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REVELATIONS 2012-08 (Aug)

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Jerry Whitworth writes...

Hey Greg, just saw the YJ episode "Performance" and I was curious: was Jack Haly's physical appearance based on Mr. Miracle's buddy Oberon (taller and heavier, of course)? Thanks!

Greg responds...

No. It seems that character designer Jerome Moore based Haly on Ed Asner. I'm not sure why. Ed, who had already voiced Kent Nelson for us, was never going to be the voice of Jack Haly, though if he hadn't already voiced Kent, Jack would have been a great part for Ed.

http://jerome-k-moore.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4y1gub

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

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Jude writes...

We saw Cissie King-Jones in "Insecurity". How old is she?

Greg responds...

Cissie is nine-years-old as of "Insecurity".

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

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Mies writes...

How popular are Kid Flash, Robin, and Kaldur in America? Particularly the last two whom, intentionally or unintentionally, perhaps shy away from the media for obvious reasons. Those three the ones we've seen so far who seem popular with the media.

Greg responds...

They're all three fairly famous, which doesn't mean they give the press a lot of face time.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

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Meis writes...

Did Artemis recognize Robin in "Performances" as her school mate, Dick Grayson, or was she too occupied with the mission, of "not looking for answers," to realize?

Greg responds...

She never saw him without a mask. On a world where no one recognizes Clark Kent because of his glasses, that's got to be enough to suspend your disbelief.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

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Larisse writes...

Just finished "Performances" and what an episode! Ok, since we couldn't see how Batman reacted (and from what I'm told, it isn't touched up on a following episode this season) to Robin's taking lead on a non-sanctioned mission, leading on the team with a delicate lie of "Because Batman said so." A brief answer would be appreciated! Thanks!

Greg responds...

What's the question?

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

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Nought-o-File writes...

How would you categorize Nought in terms of his place among Oberon's Children? By which I mean would he be a trickster (IE Puck), or a mythical figure (IE banshee), a literary figure (IE Titania), a god figure (IE Anubis), or something else we have not yet encountered? I understand that you don't intend for all Oberon's children fall into only one or any of these, and I don't mean to imply that they all do, it just seems that a lot of the ones we have met tend to fall into these groups somewhere. I was just wondering how you would classify, or differentiate, Nought?

Thanks so Much!

Greg responds...

Nought is the absense of category. He is nothing. The God of Nothing.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

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Danger writes...

1. How old is King Faraday?
2. How long have Oliver and Dinah been in a romantic relationship?
3. How long have Oliver and Dinah known each other?
4. How long have Dinah and Roy known each other?
5. Is Roy a millionaire?
Thanks for your time! YJ is phenomenal :D

Greg responds...

1. As of "Performance", King Faraday is 41-years-old.

2. Depends on how you define your terms.

3. About three years.

4. About the same.

5. No.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

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Jack-Pumpkinhead writes...

Dear Greg,
Wow, Performance was a great episode! I mean, it was fun to see Grayson with the circus, I'm surprised the Ringmaster is the only one who recognized him. Also, nice job with Parasite, he was good and creepy! And I like the casting of Clancy Brown as King Faraday, excellent choice. But most importantly for me, thank you for finally having Roy lighten up on Artemis, Megan, & Connor. I still think Sportsmaster was lying about a mole to screw with their heads, but it was nice for Roy to give them the benefit of the doubt finally.
Please keep it up and I anxiously await the next episode!

PS- I realize I screwed up in my last response by calling the civilian Mr. King when I meant Mr. Jones. But I still know the little girl is Cissie King-Jones, AKA Arowette (again, thank you)

Greg responds...

You're welcome.

Response recorded on August 23, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Just watched Performance and enjoyed it, great job with the episode! I liked how you didn't dwell too much into Robin's past, and kept fans wondering (even though many know the details of it). I loved the Wally and Dick interaction, and their conversation showed just how deep their friendship goes. My question is how long has Wally known about Dick's past, and when did Dick tell him about it? Thanks!

Greg responds...

About a year and a half prior to the start of YJ.

Response recorded on August 23, 2012

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Miten writes...

Hey Greg it's me again and I was wondering
how did you get the role of spectacular spiderman.

Greg responds...

You mean the job producing it?

I interviewed for it - like five times - and they chose me, I assume, based on the ideas I pitched them for it, all of which wound up in the show.

Or did you mean how did I get the role of Menken in SpecSpidey?

I cast myself.

Response recorded on August 23, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

If Cheshire hates Sportsmaster so much, why did she decide to follow in his footsteps in joining the League of Shadows?

Greg responds...

Human beings are complex and contradictory.

Response recorded on August 23, 2012

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Matthew writes...

Just watched Performance and liked it a lot. I'm glad to see an episode focusing on Robin. Just curious was Robin's laugh inspired by the Shadow of pulp/radio fame?

Greg responds...

Well, the Shadow's up there in my brain, but I really don't think so. It's inspired more by his youth and irrepressibility.

Response recorded on August 23, 2012

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Eagle-Owl writes...

YJ questions:

1) Clancy Brown as Agent Faraday, and Faraday looks A LOT like George Stacy. Spectacular Spider-Man reference?

2) Parasite was working for Intergang. Does this say anything about the current whereabouts of Bruno Mannheim or Whisper A'Daire?

Greg responds...

1. Not particularly. Again, keep in mind that the designs are done by Phil Bourassa under Brandon Vietti's art direction, and neither worked on SpecSpidey.

2. Not particularly.

Response recorded on August 23, 2012

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phool writes...

What is Roy and Dinah's relationship like in YJ? Does he see her as a surrogate mother or a big sister?

Greg responds...

More of a big sister. She's only six years older than he thinks he is.

Response recorded on August 23, 2012

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WoWonder writes...

I saw a preview of what's yet to come to come in season 2 of Young Justice on the Hollywood Reporter website. But I only get to see about the last 17 seconds of it. The rest of those seconds were recaps of season 1. Can you tell me if you REALLY understand what happened in those 17 seconds?

Greg responds...

Me? Sure. But then I worked on the show.

Response recorded on August 23, 2012

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Codeman1992 writes...

Hi Mr. Weisman, I just wanted to give you props on developing one of the most interesting and creative superhero series on television. Young Justice is one of the greatest superhero series I've watched. I put it up there with the great Batman The Animated Series and all the Timmverse Shows. So, like I said before, I give you props and you are a extremely well versed writer and it's proof in your work. With the new Spider Man movie coming out soon, I've noticed it's very reminiscent of The Spectacular Spider man. At least in the case of turning Gwen into a potential love interest in High School, who both her and Pete intern somewhere. That's my first question, have you noticed that? My second question is regarding The Spectacular Spider Man. I'm in my Spidey Obsession phase and always turn to your show whenever I'm in that phase. Since there's not gonna be a Season 3 of the show, can you drop any potential storylines or where the show was gonna go after the finale of Season 2? I know this is really long, but I'm a huge fan and hope I can be as great of a writer as you are one day. Thank You Mr. Weisman for your time.

Greg responds...

1. I did notice similarities, but we're all working off the same source material, so there are bound to be similarities.

2. ASKED AND ANSWERED.

Response recorded on August 23, 2012

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smartaxe writes...

Which of the DC Nation shorts are you enjoying the most?

Greg responds...

SBFF and Animal Man are both fun little series. Some of the Mad shorts are pretty funny, and some of the Teen Titans shorts too.

Response recorded on August 23, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

For the moment I'm commenting on the current episode!
Insecurity
1- Mmmm Black Spider moves like Spiderman and in voiced by Josh Keaton...cute. When Spectacular Spiderman came out there were some complaints about the design being cartoony. It really grew on me and it worked wonderfully with the incredibly fluid animation. If ever there were a superhero that fluidity suited it it would be Spidy. Black Spider has the more traditional silhouette and movement. Was this seen as a chance to show that as well as an in joke?
2- I see other posters are calling the little blond girl being Arrowette. Clever...age is right judging by Logan...though it would be a significantly different back story (IIRC). I don’t recall her father living long enough for her to really remember him. I haven’t been able to successfully google if “Bowstring Jones” was a real character or not. In the comic book he really seemed a bit of a joke. He was the guy who choked on calamari. That was pretty much it. And all fans know that Peter David wrote her as another illegitimate child of Oliver’s.
3-Another case of addressing questions that have been swirling- Artimas’s mother point blank explains why she allows, even encourages, her daughter’s activities. Of course the irony follows- she is trying to be honest and ends up angering Artimas and shaking her confidence. (I chuckled at Paula’s “Well, I am your mother!” line. Great delivery.)
4-More irony- Artimas mulls over it and reaches the mature decision not to let it bother her because regardless of how she started, she has certainly earned her unique spot on the team... and then Red Arrow is there. Murphy rules.
5- Wally is mature and sweet at the beginning. Then he is mature in his anger and disappointment. Also, it never once occurs to him to question her loyalty. The first explanation that jumps to mind that she was seeking glory, not being a mole.
6- Is it my imagination, or does Cheshire have an accent? If so, why? It has been my observation, excluding isolated communities, children of immigrants don’t pick up the parents’ accents in the local language, only in the ones they don’t hear all around them all the time. I can see her speaking Vietnamese and French with her mom’s accent, but English?
7- Cheshire kissed Roy...lucky it seems she hasn’t started with poison yet.
8- Did Conner rub his arm where the shield patch had been and fly?
9- Loved Wolf’s inconvenient nap time :)
10- I may be wrong, but I still don’t read Artimas as a potential mole. Of course her father and sister are messing with her head, but I don’t think even they think she’ll really turn on her team as much as screw up by being off her game.

Wow! I'm caught up...er nope. I still have the comic books ahead.

Greg responds...

1. Not to me. Phil designed Black Spider for episode 106, without any baggage from SpecSpidey.

2. Let's be frank: you guys haven't seen enough of Cissie to know how similar or how different her origin is. This was just a taste.

3. Kelly is a gem and does a wonderful job as both Paula and Jade.

4. Yep.

5. Yep again.

6. I think it's your imagination. I've never noticed any accent in Jade.

7. Not for Roy, anyway.

8. Yeah, him shielding up there got cut for time. But somehow the arm scratch got left in.

9. Thanks.

10. Well, by now you know.

Response recorded on August 23, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Another day another comment :)

Agendas
1- How annoying! The station ran an ad showing the team with Rocket. Talk about spoilers...
2- I love the Watchtower design- looking at it it just fits with it not being weaponized.
3- I really like Wonder Woman’s voice.., and her ‘more females’ comment.
4- I really loved the JLA’s considerations
a-they openly wonder if more members stoke enemies.
b-Icon and Rocket show up, and Superman wondering if he’s Kryptonian. I always thought Icon makes a fascinating comparison to Superman. Going on his Milestone origin- Both are powerful aliens who grew up on Earth, but Icon was an adult first and deaged to blend in. He was genetically linked to his human family, and most important, he’s been here since the 1850s, and spent the first 15 of those years as a slave. Superman has no real memory of his life before Earth. He may be near immortal, but as of now he’s only lived a normal 30 or so years. He hasn’t outlived his family, his wife, innumerable friends. And obviously, he never experienced anything like slavery first hand. They are both alien and native sons in different ways. They are both profoundly different and yet part of Earth in different ways.
c-Green Lanterns on Guy...bwahaha!
d-They know now Captain Marvel is a boy, and it is an issue. Bruce always knew, (maybe). Actually, that reminds me of a theory I have on Batman. He lost his parents and made his oath at around 8 years old. Consciously or not, for him childhood ends at 8. Maybe not as in an adult who’ll be on his own, but more like a Bar Mitzvah- Old enough to be responsible for ones own actions, to make momentous decisions. Billy is 10, Dick was 9. In his mind both are old enough to choose to put their lives in danger.
e- Not telling us the decision?? Mean!
5- As I mentioned on Image, you’ve really been hitting the questions of late
-last time is was M’gann and being a White Martian (It seems she somehow has kept it from J’onn...or that it isn’t a big deal to him so he doesn’t realize how it effects her.)
-Guardian and Roy are confirmed relations
-Conner and Lex are indeed connected
-Wonder Woman gets a speaking role...
-...and calls Batman on training a 9 yr old. (Loved her interactions with Bats and Supes.)
-Fate is confirmed to be staying on and have noticeable input from Zatara.
6- In the room the Match was in, what was in the other tubes? Their contents seemed to disappear when they were trashed.
7- Is that ‘Red Sun’ or ‘Red Son’? Wait, never mind, it’s been asked.
Another great episode.

Greg responds...

1. Yeah, that stuff drives me nuts.

2. Check out Brandon's post about it. It's even cooler than you thought.

3. Maggie was just great as the Princess.

4a. Seemed important to raise.

4b. Yeah, I always thought Icon and Rocket were great!

4c. ;)

4d. Batman knew. It's not like he recommends all kids take on this responsibility. But Billy was already doing it and had been chosen to do it, and Bruce felt Dick NEEDED it so that he would not turn out like the Batman.

4e. Intentionally so. ;)

5. J'onn always knew she was a White Martian. He was also aware what a big deal it was to her, though he himself didn't think it was a big deal.

6. Piecework.

7. Red Sun. (I'm trying to figure out how 'Red Son' would make ANY sense? I mean, I know Conner is Lex's 'son', but why would Superboy be a RED son?)

Response recorded on August 23, 2012

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ILikeSpiderMan writes...

Hi Greg!

Obviously I'm a huge fan of your work, since I'm, y'know, posting on your site. I've just been sitting and listening to your Spectacular Spider-Man podcast interviews, which are offering some "spectacular" insight (haha, ha).

You talk about Gwen Stacy being the first (one?) true love of Peter's life, and her incredible importance to him. You've also discussed your desire to adapt the feel and general story of the original comics as faithfully as possible. Given that Gwen is most famous for being killed by the Green Goblin, what does that mean for Gwen's future in the series? I'm not asking what your plans for the show were (I don't want spoilers, as some small part of me still hopes that somehow this show will have a future), but I'm wondering if you and the other writers were even considering including Gwen's death in the series. Would it warp the show's tone irreparably? Would it still be possible to write a fun-loving, wise-cracking Spider-Man after this? Would the CW/Disney allow this on a children's program?

Or did you and the other writers/producers decide upfront to veto the idea?

I understand how this could easily be seen as a spoiler request. I'm less curious about the potential plotline of future SSM episodes, and more wondering about the considerations you and your writing team take when adapting material from the comics, especially grittier, less-child-friendly stuff.

Thanks profusely!

Greg responds...

All I can say - or rather all I FEEL like saying - is that we had (pipe-dream) plans to do five 13-episode seasons that would have taken us through Peter's graduation from High School. After that, our hope was to do a series of Direct to DVD movies that would continue the story into Peter's college years and beyond.

Response recorded on August 23, 2012

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B writes...

In "Misplaced", was Roanoke Island chosen as the location of Klarion's spell because people (the whole Roanoke Colony) had disappeared there before? And if so, was it necessary for the spellcasters, or just a fun reference on your part?

Greg responds...

Both.

Response recorded on August 23, 2012

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Tia writes...

Was the little girl in the episode Insecurities of Young Justice Cissie Jones or Arrowette?
By the way, amazing show.

Greg responds...

Cissie King-Jones. And thanks.

Response recorded on August 23, 2012

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WATCHTOWER AND HALL OF JUSTICE BACKGROUND INFO

WATCHTOWER AND HALL OF JUSTICE BACKGROUND INFO

Brandon Vietti, my producing partner on Young Justice, has blogged on our versions of the Hall of Justice and the Watchtower. Check it out here:

http://www.brandonvietti.blogspot.com/


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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

I think the deluge has slowed, I'm still managing to keep up and post questions!

Image:
1- Young Justice really excels at showing people being people- the roleplaying, the humor in the reaction, the awkwardness talking with M'gann. Similarly the later line “He’s 8, he doesn’t do orders.”
2- So Kid Flash knows Bruce is Batman... This is the beginning of a string of hitting the questions that were being asked all the time on this site. (Asked over and over...) This episode answers that and the White Martian question. Wonder Woman gets a significant role ~and~ the dearth of female roles both get hit in the next ep, along with if the JLA knew Billy Batson was a kid. Other stuff I’ll mention in my comments on Agenda. Did you get a good chuckle knowing it was coming up?
3- Is it just me, or does Queen Bee looks like Marina Stirtis?
4- Loved the Hello Megan clips. But who are these Greg Vietti & Brandon Weisman folks..? Seriously, I googled everyone, that show is like a nexus of DC happenings.
5- White Martians are even uglier than in the comics. Nice design! I’ve wondered for a while if M’gann was her real name or not. She says she was attracted to the similarity in the names and some coincidences do happen. On the other hand....
6- Beast Boy... green eyes... Interesting how Martians can change on a molecular level. It seems that that transfusion plays a role in him becoming Beast Boy and green, yet she’s a White a Martian. Has she so internalized her role that she held on to the Green cells more than the White ones? Similarly, the ‘real form’ she showed was still more human than J’onn’s. She really is still in deep denile. (Nice little twist of the knife when Robin apologizes for making her lie and impersonate Queen Bee.)
7- The mole didn’t know it when the charge was first made. Brilliant. Everyone was looking for something that didn’t exist yet, so know they think it was a ruse to begin with and miss the threat, I know folks are saying the mole could still be Conner or Artimas, but I’m really reading it as M’Gann since she is actually being blackmailed, while the others are being emotionally manipulated. They haven’t done anything particularly egregious yet. Letting your sister go, even using the drug is not the same as brain blasting a bad guy to vegetable status simply to keep a secret-blasting your friends too. Of course I could be wrong.
8- Why do I feel the urge to say, "And the plot thickens..."?

Greg responds...

1. Thanks, we try.

2. Sometimes, I get a chuckle. Sometimes it's just frustrating.

3. It's possible, but I believe the design was completed before the part was cast.

4. "Hello, Megan!" had a stellar cast of DC Universe actors. ;)

5. It's her real name.

6. Yes, she's in deep denial - down to the molecular level. But again, Manhunter's form is no more "real" than either Megan Morse, Miss Martian or bald M'gann. The only true Martian form we've seen up to this point, is M'gann's White Martian form.

7. By now, you know.

8. Cuz it does. With every single episode.

Response recorded on August 16, 2012

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Justin F. writes...

Hey Greg. I wanted to let you know that I, and a large portion of the internet community, absolutely loved Spectacular Spider-Man. The show accurately portrayed who Peter Parker was, his troubles, his difficult choices, and his life as Spider-Man. Me, being a teen in high school, thought Peter was someone I could relate to, even though he had these extraordinary powers. Being able to relate to Peter Parker is something that should be constant (and for the most part, has been constant) in every Spider-Man story. I know I'm not the only one who thinks that the series should have went on for much longer. However, I know that the series' ending had to do with Disney/Marvel purchasing the animated series rights from Sony. Since this was pretty much out of your hands, I'm here to propose an idea.
Since the rights to the theme song, character designs, etc. for The Spectacular Spider-Man are locked by Sony, and you couldn't possibly resume the show even if you wanted to at Disney/Marvel, I suggest making, if you'd be fine with doing so, an INDEPENDENT episode (about 45 min. or an hour long)of The Spectacular Spider-Man and release it online. Sean Galloway could come back to do the designs, and you could get the voice actors who would agree to it back if the scheduling works in the favor of both parties. This is more than a scheduling thing than anything, when you're not busy with Young Justice and they're not busy with anything, but it may be able to work. And since it wouldn't be
released under the Sony or Marvel banner, and if you make it perfectly clear that it's a "fan film", no breach-in-contract would occur at all.
I'm sorry if I'm sounding selfish, but the show had a HUGE, HUGE fan base, and most of this HUGE fan base, when tuned in to watch Ultimate Spider-Man on Sunday, all cringed in unison (no offense to Marvel or anyone who likes the show). It just doesn't match the charm that your interpretation of Spider-Man had. So I would definitely like for you to take this into consideration. Would you be able to make an independent "final" episode of Spectacular Spider-Man exclusively for online, one that is a "fan film" of sorts? Thank you for your time.

-Justin

Greg responds...

Justin, it's just not up to me. I can't create a "fan film" with someone else's property.

For starters, who would pay for it? Even if I and everyone else involved were willing to donate services for free - which honestly I'm not - who would pay for the materials? None of us have the hundreds of thousands of dollars that it would take to do even one episode at the quality level you'd expect. And why would we want to produce something at a lower quality level? Why would you want to watch it at a lower quality level?

And that's aside from the fact, that I'd never be allowed to work for Marvel, Disney, Sony or probably any other studio again ever. I'm a pro. They know that. I can't make a fan film, stealing someone else's characters, and just get away with it.

For this to happen, Sony would have to make a deal with Marvel/Disney to do this - and then they'd have to reassemble the key players from the original cast and crew. I'd LOVE for this to happen, but I don't see that as realistic.

I mean, don't get me wrong. I'd love to do more SpecSpideys. But it's less likely than me doing more Gargoyles, even.

Response recorded on August 16, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Hi again,

Please pretend I spelled Klarion correctly at least once on my Missing questions. Not the worst mistake I've mistyped, but I kept repeating it. In case there is any doubt a mean "...the Witch Boy" and not a trumpet. :}

Greg responds...

Don't sweat it.

Response recorded on August 16, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

I forgot to ask this last night.. What are the logisitical difference now that cartoons are broadcast in HD? Do the films have to have more detail? Does it cost more?

Greg responds...

Everything costs more, it seems. But I'm afraid I'm not really up on the technical aspect of this sort of thing.

Response recorded on August 16, 2012

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EXALT writes...

1)Have you seen any of the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Iron Man-The Incredible Hulk-Iron Man 2-Thor-Captain America: The First Avenger)? If yes, what do you think of them?
2)Have you seen Joss Whedon's The Avengers (It's not out yet, but it'll probably be when you'll answer this)?

Greg responds...

1. Yes. And I'm generally, a fan. I like some better than others, but they've all been fun.

2. Yes. And I enjoyed it - a lot.

Response recorded on August 16, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Coldhearted- I don’t have a lot of comments, but I did enjoy the episode a lot. Some highlights:
i) 7:15…6 I loved the touch of the text in front of the scene changing with the time.
Great little human moment; while fighting atop on of the blizzard ships, Aqualad vaults over Aquaman by putting a foot on his king’s shoulder. Arthur’s face looks startled and annoyed. That and at the end when Wally crashing through the glass doors as they start opening were my two favorite visual bits.
ii) I figured out that the heart was the main objective pretty early, pretty much as soon as Vandal Savage showed, but I still liked it. (It was obvious based on story form and not something the characters should have picked up, so it was fine.)
iii) Wally’s points ‘A’ & ‘2’…. Loved it!
iv) Once again his choice of souvenir shows growth.
Thanks!

Greg responds...

iii) Stole that one from Paul Reiser (among others).

Response recorded on August 16, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Kevin asked “Are the three martian races a nod to Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoom Series or is it just a coincidence?” (and you responded “ <Ahem> No comment.” ;). I feel silly for not thinking of that myself- especially with M’gann’s habit of being green and growing extra arms. It bring a few questions to mind:

1- Do the Red Martians appear in the comic books or are they new to the show?
2- Are the Martian races different species or just literally different races as in the scientific term? When I first thought of the question I only saw the three groups in the comic book. Now we have a very different image of the white Martians. Ordinarily such great physical difference would imply different species, but M’gann said her shape- shifting works at the molecular level. I wonder what remains static to indicate their speciehood? It may mean that physical appearance is less important to the genetics of the races of Mars.

Greg responds...

1. Yes, and no.

2. I've said this before: the visual you saw in the comic was part of M'gann's description, i.e. part of her lie. White Martians, Green Martians and Red Martians all look more or less like M'gann's White Martian form. That's what ALL Martians look like. And, yes, that means that the image we have of Martian Manhunter is as false as our original image of Miss Martian. And, no, the Whites, Greens and Reds are NOT different species. They're different races of the same species. In fact, biologically they probably have more in common with each other than Caucasians, Asians and Africans have on our world. The real difference/divide between them is cultural, not biological.

Response recorded on August 16, 2012

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Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Wow! Is it hard to keep up with even the questions to post new ones. Thanks for reopening the queue!

Condolences on the lose of your Grandmother. I remember the months before my grandmother died how she had retreated into herself and was all but unrecognizable, than all of a sudden came back to herself for a week or two at the end. I still treasure it as a great gift that we were reminded who she was before the end. She was a good deal younger than 100 so we were not quite expecting the end, but I can understand what you mean by feeling that the person you love is already on the way somewhere else. I am glad you have so many years and so many wonderful memories to look back on.

1- I see someone already asked if you can explain some of the terms you used when you broke down the stages the of episodes in progress. He mentioned ‘online’ in particular. If you didn’t already do so, can you also define ‘slug’?

2- I know you prefer to record the voice actors together in conversation, unlike many other cartoons that record the voices in isolation. In live action tv and movies are recorded out of order, that’s the most efficient way to use the sets and actors. Since there aren’t sets for cartoons, and you prefer to have all the actors together anyway, are the scenes more or less recorded in order?

3- You mentioned in the past moments when stories just come together and surprise you- when the next event seems to announce herself, unplanned but seemingly totally organic to the story. Like when “Owen is Puck!” announced itself. Or when you kept hearing “Thailog” when the video was being rewound. Did you have any such moments for Spectacular Spiderman and the other shows you worked on? Have you had any with Young Justice yet? Can you share any if they’ve already happened?

4-One last question for this catch-all batch... what do you think of the new DC Nation shorts? I’m not crazy about loosing the opening credits, but I love shorts and think it is an easy trade. I love that they are all different and playful and yet often also a series. My favorite so far is the one with Batgirl and Supergirl trying to convince Wonder Girl to ‘borrow’ Wonder Woman’s invisible jet. (Oddly I have become used to (and approve) on Dianna being portrayed as someone from another country, with a light to strong intonation of something foreign, but it never occurred to me the same would apply to Donna.)

Begin pontification: I’ve never loved the Teen Titan cartoon, (plenty to like, but never loved), but I love the fact it is turning up in the shorts. Back when Disney XD was Toon Disney I wondered why they didn’t run shorts. (To be fair I didn’t have a TiVO at the time and it was possible they were already running the “Have a Laugh” abridged classic shorts as well as Shaun the Sheep. But they weren’t running any new material.) It seemed odd to me they were trying to compete with the Cartoon Network’s reach into the older demographic and didn’t, for instance, declare one night a week the 10 o’clock older folks movie night, (say a Miyazaki flik), and intersperse it with shorts- gorgeous, varied, counter expectation shorts like they gleefully did for Fantasia 2000. (I had the idea a long time ago.) If some of those shorts were back door pilots...great. It worked for the Simpsons They could have led to another late evening night of new programming of new shows. They couldn’t compete with cheap nostalgic cartoons or crude adult ones because that just isn’t Disney. Disney can never put out a Family Guy type show under the Disney label. Maybe they could do it on ABC, but not something with Disney in the name. (Even Miyazaki’s Princess Monenoke had to be released in the US under the Miramax label because a PG-13 cartoon would be problematic under the Disney label.) It a rather obvious route for a high end cartoon station to go and might have netted a few Oscars away from Pixar. Or perhaps more for Pixar. End pontification.

Of course it would have been an ideal place to run a little Gargoyle related short. :)

Greg responds...

1. A "slug" is the section of action BETWEEN lines of dialogue. A "slugged board" is a board that's been timed, i.e. the time for each action has been calculated - and since each line of dialogue has also been timed - you have an exact length, and you know whether or not your episode is going to be long, short or right on the money. If it's long or short, we need to cut or pad to get it to time.

2. Generally, yes. But for example, I poked my head in at a recording on Monday for "Beware the Batman". And there was one actress at the record who was only in one scene, and it happened to be the last scene. So after the rehearsal, they recorded that last scene first, so that the actress wouldn't have to sit through the entire record. It's a courtesy thing. Other times, it may be a scheduling thing. But, again, generally, we record the whole episode from start to finish.

3. It happens all the time. I wish I could remember a specific example from Spidey, but nothing immediately comes to mind. And it's too soon to discuss this stuff on YJ.

4. I love DC NATION. Sincerely. I think some of the shorts have been great, and some have fallen a little flat, but in general, I LOVE the FACT that they're doing the shorts. I just wish they'd expand DC Nation to two hours or something.

5. I'm game for ANYTHING that brings me back to Gargoyles.

Response recorded on August 16, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Hello Mr. Weisman,
I am a teenage aspiring writer and I love to think of story ideas to write about. But whenever I actually sit down and try writing, I don't know how to start or I have second thoughts about my characters, plot, etc. So, I was just wondering if you could give me any tips on writing a story. Thanks!

Greg responds...

Just spit it out onto the page, and worry about quality later. You need to get past the self-imposed barriers you're creating. So just get it out.

Response recorded on August 16, 2012

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JayBe writes...

Hi Greg, first off I just wanted to say you're awesome. Spectacular Spider-man was THE best Spider-man cartoon/interpretation of all time and IMO the best superhero cartoon of all time (although YJ is now a close second for me). It still pains my heart that it didn't reach past a 2nd season. And despite not being interested when I originally heard about Young Justice, it's quickly become one of my favorites due to the awesome character development/continuity that seems to be your trademark. Having just seen the new Ultimate Spider-man (which I read you won't be watching), I can safely tell you that although it's not the complete crap-fest I thought it would be, it's nowhere near the level of greatness of Spectacular Spider-man.

So anyway, my question is actually about SpecSpider-man (and sorry if it was asked already, I went through as much of the 600+ search results as I could). Could you possibly go into the general idea of what we were going to get out of the next few seasons if it hadn't been cancelled? I know there's probably a thousand details you could give (which would be awesome), but was there any overall story concepts you had that were going to blow our minds? For instance, were we actually going to see Gwen Stacy die?

Thanks for reading even if you can't/don't want to answer.

Greg responds...

ASKED AND ANSWERED. But thanks for the kind words.

Response recorded on August 16, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Hello Greg,

I ask a question before about Superman and Superboy from Young Justice before, but now I have a personal question about Gargoyles that I have wondered about off and on, for a while now.

Much of Gargoyles was inspired by Shakespheare, whose works I became familiar with from Patrick Stewart, and really enjoy myself.

My question is: What Princess Kathrine in some way named for the character from 'The Taming of the Shrew,' because when we first meet her she certainly acted like a shrew and then later on she becomes 'tamed' in a way?

Thanks.

Greg responds...

I don't think so. Michael Reaves named Katharine, I think, before we all got started on the Shakespeare kick with Macbeth.

Response recorded on August 16, 2012

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El Kid writes...

Does each city-state in Atlantis have their own Royal Family, or do some people just add "King" to their names as an honorific? Furthermore, if Atlantis is a conglomeration of city-states, how/why does it have a central capital and a ruling monarch?

Greg responds...

Some city-states have their own monarchies, but the system in general is an odd combination of feudalism, federalism and constitutional monarchy.

It is generally acknowledged that Poseidonis is the capital of Atlantis, and that Orin is the constitutional monarch of the entire continent/country. Of course, some city-states are more begruding of this fact than others.

Response recorded on August 16, 2012

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Alex Weitzman writes...

Mr. Weisman, while you will undoubtedly get to this message months afterwards at best, given the backlog of questions thus far, I wanted to give my condolences for you and your family's loss in Sue Weisman. I also wanted to thank you for the honest and touching small commentary you made on the subject, highlighting the complex emotional situation of watching an older loved one lose themselves to either Alzheimer's, senility, or just age itself (I would not want to make a definite assumption, based on what you described). It sounds to me like she lived a long, fascinating life populated by people she loved, and nobody could ask for more than that. I send my sorrow regarding her passing, and my hope that your upcoming family gathering will provide you some emotional closure or insight to help you through this time.

Thank you for the many years of excellent entertainment, as well. I look forward to many more.

Greg responds...

Thank you.

The actual celebration didn't really effect my mood, though it was wonderful to see the extended family come to celebrate her.

I think I got more out of a later event: a handful of us took her ashes and illegally scattered them in a location that she loved. That was fun and sneaky and silly, and felt more like her spirit was with her.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

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B writes...

When Artemis said in "Misplaced" that she wasn't a cat person, was that a reference to Cheshire?

Greg responds...

Yes.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

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Martin Muse-Amiel writes...

Hi Mr. Weisman
How are you?

I hope everything goes well for you and your family. Sorry about your grandmother's passing. She be miss but not forgotten.

Greg responds...

Thank you.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

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SpideyFan writes...

I've just gotten a chance to sit down and watch Spectacular Spidey, and it was absolutely mind-blowing. Between it and YJ, I am totally sold on your work. I love the way you structure your stories (on an episode-by-episode basis, and the way you build up longer arcs), and how you manage to present only the most pertinent/interesting information, and trim the narrative fat. It makes your shows a total joy to watch; the stories have such a deliberate sense of movement, everything seems to have purpose. Watching your work inspires me!

Here's the "Ask" part:
In the series finale (S2E13 "The Final Curtain"), Spidey's big confrontation sees him fighting pumpkin-headed grunts in little flying goop-shooting ships. Was this something the creative team was gung-ho about putting in the series, or was it more related to pressures from the powers-that-be about opportunities to sell toys?
Also, how often is marketing, or promoting the DC/Marvel/what-have-you brand a consideration for you when you're creating a show?
Finally: how did you start writing? I don't mean on the level of occupation (i.e. what jobs got you started), but how did you establish for yourself the discipline and confidence in your skills necessary to write professionally?

And I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother. It sounds like it was her time. My own great-grandmother just passed on, and I can tell you she was as ready for it as we were resistant to it. It certainly made the mourning process a lot harder to initiate, since there was this enormous sense of relief that she wasn't in any more pain, or so lonely anymore. I think a sort of hollow initial response is natural. Hope this is some condolences.

Thank you and adieu,

SpideyFan

Greg responds...

1. These were our creations, and as far as I know Hasbro never made any toys based on them. Which is too bad, don't you think?

2. I don't know how to answer this. It doesn't go into the development of our series at all. But I'm hired to do these shows, and whether or not this was a factor in what shows the studios and networks and comic book companies choose to do, is not something I'm privy to.

3. In sixth grade, I started writing my first (of many) unfinished novels. Most of the time I need a real deadline to get work done. By nature, I'm both lazy and a procrastinator. But with a deadline, I get the job done.

Thank you for the condolences.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

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akif writes...

the new spider man show isn't that good i wish that you can continue the show anf young justice at the same time

Greg responds...

I haven't seen "Ultimate Spider-Man", but it's got some real great people working on it, so I'd suggest giving it a chance.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

Why did the two GLs refuse Flash's suggestion for Guy Gardener? Do they dislike him in some way?

Greg responds...

ASKED AND ANSWERED.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

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Catherine writes...

1. How old is Cissie King-Jones?
2. It seemed like Cheshire kissed Roy to mess with Artemis. Is that the only reason she kissed him or were there...other reasons?
Not a question - Just wanted to say that I love Black Spider! That, and also say that I think Roy is a BAMF.

Greg responds...

1. As of "Insecurity", she was nine.

2. I'm sure she had a plethora of reasons.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

How does technology on Mars compare to technology on Earth in Young Justice, are they around the same level or is one more advanced than another?

Greg responds...

They're more advanced in some things, less in others.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

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Bloggo writes...

Hi Greg

Do you know if the DC nation shorts be available on future young justice DVD's?

Also, are there plans to release the series on Bluray?

thanks

Greg responds...

I don't know the answer to either of these questions. I'm not consulted.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

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Blaise writes...

Hey, Greg. Just read your post about the loss of your grandmother, Sue Weisman.

Naturally, you have my sympathies for your loss (though you probably won't read this until months after the post, I'm still sending them). And, from personal experience, I understand what you mean about losing someone before they die. I think you've hit the nail on the head there.

Still, over a century. Dang, but that's quite a life to celebrate.

For what it's worth, my best to you and yours.

Greg responds...

Thank you, Blaise.

She was an amazing woman.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

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Jake the Fearless Leader writes...

Hello, Mr. Weisman. No questions this time around. Just wanted to say that I'm very sorry for your loss and will be praying for you and your family.

At the point that I am writing this, "Insecurity" has aired just the previous day. Artemis was never one of my favorite characters on the show, but I really enjoyed the episode. Now, I am looking forward to the rest of the season, as well as the beginning of Invasion.

Greg responds...

Thank you.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

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jenova writes...

why did ocean master get so little screen time?(esp when compared to the rest of the light)

Greg responds...

We only have so many episodes and so much screen time. So we introduced him as Orm on the show, and then used the comic to give him a bit more of a showcase as Ocean-Master.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

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Insert A Creative Name Here writes...

Hi Greg!
How would you describe the relationship between Paula and Lawrence Crock? Do they have any affection for each other? How do they treat each other?
If this is a spoiler request or this question's been answered, I'll apologize in advance.

Greg responds...

They're majorly estranged.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

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Anonymous writes...

I know it was just a fun nod to DOCTOR WHO in "Insecurity", but I still gotta ask the question: does the fact that the Star City Zeta-Beam portal terminates in a police box mean that police boxes are (or were) commonplace in the America of Earth-16? I mean, presumably the League would want to conceal the portals in inconspicuous places. And the only thing I can figure is that a police box would be a good disguise only if they were otherwise commonplace. As a long-term fan of the multiverse it would be a cool thing to say that one of the distinguishing features of Earth-16 was the widespread use of police public call boxes in North America as well as Britain. (By the way, kudos to not only giving a sly nod to DOCTOR WHO in general, but specifically the 1966 serial, "The War Machines'. The "out of order" sign made me howl with laughter.)

Greg responds...

You may be giving me a little TOO MUCH credit. I'm not specifically familiar with "The War Machines." The out of order sign is a natural way for the league to keep folks away from the box.

As for the commonplaceness of it... I'm fine leaving that to your imagination.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

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Jack-Pumpkinhead writes...

Dear Greg,
I realize it'll be a while before you get to this, but first off, my condolences. I lost my grandpa this year too.

Onto good things, Insecurity was a good episode. The story was fun, I liked the character interaction, and I hope Artemis stays with the team, I've grown fond of her. On that note, I also want to thank you for the cameo by a blonde girl with the last name King. I know that's supposed to be Cissie, and having her be impressed by Artemis is a nice touch. I hope we see more of her in the future.
Please keep up the awesome work.

Greg responds...

Thank you for the condolences, and you have mine as well for your loss.

Given enough episodes and/or comic book issues, Cissie will return.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012


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