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REVELATIONS 2012-08 (Aug)
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B writes...
In "Misplaced", was Roanoke Island chosen as the location of Klarion's spell because people (the whole Roanoke Colony) had disappeared there before? And if so, was it necessary for the spellcasters, or just a fun reference on your part?
Greg responds...
Both.
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.
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:
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.â€
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
B writes...
When Artemis said in "Misplaced" that she wasn't a cat person, was that a reference to Cheshire?
Greg responds...
Yes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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