADCOX. We were VERY embarrassed, but after startling poor Thom, all three of us had a good laugh.

There was as much laughter as there were tears, because at its end, the taste of the day was bittersweet, indeed.

I know that all of these wonderful people that I call friends will find ways to meet up and spend time together, and we will without a doubt stay in touch, but there is a deep sting in knowing that this one event about something that we all have in common and that brought us all together is no longer there. At least, not in the form that we know it.

From what I hear, there was a lot of talk about what the future holds. While I hold the foundations upon which the present is built very dear and feel a sharp sense of loss, I remind myself of what may still yet come. I don't think this will be the last convention dedicated to Gargoyles. I do think that the future holds more, because I know that this group of people is nothing if not dedicated and passionate and fierce in our loyalty to each other and to what we love.

Blaise writes...

GATHERING OF THE GARGOYLES
CON-JOURNAL

DAY 3
SUNDAY AUGUST 23, 2009

Got up at 7:30, still a bit groggy, and got to the Hilton by 9AM. I spent the next hour wandering around and talking to a few attendees and friends (I apologize to you all, but I can't remember who right now).

At 10AM, I attended the panel on "'Gargoyles': the Production Process." I wish I had taken notes, because now I find I can barely remember much about that panel (maybe that's because I'm writing this fairly late in the day and coming down from my "Gathering High" as it were). I do remember a great deal of credit for how "Gargoyles" turned out was given to Jay Fukuto. I remember Greg W. and Frank Paur talking about how much they argued during the run of the show. Frank mentioning that the "team" Disney's marketing people said went to New York City for reference shots consisted solely of him and his camera. And Greg W. remarking yet again about the unreliability of focus testing. I think it was THIS panel (and if not, then it was the Writers' one) where Greg told the story of how the guys behind "Kim Possible" had to do focus testing THREE TIMES (each one about 6 weeks apart) before Disney TV would green light their show.

Next was the Production Process panel for "The Spectacular Spider-Man." And yes, right away we got to see some of the scenes that had to be cut for time. Apparently, the Chameleon DID try to break Beck and Mason out, but they were already gone. One thing that was highlighted was that an episode of SS-M had a much smaller budget than an episode of "Gargoyles." That was why the part of the Big Man/Tombstone had to be recast rather than having Keith David phone patched like on "Gargoyles." Also, a very large reason they were able to get away with so much was because they technically didn't have a network to deal with until the script and most of the animation was finished.

Next, I made the decision to go get lunch (a six-inch seafood sandwich from Subway) and take a look at some of the items in the Dealer's Room, then catch the last 45 minutes of the Composers' panel. I loved some of the artwork, especially the Disney Princesses as gargoyles, Wendy Pini's drawing of the clan, Jade Griffin's Gummi Goyles, and so many others. I also finally caught a look at all the merchandise on the back table. Damn. If I had just a *little* more disposable income...*sigh*.

Anyway, sat in on the last part of the Composers' panel, and kind of wished I could have seen the whole thing (especially after hearing other people talk about it). I at least made it in time to see the examples of clips from the SS-M, first with no music or sound effects (just voices), and then with the whole sound track. I will admit, I did not know how huge of an influence Shirley Walker was on music in the animation industry. Carl Johnson regrets not being able to personally score the scene in which Elisa is turned into a gargoyle (it was edited by Marc Perlman--whose name I hope I spelled right).

"Writing in Television Animation" was up next, with even more guests, including Michael Reaves who, due to his Parkinson's disease, had to speak through first Bob Skir, and then his daughter Mallory (who arrived a bit after him). Somehow, his wit and humor managed to still make it through. I remember asking if the panelists thought that animated action shows in recent years were moving more towards continuity between episodes (can't quite recall the full answer, though). There was some discussion of how Story Editors and/or Supervising Producers interact with writers of individual episodes. Someone brought up the rather small ratio of women writers to men writers for animated action shows (and how there seems to be more women writers for comedy and preschool shows). And...unfortunately I'm blanking on the rest right now.

I attended Wendy Pini's panel on "Adapting Stories From Novels to Film." In her case it was more about graphic novels, and she talked about the "ElfQuest" film that's in development right now. She had a great deal to say about the process of adaptation, and how different mediums call for different styles, especially in regards to pacing. I brought up the "CBS debacle," mostly because I never get tired of hearing the strange way TV executives think. Crispin Freeman and his wife were also there, largely as audience and support. I recall the subject of voice acting coming up, and Crispin saying that if he were to cast himself in it, he would *want* to be Cutter, but feels he would be a better fit for Rayak or Strongbow.
At the end of the panel, which was mostly about "ElfQuest" and other comic/graphic novel to film adaptations, Wendy mentioned that she had wanted to talk more about "Gargoyles."

A little while later was the Banquet. There was a lot of good food there (I particularly liked the garlic mashed potatoes, the salmon, and the cheese cake). For the guests at my table we had Crispin Freeman, his wife (no, unfortunately, I didn't catch her name) and Wendy Pini. They were great, and I felt I had some great conversations with both Crispin and Wendy. Among other things, I complimented Wendy on her drawing of the clan. I mentioned to Crispin that one of his characters has inspired an Internet meme (kind of a popular repeated phrase), which led to a fun story about how the sound engineer for that show had left a clip of Crispin's voice work (when his character was acting particularly crazy) on Crispin's answering machine!
After the meal, instead of a trivia contest, we did a final Q&A with all the guests. Strangely enough, most of the questions were directed at Greg Weisman. It was at about this time that Thom Adcox FINALLY arrived and helped himself to some dinner (I forgot to mention, he was also late to the Blue Mug on Saturday...and he brought one of his dogs, practically derailing the whole thing with its cuteness).

After that, everyone left to prepare for the Masquerade and Dance. On his way out, Crispin Freeman mentioned his voice acting workshops and that one is next month. If I can gather enough funds, I intend to attend.
While waiting for the Masquerade to begin, I spoke at length with Greg Bishansky, and eventually Landon, Matt, Harvester of Eyes, Ben Diskin, and Lucas McLain (not all at the same time, of course). Mostly we just talked about the developments of the comic, aspects of the con, and how cool the guests were.

This year's Masquerade was small, but there were some very nice costumes. I really liked Aaron's Jackal (I especially loved his "cyber-eye"), and...that blue thing (AARRGH, what was his name!). King Arthur gave a great Shakespearean style speech (AWAY from the judges, unfortunately), and Zehra looked INCREDIBLE as Shari. Of course the "AWWW" cute moment was Jade Griffin (as Fox) carrying out her baby, who was dressed in Alexander's Halloween costume (and man, that kid loved to crawl!).
We also got to see some music videos, including one by Greg Bishansky which made a medley of the themes to SS-M and "Gargoyles." The funniest one was "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from "Little Mermaid"...with Puck singing Ursula and (of all people) DEMONA as Ariel!

Well, the awards were given out, and people began dancing (well, some anyway, the rest of us just talked or went to bed). I asked Greg who he felt should voice Peredur (Jude Law) and who he wanted to voice Falstaff (John Goodman, initially, but maybe more British...). I shook hands with Keith David and mentioned how sad I was that this was the last Gathering. "You never know," he said. And he's right. Who can say what the future holds? I, for example, hope to act alongside him someday.

At 11PM I made my way back home and tried to get a decent 7 hours of sleep.

My fourth and final con-journal...will be posted tomorrow. Right now, I'm too close to sleep to make a truly coherent entry.

Nyx Goldstone writes...

So, a multi-part question!

Having done the final Gathering on a seriously tight budget, I was unable to get the 3 comic volumes (Clan Building vol 1 and 2, and Bad Guys) which I really wanted copies of to have you sign. Now, as far as my limited knowledge goes, I feel I've lost my opportunity.

My questions are: Is there a way I can purchase signed copies directly from you? If not, is there a way to get you to sign the copies I do purchase?

Tyger writes...

Hey! Loved meeting you at the Gathering these last two days. My sister, however, has a conundrum. She was unable to get the books while we were at Con, and she really wants them signed by you. Is there anyway that, after she gets the books, she could mail them to you (with a self addressed, stamped, return package included, of course), and you could sign them for her?

Aidin writes...

Hi Greg,

I didn't know it until a few weeks ago, but I'm a pretty big fan of your work (Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot, The Batman, Men in Black: The Series, Gargoyles and the Spectacular Spider-Man).
I was very excited last year when The Spectacular Spider-Man premiered on the CW, and I thought the first season was beyond fantastic.

I have a few questions for you and I hope you don't answering them.

First off, I've noticed that there seems to be a lot of doubt and uncertainty regarding future seasons, is there anything we as fans can do to help?
I'd hate for tSSM to die like the last spider-man series I enjoyed (Spider-Man Unlimited; which while heavily panned I enjoyed greatly.)
(Then again my opinion may be tainted being that I just a younger kid while that was still on the air;but I digress)

How long does it take to produce one episode, and a complete season?

What kind of animation is being used? Traditional pen and paper? Computer? or Hybrid?

Why is the airing of season two in the US being delayed? I just noticed that the next episode has been delayed until October 5th; which adds two months in between episodes.

What is your stance on creating original characters for the series? I do believe that every character has appeared in the comics in some form, and I'm just curios as to see whether you'd consider creating any new characters.

Will the series get any "darker" in tone and style as in progresses? Or will it remain mostly up-beat?

Would the series adapt the One More Day/Brand New Day (the greatest Spider-Man FAIL ever in my opinion) If the series were to continue that long?

Next to last, I'm starting to view tSSM as a series not unlike Batman Tas; that being said, do you thing tSSM could become the starting point for animated series based on other Marvel comics Characters; not unlike the way Batman Tas "spawned" Superman:Tas, Batman Beyond, Static Shock, Justice League, etc.?
So Basically, Is tSSM to Marvel as Batman: tas was to D.C.?

And lastly, I've read several times that there won't be any cross-over with characters from other parts of the marvel universe because you don't have the rights to them. IF you had access to any Marvel character(s) in the Marvel Universe, would you have cross overs and what kind of cross overs would you have?

Blaise writes...

GATHERING OF THE GARGOYLES
CON-JOURNAL

DAY 2
SATURDAY AUGUST 22, 2009

I'm glad I don't have to get up at 4:50AM every day. I wanted to give the dog a fairly long walk that morning because I knew I wouldn't have time that evening.

I got to the Hilton at a little after 9AM and signed up for Josh Keaton's Mug-A-Guest (I had considered Keith David's, but that was already full). Josh was cool, and I'm not just saying that because we share the same first name (and I finally learned how they avoided confusion when both he and Josh Lebar are working on the same day). One thing both he and Ben Diskin had in common, they both started acting at a very young age (3 for one, 6 for another), largely because they already had some family member in the business. I mention this only because I'm around the same age as them and I'm still trying to break into the darn business.

After another bagel for lunch, I attended Crispin Freeman's "Anime Mythology" panel on "Knights and Dragons." Being a dragon fanboy, this one was a joy. I had already known about the differences between so-called Western and Eastern dragons, but this was the first time I heard somebody actually analyze what these creatures say about the cultures they sprang from, and how they influence their respective media. I was surprised when he pointed out how a difference in dialogue between the Japanese script and the English dub of "Spirited Away" showcased this difference. I was also pleasantly surprised when he brought up "Vision of Escaflowne" as one of his favorite animes (it's one of mine, too!).

After this, I attended BOTH voice acting panels. The "Gargoyles" one was special not for the number of guests it had, but because it was the first one attended by Marina Sirtis, the voice of Demona herself. Of course, there were also Greg Weisman, Jamie Thomason, Thom Adcox (naturally), Keith David (with his GREAT laugh) and, a little later on, Elisa Gabrielli. I got to ask a question (or rather series of questions) that I usually put to all the voice actors at these things: "What episode/scene was the most challenging/fun/fulfilling?" Greg W. reminded me that the series was 15 YEARS AGO, so that might be a difficult question to answer. But Marina had no trouble stating what annoyed her the most: "The effing impact grunts." I learned something very important in that panel: if you do something she does not like, she will throw Jolly Ranchers at you. And Thom stated, yet again, his reasons for why he did not care for the Avalon world tour arc: largely, that he wasn't in most of those episodes (in his own words, "Avalon SUCKS!"). Well, that'll teach him to go out and buy a new car. Keith got to say a couple of his favorite lines ("I've been denied everything..."), though not with as much volume as I'm sure he would have liked. Also, Marina and Greg have two different versions of how she was cast as Demona (she maintains she came in on two separate days, he says it was just the one). There was also the story of how Jonathan Frakes was briefly fired by Greg's bosses because the cast recorded at a hell-hole of a studio. It was great fun.
So was the "Spectacular Spider-Man" panel. There were...a LOT of voice actors for this one, including a few who overlapped from the "Gargoyles" panel. In fact, there were so many that I couldn't help but feel that there weren't enough questions to properly involve all of them. I thought the revelation that Daran Norris needed two microphones when he was recording both the Jamesons (because J. Jonah is SO LOUD) was fascinating. I asked those who did multiple voices what their process was for differentiating them. Phil Lamarr talked about the difficulty of making two voices (those of the Robertsons) sound distinct and yet related (something Daran Norris had to figure out, too), while Steve Blum mentioned that he just had so many voices in his head that he needed the work to get them out.

I forgot to mention that, in between the panels, I went to check on the cast for the radio play. Since EVERY ONE of the voice guests said yes, there were only a handful of roles for the fans. I was quite happy to get one of them, and after the panels, the rehearsal began.
It was a Gathering-Original script. A crossover between "Gargoyles" and the "Spectacular Spider-Man" written to take full advantage of ALL 16 GUESTS who said they would do it. I was quite surprised to find that I was cast as Zaphiro (a character with a Spanish accent!). We only had enough time to run through the 78-page script (that's FEATURE LENGTH) once, and then a quick break before the beginning of the radio play.
It was a BLAST! The script was full of in-jokes (a lot of them breaking the fourth wall), but even managed to pack in an excellent bit of drama. But no where else will you hear Lexington mention porn on the internet, or hear Demona refer to Elisa as Goliath's "human whore." Steve Blum talked to himself, as did Thom Adcox (I hoped people picked up on the slight difference between Lexington and Tinkerer--and I loved when Lex mentioned Homunculus #5's annoying voice--said Homunculus ALSO voiced by Thom). For my part, aparantly I managed to pull off the Spanish accent well enough. Elisa Gabrielli was kind enough to offer me some pointers on a particular line of Spanish (yeah, I also had a few words and lines entirely in Spanish).
At the end I got kudos from many fans, and even a few of the pros.

I had really wanted to attend the panel on "Rope Bondage 101" but I needed to hurry back to my canine charge to feed him his evening meal if I wanted to make it back in time for the Blue Mug. I just barely managed to make it, and got to ask one question that I felt was appropriate given that this was the last Blue Mug: how it all got started. The short answer is it grew out of the regular Mug-A-Guest when they wanted to keep that family-friendly. Anyway, about an hour in, Greg had to hit the bathroom, and that bastard Edmund Tsabard seized the opportunity to come in and make the Blue Mug about "Blue Mug Productions." The one thing I got from his section of the panel was that if you want the smut, you have to "SPEND THE MONEY!" All I can say about the third page of "Last Tengu in Paris" is, "GREAT GOOGLEY MOOGLEY!" Anyway, about an hour later, after the questions dried up, Edmund left and Greg FINALLY came back. Unfortunately, it was about 11PM and I had to get back to my friend's house to be there to greet him and give over care of the dog. He came in at 1AM, and I was back in my own home and asleep by about 2AM.

oneuke writes...

CON-JOURNAL
OF A SORT

Never having truly posted to this site before (or any other for that matter) I thought that now would be an appropriate time to speak of the Gathering. I won’t bore you with memories like the look and grief I gave my brother (a PhD in Bio-chem.) who told me about a really well written Disney cartoon and the humble pie I ate after watching the first show. Or the joy my oldest daughter experienced after asking a question of Keith David at the 2001 con and he responded by giving his famous line “I’ve been denied everything, even my REVENGE.” Caiti was 8 at the time. Or of how my youngest daughter, Ally, started watching Gargoyles when she was 2 and became instantly enraptured with Lexington. Then heard his voice 2 years later in the dealer’s room, shouted out “It’s Lexington” and ran over to hug a complete and somewhat startled stranger (Thanks for being so understanding, both then and now, Thom). Or…but I digress.
And so, as per Greg’s request, and with apologies to W.S.:

Why so sad, coz?
This is the time call'd the Gathering of Gargoyles.
And he or she that shares this meet, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this time is nam'd,
And rouse at the name of Gargoyles.
He that shares this time, and sees old episodes,
Will yearly on the vigil recount to his clan,
And say ‘Tis the time of the Gathering.'
Then will he bring out his memories and show his photos,
And say 'These friends I met and these moments I had on this day.'
The old forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What adventures he had that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Greg the Creator, Keith, Salli and Thom,
Michael and Marina, Bill, Ed and Jeff-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his clan;
And the time of Gathering shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we clan of brothers;
For he or she to-day that shares this time with me
Shall be my brother; be he or she ne'er so far,
This day shall bring them near;
And those who stayed away
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold themselves cheap whiles any speaks
That Gathered on this final meet.

Thanks for the memoriesâ€"may there be many more to follow.
(Hey, Greg's not the only one who can borrow from Shakespeare)

Blaise writes...

GATHERING OF THE GARGOYLES
CON-JOURNAL

DAY 1
FRIDAY AUGUST 21, 2009

Well, Greg, you asked for the con-journals to be posted. And here I am at home with the evening ahead of me, so I may as well oblige. I will be writing largely from memory, so I apologize in advance to anyone whom I may forget.

My day started fairly early--about 5AM. This was because I was house/dog-sitting for a friend. This overlapped with the first two days of the Gathering, so I had to juggle my responsibilities with the convention. That meant getting up early enough to give the dog a good, long walk and feed him before heading off to the Gathering (and this is a BIG dog, with a LOT of energy, who does NOT like being left alone).

At any rate, I managed to make it to the registration desk at a little before 10AM, and apparently became the first attendee to receive my badge! I spent the first 2 or so hours just wandering around and meeting both old friends (like Greg Bishansky) and folk I had only met online (like Harvester of Eyes).

At 12PM (after munching a bagel with cream cheese for lunch), I attended the "Drawing Comics" panel hosted by Karine Charlebois. It was an informative look at translating Greg's comic scripts to a page in a comic book. This included:
-having to turn a one-panel scene with TWO actions in the script into two separate panels.
-the importance of character positioning during dialogue.
-keeping track of where everyone is during a battle sequence (even to the point of having a map of the area so you will know where the "camera" is facing at any given time).
-the differences in layout between American comics and European comics.

After that, I really wanted to attend the "Machiavelli on 'Gargoyles'" panel, but I had too many other things to do. For starters, I had to audition for the Radio Play. True to the nature of the radio play itself, the audition sides contained BOTH "Gargoyles" and "Spectacular Spider-Man" sides. I had considered reading Brooklyn (my favorite garg), but I decided that others could do the "heroic-snarker" role better than myself, so I chose a more extreme character: the Green Goblin. The audition sheet also asked if one was capable of imitating a Spanish/Hispanic accent (I marked "No"), and if one was capable of emitting a "Ghoul Shriek" (I marked "Yes").
One fun audition and shriek later, I ducked into the Dealer's Room to pick up a copy of "Clan-Building: Vol. II." I read the darn thing until 3PM when it was time for Ben Diskin's Mug-A-Guest, which I had signed up for.

Ben Diskin is a great guy; very approachable, easy going, with a great sense of humor. He had a number of funny stories, including a voice session for "Kids Next Door" where Tom Kenny played Santa Claus (and went a *little* off book while the director and engineers weren't listening). I have to agree with Greg B., though--it's amazing that Venom's voice comes from such a skinny guy!

After heading out to Rubio's on CityWalk for a little dinner (and finishing CB:V2), I returned to the hotel and waited for Opening Ceremonies, which were running a little late. Thus, I spent the time talking with several people, such as Greg B., Phoenician, Lucas McLain (I'm sorry, I can't remember your net name!), Guardian, Matt, and others I'm forgetting, I'm sure.

Opening ceremonies were great. There was, of course, a bit of sadness that this would be the last one. On the plus side, since this WAS the last one, Greg Weisman and the members of the staff (OTHER THAN Jen Anderson and Patrick Toman), decided to break the rule that staff members could not be "Fan Guest of Honor" and gave that distinction to both Jen and Patrick for their YEARS of work to keep the Gathering going and "Gargoyles" alive.
Greg did his usual spiel about how "Gargoyles" came to be, and showed the videos he had shown for Opening Ceremonies over the years. Now, as I understand it, for the past few Gatherings, Greg would show one video one year (one version of the pitch, one version of the promo), and would show its counterpart the next year (for variety). This year, being the last, he showed them ALL! So I got to see at least one video I had not seen before: a version of the pitch read by Jim Cummings, and with some artwork not seen in the other version (the one on the first season DVD set). After these, the reconstructed "Dark Ages" and "New Olympians" pitches, and the "Bad Guys" leica reel, we saw the fan constructed animatic for the "Team Atlantis" episode, "The Last." A great deal of progress has been made since 2006 (my previous Gathering), with only a few blank spots left to fill (and it sounds like work will continue on it, with or without the Gathering). Watching the videos was kind of bittersweet, since I don't know when I'll be able to see them again.

Inevitably, Opening Ceremonies ended, and I made my way back to my friend's house to walk and feed the dog and try to get a few hours of sleep.

Kozispoon writes...

"Do gargoyles suffer from gargoyle-specific illnesses or handicaps?"

Brigadoon Traveller writes...

Well I finally got my copy of Clan Building 2 last week; it was weird, even though I'd been waiting MONTHS to read this, when I had the book in my hands I wasn't in that much of a rush to read it. Maybe subconciously I was registering that this would be the last few stories of Gargoyles that I would read for some time. :(

Anyway, I have to say when I did read it I loved it, couldn't put it down.

Just one question (for now at least):

As of 1994 (or "Awakening part 4") did Demona remember her encounter with "the gargoyle of the sword" back in 997? If so, how did she reconcile it with Brooklyn waking up in 1994 after being put under the sleep spell?

I have to say, I loved the 997 arc btw; thought it was brilliant. Especially loved the end pages of #12; finally we get to see Katana, Nashville (or Gnash as he likes to call himself) and Fu-Dog (& not to mention Egwardo) after all these years.

It was also a surprise seeing Coldstone and Coldfire rejoin the clan.

On the whole loved the book; here's hoping for more soon.

Battle Beast writes...

Hello!

Greg,

Since we now call them "Beasts," if you could, would you change the line in "Awakening 1" from "I see you've met our Watch-dog..." to something like "I see you've met our Beast..." ?

Phil writes...

Greg,

I've been reading and re-reading Clan-Building 2 this past week and I love it. I think I finally understand it well enough to ask a question.

In the Stone of Destiny story arc, how did the convoy end up using the "trick car" with the rotating trap door? And how was Xanatos able to drive away with it after the Stone was "safely" transported back to Scotland? (I have theories, but they may be considered ideas so I'll refrain from suggesting them.)

Thanks for everything. I'm looking forward to getting Bad Guys: Redemption and whatever future Gargoyles stories are coming.

Ming writes...

You've established that you mentally cast actors for some of the new characters in the Gargoyles comics, such as Quincy Hemmings played by Morgan Freeman (or someone who can sound like him i.e. Kevin Michael Richardson). Anyway, do you have any voices in mind for some of the Illuminati figures (Percival, Duval, Shari, et al.)? What about Katana and Tachi and some of the characters from the Phoenix Gate arc?

Battle Beast writes...

In CBV2, We see a clan of Gargoyles with Demona as her leader. There are two beasts.

I think my two favorite character designs are: the small green Gargoyle in Demona's Clan (He also appears briefly in CoS, squating near Demona and Macbeth as he names her) and in the trade; and Fu-Dog. I love Fu-Dog's color, and the basic style.

I currently use Future Tense Brooklyn as my Avatar on Station 8, but if I could, I would switch to Fu-Dog. Great job on the new designs, Greg, and to all the artists who worked on the comics!

1. When designing new characters, is it a back and forth between you and the artist on the look and coloring? Or is it all from your imagination, or previous concept designs?

2. I know Disney owns Gargoyles. Do they own any NEW characters you create like Fu-dog or Gnash? Who DOES own them, if not?

Thanks again, Greg! Thank you for all of your hard work over the last couple of years! (You don't know how much I appreciate it.)

Battle Beast writes...

In CBV2, we see more of London Clan (Leo and Una were a nice cameo touch) and young Lunette. (I was literally standing at work staring at a wall thinking about the new trade when it hit me that Leo + Una = Lunette.

1. Did the Name "Luna" come into play ever? Did you decide against it? I am jsut wondering as Leo + Una = Luna as well.

Thanks!

Battle Beast writes...

Hello! I haven't posted anything to "Ask Greg" in quite some time, although I do enjoy reading responses.

I just got through reading the trades for the hundredth time (in only four days mind you.)

Sooooo.... How could you so this to us?! Shame on you!!!

The trades were the hight of awesomness, and worth ever second of wait time, but you ended both books on such cliff-hangers! Not really, but... Brooklyn et. al show up at the end of CBV2, the Redemption Squad doesn't complete their objective... leaving the door open for more... I mean, I want to see more! I turn the page and there isn't another page! It's really a big tease, to me at least.

I know it will be a long time before/if we get anything new, and I know how hard you worked just to get out what we have, so I will not complain but rather (how can I compliament you without gushing too much?) praise you magnificent job on all three trades and 12 comics.

I wanted you to know that I (and probably many, many, many others are ecstatic with the trades and the job done by all.

Thank you!

Darren writes...

Hi Greg
The two Gargoyles & Bad Guys TPB volumes are currently winging their way to me via the net. Do you know if there is any chance that the Marvel series will be reprinted (maybe by SLG, in the fashion that Dark Horse reprint Marvel's old Star Wars stuff). I know you weren't directly involved with that run, but I was just wondering if you were in the loop. Thanks for the hard work.

Michael writes...

..sorry.. i know this isn't a question. just wanted to hopefully tell Greg he's an awesome storyteller and a great human being.. the funny thing is at least 50% of the cartoons i grew up with and loved had something to do with him, if not written, voice directed, etc. by him. he was nearly everything in my childhood that made it great to watch cartoons(with very few exceptions). I hope this gets to him....and..well.... Greg, you're an awesome Human Being.

P.S. Todd, you're a great guy too, even if this never gets to Greg,,,,, heh.... there should be a "Thank Greg for being so awesome" area too i guess.

Sincerely, Mike Greenwood

P.P.S. I'm 23...and still love classic cartoons cause of you ;) and i probably always will. thanks, Greg!

P.P.P.S. i LOVE the "you DID check the archives first, right?" bit ;)

Anicomicgeek writes...

Hey. I wanna start off by saying I love our work, Greg, especially on Gargoyles and Spectacular Spider-Man. Anyway, I know why you decide to diversify the cast and think it's okay.

So, it may be a stupid question, but was Jean DeWolff one of the characters whose race you'd changed? I mean, her skin seems darker, so I thought I should ask.