A Station Eight Fan Web Site

Gargoyles

The Phoenix Gate

Ask Greg Archives

REVELATIONS 2012-08 (Aug)

Archive Index


: Displaying all 175 records. :


Posts Per Page: 1 : 10 : 25 : 50 : 100 : All :


Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

This may seem like a strange question, but does Aqualad dye his hair? I was looking at a picture I was referencing for something I'm making, and I noticed his hair and eyebrows are two different colors. And everyone says that's a sign that people dye their hair.

Greg responds...

No.

Response recorded on December 14, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

Did you pitch Invasion as 20 episodes?

I'm asking because I would have thought that the network would have greenlit either 13 or 26 episodes... So did you pitch the season as 20 episodes?

Greg responds...

Well, we were told we'd have ten episodes for sure and probably twenty. The pitch came after. Always rather have more episodes. Always.

Response recorded on August 31, 2012

Bookmark Link

Lurker writes...

1-When will the comic book catch up and begin telling stories of season 2? Also will the comic tie into the video game?

2-Dont you think it would be a good idea to publish character profiles with a few informations, to make the question line a bit smaller?

Greg responds...

1. Starting with the VERY end of issue #19 (out now) - but really starting with issue #20 (out in September).

1a. Given enough issues, sure.

2. We've got FAQs up the whazoo. Trouble is few check them.

Response recorded on August 31, 2012

Bookmark Link

Tup writes...

It appears my last post was deleted in light of your new no-long-lists policy (I have to say I agree, though this time around, my list was only three questions.) So, I resubmit one question, and come up with two new ones (all sort of Captain Atom-y related). I hope it gets through.

1. In the whole JLA/I/E/Extreme Justice era of the 90s, Captain Atom did not get along with Wonder Woman. Green Arrow and Hawkman were never big friends, and Batman seems to detest anything that glows green. Are there any "fights" or rivalries in the League in YJ, or are they all big super friends?

2. Seeing as how the Vietnam War is now over 40 years ago, and not 20 as it was when you and Cary wrote the Captain Atom comics, how does it influence characters? Rako was made a kid (and around 50 now?), but how old are Rois and Eiling? They both have to be well over sixty, or even seventy.

3. Which Captain Atom-derived character is your favorite, Major Force or Bombshell?

Greg responds...

1. Without going into details, they all get along professionally, but some are better friends than others.

2. Yep. It's an issue that I've largely avoided dealing with so far. But eventually. The main shift that through me so far, was how old I had to make Peggy Adams Eiling.

3. I'm not that familiar with Bombshell, and I co-created Major Force, so... take a guess.

Response recorded on August 31, 2012

Bookmark Link

jon damon writes...

hope this is good with the new guidelines.

1. Is Aquaman king of Atlantis, or King of All Seas?
2. Is all of Atlantis in the Atlantic? I'm just asking because "Lemuria" shares its name with the hypothetical sunken land in the Indian Ocean.
3. Is Poseidonis in the northern of southern hemisphere?

Greg responds...

1. Technically, his title is "Orin, King of Atlantis, Poseidonis and the Seven Seas".

2. SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

3. Northern.

Response recorded on August 31, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

1. Correct me if I’m somehow mistaken, but wasn’t there supposed to be some kind of catastrophe that nearly wiped out the Martian race at some point on Earth-16 or did that catastrophe never happened at all and all the Martians still alive?

2. Were ALL White Martians treated as second-class citizens, or were there those within the Red/Green Martian population who might have been sympathetic towards them? It would be hard to believe that the ENTIRE Red and Green Martian population would be so cold towards the White Martian population.

Greg responds...

1. Before I answer, please tell me where "wasn't there supposed to be" comes from. I'm curious.

2. Nothing's monolithic. For example, J'onn obviously has no anti-White bias.

Response recorded on August 31, 2012

Bookmark Link

witch boy writes...

is teekl a he or a she?>

Greg responds...

Yes.

Response recorded on August 31, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

1 - How old is Ubu?
2 - How old is Black Manta?
3 - How old is Cat Grant?
4 - How old is Mayor Hill?
5 - How old is Mark Desmond?

Greg responds...

As of the end of Season One:

1. Ubu is 31.

2. Manta is 37.

3. Cat is 23.

4. Hill is 52.

5. Mark is 42.

Response recorded on August 31, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

1 - How old is Professor Ojo?
2 - How old is Uncle Dudley?
3 - How old is Icon?
4 - How old is Dubbilex?
5 - How old is Henry Yarrow?

Greg responds...

As of the end of Season One:

1. Ojo is 49.

2. Dudley is 65.

4. Dubbilex is 5.

3. & 5. I haven't done the math on Icon or Yarrow.

Response recorded on August 31, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

1 - How old is Black Adam?
2 - How old is Amanda Waller?
3 - How old is Lucius Fox?
4 - How old is Wotan?
5 - How old is Wade Eiling?

Greg responds...

As of the end of Season One:

For various reasons, I've only done the math on Waller, who is 44.

Response recorded on August 31, 2012

Bookmark Link

Derek writes...

In the marvel Avengers Academy series, the cast is made up of characters that could have potentially become supervillains. The goal of the Avengers is to basically put them on the straight and narrow.
Are there deliberate similarities in this concept to Young Justice.I notice that Miss Martian, Superboy, Artemis and possibly Aqualad all have villanious ancestry. Also the loss of Zatanna and Robin's parents could have served as catalyst to send them down a dark path.

Greg responds...

I think we deal with this most directly with Artemis and Superboy, but the idea of the road not taken is an important theme to the series.

Response recorded on August 31, 2012

Bookmark Link

Derek writes...

If Demona thought that her race was facing extinction in the Dark Ages why didn't she breed with one of the male Gargoyles? Did she think she was unworthy of being a mother after the Wyvern Massacre?

Greg responds...

I don't think she thought that consciously. But keep in mind that Gargoyles mate for life - at least by cultural convention.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Hawkfan writes...

1. Out of uniform/costume, are there any significant physiological difference between Thanagarians and humans along the same lines as those between humans and kryptonians, or humans and Martians (ie slowed aging, enhanced strength or vision, weakness to elements etc.)?

2. Would you please clarify Hawkman and Hawkwoman's powers on Earth 16? (as an aside, I hope they have some form of telescopic vision, I always like when that was included as part of their powers in the comics)

3. We've only seen Hawkman and Hawkwoman use maces so far. Are these special Thanagarian maces and do they ever use other archaic style weaponry (ie spears, nets, swords, or shields)?

4. At top flight speed can the Hawks keep up with the likes of Superman and Captain Marvel?

5. In the comics, the Hawks feared using Thanagarian weapons and technology on Earth in case they fell into the wrong hands. Thus they started using ancient Earth weaponry instead. Does this part of their origin hold true on Earth-16?

I love the show and the character designs for Hawkman and Hawkwoman on Earth-16. I hope at some point you delve into how they came to be on Earth in the first place. Also, I hope we get more scenes that focus on how the media and the general public react to the League and superheroes. I loved hearing the reporters questions after the induction ceremony in the Usual Suspects. It's always fascinating to think about how ordinary people would react to such a strange world. Also, I hope we get more school scenes for Wally, Dick, and Artemis.

Young Justice deserves 10 seasons and a movie. Keep up the great work!

Greg responds...

1. Well, there are the wings...

2. No.

3. SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

4. If all four are each flying at their top speed, then no.

5. SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

Hi greg! why you sometimes write in ALL CAPS? do you know that on the internet that means shouting?

I love yj!!!!1

Greg responds...

I don't feel like I write in ALL CAPS, except for emphasis or - sometimes - for titles.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

1. How old is Devastation?
2. How old is Psimon?
3. How old is Sensei?
4. How old is Pieter Cross?
5. How old is Mattie Harcourt?

Greg responds...

As of the end of Season One:

1. Devastation is one.

2. Psimon is 21.

3. Sensei is 63.

4. Pieter is 28.

5. Mattie is 32.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

1. How old is Mary West?
2. How old is Talia al Ghul?
3. How old is Mercy?
4. How old is Abra Kadabra?
5. How old is Madame Xanadu?

Greg responds...

As of the end of Season One:

1. Mary is 38.

2. Talia is 26.

3. Mercy Graves is 24.

4. SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

5. SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

1. How old is John Stewart?
2. How old is Whisper A'Daire?
3. How old is Lois Lane?
4. How old is Joan Garrick?
5. How old is Rudy West?

Greg responds...

As of the end of Season One:

1. John is 27.

2. SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

3. SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

4. Joan is 88.

5. Rudy is 40.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Hawkfan writes...

1. Did Alan Scott's power ring give him the power of flight?

2. As of this writing, every construct that we've seen a Green Lantern make (Hal's giant hand in 102, Guy's baseball mitt, John's sawblade he used to cut the plant creatures in Revelations) has been attached to the power ring itself. Are Green Lanterns on Earth-16 incapable of using projectile type constructs (ex. a bow and arrow, a gattling gun, etc.) or must the hard light constructs always be tethered to the ring?

3. Are power rings on Earth 16 limited to hard light constructs or can a GL create constructs and imbue them with properties (ie create a flamethrower that shoots out flame, or a giant magnet that attracts metal?)

4. How does the media differentiate between the different Green Lanterns? Is Hal just called Green Lantern, and Guy and John just called by their names?

5. Do the different Green Lantern's personalities and creativity manifest themselves in the types of constructs they make? I always liked in the comics how John's background as an architect set him apart from Hal and Guy.

Greg responds...

1. How does any power ring do that?

2. I haven't thought about it, but projectiles seem reasonable.

3. I haven't thought about it, but I lean toward hard light constructs.

4. Mostly.

5. Yes.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Jasser writes...

*sigh* again..

1. Were the side effects of the shields intentional(on Luthor or whoever's point)?

about the shields.
It's very confusing to me, they SUPPRESS his human DNA, but that gives parasite MORE to drain,and also makes him easier to recover his powers;that works like the shields give him Kriptonian genetics instead of suppressing the human DNA that's dominating. Shouldn't parasite, as Superboy suggested, just absorb his genetic potential, even with the human side suppressed? It's not like the shields temporarily change his entire genetic structure...I think.That doesn't make any sense(then again, it is a microscopic plausibility issue compared to the series as a whole, and I don't complain about THAT)... I also could just be misinterpreting parasites power.Wonder if he could absorb tornado or fate or a sharks powers.He spoke of his powers in terms of genetics, but that could just be for this specific case with Aliens, and acrobatics arn't genetic, but DNA isn't learned...I've just confused myself.

so I guess my question, after that exasperated ramble of a build up...

2.What exactly do the shields do to superboy?

Greg responds...

1. Heh heh heh...

2. You lost me in your paragraph. But the answer to your actual question here is exactly what you stated: they suppress Superboy's human DNA, allowing his Kryptonian side to blossom without interference. They also seem to effect his brain chemistry.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Jasser writes...

Is all magic the same?-That was horribly worded, what I mean to ask is,like... is Zatanna's backwards spells technically and different from Atlantian Tattoo magic or Lord of Chaos fire? I can see they are visually different and have different levels of strength, but could,say Doctor Fate preform all of them? Is one inherently more potent then another? How can all these sub-sects exist of the exact same thing-or are they not all the same thing? I'm not certain what i'm asking here,and I really am sorry for that-but it's bothering my brain.

and since that was a paragraph and not a list..

1.How do the seperate branches of magic relate to each other?
1a. are they all on the same ''magic scale''? (if you can preform a really powerful magic like doctor fate, would you just as easily be able to preform lesser magic like the Atlanteans).
1b. Is one inherently stronger/difficult then another?
1c. Did they develop independent of each other but are virtually the same? (that wasn't meant to be a yes/no question...I don't know how to word it differently).

I'm keeping the paragraph because I think it illustrates my thoughts better, but I think you'd prefer just to outline the questions I listed.Wish I could previous this, I'm afraid it's going to look like an annoying wall of text! grr..

(Also, I just discovered I asked a question alittle while ago that was already asked, sorry! For these I just ctrl + F'd the words "magic", "spell(s)" and "sorcery")

Greg responds...

A. All everything ultimately is energy. But no, all magic is not the same.

B. There are different rules.

C. Doctor Fate could probably accomplish by his own means most everything Zatanna could do, but he would go about it differently.

D. A Lord of Order or Chaos is way more powerful than Zatara or Zatanna.

E. Think of it this way: all life on earth is carbon-based. But that doesn't mean you have much in common with a fern.

1. See above.

1a. See above.

1b. See above.

1c. Yes, they developed independently, but ultimately it's all a redistribution of energy.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Sethmo writes...

Hi. First off, most awesoe show I've seen, surpassed only by (or even to, can't decide) by Alan Wake. Second, my question. How did Huntress (Artemis' Mom)get in a wheel chair (e.g. what were the events that made her unable to walk?)

Greg responds...

During the commission of a crime.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Ed writes...

1. How do Artemis and Paula support themselves financially?

2. Where was Paula born?

Greg responds...

1. Paula has a job, and Crusher provides some support. For example, he still pays the rent on their apartment.

2. Vietnam.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous Andy writes...

Is there a chance that the YJ tie-in comics will eventually be combined into a single graphic novel, like with Gargoyles?

Greg responds...

Do you mean into trade paperbacks? If so, then yes.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Orio, again writes...

[I am re-submitting my questions in a suitable format; my old post was under the same name and asked the same questions. It would be helpful if it could possibly be deleted. I'd like to apologize for blurting out all my questions, it's just that I was all excited about posting because I never had before and I felt like I wouldn't be able to get everything I wanted to get asked put in before the queue closed. I have no idea how things work around here as far as that.]
6. Who is Aqualad closer to? Garth or Roy?
7. Are Aqualad's water-bearers some type of machine, or are they of magical origin?
8. How close is Aqualad to Robin?
10. Do Atlanteans eat fish, or are they opposed to the idea?

Greg responds...

6. Garth, probably. But he's close to Roy too.

7. They're Atlantean tech designed to work in concert with and augment Atlantean sorcery.

8. About a foot and a half.

9. There is no #9.

10. Most eat fish. Some are vegetarians.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Orio writes...

[I am re-submitting my questions in a suitable format; my old post was under the same name and asked the same questions. It would be helpful if it could possibly be deleted. I'd like to apologize for blurting out all my questions, it's just that I was all excited about posting because I never had before and I felt like I wouldn't be able to get everything I wanted to get asked put in before the queue closed. I have no idea how things work around here as far as that.]
Hello, Mr. Weisman!
I'd like to start out by saying that I'm a huge fan of Young Justice, and think it's amazing how you can deal with such dark-ish concepts and still maintain a soft tone--and deal with a ginormous cast in one show! I'm actually very excited, typing this, because I've never actually had the chance to ask questions, so… Here goes!

2. Since it's probably trivial enough (and kind of impossible, since pretty much all of them are dead) not to be mentioned in any future show episodes, how old were each of the Flying Graysons (excluding Robin, of course) when they died? How old was the uncle, Richard, when he went into a coma (I think that's what happened... Am I wrong?)
3. Likewise, what were their personalities?
4. Did Robin's older cousin take on the role of an 'older brother' when he lived due to the age difference between the two of them, as well as how close they were as a family?

Greg responds...

1. There's no number 1.

2. I haven't figured out their ages.

3. I'm not going into that outside the confines of telling a story.

4. Yes.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Derek writes...

1) So Martian Manhunter knows that Miss Martian was a white martian right? So is she really "legally" his niece via adoption or was that just a cover story?
2) Where did the idea of Miss Martian basing her personality on a sitcom come from? I thought it was very clever.

Greg responds...

1. Right.

1a. Neither. He's her niece. Her mother - a Green Martian - is J'onn's sister. M'gann's father is a White Martian.

2. Uh, I think that was my idea originally, but it was thoroughly worked on by the entire brain trust, i.e. me, Brandon Vietti and Kevin Hopps. In addition, writer and former child sitcom star Nicole Dubuc, also contributed a lot at the script stages.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Andre writes...

Hey man, been a big fan of Gargoyles since my early childhood days, and have been following your work from Spectacular Spider-Man to Young Justice.

My question refers to the primary antagonist of the Gargoyle universe, David Xanatos. What was the inspiration for you to create such a complex gray villain? Also, where'd the name come from for Xanatos too?

Greg responds...

1. The most immediate inspirations were Captain Hook/Duke Igthorn mixed with a healthy dose of General Wade Eiling, plus some Bruce Wayne and Captain Kirk.

2. The name is a variation on Thanatos, the greek god of death. It also is a real name you can find in most phone books. Assuming you can find a phone book.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Jason R. Carter writes...

1. Any particular reason why Luthor is pronounced like Luther as opposed to "Lu-thor"?

2. Is Earth-16 Atom stuck at that size or can he grow to human size?

Greg responds...

1. Guess it's what I grew up with.

2. He can be normal sized.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Paul writes...

1) Is Lex Luthor immune to Queen Bee's control?

2) When Cheshire retreated at the end of "Usual Suspects", was she feeling some respect for Artemis at bringing down Sportsmaster?

3) Is Zatanna a cougar?

Greg responds...

1. Does he need to be?

2. Respect...? I suppose. Some. More like complicity.

3. Huh? She's just a few months older than Robin.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

The spider writes...

Not that i have a problem with it but why is batman so much younger than everyone else(including flash)?
Love the young justice show!

Greg responds...

He's not.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Thomas Allen Dreyfuss writes...

Hi Greg. I've been a long time reader of your responses and I figured after reading through 100's of responses (for my own purposes), I'd find the courage in me to ask you a question. When it comes to planning for a show like "Young Justice" that's episodic in nature (like many of your other works) yet geared for all ages (see previous statement in parenthesis), how do you and your collaborators approach something as daunting like weaving together multiple plot threads, showing character growth, and create story arcs? What are some of the advantages and constraints to writing in the way that you do? I'm currently studying television production as my major in college (a career path I've been told that is faced with rejection, hard work, and passion) and I'm asking this question (well, now it's questions) because I've been fascinated with well organized/structured series. Being the well accomplished writer that you are, I thought I'd ask you on the subject since you have a lot of experience writing/creating/producing shows like "Gargoyles", "The Spectacular Spider-Man", and "Young Justice". If you don't feel like answering this question, I understand that you're a very busy person (you don't need to tell me how busy, I've read the rambles) who takes the time from work to answer the many questions people send to you and I for one certainly appreciate all the hard work you (and of course, the many people you've worked with) put into your each of your projects. Anyways, thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to ramble and I look forward to whatever stories you have planned next (INVASION! WOOT!).

Greg responds...

I've written quite a bit on this subject already - even recently (like today). So take a look at the archives, and if you have specific questions after reading what I wrote, feel free to post again.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

LupusLover writes...

Was Paula Crock put in a wheel chair before she went to prison or during?

Greg responds...

Before.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Adam writes...

Hello!

As I'm writing this, "Usual Suspects" aired yesterday. Before I get to my question, I'd just like to thank you for a few things. First, that for "Young Justice," which has more or less replaced "Justice League Unlimited" for me as my favorite DC adaptation of all time, and I didn't think that was going to happen. Second, thanks for "Spectacular Spider-Man", which is tied with YJ as my favorite comic adaptation ever. And finally, thank you SO much for including Icon and Rocket in "Usual Suspects". I'm not sure Rocket will stay with the Team, but as a Milestone fan from way back, it meant a lot to me to see these characters get some screen time.

Now for my question, since I don't recall having seen it asked before: in "Misplaced," did Zatanna understand, before she put it on, that she might never be able to take off the helmet of Fate? It was a powerful moment (I loved the reversal my expectations given Zatara's fate in the comics), but I'm not clear on whether Zatanna had a sense of the potential jeopardy she was in.

"Usual Suspects" was immensely satisfying for me, and I'm looking forward to next week's season finale. I hope you and your fellow creators are proud; I think the work you've done on YJ has been a high watermark for cartoons based on comics.

Greg responds...

I think she understood the risk intellectually, but deep down didn't fully believe it would end up biting her on the ass.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

The black guy writes...

As a kid, I grew up watching superhero cartoons. I watched Spider-man(loved him), Superman(hated him), Batman, and etc. I thought to myself, "There is not a fly in the milk." It wasn't until Justice League Unlimited(Jon Stewart was awesome) and Static Shock where I could see Superheroes who looked liked me. The same culture as me. Green Lantern was raised in the projects and regularly got his haircut in Barbershop just like mine. Static had that same parent who acted just like mine did. What I am trying to say is thank you. Thank you for being so open minded with established characters and having the foresight to think that not all kids in America or the world have to have that "Great White Hero." Adding Icon and Rocket to the Young Justice was a great homage to Dwayne McDuffie, the man who made those characters or pushed for the inclusion of those characters in the mainstream. I'm glad that my little girl can have that same cathartic feeling about Rocket as I did for Static and Jon Stewart.

Greg responds...

Just to be clear, I was a huge fan of Dwayne's work - and specifically of Icon and Rocket. Denys Cowan and I developed an Icon & Rocket series for DreamWorks back in the late nineties, but we weren't able to sell it.

But from a timing standpoint, the decision to include Icon and Rocket in YJ came LONG BEFORE Dwayne's sudden passing. In hindsight, it was a tribute. But at the time, we just loved the characters, which is another kind of tribute in and of itself.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

Why is Superboy in every episode so far? Is he supposed to be the character with more focused, or no real reason?

Greg responds...

These decisions are made as organically as possible... based on what we need to cover and how various characters do or don't fit into the action.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Foxwolf writes...

Hi Greg

As someone who is interested in writing episodic stories, I was wondering if you could tell me your approach on how you write a season for a series like YJ? I remember seeing an image on Brandon Vietti's blog where he had post-it's on a board mapping out all of season 1. Do you start with the season's overall story first, eg. The Light wants to take control of the Justice League and Red Arrow is the mole who will help them?

Then do you just come up with events that move the story forward and scatter them across episodes? Do you come up with plot points and character development separately or in tandum, eg. Superboy's growth would work well with this event? I ask because in my own writing I have season arc's and checkpoints on where I want some character's to grow but have struggled with "filling in the blanks".

Just off the top of your head, would you be able to share a few of the post-it's from a particular YJ episode?

And what are your thoughts on "filler story episodes". My interpretation was "Secrets" and "Performance" were filler in that they didn't drive the overall season story forward, but did have character development. Do you think it's important in writing for a series to give the audience a break from the story arc at regular intervals?

Thanks for your time Greg on sharing your writing process.

I was also wondering if you could please identify which voice actors voiced the following uncredited characters? Thanks.

120 - Coldhearted
Boston Police Officer
Chicago Police Officer #1
Chicago Police Officer #2
South Dakota State Trooper

121 - Image
Biaylan General

124 - Performance
Dragon's Breath
Carlo
Carlo's Brother

Greg responds...

1. Yes, we start with the overall story first and then break it down in smaller and smaller bites (using index cards - not post it notes - on a bulletin board).

2. We didn't have any filler episodes in this series. Everything played to one degree or another toward the end game. But some episodes are more intense than others and some are more directly involved in the arc than others. For example, after the triptych of mole episodes (121-123), we wanted to use 124 as a bit of a breather before launching into our resolution in 125 & 126. Having said that, 124 still kept our focus on on-going issues from the arc, like who Red Arrow suspected as possible moles, and how Superboy was abusing his shields.

3. I'm afraid my season one record draft scripts are boxed up. So I don't have access to who played minor bit parts handy.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

jjj writes...

Hi Greg,

Thanks for a great show! I have a question about "The Mole". I believe that in Targets, Sportsmaster implied that the mission in Bialya was one of the things his inside source told him about. If that's the case, how did Roy know about Bialya?

Thanks!

Greg responds...

Well, Sportsmaster had many sources for info on Bialya. But Red Arrow had access to the info through League computers and/or Green Arrow and/or his buddies on the Team, who trusted him implicitly.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Evan writes...

Hi, Greg!
I just wanted to know: is there a death penalty in Atlantis? No real reason, I'm just curious.

Thanks!

Greg responds...

Haven't thought about it.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Colleen writes...

Did you consider making Lois Lane a TV reporter or presenter, and having her do all the journalistic narration, instead of Cat Grant?

Greg responds...

No. Lois' identity seems entwined with being a print reporter for the Daily Planet. She didn't feel right as a GBS reporter and anchor.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

The Greenman writes...

Excellent, excellent show, ref: YJ.

Just watched "Usual Suspects" and this one was great.

I most especially loved the aspect of mixing science and sorcery to use the Starro chips. I kept thinking to myself, how is it possible to influence the will of Starro if it's incapcitated? You solved it.

For this episode specifically:

What are the names of the t.v. stations 7, 11, and 5?

Greg responds...

I don't know.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

Effie writes...

Wow, "Usual Suspects" was incredible. My favorite episode to date! Can't wait for the finale!

Just one question: how did you and Brandon (and whoever else) decide who the mole would be? Was it a long process, or did the idea just come naturally?

Greg responds...

Both. We pretty much figured that out early, early on. I suggested Speedy/Red Arrow for the series, and Brandon suggested Artemis - who also seemed like a great choice to me. So together (with Kevin Hopps), we came up with a way for both to have very significant roles.

Response recorded on August 30, 2012

Bookmark Link

IBGame writes...

I just watched Usual Suspects today- great episode, I might add- and I have one major question.

Artemis is reveals the identity of her mother as "Huntress". Was she not the Tigress in this universe or is she an amalgamation of both (kind of how Earth 16 Robin has many Tim Drake traits)?

Greg responds...

1. She was just Huntress, which was the character's original name in the comics anyway.

2. And for the record, Earth-16 [Season One] Robin has only ONE real Tim Drake trait - i.e. his hacking ability, which seems like a natural for ANY modern day reinterpretation of Robin. The only other Tim Drake 'trait' I can see is LONG PANTS. All of which, should, I hope, be even clearer now that we've introduced Tim Drake. I would think the contrasts are obvious. Our Grayson was never Drake. And hopefully our Drake is not Grayson either.

Response recorded on August 29, 2012

Bookmark Link

Jack-Pumpkinhead writes...

Dear Greg,
Watched Usual Suspects today, and I gotta say Thank you for an awesome episode! I've been arguing with a friend over the mole, and I'm happy to see I was right; I knew Artemis wouldn't betray the team. But as for the reveal of the mole-WHAAAA??!! I did not see that coming! Very nicely done! Also, I like the expansion of the League, nice additions. Keep it up, I can't wait for next week's episode!

Greg responds...

Thanks!

Response recorded on August 29, 2012

Bookmark Link

Jonathon Sparks writes...

Before I begin, I want to say thanks for taking the time to read all of our crazy questions, I know it can sometimes be taxing dealing with the hive mind that is the internet.

1- Since Episode 25's "Usual Suspects" just aired, I was wondering... Since Red Arrow is now a member of the Justice League, has his designation number changed from B-06 to a JL designation number (I'd guess 21 based on his position in line)? If so... do the designation numbers after him (Artemis for instance) get reduced, is the designation number permanently voided, or does the newest member (Rocket) take over that slot? Or something else entirely that I haven't thought of?

... Yeah, I know that one's probably asking for a Spoiler, but I just saw the episode and my inner "OCD comic nerd" is going nuts over it.

2- Hopefully this one is a bit less crazy. I've been a big fan of the Young Justice tie-in comic as well as the show, and I've been more then happy to recommend it to other YJ fans. In particular, several story arcs from the comic tie into the show's continuity, and I was just curious how the whole process of writing those stories works... are the gaps in the show added intentionally to allow for the comics, or are they stories that you just didn't have the space for in the show?

Greg responds...

1. Yes. He's 21.

1a. No, it doesn't work like that. Numbers are, in essence, retired. The exception is Vandal Savage, because he was never supposed to be 'honored' with a number.

2. More the latter.

Response recorded on August 29, 2012

Bookmark Link

J writes...

As Kent Nelson is officially dead (his soul no longer residing in the helmaet) and unlikly to ever appear again can you confirm if he has found Inza?
and since Wally promised to help find a new host for the helmet but Zatanna summoned it to fight Klarion and Zatara agreed to switch places with her as Nabu's host does that mean Wally technically lied?

Greg responds...

1. Wouldn't you like to think so?

2. No, it means that technically the question of whether he lied or not is MOOT.

Response recorded on August 29, 2012

Bookmark Link

Maggie writes...

Dear Greg,

Thank you for making a really fantastic show! I have enjoyed it so much over the last year and then some. I also enjoyed Usual Suspects - I especially loved that Conner knew about M'gann's true form since Bialya! So. Cool!

I was just wondering if I could ask about some of your thoughts on Artemis and Wally's relationship, because I was a little surprised at how quickly and easily it was resolved (?) in the last episode.

Certainly, I've expected them to get together since Infiltrator, since they played on the "love at first fight" trope. I can definitely see Artemis's appeal to Wally. She challenges him, and we know he appreciates that because Robin does it, too. Being super kick-ass and pretty doesn't hurt either!

But I'm not really sure I understand where Artemis's feelings for Wally eventually came from. He's not really her standard type - since Superboy seems about as opposite as you can get from Wally to me! :)

Her feelings for Superboy make a lot of sense: he was the one who inspired her to get over her both her initial fears and join the team, and he was the one who made her feel secure enough to finally share her background in Usual Suspects, since they shared the "bad DNA" bond.

Wally has done a couple of nice things, too: the handhold in Bereft and pep talk in Insecurity were great, but by that math I'd expect her to feel the same way for Robin, since his support for her in Homefront was actually enough to help her get over her fears and save the team instead of running. In Insecurity, Wally's pep talk ultimately didn't matter because she still decided to lie to them anyway.

I also do like that Wally challenged her and called her out on her insecurities and fears in Insecurity - but wasn't he also the one that made them so bad she didn't want to share her secret with the team in the first place? He really was the only person on the team who ever made her feel like she didn't belong.

And it seems like he hasn't really done much to counteract that - not that there should necessarily be a one-to-one correlation between sniping at someone and being nice to them in a relationship. I like the bantering.

It's just odd that Robin and Superboy have had more influence in making her feel welcome and accepted, but for some reason she's paired with Wally. As far as I can tell, Wally and Artemis didn't even talk for a month between their fight, since he was still scolding her at the beginning of Usual Suspects for her mistakes in Insecurity.

This is especially in light of the fact that she harbored feelings for Superboy for so long. Did she decide that she liked Wally after she found out about Conner and Megan? It seemed like that was the first time she acted jealous - when she told Wally about M'gann and Conner in the, ah, pretty "coldhearted" way that she did (at his birthday party, in public, where everyone could see, and well ... she knew she would hurt him and seemed kind of pleased and smug to do that to him on his birthday...)

So that feels like she's maybe settling? :(

I think the show has set their relationship up to be really complicated and interesting, and I was just really surprised everything seemed suddenly 100% okay in Usual Suspects, in what amounted to about a sentence and a half (and Robin talked more about how he accepted her no matter what). M'gann and Conner had more of a to-do around them, and they were already getting along.

(Maybe it's not as resolved as it seems?)

At any rate! Thank you for making characters that are so interesting and complicated and deep that I'd even be able to think about them this much and in this way.

Wally and Artemis are two of my very, very favorite characters of all time.

I really look forward to hearing what your take on them is. :)

Greg responds...

Well, first off, by the end of "Usual Suspects", I don't think it is resolved - but it will be shortly - by the end of "Auld Acquaintance" - and without much difficulty. So I think your point still stands.

To begin with, I think you need to go back to Artemis' introduction in "Infiltrator". She saw a cute boy enter and that made her insecure, so she cracked a joke. He reacted VERY badly to being embarrassed, and that put them at odds, but I think that both were attracted to each other from moment one. We tried to show that without telling it - or at least without being on the head about telling it.

Then they challenged each other. Not just her challenging him, but him challenging her. And I think she came to admire his intellect - even when it was misdirected, as in "Denial". There has to be a reason that she kept at him. If he was of no interest to her, why would she bother? Then you have Kent Nelson. Both Wally and Artemis HEARD what Kent had to say, and it wasn't lost on them. But they didn't want to cop to it, because both felt the other didn't like him or her. So that insecurity pushed them both further into denial.

Then you have "Bereft". Here, as I've discussed before, they meet again for the first time without the negative first impression. They genuinely like each other, trust each other and are attracted to each other. When their memories return, so do their insecurities - neither will risk being the first to admit they like the other. But it's not like they forgot that (positive) time spent together. And it's not like their deaf to Robin's "Get a room" line either.

And so on. Artemis saved the day in "Homefront". But she couldn't have done it if Wally hadn't provided the science. (And given her interest in science, revealed in "Denial", I think that would mean something to her.)

Plus, let's not forget the double-whammy of "Failsafe" and "Disordered". Here we reveal just how intensely Wally feels for Artemis, and just how much interest each has in the other. The trick is neither is prepared to take a risk. Rejection from Superboy (such as it was) is nothing compared to the fear Artemis has over being rejected by Wally.

Wally meanwhile is afraid to admit his strong feelings for Artemis, so maintains focus on the safer Miss Martian. Artemis does the same toward Superboy. Both then have to be disabused of the notion that their crushes are viable. I tend to think that deep down, the revelation about Conner and M'gann's relationship was less of a shock to each then it seemed. They didn't want to admit to themselves what they were probably sensing deep down. One reason for Artemis' extreme reaction to the knowledge, I think, is that she was trying SO hard to think that Superboy was a possibility BECAUSE Wally clearly seemed NOT to be, and so she wanted to have something she could use to push Wally out of her mind.

So in "Coldhearted", Wally learns some big lessons. Miss Martian is out of the picture - and that helps clear his mind. But mostly, he matures solidly in the episode. Now he's ready to behave differently. And in "Insecurity", he's willing to take a risk. And Artemis rewards that risk taken, by meeting him part way. But she has other bigger insecurities in the way, and they REALLY get in the way, so that by the time we get to the beginning of "Usual Suspects" - they're still at odds. But one of the reason they are SO at odds, is because for them, the stakes seem very high.

So when the truth finally comes out, it's a HUGE relief. She sees that he accepts her. He doesn't even have to say it. She can see that he does. And he sees that the reason she's been a pain have little to do with him. The deck is cleared.

Then they partner up in "Auld Acquaintance", and they're a good team. All of which leads really easily into the kiss on New Year's Eve. (Another excuse to do something that they otherwise might have been scared about.)

From there, it's fairly clear sailing. I'm not saying there weren't any ups and downs during the five year gap, because there were. But they both know they have a good thing now. And they stick with it.

The irony is that a lot of fans seemed to think this was about opposites attracting. But we never saw it that way. In fact, we saw it as quite the reverse. Artemis and Kid Flash had so MUCH in common, it was nearly impossible for them to get together. But once they did, it felt very right.

The opposites, of course, were Miss Martian and Superboy, but that's another post.

Response recorded on August 29, 2012

Bookmark Link

Eagle-Owl writes...

What are Zatanna's spells in Insecurity and Usual Suspects?

Greg responds...

123:
Etativel!
Hctah siri nepo!
Evig mih stnap!

125:
Ekahs siht ebolgwons!
M'i rebbur. Er'uoy eulg! (Although, I think this one might have been cut for time.)
Tekcajtiarts!
Gag mih!
Hguone htiw eht ebolgwons.
Etaerc Nibor snoisulli!

And while we're at it 126:
Etativel taht ssorg gniht.
Trulb tuo Mazahs!
Temleh, esaeler ym rehtaf!

Response recorded on August 29, 2012

Bookmark Link

Miten dama writes...

Have you seen batman year 1 and if you
have what did you think of the movie

Greg responds...

I haven't seen it.

Response recorded on August 29, 2012

Bookmark Link

Mirage ( I had hippie parents) writes...

Hey Greg. Thanks for using your creative genius to create another hit Young Justice.

My question is. What inspired the writers to put the Casablanca reference in the dialogue between Chesire, Roy and Wally, "A kiss is just a kiss, A sai is just a sai"
They all fans of Ingrid Bergman? It made me laugh!

Greg responds...

Well, we all love Casablanca, but mostly Peter and I were going for the play on words. Cuz we're cheeky monkeys.

Response recorded on August 29, 2012

Bookmark Link

Matthew writes...

I have two questions about sexual attraction in the Young Justice universe. So these questions may be more adult than is normal. I don't think they are particularly vulgar, but if they get removed I'd understand why.

1. It was mentioned that Queen Bee could control "most men" and "some women." I took this to mean she could control anyone who is sexually attracted to women (i.e. heterosexual men, homosexual women, bisexuals of both genders.) Is this correct?

2. This is probably the weirder one. How does Superboy feel about Ms. Martian's true form sexually? Does it bother him at all? So is he okay with it but not particularly attracted to it? Or since he's a clone would he have different standards of sexual attraction and since he obviously cares about who she is inside first and foremost, could he attracted to it.

Greg responds...

1. Yes.

2. He's not bothered by it, but SHE is, so from a sexual standpoint, it's kind of a non-issue.

Response recorded on August 29, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

I love Young Justice, I love how you put a lot of emotional problems and and painful things that the team will go through.

1. What made you chose Sportsmaster/Lawrence Crock to be this amazing bad-ass villain? They're probably other assassin's you could've used but you turn a very funny Golden-Age comic villain character in to one of the most dangerous bad guys in the series so far?

2. Does Lawrence still care about Paula? So far he is disappointed at both his daughters?

I love that there is this complicated dynamic in this family and drama really unfolds little by little in the series.
I hope you continue your success in season 2!

Greg responds...

1. Always liked him. But mostly, we liked the dynamic we saw as possible between Huntress, Sportsmaster and Artemis (and adding Cheshire in seemed very workable).

2. Disappointment is transitory with this guy, I think. I think he still has feelings for Paula - to the extent he has feelings.

Response recorded on August 29, 2012

Bookmark Link

YOUNG JUSTICE Issue #19 out now!

Issue #19 of our companion YOUNG JUSTICE comic book has hit the stands - real and virtual. This concludes our two-part Gorilla City story, reveals the origins of Gorilla City and has just about every DC ape I could think of in it.

The cover's by our regular artist Chris Jones, and the interiors are by the talented Luciano Vecchio, who also drew issue 12 (one of my personal favorites). As for the writing, you're stuck with me. This is the last issue, before we transition in issue #20 from first season stories to our cast from Young Justice: Invasion.

Pick an issue up in digital form (https://read.dccomics.com/comixology/#/series/5348) or at your local comic shop (http://www.comicshoplocator.com/Home/1/1/57/575)!


Bookmark Link

CGYJ writes...

Mr. Greg Weisman,

I would to say that "Usual Suspects" is one of the very best episodes of Season One. You and your co-workers did a fantastic job! Now for the questions.

1. This Rocket character… I believe that she had a non-speaking role for at least two episodes if I’m not mistaken. I’m glad she’s been given a voice actress, which almost sounds similar to the person who voiced Virgil Hawkins’ sister in “Static Shock.” “Usual Suspects” has already have her established as a member of The Team at this point. Why wasn’t she shown to be properly introduced to the other members of The Team (within the show) and vice versa? I think this was the only point within the episode that has gotten me somewhat confused; otherwise, everything else was great.

2. The crowd was laughing (but not in an insulting way) after Superman made a comment about how one of the three values that the Justice League upholds is also part of the team’s name. Was that supposed to be Superman’s bad attempt at humor or something? Is it rare for Superman to try to be humorous?

3. If Miss Martian was able to permanently remove/block the “red sun” programming in Superboy’s mind, did Superboy had to TELL Miss Martian about it first in order for her to help him or was she presumably able to LOOK into all of the potentially dangerous programming (that was installed) within his mind and got rid of them all?

4. As demonstrated in the episode, Batman preferred working at the Watchtower rather than joining the celebration party for the new Justice League members. When Green Arrow and rest of the previous Justice League members joined within the last seven years (prior to 2010), did Batman ever did that same routine of “business first and celebration later”?

5. While the cliffhanger on “Usual Suspects” took me by surprise, why was it ultimately decided to have this episode to show the cliffhanger instead of the final episode of Season One, which will air in the coming week? If it seems like this question sounds ridiculous, please recall/remember the question from one of my earlier postings, in which I told you my thoughts about the nature of cliffhangers on television shows.

Thanks for taking the time to read my questions. I look forward to the Season finale with much anticipation!

Greg responds...

1. We felt that she was introduced as much as necessary.

2a. It was his attempt at humor. Though I wouldn't say it was "bad". Just a little chuckle for everyone to share.

2b. He's not a laugh riot, but he's not grim.

3. Knowing the kind of thing to look for, she was able to clean out "Red Sun" and check for the rest. But there was nothing in there except "Red Sun". As stated in the episode.

4. Ever? Probably.

5. I'm afraid I can't remember past posts that clearly. But I think the end of "Usual Suspects" and "Auld Acquaintance" both worked well and require no justification from me.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

Just saw "Usual Suspects". Just wanted to say that I love, LOVE the fact that Superboy knew about Miss Martian's true form all along. The simple fact that he already knew makes their relationship seem so much more "real." It would have felt so false if he found out for the first time and then immediately accepted it. It's more believable that he already knew.

Greg responds...

Thanks. We liked it too.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Colton gambrel writes...

Does the public know about miss Martian,superboy,zatanna,rocket,artemis,sphere and wolf,or do the justice league hide them for covert reasons

Greg responds...

Rocket is a public figure, though not as well known as Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash. The rest are not public figures at all, though of course some members of the public have seen one or more of them here and there.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Nino Escobar writes...

Mattel has announced that they are cancelling the Young Justice toy line (along with all current DC action figures, which just plain sucks!) Now, I know that the show isn't as merchandise-based like, say the Transformers, but does this have any effect at all on the likelihood of renewal for a third season?

Keep up the good work!

Greg responds...

It doesn't help.

So we really need big ratings and comic book sales. Wouldn't hurt to buy what YJ toys Mattel is still offering, like the Miss Martian/Superboy two-pack.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Greg Bishansky writes...

The Usual Suspects

In the early promotion of "Young Justice," Greg Weisman said that the theme of the first season was "secrets and lies." He was not kidding, that theme was a major factor in "Young Justice" being one of the darkest animated series in a long time. Both this show and "Avengers - Earth's Mightiest Heroes" premiered around the same time, give or take a few weeks, and I remember my brother and I remarking to each other that it was kind of funny that the series about the adult heroes was bright and rather cheerful with occasional dark moments, while the series about the teen sidekicks was the dark and rather dire with occasional cheerful moments. Well the secrets and lies are out now...

But what surprised me was that the none of Superboy, Miss Martian, or Artemis's secrets and lies were exposed by villains. They confessed them on their own. This by no means a complaint of mine. One thing heroes are defined by is their courage. What can be more courageous than facing your own fears, which each of them did here.

Superboy came clean about his use of the shields, and that Lex Luthor is his other father. Following that, we found out that "Red Sun" was the only bit of programming Cadmus successfully got into his brain before Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad liberated him. And Miss Martian was able to remove the "Red Sun" command from his head.

Artemis came clean about her family connections, and wasn't shunned by anybody. Her moments were quite cathartic, I think. I did enjoy it when Cheshire saved her life, and even though Cheshire managed to escape, I bet she enjoyed kicking her father in the face at the end. I know I would have.

Miss Martian revealed what she really was to the Team, and they all took it rather well. The big surprise for me being that Superboy knew since the Bialya mission, although in retrospect it shouldn't have. I still am curious if Martian Manhunter knows this secret or not. Well, if he doesn't know now, he'll know soon... if he survives. Honestly, I misjudged her entire relationship with Superboy. In my defense, I was assuming based on what I knew at the time, but I don't mind being wrong.

I thought the Santa Prisca battle scene was one of the best in the series. Everyone got something to do, and while it was fun to see Bane again, I can already foresee some 90's fanboys once again complaining. Personally, I never liked Bane, never thought he was worthy to "break the bat" and was happy to see Robin kick his ass. Let's just say that Christopher Nolan has his work cut out for him to convince me that this character can carry a movie once "The Dark Knight Rises" hits this summer.

Rocket is the new member of the Team, and... while I'm sure there will be much more to her than just a sassy black chick, this is a Greg Weisman production after all, she hasn't made an impression on me beyond that yet. But I can't blame her, this is an episode heavy with lots of material and plot threads coming to a head. I did, however, like her scene at the beginning where she said the other sidekicks were her inspiration.

So, who was the mole?

Red Arrow. Who saw it coming? I didn't. I probably should have, I did narrow it down to him and Aqualad last week, but I didn't. I guess I expected the mole to be on the Team, but really all Ra's al Ghul said was that they had an operative on the inside. Red Arrow was... is friends with Kid Flash, Robin, and Aqualad, so I can easily see them casually mentioning things to him before he tips off the Light. But, considering that Red Arrow had no clue that he was the mole himself, I'm guessing that there is far more to this story... and we'll find out next week.

And what a cliffhanger to leave us on. Red Arrow places the Starro pieces on each member of the Justice League, then they all bow down to Vandal Savage. I love a good cliffhanger, and right now I'm really wishing that this was an hour long special. Well, a week isn't that long a time, and the wait will be worth it to see the Team take on their mentors... while the creative team hits us with one last sucker punch for the season.

Personally, I hope Vandal Savage cuts off Superman's head and chucks it into the nearest red sun, but I doubt that will happen. Aw well, tuning in next week, same bat time, same bat channel.

Greg responds...

Wow. What's with the Superman hate?

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Thomas writes...

You are....amazing. No character is wasted in your series, they all connect back somehow, somewhere. Little movement is wasted in plot.

How do you come up with this stuff?

Greg responds...

With help from other very talented people and with a lot of index cards on a huge bulletin board. Oh, and with research.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Michael writes...

Hi Greg!

Like many fans, I was deeply saddened to see Spectacular Spider-Man get cancelled after only two seasons. The show had so many good stories left to tell and really left a lot of open plot threads (Peter and Gwen's relationship, Norman Osborn's future plans, the Venom symboiote's whereabouts etc.) that were just begging to be explored.

With that in mind, have you given any thought to proposing a Spectacular Spider-Man comic book that would continue the storylines you and your creative team had planned? I know that you've gone this route with Gargoyles, and I think a Spectacular Spider-Man comic would really excite and satisfy fans who wanted to see where the series would have gone without incurring the expense of continuing the show (since I realize a lot of your talent has moved on to other projects -- incidentally love Lacey Chabert as Zatanna in Young Justice!). Marvel is already producing an Ultimate Spider-Man comic based on the new animated show -- would it really be out of the realm of possibility for them to produce a Spectacular Spider-Man comic and/or miniseries? After all, DC produced new issues of the Batman The Animated Series comic book, The Batman comic, and Batman the Brave and the Bold long after the cartoons were cancelled.

Best wishes

Michael

Greg responds...

I did propose a Spectacular Spider-Man comic book, but Marvel didn't bite.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Marvelman writes...

Hi Greg. By the time you read this, season one will be long over. There's one thing that I still don't understand. Who created those ice fortresses in "Coldhearted," and why? I'm not asking for a spoiler; I'm just wondering if there's an obvious answer that I missed. Were the ice fortresses just another part of the favor Vandal owed Vertigo? It doesn't seem to advance the Light's cause which may be something more than just taking over the world. Did Vandal cover the U.S. with snow just to stop Princess Perdita from getting a new heart? Isn't that a bit extreme to kill one little girl?

Greg responds...

The ice fortresses were designed by the five ice villains. The Light was indeed working with Vertigo, because having him in control of Vlatava works in their favor, just as it works in their favor that Bialya is ruled by Queen Bee.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Amber writes...

Did Black Canary ever wear her horrible 1980s Stephen DeStefano costume on Earth-16? Please say no.

Greg responds...

No.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Easter egg writes...

I just notice the Aqualad poster in Gar's room during Image.
And I know is there other hidden thing secrets in earlier episodes?
P.S I think Aqualad is the breakout star of show.

Greg responds...

Here and there.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Charlie Grayson writes...

Hey! Just a quick question, I know sometimes Robin or another character is missing from an episode because they're off with their mentors and what not, but I noticed that in a couple episodes since Misplaced, Zatanna has been absent. I was just wondering why? Or where she was?

Greg responds...

Well, "Misplaced" was episode 119. Zatanna appeared in 120, 122, 123, 124, 125 and 126. So when you say "a couple of episodes", I assume you really just mean 121, i.e. "Image", which also didn't include, Aqualad or Artemis. We know Aqualad was busy with Aquaman. So I like to think that Artemis and Zatanna were hanging out.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

CGYJ writes...

Mr. Greg Weisman,

Your response to one of my questions from my first posting (which was posted by me on March 3rd, 2012) stated that you are not familiar with the Smallville interpretation of Krypton’s destruction. The circumstances behind Krypton’s destruction were made clear within an animated series related to Smallville (but also which is not shown on TV) called “Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton.”

The website, http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Kara_and_the_Chronicles_of_Krypton, should hopefully be able to help out in some way to help you understand.

If you want to know more about Smallville’s interpretation of Krypton, here is this website, http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Krypton.

If you want to know about the DCAU interpretation of Krypton and how its destruction came about (which you claimed to some difficulty remembering), here’s the website, http://dcanimated.wikia.com/wiki/Krypton.

Does this information appear to help in any way to let you understand the nature of my question from the first posting (which I believe was question #5)? I feel that that these sources are well-informative, so please let me know how it all works out.

PS. I would also like to let you know that two days ago (from the date of this posting), around nighttime, I noticed in the unanswered questions archive that an anonymous person posted a very offensive and insulting message towards me; which also accused me of posting too much. Whoever’s posting it belonged to was deleted by whoever is in charge of the approval of the postings, so I don't remember the anonymous person's exact words. If you feel that I AM posting too often, I sincerely apologize and wish to be advised as to how to avoid the problem. Otherwise, I will not post anything from this point forward unless I feel that I need to ask something important regarding Young Justice.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this posting.

Greg responds...

I appreciate you posting these links, but I don't have the time or inclination to check them out. Sorry.

But I don't think you're posting too often. The moderators obviously have NO problem with your posts - since they've remained in the queue for me to respond to - while the post made by your attacker - which I haven't seen - was deleted. So I think it's obvious who belongs here and who doesn't.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

1. Despite having a criminal record (as clearly mentioned in “Agendas”), when and why did Plastic Man decided to become a hero in the first place? Was it to make amends for something he did wrong or was it for some other personal reasons?

2. What grade level are Barbara Gordon and Bette Kane in (currently) at Gotham Academy?

3. Was Barbara Gordon’s enrollment into Gotham Academy of her own decision, or was it her father that pushed for the suggestion that she should enroll there?

4. When Wally was sent to the hospital after trying the experiment to receive super-speed, were his parents furious with him at first (for doing something so reckless and dangerous)? If they were, did Barry ever tried to explain to Wally’s parents that what happened to Wally was actually his OWN fault, and not Wally’s?

5. Out of curiosity, when did “Hello, Megan!” first aired on TV (on Earth-16), and how many episodes did the show have (despite it only being one season)?

Greg responds...

1. That's a story. I don't tell stories here (generally).

2. As of Season One, Barbara was a Freshman. Bette was a Sophomore.

3. I dunno. I'd have to think about it. Maybe both.

4a. Yes.

4b. Well, I think they SHARE the blame - and only up to a point. Nobody held a gun to Wally's head - or even encouraged him. And Barry had no idea Wally had STOLEN his journals. So it was almost entirely Wally's fault to my way of thinking. Though Barry agreed more with you than me. But, yes, everyone talked it all out eventually.

5. "Hello, Megan!" aired across the 1979-1980 television season on GBS. Twenty-two episodes, a full season, aired. But it wasn't picked up for a second season.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

It’s good that Robin was given the chance to lead The Team at least once so far (in the real world), but he didn’t feel 100% confident in his own abilities just yet (given what happened in “Failsafe”). If more situations dictate the need for Robin’s leadership more often (I'll wait to find out), then do you believe in your most honest opinion that he will gradually improve overtime (both in his own confidence and in his own skills)?

Greg responds...

Now that, hopefully, you've seen the start of Season Two, I'll leave that for you to decide for yourself.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

I'm a big fan of multiverses in DC and Marvel Comics, and that's just because each universe presents something that makes them unique from other universes. The problem with handling a multiverse in a comics industry appears to be that sometimes you introduce a parallel Earth, give it a little background information, and eventually you never hear about it again or it is rarely mentioned at all. I remember some time ago that when the DC multiverse crossover event called "Infinite Crisis" ended, the result created a mainstream Earth (New Earth/Earth-0) and 51 other parallel Earths. The parallel Earths (most of them anyway) were introduced in some way in a comic book series called "52." In the years following the introduction of that particular series, I have noticed many contradictions concerning what is canonically the official 51 parallel Earths (not including the mainstream Earth) within the DC multiverse. The problem got bigger when I realized the DC multiverse was rebooted when the DC crossover event "Flashpoint" was finished. After reading Action Comics #8, the tagline at the end of the issue mentioned the introduction of a Superman from Earth-23 in the new DC multiverse. This confused me because I thought that the cartoon series "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" took place on Earth-23 (pre-relaunch of course), which already had its own version of Superman in it. I read on the Internet last night that some people believe that DC cartoons that take place on parallel Earths may not be canon. SO, in the case of your Young Justice cartoon/comic series, is your interpretation of Earth-16 truly a part of the official DC multiverse as one of the 51 parallel Earths, even NOW since the DC multiverse is rebooted?

Greg responds...

Honestly, I don't know.

Since the new 52, perhaps things have changed for the PTB@DC.

But until someone tells me otherwise, Earth-16 is still part of a parallel universe within the DC Multiverse. Frankly, I'm not sure I EVER understood why there were ONLY 52 parallel Earths. Either something is singular or it's infinite. But those are all decisions made above my paygrade.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

B writes...

"What exactly are you asking here? Whether or not I'm going to give a free pass to people who phrase the request sneakily? Or whether folks will stop asking when I make it clear that it's not going to work? "

The latter, of course. You constantly refuse to give spoilers and yet they keep trying that "in your opinion" thing as if it's not a spoiler request.

Greg responds...

Okay... so. Is there still a question here?

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Crystal writes...

Hello. First off, I love Young Justice. The characters (both heroes and villains) and the plot are amazing. I would like to ask you two questions about Rocket specifically.

Are Rocket and Icon related? And are Rocket's powers something she was born with or does she have them thanks to her belt? In the comics, it did say they come from her inertia belt.

Thanks in advance and great job with Young Justice!

Greg responds...

1. Icon is Rocket's mentor. Rocket is Icon's inspiration. They're not blood relations at all. (He's not even really human.)

2. Rocket's powers come from her belt.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Steel writes...

Hello! First off, my sister loves "Young Justice" and is a really big fan. I have yet to see it, but I plan to over the summer. However, I've got a few questions on a much older series you freelanced two episodes for, namely "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command", if you wouldn't mind answering them. (Loved all the inside "Gargoyles" jokes in "Clone Rangers", by the way!) I know it's been almost a decade since then, but I figured I'd give it a go.

1. How were you selected to write the episodes, and how did the process go? (e.g., did you yourself come up with the ideas, or did they present you a premise you had to stick to?)
2. How did you come up with Romac's character? Was there a reason behind him being the only "intelligent" Grounder around? Someone who served as a source of inspiration? (And, this is more trivia than anything, but how old would you say Romac is?)
3. How about the relations between Tangean Royals and Tangean Grounders? The story has a "Romeo and Juliet" kind of feel to it, but did you ever expand on why the two races live apart when they're on the same planet?

Thank you very much in advance! :)

Greg responds...

Wow, this was a LONG time ago.

1. I think I came up with the springboard for "Starstruck" and that Schooley and McCorkle came up with the springboard for "Clone Rangers". But I'm not sure, and my story editor Kevin Hopps may have come up with both for all I know.

2. Romac was based on Romeo. He's about the same age as the princess, whatever her age was.

3. It was all definitely based on R&J, but I don't remember any of the specifics, I'm afraid.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

AQ writes...

Regarding Zatanna's spells, does Ms. Chabert have a difficult time pronouncing some of them on the first go? Do you choose to write the spells a certain way that allows for them to be more easily read?

Greg responds...

1. Yes, sometimes, though she's a real trooper about it, and she practices them all in advance.

2. They are simply written backwards. She and Jamie and I work out the phonetics as we go.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

russianspy1234 writes...

These might be spoilerific but I'll try anyway.

1. Is the green martian body that Miss Martian showed as her "true" form what green martians really look like in this continuity, or do they look like their typical more monstrous selves shown in other continuities?

2. Has Dr. Fate not thought to split body time with someone? It would have been a lot easier for him to convince someone to give up their body a few hours a day than permanently.

3. Parasite's plan was to open a black hole, directly above him... Did he have an escape plan?

Greg responds...

1a. No.

1b. They look like her White Martian form. Only, you know, greeen.

2. NO COMMENT.

3. The question is really: What was Intergang's plan?

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

6f6ea3 writes...

Hey again, Greg. Hopefully this question will catch you while you're at your office or Beverly Hills office, but I'm just dropping by a follow up inquiry about posting the SpecSpidey bible.

Sorry if I'm being a pest, I know by the time you read this you'll have slogged through a couple hundred questions about Red Tornado's shoe-size or the like since you answered my last question. Keep the faith, you're made of sterner stuff then I.

Greg responds...

Sorry, I'm at Warner Bros. today. And I'm still not sure if I WANT to post the SpecSpidey bible.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Esteban writes...

Hey Greg, I'm a big fan of Gargoyles and I actually have a question for it concerning Brooklyn. How much has his personality changed after he got back from his Timedancing adventure? I didn't see this question posted at the archives but if you did post it then I apologize.

Greg responds...

He's evolved - and aged - more than he's changed.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

CGYJ writes...

Hello, Mr. Greg Weisman,

This is posting #36. I've got some questions to ask you.

In regards to things involving the Daily Planet on Earth-16:
a. How long has Perry White been in charge of the Daily Planet thus far?
b. Who was in charge of the Daily Planet prior to Perry White?
c. How long has Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Clark Kent each have been working at the Daily Planet thus far?

Thanks for taking the time to read these questions!

Greg responds...

a. I don't know.

b. Probably George Taylor.

c. I haven't calculated all this stuff. Sorry.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Colton gambrel writes...

Are Hawkman and hawkwoman's wings nth metal or part of their bodies on earth 16?if they are part of their bodies,how would they hide their large wings to conceal their secret identity?

Greg responds...

1. Part of their bodies.

2. Who said they have secret identities? (Then again, who said they don't?)

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Chaz Alexander R. Clark writes...

Can you ask Disney Archive to released the early artwork from 1991-1993 on a book called "Gargoyles as never before seen" I hook up with a publishing company called Royalty Publishing LC.

Greg responds...

I'm confused by this question. Are you saying you represent a publishing company interested in publishing such a book?

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

no.1 batfan writes...

I saw in the archives that someone asked about the religions that the members of the Justice League are practicing, so I was curious about the religions of the members of the team as well. I think it is safe to say that some of them, namely Miss Martian, are already revealed (in her case in Denial), and others like Aqualad and Zatanna can be inferred from their counterparts on the Justice League. Also, since it will be a while when you do get to this question, I would appreciate if you would answer this for any and all new additions to the team as of answering this question as well. Thanks in advance.

Greg responds...

Hmmm, I don't love answering this kind of question casually. It requires research that I haven't (yet) done. But I'll give it a shot. Just don't hold me to it.

B-01 Robin/Nightwing - Protestant Christian of some kind.

B-02 Aqualad - Atlantean Pagan.

B-03 Kid Flash - Protestant Christian of some kind.

B-04 Superboy was given no religion.

B-05 Miss Martian - In theory, grew up worshipping the Gods of Mars.

B-06 Red Arrow - Protestant Christian of some kind.

B-07 Artemis - Fairly confident, she wasn't brought up with any faith...

B-08 Zatanna - Catholic.

B-09 Rocket - Baptist, maybe?

B-10 Tempest - Atlantean Pagan.

B-11 Aquagirl - Atlantean Pagan

B-12 ?? - ??

B-13 ?? - ??

B-14 ?? - ??

B-15 ?? - ??

B-16 Batgirl - Protestant Christian of some kind.

B-17 Bumblebee - Protestant Christian of some kind.

B-18 Lagoon Boy - Atlantean Pagan.

B-19 Beast Boy - Protestant Christian of some kind.

B-20 Robin - Protestant Christian of some kind.

B-21 Wonder Girl - - Protestant Christian of some kind with a new respect for Amazon Pagan.

B-22 Blue Beetle - Catholic.

B-23 Impulse - Protestant Christian of some kind (assuming there was time for faith post-Reach Apocalypse).

B-24 ?? - ??

B-25 ?? - ??

B-26 ?? - ??

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Tracy writes...

Hey Greg! Just wanted to say I loved YJ and a had a few questions about the universe for you.

1. Have all the JSA members who were active on Earth-16 been shown already? Or are there some that weren't on the archive footage?

2. Are there any other Superhero groups on Earth-16 other than the JLA right now?

3. On Wikipedia it says that an imaginary story about Batman and Superman's children took place on this universe. Is that still canon to this verse?

Greg responds...

1. They haven't all been shown.

2. SPOILER REQUEST. NO COMMENT.

3. No.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Matt writes...

Are the jewels that Mace Malone and Dominic Dracon heisted together currently being kept in the treasury of Eastcheap Isle?

Greg responds...

Probably - unless they were sold.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

ILoveRobin writes...

Hello, Greg. One quick question:
I was just looking at the comic sample called Face Your Fears. In the panel where Robin has his mask in his hand, it doesn't have lenses. Is this a blooper? I just don't understand where the white lenses went :O
Sorry for the random question :/ But I hope you answer it!

Greg responds...

I didn't write on that issue, but it sounds like a mistake.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Inkie writes...

As billionaire Bruce Wayne's adopted son, does Dick get a lot of privileges (big allowance, credit cards, wants vs needs) or does Bruce keep him pretty down to earth?

Greg responds...

Both probably.

Response recorded on August 28, 2012

Bookmark Link

Jules Verdonck writes...

Hey Greg,
I just watched 'performances' and noticed one problem:
As a belgian fan of young justice I was offended that the circus master only greeted the audience in german and french. why didn't he say 'Dames en heren' in Dutch? Because Bruges is a Flammish city.

Greg responds...

He did. Look/listen again. (His accent might not have been great, but he said it.)

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

maxx writes...

Does Kaldur have any siblings?
Does he have an uncle or aunt?
Does he have any relatives on his mom's side in Atlantis?
Why is Kaldur so shy or introverted?
What Kaldur's favorite surface world food?

Greg responds...

1. No.

2. Probably.

3. Probably.

4. Why is anyone?

5. Uh... sushi?

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

Mike S. writes...

I noticed in the Young Justice comics and television show, that Artemis and her mother live in a pretty meager apartment. This appeared to also be the case when Lawrence was living in the house.

So were they living that way on purpose, or does being a skilled assassin just not pay much money? You'd think Lawrence would be making some major bank. As an addendum, in the time he's been away, has he sent anything in the way of financial support?

Greg responds...

Being in and out of prison takes a toll on one's bank account. But I also think that Sporty isn't spending his money on the finer things - unless those finer things explode.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

How long does it take a Lord of Chaos to regain their hold on the physical plane if their familiar is destroyed (if the Lord of Chaos in question relies on a familiar)?

Greg responds...

I guess it would depend.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

1) Has Zatanna's A-03 designation changed since she joined the Team?

2) I know that Hawkwoman and Hal Jordan only had one line in "Agendas" (Hawkwoman said "Hear, hear!" in response to Wonder Woman's comment about the League needing more female members, and Hal said "No" in response to the question about Guy Gardner) but could you reveal who voiced them please, since they went uncredited? I think Vanessa Marshall voiced Hawkwoman but I'm not sure.

Greg responds...

1. Yes.

2. Since they were uncredited, I don't have a list of who played those parts on my electronic copy of the script. I would have jotted down who played them on my cast list on the hard copy of the script I was using at the actual record, but I'm afraid my first season scripts are currently boxed up, so I can't check my hard copy to see. I have a vague memory that Danica McKellar played Hawkwoman and that Dee Bradley Baker played Hal, but I can't be sure.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

Greg Bishansky writes...

Another character focus episode, this time on Robin. I will admit, up front, I don't have quite as much to say about this episode as I do others. It's not to say I didn't like this one, because I definitely did. A lot. But, I write reviews, and I certainly won't ignore this one. As Gandalf the White would say, it's the deep breath before the plunge.

Out of all the characters this season, Robin has gotten the least amount of focus. This is forgivable though, as Dick Grayson is the most famous and well known character on the team. Hell, before the press release for this show, I had no idea who Aqualad, Miss Martian, Kid Flash, and Artemis were. My knowledge of superhero sidekicks was limited to Robin, Bucky, Batgirl and Kitty Pryde (assuming they count), and Launchpad McQuack. Hey, Stan Lee thought sidekicks were lame... and I didn't disagree with him. I didn't watch "Teen Titans," but this show has made the concept grow on me. But Robin is the iconic teen sidekick, and you could find a nomadic tribe in the Sahara and chances are at least one of them would recognize Robin thanks to countless TV shows, movies, and pop culture references over the last several decades. But I enjoyed his story, it felt natural. The circus was his home, it was where he grew up. As much as I am enjoying the Light conspiracy, it is nice to take a small break from that as Dick wants to help a man who was like a father to him.

I thought this episode's version of the Parasite was an effective, and sometimes even scary villain. I definitely preferred this version to the one in "Superman the Animated Series" who was content as long as he had a big screen TV in his prison cell, and cable TV. This is a guy who should be terrifying, and this episode did that. Adam Baldwin was a great pick for his voice. Parasite was working for Intergang, who have ties to Apokolips. Was Parasite really trying to destroy Geneva with a black hole, or was that a giant boom tube? I suppose we'll find out soon.

I absolutely LOVED hearing Clancy Brown as King Faraday. As far as I'm concerned, he does good guys just as well as he does bad guys. I loved him as Captain George Stacy, and I loved him here. I do wonder if this was a small homage to George Stacy as the character design and voice seemed to match quite well. Either way, it put a smile on my face.

I really enjoyed the reference to H.G. Welles "The War of the Worlds." If there is one thing you can always count on to appear in a Weisman-helmed production, it is literary references. "Gargoyles" was full of them, it certainly didn't stop at Shakespeare; "W.I.T.C.H." had a few, my favorite being Xanadu. "The Spectacular Spider-Man" had plenty of Shakespeare as well as a classic reference to Dante's Divine Comedy. I'm a sucker for this sort of thing. But, to quote another reviewer named Dread: "I can say the biggest difference between this show and "ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN" is showcased in one detail; this show expects their audience to know who H.G. Welles is, while "USM" assumes kids have never done anything but play video games in their room or watch MTV." It's a sad state of affairs to see a series promoted as much as USM push and cater to ignorance. But, I suppose Jeph Loeb thinks if he caters to children who don't know what a book that have parents that won't push them to find out, he'll get more butts in to seats.

Finally, there's Red Arrow coming around and deciding to be more trusting and that there is no mole. At this point, I'm ruling out Artemis, Miss Martian, and Superboy as they are all too obvious, and have seemingly been cleared. There is no chance in hell it's Kid Flash or Robin. Zatanna is too new. That leaves Aqualad and.... Red Arrow himself. I guess we'll find out on Saturday when it hits the fan.

Greg responds...

The H.G. Wells reference was what we call a "throw-away". If you get it, great. If you don't, it hardly matters. I don't particularly consider it writing up or down to the audience, but rather being true to Robin's character.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

CGYJ writes...

Hello, Mr. Greg Weisman,

This is my 33rd posting. I have something VERY critically important to ask you. Please do not delete this posting no matter what!

You may recall from one of my earlier postings that I was telling you about how the existence of the DC multiverse was in question after the events of the DC crossover event “Flashpoint.” Then I told you how it seemed like they are starting the DC multiverse all over again with the reintroduction of parallel Earths in May (based on the May 2012 solicitation descriptions of Earth Two and Action Comics). The only two parallel Earths from the old DC multiverse (don’t forget there was New Earth and 51 other parallel Earths at that time) that did not seem affected by the relaunch were Earth-1 (the setting for DC: Earth One graphic novels) and Earth-16 (the setting for Young Justice). However, with this realization, I failed to consider the possibility that these two parallel Earths MIGHT NOT exist in the rebooted multiverse (even though we don’t know that for sure yet)! In the case of Young Justice, have you or your co-workers ever confirmed with the higher-ups who work in DC Comics about whether or not Earth-16 still exist in the post-Flashpoint DC multiverse? I’m sure it would create conflict if someone tried to use Earth-16 without realizing that you and your crew are already using it. This is an extremely important question that I’m asking you, so I hope your response can shed some light on the matter.

Thank you very much for reading this. It is my fault that I didn’t ask you about this sooner, but I hope to hear from your response very soon!

Greg responds...

I have no light to shed, I'm afraid. DC knows what we're up to, and they know we're using Earth-16. We've had no further discussions about it relative to Flashpoint or the New 52.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

1) At Wondercon, you said that Jason Spisak is a lot like Wally West. Has he ever hit on any of his female co-stars during the recording sessions?

2) Why is it that Miss Martian is so exceptionally powerful in Martian Manhunter's eyes? He referred to her as the most powerful telepath he's ever encountered. Is it just a case of fate smiling upon her and her happening to be born with advanced telepathy for a Martian (in other words, a coincidence), or is there more to her incredible power than meets the eye?

Greg responds...

1. Not that I know of. (Don't take what I said too literally.)

2. There's a difference between raw power and advanced technique. She has a lot of raw telepathic power, like some guy might be really strong physically. As to why Manhunter thinks she's so powerful, the answer was right there in the episode "Failsafe". I don't have much to add.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

skye4376 writes...

hi, i just wanted to know your viewpoint on the true identities of the heroes of earth 16. are the heroes really their hero personas pretending to be their civilian selves or are the civilian identities their true identities.

for example, is does dick grayson see himself as dick grayson or as robin who uses his dick grayson persona as a front and acts different so that no one knows that he is robin. also, does clark kent see himself as clark kent or as superman pretending to be a bumbling, clumsy clark kent.

i hope you understand what i mean and that this isn't too confusing for you. thanks.

Greg responds...

1. There's no blanket answer for all heroes.

2. Nothing is as cut and dry as you're making it sound. Dick is Dick. But he's aware he's hiding a piece of himself. Robin is also Dick, but he's aware he's hiding a LOT about himself. But he's not suffering from MPD.

3. It's not much different for Clark. Clark hides MORE of his true self than Dick does, and probably Superman hides more of his true self than Robin does. But the equation is pretty much the same. I mean, it's not like Clark likes Apple Pie, but Superman doesn't. Besides, when have you ever seen our Clark Kent be "bumbling" or "clumsy"?

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

Marvelman writes...

Now that the first season is over, I would like to know if there were any specific reactions by your audience to parts of the show which surprised you?

Greg responds...

Well, initially, I was surprised by the vitriol leveled our way on all sorts of topics. And, of course, for everyone who hated something there was someone else who loved the series for that very thing.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

Alex writes...

If Robin said he doesn't want to be like Batman, why would he become Nightwing in the future? Was he referring to the dark loner thing Batman has going on, or was he talking about his life being consumed by his crime-fighting activities?

Greg responds...

You've basically answered your own question.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

SHAZAM! writes...

What is Black Adam's alter ego? is it Teth Adam, who's been Shazam's champion for 5000 years or Theo Adam, who stumbled upon Teth's magic necklace? or is it a different adaptation?

Greg responds...

Teth.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

Zia writes...

Hey! First off, congratulations to your whole team on such a great show. The details you guys put into Young Justice are just amazing. And since I assume the season finale will have aired by the time you see my question, congrats on that full season two!

Here's my questions: 1. What made you decide to have other family members besides Dick Grayson's parents in the Flying Graysons?
2. Was it inspired at all by the movie Batman Forever (which, as far as I know, is the only other instance of multiple Graysons in the DC universe)?
3. Why did you decide to have his uncle survive the fall?

That's it! Oh, one last thing: thank you for portraying Robin and Batman's relationship differently than usual! There's tons of reasons for Robin to grow dissatisfied with Batman and break off on his own at a later date without them having a strained relationship, and it's a breath of fresh air to see it being handled in that way.

:)

Greg responds...

1. Mostly, I'm not going to answer this, but I will say, it never made much sense to me that there were only three Graysons (total). I was also inspired by the Flying Wallendas.

2. No. Or at least not consciously.

3. NO COMMENT.

4. Why does Dick EVER have to "grow dissatisfied with Batman and break off"? That hasn't happened on Earth-16. He's simply grown-up. Their relationship is solid.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

Jacklyen writes...

Thank you for creating this show - in my opinion, it's the best animated superhero show in I've ever seen. There are so many levels in each episode, and it's more realistic in the way that characters interact and behave than most shows on today.

My question is whether or not any footage was made that is not going to be appearing in the show. What I mean is, that when the show first came out and there were promotional videos for it, we saw some scenes that haven't occurred in the series yet. Are they going to, or were some scenes made only for the trailers?

Thanks! It's great of you to take these questions.

Greg responds...

If we're talking about the same thing, that was just test footage, which we stuck in a promo or two. Nothing's missing.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

smartaxe writes...

Hi Greg - I just finished watching Performance, and one thing confused me: if Miss Martian wasn't able to use her powers for a while after Parasite touched her, why didn't she revert back to her natural (monstrous) form? Were her shapeshifting powers somehow unaffected?

Greg responds...

Her form is not unstable when she shape-shifts. So when he absorbed her powers, she was weakened and more-or-less stuck. As you may have noticed, she NEVER reverts because she falls asleep or loses consciousness, etc.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

How did parasite get his absorbation superpowers?

Greg responds...

Why does "absorbation" sound dirty to me?

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

Ben writes...

why is match about 16? was it always the lights plan to wake superboy when he was still young? or age them to adult?

Greg responds...

Kryptonian DNA doesn't seem to lend itself to force-growth very well.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

Ben writes...

with superboy being partially human does kryptonite effect him as badly as superman?

Greg responds...

Badly enough.

Response recorded on August 24, 2012

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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/


Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

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

Bookmark Link

Bodhi writes...

Hello, Greg.
Very sorry for the loss you've had. I had my dog put down because she had some sort of tumor growing on her hip. It was bleeding like crazy. So, day before Thanksgiving(isn't THAT a great time to do something like this?), we'd put her down.
Anyways, all losses aside, I've been thinking. I was very surprised last Comic-Con when Lego announcing they'd be making licenses for BOTH Marvel and DC. The DC sets were great,(even though most of them were just remakes of the old Batman sets), and I'm sure the Marvel sets will look incredible too. My question is, do you think DC could let Lego produce some Young Justice sets? Even with your past confrontations with Lego(which didn't end well for you), do you think it could be possible?
P.S. Young Justice is fantastic!

Greg responds...

It's got nothing to do with me one way or the other. I think it would be great, but it's not up to me.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

Bookmark Link

nikesh writes...

OK, this is a really stupid question, so do forgive me for asking, but:
I noticed that Red Arrow sounded noticeably deeper in "Insecurity" than he did in his previous appearances. Was this done on purpose?

Greg responds...

He didn't sound any deeper to us.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

Bookmark Link

angela writes...

do you have any advice for people who want to go into animation.

Greg responds...

Yes. Check the ASK GREG archives under "Animation" and/or "Biz, The".

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

Bookmark Link

Ernie writes...

Is season 2 considered episodes beyond the 26 announced or are we watching season 2 currently (14 - 26)?

With your staff of writers for season 2, just how many episodes do they get to write for that batch of episodes --- being a fan of Peter Davids work I'm wondering how many more I (and any other fan of his work) can look forward to.

in episode 123 (the name escapes me right now) the cut away to wolf was just laugh out loud funny

Greg responds...

1. I don't know how Cartoon Network's broadcasting arm defines things, but from a production point of view, Season One consisted of 26 episodes (from "Independence Day" through "Auld Acquaintance") and Season Two is another twenty episodes (from "Happy New Year" to [CENSORED] ).

2. Feel like I've answered this, but maybe not:

201 - Greg Weisman
202 - Nicole Dubuc
203 - Kevin Hopps
204 - Greg Weisman
205 - Brandon Vietti
206 - Peter David
207 - Kevin Hopps (story), Paul Giacoppo (teleplay)
208 - Greg Weisman
209 - Jon Weisman
210 - Kevin Hopps
211 - Nicole Dubuc
212 - Paul Giacoppo
213 - Greg Weisman
214 - Kevin Hopps
215 - Jon Weisman
216 - Kevin Hopps
217 - Brandon Vietti
218 - Peter David
219 - Greg Weisman
220 - Kevin Hopps

So I guess the final score for Season Two is:
Kevin Hopps - 5. 5
Greg Weisman - 5
Peter David - 2
Nicole Dubuc - 2
Brandon Vietti - 2
Jon Weisman - 2
Paul Giacoppo - 1.5

And, of course, Brandon, Kevin and I came up with and broke EVERY story. And I wrote every premise.

3. That was our hope.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

Bookmark Link

Todd Jensen writes...

I was recently rereading your old series bible for "Roswell Conspiracies", and two of the names of the characters seemed familiar to me: Cedric Harris and Tri Chung. I pulled out my copy of "Clan-Building" and spotted them - yep, both were named as members of the Gargoyle Taskforce in #3. You really do take care never to waste anything.

Greg responds...

That's true. Also, Cedric and Tri were my freshman roommates in college. I first tried to use their names in the Black Canary mini-series I wrote for DC, but which never got published. Cedric, I believe was the Chief of Staff to the mayor of Star City. Tri was the Mayor's husband.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

Bookmark Link

Arthur Jr. writes...

Hey Greg, I have been watching the recent episodes of "Young Justice."

* In "Image," the episode's twist ending had the Bialyan Queen Bee appearing in Garfield Logan's bedroom as Miss Martian appeared to check up on Garfield. Queen Bee stated that Psimon wasn't the only one who knows that Miss Martian is a White Martian and is now planning to use Miss Martian in a later plot. I am assuming that Psimon must've relayed his discovery of Miss Martian's true form to her before being knocked out. If that's not the case, then what is?

* In "Insecurity," the twist ending there revealed that Sportsmaster is Artemis' father (just like the comics) as well as being Cheshire's father on Earth-16. Outside of that, I did see the opening where Black Spider targets a reporter named Mr. Jones. I don't think you have mentioned which version of Black Spider you are using but some are assuming that it is not one of the three Black Spiders in DC Comics. Do you have any comment on that?

* In "Coldhearted," I was surprised that you got Ariel Winter to reprise her role of Princess Perdita (who last voiced her in "DC Showcase: Green Arrow" where Steven Blum voiced Count Vertigo). This is a coincidence since Jamie Thomason had voice directed her in that "DC Showcase" short.

* When it came to Clayface's animated appearance in "Downtime," Clayface's voice actor was uncredited. I thought it might've been Kevin Michael Richardson. Some others are claiming that Khary Payton or Nolan North voiced him. Do you have any comment on that? Outside of that, the comic spin-off stated that he was a member of the League of Shadows who was locked in the Lazarus Pit by Talia al Ghul when he tried to use it to cure his terminal cancer which led to him becoming Clayface.

Greg responds...

1. Does it matter how she knows?

2. ASKED AND ANSWERED.

3. Not a coincidence. We all loved Ariel's performance (and Steve's).

4. It was Nolan.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

Do all the members of the Light blindly trust each other, or do they have contingencies to protect themselves from one another? For example, are the men impervious to Queen Bee's thrall?

Greg responds...

There's mutual trust and respect. "Blind Trust"? Well, probably not. But I don't see any of them betraying each other, so there's not much point in me giving much thought to contingencies.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

Bookmark Link

Greg Bishansky writes...

Insecurity

Another week, another episode of "Young Justice." The focus returns to Artemis, and considering she is my favorite character on The Team, that focus is always welcome. Out of all the characters on the main cast, Artemis feels the most like an original creation while not being an original creation. I'll admit to being ignorant of her key ingredients, I am aware of Artemis Crock and Arrowette, but I know nothing about them. But this Artemis has always felt like an original Weisman character, and is someone I could easily imagine in a "Gargoyles" spin-off, especially "Gargoyles: Bad Guys." I've always liked her design, and I really want to give a shout out to Stephanie Lemelin for always turning in a wonderful performance as Artemis.

While none of the revelations about Artemis' family relations came as a surprise to me, that did not make the episode any less engaging. Sportsmaster and Cheshire are both breakout villains on this show, at least for me. The choreography during the action scenes was terrific, and Kelly Hu's Cheshire relishes twisting the knife on her little sister, and even Red Arrow a little. Or a lot. But the meat is the denouement at the end between her and Sportsmaster. Surprising? Hardly. Engaging? You betcha.

Likewise, it was fun to see Wally's attitude mature. The lessons he learned in "Coldhearted" stuck, and he now knows how to prioritize. There has been chemistry between him and Artemis since moment one, but this is a relationship that is requiring both of them to grow up a little bit. A nice contrast to Superboy and Miss Martian's where they were pretty much a couple from the first moment, even if it took them a little while to kiss. This is not a critique of either relationship, just that I think Wally and Artemis will develop something with more substance. Superboy was born almost yesterday, and seems like a weird prop in M'Gann's sitcom fantasy world, and she is still lying to him. One of these relationships is slowly building a strong foundation, while the other is a house of cards. Well, to be fair, both Artemis and Miss Martian are lying to the entire team, but Artemis is hiding her family history, M'Gann is hiding who she actually is entirely. Both have their reasons, but... even with her secrets, Artemis feels a lot more honest than M'Gann does... the Justice League knows who she is, can they say as much about M'Gann?

The plotline of the mole has really kicked into high gear. What do we know? Well, at this point Miss Martian, Superboy, and Artemis all seem to have been compromised. Queen Bee is blackmailing Miss Martian. Lex Luthor can make Superboy do things. And Artemis doesn't want The Team to know who her family is. Now, I doubt any of these three are the mole. I have my own speculations, but without more information, I don't feel like tossing them out there in this review.

What are The Light doing? Well, whatever it is, it involves a combination of science and sorcery... a favorite combo of Demona's back during the days of "Gargoyles." And anyone familiar with that series knows just how dangerous that combination is. Klarion and the Brain seem like a fun odd couple of villains if I ever saw one.

On another note, we had Peter MacNicol as Professor Ivo, Lacey Chabert as Zatanna, Crispin Freeman as Red Arrow, Kelly Hu as Cheshire, Thom Adcox as Klarion, and... Josh Keaton as Black Spider. A "Spectacular Spider-Man" family reunion if I ever saw one. I loved it. Very, very much.

We're at the final stretch, three more episodes to go. I'm on the edge of my seat. Next week cannot come soon enough.

Greg responds...

It's so weird reading this stuff MONTHS after the episodes first aired. Since then they've even rerun. But I guess that's my fault for not keeping up here at ASK GREG.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

Who would could out the victor in these unarmed combat scenarios:
1) Cheshire or Black Canary
2) Sportsmaster or Green Arrow
3) Shimmer or Artemis
4) Joker or Robin

Greg responds...

1. Depends on the circumstances.

2. Depends on the circumstances.

3. Depends on the circumstances.

4. Depends on the circumstances.

And let me just repeat that I am UNINTERESTED in these sorts of hypotheticals. You're never going to get an answer that satisfies you on questions like this. NEVER.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

Bookmark Link

Eagle-Owl writes...

YJ Questions:

1. Are the members of The Light immune to telepathic control (or at least from members of their own ranks)?

2. Queen Bee has the power to enthrall most men and some women, so why hasn't she usurped control from Vandal Savage or turned other members of The Light against him?

3. Same as number two, but with Psimon instead of Queen Bee. Also, is Psimon catatonic after his recent battle with M'gann?

4. Why doesn't Klarion try to take control of The Light considering that he IS the embodiment of chaos?

5. If the Genomorphs want to be accepted, why don't they just use their telepathy to achieve their goals?

Greg responds...

1. No comment.

2. Why would she?

3. You're assuming the grown-ups can't play nice.

3a. For the time being.

4. Since when is Chaos about 'Control".

5. How would that help them achieve their goals?

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

Bookmark Link

YMVM writes...

OK, I finished watching "Insecurity" about an hour ago and I absolutely loved it. I was a little disappointed that Robin didn't show up, but the rest was awesome, from Kid Flash and Artemis' interactions, to Red Arrow, to even Wolf asleep. Please keep up the wonderful job!

Greg responds...

Thanks.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

Bookmark Link

malini writes...

Did Garfield take his mother's maiden name? I couldn't help noticing that Marie's surname was Logan in her teenage days.

Greg responds...

Garfield took his mother's last name.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

Bookmark Link

The Greenman writes...

Hi Mr. Greg Weisman,

I have been a fan of yours since Gargoyles. One of the things that interest me is the basic structure of the themes and world building in the series. One of the styles I see continue to pop up in your series is the relationship between science and sorcery. This is something I have been a fan of in comics like Iron Man and Fantastic Four (specifically Dr. Doom versus Reed Richards). I love the simple explanation that energy is energy.

1. Now I didn't see much of this argument come up in your Spectacular Spider-Man series, because Peter debunked Mysterio, but can you say that you ever planned to and who you would've used to explore that science versus mystic aspect?

2. I am upset that directors such as Jon Favreau and Shane Black have knocked down the very idea of Mandarin showing up as not to approach the so-called mystic aspect. Though, it could be be alien in origin or something, as they claim and prove that even super-science isn't allowed in the MCU. Have you read and understand the Iron Man comics specific to Mandarin and Tony's relationship to science versus sorcery? Was it influential at all in your writing?

Greg responds...

1. Well, we had Calypso. I'm not going to get into much beyond the fact that we would have explored her character more.

2. I'm not sure specifically to what you're referring. I've read comics from the 60s, 70s and 80s with Iron Man and Mandarin. Probably nothing more recent than that. In any case, I don't think it influenced me much if at all.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

Bookmark Link

Robin~BW writes...

Hello Greg!
I want you to know that Young Justice is an amazing show! My questions:
1) Is it true that Robin/Dick is bullied at school? Or unpopular?
2) I know you said that Dick has not skipped a grade, but you did say that he is a Mathelete; does he take advanced math?
Thanks!

Greg responds...

1. Where'd this stuff come from? (Sounds suspiciously like an idea masquerading as a question.)

2. Sure.

Response recorded on August 14, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

Can Queen Bee control animals and aliens or just human people?

Greg responds...

Just human males (most of them) and some females.

Response recorded on August 14, 2012

Bookmark Link

Paul writes...

Why do you put the words 'Produced by Brandon Vietti & Greg Weisman' at the start of each episode (post theme song)? Why not just put them at the start of the end credits instead? The title, writer and director all change with each episode, so I understand why they have a place onscreen while the episode is unfolding, but the producer names are always the same and people don't really need reminding. I understand that you and Brandon Vietti most likely don't want your names to be overlooked, but I think viewers prefer there to be as little listed information onscreen as possible when the episode is playing (essentials like the episode title aside).

Greg responds...

Well, see, it has nothing to do with "changing credits". All our credits change EVERY episode. (I mean there are a handful of people who work on everything, but most of our crew works on some episodes, but not all.) All you have to do is compare any two sets of end credits, and you'd see that.

But those credits at the end are shrunk and sped up and go by very fast, and we feel - and Warner Bros' supports us on this - that four people per episode deserve a bit more prominence, i.e. the writer, director and the two producers. So, yeah, that means Brandon and I get an Act One credit every episode, but I gotta say, I don't feel too guilty about it. We work VERY hard on this stuff, and we're very careful where we place the credits so that they're not too distracting. And INCLUDING the title, it's only four cards total. So... you'll have to learn to live with it, I'm afraid.

Response recorded on August 14, 2012

Bookmark Link

Anonymous writes...

Why does Sportsmater call his daughters as "little girls"?
Does he love them?

Greg responds...

1. He calls Jade "Little Girl. He calls Artemis "Baby Girl". He always has. It's just his thing.

2. He thinks he does. But I don't think he really knows what "love" means.

Response recorded on August 14, 2012

Bookmark Link

SDOHT writes...

When asked how Lexington homosexuality will be portrayed in the future you answered:

“Gargoyles is owned by Disney, and I'd be kidding you and myself if I didn't recognize that there are certain limits to what Disney will allow. My goal with Lex is to be honest and consistent in HIS portrayal. Not to be titillating (let alone pornographic). Frankly, I wish I had the freedom to be more forthright. Perhaps there's an element of cowardice in my middle ground position. I'll cop to that. But I'm just trying to tell stories honestly. I face restrictions. I live with those restrictions. What that means practically, is that few people beyond the hardcore fandom will see Lex's orientation as any kind of issue at all.”

I understand what you mean by that I truly do. I was just wondering if you face the same issues now. If any character were to appear gay to you in young justice could you accurately portray it now or are you faced with the same restraint?

Greg responds...

Probably. Things have progressed... some. But almost not at all in anything perceived as children's programming.

Response recorded on August 14, 2012

Bookmark Link

Koronog writes...

Why couldnt Garth go to the dinner in the palace in Downtime? Is he not on good terms with Aquaman, after the refusal?

Greg responds...

He's not on bad terms, but he wasn't invited for an INTIMATE dinner where Orin and Mera planned on telling Orm and Kaldur about the pregnancy.

Response recorded on August 14, 2012

Bookmark Link

Jeremy writes...

First off let me start by saying that I love everything you're involved with. The top of the list being Gargoyles which I watched as a kid and have now rewatched with a MUCH better understanding of things. Anyways on to my question: Do you plan on doing a reboot of Gargoyles? My reasoning being that a lot of classic shows, such as Thundercats, are being(or have been) rebooted and I was wondering(hoping really) if there was any intention what so ever of rebooting gargoyles.

Greg responds...

It's not up to me.

Response recorded on August 14, 2012

Bookmark Link

Real Roy writes...

Who are Garth's parents?

Greg responds...

If memory serves, their names are Thar and Berra. But that's canon-in-training, at best.

Response recorded on August 14, 2012

Bookmark Link

Kevin writes...

1. Is Vandal Savage a Cro-Magnon on Earth 16?
2. Are the sound effects for Doctor Fate based on the Dream Time in Gargoyles?
3. What field of science does the Atom specialize in on Earth 16?
4. Why does Artemis use a compound bow instead of a recurve bow?
5. Do Nabu and Klarion live in the same dimension when they are not in the physical world or did they live in separate dimensions?

Greg responds...

1. Neanderthal, I think. But I'd have to do some research to confirm that.

2. I don't think so. Totally different sound house.

3. Molecular physics.

4. That's what she was trained on.

5. They're both extra-dimensional.

Response recorded on August 14, 2012

Bookmark Link

The Batfan writes...

This series just keeps getting better and better. "Misplaced" finally gave us another episode where Klarion is the main villain, and brought back Doctor Fate for good - two things I'd certainly been waiting for. It also gave us a hint that each of the members of the Light has his own "crew", as it were - and that, as befits a lord of chaos, Klarion's bosts elemental power. The other side of this was really showing off Zatanna, and finally inducting her onto the team, albeit under circumstances no one would have guessed. All in all, one of my favorite episodes so far.
But even "Misplaced", with all its titanic magic - and I love that stuff, I'm a fantasy buff - can't beat the simple, paradoxically heart-warming beauty that was "Coldhearted". I know the crew was especially proud with this one; they have every reason to be.
It was great to get some more insight into the unfolding mystery that is M'gann, and "Image" really showed us some more of who M'gann really is - and I'm not talking about her "true" form. I had already suspected the White Martian bit, as had many; I am referring to the twist, that she actually hates her "true" form, and has adopted a new identity because that's who she wants to be. As she says to Superboy, "I do it for me." So the M'gann we've seen so far - in terms of personality - actually *is* the real M'gann. And I think that's great.
"Agendas" - well, this one was puzzling. The bit about the human DNA was a nice twist, which I did not foresee, even though others did (I honestly thought his Kryptonian powers were simply still developing). From there, the fact that Luther was the donor was foreseeable - and that he would try to butt-in as Superboy's father-figure, in Kal-El's absence, was the logical and expedient route for taking back Cadmus's super-weapon.
Those "shields" intrigue me, though. How is it possible that an electrical pulse or chemical mixture (I'm assuming it's not magic, since Lex said he developed them, and since magic generally does nothing good to Kryptonians) could "suppress" a good chunk of Superboy's genetic makeup - the delicate code that makes him look the way he does and forms part of the basis for who he is? I know, I'm supposed to suspend disbelief here - but this came so suddenly, so out of the blue, that I'm having trouble with that.
I know you don't really like this kind of question, and I'm sorry to bug you with it, but I really didn't get this and I would really like to. Where did the idea of the shields originate, and how do they work?
Thank you for your patience, and your amazing creativity that makes us love this series.

Greg responds...

The idea originated in the writer's room from myself, Brandon Vietti and Kevin Hopps.

But I won't really be able to add anything to the pseudo-science stated on the show. The shields suppress the human DNA that's interfering (watering down) his Kryptonian powers. Not sure what else to say.

Response recorded on August 14, 2012

Bookmark Link

Superboy & Miss Martian Action Figures Special Pre-Order Extended

The Superboy & Miss Martian Action Figures Special Pre-Order has been EXTENDED until the end of August!

Again, check out:

http://www.mattycollector.com/DRHM/store?Action=DisplayProductDetailsPage&SiteID=matty&Locale=en_US&productID=254180800


Bookmark Link

GARGOYLES T-SHIRTS

I just got the word:

Hot Topic is selling Gargoyles t-shirts again.

http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/PopCulture/EverythingElse/ComicsAnimeCartoons//Disney+Gargoyles+Girls+T-Shirt-173401.jsp

http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/PopCulture/EverythingElse/ComicsAnimeCartoons//Disney+Gargoyles+Dolman+Top-166815.jsp

God knows, I've got enough Gargoyles T-shirts to last months, but I'm going to buy another to demonstrate to Disney and it's licensees that the property is viable and popular.

At the very least, please help SPREAD THE WORD!