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Rain of the Ghosts

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Geri writes...

Dear Greg,

I'm a big fan of yours. I have a question, but first I just wanted to express my gratitude. I recently lost my grandfather. It was the first time someone close to me passed away, so it was especially difficult. It prompted me to reread Rain of the Ghosts and I found it very comforting during a difficult time. I thought your portrayal of the grieving process was very vivid and true to life, and I appreciate that you didn't just rush through it the way other works of fiction often do. I'd give anything for my grandfather to be in a bracelet so I could talk to him every night like Papa Bastian. I hope I get to read the rest of the books in the series and hear the audioplay version of the second book someday, but until then I'll happily support the other projects you're working on, especially Young Justice: Outsiders.

As for my question, a while ago I saw this ramble all the way from 2004 about whether Gargoyles might have communicated psychically rather than through words. I was really fascinated by it at the time and it spurred me to think about the nature and limitations of language. I even did some study of the philosophy of language when I got to college partly because of seeing that ramble. I was wondering, have you given that idea any more thought? For example, is it any closer or farther away from something you'd consider bringing into the text if you ever get a chance to make more Gargoyles stories? Thanks!

Greg responds...

Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad Rain and Bastian could help you through a difficult time.

As for your question, I haven't really pursued that idea. I'm leaning more toward instinct than telepathy. But I also haven't had a need to explore it further. So we'll see.

Response recorded on July 26, 2021

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Michael Graves writes...

Huge fan of your work. I've seen both Gargoyles and Young Justice, and I 'm working my way through the SW Rebels Blu-Rays I recently bought. Anyway, I'm aware your book Rain of the Ghosts is based on a pitch to Dreamworks that didn't end up going to series. Have you ever considered trying to pitch it to Netflix or Amazon and see if it can be realized as a series? Hopefully not too invasive of a question. Thank you in advance.

Greg responds...

I've pitched it all over town. No one's bought it, I'm afraid.

Response recorded on July 09, 2021

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Gia writes...

Congrats on Young Justice being continued. Always great if fans fighting for the favorite shows succeed.
I really liked Rain of the Ghosts and Spirits of Ash and Foam. Will you write Masque of Bones now things are going well again? The book series is as good as Gargoyles was both in quality, imagination and depth of characters and story arc... books so brillant should be continued. PLEASE!

Greg responds...

Thank you.

I still plan to get back to Masque of Bones and the Rain series someday, but unfortunately I just can't afford to do it now. I need to make a living, and with no one interested in publishing and paying me to write the book, I need to focus on other (paid) work instead. Sometimes real life is uncooperative.

Response recorded on July 09, 2021

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Rain fan writes...

Let me just start by saying what a great writer you are. When I found out you were going to write a book I was elated. When I heard of your AudioPlay, I was ecstatic. Which is why I was so heartbroken when I read your comments about the Kickstarter experience and how jaded you were about it. More so because that basically means we won't get an AudioPlay for Book 2.

I'm really sorry it didn't work out like you were hoping. I haven't lost hope of you releasing Book 3, however.

A sincere thank you.

Greg responds...

I haven't lost hope of producing an AudioPlay for Book 2 or of writing Book 3: Masque of Bones. It's not going to happen in the near future, but someday. Just not through Kickstarter.

Response recorded on July 02, 2021

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Millie writes...

Hi Greg, just bought your audio story of Rain Of The Ghosts, fantastic original story, and not to mention love hearing our favorite voice actors in your story, and it was amazing, gonna go find the second book and read it.

I also wanted to ask, Timedancer is one of my most favorite spinoff ideas based onto Gargoyles, and the sheer idea of Brooklyn Time traveling is awesome! I wanted to know, just like you did with Rain Of The ghost Audio story, would you be able to do Timedancer like that? Bring in the old voice actors (Jeff and Thomas ect) and bring in new ones to voice the new characters that would have been in Timedancer?

Greg responds...

Thanks for the kind words about Rain.

To answer your question, I'd love to do an AudioPlay of Timedancer, but I don't own Gargoyles or TimeDancer, so that's not an option at this time.

Response recorded on October 21, 2019

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Anonymous writes...

What's the status on Rain of the Ghosts? Are you going to do an AudioPlay for Spirits? Have you put Masque of Bones on hiatus?

Greg responds...

For financial reasons, I've had to put both the AudioPlay of SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM and the writing of MASQUE OF BONES on hold. Unfortunately, we didn't sell enough copies of RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS (in either paperback or ebook form) and we didn't sell nearly enough e-copies of the AudioPlay for RAIN. I can't afford the time to work on this project right now, which kills me. But I will someday.

Response recorded on January 09, 2019

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B.W. Morris writes...

Hi Greg,

I wanted to tell you how much I've enjoyed Young Justice, Spectacular Spider-Man and the first two books of the Rain of the Ghosts series. Your writing helped inspire me to try my hand at fiction writing and, after a couple of years, I now have my first novel published. So I wanted to thank you for being one of those people who inspired me to try my hand at it.

Looking forward to Young Justice 3 and best of luck with it!

Greg responds...

Thank you. And thanks for posting this. It's very gratifying!

Response recorded on September 18, 2017

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Gia writes...

1) I haven't seen Greg on Twitter for ages...what happened to him?
2) What is with "Masque of Bones"? Is there any hope left for the Rain of the Ghosts series? They were some of the best books I ever read and I would be so disappointed if the project just died...

Greg responds...

1. I took a break from social media.

2. I'll get to it eventually, but it may be a LONG eventually. I'm afraid that neither book in the series sold well enough for my publisher to want to publish the third book. I was hoping that the audioplay version of Rain would generate some interest, both in itself, and the series as a whole. But that hasn't happened. So I will get back to Rain - and self-publish, if necessary. But right now, I need to pay the bills, with projects like World of Warcraft: Traveler.

Response recorded on September 11, 2017

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Andres Escobar writes...

Simple question what are you currently working on as it is hard to follow sometimes and if you can talk or more specifically write about it what will you be working on that you know? Ohh and where can we watch it , or if read it when is it coming out or where can we find it I know you were writing a comic for Marvel I could never find it in several comic book stores.

Greg responds...

Right now, I am working on two things. The third season of YOUNG JUSTICE and the second novel in the WORLD OF WARCRAFT: TRAVELER series.

We don't yet know where Season Three of YJ will air, but you can view Seasons One and Two on Netflix, on iTunes or on DVD or BluRay.

The second WARCRAFT book should come out in bookstores (including online bookstores) next November.

Prior to that, I was working on the second and third seasons of SHIMMER AND SHINE. Season Two is currently airing on Nick Jr.

I also wrote the first book in the WORLD OF WARCRAFT: TRAVELER series, which is currently available at bookstores (and online bookstores).

There's also my two novels RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM, both of which are currently available at bookstores and online bookstores.

Then there's the AudioPlay version of RAIN OF THE GHOSTS, which is currently available for download at Gumroad.com/RainoftheGhosts.

I recently co-plotted a CAPTAIN ATOM miniseries with Cary Bates, illustrated by Will Conrad. It will be available this January, 2017 from anyplace that sells comic books, including the DC Comics App, Comixology and iTunes.

Last year, I wrote the twelve issue STAR WARS KANAN series for Lucasfilm and Marvel. Those are available either as single issues, as two trades (STAR WARS KANAN: THE LAST PADAWAN and STAR WARS KANAN: FIRST BLOOD) or as an omnibus, again at Bookstores, online Bookstores, comic book stores and from the Marvel Comics App, Comixology or iTunes.

Finally, I also wrote the six issue STARBRAND AND NIGHTMASK for Marvel Comics, available as single issues or as one trade (STARBRAND AND NIGHTMASK: ETERNITY'S CHILDREN [Attend University]), which AGAIN is available at bookstores, online bookstores, comic book stores, the Marvel Comics App, Comixology or iTunes.

Whew! I think that's it! Thanks for asking!

Response recorded on December 21, 2016

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Ian writes...

I have really enjoyed the Rain of the Ghosts series and I anxiously await for Book 3 to come out. My question for you though is this: As you write the Rain of the Ghosts series, do you already have an idea of how you want the series to ultimately end, or is the story more fluid with ideas coming to you as you write?

Greg responds...

I try to keep myself open to ideas that come to me or to characters who assert themselves, like Renée and Cash did in SPIRITS. But I know pretty much exactly where the story is going.

Response recorded on December 20, 2016

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Weesiwel writes...

Rain of the Ghosts Typo contest entry.

Chapter One: Drums, Page 3.

Last sentence of the first full paragraph on the page.

"Then in perfect synch, the two teens turned down a dark alley, the bikes at at a forty-five-degree angle."

There shouldn't be a hyphen between forty-five and degrees.

Greg responds...

I think that must be a judgement call. I'm not counting that as a mistake. Sorry.

Response recorded on October 19, 2016

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LONG BEACH COMIC CON

Hey gang,

Heading off to yet another convention. This time it's...

LONG BEACH COMIC CON
Long Beach Convention Center
300 East Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802

I'm there this Saturday and Sunday. Here's my schedule:

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016
09:30am - 03:00pm - I'll be at my table, which is "ANIMATION ISLAND 13". (Well, the con opens at 9:30am, but I'll be driving down that morning to Long Beach from Los Angeles, so I'll get there as close to 9:30am as I can manage it.) I'll be signing and selling copies of my novels RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM for $10 each. If you buy both, you get a free RAIN OF THE GHOSTS art print, illustrated by Christopher Jones. I'll also be selling CD sets of the RAIN OF THE GHOSTS AudioPlay for $30 This is an unabridged four hour production with 20 actors (including Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis, Ed Asner, Vanessa Marshall, Jim Cummings, Steve Blum, Thom Adcox and more), a full original musical score (by the composers of YOUNG JUSTICE and THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN) and sound effects. It's like a four hour movie in your head! Buy the CD set and you also receive a free print. If you ONLY want the print, it's $20. Plus I'll also be selling original Christopher Jones art prints of YOUNG JUSTICE and GARGOYLES for $20 each. Finally, I'll be selling copies of my animation scripts (from series including GARGOYLES, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, YOUNG JUSTICE, STAR WARS REBELS and many others) for $20 each. All transactions are cash only. Signatures - if you bring something of your own for me to sign - are FREE!

03:00pm - 04:00pm - The Star Wars Perspectives
Join Greg Weisman (Star Wars Rebels), Craig Miller (Director of Fan Relations for Lucasfilm from 1977-1980), Brian Miller (Star Wars artist), and Mike Mayhew (Star Wars comic book artist) as they discuss the different aspects of Star Wars that they have been involved in. Unique perspectives and experiences are brought to the table in this can't-miss panel! Moderated by Blair Marnell, Q&A to follow.

04:00pm - 07:00pm - I'll be back, signing & selling, at my ANIMATION ISLAND 13 table.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016
10:00am - 01:00pm - Signing & Selling at ANIMATION ISLAND 13.

01:00pm - 02:00pm - Young Justice: Panels to Pixels
Greg Weisman, Peter David, Todd Nauck and Kevin Hopps discuss everything Young Justice from the comics to the animation. Moderated by Ken Rolow, Q&A to follow!

02:00pm - 05:00pm - Signing & Selling at ANIMATION ISLAND 13.

Hope to see you there!


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Charity writes...

May I say that your shows are amazing Mr. Greg :) My best friend got introduced to all of them :)
And my question is that in your book series would you like it to be something in the lines of a comic book?
Thanks again

Greg responds...

I'd be happy to adapt it to a comic book. But first and foremost it's a series of novels. And an AudioPlay.

Response recorded on August 08, 2016

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Gia writes...

Hi there!
I'm Viennas (Austria) biggest fan of Gargoyles and want to thank you first of all for all the fun and inspiration it has given me! I really love it.
Your novel series "Rain of the ghosts" is just as brilliant and I can't wait to get my hands on "Masque of bones". Is it by now possible to say when it will be approximately released?
Thank you and good luck with your projects!

Greg responds...

No, I haven't started writing Masque of Bones yet, because - to be perfectly honest - I needed to earn some money. So instead I wrote the World of Warcraft: Traveler novel, which will be out in November of 2016. And I just started working on the second Traveler novel.

I will get back to Masque eventually. But in the meantime, have you read the sequel to Rain of the Ghosts: SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM, which is available at bookstores or websites like Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Spirits-Ash-Foam-Ghosts-Novel/dp/1250029821 ?

And have you heard our RAIN OF THE GHOSTS AudioPlay, which is currently available for download at Gumroad.com/RainoftheGhosts ?

Response recorded on July 27, 2016

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Brian writes...

How did Lance Pedros know of Cool Hand Luke? Were the Eight still aware of the world progressing around them? Were they manifestations of Bahique's guilt?

Greg responds...

You're assuming that he was quoting Cool Hand Luke. Certainly, the AUTHOR was quoting Cool Hand Luke. But Lance was just saying what he was thinking.

Response recorded on July 11, 2016

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CONvergence 2016

I leave tomorrow for CONvergence 2016 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Okay, really Bloomington, MN, but close enough.) CONvergence is one of my favorite cons. And I have the honor of being their first fan-funded guest. Here's my schedule for the long weekend:

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2016
GUEST RECEPTION 07:00pm - 09:00pm
Atrium 4

THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2016
"Why Gargoyles is Still Relevant" 12:30pm - 01:30pm
Atrium 6 w/Christopher Jones, Patrick Fisher, Alana Profit, Chandra Reyer.

RADIO PLAY AUDITIONS 02:00pm - 03:00pm
Plaza 3 w/Christopher Jones.

"Physics of Time Travel" 03:30pm - 04:30pm
Edina w/Renate Fiora (m), Dan Berliner, Melanie Galloway, Jim Kakalios.

"Fancy Bastard Pie Competition" 08:30pm - 09:30pm
Garden Court - Southwest w/GPS.

FRIDAY, JULY 01, 2016
SIGNING 11:00am - 12:00pm
Autograph Table B.

RADIO PLAY AUDITIONS 12:30pm - 01:30pm
Plaza 3 w/Christopher Jones, Khary Payton.

"Writing by Ear" 02:00pm - 03:00pm
Bloomington w/Patrick Marsh (m), Emma Bull, Aimee Kuzenski, Jim McDoniel.

"Don't Call Them Sidekicks: The Enduring Power of Teenage Superheroes" 03:30pm - 04:30pm
Bloomington w/ Christopher Jones, Jessa Markert, Khary Payton, Sylus Rademacher.

"Drawing with the Masters" 07:00pm - 08:00pm
Plaza 2 w/Christopher Jones, Ruth Thompson.

"Why Diversity Needs to be Deeper than Marketing" 08:30pm - 09:30pm
Edina w/ Trisha Lynn (m), Kate Norlander, Jonathan Palmer, Dirk Ykema.

"Xanadu Cinema Pleasure Dome Live Podcast" 10:00pm - 11:00pm
Edina w/Windy Bowlsby, Melissa Kaercher.

SATURDAY, JULY 02, 2016
"Building Worlds for Fiction" 09:30am - 10:30am
Plaza 1 w/Michael Carus (m), J.M. Lee, Melissa Olson, Lynne M. Thomas.

"Why We Need Representation in Superheroes" 11:00am - 12:00pm
Edina w/ Christopher Jones, Bri Lopez Donovan, Khary Payton, Lynne M. Thomas.

RADIO PLAY REHEARSAL 12:30pm - 01:30pm
Atrium 6 w/ Christopher Jones, Jim Kakalios, Khary Payton and a cast of tens.

RADIO PLAY PERFORMANCE 02:00pm - 03:00pm
Atrium 6 w/ Christopher Jones, Jim Kakalios, Khary Payton and a cast of tens.

"Superficially Strong Female Characters" 05:00pm - 06:00pm
Edina w/ Crystal Huff (m), Kathryn Sullivan, Chrysoula Tzavelas, Joan Marie Verba.

"One on One with Christopher Jones" 07:00pm - 08:00pm
Edina (m) w/Christopher Jones.

ANIMATION BLUE 07:00pm - 08:00pm
Atrium 6 w/Christopher Jones, Lyda Morehouse, Khary Payton, Jenna Powers, Edmund Tsabard.

SUNDAY, JULY 03, 2016
YOUNG JUSTICE 09:30am - 10:30am
Atrium 6 w/Christopher Jones, Khary Payton.

SIGNING 11:00am - 12:00pm
Autograph Table B.

RAIN OF THE GHOSTS 12:30pm - 01:30pm
Edina.

READING 02:00pm - 03:00pm
Rm 2201.

ONE ON ONE 07:00pm - 08:00pm
Atrium 6 w/Melissa Kaercher.


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J$ writes...

I just wrapped up Spirits of Ash and Foam. I thought the first book was decent, but the second one was fantastic. By the end of the book, I felt as into the book as I did when I thought Goliath had just let Elisa fall to her death. It was a slow build, but well worth it.

When are you going to release the third book?

Greg responds...

Well, I kinda have to write it first. And my free time has been taken up recently writing World of Warcraft: Traveler for Scholastic Books and Blizzard Entertainment.

It's an original novel set in Azeroth, i.e. the world of World of Warcraft. And it's totally canon.

For more info on it, look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QESzTP6_in4

But trust me, I WILL get back to the Rain of the Ghosts series and its third book, Masque of Bones, as soon as I can.

Meanwhile, if you need a Rain fix, check out the Rain of the Ghosts AudioPlay at Gumroad.com/RainoftheGhosts !

(If only I didn't have to earn a darn living!)

Response recorded on May 27, 2016

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Steven Abood writes...

Hello:
I just wanted to say thanks so much for taking your time to give me some writing advice at Magic City Comic Con and that I really enjoyed the Batman Writer's panel. Just started Rain of the Ghosts! Best wishes,
Steven Abood
abood23@hotmail.com

Greg responds...

Thanks! Let me know what you think!

Response recorded on May 02, 2016

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Daniel writes...

Hi Greg. Hope you're well. I'm working through my to-read pile, but I have both Rain of Ghost novels on my desk waiting. I'm glad you decided to put books out. Xanatos, Macbeth, & Puck/Owen are my favorite characters from any medium, and I recently found out my dad loves the Star Wars Rebels series. He never watches cartoons. I haven't seen it yet, but he said he enjoys it because the characters were written really well. I wasn't surprised to hear that.

Had some more domestic, trivia-type question regarding Macbeth during his retirement from the world around 2198 & earlier (pre-Invasion). Couldn't find anything in the Archives.
1. How is Macbeth occupying his time by this point? Activities, interests, etc. I'm very interested in this sort of thing because I feel it adds dimensions to characters.

2. Secondly, was there something specific that caused him to want to withdraw from the world?
3. What was it, if you're willing to share?

Respect & Appreciation,
- Daniel

Greg responds...

1. No spoilers.

2. No spoilers.

3. No spoilers.

Response recorded on April 27, 2016

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Toonami Squad Podcast

Toonami Squad podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV9GjwtrQpI


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Anonymous writes...

Hi Greg,
I've really enjoyed all your work. Spectacular Spiderman s one of my "gateway" superhero shows! Thanks for that and Young Justice. This is a retype of my question because I forgot to mention how much I love Rain! I love big mystery/treasure hunts that build on themselves, and the way that Rain and Charlie save the day (no spoilers!) was so fun and cathartic. Rain's relationship with the other generations in her family is such a valuable dynamic that you just don't see elsewhere. :)

One thing still confuses me about Young Justice, though-I'm trying to understand some of the logic behind Dick's decision to keep Wally "hanging back," as you said.

Why would Dick feel there was "no shortage" of heroes? At the least, they were down the six most powerful heroes on Earth with most of the JL off-planet, and in the War World episodes, almost the entire Team was kidnapped. Why wouldn't he call Wally in then? (M'gann is really powerful, but that was a small planet they were fighting. Also, later, the Reach showed that they had an armada with hundreds of ships left over the fight with the War World - surely he'd want all hands on deck, particularly with so much of the League gone?

Why would Wally's appearance be able to catch the bad guys "off guard" after Bloodlines? Wally was already in the game; the nuclear bomb in Central was well publicized; why would his appearance be any more a surprise after that?

On the War World, Dick knew Artemis wouldn't be an issue because M'gann knew she was down under the ocean, so that wasn't a big concern. Even if Artemis did teleport to the alien world, it seems foolhardy in the extreme (almost unbelievably so) that Dick would attempt to take on a planet with only one other hero when another was supposedly waiting in the wings, ready to help whenever.

It doesn't make sense to me that Wally's appearance would be most needed and the biggest surprise only in Summit, when Dick had more backup than at any other point in the entire season and Wally had already showed up in Bloodlines. How was he more useful or a bigger surprise in a huge crowd than in a group of three on the War World, propotionally, when Dick was in the biggest trouble?

It also seems very, very strange that Dick wouldn't let Wally contribute to the efforts of bringing the people who nuked his hometown to justice. No one died that day, but their livlihoods were destroyed and there would be nuclear fallout. Even if Dick was too worried Wally would hurt himself (?), or whatever, Wally showed in Homefront that he was very capable of support - moral and technical - without necessarily getting into the fray. It seems just so strange that, if Wally really *wanted* to help, that he'd shut him out of something that had so ruined Wally's home. It seems strange that Artemis wouldn't have an issue with Dick forcing Wally to stay home, too.

As an aside, why would Dick initially try to keep the truth about Artemis's death from Wally if he *wanted* Wally to hang back for some reason? How would they guy who wanted to kill every alien robot dead in when he really believed Artemis to be dead in Failsafe be easier to control and tell to "hang back" if he REALLY thought Artemis was dead?

Logistically, to me it feels like Dick was more adept and logically minded when he was 13 than 19 with five more years of experience, which is strange. No real judgement against "Dick," really, but none of this seems to hold water at all.
I'm just trying to wrap my head around it.

I enjoyed the rest of the show a lot, though! And Rain is the best!

Thanks. :)

Greg responds...

Dick has learned the value of (1) holding heroes in reserve (for example, in "Failsafe") - and (2) of not making any single squad too big or unmanageable and (3) of keeping people who had trained together working together.

As for Summit, Kid Flash was certainly useful there, but mostly he was there because Artemis' undercover op was coming to an end, and Wally wanted to be there, which at that point was fine with Nightwing.

Beyond that, if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't work for you. But it works fine for me, and I won't apologize for it. Nor do I agree with your interpretation of Dick's skills as a leader, season to season. But your mileage may vary.

Response recorded on April 06, 2016

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Long Beach Comic Expo - 2016

Here's my schedule for this weekend's Long Beach Comic Expo at the Long Beach Convention Center:

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016

11:30am - 12:30pm
DOWN TO NERD: INVADER ZIM AND GARGOYLES: CONQUEROR VS PROTECTOR
Thunderdome (Seaside Pre-Function) w/RuthAnn Thompson (moderator), Dave Crosland, Greg Weisman.
Description: Some come from another time to protect, another from a different planet to conquer- but both hold a special place in our hearts! Gargoyles VS Invader Zim. We will focus on the first 5 episodes of the TV series Gargoyles with writer/creator Greg Weisman and the first 5 issues of the Invader Zim comic books with Dave Crosland. What are the differences and similarities do these creatures out of space and time have? How will they fit in on modern day earth? Casual Fans and Hard Core Nerds alike join host RuthAnn Thompson and be "Down To Nerd"!

01:00pm - 02:00pm
THE ART OF STAR WARS & THE FANDOM BEHIND IT
Danger Room (S1) w/Ben Paddon (moderator), Terry Dodson, Craig Miller, Cat Staggs, Greg Weisman.
Description: Cat Staggs has been working for the Star Wars / LUCASFILM family since 2004, for which she has illustrated short fiction for starwars.com, produced sketch and trading cards, exclusive prints for Star Wars Celebrations III, IV, Europe, Celebration V, and Celebration VI. Terry Dodson is an American comic book artist who penciled the Dark Force Rising comic series in 1997. He has also provided art for Mark Waid's Princess Leia limited series. Moreover, Dodson has drawn the Books-A-Million variant cover to the first issue of the Shattered Empire miniseries, and the CBLDF variant to Star Wars: Vader Down, Part I. Greg Weisman is the writer for Star Wars Rebels - "The Machine in the Ghost", "Art Attack", "Droids in Distress", "Breaking Ranks", "Gathering Forces" and Star Wars: Kanan: The Last Padawan. Craig Miller was Director of Fan Relations for Lucasfilm from 1977-1980. He created and oversaw the Official Star Wars Fan Club as well as having edited and written virtually all of the first two years of Bantha Tracks. He was the producer of the Star Wars Sesame Street episodes in addition to operating R2-D2's head in the episodes, as well as being Producer for Lucasfilm on commercials such as the ones for licensee Underoos.. He was also responsible for creating the 800-number telephone hotline for The Empire Strikes Back that allowed fans to call up to receive more information about the movies and characters.

02:30pm - 03:30pm
DWAYNE MCDUFFIE AWARDS
Creator's Lab (S5)
Description: Long Beach Comic Con is proud to announce the commencement of the Second Annual Dwayne McDuffie Award. This one of a kind award will be granted on February 20, 2016 to an American comics work, published in print or digitally in 2015, deemed by the Selection Committee to promote diversity. In the spirit of Dwayne McDuffie, "promoting diversity" can be judged as either broadening the range of characters portrayed in comics, or adding to the variety of creators contributing to the medium.

04:00pm - 05:00pm
THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN PANEL
Danger Room (S1) w/Greg Weisman (moderator), Victor Cook, Kevin Hopps, Kelly Hu, Josh Keaton, Pamela Long.
Description: In 2008, a new version of everybody's favorite friendly neighborhood Web-Slinger - dedicated to recreating the feel of the original Stan Lee & Steve Ditko and Stan Lee & John Romita, Sr. comics - hit the air. Come hear the creative talents behind The Spectacular Spider-Man talk about what went in to making this classic take on a classic character. Panelists include Victor Cook (Director-Producer), Kevin Hopps (Writer), Kelly Hu (voice of Sha Shan Nguyen), Josh Keaton (voice of Peter Parker/The Spectacular Spider-Man), Pamela Long (Color Stylist) and Greg Weisman (Writer-Producer)!

06:00pm - 07:00pm
GETTING ANIMATED WITH TOP ANIMATION EXPERTS
Rumble Room (S4B) w/Ray-Anthony Height (moderator), Chris Copeland, Greg Weisman, Dean Yeagle.
Description: Top animation experts Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, Spectacular Spider-Man), Dean Yeagle (Caged Beagle Productions), and Chris Copeland (Marvel/Disney Animation) discuss how they broke into animation, their work and a Q&A with the audience!

I'll also have a table a on the show floor, specifically table AN-11 in "ANIMATION ISLAND" between Ellen Jin Over and Amy Mebberson, and near Dino Andrade, Michael Bell, Keith Coogan, Chris Copeland, Matt Doherty, Loren Lester, Tiffanie Mang, Joey McCormick, Chuck Patton, Peter Paul, Sara Richards and Aaron Sparrow. I'll be there between panels on Saturday and all Sunday morning until noon. (Not as sure about Sunday afternoon. We'll have to see.)

I'll sign and personalize anything you put in front of me, but I will also be selling copies of my two novels, RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM ($10 each), CD sets of the RAIN OF THE GHOSTS AudioPlay ($30 each) and RAIN OF THE GHOSTS prints, drawn by artist Christopher Jones ($10 each, but free with a purchase of the AudioPlay and/or both RAIN and SPIRITS). In addition, I'll be selling animation scripts from series including GARGOYLES, W.I.T.C.H., THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, YOUNG JUSTICE, STAR WARS REBELS and others, ($20 each). Finally, I'll be selling script copies of a couple of the special one-off convention radio plays we did, i.e. THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN MEETS GARGOYLES and GARGOYLES MEETS THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN MEETS YOUNG JUSTICE ($20 each). All purchases are cash only.

I hope to see you there!


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Windona writes...

Hi! I've been a fan of Spectacular Spider-Man, Gargoyles, and Young Justice, but now it's time to ask about the latest show you worked on: Star Wars Rebels.

1) What was it like working on the production team? After all, many of the creative team on Rebels worked together on The Clone Wars, but there's some new blood like you.

2) Related- how much creative input did you have compared to other projects? Obviously you had less than you did in your books, given the dichotomy of working with a team versus working on a novel, but compared to other animated series and adaptations you did, was it more, less, or the same?

3) Now that you've left the production team for season 2 onwards(if that is just a rumor, my apologies for propagating it), what are you looking to doing?

Obviously, it's not a lot because at this time only the first three episodes have aired and asking questions about the season's progression would be like asking for plot points of a movie that's currently running. However, chances are I will be back with more questions after the season. Have a good day!

Greg responds...

1. It was a lot of pressure, but it was also a lot of fun.

2. It's hard to measure this stuff quantitatively. I had two producing partners (Simon Kinberg and Dave Filoni) on the first season (as opposed to one on most of the series I've done), and there's no doubt that Dave was the senior partner, i.e. the guy that George passed the torch to on the animation side. Plus the Lucasfilm Story Group was very involved and Disney XD had input. So I was less autonomous, certainly. But that's not to imply anything negative. It was a grand collaboration, and the writing staff was great too.

3. Earn a living, mostly. :)

But if you haven't already, check out my novels RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM. You can also download and purchase the RAIN OF THE GHOSTS full-cast unabridged AudioPlay at Gumroad.com/RainoftheGhosts. Vanessa Marshall (Hera) and Steve Blum (Zeb) are both featured among a stellar cast that includes many actors from Spectacular Spider-Man, Gargoyles and Young Justice.

Response recorded on February 09, 2016

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Stanley Cowens writes...

Just got done reading your first book and really enjoyed it. Just got the second book on kindle and will start reading it soon. I hope you are able to turn this into a movie or animated program at some point.The first book would make an awesome movie In my opinion.THis book seems to have Guillermo del Toro written all over it.

I was wondering what type of advertising you are doing for the book and what have found to be the most useful in getting the word out?

I was wondering about the possibility of you ever doing any gargoyles novels.I can not wait to see the story line continued in some form or other. I felt like I was just reading the tip of the ice berg or cool stories. I do not know how feasible that would be,but I would love to read more gargoyles related stories from you in any format.

Greg responds...

I'm glad you like Rain of the Ghosts. A short review on Amazon would help me out, I'm told.

Let me know what you think of Spirits of Ash and Foam, once you've read it.

I'd love to do a movie or show based on the Rain series, but so far no one has been interested.

I've used social media and done multiple, multiple interviews (print, online, even good old radio) to promote the book. I can't say anything has been all that effective, unfortunately.

Perhaps the Rain of the Ghosts AudioPlay (currently available for purchase and download at Gumroad.com/RainoftheGhosts) will bring more attention to the property as a whole.

I'd also love to do Gargoyles' novels. But that's not up to me. I don't own Gargoyles.

Response recorded on February 04, 2016


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Phoenician writes...

So here's my entry into the Rain of the Ghosts typo contest -- In Chapter 12 "The Storm," on page 114, in the first full paragraph, we have Rain studying the familiar faces of the Eight. In the middle of the paragraph we read the sentence, "She looked at young Joey C. Wounded but smiling--and now so obviously good Old Joe."

But what I think happened was that period was taken as the end of a sentence and not part of an initial of a last name. So there after the 'Joey C.' I think was supposed to be a dash with a lower-case 'wounded' instead of just the upper-case 'Wounded.'

For example: "She looked at young Joey C.--wounded but smiling--and now so obviously good Old Joe."

Whether it's an actual typo or not, know that I only noticed it while I was rereading the first book in anticipation for Spirits of Ash and Foam! :)

Greg responds...

I see what you're saying, but no. That was intentional. The period after Joey C doubles as both the period after the initial and the end of the sentence.

Nice try though!

Response recorded on August 06, 2015

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Phoenician writes...

This is definitely overdue, but better late than never!

I picked up Rain of the Ghosts the day it came out with the simple struggle in figuring out just how fast I wanted to turn the page to know what happened next when I quickly realized that I would eventually have to wait a fair heap of time for the next installment, thanks to the knowledge previously revealed on AskGreg that Rain was intended to be a series. In short, I wanted to cherish the ride that I had been waiting to get on. But now that the ride has finally started, I can finally say I don't ever want to get off!

Without getting into the details that makes most of these reviews sound all too similar (and to minimize any spoilers), let me just take the time to point out some of the strongest (and/or favorite) aspects of the story that stood out to me. As someone who has enjoyed a lifetime of reading books (and well aware I've not read enough) and watching more than a few shows with Greg Weisman at the helm, this book almost felt like the long awaited cosmic alignment that I've only just realized I should have been anticipating, lol.

Moments I liked (***POTENTIAL SPOILERS!!!***):

-- This was brought up at CONvergence for Gargoyles and Young Justice (ConJournals on the way I promise!), but I LOVE that Rain of the Ghosts is also dedicated to the realism so as to make the fantastic pop . . . from the Spanish to the slow track of time, it really does flesh it out. Such attention to detail - detail that's far more engaging than encyclopedic - makes the first novel feel like a diary for the entire Ghost Keys (at the least, the personal diary of the native omniscient narrator).
-- 'Bastian's nickname for Rain, and happy we'll be hearing it for at least a little longer :)
-- I enjoyed the magicked-scenes where Rain and Charlie (and whoever else) sees and hears different things. Especially since we actually get a lot of detail on what the folks who don't see *are* in fact seeing. If it played on television, I'd imagine it'd feel very familiar to the Weird Sisters in "City of Stone."
-- I was actually lulled into a false sense of security when Rain had snuck out of Callahan's window . . . not so much that I didn't think Callahan was clever enough to put two and two together (I do think I give him a touch more credit than Rain currently does), but I guess I didn't anticipate them having a row with each other so soon.
-- Appreciate the subtle and conscious effort to demonstrate how Rain's parents handled raising a kid with guests. Even when things got heated, there was a delicate approach to show how Alonso and Iris needed to check Rain's antics, taking her skeleton key but giving her a break. Tough - but fair.
-- I enjoyed the notable paces set by the various uses of commas, ands, and ellipses (among other tools in the syntax) in the exposition . . . whenever I noticed a pattern, or even a notable pause, it got me visualizing not only the scene but also the theoretical direction and use of the camera (transitions and cuts and everything), which, now that I'm thinking about it, would be (more often than not) from the point of view from Opie, right?
-- On that note, I remembered reading a line when a character paused for nine seconds (it even emphasizes that it was exactly nine seconds). Lines like those had me going back and trying to read the sentence in the allotted time. With the nine seconds line, I do remember its length and beat actually made it quite feasible. :)
-- Oddly enough, all the mouth wordplay . . . Alonso pushing his tongue against his cheeks, Charlie biting his cheeks, Old Joe licking his lips, Rain sticking her tongue out at Charlie . . . the visuals just seem like signatures for each character, lol.
-- And of course, finally meeting our native omniscient narrator, Opie, lol.

Overall, it's a great story with a ton of heart (Rain's experience with a death in the family is so relatable that you absolutely feel for her the minute she realizes she's pushed away the ghost she most desperately wants to see), with probably a ton more other stories to tease out. Needless to say I'm looking forward to each and every one of them!

**POTENTIAL SPOILERS END***

Greg responds...

Thanks! All the things you mentioned were quite intentional, so I'm glad they registered - as long as they didn't interfere with experiencing the story.

Hope by now you've also read SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM and are looking forward to the AudioPlay version of RAIN.

And I'm told positive reviews on Amazon help a lot!

Response recorded on August 06, 2015

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Harlan of the Ghosts writes...

A few questions about Spirits of Ash and Foam (which I loved, by the way).

1. Who were the two characters who demanded a bigger presence as you were writing Spirits of Ash and Foam?

2. Ghosts have a similar affinity for the night that gargoyles do (in that day is pretty much a no go for them). Do you have your own affinity for the night, or do you see a bit of thematic overlap between ghosts and gargoyles?

Greg responds...

1. SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD:
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Renée and Cash. (Did you guess this? Was it who you thought?)

2. I am nocturnal, but otherwise, I think this is mostly coincidental. The gargoyles night/day thing came from us extrapolating on the (very limited) legends associated with gargoyles, and in any case we came up with it years before Rain was even a glimmer in my eye. The ghost night/day thing in Rain and Spirits comes directly from Taino mythology, which had very specific rules for ghosts that I'm trying to honor in these stories.

Response recorded on July 31, 2015

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Quindar writes...

At CONvergence, you mentioned that you have a written list of things to keep in mind while writing scenes for Rain of the Ghosts: what music Rain is hearing, what's the light source, what's the weather, etc. Would you mind posting the complete list?

Greg responds...

The "Cheat Sheet" for Rain of the Ghosts wound up being about 27 pages long, by the time I was done.

In contrast, the "Cheat Sheet" for the third novel in the series, "Masque of Bones" is already 98 pages long, and I've barely scratched the surface in terms of research and planning.

I don't have the Cheat Sheet for Spirits of Ash and Foam handy, but I have a vague memory it was about 180+ pages.

Anyway, I'm not going to post a 27 page document here. But I will cut and paste the first page, which (in extra large font) I kept right in front of me to keep things in mind as I wrote:

CHEAT SHEET
What all characters look like:
--Skin color,
--Hair length, style and color.
--eye color, eye shape?
--Build, height, weight. Etc.
--CLOTHES -- LOCAL COLOR t-shirt

--Weather or PENDING weather. MOON status.

Sights. Smells.

Sounds. Soundtrack.

Motion.

Plant Life Animal Life

Response recorded on July 29, 2015

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Anonymous writes...

I recently began to compile a shelf of the best books I have ever read. Rain of the Ghosts was the 8th book on that shelf, preceded only by the exploits of a certain Mr. Potter. She is joined by the likes of the Pevensie siblings, the gods of Greek myth, and Sherlock Holmes. Thank you for creating a fantastic new series. And know that there is a spot reserved for Spirits of Ash and Foam, Masque of Bone, and the other six books yet to come.

Greg responds...

Thank you! That's pretty august company! I hope by now (13 months later), you've had a chance to read Spirits of Ash and Foam!

Response recorded on July 10, 2015

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MomoCon 2015

I leave tomorrow for MomoCon 2015. More information on it can be found at their website: http://www.momocon.com/

But here's MY schedule for the weekend:

FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2015
BREAKING INTO ANIM 12:30pm - 01:30pm
Main "Villains" Room Omni-International
w/Floyd County Productions

SIGNING 03:30pm - 05:30pm
Autograph Area

YOUNG JUSTICE 08:00pm - 09:00pm
Main "Villains" Omni-International
w/Crispin Freeman

SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2015
SIGNING 11:00am - 12:30pm
Autograph Area

ANIM CREATORS 02:00pm - 03:00pm
"Underdog" A-313
w/Ben Mangum, Mike Reiss

SIGNING 05:30pm - 07:00pm
Autograph Area

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2015
SIGNING 11:30am - 01:00pm
Autograph Area

GARGOYLES 02:00pm - 03:00pm
Main "Villains" Omni-International
w/Keith David

That's right! Both Keith "Goliath" David and Crispin "Red Arrow" Freeman will also be at MomoCon!

As usual, at my autograph sessions, I will happily sign anything you bring along with you for free. But I will also be signing and selling copies of my two novels RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM. ($10 per book, cash only.) If you purchase both books (signed and personalized for $20 cash total), you get a FREE art surprise. I will also be signing and selling copies of my animation and radio play scripts (from GARGOYLES, MEN IN BLACK, STARSHIP TROOPERS, TEAM ATLANTIS, W.I.T.C.H., THE BATMAN, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, DC SHOWCASE: GREEN ARROW, BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN MEETS GARGOYLES, YOUNG JUSTICE, BEWARE THE BATMAN, GARGOYLES MEETS THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN MEETS YOUNG JUSTICE and KIM POSSIBLE). Each signed and personalized script is $20 cash. I'll also be giving away #RainoftheGhosts AudioPlay postcards for free!

So please stop by and say hello!


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Brittany Uomoleale

Brittany Uomoleale, the voice of Rain Cacique in the Rain of the Ghosts AudioPlay is interviewed here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2eI7DDklMY


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WONDERCON 2015

I am fortunate enough to have been invited to be a spotlight guest at WonderCon this year at the Anaheim Convention Center in California from Friday April 03 - Sunday April 05. Here's my schedule for WonderCon 2015:

FRIDAY, APRIL 03, 2015
SIGNING
ARTISTS ALLEY - Table A-31, 11:30am - 12:30pm.

As usual, I will sign anything you bring for free. But I will also be signing and selling copies of my two novels RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM. ($10 per book, cash only.) If you purchase both books (signed and personalized for $20 cash total), you get a FREE copy of Kuni Tomita's original development artwork designs from when we developed RAIN as an animated series back at DreamWorks in the '90s. I will also be signing and selling copies of my animation and radio play scripts (from GARGOYLES, MEN IN BLACK, STARSHIP TROOPERS, TEAM ATLANTIS, W.I.T.C.H., THE BATMAN, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, DC SHOWCASE: GREEN ARROW, BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN MEETS GARGOYLES, YOUNG JUSTICE, BEWARE THE BATMAN, GARGOYLES MEETS THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN MEETS YOUNG JUSTICE and KIM POSSIBLE). Each signed and personalized script is $20 cash. I'll also be giving away #RainoftheGhosts AudioPlay postcards for free!

WORKING IN THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE
Room 207 04:00pm - 05:00pm
I'm moderating this panel with panelists: Kevin J. Anderson, Sam de La Rosa, Braden Lamb, Mike Mayhew, Rebecca Moesta & John Ostrander.

SIGNING
ARTISTS ALLEY - Table A-31, 5:30pm - 07:00pm.

SATURDAY, APRIL 04, 2015
SPOTLIGHT ON GREG WEISMAN
Room 213, 11:30am - 12:30pm
Gary Mierianu interviews me about Gargoyles, Young Justice, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Kanan: the Last Padawan, Rain of the Ghosts (novels and AudioPlay) and more. Plus we'll open it up to an audience Q&A at the end.

SIGNING
ARTISTS ALLEY - Table A-31, 1:00pm - 02:30pm.

SIGNING
Mysterious Galaxy Booth 908, 03:00pm - 03:45pm.

MARVEL: NEXT BIG THING
Room 300AB 04:00pm - 05:00pm
I'll be talking about Star Wars Kanan: The Last Padawan, but other panelists will include Sam Humphries, Will Moss & Rick Remender, talking about their stuff.

SIGNING
ARTISTS ALLEY - Table A-31, 5:30pm - 07:00pm.

SUNDAY, APRIL 05, 2015
WARNER ARCHIVE MORE THAN SIDEKICKS!
Room 300AB 01:00pm - 02:00pm
I'll be talking Young Justice and other sidekick stuff with J.M. DeMatteis, D.W. Ferranti, Loren Lester, Gary Mierianu & Matthew Patterson.

SIGNING
ARTISTS ALLEY - Table A-31, 2:30pm - 05:00pm.

That's it. If you're in the area, stop by and say hello!!!


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Gallifrey One 2015

My next convention appearance is at GALLIFREY ONE 2015, a Doctor Who Convention in Los Angeles.

What does Greg Weisman have to do with Doctor Who, you ask?

Well, nothing really, unless you count being a fan myself as having something to do with it, but I will be doing a number of things while I'm there that aren't Doctor Who related, because, well, because as my friend Chris Jones says, "They keep letting us."

Here's my schedule for Valentine's Day, i.e. Saturday, February 14, 2015:

Autographs - Saturday, February 15, 1:00pm-2:00pm, Autograph Alley
Kaffeeklatsch - Saturday, February 15, 3:00pm-4:00pm, Board Room
A Day in the Life of a TV Writer/Producer - Saturday, February 15, 4:00pm-5:00pm, Program D
Women of Young Justice - Saturday, February 15, 6:00pm-7:00pm, Program D
Young Justice Meet-Up - Saturday, February 15, 7:00pm-8:00pm, Program D

The Women of Young Justice is likely to be a real treat. There's more info (and a terrific graphic) on Chris' Tumbler here:
http://christopherjonesart.tumblr.com/post/110749267743/so-some-of-you-know-greg-weisman-and-i-have-been

But to sum up, we've got:

Stephanie Lemelin - Voice of Artemis
Kelly Hu - Voice of Cheshire
Vanessa Marshall - Voice of Black Canary
Masasa Moyo - Voice of Bumblebee
Lolita Ritmanis - Composer
Greg Weisman - Writer/Producer
Christopher Jones - Comic Book Artist

After the panel, we'll have a more informal meet-up where folks can get a picture taken, an autograph or just chat with Chris and myself (and maybe a couple of the other guests).

As you can see, earlier in the day (and maybe at the Meet-Up), I'll be signing (for free) and selling signed copies of my novels RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM and copies of selected animations teleplays (including GARGOYLES and YOUNG JUSTICE). Scripts are $20 cash. The novels are $10 each, but if you purchase both, I'll throw in signed copies of the original RAIN OF THE GHOSTS development artwork by artist Kuni Tomita for free, as well.

Hope to see a few of you there!


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Magic City Comic Con

I'm leaving in a few minutes for Magic City Comic Con in MIAMI at the Miami Airport Convention Center!!

Here's my schedule:

FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2015
SPOTLIGHT Q&A 02:30pm - 03:20pm
Ballroom 1.

ADAPTING MEDIA FRANCHISES FOR COMIC BOOKS 04:00pm - 05:00pm
Ballroom 2 w/Mike W. Barr, Terry Cronin, Dan Slott.

SIGNING 05:00pm - 06:00pm
Booth #???? - 900 Aisle

AUTOGRAPH SESSION 06:30pm - 08:00pm
Celebrity Autograph Area,
West Hall - Exhibition Room.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2015
SIGNING 10:30am - 11:30am
Booth #???? - 900 Aisle

GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER AND WRITE YOUR
FIRST NOVEL 11:45am - 12:45pm
Ballroom 2 w/Mike W. Barr, Terry Cronin, Philip Lee McCall II.

AUTOGRAPH SESSION 01:45pm - 03:00pm
Celebrity Autograph Area,
West Hall - Exhibition Room.

WRITING SPIDER-MAN 03:15pm - 04:15pm
Room 210 w/Dan Slott.

WRITING: FROM TV TO COMIC BOOKS
Room 202 05:15pm - 06:15pm
w/Mike W. Barr, Terry Cronin.

SIGNING 07:00pm - 08:00pm
Booth #???? - 900 Aisle

SUNDAY, JANUARY 18, 2015
SIGNING 10:30am - 11:20am
Booth #???? - 900 Aisle

LEGACY OF GARGOYLES 11:30am - 12:30pm
Room 210

WRITING BATMAN 01:45pm - 02:45pm
Room 210 w/Mike W. Barr, Francis Manapul.

AUTOGRAPH SESSION 03:15pm - 04:30pm
Celebrity Autograph Area,
West Hall - Exhibition Room.

THE BUSINESS OF ANIMATION
Room 210 05:30pm - 06:30pm
w/Christy Karacas, Chris Prynowski, Melissa Warrenburg.

I will be selling personalized signed copies of my two novels RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM for $10 in cash each. If you buy both books, you get signed copies of the original development artwork by Kuni Tomita from when we attempted to sell RAIN as an animated television series back in the 90s.

I'm also selling signed copies of my animation scripts for $20 in cash each from series including GARGOYLES, THE BATMAN, BEWARE THE BATMAN, ROUGHNECKS, MEN IN BLACK, TEAM ATLANTIS, KIM POSSIBLE, DC SHOWCASE GREEN ARROW, W.I.T.C.H., THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, YOUNG JUSTICE and more - including scripts from a couple of convention radio plays.

Autographs from me and photos of or with me are always free.

If you're in the Miami area, I urge you to stop by and check it out!


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JC writes...

SPOILER FOLLOWS...

In Rain of the Ghosts, 'Bastion died of "old age" on the same night he gave Rain the snake band...so my question is, since the band had healing properties, was it keeping him alive past his years and without it, did he know he was going to die?

Greg responds...

1. That's likely.

2. No.

Response recorded on December 19, 2014

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Steve writes...

Hey Greg, I happen to have a question for Rain of the Ghosts that got me curious.

Sense 'Bastian became a ghost does he levitate? I'm going to assume that sense he is a ghost he can go through walls, he can't have contact with humans, though you can correct me if I'm wrong. The book wasn't really specific about that and there was one part that said he ran up some stars if I remember correctly so I got a little confused.

Thanks for reading my question and I enjoyed Rain of the Ghosts, can't wait to get the sequel!

Greg responds...

In the second book in the series, SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM, all the rules of what 'Bastian can and cannot do are laid out in a chapter entitled, appropriately: GHOST RULES!

Response recorded on December 18, 2014

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Comic Fan of Many Genres writes...

Hi, Greg! This may be a little late, (or, well, very late), but I wanted to tell you that I'm a big fan of your work. (Though, you've probably heard that a lot.)

You did a great job with Young Justice, (and, I'm sure, your other works). You, Brandon, and all of the other people who put there all into collaborating and working on the show. It was one of the most well done and tasteful cartoons I've ever seen; entertaining, suspenseful, and worth watching. I was sorry to see it go, and I still have high hopes for a third season some time in the future.

Again, you, (and the others, because I don't want to sell them short), did a great job with the show. I can't imagine how hard it is to take DC comic characters, (iconic ones like 'Nightwing' and 'Kid Flash' and countless others), and to try and put them into an alternate timeline, making them similar but different, too. You all did a fantastic job with it, though.

I'm sorry that I can't say more, (but it would probably all sound the same with the general them of 'I love Young Justice). I just want you to know that you guys made me week(s) with your episodes, so, thank you for all of the time and hard work you all put into Young Justice, because it definitely showed and was truly a high caliber show.

(Also, I just found out that you wrote a book! "Rain of the Ghosts", right? I'll definitely check it out; I've heard great things about it, so I'll make sure to leave my own reviews and recommend it to my friends, too! Keep up the fantastic work, and good luck on 'Rebels' ,too!)

Greg responds...

Thank you for the kind words.

And please do check out RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and its sequel SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM. Both are now available at bookstores, on Amazon, etc. Plus, I'm told (however you purchased it) that reviews on Amazon are VERY helpful. Especially if you liked it. ;)

Response recorded on December 06, 2014

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JC writes...

I dont know if it helps your sales at all, but I requested my local library carry Rain and they ordered 6 copies.
Anyway, I just finished reading it. Overall, it was pretty good...a bit slow in the begining, but being the first in a series, that's understandable.
Anyway, I've already turned it back in, but I'd like to take a stab at the typo contest, but I'm doing this from memory, so I might be a bit off, but here goes:

I believe it was the first paragraph of chapter 3 or 4 (or later, but I know it wasn't before), from the middle toward the end there was a pretty long run-on sentance and there should at least have been an "and" before the last word.

Sorry I couldn't be more specific...I forgot to write it down and didn't realize it untill I put it in the drop-box.

Can't wait for the next one.

JC

Greg responds...

Well, that's not one of the two typos I know of. And since you weren't specific, I can't check to see if you found a fresh one. Sorry.

And thanks for the library request. Every little bit helps. (Pay attention, folks!)

Response recorded on November 17, 2014

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Todd Jensen writes...

I read in "Ask Greg" that "Rain of the Ghosts" wasn't selling as well as you'd hoped, and was sorry to learn that.

I've noticed that the neighborhood bookstore (Left Bank Books, an independent bookstore in the Central West End in St. Louis, where I live) doesn't show "Rain of the Ghosts" on its shelves in the young adult section; I had to specifically order it at the desk to get a copy. Later, though, I visited a Barnes & Noble and noticed at least one copy of "Rain of the Ghosts" on display in the young adult section.

I don't know if there's a connection there or not, but I do think that it doesn't bode well for sales when it's not actually there on the shelves where customers can see it. I hope that Left Bank Books will find space on its shelves for "Spirits of Ash and Foam" when it comes out.

Greg responds...

I hope so too. Plus these things are all connected. The more people who order the book (as you did) the more likely the store will take notice and put copies out.

Response recorded on November 14, 2014

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World's Finest Interview

Did a little interview with James Harvey of World's Finest about the Young Justice Invasion BluRay and the Rain of the Ghosts series here:

http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/2014/11/weisman-discusses-young-justice-invasion-blu-ray-rain-of-the-ghosts-book-series/

Check it out!


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KenRD writes...

Well I've now read Rain of Ghosts so congrats on a great book, but I'm a little annoyed I've got to buy a new series to add to my collection, damn you talented writer!
In my last post I asked if you ever read Terry Pratchett books to which you said you haven't, well if you ever do find the time to read his books I would love to hear your thoughts and just to sway you have a look at this post by Brandon Sanderson the author of Elantris, The Mistborn Trilogy, The Way of Kings and, with Robert Jordan, the New York Times bestselling The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight, and A Memory of Light, the final volumes to the epic Wheel of Time. http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/04/terry-pratchetts-discworld-might-be-the-highest-form-of-literature-on-the-planet

Greg responds...

As I've mentioned, I tend to split my limited free time either reading detective fiction (Ross MacDonald, Walter Mosley, Michael Connelly, etc.) or rereading classic authors (William Faulkner, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, etc.).

But I'm thrilled you enjoyed Rain. I hope by now, you've picked up Spirits of Ash and Foam. And you could do me a big favor by reviewing both on Amazon!

Response recorded on October 23, 2014

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Just Asking writes...

First of all, thank you, Brandon and the rest for making Young Justice. You guys have been the reason why I've started collecting DC titles instead of being a casual follower. Even Timm's DCAU couldn't do that.

You must probably have heard about the 'cancellation' of Beware the Batman. While it may have been too offbeat with awkward CGI, it was still a good show. And more importantly, a BATMAN show. Can't believe the state of DC tv animation is right now.

Is it possible for you or someone you know to talk to the DC guys so that they can create a DC nation channel, instead of being left to the whims of CN and toy sales?

I loved how you were able to create such a detailed universe in such a short time. Now that the New 52 is upon us and probably can be expected to last for the next decade or so, before the next 'Crisis', you guys need to pitch a new DCAU!

I'm fully confident that you can be a great showrunner (or overlord, if you prefer that term) to such a combined show universe. Timm did an excellent job but he barely made a scratch on DC's potentially huge cast.

One of my main grouses with YJ Season 2 is that we didn't see the team's growth during the 5 year period. Dick going from Robin to Nightwing, Connor-Megan's rift, Aqualad's 'betrayal' and the departure of Kid Flash and Artemis - all would have been better served if Season 2 was a Season 5 thing. You guys deserved to tell the entire story.

So, my question is: could you guys handle it? Would you be able to create an entire 'DC universe' (I know you can, but hearing it would feel great!) and if DC becomes sane again, would you do it after what they and CN did to YJ?

Hearing your book Rain of the Ghosts is doing really well, so kudos!

Greg Wiesmann, you have saved this city (sounded cool in my head :))

Greg responds...

1. That's way above my pay grade. I'm sure the idea has been floated on various occasions.

2. We did already. It was called Young Justice. It was called Earth-16. Brandon and I on the television side and Chris and I on the comics side made numerous pitches to keep the show going in various forms. All were given a pass by CN, WB & DC. But if they were willing, we'd all eagerly return to the property.

3. Rain of the Ghosts is, frankly, NOT doing really well. It and Spirits of Ash and Foam could use more readers, reviewers, buyers and people helping to spread the word.

Response recorded on October 07, 2014

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13th Dimension Interview

In anticipation of my FIVE panels at Long Beach Comic Con, here's a nice little article/interview on 13th Dimension:

http://13thdimension.com/greg-weisman-from-gargoyles-to-young-justice-to-novels-and-more/


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My Long Beach Comic Con Schedule

Stop #6 on the Gargoyles Twentieth Anniversary Tour is LONG BEACH COMIC CON: http://longbeachcomiccon.com/

The full schedule can be found here: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=55700

But here's MY schedule. I'll only be there the one day - Saturday, September 27, 2014 - but as you can see, I'm certainly keeping busy, with five panels and three signings!

LONG BEACH COMIC CON
Saturday, September 27, 2014

11:30am - 12:20pm - Room 102B/C
GARGOYLES TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY
Moderator: Greg Weisman (Creator, Producer, Writer)
1. Thom Adcox-Hernandez (Voice of Lexington, Brentwood)
2. Vic Cook (Storyboard Artist)
3. Elisa Gabrielli (Voice of Obsidiana & Maria Chavez)
4. Frank Paur (Producer, Director)
5. Dave Schwartz (Development Art Director)

12:30pm - 01:30pm - Signing Area
GARGOYLES SIGNING
I won't be attending this signing (because I have to rush off to another panel), but the rest of the Gargoyles panelists will probably be there.

12:30pm - 01:50pm - Hero Complex Theater, Room 104A
WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION PRESENTS YOUNG JUSTICE
Moderator: Jevon Phillips (Los Angeles Times)
1. Phil Bourassa (Emmy Winning Character Designer)
2. Cameron Bowen (Voice of Robin/Tim Drake)
3. Kris Carter (Composer)
4. Nicole Dubuc (Writer, Voice of Iris West-Allen)
5. Oded Fehr (Voice of Ra's al Ghul)
6. Kevin Grevioux (Voice of Black Beetle)
7. Kevin Hopps (Writer)
8. Bryton James (Voice of Virgil Hawkins/Static)
9. Josh Keaton (Voice of Black Spider)
10. Curtis Koller (Talent Coordinator)
11. Eric Lopez (Voice of Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes, Scarab)
12. Michael McCuistion (Composer)
13. Jay Oliva (Director)
14. Mark Rolston (Voice of Lex Luthor, Jonathan Kent)
15. Jason Spisak (Voice of Kid Flash/Wally West)
16. James Arnold Taylor (Voice of Flash, Neutron, Topo, Burton Thompson)
17. Brandon Vietti (Producer, Writer)
18. Greg Weisman (Producer, Writer, Voice of Lucas Carr)
19. David Wilcox (Line Producer)

02:00pm - 03:00pm - Signing Area
YOUNG JUSTICE SIGNING
I plan on being here for only the first twenty minutes or so - before I have to run off to yet another panel. But for as long as I can stay, I will sign for free, anything you put in front of me. I will also be signing and selling copies of my animation teleplays for $20 cash. Among the series you'll have to choose from are Gargoyles, Men In Black, Team Atlantis, W.I.T.C.H., The Batman, The Spectacular Spider-Man, DC Showcase/Green Arrow, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Young Justice, Beware the Batman and two radio-plays: The Spectacular Spider-Man Meets Gargoyles and Gargoyles Meets The Spectacular Spider-Man Meets Young Justice. All while supplies last, and for as long as I can stay. So show up promptly at 2pm.

02:30pm - 03:20pm - Room 102B/C
THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN
Moderator: Greg Weisman (Supervising Producer, Writer, Voice of Donald Menken)
1. Kevin Altieri (Director)
2. Kris Carter (Composer)
3. Victor Cook (Supervising Producer, Supervising Director)
4. Nicole Dubuc (Writer)
5. Elisa Gabrielli (Voice of Ashley Kafka)
6. Sean "Cheeks" Galloway (Lead Character Designer)
7. Kevin Hopps (Writer)
8. Josh Keaton (Voice of Peter Parker/The Spectacular Spider-Man)
9. Andrew Kishino (Voice of Kenny Kong, Ned Lee)
10. Phil LaMarr (Voice of Fancy Dan/Ricochet, Joe "Robbie" Robertson, Rand Robertson, Homunculus)
11. Joshua LeBar (Voice of Flash Thompson)
12. Eric Lopez (Voice of Mark Allen/Molten Man)
13. Michael McCuistion (Composer)
14. Daran Norris (Voice of J. Jonah Jameson, John Jameson/Colonel Jupiter)
15. Deborah Strang (Voice of Aunt May Parker)
16. James Arnold Taylor (Voice of Harry Osborn, Frederick Foswell/Patch, Alan O'Neil, Homunculus)
17. Wade Wisinski (Line Producer)

03:30pm - 04:20pm - Room 102B/C
DISNEY AFTERNOON: THE CONTINUING LEGACY
Moderator: Aaron Sparrow (Writer of Darkwing Duck: The Duck Knight Returns)
1. Jim Cummings (Voice of Darkwing Duck, Bonkers, etc.)
2. Jymn Magon (Creator/Producer Talespin)
3. Greg Weisman (Creator/Producer Gargoyles)
4. Mark Zaslove (Story Editor/Producer Talespin)

04:00pm - 05:00pm - Signing Area
SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN SIGNING
I'll have to miss this one too, as I'll be in the Disney Afternoon Panel, followed by the Disney Afternoon signing.

04:30pm - 05:20pm - Disney Afternoon Reunion Booth/Signing Area
DISNEY AFTERNOON SIGNING
I'll be at this one for the entire signing. Again, I'll sign anything you bring along for free. And I'll also be signing and selling my teleplays.

05:30pm - 06:20pm - Room 102B/C
RAIN OF THE GHOSTS
Greg Weisman (Author)

06:30pm - 7:30pm - Booth 104 on Show Floor
MYSTERIOUS GALAXY SIGNING
I'll be selling and signing copies of my two novels, RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM.

(Whew!)


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LONG BEACH COMIC CON - The Full Schedule

The Full Schedule for Long Beach Comic Con can be found here:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=55700

Note the Gargoyles, Young Justice, Spectacular Spider-Man, Disney Afternoon and Rain of the Ghost panels. More details coming soon. Because as many panelists are already listed at the above CBR website, that's NOT everyone!


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More LBCC NEWS!!

I'll put up a big master-ramble on Long Beach Comic Con soon. (Monday at the latest.) But there's more information on the FIVE panels I'm doing on Saturday, September 27th, 2014 at the convention here:

http://13thdimension.com/animation-maven-greg-weisman-talks-young-justice-spidey-more-at-lbcc/

and here:

http://longbeachcomiccon.com


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Animation Fascination Podcast

Did another podcast with Mark and Tom at Animation Fascination. We talk Gargoyles, Spectacular Spider-Man, Young Justice, Rain of the Ghosts and Spirits of Ash and Foam. Here's the link:

http://animationfascination.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/animation-fascination-episode-75-the-spectacular-greg-weisman/


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abnormal matt writes...

Hey Greg I was wondering where do you feel you've stepped most out of your comfort zone as a writer. sorry for not using a question mark my keyboard doesn't seem to have one.

Greg responds...

What kind of keyboard doesn't have a question mark? That's just... bizarre.

Anyway, I try to challenge myself all the time. Writing the novels was WAY out of my comfort zone, and even in that, I challenged myself by creating a fairly unique narrator.

Response recorded on September 02, 2014

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LINKS

I'm back (briefly) after a great trip to Ashland for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Saw eight plays (Comedy of Errors, Richard III, Tempest, Into the Woods, Great Society, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Wrinkle in Time, Family Album) in four days, and though I didn't love every play, I have to say that every production was stellar.

Then last night I saw a very cool production of King Lear at the Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga Canyon, starring Ellen Geer as Lear.

Anyway, I'm in town for just a few days, then I leave again to drop my daughter off for her junior year at Tulane and take my son (starting his senior year of high school next month) to look at a number of schools, including Tulane, Emory, Duke, UVA and Georgetown. ROAD TRIP!!

Starting in September, I'll be in town for the foreseeable future, and I promise to get back to answering questions here. Meanwhile, here are some cool links:

Warner Archive Podcast interview, regarding Young Justice:
http://bit.ly/wacyjpod

In case you need to know where to find the Young Justice Blu-ray:
http://bit.ly/yngjs1

And another podcast:

http://www.goldenspiralmedia.com/as-09-arrow-squad-episode-09-interview-with-greg-weisman-of-young-justice (specific episode for Arrow Squad)

http://www.goldenspiralmedia.com/ccu-02-central-city-underground-episode-03-interview-with-greg-weisman-of-young-justice (specific episode for Central City Underground)

http://www.goldenspiralmedia.com/ (general website)

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/arrow-squad/id891769883?uo=8&at=1l3v5ck (iTunes link for Arrow Squad)

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/central-city-underground-flash/id904991850?uo=8&at=1l3v5ck (iTunes link for Central City Underground)

And some sights promoting Rain of the Ghosts and Spirits of Ash and Foam:

Plain Talk Book Marketing http://www.plaintalkbm.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gillianfx
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00EAUDZM6
Book Information: http://www.plaintalkbm.com/family-portrait-novel/
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/FamilyPortraitNovels


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My MechaCon 2014 Schedule

The Gargoyles Twentieth Anniversary U.S. Tour continues. Stop #5 is MechaCon in New Orleans, LA: http://www.mechacon.com

Here's my schedule for the weekend:

FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 2014
04:00pm - 05:00pm: VOICE DIRECTING PANEL
Panel Room 1. With Jonathan Klein and Andrea Romano.

06:00pm - 07:00pm: OPENING CEREMONIES
Main Events.

08:00pm - 09:00pm: GOLDPASS MEET-N-GREET
Tertiary Events.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2014
11:00am - 12:00pm: SIGNING
Signing Room, Secondary Events. I'll be selling and signing copies of my new novels RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM. $10 cash for each book, which includes the book and a personalized signature. But if you buy both books for $20 cash, you also get free signed copies of the original development character designs by Kuni Tomita for the television version of Rain that never was. In addition - and by popular demand - I am selling and signing an array of my animation teleplays for $20 cash from such series as Gargoyles, Team Atlantis, DC Showcase (Green Arrow), Men in Black: The Series, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles, W.I.T.C.H., Young Justice and even the 2009 Radio Play "The Spectacular Spider-Man Meets Gargoyles". I'll also sign anything else you bring and put in front of me for FREE - especially if you buy my book. ;).

02:00pm - 03:00pm: STATE OF THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY PANEL
Panel Room 1. With Jonathan Klein, Andrea Romano and Steve Yun.

03:00pm - 04:00pm: SIGNING
Signing Room, Secondary Events.

05:00pm - 06:00pm: GARGOYLES TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY PANEL
Panel Room 1.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2014
10:00am - 11:00am: THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN PANEL
Panel Room 1.

11:00am - 12:00pm: SIGNING
Signing Room, Secondary Events.

12:00pm - 01:00pm: RAIN OF THE GHOSTS PANEL
Panel Room 1.

02:00pm - 03:00pm: YOUNG JUSTICE PANEL
Panel Room 1. With Khary Payton (voice of Aqualad, Black Manta, Brick, Black Lightning).

03:00pm - 04:00pm: SIGNING
Signing Room, Secondary Events.

If you're anywhere near NOLA, stop by and say hello!


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SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 2014

Well, I'm gearing up to head down to San Diego for Comic-Con International, a.k.a. Stop #4 on the Gargoyles 20th Anniversary Tour:

http://www.comic-con.org/cci

Here's my schedule for the weekend:

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2014
ST. MARTIN'S PRESS GIVE AWAY
Booth 1019 05:00pm - 07:00pm
I'll be on hand as St. Martin's Press gives away copies of many of their titles, including RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM.

THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2014
SLG SIGNING
Booth 1815 - 10:00am - 11:30am
I'll be selling and signing copies of RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM in addition to the GARGOYLES Trade Paperbacks, all while supplies last. I'll also happily sign for free anything you bring along with you and place in front of me.

SLG SIGNING
Booth 1815 - 02:30pm - 04:00pm

FRIDAY, JULY 25, 2014
SLG SIGNING
Booth 1815 - 10:00am - 11:30am

SLG SIGNING
Booth 1815 - 02:30pm - 04:00pm

YOUNG JUSTICE MEET-UP
Behind Convention Center - 04:00pm
Vanessa Marshall (Black Canary), Brandon Vietti and myself (plus more to be announced) will be getting together informally to chat about Young Justice and admire Young Justice Cosplayers! I will also sell and sign animation scripts (Young Justice, Gargoyles, Team Atlantis, etc.) here for $20 cash while supplies last. To find a map for the location, follow me on Twitter @Greg_Weisman

SATURDAY, JULY 26, 2014
DIVERSITY IN GENRE LITERATURE PANEL
Room 7AB - 10:00am - 11:00am
In the literary world, there are mystical beings, futuristic landscapes, magic and mayhem, heroes and villains, and slowly but surely, more diversity in our heroes. Panel participants are the creators that have made a more diverse world with their novels. Join authors Gene Luen Yang (The Shadow Hero), Josephine Angelini (Trial by Fire),Sherri L. Smith (Orleans), Adele Griffin (The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone), Greg Weisman (Spirits of Ash and Foam: A Rain of the Ghosts Novel), and Lydia Kang (Control), as moderator David Mariotte of Mysterious Galaxy leads the discussion of what is "diversity" in genre writing, what it looks like, and why it is important.

MYSTERIOUS GALAXY SIGNING
Sails Pavilion - 11:30am - 12:30pm
Again, I'll be signing RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM or whatever you place in front of me.

SLG SIGNING
Booth 1815 - 02:30pm - 04:00pm

GARGOYLES 20TH ANNIVERSARY PANEL
Room 25ABC - 05:00pm - 06:00pm
"Twenty years ago, superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness. It was a world of fear. It was the age...of Gargoyles!" Help celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Disney Animation television series Gargoyles with members of the cast and crew, featuring series creator Greg Weisman, supervising producer Frank Paur, President Emeritus of Walt Disney Television Animation Gary Krisel, and voice and casting director Jamie Thomason.

SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014
SLG SIGNING
Booth 1815 - 10:00am - 11:30am

WARNER ARCHIVE/BATMAN FOR ALL SEASONS
Room 7AB - 12:00pm - 01:00pm
As Bat Mite so eloquently stated to the extra-dimensional Comic-Con bat-fans, "There is no one correct kind of Batman." Join respected producer/author Michael Uslan (The Boy Who Loved Batman), producer James Tucker (Batman: The Brave and the Bold), producer/director Brandon Vietti (Young Justice), producer Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, Young Justice, Star Wars Rebels), WAC Podcast hosts Matthew Patterson and DW Ferranti, and some surprise guests as they examine those "other" Batman iterations and oddities throughout history - from early films like "Public Defender" and the filmation Batman cartoons to new versions of the character (Young Justice, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Beware the Batman) the off-kilter takes (like the cult favorite "roast" of Legends of the SuperHeroes) and new media (motion comics like Batman: Black and White, Batgirl: Year One & Batman Adventures: Mad Love). And stick around - there might just be a special WAC announcement that will excite fans both "Young" and old.

SLG SIGNING
Booth 1815 - 02:30pm - 04:00pm

For up-to-the-minute updates, follow me on Twitter at @Greg_Weisman


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SPIRITS gets 5 stars (x2)

The first couple of reviews for SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM are up on Amazon. And they're both five star reviews!

http://www.amazon.com/Spirits-Ash-Foam-Ghosts-Novel/product-reviews/1250029821/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

If you've read SPIRITS (or RAIN) - and especially if you liked it ;) - please think about posting a review on Amazon. I'm told that few things help more in raising interest in a title.

Thanks!


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RAIN/SPIRITS Interview

Alex Rybak of Yoda's News did a nice little interview about Rain of the Ghosts and Spirits of Ash and Foam here: http://bit.ly/1qS6uwM


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J.J. writes...

Hey Greg, have a few questions on the business side of things:
You've said that Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. insist that Young Justice is NOT cancelled, just not picked up. Even if they do pick it up how would that work?
1. You've obviously moved on to work on Star Wars: Rebels along writing Your Rain of Ghost series. If they were to approach you on continuing the show would you be able to? I mean you've said that you and the production team created a bible of sorts for future story lines and character arcs, so you wouldn't have to start from scratch… but that is a lot of work.
2.Would you continue on doing Star Wars Rebels while someone else worked on the show?(The Goliath Chronicles) Or would you still be allowed to juggle both shows? (As unrealistic as that sounds)
I ask this because unlike Spec-Spidey, which was cancelled for legal reason, YJ had no real reason to end. I'm sure most of us would have been more than content with a continuation of the comics set during season 3.
Lighter stuff:
3. Now that you've finished Spirits of Ash and Foam, are you planning out and writing book 3 currently or are you waiting on the sales numbers on the first two books to get the go ahead and get seriously started?
Thanks for the time. Don't have Disney XD so I'll have to wait to catch Star Wars: Rebels online.

Greg responds...

1. It is a lot of work, so it would all depend on timing. I often have windows of availability, and when these windows open, I'm usually at one or more places trying to get something going on Young Justice or Gargoyles, etc.

2. This is all too hypothetical to answer. I can generally do a comic or two while working on a series, if the schedule isn't too brutal on one or the other (or both). But I can't answer these questions in a vacuum.

3. I probably should wait, since the third book has not been ordered. But I have begun doing the research for Book Three of Rain, i.e. Masque of Bones.

Response recorded on July 15, 2014

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All sorts of stuff...

Had a truly remarkable time at CONvergence 2014. I'll report in more detail at another time, but right now I'm too busy pimping:

First of all, my second novel, SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM, came out this past Tuesday. This is the second book in the RAIN OF THE GHOSTS series. It can be purchased (or at least ordered) at ANY bookstore and/or online:

http://www.amazon.com/Spirits-Ash-Foam-Ghosts-Novel/dp/1250029821/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379918087&sr=8-1&keywords=spirits+of+ash+and+foam+a+rain+of+the+ghosts+novel+by+greg+weisman

It's also available as an e-book.

I'll be doing a reading/discussion of Spirits and a signing of both books at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena on July 20, 2014 at 4pm:

http://www.vromansbookstore.com/greg-weisman-july2014

Meanwhile, the GARGOYLES Twentieth Anniversary Tour continues with stop #4: San Diego Comic Con International 2014. We'll be doing a reunion panel, Saturday, 7/26/14, 5:00p.m. - 6:00p.m., Room: 25ABC. Supervising Producer and Director Frank Paur, Walt Disney Television Animation President Emeritus Gary Krisel and I are already confirmed. More news about guests as they are confirmed.

http://www.comic-con.org/cci


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My CONvergence 2014 Schedule

So the #Gargoyles20 U.S. Tour continues. Stop #3 is CONvergence in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Well, actually in Bloomington, Minnesota, but close enough.) http://www.convergence-con.org

This is a big one for us. It includes a number of events that we used to do at the old Gathering of the Gargoyles Conventions, which ran from 1997-2009. And I know a bunch of Gargoyles fans will be attending, so it'll also be a reunion of sorts.

My schedule for the long weekend is quite packed - which is just how I like it!

THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2014
2:00pm - 3:00pm GARGOYLES RADIO PLAY AUDITIONS
Ever wanted to be in a radio play? Now is your chance! We are holding auditions for a live performance at CONvergence! You don't even have to be a fan of Gargoyles to enter. You just have to know how to read! Casting: Myself and Jennifer Anderson (Talent Coordinator on The Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice). Casting decisions will be posted by 7:00pm on Friday, July 4th. ATRIUM 7.

3:30pm - 4:30pm BUFFYVERSE TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Okay, so Gargoyles ISN'T the only show celebrating an anniversary. The Buffy/Angel universe has been off the air for ten years. Let's reminisce and talk about the impact these shows have had on TV fantasy since their cancellation. Panelists: Myself, Tim Lieder, Cetius d'Raven, Madeleine Rowe, Mark Goldberg. EDINA.

7:00pm - 8:00pm OPENING CEREMONY
If it's not exactly a magical invocation, it is nonetheless our official kick-off for the convention! Join CONvergence mascot Connie as we welcome our Guests of Honor, give out some awards (including the Mark Time and Ogle winners), and get this party started. Panelists: Myself, Amy Berg, Emma Bull, C. Robert Cargill, Sarah Clemens, Scott Lynch, Marina Sirtis, Frank Paur, Matthew Ebel, Dawn Krosnowski, Greg Guler, Rob Callahan, Windy Bowlsby, Michael Lee. MAIN STAGE.

9:00pm - 10:00pm GREG WEISMAN'S FANCY BASTARD PIE COMPETITION
Geek Partnership Society is excited to host the Greg Weisman Fancy Bastard Pie Competition at CONvergence 2014! It is open to all CONvergence members who wish to participate. The goal is to make a pie that Greg Weisman, herein to be known as "Fancy Bastard", likes best. The winner will be told super-secret Young Justice spoilers. Find out [some of] what would have happened in Season 3! (But winner must swear to secrecy to claim prize.) See below for some helpful hints.* CABANA 110.

FRIDAY, JULY 4th, 2014
11:00am - 12:00pm GARGOYLES RADIO PLAY AUDITIONS
Ever wanted to be in a radio play? Now is your chance! We are holding auditions for a live performance at CONvergence! You don't even have to be a fan of Gargoyles to enter. You just have to know how to read! Last chance to audition! Casting: Myself and Jennifer Anderson (Talent Coordinator on The Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice). Casting decisions will be posted by 7:00pm on Friday, July 4th. ATRIUM 7.

12:30pm - 1:30pm FROM TV TO COMICS
We'll discuss the TV shows that expanded into the comicverse, such as Buffy, Smallville, Young Justice and Gargoyles. Did they succeed? Were any of the comics improvements on the shows? How did canon change during the transition? Panelists: Myself (Gargoyles, Young Justice), Shawn van Briesen, Jonathan Palmer, Greg Guler (Gargoyles), Karine Charlebois (Gargoyles, Bad Guys), Christopher Jones (Batman Strikes, Young Justice, Bad Guys). PLAZA 2.

2:00pm - 3:00pm SIGNING
Myself, Christopher Jones (Young Justice, The Batman Strikes, Parallel Man) and Greg Guler (Gargoyles, Phineas and Ferb) will be holding a signing session. Both Chris and Greg always have an array of stuff (books, prints, etc.) to sell and sign. But this time I'm pretty darn prepared as well. First off, I'll be selling and signing copies of my first novel RAIN OF THE GHOSTS for $10 cash, which includes the book, a personalized signature and signed copies of the original development character designs by Kuni Tomita for the television version of Rain that never was. In addition - and by popular demand - I am selling and signing an array of my animation teleplays for $20 cash from such series as Gargoyles, Team Atlantis, DC Showcase (Green Arrow), Men in Black: The Series, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles, W.I.T.C.H., Young Justice and even the 2009 Radio Play "The Spectacular Spider-Man Meets Gargoyles". I'll also sign anything else you bring and put in front of me for FREE - especially if you buy my book. ;) CONVERGENCE CENTRAL.

3:30pm - 4:30pm CREATING GARGOYLES
This is what we used to call (at the Gathering) the Rocky Horror Gargoyles Show. The creators of Gargoyles show clips and tell stories of how the show came to be. Lots of visual aids. Panelists: Myself (Creator, Supervising Producer/Story Editor, Writer), Frank Paur ( (Supervising Producer/Director), Greg Guler (Lead Character Designer). ATRIUM 6.

7:00pm - 8:00pm TIME TRAVEL THEORY
Let's assume for a moment that Time Travel is possible. This panel will explore the theories behind such technology. We'll explore quantum realities, temporal anomalies and all other challenges our theoretical time travelers will be face! [Now, I suggested this panel, but then they went and put some actual scientists on the damn thing. So I may quickly be embarrassed into silence.] ;) Panelists: Myself, Nicole Gugliucci, Jim Kakalios, G. David Nordley, Amy Berg. ATRIUM 4.

8:30pm - 9:30pm GARGOYLES Q&A
Join the cast and creators of the "Gargoyles" series and SLG companion comic books to ask and talk about the property. And, as always, Cosplayers are welcome! Panelists: Myself (Creator, Supervising Producer/Story Editor, Writer), Christopher Jones (Bad Guys guest artist), Marina Sirtis (voice of Demona and Margot Yale), Frank Paur (Supervising Producer/Director), Karine Charlebois (Gargoyles Guest Artist, Bad Guys Artist), Greg Guler (Lead Character Designer, Gargoyles Guest Artist). MAIN STAGE.

SATURDAY, JULY 5th, 2014
9:30am - 10:30am GARGOYLES SIGNING
Myself, Marina Sirtis (voice of Demona and Margot Yale) and Frank Paur (Supervising Producer/Director) will be holding a signing session. Again, I'll be selling and signing copies of my first novel RAIN OF THE GHOSTS for $10 cash, which includes the book, a personalized signature and signed copies of the original development character designs by Kuni Tomita for the television version of Rain that never was. In addition - and by popular demand - I am selling and signing an array of my animation teleplays for $20 cash from such series as Gargoyles, Team Atlantis, DC Showcase (Green Arrow), Men in Black: The Series, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles, W.I.T.C.H., The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Young Justice and even the 2009 Radio Play "The Spectacular Spider-Man Meets Gargoyles". I'll also sign anything else you bring and put in front of me for FREE. CONVERGENCE CENTRAL.

11:00am - 12:25pm GARGOYLES RADIO PLAY REHEARSAL
This is a closed session - for those who were cast in the Radio Play - led by Myself, Jennifer Anderson (Talent Coordinator on The Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice) & Marina Sirtis (voice of Demona, Margot Yale and Queen Bee). ATRIUM 6.

12:30pm - 1:30pm GARGOYLES RADIO PLAY PERFORMANCE
Fans and professionals - including Myself (voice of Donald Menken and Lucas "Snapper" Carr), Jennifer Anderson (Talent Coordinator on The Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice), and of course, Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi from Star Trek TNG and the voice of Demona, Margot Yale and Queen Bee) - perform a LIVE, ORIGINAL Gargoyles radio play! ATRIUM 6.

2:00pm - 3:00pm GARGOYLES BIOLOGY AND CULTURE
A "what if" panel about the biology and culture of the Gargoyles universe. Creators and performers speculate about anything and everything going on outside the frames of the TV series. Panelists: Craig A. Finseth moderates Myself (Creator, Producer) and Greg Guler (Lead Character Designer). ATRIUM 7.

3:30pm - 4:30pm RAIN OF THE GHOSTS
I'll be reading from and talking about the world and characters of my novel "Rain of the Ghosts" and its sequel, "Spirits of Ash and Foam," which comes out July 8th, 2014, one week after the convention! ATRIUM 3.

7:00pm - 8:00pm ONE ON ONE WITH GREG WEISMAN
Hal Bichel will moderate a one-on-one panel with Myself. PLAZA 2.

8:30pm - 9:30pm SIGNING
Once again, I'll be selling and signing copies of my first novel RAIN OF THE GHOSTS for $10 cash, which includes the book, a personalized signature and signed copies of the original development character designs by Kuni Tomita for the television version of Rain that never was. In addition - and by popular demand - I am selling and signing an array of my animation teleplays for $20 cash from such series as Gargoyles, Team Atlantis, DC Showcase (Green Arrow), Men in Black: The Series, The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles, W.I.T.C.H., Young Justice and even the 2009 Radio Play "The Spectacular Spider-Man Meets Gargoyles". I'll also sign anything else you bring and put in front of me for FREE. CONVERGENCE CENTRAL.

10:00pm - 11:00pm BLUE MUG
Ever wonder about the sexual habits of Gargoyles? Ever wonder who was sleeping with whom among the Young Justice Team or the cast of Spectacular Spider-Man? Join us for for a late night peek at your favorite animated series. This panel will get blue! (So attendees will be carded!) Panelists: Myself, Christopher Jones, Mara Cordova (Last Tengu in Paris Artist). It is also rumored that Edmund Tsabard (an unfancy bastard and Last Tengu in Paris Writer) may make an appearance. EDINA.

SUNDAY, JULY 6th, 2014
11:00am - 12:00pm PROTOFEMINISTS IN SHAKESPEARE
Shakespeare portrayed several intelligent, independent, and self-aware women--Juliet, Lady Macbeth, Katharine, Beatrice, Viola, Rosalind. We'll discuss the problematic and the remarkably (for the era) fleshed-out aspects of their representation. Panelists: Myself, Elizabeth Bear, Ashley F. Miller, Joseph Erickson, Alexandra Howes. EDINA.

12:30pm - 1:30pm GARGOYLES FAN PANEL
It's the 20th Anniversary of Gargoyles. Come share your favorite moments from the show. As always, Cosplayers are welcome! Panelists: Daniel Mohr moderates Myself, Ryan Alexander, Robert Wagner, Maggie Schultz, Jennifer Anderson, Karine Charlebois. ATRIUM 6.

2:00pm - 3:00pm SIGNING
Myself and Greg Guler (Gargoyles, Phineas and Ferb) will be holding one last signing session. Greg G. always has an array of stuff (books, prints, etc.) to sell and sign. And I'll be selling and signing copies of my first novel RAIN OF THE GHOSTS for $10 cash, which includes the book, a personalized signature and signed copies of the original development character designs by Kuni Tomita for the television version of Rain that never was. In addition - and by popular demand - I am selling and signing an array of my animation teleplays for $20 cash from such series as Gargoyles, Team Atlantis, DC Showcase (Green Arrow), Men in Black: The Series, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles, The Batman, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, W.I.T.C.H., Young Justice and even the 2009 Radio Play "The Spectacular Spider-Man Meets Gargoyles". I'll also sign anything else you bring and put in front of me for FREE - especially if you buy my book. CONVERGENCE CENTRAL.

3:30pm - 4:30pm YOUNG JUSTICE
Creative minds behind the Young Justice TV and comic book series will talk about this fan favorite. We're planning some special surprises as well. And, as always, Cosplayers are welcome! Panelists: Myself, Marina Sirtis (voice of Queen Bee), Christopher Jones (Artist YJ Comic). MAIN STAGE.

5:00pm - 6:00pm CLOSING CEREMONY
It's not over 'til the gynoid sings - or something like that. Join CONvergence mascot Connie and our Guests of Honor as we say farewell to another convention. Shenanigans may ensue. Panelists: Myself, Amy Berg, Emma Bull, C. Robert Cargill, Sarah Clemens, Scott Lynch, Marina Sirtis, Matthew Ebel, Frank Paur, Dawn Krosnowski, Greg Guler, Windy Bowlsby, Rob Callahan, Michael Lee. MAIN STAGE

SEE?!! I told you there was a lot. And that's only the stuff that I'm doing. CONvergence is jam-packed with all sorts of pop culture nutritional goodness. So stop by and say hello!!

*In the interest of Full Disclosure, Fancy Bastard would like all to know that he especially likes the following pies:
APPLE
BERRY (pretty much any kind of berry or a mix of same)
PEACH
APRICOT
PUMPKIN
BANANA CREAM (herein to be known as the funniest pie)
Combinations of some of the fruit pies can be great. Contestants are welcome to try other pies at their own risk.

Fancy Bastard does NOT especially like the following pies:
PECAN
Anything with Chocolate or Lemon or Meringue
Raisins in Apple Pie
Almost never Cherry, though he has tasted the rare exception...


Bookmark Link

DENVER COMIC CON REVISED & UPDATED #3

ONE MORE TIME!! This looks to be as final a revision as it's going to get for Denver Comic Con website (http://denvercomiccon.com/), before I head for the airport in a couple minutes. But, again, follow me on TWITTER @Greg_Weisman to stay up-to-the-minute on when and where I'll be.

DENVER COMIC CON LATEST PANEL, INTERVIEW & SIGNING SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, JUNE 13th, 2014

10:30am - 11:20am - ART OF THE PITCH in ROOM 110/112.
Victor Cook, Greg Guler and myself will be talking about pitching and selling animated telvision series to the Powers That Be.

11:30am - 12:30pm - SIGNING at my BOOTH 122 on the main floor.
I'll be signing my novel RAIN OF THE GHOSTS throughout the weekend for $10 cash. (That $10 includes the book, a personalized signature and copies of the original development art by Kuni Tomita for the television version of Rain that never was.) I also have a half-dozen copies of Young Justice teleplays, which I'll sell (and sign) for $20 cash. I'll also sign anything else you bring and put in front of me for free - especially if you buy my book. ;)

12:50pm - 1:20pm - INTERVIEW with Tim Beyers of MOTLEY FOOL in the MEDIA LOUNGE.

1:30pm - 2:20pm - CARTOON VOICES I in the MAIN EVENTS ROOM.
I'll be moderating this panel, which features Kevin Conroy, Jim Cummings, Michael Dorn, Jennifer Hale & Veronica Taylor.

3:30pm - 4:30pm - SIGNING at my BOOTH 122 on the main floor.

4:45pm - 5:35pm - YOUNG JUSTICE in the MINI-MAIN ROOM.
This one includes myself (writer-producer, voice actor) & Christopher Jones (YJ companion comic book artist).

5:35pm - 6:05pm - OPENING CEREMONIES in the MAIN EVENTS ROOM.

7:00pm - 10:00pm - FOUR COLOR MIXER at Breckinridge Brewery/Hilton Garden Inn Denver Downtown.

SATURDAY, JUNE 14th, 2014

9:35am - 10:00am - INTERVIEW with BEYOND THE TROPE at my table at Booth 122.

10:00am - 10:20am - INTERVIEW with WESTWORD at my table at Booth 122.

10:30am - 11:20am - RAIN OF THE GHOSTS in ROOM 201.
I'll be reading from and discussing my new novels, Rain of the Ghosts & Spirits of Ash and Foam.

11:45am - 12:35pm - ANIMATION PROFESSIONALS in ROOM 201
I'm moderating this panel, which features Chris Beaver, Victor Cook, Greg Guler, Derek Hunter, Christy Marx, & Jan Scott-Frasier.

3:00pm - 3:50pm - SIGNING at my BOOTH 122 on the main floor.

4:00pm - 4:50pm - GARGOYLES 20th ANNIVERSARY in the MAIN EVENTS ROOM.
This is a big one, with me (writer-producer-creator), Victor Cook (storyboard artist), Jim Cummings (voice of Dingo), Jonathan Frakes (voice of David Xanatos), Greg Guler (character designer), Salli Richardson-Whitfield (voice of Elisa Maza) and Marina Sirtis (voice of Demona) .

5:00pm - 6:00pm - SIGNING at my BOOTH 122 on the main floor.

SUNDAY, JUNE 15th, 2014

9:30am - 10:20am - INTERVIEW with EXAMINER.COM at my BOOTH 122.

10:30am - 11:20am - THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN in the MINI-MAIN ROOM.
Includes myself (writer-producer-voice actor), Victor Cook (director-producer), Jim Cummings (voice of Crusher Hogan) & Greg Guler (artist).

1:30pm - 2:30pm - SIGNING at my BOOTH 122 on the main floor.

2:45pm - 3:35pm - CARTOON VOICES II in the MAIN EVENTS ROOM.
Again, I'm moderating for Robert Axelrod, Kimberly Brooks, Jennifer Hale & April Stewart.

4:00pm - 5:00pm - SIGNING at my BOOTH 122 on the main floor.

In addition to the times listed above, I'll often just be hanging out at my table, so stop by. Attend a panel, buy a book, say hello!


Bookmark Link

DENVER COMIC CON REVISED & UPDATED #2

Okay, so I just took a look at the Denver Comic Con website (http://denvercomiccon.com/), and the schedule there doesn't always match up with the schedule I was sent. I'll make adjustments below, but what this really means is that I'm not 100% sure where I'll be at any given moment. I will be tweeting throughout the weekend though, so follow me @Greg_Weisman to stay up-to-the-minute on when and where I'll be.

DENVER COMIC CON LATEST PANEL, INTERVIEW & SIGNING SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, JUNE 13th, 2014

10:30am - 11:20am - RAIN OF THE GHOSTS in ROOM 201
I'll be reading from and discussing my new novels, Rain of the Ghosts & Spirits of Ash and Foam.

11:30am - 12:30pm - SIGNING at my BOOTH 122 on the main floor.
I'll be signing my novel RAIN OF THE GHOSTS throughout the weekend for $10 cash. (That $10 includes the book, a personalized signature and copies of the original development art by Kuni Tomita for the television version of Rain that never was.) I also have a half-dozen copies of Young Justice teleplays, which I'll sell (and sign) for $20 cash. I'll also sign anything else you bring and put in front of me for free - especially if you buy my book. ;)

12:50pm - 1:20pm - INTERVIEW with Tim Beyers of MOTLEY FOOL in the MEDIA LOUNGE

1:30pm - 2:20pm - CARTOON VOICES I in the MAIN EVENTS ROOM
I'll be moderating this panel, which features Kevin Conroy, Jim Cummings, Michael Dorn, Jennifer Hale & Veronica Taylor.

3:30pm - 4:30pm - SIGNING at my BOOTH 122 on the main floor.

4:45pm - 5:35pm - YOUNG JUSTICE in the MINI-MAIN ROOM
This one includes myself (writer-producer, voice actor) & Christopher Jones (YJ companion comic book artist).

7:00pm - 10:00pm - FOUR COLOR MIXER at Breckinridge Brewery/Hilton Garden Inn Denver Downtown

SATURDAY, JUNE 14th, 2014

9:35am - 10:00am - INTERVIEW with BEYOND THE TROPE at my table at Booth 122.

10:00am - 10:50am - INTERVIEW with WESTWORD at my table at Booth 122.

11:45am - 12:35pm - ANIMATION PROFESSIONALS in ROOM 201
I'm moderating this panel, which features Chris Beaver, Victor Cook, Greg Guler, Derek Hunter, Christy Marx, & Jan Scott-Frasier.

3:00pm - 3:50pm - SIGNING at my BOOTH 122 on the main floor.

4:00pm - 4:50pm - GARGOYLES 20th ANNIVERSARY in the MAIN EVENTS ROOM
This is a big one, with me (writer-producer-creator), Victor Cook (storyboard artist), Jim Cummings (voice of Dingo), Jonathan Frakes (voice of David Xanatos), Greg Guler (character designer), Salli Richardson-Whitfield (voice of Elisa Maza) and Marina Sirtis (voice of Demona) .

5:00pm - 6:00pm - SIGNING at my BOOTH 122 on the main floor.

SUNDAY, JUNE 15th, 2014
9:30am - 10:20am - INTERVIEW with EXAMINER.COM at my BOOTH 122.

10:30am - 11:20am - THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN in the MINI-MAIN ROOM
Includes myself (writer-producer-voice actor), Victor Cook (director-producer), Jim Cummings (voice of Crusher Hogan) & Greg Guler (artist).

1:30pm - 2:30pm - SIGNING at my BOOTH 122 on the main floor.

2:45pm - 3:35pm - CARTOON VOICES II in the MAIN EVENTS ROOM
Again, I'm moderating for Robert Axelrod, Kimberly Brooks, Jennifer Hale & April Stewart.

4:00pm - 5:00pm - SIGNING at my BOOTH 122 on the main floor.

In addition to the times listed above - and especially since I'm no longer 100% sure of my schedule - I'll often just be hanging out at my table, so stop by. Attend a panel, buy a book, say hello!


Bookmark Link

DENVER COMIC CON UPDATE

I've got an update on the #GARGOYLES20 tour, stop #2: DENVER COMIC CON (http://denvercomiccon.com/). Here's my schedule, which now include all my panels, plus the times I'll be at my table on the main floor, signing:

FRIDAY, JUNE 13th, 2014
11:30am - 12:30pm - SIGNING at my table on the main floor.

1:30pm - 2:20pm - CARTOON VOICES in the MAIN ROOM
I'll be moderating this panel, which features Michael Dorn, Kevin Conroy, Jim Cummings, Jennifer Hale & Veronica Taylor.

3:30pm - 4:30pm - SIGNING at my table on the main floor.

4:45pm - 5:35pm - YOUNG JUSTICE in the MINI-MAIN ROOM
This one includes myself (writer-producer, voice actor), Andrew Robinson (writer) & Christopher Jones (YJ companion comic book artist).

SATURDAY, JUNE 14th, 2014
11:00am - 11:50am - RAIN OF THE GHOSTS in ROOM 201
I'll be reading from and discussing my new novels, Rain of the Ghosts & Spirits of Ash and Foam.

12:15pm - 1:05pm - ANIMATION ARTISTS in ROOM 201
I'm moderating this panel, which features Jan Scott-Frasier, Derek Hunter, Christy Marx, Greg Guler, Victor Cook & Chris Beaver.

2:45pm - 3:35pm - GARGOYLES 20th ANNIVERSARY in the MAIN ROOM
This is a big one, with me (writer-producer-creator), Jonathan Frakes (voice of David Xanatos), Marina Sirtis (voice of Demona), Salli Richardson-Whitfield (voice of Elisa Maza), Jim Cummings (voice of Dingo), Greg Guler (character designer) and Victor Cook (storyboard artist).

4:00pm - 5:00pm - SIGNING at my table on the main floor.

SUNDAY, JUNE 15th, 2014
10:30am - 11:20am - THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN in the MINI-MAIN ROOM
Includes myself (writer-producer-voice actor), Victor Cook (director-producer), Jim Cummings (voice of Crusher Hogan), Greg Guler (artist) & Andrew Robinson (writer).

12:00pm - 1:20pm - SIGNING at my table on the main floor.

1:30pm - 2:20pm - CARTOON VOICES in the MAIN ROOM
Again, I'm moderating for Jennifer Hale, Robert Axelrod, Kimberly Brooks & April Stewart.

2:30pm - 3:30pm - SIGNING at my table on the main floor.

In addition to the times listed above, I'll often just be hanging out at my table, signing my novel RAIN OF THE GHOSTS throughout the weekend for $10 cash. (That $10 includes the book, a personalized signature and copies of the original development art by Kuni Tomita for the television version of Rain that never was.) I'll also sign anything else you bring and put in front of me for free.

So stop by. Attend a panel, buy a book, say hello!


Bookmark Link

Up Next: DENVER COMIC CON

Frank Paur and I had a great time at the GARGOYLES 20th ANNIVERSARY Panel at Califur this past Sunday. Saw a couple old friends, and talked for TWO HOURS on the creation, development and production of Gargoyles.

Up next on the #GARGOYLES20 tour, stop #2: DENVER COMIC CON. http://denvercomiccon.com/

Here's my schedule (which pretty much includes all my favorite things):

FRIDAY, JUNE 13th, 2014
1:30pm - 2:20pm - CARTOON VOICES in the MAIN ROOM
I'll be moderating this panel, which features Michael Dorn, Kevin Conroy, Jim Cummings, Jennifer Hale & Veronica Taylor.

4:45pm - 5:35pm - YOUNG JUSTICE in the MINI-MAIN ROOM
This one includes myself (writer-producer, voice actor), Andrew Robinson (writer) & Christopher Jones (YJ companion comic book artist).

SATURDAY, JUNE 14th, 2014
11:00am - 11:50am - RAIN OF THE GHOSTS in ROOM 201
I'll be reading from and discussing my new novels, Rain of the Ghosts & Spirits of Ash and Foam.

12:15pm - 1:05pm - ANIMATION ARTISTS in ROOM 201
I'm moderating this panel, which features Jan Scott-Frasier, Derek Hunter, Christy Marx, Greg Guler, Victor Cook & Chris Beaver.

2:45pm - 3:35pm - GARGOYLES 20th ANNIVERSARY in the MAIN ROOM
This is a big one, with me (writer-producer-creator), Jonathan Frakes (voice of David Xanatos), Marina Sirtis (voice of Demona), Salli Richardson-Whitfield (voice of Elisa Maza), Jim Cummings (voice of Dingo), Greg Guler (character designer) and Victor Cook (storyboard artist).

SUNDAY, JUNE 15th, 2014
10:30am - 11:20am - THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN in the MINI-MAIN ROOM
Includes myself (writer-producer-voice actor), Victor Cook (director-producer), Jim Cummings (voice of Crusher Hogan), Greg Guler (artist) & Andrew Robinson (writer).

1:30pm - 2:20pm - CARTOON VOICES in the MAIN ROOM
Again, I'm moderating for Jennifer Hale, Robert Axelrod, Kimberly Brooks & April Stewart.

In addition, I'll be signing my novel RAIN OF THE GHOSTS at my booth throughout the weekend for $10 cash. (That $10 includes the book, a personalized signature and copies of the original development art by Kuni Tomita for the television version of Rain that never was.) I'll also sign anything else you bring and put in front of me for free.

So stop by. Attend a panel, buy a book, say hello!


Bookmark Link

Donald Speirs writes...

Greg:
As a fellow author, I love collecting signed works. I live on the east coast (Lakeland, FL to be exact). How can I acquire a signed copy of your novel?

Thanks,and congrats on your first novel.

Sincerely,
D.G. Speirs

Greg responds...

Um... hmm...

Well, I'm such a novice, I'm not sure.

Obviously, if you can make it to any of my convention appearances, that's one way. New Orleans Mecha-Con in August isn't THAT far from Florida, is it?

Or, I did sign a number of copies at MYSTERIOUS GALAXY BOOKSTORE in San Diego. I assume you could contact them and arrange to get a copy: http://www.mystgalaxy.com/

I'd be happy to sell you a signed copy myself, but there's the little problem of me not wanting to broadcast my home address or personal email on the internet.

I feel like I need to figure out a solution to this.

Response recorded on May 21, 2014

Bookmark Link

Califur 2014

Frank Paur and I will be doing a GARGOYLES 20th ANNIVERSARY panel at 2pm on Sunday, June 1st, 2014 at CALIFUR in Irvine, California: http://califur.com/

Frank, of course, was my partner on the series. (We were both Supervising Producers.) And we'll talk about Gargoyles' development and production and open things up for Q&A. We'll also be signing after the panel, anything you care to bring.

And, as usual, I'll be selling and signing copies of RAIN OF THE GHOSTS for $10 cash. (That $10 includes the book, a personalized signature and copies of the original development art by Kuni Tomita for the television version of Rain that never was.)

If you live in the vicinity, stop by. Califur is really the first stop in this year's Gargoyles Anniversary Tour. I'll keep you posted on other appearances.


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Club Jade Interview

Had a great time doing a panel and signing at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore this past weekend. Also took some time out to do an interview about Rain of the Ghosts (mostly) with Jawa James at Club Jade. Here it is: http://clubjade.net/?p=58532.

Also talked a bit about the writing process and my thoughts on diversity.


Bookmark Link

NoOneSpecial writes...

Okay so I have to be REALLY careful about how I ask this question. If you cant understand my meaning then its probably my own fault and for that I'm sorry, but I thought this was a very interesting concept. It's about xanatos's letter to himself.
Here we go. So in Vows, Xanatos travels back in time and sends himself the coin that he will eventually use to amass his fortune. He also sends a letter that is to be delivered to himself twenty years after the coin which explains how he has to get the coin, which as he said in the episode he received that very letter a week before the wedding. So I guess the best way I can phrase this is, is that the EXACT same letter and by same I mean the same piece of paper. The way I see it that letter is over a thousand years old and must be pretty worn(unless of course it was carefully preserved). So when xanatos gets the letter, does he just send back the same one he got or copy the information on a new piece of paper and send that back instead? If its the first one then that piece of paper must keep accumulating age to it. He sends it once, its over a thousand years old. He sends it a second time, its another thousand years old, and so on. So the piece of paper could eventually become so worn that it would be either unreadable or destroyed. So does xanatos just make a new letter every time he gets it or send back the one he received? PS loved rain of ghosts, hope you get to make all nine books.

Greg responds...

It was carefully preserved by the Illuminati.

In the past, he wrote the original. He doesn't reuse it.

Glad you liked Rain! If you haven't already, could you do me a favor and write up a review on Amazon?

Response recorded on May 13, 2014

Bookmark Link

Mysterious Galaxy Signing

Once again, I'm hoping people in the Southern California area - especially those who live in and around San Diego - might come to my signing at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore.

I'll be reading, answering questions and signing copies of RAIN OF THE GHOSTS at the Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore in San Diego on May 10th, 2014 at 11am.

Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore is at 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Suite #302, San Diego, CA 92111

If you buy a book, I'm also happy to sign whatever other memorabilia (Gargoyles, SpecSpidey, Young Justice, whatever) that you feel like dragging into the store.

It's a big birthday bash for the bookstore, so there are other events all day long, and I'm told they're serving cake at 3pm.

Info here: http://www.mystgalaxy.com/event/MG-SD-21st-Birhday-Bash-051014

Please stop by - check out RAIN - and say hello!


Bookmark Link

Ben writes...

I just have a quick question about Rain of the Ghosts. I was wondering if there are currently any plans to release it in a hardbound version or if that is currently not an option? I for one would really like to have it in that format. While we're at it getting the Gargoyles and Young Justice graphic novels released in hardbound form would be great too, but I understand that would probably be a bit more problematic. At any rate thanks for the entertaining stories and please keep up the good work.

Greg responds...

Much as I'd like it too, there are no plans to release Rain of the Ghosts in hardback. Ditto the Gargoyles and YJ graphic novels.

Response recorded on May 09, 2014

Bookmark Link

Geek Cave Podcast

Did a podcast at the Geek Cave, where we discussed everything from Gargoyles to Star Wars Rebels to Rain of the Ghosts.

Find it here: http://geekcavepodcast.com/post/85018863882/geek-cave-podcast-episode-43-greg-weisman-the

Or you can download it directly here: http://thegeekcave.podbean.com/mf/web/tm4wd9/GC43.mp3


Bookmark Link

fallenlegend writes...

Hello Greg!

Just a quick question this time. The other time I asked you something about gargoyles and you said that you wouldn't write it for free... wich came as a bit of a shock to me as you have said before that it is your baby proyect.

It's understandable as this is your job and main source of income... But I have to wonder if you would ever have or if you have a personal proyect wich you would do for free.

You deserve every cent you get paid but.. Many (amateur/fanfic) writters write stories for fun and I wonder if this is the case with you. thank you!

Greg responds...

I don't write for fun anymore. To be honest, it's too much like work.

I don't write for free, though I do (occasionally) write "on spec". That is, I'll write something that has the chance of paying off later, even if no one is paying me for it immediately. For example, my first novel, RAIN OF THE GHOSTS, was written on spec. (And took over a decade to pay off - minimally.) The second book in the series, SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM, was not written on spec. My publisher, St. Martin's Press, ordered it. The third, MASQUE OF BONES, which I've barely begun researching, will also be written on spec, unless St. Martin's Press decides to pick it up.

But the big difference with those books, over something like GARGOYLES, for example, is that I OWN the RAIN property. I don't own GARGOYLES or YOUNG JUSTICE or WITCH or THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN. It would, frankly, just be foolish for me to invest my time (which is money to me) in something that isn't mine.

GARGOYLES is without a doubt my baby. I feel that strongly. But it doesn't change the hard, cruel fact that I hold no ownership in it at all.

Response recorded on May 01, 2014

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Ghosts Reader writes...

Dear Greg:

I have a few trivial questions to ask about Rain of the Ghosts:

1. Throughout the novel, Charlie Dauphin's father was only ever referenced in relation to the watch he left Charlie. Is he deceased, or will he otherwise appear in the future?

2. In the novel, Callahan is hired by a mysterious Setebos. Was there an intention for you to reference the Tempest character with a similar sounding name (Caliban) and the deity he worships (Setebos)?

3. When Rain first encounters Callahan, she had the impression that he was chasing after her. Considering that this was before the band was transferred (and her "awakening"), was she correct or just mistaken?

4. Considering the etymology of the names of Rain's family (Cacique=chief, Bohique=priest, Nitainon=noble), is it safe to say the family descended from Taino nobility?

Thank you for taking the time.

Greg responds...

1. That's a spoiler request. No comment. Sorry.

2. Well, it wasn't by accident. <heh heh heh>

WARNING: A couple of spoilers for RAIN OF THE GHOSTS follows:

3. Mistaken, though of course there was a reason he had reserved a room at the Nitaino Inn... and that reason was the snake charm.

4. That's dealt with in some detail in the second book in the series: SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM. *But, yes, it's safe to say that.*

NOTE: It's very exciting to be answering (or even refusing to answer) questions about RAIN. Thank you!

Response recorded on April 30, 2014

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Mysterious Galaxy Signing

I'll be speaking and signing copies of RAIN OF THE GHOSTS (and whatever else fans might like to bring with them) at the Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore in San Diego on May 10th, 2014 at 11am. There are other events all day long, and I'm told they're serving cake at 3pm. :)

Info here:

http://www.mystgalaxy.com/event/MG-SD-21st-Birhday-Bash-051014

Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore is at 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Suite #302, San Diego, CA 92111

If you're in the Southern California area, please stop by - check out RAIN - and say hello!


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My WONDERCON 2014 Schedule

I'll be attending WONDERCON 2014 in Anaheim, California for one day only: Saturday, April 19th, 2014.

http://www.comic-con.org/wca

I've got no official panels this year - though, STAR WARS fans should definitely check out the STAR WARS REBELS panel on Saturday from 2-3pm in Room 300AB. Executive Producer Dave Filoni and Vanessa Marshall (the voice of Hera Syndulla) will be taking your questions.

But I do have a couple of events scheduled:

1. 11:30am - @1pm: ASK GREG LIVE, a.k.a. YOUNG JUSTICE MEET-UP, a.k.a. GARGOYLES 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, a.k.a. SPEC SPIDEY BLU-RAY CHEERFEST, a.k.a. RAIN OF THE GHOSTS ISLAND TOUR, a.k.a. whatever geeky thing you like...
This is a casual fan get together where I'll be answering questions. Vanessa Marshall (voice of Mary Jane Watson, Black Canary and many more) and Nicole Dubuc (writer/producer of Transformers: RescueBots, writer on W.I.T.C.H., SpecSpidey & YJ, voice of Iris West-Allen) have both said they'll stop by too. And we may have a few other surprise special guests, as well. Note: that although I'm notoriously anti-spoiler, I'm way more likely to drop a few hints in person than on-line. We'll be meeting in Lobby B of the convention hall, behind the escalators, more or less opposite of where DC Comics and Graphitti Designs have their booths if you were going to walk into the hall. (I've posted a map on my twitter account @Greg_Weisman) If the weather permits, we will probably head outside around 11:45am and continue the meet-up there. We'll also be posing for photos, so I encourage cosplayers to attend, etc. I will also be bringing copies of RAIN OF THE GHOSTS to autograph and sell. For a mere $10 in cash, you get a signed copy of the book and signed copies of the original inspirational character designs (drawn by Kuni Tomita) for the animated series version of Rain that we never made back at DreamWorks in 1997-98. (While supplies last.) I'm in no real hurry, so I can pretty much hang out as long as folks want.

2. @1pm - 3pm SIGNING
After the Meet Up, I'll be heading over to Artist's Alley, specifically Table 186, where Thom Zahler of the amazing Love & Capes series has graciously allowed me a place to sit. Once again, I'll be selling and signing RAIN OF THE GHOSTS. Still $10 (CASH ONLY) for a signed copy of the book and signed copies of the Kuni Tomita inspirational designs. (Again, while supplies last.)

So please, stop by and say hello!


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Xum Yukinori writes...

A response to your "Rain of the Ghosts" typo contest. On Chapter 2, page 7, paragraph 4, Charlie says, "Not a record. But respectable." While "Not a record, but respectable." is grammatically correct, you may have been taking artistic license since it was dialogue.

I didn't notice any other glaring error... I was enjoying the book too much.

Best,
Xum.

Greg responds...

Yeah, that was intentional. Not a typo.

Glad you were enjoying the book though!

Response recorded on April 11, 2014

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Feedback writes...

If you don't mind me asking, has Rain of the Ghosts done okay in sales??

I actually haven't bought my own copy yet. Being in Med School is a bummer, haven't read a non-science book in ages. As soon as I get a break, I'm hitting Amazon!

Greg responds...

It hasn't done as well as one would hope, I'm afraid. We're hoping that the arrival of the second book, Spirits of Ash and Foam, in July will raise the sales of both. Help spreading the word would be appreciated. And if you're planning to buy one or both books anyway, buying/ordering them sooner than later would be great - even if you can't get around to reading them right away. (Though, OF COURSE, I want them read too!)

Response recorded on April 11, 2014

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Anonymous writes...

How well did Rain sell/is selling?

Greg responds...

Not as well as I'd hoped, I'm afraid. Still seems like very few people know about it. So anything you can do to help spread the word would be appreciated.

Response recorded on April 07, 2014

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Masterdramon writes...

Wanted to post this separate from my review, for length reasons if nothing else.

The "sources" for several of the references included in RAIN OF THE GHOSTS are fairly obvious. Bernie and Maude, Broadway-Niner-Niner-Four, and Terry Chung all demonstrate that you continue to be as shameless as ever (and damn if we don't love you for it!), and it's probably easier to list what [I]isn't[/I] referenced from "The Tempest."

But I'd just like to quickly confirm if "Mr. and Mrs. John DeLancy" are meant to refer to actor John de Lancie, most famous as Q from "Star Trek" (and more recently, Earth-16's very own Mister Twister).

And if so, was there any particular reason that you gave him a little shout out there? Just mildly curious.

Thanks, and I hope that you enjoyed my review! :)

Greg responds...

Honestly, it must have been, right? But I can't remember why. (I wrote the first draft of the book over a decade ago.) Back then, I had worked a bit with John on Max Steel, but it's not like we socialized or anything. Maybe I just liked the name.

Response recorded on April 07, 2014

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Masterdramon writes...

RAIN OF THE GHOSTS

"You don't belong back there," the woman said gently. "Leave it all behind."

Rain nodded. That's right. That's right.

"You have the whole world to explore," the woman said warmly. "There's so much to see."

Rain could only nod. So grateful. So much to see. She wandered forward. The snow was white and warm and glowed softly, quietly. So much to see.

Well...it's finally time.

While I first acquired my copy of your inaugural novel a few weeks ago, it wasn't until recently that I managed to find the time to finish it; starting a new job the week before Christmas tends to eat up free time. But plenty of car rides to and from airports at the holiday season gave me ample time to breeze through the latter half of the book, and I've spent the last couple of days mulling over exactly what to say about it.

[NOTE: From here on out, there may be references to minor SPOILERS. If anyone hasn't read the novel all the way through yet, stop right here and go do so.]

If I had to boil down my reaction to RotG into a single word, it would be "intrigued." Reading through it, I felt transported back to third grade, making my way through "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone" for the first time. RotG has a similar "feel": simultaneously a single story and a rapid-fire barrage of future plot hooks, designed to impress upon the reader the sheer size and scope of the world it is building, while leaving room for that world to expand greatly in future installments.

Rain herself is a good encapsulation of this. As a protagonist she is simultaneously extremely likeable, and precisely the opposite. Hot-tempered, impulsive, abrasive, and constantly taking Charlie's loyalty completely for granted, she is...well, a teenager. She has a good deal of growing up to do, and it's hard to fully get "on her side" until she does.

But as this book series all-but-promises to be her Bildungsroman, I'm confident that Rain's gonna continue to grow on me. And her "voice" is so uniquely enjoyable that I'm very much EXCITED to go on that journey with her, so that's certainly a point in the character's favor.

The rest of the cast was a joy, for the most part. Charlie was, admittedly, probably the weakest link for me. I LIKE him well enough, don't get me wrong, but on this first outing I can't help but find him a little bland. He's more than a tad snarky, crushing hard on Rain, and possessed of the patience of a saint...but beyond that, I find it hard to come up with many descriptors for his character. Here's hoping that we get to explore his perspective and his history a little more in future books.

I adored 'Bastian/The Dark Man, however. His "I don't really know what to think about this" attitude toward being dead, oscillating between casual detachment and sorrowful contempation depending on the situation, felt very REAL to me, and made his scenes a constant delight. I don't know how long he's going to stick around, but I'm hoping that it's for at least a few more books. There's just something undeniably "cool" about having a ghost in a bomber jacket as one of your leads.

As for the supporting cast...again, "intriguing" is probably the best word I can use. Everyone's got their secrets, and you did a masterful job at teasing just enough information to encourage the audience to chase down every last one. From Miranda's father to whatever the deal is with Ariel, from Maq's and Obie's roles in all of this to Callahan's history...it's a brave new world, and I very much want to learn more.

Personally, my favorite character is hands-down, Judith Vendaval/The Tall Woman. Thing is, I couldn't possibly tell you WHY. Functionally, she does basically nothing to advance the book's plot.

But there's something about the "air" to her, even moreso than the other "mysterious" characters wandering the periphery of this story, that grabs me and won't let go. She's still at the inn at the beginning of the second book, according to the excerpts included at the end, so I doubt we've seen the last of her. And I am SO looking forward to it.

The plot itself is straightforward, but layered; at least three stories (Rain's present-day grief, the regrets of WWII resurfacing, and the "real" story going on behind the scenes, which our heroes are largely oblivious to) running through each other, with little hints sprinkled EVERYWHERE of more to come. It's not an unfamiliar feeling from your work...but it is a welcome one.

Without a doubt, the most enjoyable scenes from me were the two "Villain Tags" near the end - Maq and Obie confronting "Hura-hupia," and Callahan's meeting with his employer. Questions abound about this "Mr. Setebos," not the least of which being exactly how indicative his name is...but I'm comfortable being patient for THOSE kinds of answers.

The one other thing I want to comment on before wrapping this review up is the writing style. I've never read a novel precisely like this one in that regard, and in-and-of-itself that is neither a positive nor a negative trait.

Even if I didn't already know it going in, it wouldn't be hard for me to guess that the writer of RotG has gained much of his experience writing scripts for television and comics.

Take, for example, the frequent jumping of perspectives from one character to the next - some of it even within a single paragraph. A lot of readers seem to have found that quite jarring...and yeah, I won't deny that it threw me for a loop the first couple of times, even if I got used to it after a while.

But in a comic? This wouldn't seem remotely odd at all. All it would require would be separate thought balloons in the same panel.

Once again, though, there's nothing BAD necessarily about this stylistic choice; it's just...different. And in all fairness, you certainly took advantage of its narrative benefits. Maq and Obie would have a much harder time fulfilling their current roles if you had to devote a full chapter to them every time they needed to chime in.

In closing, if the main purpose of RotG was to ensure that I'd desperately want to read eight more books set in this world, then it damn well succeeded. True, my first reaction to learning that the structure of the series corresponds with a nine-item "fetch quest" was to bristle a bit...but there's enough to intrigue me about the first zemi that I'm quite excited to search out the rest.

What form do the others take? What are their powers? Where do they come from, and who made them? And what exactly IS the "true Mystery of the Ghosts"?

A deep widening groove. An oval ring. A larger, more circular ring. A shallow groove. A semi-amorphous cross. A thick equilateral triangle. And a small cylindrical hole.

One Key down, eight to go. This is gonna be one wild ride.

Greg responds...

Thanks. Glad you like it!! Again, I'd ask that if you haven't already, please add a review to Amazon.

Response recorded on April 02, 2014

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Soraya writes...

Hi! Hope all is well and that Rain of Ghosts is selling well (I'm reading it on my tablet and it's awesome so far!) anyways a question I've wanted to ask for a while now was is the title for The Usual Suspects in season one of Young Justice in reference to the movie?

Thank you!

Greg responds...

If you mean Casablanca, yes. If you mean The Usual Suspects, not really, though of course THAT is also a reference to Casablanca.

Glad you're enjoying Rain. Hopefully now, you're done and have written a review on Amazon? Huh? Huh? ;)

Response recorded on April 02, 2014

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Harlan Phoenix writes...

I finished Rain of the Ghosts earlier today and to cut to the chase, I absolutely loved it. I spent a lot of my early teens reading middle school and up fantasy series like Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, or His Dark Materials and Rain of the Ghost felt right at home with the tone of those stories (maybe slightly less so with His Dark Materials, but eh). In a weird way, Rain of the Ghosts was laced with a lot of pleasant nostalgia for me despite being a brand new property in your body of work. I have two young nieces and Rain is the exact heroine I would love to see them grow up on. When they're much older (being a toddler and baby respectively), I more than intend to raise them up on Rain of the Ghosts when they're old enough to relate to Rain and empathize with her journey. After all, they'll need something to read when I'm not watching Gargoyles with them.

As mentioned in my Mecha-Nation review, your heroes are really among the best in animation (and, now, general all ages fiction!) and Rain of the Ghosts continues that trend. I absolutely adore Rain as a protagonist and even though I'm a decade older than her I can definitely relate to her fears of a future locked in stone. 'Bastion was an incredibly welcome return to your love of WW2 iconography and his backstory, and his scene with Rain near the end was nothing short of adorable. Charlie brought a lot of welcome humor and awkwardness to the story that only emphasized his strength as a friend to Rain. It's a solid cast and I am very eager to see their next adventures.

And Opie may tie with Matrix as my favorite character you've ever written. I adore Opie. And Ariel definitely fascinates me and I like to imagine she, Owen, and Mercy Graves have the most intense poker games ever.

All in all, it's a lovely book that took me back to a time that makes me feel warm and fuzzy but with the added benefit of your personal style. Though I love all of your writing, there's something nice out of getting an original property amidst the more common adaptations. It's why, as great as Young Justice is, I felt a bit more connection to Mecha-Nation. It's a truly underrated comic that I'm sad we've yet to get more of and though it was Victor Cook's brainbaby, your voice really did come through and presented genuinely intelligent themes in a charming Saturday morning guise.

So I felt a nice connection to Rain. I've been a fan of your work essentially my whole life and with Rain, I feel like I'll be able to instill the Weisman love to the next generation of my family because, quite frankly, I'm a big enough dweeb to immensely value that. I'm with Rain for the long haul and am endlessly happy I've gotten to read it. Here's hoping some more of your ideas find their way to fruition and, in the mean time, here's to Spirits of Ash and Foam and Star Wars Rebels. I am very excited for both of them.

Now to shamelessly exploit your errors for attempted personal gain.

RAIN OF THE GHOST TYPO CONTEST

For my stab at finding a typo, I'm going to point out an anomaly with your tenses. Though your italicized thoughts for the characters are all in present tense (as thoughts should be!), there's one instance where this isn't quite so.

Second full paragraph, page 171, which reads as such:

"Here!" He guided her hand. [i]All those video games were finally paying off...[/i]

My tags note the italicized portion of the paragraph, i.e. the final sentence. I was hesitant to make this my entry, since the possibility of it being a stylistic choice is always there (and I didn't recall seeing it in your proofreader notes on the site). But after leafing through and comparing it with the other italicized thoughts throughout the book, it doesn't feel consistent with them and sounds more in tone with Opie's narration than Charlie's internalized gratitude.

Therefore, my submission to the contest is the final sentence of the second full paragraph of page 171, specifically the tense created by the use of "were."

Greg responds...

Thanks! I hope - if you haven't already - that you'll consider writing a review of the book up on Amazon. I'm review light, I'm afraid.

TYPO Contest:

Well, that definitely was NOT one of the two I had in mind. But I'm going to award you with a TYPO prize none-the-less, because, ultimately, I think you're right. Should have been present tense.

So email your snail mail address to Gorebash. He'll send it to me, and I'll send you your prize! Congratulations on finding a typo I missed!! (Rats!)

Response recorded on April 02, 2014

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Rain Fan writes...

Whose voice do you imagine when writing lines for Rain, Charlie, Bastian, Opie, and Julia?

Greg responds...

Charlie is John Forsythe.

Opie is Ron Howard.

Julia is Diahann Carroll.

Rain has always been Phyllis Diller.

CTD

Response recorded on April 01, 2014

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Podcasts...

Well, I'm about to head out of town to tour colleges with my wife Beth and my son Benny...

But before I go, here are a couple of podcasts to keep you entertained...

On the first, I discuss everything from Gargoyles to Rain of the Ghosts.

http://www.funnyrobotgames.com/podcast/?name=2014-03-22_episode_2___greg_weisman.mp3

On the second, the focus is on the development and first episode of The Spectacular Spider-Man:

http://www.spidey-dude.com/?p=1326

Had fun doing both! Hope you like 'em!

I'll be back at ASK GREG on April Fools Day!


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Just a Nerd writes...

Damn it, Greg. It happened with Young Justice. It happened with Gargoyles, though I was a (very) late comer. It happened with YJ: Legacy. I told myself it wouldn't happen again. But, once again, I am obsessed with a Greg Weisman production. Rain of the Ghosts was fantastic! An amazing story, a perfect amount of humor, mysteries that made my head ache, and lovable characters. I won't say anything plot-wise, due to not wanting to spoil.

But one thing I found interesting: I found myself atributing voices to the characters, taken from YJ and Gargoyles. Rain's dialogue came out as Elisa's voice in my head. Charlie was Jaime/Blue Beetle, while Bastian became Peter Maza. Callahan changed often, jumping from Vandal Savage to Macbeth to Deathstroke, though none of those are Australian. Probabley shoulda gone Dingo. (I'm an odd, odd person.) And I don't say this to say the characters were carbon copies, or even a little similar; it's just what my brain did.

Overall, a very enjoyable read. Don't think i spoiled anything but character names. (And, by God, I love Maq and Opie already.)

Greg responds...

Thanks. That's so gratifying. (And a bit of a relief too. I've never been as nervous about the reception of something I've worked on as I am about Rain.)

If you wouldn't mind, please consider PRE-ordering the next book in the series, SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM, available here: http://www.amazon.com/Spirits-Ash-Foam-Ghosts-Novel/dp/1250029821/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379918087&sr=8-1&keywords=spirits+of+ash+and+foam+a+rain+of+the+ghosts+novel+by+greg+weisman

And please consider posting (or reposting) your review on Amazon, and marking a few of the many 5-Star reviews as "Helpful".

Anything that can help spread the word/create a buzz about Rain would be great.

As for the voices, I usually cast parts in my head. But though I hear their voices clearly, I can't name the actors so much on Rain, because the lead characters are only thirteen, and I don't know enough actors of color in that age range to help me cast. Would definitely have to hold auditions.

But Maq is W.C. Fields. Definitely. (Doesn't look like him. But that's the voice.)

Opie's kinda me for now. But I think I could do better.

Response recorded on March 21, 2014

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More reviews of RAIN OF THE GHOSTS

My new novel, RAIN OF THE GHOSTS, has been getting some great reviews. Here's just a sample:

http://www.themarysue.com/review-greg-weisman-rain-of-the-ghosts/

http://www.amazon.com/review/R3FNA9U0FM50BP/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1250029791&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=

http://www.amazon.com/review/RNFFTHA1YFLJV/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1250029791&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=

If you haven't checked out RAIN, please consider it. If you've liked my work on Young Justice, Spectacular Spider-Man, W.I.T.C.H. or Gargoyles, I can guarantee you'll like this.

If you HAVE already read the book - and especially if you liked it - please consider posting a review on Amazon, and marking a few of the many 5-Star reviews as "Helpful".

Also, we're not that far away from the second book in the series. SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM is out July 8th. And I've started work on the third book: MASQUE OF BONES.


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Coffee With Kenobi Podcast

I'm a guest on the Coffee With Kenobi Podcast. It was a fun interview, covering Star Wars Rebels, Gargoyles 20th Anniversary, Young Justice, Rain of the Ghosts and Spirits of Ash and Foam. You can find it here:

http://www.coffeewithkenobi.com/coffee-with-kenobi-presents-rebels-reactions-exclusive-interview-with-executive-producer-greg-weisman/


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Diversity

Diversity in pop culture has always been an issue that concerns me greatly. I've tried to do my share to increase diversity on series like Gargoyles, W.I.T.C.H., The Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice.

Now, that I've entered the world of publishing, my sister Robyn brought this article to my attention:

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/opinion/sunday/where-are-the-people-of-color-in-childrens-books.html?referrer=

The article asks valid questions, and - yes, to toot my own horn - I'm going to provide at least a piece of the answer with my new books, Rain of the Ghosts and Spirits of Ash and Foam. Both feature protagonists of color. Rain Cacique is Native American, as is her grandfather Sebastian Bohique. Her best friends are Charlie Dauphin, who's African American and Miranda Guerrero, who is Hispanic-American. Many - if not most - of the other characters are also of color. This reflects the Caribbean setting of the novels, i.e. the fictional Ghost Keys and the actual mythology of that region.

The books are available here:

http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Ghosts-Greg-Weisman/dp/1250029791

and here:

http://www.amazon.com/Spirits-Ash-Foam-Ghosts-Novel/dp/1250029821/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379977280&sr=8-1&keywords=spirits+of+ash+and+foam+a+rain+of+the+ghosts+novel+by+greg+weisman

I urge you to check them out, and to suggest them at schools and libraries.


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Giant Boy writes...

I've been rewatching The Spectacular Spider-Man, mostly the second season so far, and decided to rewatch "Subtext".

I really like Molten Man's character and looked him up. I also by chance happened to come across Blackie Gaxton in Betty Brant's page on the Spider-ManWiki.

It said that her brother was put in a similar situation with Blackie that ended similar to what happened between Spidey, Mark, and Liz in "Subtext".

After thinking about it, I'd have to say it was brilliant that you decided to do that story with Mark and Liz, whether or not Betty's brother would have appeared since Molten Man had his story.

Looking foward to Young Justice Legacy, Rain of Ghosts, and Star Wars Rebels.

Greg responds...

Yeah, we conflated Betty's brother with Liz's half-brother.

And by now, I assume you have YJ Legacy and Rain. What did you think?

Response recorded on March 12, 2014

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Todd Jensen writes...

I bought my copy of "Rain of the Ghosts" at the local bookstore yesterday, and just finished reading it.

Thanks for mentioning me in the Acknowledgements; it was a pleasant surprise.

* SPOILERS FOLLOW *

I enjoyed reading it. I was put off a bit by the "head-hopping" (switching from one character's point-of-view to another in the course of a chapter), until I understood that the narrator was able to tell what all the characters were thinking.

As I'd picked up from the blurb, a lot of references to Shakespeare's "The Tempest" - even more than the names mentioned in it (Prospero, Miranda, and Sebastian), with Alonso, Ariel, Sycorax, Setebos, and maybe Iris (since the Iris of Greek mythology turns up in the play during the masque Prospero conjures up). Plus a different Shakespeare reference (or at least, one to 15th century history) in Charlie Dauphin's name, and a Mark Twain allusion with Rebecca Sawyer from Hannibal. (The preview of the next book also had a J. M. Barrie allusion with the Kim children's names.) And, to top it off, another Terry Chung.

I found Rain, Charlie, 'Bastian, and those around them vividly-characterized, and the adventure, especially the last flight of the "Island Belle", exciting. (Was that part of the story, incidentally, inspired by the loss of Flight 19? The time period and location in the area of the Bermuda Triangle both reminded me of that.) And I can see why you plan it to be a nine-book series, with the other eight objects to be found. There'll obviously be more developments to come (such as finding out more about the objects, what Callaghan and Setebos are up to, Judith Vendaval, and, of course, the true nature of your narrator - apparently a dog, but a remarkable dog - and Maq), and I'll be keeping an eye out for the next book next year.

*SPOILERS END *

Congratulations on becoming a published author, Greg.

An effective story with Rain and Charlie vividly characterized.

Greg responds...

And my first ASK GREG Rain review!!

Thanks, Todd. I'm glad you liked it.

I don't think Flight 19 was a major influence, but you never know what all is crowding around in my brain!

Response recorded on February 20, 2014

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James Musgrove writes...

Caught your appearance on the nerdy show (linked from bleedingcool.com) and I'll be honest...I wasn't looking for a new book series. It was your passionate talk about how you wanted to tell Rain's story that got my attention and I just picked up my copy today. Tearing through it! Very relatable dialogue and clear narrative! Anyways, I had a few questions regarding this book:
1) Rain Cacique...how is this pronounced?
2) is Charlie's last name pronounced the French way?
3) while I definitely wouldn't expect it anytime soon because you're selling the book now, but would you give some thought to posting the script for the radio play/pilot some time in the future, after book nine comes out? :)
I don't suppose the audio of this exists and would ever be postable?
4) without SPOILING (of course), can you give any insight to elements that were changed/dropped/added in the rewrite of book one from the original manuscript?
5) all I can add right now is that I'm spreading the word and I haven't event finished it yet. That and WE NEED EXPANDED UNIVERSE RAIN OF THR GHOSTS COMICS!!! :)

Thanks so much. I'll probably be around here quite a bit!

Greg responds...

MY FIRST RAIN OF THE GHOSTS QUESTIONS!!! YAY!!!

1. Rain's family pronounces Cacique: kah-SEEK.

2. Charlie's family pronounces Dauphin: DAWF-in.

3. I don't know if anyone recorded it way back when. I might, down the road, post the script. Not anytime soon, though.

4. One major character was added. (Not to the series as a whole but to the first book.) A few minor characters were also added.

5. THANKS!!

Response recorded on February 20, 2014

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RAIN OF THE GHOSTS signings

RAIN OF THE GHOSTS signings

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Had two great signings for RAIN OF THE GHOSTS over the last few days.

On Saturday, at Gallifrey One, I coerced a roomful of Young Justice panel attendees to buy my new novel. And I sold out!

Then last night, had a reading, discussion and signing at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena. We had a full house, and again, we SOLD OUT!

I want to thank all the friends, family, fans and strangers who attended either or both and bought books and generally put a smile on my face.

But there are still books out there to buy, so...

RAIN OF THE GHOSTS is the first book in a nine-book series of adventure, intrigue, mythology and mystery with a touch of horror. Rain Cacique is a thirteen-year-old girl, who lives on the tropical island of San Próspero - one of the eight Ghost Keys - where she goes to school and works for her parents in the tourist service industry. She feels trapped. But she's soon going to discover that she has a special ability - she can talk to the dead - and a destiny to fulfill. The second book in the series, SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM, is already written and will come out on July 8th, 2014. The other seven books are in limbo, dependent - frankly - on sales of the first book.

If you've enjoyed my work on W.I.T.C.H., Gargoyles, Spectacular Spider-Man or Young Justice, I can guarantee you'll like Rain!

RAIN OF THE GHOSTS can be purchased here:

http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Ghosts-Greg-Weisman/dp/1250029791/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377806211&sr=8-1&keywords=rain+of+the+ghosts

SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM can be pre-ordered here:

http://www.amazon.com/Spirits-Ash-Foam-Ghosts-Novel/dp/1250029821/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

Thanks...


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RAIN OF THE GHOSTS Reading and Signing

RAIN OF THE GHOSTS Reading and Signing

As many of you know, I will be reading, discussing and signing my new novel, RAIN OF THE GHOSTS, at Vroman's Bookstore, tonight, Tuesday, February 18th, 2014 at 7pm.

Here's the address:

Vroman's Bookstore
695 E. Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, California
91101
United States

My wonderful wife is bringing refreshments, so if the book isn't incentive enough, come for the Sparkling Apple Cider, cheese, crackers, cookies, grapes and/or Red Vines.

Honestly, I'm more nervous about this appearance then I've ever been about pretty much any appearance ever. So there's more incentive: come and watch me sweat!

More information here:

http://www.vromansbookstore.com/greg-weisman2014


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Allison writes...

Hello, Greg! Super-excited to get my hands on Rain of the Ghosts and ready to come to you for questions but first, a question about the London Clan:

Since the clan runs the shop Into the Mystic, does that mean that they have to pay taxes on it? If so, how are they registered in the system? Do they have aliases, or do they have the human employees do all the work?

Thank you very much, and I hope Rain of the Ghosts sells a kajillion copies!

Greg responds...

They pay taxes. They're in the system. But there's some subterfuge involving tax attorneys (solicitors?) who have never met their clients in person.

And I hope you're right about RAIN!!!

Response recorded on February 07, 2014

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RAIN OF THE GHOSTS Book Signing

Hello Friends, Fans & Family,

I'm having a reading, discussion and signing of my first novel, RAIN OF THE GHOSTS, at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena on Tuesday, February 18th, 2014, starting at 7:00pm. More details are below.

I'm terrified I'll be sitting in a room by myself, so whether or not you've already purchased the book - or ever intend to - I'd still appreciate any moral support your attendance might provide. (And it would provide a lot.)

No R.S.V.P. is necessary, but I'm hoping to see at least a few of you there. (And if you wanted to buy a book, I wouldn't complain. No, really. I swear I wouldn't.) Oh, and please feel free to bring along additional victims bodies friends and family to the event - children are especially welcome - and please help spread the word, forwarding this to anyone you think might be (even vaguely) interested.

Thanks!

Greg Weisman

Greg Weisman reads, discusses & signs Rain of the Ghosts at VROMAN'S BOOKSTORE

Start: 02/18/2014 7:00 pm

Location:
695 E. Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, California
91101
United States

Growing up in the tropical paradise of the Ghost Keys, a (fictional) chain of islands near the Bermuda Triangle, should be paradise, but for twelve-year-old Rain Cacique, it feels more like a life sentence that dooms her to a future of bending over backwards for ungrateful tourists. Her beloved grandfather, 'Bastian, is the bright spot in her world, so when he passes away, Rain immediately attributes her newfound ability to see dead people to grief. Eventually, however, she discovers a hidden world of mystery and adventure. RAIN OF THE GHOSTS.


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Philip Anderson writes...

Greg, congratulations on [i]Rain of the Ghosts[/i] and [i]Spirits of Ash and Stone[/i]! I'm looking forward to reading them and hoping to see the rest of the series, too.

As a writer myself (search [i]Pirate Journey[/i] on Amazon) I know that writing the manuscript is only part of the challenge. I've found that finding a publisher can be just as hard, in different ways. So here are my questions:

1. How did you get connected with St. Martin's?

2. If you have a publishing agent/agency, how did you connect with them?

If you have time, either here or in future rambles, I'd like to read your thoughts on your publishing experience (aside from your writing experience which you've chronicled pretty well with your chapter updates). Any information or advice or encouragement for aspiring and struggling novelists would be appreciated.

Thanks, and congratulations again!
Phil Anderson

Greg responds...

1. My situation may be unusual. My editor at St. Martin's was already a friend. He and I would have breakfast at San Diego ComicCon once a year to talk geek stuff. He knew that I had written Rain and that I had stalled out on a rewrite, and he would urge me every year to finish. So when I finally did in February of 2012, I sent it to him. Personally, I'm lousy at networking usually, but there's no doubt it can pay off. And this time I got very lucky.

2. I have an agent. Their main expertise is in animation, but they handle books, as well. When I originally wrote Rain, twelve or so years ago, they sent the book out to various publishers, who all rejected it.

I'm still figuring stuff out. For example, now that the book is out, I need to teach myself how to get the word out about it. That's the main reason I'm on Twitter, but clearly that's not going to be enough. I'm learning this stuff in fits and starts myself. Feel free to ask other questions, but following my progress will probably be equally instructive. (If anything is.)

Response recorded on January 13, 2014

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Todd Jensen writes...

I noticed that in the blurb for "Rain of the Ghosts" a) there are a few names borrowed from "The Tempest" (such as the Ghost Keys also being called the Prospero Keys, and your protagonist has a friend named Miranda), and b) the story is set in the area of the Bermuda Triangle. Was this influenced by the theory that one of the inspirations for "The Tempest" was a shipwreck in the Bermudas in 1609?

Greg responds...

I don't think it'll surprise anyone to learn that "The Tempest" will play a role in the Rain series as a whole, though not so much in the first two books. Beyond that, I'm not going to spoil.

Response recorded on January 06, 2014

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Masterdramon writes...

ASK GREG LIVE! - WONDERCON 2013 REPORT

First, a little background. I'm going to quote a section from the introduction I made to to Station 8 Comment Room, waaaaaay back in July 2010:

"Given that I was three when Season 1 of 'Gargoyles' first began airing, I was obviously quite outside the target audience at that point, and if I watched any of the episodes on first airing I definitely don't remember them. Rather, my first clear memories of 'Gargoyles' were watching it during the late 90s when Toon Disney was first starting up. This produced some interesting experiences; for example, I never saw and indeed never even had a clue that 'Deadly Force' existed until Toon Disney started airing it again in 2002 or so.

At the time that I first was watching this show voraciously it was amongst a litany of dozens of other cartoons, some well-written ('Batman: The Animated Series,' 'Darkwing Duck,' etc.) and some...well, not so much (here's looking at you, 'Captain Planet'). To an eight year-old, there was little differentiation between the relative qualities of these shows, and it was not until a few years on that I really began to appreciate what a true gem 'Gargoyles' was.

I'm not entirely sure when my perspective changed, though it might have had something to do with the aforementioned first viewing of 'Deadly Force.' By this point I was a pre-teen, and old enough to understand the basics of S+P...so to see one of the protagonists shoot another one in the chest accidentally, nearly causing her to die was an absolute revelation to me. Around this time I began watching the entire series with new eyes, and what I saw astounded me.

The depth, the complexity, the characterization was unlike anything else I had ever seen on the small screen, live-action or animated. The little things that escaped me on the first, second, or even tenth viewing (yes, I watched a LOT of Toon Disney) suddenly rared to life and showed me how amazing this show was, is, and always will be. Everything from the sheer emotion that Tony Shalhoub brought to the show's single greatest cameo role to the little nuances about Lexington that made me think, 'Oh, of course!' when I learned that Greg considered him to be homosexual all became clear to me, and clearer and clearer with each viewing.

'Gargoyles' did much for me over the years. To take a particular example, when I first began really reading Shakespeare during mandatory reading times in high school, I went with 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' then 'Macbeth,' and then, after the obvious 'Hamlet,' moving to 'Othello.' It shouldn't take too many guesses to figure out what attracted me to those plays specifically.

I have many obsessions in my life, some that have faded and some that have stayed with me forever. 'Gargoyles' stayed with me forever, and by the time I was about 13 or so it overtook virtually all of my other obsessions to become forefront in my fiction-dominated mind. I began searching around the internet for various little tidbits and behind-the-scenes stuff, and was blown away when I first discovered Greg's Master Plan. That someone could have so intricately designed such a massive and complex fictional universe intrigued me to no end...particularly 'Bad Guys,' since Dingo was at the time my favorite character.

On one of my frequent revisitings of the Master Plan in 2004, I ended up clicking around some links that brought me to the FAQ...and consequently to AskGreg. If the Master Plan had blown me away, then this site caused my mind to spontaneously combust. So many hints and clues to what the future might hold for the series, should Disney allow it to somehow continue...straight from the mouth of the creator himself! In all the years since that I've been up and around the world wide web, never have I again seen such a direct, easy-to-access method of communication to the artist behind such a masterful work.

Over the years, I have read virtually every single post in the AskGreg archives, some of them several dozen times. It is one of the websites that I frequent several times a day without fail, and I have gained an uncountable amount of enrichment from reading it constantly. It was through this site that I first learned of the DVDs and comics, all of which I purchased as soon as I could possibly get my hands on them, and of the Gathering, the scope of which shocked and awed me.

One of my greatest regrets is that I was never able to attend one of these amazing events; convincing your parents to let you fly out of Hawaii to the mainland for a convention on a 90s cartoon isn't the easiest thing in the world. And although I WAS actually in town for the final one, Gathering 2009 happened to fall on the EXACT same weekend as my college orientation. If the Gathering had been just one week later, or my introduction to Pomona College just one week sooner...but I guess it's pointless to deal with hypotheticals.

In any event, my praise goes out to all of you unbelievably dedicated individuals who kept it alive for so long. If ever you are able to arrange some sort of smaller event in the future, you have my word that I will attend.

AskGreg also gave the chance to really get to know Greg Weisman (or at least, as much as this is possible without real-world contact), and he is currently one of my absolute greatest heroes in all of entertainment. I am not using hyperbole when I declare him to be the single most talented writer in animation history, and in my mind absolutely anything he touches turns to solid gold. I avidly watched 'W.I.T.C.H.,' 'The Spectacular Spider-Man,' and the various episodes he freelanced for favorite shows of mine like 'The Batman,' 'Kim Possible,' and 'Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!'...many of which turned out to be some of the best in their respective series. And I wait with bated breath (and fanboyish panting) for 'Young Justice.' Spider-Man is my favorite Marvel superhero and DC is my favorite comic book universe...so to have Greg interpret both with his usual flair for complex, multi-layered story arcs and deeply involved character development has left me positively salivating."

Now, as you can probably tell from these words, this was a moment I've been waiting on for nearly 10 years. So as you might expect, I was...anxious. Despite my personal contact with Greg over the past couple years due to my moderating duties here, as well as friends who had met him previously who assured me that he was a really nice guy in-person, I was still a little worried I'd screw this up somehow.

Thankfully, ASK GREG LIVE! turned out to be a great experience, and truly the highlight of the weekend. There was somewhere between 15-20 guests in attendance, including myself, my girlfriend, and Blaise (whom it was awesome to meet in person). Kudos to Matthew for holding up the event sign for over an hour, and to whoever it was that cosplayed as Batgirl.

We pretty much just jumped straight into an hour-and-a-half of questions, which I hope I didn't hog too many of. A few highlights from the revelations presented therein:

- Following the Season 1 finale, Vandal immediately called up Hugo Strange and told him, "Open all the doors." Which explains a lot. Now, Greg W. ALSO said that by Team Year Five, Belle Reve was fairly full again...but at least it explains why so many imprisoned villains were walking the streets again in Season 2.

- The Joker was originally considered to appear in "Auld Acquaintance," controlling the Justice League. But for a variety of reasons (mainly budgetary; they needed Klarion anyway for the "magic stuff"), they switched him out for Klarion.

- Greg also responded to my question about whether the Joker of Earth-16 knows he's in a cartoon show by saying, "I think he's crazy enough to believe that, even if he's NOT."

- Lieutenant and Sergeant Marvel were originally considered to be on the Team in Season 2. But with only 20 episodes, several intended arcs were cut or reworked to have occurred during the Time Skip: a Marvel Family arc, a Red Tornado arc, and a Zatanna arc. With nothing to do anymore, Mary and Freddy were slotted into the Time Skip.

- He hinted pretty damn strongly that we'll be hearing more about "poor, disgraced Ocean-Master." Presumably in "Legacy," which I am personally excited as all hell for.

- Clone!Roy, post-"Satisfaction," is a stay-at-home-dad. For the most part. He and Cheshire are "trying to make it work," to the degree that people like them can.

- I asked if working on YJ had made him give more thought to who the 16 Sixteens in the Illuminati are. He basically said, "not really," while adding that he's got most of the major players in the Illuminati pretty well figured out, and has for a while. Which isn't to say he doesn't leave a fair few slots open for moments of epiphany.

- Darkseid has been the Light's silent partner since Season 1. Which most of us had assumed, but it's nice to have firm confirmation.

- Victor Cook did a fly-by. No time for questions, just said hi and name-dropped "Mecha-Nation." But still...really cool.

- He described Jason Spisak's last recording with them. Jason came up afterward and said that it was rare for an actor to be able to end his role on such a great, final note, "instead of just flying off into the sunset, with no one having any idea if you survive or not." Having now seen "Dark Matter," Greg believes that may have been coded snark.

- Oh, and surprising no one with a head on their shoulders...Greg disproved the rumor that DC wanted Wally killed off because of the New 52. Though it WAS amusing to hear him call those rumors, and I quote: "Complete horse"...baloney.

- He said he's deliberately keeping mum on "Rain of the Ghosts" until he knows if his publisher is doing any advertising. If they don't, he may start teasing some plot tidbits on Ask Greg.

- He talked a bit about availability issues...about how it came to be that Wentworth, Kittie, and George were replaced toward the end of the season. Just a whole lot of REALLY bad luck regarding other projects. But he also revealed the replacement that almost was...if it wasn't for the fact that no one on Earth could do an impression that did justice to him.

That's right...they once almost lost Tim Curry.

He was shooting something or another toward the middle of the season. They simply could not get him before the episodes had to ship. So what they did...was Greg recorded the lines. Taaaaaaaaalking liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis sooooooooooo thaaaaaaaaat theeeeeeeey cooooooould AAAAAAADR iiiiiiiiiiiit aaaaaaaaafteeeeeeer theeeeeeey reeeeeetuuuuuuurned froooooooom ooooooverseeeeeeeeeeas.

Which they would NEVER do otherwise. For no one but Tim Curry. Greg had to do a bunch of takes, because Jamie kept having to stop him and shout, "SLOWER!" Needed the mouth movements SO exaggerated that no one would notice it was ADR'ed. Which I don't think anyone did.

- I think those are all the big revelations, but there was lots of real fun little stuff on Greg's writing process, the backroom thinking that went into Darkseid's cameo, and Greg's hopes for the future. As he said at one point, "I still haven't given up on Gargoyles, and that's going on 20 years at this point! Why would I give up on a series that ended THIS month?"

Beyond that, it was just an incredible experience to be in the presence of the guy - to hear him speak, to ask questions (even utterly silly ones) directly answered to our faces, to shake hands, and to be personally thanked for my years of hard work on Ask Greg...which, needless to say, was incredibly gratifying.

The atmosphere was great - casual, friendly, and with no pressure on either the askers or on Greg. We chatted, we laughed, and we got to hear Greg at his absolute "frankest." Which is to say, a little...off-color. And oh it was glorious.

At my request, we also did an impromptu signing at the end; I got my Clan-Building Volume 1 trade, my SpecSpidey Season 1 DVD, my Young Justice Volume 1 trade, a Captain Atom comic, and the essay I wrote for Contemporary Political Theory last semester (and submitted to Ask Greg afterward) signed, and pretty much geekgasmed into the floor. SOOOOO utterly wonderful.

[If you want to see pics of said signed stuff and/or other stuff I snagged at the Con, you can go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/94547312@N04/sets/72157633137324644/with/8608204054/].

We also got to chat a bit privately, which was of course very good fun. And he even indulged my stupid, silly, obsessive request...to pose with my Fluttershy toy and say, "Fluttershy is best pony." His response was golden, too.

Greg: I have no idea what that means.

Me: I didn't expect you to.

Greg: Nah, what I mean is, am I saying something that will get a thousand angry bronies coming after me?

Me: No, most bronies tend to agree that Fluttershy is best pony, anyway.

Unfortunately, my girlfriend's phone appears to have recorded only the first second of the line. But I still posted it to YouTube because the image is gold:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qVVtIsNeb4

Overall, my first in-person meeting with Greg Weisman proved to be everything I was hoping for it to be, and more. He's a massively cool guy who doesn't operate on any pretense; he is what he is, and what he is is a genius at writing/interpreting fiction.

It was truly an honor to spend that time with him, and I very much hope it won't be the last.

Greg Weisman, you rock (woo-hoo!). Don't let anybody tell you different. Because this kind of treatment of your fans makes me truly proud to be involved with helping out here.

Thank you for ASK GREG LIVE!

Thank you for all the wonderful shows you've brought us over the years.

And thank you for never giving up hope. I await "Rain of the Ghosts" with bated breath, and I can't wait to here the announcement when you get your next television gig.

Because it's coming. And I look forward to watching the hell out of that show, whenever it comes.

Greg responds...

Wow. Dude, do you really want to stoke my ego THAT MUCH?

Anyway, it was great meeting you too. You're contribution to Ask Greg has been invaluable.

I hope you're thinking about coming to ConVergence this July for the Gargoyles Reunion convention within a convention. More details on that should be forthcoming this month.

Response recorded on January 06, 2014

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Steel_Goliath writes...

Hi Mr Weisman
i was wondering do you feel any anger towards the shows you work on get canceled before you can finish all the plot lines
also what do you plan to do now that young justice is cancelled

Greg responds...

Anger isn't the right word. Frustration, certainly. Sadness. Melancholy. Resignation. It's not a happy feeling, but there's nothing and no one to be angry about.

By now, you probably know that I'm one of the Executive Producers of the new STAR WARS REBELS animated series, which premieres in 2014 and that I've written two novels: RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM.

Response recorded on December 18, 2013

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RAIN OF THE GHOSTS TYPO CONTEST

RAIN OF THE GHOSTS TYPO CONTEST

It's been a long time since we had a contest here at ASK GREG, so here we go:

There are two typos in my new novel RAIN OF THE GHOSTS that make me crazy - especially since they were both things I caught, which should have been corrected. (Most mistakes were corrected, but these two were not.)

Since there are two typos, I'm expecting two winners. So the first person to find each of these typos will receive a free signed copy of the book AND copies of the inspirational art drawn by Kuni Tomita, which we used to help sell RAIN OF THE GHOSTS to Nickelodeon back in the late 90s. (The series was indeed sold, but they ended up pulling the plug.)

[A caveat: I'm looking for two specific objective errors, which are the only two I'm aware of in the book. If you find another error that I've missed, I am theoretically willing to issue more than two prizes. But I reserve the right to decide for myself if it is an actual error as opposed to a stylistic choice or something along those lines. My decisions will be final.]

If you are searching a hard copy of the book, please indicate page number and be very specific about the error. I'm aware that some of you may be reading the book on Kindles, iPads and the like, where page numbers aren't clearly identifiable. If that's the case, indicate the chapter number and carefully count the number of paragraphs from the top of the chapter where you believe the error has occurred. If you're looking at a pirated copy of the book, please be aware that those copies contain many errors that were corrected in the final product. Those errors will not be awarded prizes, obviously.

And if you don't know where to find the book to search, try asking for it at your local bookstore. They can always order it for you. Or of course, you can order it online:http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Ghosts-Greg-Weisman/dp/1250029791/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377806211&sr=8-1&keywords=rain+of+the+ghosts

Good hunting!!


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TODAY'S THE DAY!

TODAY IS THE DAY!

Nope, this isn't a reference to Young Justice.

This is another shameless plug for RAIN OF THE GHOSTS, which was released today as a paperback and e-book.

I'm hopeful all of you have or will buy a copy. But PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, help me spread the word about the book! I'd hate for it to do badly simply because people hadn't heard about it.

It can be purchased here:

http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Ghosts-Greg-Weisman/dp/1250029791
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rain-of-the-Ghosts/23564294

Also, please think about pre-ordering the second book in the RAIN series, SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM:
http://www.amazon.com/Spirits-Ash-Foam-Ghosts-Novel/dp/1250029821/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379977280&sr=8-1&keywords=spirits+of+ash+and+foam+a+rain+of+the+ghosts+novel+by+greg+weisman
http://www.walmart.com/ip/29091756

And finally, check out:
https://twitter.com/RainoftheGhosts
http://rainoftheghosts.wikia.com/wiki/Rain_of_the_Ghosts_Wiki

Thanks,

gdw


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RAIN OF THE GHOSTS is out TOMORROW!

Some of you have already received word that your copy of my first novel, RAIN OF THE GHOSTS, has shipped. I'm even informed that the book is on the shelves of some bookstores (like Barnes and Noble) now.

For those of you who haven't pre-ordered or purchased, this is just a reminder that the book officially becomes available tomorrow, December 3rd, 2013. You can order on sites like Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Ghosts-Greg-Weisman/dp/1250029791/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377806211&sr=8-1&keywords=rain+of+the+ghosts

Or you can go into any brick and mortar bookstore and either buy it there - or if they don't have a copy - order it from them.

I hope all regular and casual readers of this website will consider purchasing either a hard copy or an e-copy. (Or more than one. They make great stocking stuffers. Plus they're arriving just in time for the end of Chanukah!) If you've liked my work on GARGOYLES, W.I.T.C.H., THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN and/or YOUNG JUSTICE, I truly believe you'll like RAIN, as well. I've done my best to stuff it with world-building, mythology, action, comedy, drama, MYSTERY and just a little bit of horror.

[SPOILER WARNING: Speaking of mystery, I've been privy to a few advanced reviews. Most are positive. Some are more lukewarm. One was scathing. (The phrase "graceless grammar" will stick with me for awhile.) But nearly every single one reveals/spoils some or all of the story's mysteries. (The scathing review seemed to have so much contempt for the book that the reviewer had no compuction about revealing EVERY mystery possible.) This is not to say you shouldn't read reviews, but I thought I should offer fair warning. The tradition of not spoiling in a review seems to have fallen by the wayside.]

In any case, my fervent hope is that you will all help me out by using every means necessary - but particularly social media like Twitter, Facebook, etc. - to SPREAD THE WORD about the book. The second book in the RAIN series, SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM, is written and will come out on May 13th, 2014. But it's a nine book series, and there's currently no commitment to publish the other seven. That will depend on sales. And sales, of course, depends on folks KNOWING ABOUT THE BOOK IN THE FIRST PLACE. So, please, please, please, help me by letting every one you know in on our little secret. Because really, I don't want it to be a secret, but it still feels mostly like it is one.

Thanks!

gdw


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FallenLegend writes...

Hello greg

You previously said that you don't like gran finales and you don't intend to really give closure to any of your shows/stories. Not even gargoyles that as you described it is your "baby" even if you don't own it.

Does that mean that we will always get cliffhanger endings from your tv show when they get canceled?

What about your new book series, will it end in a cliffhanger too?

As much as I am a fan of your stories Greg, It feels empty not to have any closure at all.

No offense but basic story telling has beginning-conflict-resolution and as fans we never get to see a resolution of the overall plot.

I mean having an ending that gives the illusion that "the story never truly ends" is great (that's not what I am critical of).

But I think that not having an ending that acknowledges that the story has to end for real life reasons(maybe becuase you simply can't write stories forever, becuase you aren't getting more episodes, becuase you have to move on etc)... is disrespectuful to your fans that expect to have a complete story.

Take JLU unlimited ending. It even ended with wonderwoman saying "...and the adventure continues" and even left two unresolved plot points, But at the same time it ended the main plots and acted as a send off/good bye to it's fans and it didn't feel empty.

Sorry for being so critical, you are a big inspiration and even if I don't agree with you always I think you are a fantastic story teller (an inspiration for me in fct) and I am planing on buying our new book.

Greg responds...

I NEVER leave a season with a cliffhanger.

I ALWAYS leave a season with open-ended closure.

I don't mean to sound disrespectful to you or any of my fans, but that's how my mind works. If you don't like it, I can't really help you, because you'd be asking me to change the way I tell stories.

But perhaps we're not so far apart. You cite the JLU ending, which I haven't seen. But you state that, in essence, it has open-ended closure, even noting it had unresolved plot points. That's EXACTLY what I do at the end of EVERY season. Not everything is going to be tied up into a neat knot, but every major plot point of that season will be, as happened at the end of Gargoyles, WITCH, Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice.

So what exactly are you looking for from me that's any different?

And thank you for buying RAIN OF THE GHOSTS. It's much appreciated! Sincerely!!

Response recorded on November 26, 2013


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