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GREG-SPONSES 2010-12 (Dec)
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John Derrick writes...
I hate to say it, but I was extremely disappointed in the Young Justice premiere. Don't get me wrong--the animation was gorgeous, the dialogue entertaining, the story intriguing. But the gender imbalance was a huge turn-off for me.
Why was it that the women of the Justice League were only shown in the last five minutes of a two-part pilot? Why did the male sidekicks get to go on a rebellious adventure and force the League to accept them as a team of their own, while the first girl is only added to "Young Justice" at the very end, introduced by her uncle and guardian like some sort of token?
I expect that the women will have a lot more to do in the episodes to come, but I still find it profoundly problematic to introduce the characters in such an unequal manner. I believe there are too many men in the world as it is who see women as mere supporting players in their stories. Why reinforce this stereotype for a whole new generation of superhero cartoon fans?
Greg responds...
It's a legitimate gripe. And I doubt my answer will satisfy you, but it came down to a couple factors that we at least found important: (1) practicality and to a lesser extent - but intertwined with - (2) tradition.
Let's start with practicality.
You asked why there were no female Leaguers until the end. But where would they have fit? There are no female Leaguers with traditional first generation sidekicks. So Batman, Green Arrow, Aquaman and Flash could not be replaced by Wonder Woman, Black Canary or Hawkwoman. That leaves the four Leaguers introduced at the Hall of Justice. I needed Martian Manhunter to be there to set up Miss Martian. I needed Red Tornado there to set up his interest in the teens. I needed Superman there to set up Superboy. That leaves only Zatara. He was certainly replaceable. But then I would have had to hire another voice actress to read ONE LINE. I couldn't afford to do that. We have budgets. (And you'll notice that Red Tornado never speaks in the episode. Couldn't afford giving him a line either. None of which had anything to do with gender.)
There was NEVER any intent to introduce Artemis this early in the season for story reasons. Wouldn't make sense for her character. And I think the reasons why will become clear as the season progresses.
As for Miss Martian, yes, in theory, we could have introduced her sooner. Manhunter COULD have brought her along at the beginning. But then I'd have had FOUR characters running around the first half hour and FIVE in the second. That steals screen time and characterization from everyone. I think the entire production would have been weaker for adding another character -- ANY other character (gender notwithstanding).
Of course, that begs the obvious question - why not ditch one of the boys in favor of her to create a little balance.
But it seemed to us that would create balance at a cost.
There are FOUR TRADITIONAL sidekicks: Robin, Speedy, Aqualad and Kid Flash. To leave one out seemed wrong to us. Which brings in the Tradition argument, which I'll admit is somewhat feeble, but as an old comic book geek, I'll also admit it matters to me and to everyone else here.
The very first Teen Titans story ever in Brave and the Bold featured only THREE heroes: Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash. Wonder Girl did not join until their second adventure. So we felt there was a precedent for beginning with Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash and saving the real introduction of Miss Martian (beyond hellos) for OUR second adventure.
For what it's worth, if you give the series another chance, starting with episode three (i.e. the one immediately following the pilot "movie"), I think you'll see that female characters including Miss Martian, Black Canary, Artemis, Wonder Woman and MANY others will be playing ESSENTIAL roles in the show as we progress. I think the balance - and then some - is absolutely present in the first season when viewed in its entirety.
Yes, the pilot was very boy-centric, but that's not the rubric for the series. Personally, I love writing female characters, and if you're at all familiar with my past work, you'll know I have a history of doing them justice. (At least, I think so.) Gargoyles, for example, is FULL of strong female characters, including Elisa, Demona, Angela, Fox, etc. WITCH was nearly ALL female leads. Even Spider-Man had a strong female supporting cast, in my opinion at least.
If we did "reinforce a stereotype" (which I think is overstating it) then perhaps we've lured in kids that we will reeducate over the course of the season - organically without forcing it.
So I'd beg a little patience, a little indulgence... maybe even a little trust that we'll do right by this issue.
But judge for yourself.
kon-el writes...
1.Does Superboy have super hearing? I mean he was able to hear Aqualad from far away.
2.Why couldn't Superboy fly?
Greg responds...
1. Yes.
2. Why indeed?
Anonymous writes...
I really dont know how your gonna respond to this you might wanna keep it to yourself so people dont read to much into it, but could you tell us the ages of some of the people on Earth-16?
These are the ones I'd like to know
Black Canary
Zatanna
Jamie Reyes
Static
Zachary Zatara
Supergirl
Yeah those arre the main ones Im curious about
Greg responds...
I'm not going to address ANY characters who have not appeared in the series. Period.
So the only character on your list who HAS appeared is Canary, who is 24.
Greg Bishansky writes...
I originally wrote this for my blog, and decided to paste it in here.
Young Justice
Well, what do you know? This is my one hundredth entry. Appropriate that it is about Greg Weisman's newest TV series.
Anyone who knows me knows I am a huge fan of Greg Weisman's work. "Gargoyles" is my all time favorite TV series; I adored "The Spectacular Spider-Man;" I was quite fond of the second season of "W.I.T.C.H.;" and the freelance scripts he wrote for shows like "Men In Black" and "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command" were always fun.
Okay, I really hated "Max Steel" and couldn't watch more than one episode, but that show had all sorts of behind the scenes problems that were not his fault. And sadly, "Roughnecks: Star Ship Troopers Chronicles" never aired in my area, so I've never really seen it. But, overall, Greg Weisman is responsible for high quality television. So, I was greatly anticipating his newest series, "Young Justice."
"Young Justice" is loosely based on a DC Comics title by the same name, but draws from many other sources. It focuses on a group of sidekicks (but don't call them that) who band together to become a covert ops team connected to the Justice League. The stars of the show are Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Superboy, Miss Martian, and Artemis. Although, we have yet to meet Artemis and only briefly met Miss Martian.
The theme of the first season is "secrets and lies" and this is very apparent within the pilot already. The Justice League is keeping secrets from the members of Young Justice... which was enough to piss off Speedy, and get him to storm off. And Project Cadmus was keeping secrets from the rest of the world.
I love a good mystery, and we've got one set up with a shadowy organization called The Light, who were behind Project Cadmus. Although, I am somewhat reminded of the Illuminati from "Gargoyles" (Hmm... Light - illuminated - Illuminati) and the Council of Thirteen of the Guild of Calamitous Intent in "The Venture Bros." although, I highly doubt Davie Bowie is L-1.
The writing and dialogue are very sharp, and considering the pilot was penned by Mr. Weisman himself, that was to be expected. The animation is very strong, and I kept wondering what their budget was, because it looks great. The voice acting was also phenomenal, which is to be expected from any series voice directed by Jamie Thomason.
This series has just about everything going for it, and already, in my mind, blew the competition out of the water. Yes, I enjoy "The Avengers - Earth's Mightiest Heroes" quite a bit, but the quality of that show just doesn't compare to the quality of "Young Justice." The funny thing about that is that outside of Batman, and some Vertigo comics, I have no attachment to DC Comics at all. I've always been a Marvel reader. But Marvel has never had animated series as good as DC's, with the exception of "The Spectacular Spider-Man" which was just as great as "Batman the Animated Series." But then, look at who the mastermind behind Spidey was.
I give the pilot of "Young Justice" a solid five stars. It also left me intrigued enough to come back for more when the series really gets going in January.
Greg responds...
Glad you liked it!
Anonymous writes...
If there was enough related media, and tie-in's what would you like the universe your creating to be called?
Greg responds...
Earth-16. (We're talking about Young Justice, right?)
Anonymous writes...
Hey Greg,
I was wondering did Blockbuster die in the end or was he imprisoned? And did Ms. Martian change the color of her shirt to match Superboys? How would you describe Superman's reaction to Superboy? When they're first walking into the Hall Of Justice Kid Flash says "Have all 4 sidekicks ever been in the same place at once" or something along those lines does that mean that there are only 4 sidekicks on Earth-16 currently? (which doesnt mean there arent other teen superheroes they'd just be solo right)
Greg responds...
1. He didn't die.
2. Didn't you see her change the color of her shirt?
3. I'll leave that to the audience's interpretation.
4. There are only four at that time - at least as far as KF knows.
Jack-Pumpkinhead writes...
Hey Greg, congratulations on Young Justice! I watched the two-hour premiere and I was thoroughly impressed. I liked the way you handled the characters and the world. I mean, getting Blockbuster in like that? Very nicely done. You put together a very formidable JLA there, and I liked ... oh hell, I loved everything! Please give my kudos to the animators and voice actor if possible (Jesse McCartney was awesome as Robin). My only two questions on the show come from having a poor quality tape to record it on;
1-Did they say Aqualad's first name in the show? Cause if they did, I missed it.
2- Was That Cripsin Freeman voicing Speedy? I know he was Guardian, but I didn't know about Roy.
Again, awesome job, and the series premiere cant start soon enough!
Greg responds...
1. They didn't. But it's Kaldur'ahm.
2. Yes, Crispin did both voices.
Richard Jackson writes...
Congratulations on the premiere. Good work to you and your colleagues.
I have two Gargoyle questions, though. What was the "official" reason given for Vinnie's firing from Gen-U-Tech? I would think that they wouldn't put down "was a reading a newpaper while the boss was kidnapped by a gargoyle." And who ordered Vinnie's termination?
Greg responds...
What's wrong with "was a reading a newpaper while the boss was kidnapped..."
And, I imagine Vinnie's immediate superior fired him.
Anonymous writes...
Will you make a Dark Ages comic books spin off??? I would like to know more about the lives of the Gargoyle characters. And by the way, I watched young justice and I enjoyed it! I can't wait till the series comes out in January!
Greg responds...
I"d love to do a Dark Ages comic book spin off. But right now we don't have a publisher.
Anonymous writes...
That premiere was amazing!! One question though one that Im not even sure your allowed to anwser. When Blockbuster tells the scientist to clone Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad, Robin replies bys saying "Pass Batcaves Crowded Enough" can you elaborate on what he meant by this? Is their a Batgirl or Batwoman running around Gotham in this universe or maybe Bathound?
Greg responds...
Maybe it's just a REALLY small Batcave, huh? ;)
Anonymous writes...
Greeat Premiere, and though I know you cant tell me if they'll appear on the show I was wondering if Static Shock and and the new Blue Beetle currently exist in the Earth-16 universe? Even if they'll never show up I just want to know if they're floating around somewhere out there doing their thing.
Greg responds...
No comment.
Henry writes...
I saw the Young Justice pilot, and I LOVEEED it. I mean amazing I loved the whelmed running joke, and when Kid Flash was like "We're in to deep...literally." I loled. Well to my question though this wasnt something that came up in the pilot I was wondering if the Young Justice Team was going to be going up against a lot of teen villans? That happened a lot in Teen Titans, and it wasnt really something that made a lot of sense to me. Oh and this one is completely hypothetical lets that Young Justice turned out to be the most successful Cartoon Network show EVER like of ALL TIME would there be a possibility of spin-off shows maybe like a new DCAU? Or maybe some direct to video movies that take place on Earth 16, but dont necessarily involve the Young Justice Team?
Greg responds...
Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
As for the age of the villains, you'll have to wait and see.
SoundForSound writes...
Any reason for Disney to not just do a digital only release of Gargoyles via iTunes? Would not that be cheaper to release than DVD, or who knows? Any word on if YJ will be available on iTunes? Keep up the great work. Spidey was amazing, so am looking forward to YJ.
Greg responds...
I just have no idea on either front.
Anonymous writes...
Would it make any differences if you didn't used a Futurama voice actor to voice Aquaman in Young Justice?
Greg responds...
What do you mean?
Phil LaMarr, who indeed voices Hermes on Futurama, is the voice of Aquaman (and Dubbilex). We think he's great.
Pumpkin Bomb writes...
Hi Greg,
Absolutely loved the premiere of Young Justice! Dragged along a friend to see it, and now she can't wait for the rest either. As I saw a Tivo'd version at a relative's house, it's possible I might have accidentally missed it, but I didn't notice a TV theme opening with music or credits for the first two episodes. Is this because it is the pilot and you're saving the opening theme for the rest of the episodes? Or because it was cut as a TV movie? Can you confirm if we going to get an opening themesong, or sequence at all?
If so, can't wait to see it.
Greg responds...
There will be an opening title sequence for the episodes. There was none (intentionally) on the "movie" version.
Rinaldi poet writes...
I would like to know who made this eb site becouse I need a web designer for myself
my email address is viadeicrispolti@hotmail.it
Greg responds...
That would be Gorebash. But I don't know if he's reading this... here. Or if he would be interested.
Masterdramon writes...
Hey Greg! So I managed to catch "Independence Day," and...
Well, to be honest, it was so incredibly awesome that it may have melted my brain a little bit. XD
So, now to jump into my comments...
- Mr. Freeze, Icicle, Killer Frost, and Captain Cold launch nearly simultaneous attacks across the country, and to the League's credit they immediately figure out something's up with that. My guess is that the first iteration of the Secret Society of Super Villains/Injustic League/Legion of Doom/pick your poison has been covertly set up fairly recently in this Universe, which will give Young Justice an organized enemy to fight in addition (or possibly in tamdem) to this mysterious "Light." Me likey so far.
- I...freaking...love...this...Aqualad. The cool delivery from Khary Payton (remarkably distinct from Cyborg from "Teen Titans," though their battle cries and impact grunts are nigh-identical), the badass power set, and the little verbal tics like constantly referring to Aquaman as "my King" (now that should make for some interesting drama once poor Kaldur'ahm learns of his true parentage) all combine for easily the coolest "Aqua-" related character ever to exist outside of the comics (although the OUTRAGEOUS! Aquaman from "Brave and the Bold" comes close).
- Speedy getting the Hell outta dodge after learning what their true reward on their "big day" was definitely had my sympathy (Kid Flash emphasizes this beautifully in the next scene by describing the Watchtower as "a secret HQ...IN SPACE!"). Looks like this both explains why Artemis will end up joining the team instead, and (presumably) fortells the coming of Red Arrow rather earlier than usual in this continuity.
- I like how you guys decided to turn "side-kick" into a dirty word amongst the prospective Young Justice members. Speedy prefers "partner" (which, like his aforementioned storm-out, is perfectly in line with his character), while the others just seem to find the term generally degrading. And I got a real kick (pardon the pun, LOL) out of all the little jokes at the beginning over the characters' anonymity; no one in the general public seems to be able to remember poor Kid Flash's name, with one person in the crowd mistaking him as Speedy and decrying that name going to the archer instead "makes no sense" (now THAT made me laugh).
- The Genomorphs, particularly the "dwarf" psychic ones, had me in chills. As did Mark Desmond (recognized him immediately, mostly by the rather conspicuous "Blockbuster" vials shown in his first scene), sporting a rather twisted version of the voice the same actor used for the Mechanist in "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and using said dwarf Genomorphs to keep Guardian's mind under lock and key. On the other hand, this notion of them achieving sentience as a hive mind - and proclaiming Superboy as their possible savior - has me heavily intrigued.
- Superboy himself is an excellent take on the often cliche-ridden clone concept. He's been taught to hold Superman up as a perfect ideal (sensical, given that he was designed to replace him in role and function), leading to an in-universe dropping of the phrase "What Would Superman Do?" being the catalyst for his change of heart. But now that Superman (who, of course, knows nothing about dealing with kids, as Supergirl is conspicuously absent from this Universe) has tried to dodge the semi-parental responsibility he really should have to him, it looks like the proto-Connor Kent is stuck in permanent teen rebellion mode...up to 11. This is obviously going to lead to some real problems down the line; hopefully, however, not nearly as severe as his Earth-Prime counterpart.
- Tons and tons and tons of mythology gags riddled throughout these two episodes, to the point where I can't even remember half of them. I love it when writers show their work and their research, and you never fail to deliver on both counts. Particular highlights included Superboy's immature powers not including flight and heat vision - in other words, being at the level of the Golden Age Superman, whereas the adult powers of the original Kal-El are at his more well-known Silver Age levels - and Kid Flash's reference to Flash always taking his time at crime scenes to get chummy with everyone, the villain included...which, of course, has always been Barry Allen's trademark to a "T." Though be warned, Wally; if your character development proceeds anything like your mainstream counterpart, you'll eventually end up doing the exact same thing.
- As has been noted many times before and surely will be noted far more times in the future, the voice acting, scoring, and animation quality is absolutely superb throughout. The entirety of both episodes appear to be produced at roughly the same level as the recent DC Animated films, which is just tremendous. Here's hoping that the series remains comparable to the standards set here once in resumes in January.
So I just want to say, on behalf of my fellow DC Comics geeks everywhere, thank you for lending your hand to bringing forth this wonderful addition to our rich animated mythos. I wait with bated breath for the story of these young heroes to truly reach their new beginning next year. So until next time...
"Eventually...everyone sees the light."
>shivers, but in a good way<
Greg responds...
Thanks.
For the record, there are G-Gnomes (the tiny psychic guys), G-Trolls (the huge strong brutes), G-Elves (the clawed warriors), G-Dwarves (the tentacled worker drones), G-Sprites (the electricity generating creatures) and one G-Goblin (Dubbilex) with telekinetic powers (and secret psychic powers).
Harlequinn writes...
When Miss Martian's shirt morphed to match Superboy's colors, did she do that on purpose? Or did it just happen cause she had a crush?
Greg responds...
She did it on purpose.
SLG writes...
Hey Greg,
Really liked the Young Justice pilot, very solid stuff. I especially like the line Robin had about how Batman would "have his head" for taking so long to get out of those shackles. Robin seemed pretty capable, and I'm sure he'll get closer to Batman's level as time goes on, but I do hope we'll get to see the master at work every once in a while.
I also really have to say that I loved the action sequences (and the writing, of course). They had a great flow to them and a great sense of pace. I was also a bit surprised at how hard hitting some of the fights were, by which I mean they seemed to be fairly violent, even compared to something as recent as SpecSpidey, though that's just my take on it.
So anyway, you say that your brother, Jon Weisman, is writing for Young Justice, which got me thinking about how that was also the case during your time on WITCH. Since someone was nice enough to upload the entire series onto YouTube it has been easy enough to go back to. One of my favorites of that show was "S for Self", mainly because of the songs "Demon in Me" and "Will to Love" that played during it, for which you and Jon wrote the lyrics.
So this is a bit out there, but do you suppose that original songs, like those produced for WITCH, are something that would ever have a place in Young Justice?
How about an entire episode in the form of a musical? Buffy style, you know you want to.
Greg responds...
I do want to. But I'm not sure I'm smart enough to come up with an original reason for it to happen -- that WORKS with the tone of this show. Way back when, I wanted to do a musical episode of Gargoyles, but could never come up with a justification. Then Joss Whedon did "Once More With Feeling". And of course, the answer was obvious. I could have used Puck to force everyone to sing. Trouble is... I wasn't smart enough to figure that out first. Yes, that's right. Joss Whedon is smarter than I am. Now, taking that approach would REALLY look like I was ripping off his idea. I'm not 100% sure I'm above that. But I'm about 87% sure, so...
Even on Spidey, which was a show with a way less realistic and grounded tone than YJ is, I struggled to find an original reason to do a musical episode. And I couldn't figure one out. So the odds of me figuring one out on Young Justice seem slim, I'm afraid.
Grant writes...
1) Aqualad appears to have a measure of super strength, is he also bullet proof?
2) Is Mount Justice suppose to be Happy Harbor like in the comic?
Greg responds...
1. No.
2. Yes.
Clark Cradic writes...
Great job on the premiere! XD I can't wait to see more. Especially Miss Martian!
Greg responds...
Me neither!
Ian Whitcombe writes...
Do you think you could post a complete credit list for "Independence Day"?
Greg responds...
Done.
Eric Moore writes...
You've made it clear that you won't be giving heights for most of the characters, but you did mention in a January '08 response that you thought of Xanatos as being about six feet tall. I am a fan of numbers. Would you object to fans (me in particular) calculating heights rather than leaving them vague?
Greg responds...
Knock yourself out.
Anonymous writes...
In your head, who voices Fleur?
How about the Grim?
Greg responds...
Rhona Mitra & Cary Elwes
Logan writes...
thanks for the trailers... looks insane.
this question may seem spoiled and a little greedy/impatient. But, i gotta ask. I remember hearing about a tempest apearence. Would his presence on the show be similar o red arrow's (multiple episodes supporting character) or can we expect to see him in a one shot atlantis aqualad episode?
keep up the great adapting. when i saw the designs and details from NYCC it felt like bruce timm on steroids.
Greg responds...
No comment.
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