A Station Eight Fan Web Site

Gargoyles

The Phoenix Gate

Ask Greg Archives

GREG-SPONSES 2010-02 (Feb)

Archive Index


: Displaying #1 - #10 of 69 records. : 10 » : Last » :


Posts Per Page: 1 : 10 : 25 : 50 : All :


Bookmark Link

Mike writes...

Not a question (so no need to answer)...just wanted to say that I've recently discovered this site and am tremendously impressed with your fan accessibility. I have found Spectacular Spider-Man to be THE best interpretation of Spider-Man - continually making smart decisions about what to take from the various iterations (original, Ultimate, Raimi) to make something that is both classic and new at the same time. Also - the show's casting decisions are genius. I will do everything I can to encourage my friends to find Disney XD and watch all they can in the hopes that the series continues.

For every person who asks you a question on this site, there are a hundred people like me who have no questions, but DO have an immense appreciation for your work. Good luck to you and I hope to see more of your Spectacular work!

Greg responds...

Thanks!!

Response recorded on February 25, 2010

Bookmark Link

Todd Jensen writes...

Now that "Clan-Building" and "Bad Guys: Redemption" have been completed, and while we pause for a while (hoping that you and SLG will get to do further "Gargoyles" stories together), I thought I'd look over the Master Plan document you shared with us over ten years ago, and see how that was fulfilled in the eighteen chapters.

First, the spin-offs. "Bad Guys" obviously was represented here, with the six-chapter origin story for the Redemption Squad. Also, "Pendragon" and "TimeDancer" both found their way into "Clan-Building", "Pendragon" with the Stone of Destiny story in #7 to #9 (you even mentioned the Stone of Destiny story in the "Pendragon" section) and "TimeDancer" in #10 to #12, where we saw the beginning of Brooklyn's TimeDancing, his first adventure with Mary and Finella, and the end with his return to New York with his new family.

We also got a taste of "The New Olympians" with Terry Chung's cameos, and maybe even a trace of "Gargoyles 2198" when Peredur mentioned that Arthur wasn't expected to awaken for another two hundred years (Britain and the rest of the planet would definitely be in an hour of need then - definitely shades of "Camelot 3000"). Nothing directly from "Dark Ages", however (Brooklyn's adventure in 997 comes close, but it takes place three years after the Wyvern Massacre that would presumably have formed the series finale) - though we know that you planned to do a story about that next.

Now I'll turn to your list of the planned elements for "Gargoyles"'s third season from the same document.

The Quarryman problem: I would have liked to see a bit more of that (to serve as an antidote to the "Goliath Chronicles" depiction of the Quarrymen), but I enjoyed what we saw. Castaway in Invitation Only" and "Estranged" showed himself to be shrewd and prudent as well as vengeful; I liked the details of his forbidding the Quarrymen to carry hammers on Halloween patrol (in case they mistake costumed trick-or-treaters for gargoyles) and the television commercial that Robyn and Jason see making the Quarrymen seem more like a charitable organization to help people in need than like a hate group.

Xanatos' conversion: And, of course, we saw that he didn't change that much; he's as much a trickster as ever, even ready to, after stealing the Stone of Destiny for the Illuminati, give them another duplicate and keep the original for himself. Life with him is certainly going to be interesting for the clan.

Broadway and Angela's relationship: Not much of this (beyond the library scene), but we clearly see that they're a couple.

Goliath and Elisa's relationship: Definitely there, with the Double Date story and their reconciliation (especially the big moment in "The Rock" when they get back together).

The four Tricksters and Alexander: One of the few threads from your list that didn't get in, but there's always next arc.

The Illuminati: And how! We learn more about the Society, including its internal structure (I'm still delighted with the revelation of exactly how many membership slots there are), and several new members (new in the sense of being "new characters"): Quincy Hemings, Shari, and Falstaff, not to mention our look at Peredur, Duval, and Blanchefleur at the top. We also learn that Thailog's joined the Society (that was one of the biggest surprises in the comic for me), and Fiona Canmore's a member as well. And we get a hint, in the scene between Peredur and the Stone of Destiny in Carbonek, of what the Illuminati's goal is (or at least, what Peredur's goal for the Illuminati is). Not to mention we see more of their shrewdness, with Hacker presenting a different story about the Illuminati's intentions towards the gargoyles to Matt, Xanatos, and Castaway separately.

The Ultra-Pack: We haven't seen them yet, either, but I've no doubt that the big fight with Jackal, Hyena, and Wolf in Times Square is going to encourage the Pack to upgrade again. And after reading "Bad Guys", I have a strong suspicion who the new member will be.

Coldsteel and Coyote: We saw their team-up in the Stone of Destiny story (another of the big surprises was Xanatos using the Coyote Diamond to improve Coyote 5.0 - even after seeing how you keep on bringing back elements from earlier episodes and expanding on them, I hadn't foreseen that).

The Clones: And we saw much of them, as well. I think that almost everyone expected to see Thailog seek to recover the Clones - but we then had the treat of that adventure providing character development for Delilah (who became an especially appealing character in "Bash") and Brentwood.

So we got quite a lot of the MasterPlan in those eighteen chapters. And I hope, someday, we'll see even more of it.

Greg responds...

Me too!

It is almost amazing to me how... consistent the vision of the series has stayed over the years. I don't know if that's me being stubborn or me knowing a good thing when I stumble upon it or what, but although I'm constantly adding to the pre-canon in my head, most of the stuff I came up with as far back as 1994 is still valid.

Response recorded on February 25, 2010

Bookmark Link

Nick Gawel writes...

Now that Marvel is own by Disney how will it affect your plans with Gargoyles comics or other media?

Greg responds...

Asked and answered multiple times. Check the archives.

Response recorded on February 25, 2010

Bookmark Link

Reopening Ask Greg/Amazing Spider-Man 622

Hey gang,

It caught me off guard, but it seems my issue of The Amazing Spider-Man (i.e. #622) is out. So I've asked Gorebash to open Ask Greg to allow comments and questions about it. Normally, we wouldn't reopen this soon, given that I still am about 200 questions behind -- so don't assume it'll stay open long -- but I figured I should give you all the opportunity.


Bookmark Link

Todd Jensen writes...

And the release of the trade paperback allows me to say something that I'd wanted to say for over a year, but can mention here at last.

In the spring of 2008, I learned that the solicitation for "Bad Guys" #5 involved Dingo meeting an old acquaintance on the robot-guarded island, and hoped that it would be Falstaff (because of his name). I even mentioned that hope (now fulfilled, so I can mention it here) in the Station 8 comment room.

A few days later, the Sinister Six episode of "The Spectacular Spider-Man" aired on Kids WB for the first time, and in it, Aunt May and Anna Watson went out to see a performance of "The Merry Wives of Windsor", specifically mentioning Falstaff in their conversation. I was flabbergasted with the timing - so soon after my speculation! (And then, St. John Devereaux, who was playing Falstaff, made a phone call to a friend of his named Sydney - and Dingo's from Sydney - was that an in-joke?)

It's a pleasure to be able to share that with you at last.

Greg responds...

I don't think Sydney was an in-joke, just because I didn't write that line.

But Falstaff was clearly on my mind, and when I saw a picture of Devereaux, it seemed a natural.

Response recorded on February 24, 2010

Bookmark Link

Todd Jensen writes...

I finally got my copy of "Bad Guys" today, and here's my review of the final two chapters in it, as a single post (they blended so well, I thought, that I decided to review them together).

I'll start with one word: Falstaff! I'd hoped, after Dingo's real name was revealed, that he'd get into "Bad Guys" in some way, and I was right. And as a bonus, we not only get Falstaff, but also his familiar gang (Mistress Quickly, Bardolph, Pistol, Doll, and Points [sic] - was his name deliberately changed from "Poins"?). I was delighted that in the last chapters of the comic, we'd get some fresh Shakespeare into "Gargoyles" - this time, you make use of the history plays for the first time.

And I got a big laugh out of Falstaff's original name being "Oldcastle", and his headquarters being named "Eastcheap". Not to mention, also, young Harry saying about his mother Mariah "She's the wind." Though the laughter quickly dried up after I saw, at the end of Chapter Five, what *really* happened to her.

I get a kick out of the way Fang's sitting at the conference table when Hunter's telling them about their new mission.

Was Bardolph's fire-breathing ability inspired by all the jokes about his Shakespearean namesake's fiery complexion in the Henry IV plays?

When Falstaff says that the Illuminati want to save the world, I couldn't help thinking that he might be right about that. We learned in "Gargoyles" #9 that the Illuminati's goals (at least, from Peredur's perspective) had something to do with Arthur's anticipated return, most likely to help him out when that happens - certainly a worthy aim. But of course, as Monsieur le Maire brings up in his phone conversation with the Director, the Society's taking the attitude of letting the ends justify the means (enrolling people like Xanatos, Thailog, and Mace Malone, running the Hotel Cabal, supporting the Quarrymen, stealing a national treasure like the Stone of Destiny, etc.).

Incidentally, even if you hadn't mentioned that the Director was at odds with the Illuminati in "Ask Greg", I think we'd have suspected that the Redemption Squad would be facing them at some point. The conversation between Hunter and Castaway in "Estranged" about who each other's financial backers are, and the Casablanca Hotel (whose name echoes the Hotel Cabal's), set up enough of a parallel to the Illuminati Society that a clash would *have* to take place. (Your philosophy about what makes a good antagonist at work, clearly.)

So Fiona Canmore's a member of the Illuminati. It's not a total shock (I'd seen speculations about it before), but a fun surprise, all the same - and so logical, too, in light of Hunter's identity. Thailog's cameo was fun as well (especially Yama's initial belief that the color on the monitor's gone wrong).

Despite Fang's many bad habits, I was impressed that he helped alert his teammates to the Illuminati's nature through his comments on Thailog, and his part in the battle that followed. Maybe, just maybe, there's hope for him yet.

I was delighted when Dingo urged his teammates not to destroy the island, because of all the artwork and historical artifacts stored there (it reminded me a bit of Broadway and Hudson urging Goliath not to burn the Scrolls of Merlin). Another reason why I've grown fond of the guy.

I liked the ending - Falstaff gets away and the Redemption Squad have only managed to capture one of his gang, but that wasn't the real issue. The real issue was their search for redemption, as Yama points out. (I liked the leavening of humor here - Matrix still displaying his single-minded interest in law and order; even Yama is amused here - and his turning to stone in mid-speech, to Fang's exasperation.)

Thanks for the spin-off, Greg. I hadn't initially expected to like "Bad Guys" (I thought it would be just another conventional action series), but I really enjoyed it a lot - especially with Falstaff and his gang, as I said above. And thanks for the eighteen new chapters in the Gargoyles Universe that you gave us with the comics. I hope that they shan't be the last - but even if they were, they've enriched us all the more.

Greg responds...

Yes, Poins was deliberately changed to Points to fit his skills... and Bardolph's ability was indeed inspired by the "hellfire" within that the Shakespearean Bardolph is always described as having.

Response recorded on February 24, 2010

Bookmark Link

Ming writes...

I don't know if people have asked you this, but anyway -- with Marvel now part of Disney, would you write more Gargoyles stories assuming that Marvel decides to revive the Gargoyles comic series, maybe do some limited series for the spin-offs?

Greg responds...

It's been asked and answered. Check the archives for a more detailed answer, but the short answer is... for now, I'm sticking with SLG, as they currently represent our best chance of getting more comics.

Response recorded on February 24, 2010

Bookmark Link

Harlan Phoenix writes...

I just got Clan Building vol. 2 and Bad Guys today. I'd post a long elaborate review of just how much I love this comic and how hopeful I am that we get more Garg stuff, but many people have said what I'd say and better. So, I'll just post a short review:

These were quite possibly some of the most badass comics I've ever read in my life. Thank you.

Greg responds...

WOw. Thank YOU!!

Response recorded on February 24, 2010

Bookmark Link

David B. Jacobs writes...

Hey Greg! I loved the Radio Play - thanks for posting it!
Now, I know that it is not canon with either series, but I still have to ask: do the ideas present in the crossover indicate your ideas for either series in any way? Now, I know that it isn't very likely for them to REALLY team up, but, for example, are the reactions of all the Spidey characters to the Peter/Liz break-up indicate of what may actually happen, or did you just invent entirely new material?

Greg responds...

Both... up to a point, i.e. I won't be held to anything that appears in that Radio Play. But I tried to characterize the players honestly.

Response recorded on February 24, 2010

Bookmark Link

Balron writes...

Hello Mr. Weisman
I just wonder do you take time to draw as well as write? With the free time you have, have you ever thought of returning to your artist roots and just letting it take you over to relax your spirit? I am a painter, and I always find landscapes to be the most relaxing works of art to practice. Do you have a favorite fine-art style you like to work on?

Greg responds...

It's not a matter of time but of talent. And when it comes to drawing... I have none. And I have NO "artist roots" unless you're counting the one basic drawing class I took in college. I'm not sure where you got the impression that I'm any kind of artist.

And by the way, I have free time? It is to laugh.

Response recorded on February 24, 2010


: Displaying #1 - #10 of 69 records. : 10 » : Last » :