A Station Eight Fan Web Site
Ask Greg Archives
ASSURED MUSINGS 2022-01 (Jan)
Archive Index
: « First : Displaying #21 - #45 of 101 records. : 25 » : Last » :
Posts Per Page: 1 : 10 : 25 : 50 : 100 : All :
Anonymous writes...
In season one and two, the timestampshowed single digit days (from 1 to 9) just with one digit (July 4), but since season 3 they have a zero in those cases (July 04). Why?
Greg responds...
For legal reasons, we had to change fonts between season two and season three. I felt, with the new font, it looked better and made more sense for the show to use that place-holding "0" digit when appropriate.
Caleb writes...
Some Justice League membership timeline questions
1. When (in Team Years) did Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) join the Justice League?
2. When (in Team Years) did Black Lightning join the Justice League?
3. When (in Team Years) did Guy Gardner join the Justice League?
4. When (in Team Years) did Blue Devil join the Justice League?
5. When (in Team Years) did Magog join the Justice League?
Greg responds...
1. Team Year Two.
2. Team Year Two.
3. Team Year Two.
4. Team Year Seven.
5. Team Year Seven.
Emily writes...
1: Is alan scott"s ring simply a damage green lantern corp ring or is it also magical in nature too?
2: Is alan scott a gay or bi man on earth 16? Recently comics out the classic alan scoot who was in ww21 and father of obsidian and jade
3: Is Cassandra savage a original character? Or was she inspired by a preexisting character?
3b: If she is original, why name her Cassandra when there is already Cassandra cain and sandsmark present ?
4: When did the first Black Canary start operating?
5: When did Steel/John start operating as a superhero?
Greg responds...
1. The former.
2. No spoilers.
3. She's inspired by Scandal Savage.
3b. We weren't the first to go this route. We were following the Arrowverse. And besides, it just seemed to make sense. It felt like the closest thing to Scandal that was an actual name.
4. 1964.
5. Team Year Six.
Emily writes...
1: Does Kate know that bruce is her cousin and batman?
2: Did spoiler start off as in independent hero? Did she get any training from batman or another bat family member?
3: Was damian Waynethe product of a consensual sex with talia and Bruce? I've always hated the retcon it into being Talia raping Bruce.
4: Is there a reason that so many aliens look so much like humans on earth 16? I've always hated comics making aliens looks so human looking
5: When did Red tornado officially started using his John Smith body?
Greg responds...
1. No spoilers. But, yes.
2 No spoilers.
2a. No spoilers, but of course.
3. No spoilers.
4. Other than Kryptonians, who looks human? Icon? He was organically reengineered to look human. John Jones and Megan Morse? They're shapeshifters. Hawkman and Hawkwoman? Those wings aren't accessories. They are winged humanoids.
5. Sometime after Season One.
Emily writes...
1: Does Lex care for conner at all in a fatherly sense?
2: Does Conner view lex as a father? does he care for Lex in some sense?
3: Is Kate Kane a cousin or relative of Bruce in the universe?
4: Is Kate the first batwoman on earth 16 or did Kathy Kane exist too?
5: Is Kate a core member of the batfamily or is she more of a independent agent?
Greg responds...
1. I'm fine leaving that for your interpretation.
2. Ditto.
3. They are first cousins.
4. She's the first.
5. Hopefully, you've seen by now that she is part of the Bat family, which doesn't mean she can't also act independently. Those things aren't mutually exclusive.
Paul writes...
Did M'gann M'orzz/Megan Morse have a bridal shower on Earth, like Raquel Ervin did?
Greg responds...
Prior to leaving for M'arzz? No. The original plan was to have one on Earth, after she returned from Mars, before her Earth wedding.
Plans change.
Anonymous writes...
Why do issues 2 and 18 have the same title "Monkey Business"?
Greg responds...
Cuz when I wrote issue #18 I forgot that issue #2 (which I didn't write or edit) had that title. Basically, I screwed up. (And no one caught it until after it was published.)
Anonymous writes...
1 How well did Jason Todd get along with the team?
2 More specifically, how well did Jason Todd get along with nightwing?
Greg responds...
1. No spoilers.
2. No spoilers.
Marvelman writes...
Did you ever consider having Ma'alefa'ak succeed in committing genocide? If so, why did you ultimately decide against it?
Greg responds...
If you're talking about in episode 404, than no.
Zman writes...
Hi Greg, hope you're doing well. I was wondering
1. When Tara was at Happy Harbor, did she fly under the radar? Perhaps with a different name.
Cause you'd think if she used the last name Markov before Nevermore, people might've gotten more hysterical.
Greg responds...
1. People tend to fly under the radar until they don't.
1a. I don't think she used a different name at Happy Harbor High School. But I guess I'd have to confirm that with Brandon Vietti. See what he thinks.
Liam writes...
1: Is a child of a B'lahdenn still treated as a Noble if they come out white or green?
2: Are all martians born with the psychic powers and the ability to shape-shifting? Are the ones born without discriminated or treated negatively?
3: Are some A'ashenn grey or all of them white? This is inspired by your latest answer and your wish that you made the (A'ashenn all grey.
4: Did any martians travel to earth before
J'onn J'onzz? Did they inspire earth's myths of the Greys and little green men or other alien tales.
5: Did J'onn J'onzz always present as a black man? What was his decision for doing so?
5b: Does J'onn have multiple identities that he uses?
Greg responds...
1. In depends how conservative one's family is. If it's very conservative, the act of marrying a G'arrunn or an A'ashenn would disqualify you from still being considered a true B'lahdenn. An extremely liberal family wouldn't, in theory, care about caste at all. But, if we're speaking generally, then I suppose the answer is no. If you're visibly A'ashenn or G'arrunn, you're not B'lahdenn.
2. Yes.
2a. I don't know if there are any without, but you can imagine if there were what kind of reception they'd get.
3. Uh... I guess they're all white. (Or maybe it depends on the lighting or the filter on your camera.)
4. No spoilers.
5. No spoilers.
5b. I'm not saying he's NEVER used another identity, but he's fundamentally stuck with John Jones.
Liam L writes...
Can I just say that I love your decision to keep Mars a populated plant! I'm so glad we finally got to see it this season. I think the world building was incredibly interesting, so I have a few or well more than a few questions.
1: Are the other castes able to sense what a Y'ellonn former caste was? Are Y'ellonn of a higher caste respected more than a lower one?
2: Is becoming a sorcerer priest the only way to learn magic on Mars? Are the other ways legal?
3: if there's a different way to learn magic, is there a difference between the priesthood magic and the alternatives or is it mostly the same?
4: Is a red martian joining the priest hood common?
5: Do Y'ellonn permanently lose their shape-shifting ability? Or do they still still have shape-shifting but every transformation they remain yellow?
Greg responds...
1. Technically, yes. But it's considered very bad form to even try. Y'ellonsn are all equally Y'ellonn. Former-Caste no longer matters.
2. No. But that's the traditional route.
2a. Legal? As long as one's not doing anything illegal WITH the magic, I suppose it's all legal.
3. All magicks have their signature, but all magic is still fundamentally the same thing.
4. Percentage-wise, as common as the other castes, but there are fewer reds, so their are fewer taking the Y'ellonn.
5. The latter, though I imagine they have less reason or need to shapeshift.
Patrick writes...
1: Who were the founding members of the doom patrol?
2: Is Negative woman still Russian? She didn't sound Russian in Beast boy's vision
3: When did Rita and Steve get together? Was it after or before the founding of the doom patrol?
4: Did Rita's power come with any drawbacks? I always disliked that the one female member was the Normal one while the guys were "freaks".
5: Did Gar view Steve as a father before the death of the doom patrol?
Greg responds...
1. Chief. Negative Woman. Robotman. Mento.
2. Yes, she's Russian.
3. Team Year Two.
3a. After.
4. Everything has drawbacks. My ability to eat very large quantities of the foods I love has drawbacks.
5. I think I'll leave that to your interpretation.
Roy harper fan writes...
1: Roy harper has been raised on a native american/Indian reservation in multiple several of his backstories, it was really central to his character post crisis where he even got a Traditional tribal tattoo. So I was wondering if that's the case on Eartg 16? Just to clarify Roy isn't ethnically Native in the comics, he was just raised near by and then on the reservation following his dad's death before he enter Olllie's
2: Speaking of which what year did Roy become Ollie's ward/enter his care?
3: Did either Black canary have any kid of connection to the justice society like being trained by wildcat? Hopefully you can answer, I think it's not too spoiler.
4: Was there any superhero teams that debuted in between the justice society and the justice league?
5: Was there any names that Will harper thought of using when before he decides on Will?
5b: Did he go with will since it was easier and his middle name?
Greg responds...
1. No spoilers. To clarify policy here, if the answer to a question in essence requires me to tell a story, then that's a story to be told (in flashback, in this case), and I'm not going to spoil that story here, even if I have no IMMEDIATE plans to tell that story.
2. 2007.
3. No spoilers. See above for why.
4. No spoilers.
5. Not really. Going with his middle name just made sense.
Chip writes...
Since Garfield needed a Martian animal form to survive the atmosphere, how did he deal with the specifics of acquiring a Martian animal form during his first trip?
Was he stuck inside Bio-Ship until M’gann brought him a Ma’arzuu Beast or something else to observe, or some other solution? I’m just legitimately curious about the logistics of that first trip and shift,
Greg responds...
The short answer is #NoSpoilers, cuz it's part of an untold story. But I think your basically on the right track.
Yojimbo writes...
1. In the episode "First Impression", one of the screens featuring a photo of a missing local teen. What was her name? (see image labeled "9" in the link: https://twitter.com/DCAUResource/status/1455098505014362112)
2. In the episode "Nevermore", what was the name cameraman at the Markovian Royal Palace? Or was he Pete Danbury? (see the image labeled "10" in the link: https://twitter.com/DCAUResource/status/1455098505014362112)
Greg responds...
1. Don't know. Yet.
2. Pete Danbury.
Yojimbo writes...
1. In the episode "Leverage", was Olga Ilyich an original character made for the show or was she from the comics or an amalgam of characters?
2. In the episode "Leverage", what was the name of the scientist aiding the Rocket Red Brigade? (see image labeled "6" in the link: https://twitter.com/DCAUResource/status/1455097137071411203)
3. In the episode "Early Warning", are Maria and Luis Garcia new characters made up for the show or are they from the comics?
4. In the episode "Early Warning", what are the names of the seven meta-teens rescued along with Luis and Dolphin/Delphis? (see image labeled "7" in the link: https://twitter.com/DCAUResource/status/1455097137071411203)
5.In the episode "Early Warning", what is the name of the officer who was with Ramon Bracuda and Maria Garcia? (see image labeled "8" in the link: https://twitter.com/DCAUResource/status/1455097137071411203)
Greg responds...
1. She was a combination of two characters, Olga and Ilyich, from an issue of Captain Atom that I did that featured the Rocket Red Brigade back in the late 80s.
2. I don't think we named her. Again, I try to name all characters who speak, but not all characters who don't.
3. From the comics.
4. No spoilers.
5. I don't think we named him.
Yojimbo writes...
1. In the episode "Private Security", Grant Park was visited by Artemis and Halo walk through Grant Park to meet up with Zatanna. Is Grant Park located in Star City or Gotham City?
2. In the episode "Evolution", at the end of the battle between the forces of Darkseid and Genghis Khan, was that a cameo by Gravyen among Darkseid's forces?
3. In the episode "Another Freak", what are the names of the following two girl students (image labeled "3a") and the boy student (image labeled "3b") in the classroom? (see link: https://twitter.com/DCAUResource/status/1455094905068343301)
4. In the episode "True Heroes", what are the names of the three meta-teens rescued in Al-Qawiya? (image labeled "4" in the following link: https://twitter.com/DCAUResource/status/1455094905068343301)
5.In the episode "Influence", what are the names of the girl and boy in the cell (labeled "5" in the following link: https://twitter.com/DCAUResource/status/1455094905068343301) aboard The Orphanage?
Greg responds...
1. Star City.
2. Yes.
3. We have, believe it or not, not named every single non-speaking character. Sometimes, as with Henry Fyff, we only come up with a name - identifying said character with a specific DC character from the comics - if and when that character speaks. There are exceptions. Some obvious, like Grayven. Others less obvious, where we were intentionally planting a seed like Lucas Carr's first appearance in "Welcome to Happy Harbor". In any case, I don't know the names of these three students. Might figure it out some day and retroactively indicate as much. Might not.
4. We were planting seeds with two out of these three. The middle one is supposed to be Celia Windward. I think the one on the far right is Wendy Jones. Although the picture's not too clear, and my memory is faulty. It's not Tara Markov, is it? The one on screen left? See the answer to question 3.
5. No spoilers.
Masterdramon writes...
Aloha Greg! Finally caught up with the queue again, and figured I'd "celebrate" my asking my own question for the first time in a while.
First off, absolutely loving just about everything about PHANTOMS so far. The maturity of the storytelling, worldbuilding, and character exploration on display in just the first arc has been stupendous.
I particularly appreciated your acknowledgment in a recent answer of racial blindspots you and the creative team could see in hindsight with the way Mars-16's society was set up, and the genuine effort put into course-correcting here, resulting in a far more nuanced and topical take on racial prejudice and hierarchy than most contemporary shows would even dare TOUCH.
Meanwhile the animation, sound design, and voice talent remain top-notch as ever (particular props to Greg Cipes...people who have only heard him do Beast Boy in the VERY broad take from "Teen Titans Go!" have to have been thrown for a loop by his performance here). The dialogue, both dramatic and humorous, carries a sharpness that few other shows of its type can match. And that heart of mystery and black-ops intrigue, which always gave YJ its own strong, unique identity to set itself apart from other versions of the DCU, remains as strong as ever (though I totally called the king's murderer right off the bat, LOL).
All this combines to create what is shaping up to possibly be the best season of this show yet, and the reason why Thursdays are the day of the week I'll be most looking forward to for the foreseeable future. ;)
Now, to the actual question...
One element introduced in OUTSIDERS that really interested me were the Control Chips used by the Light and their associates. While they seem like garden-variety fictional mind control devices in terms of their utility and effects, their actual origin and functionality are never brought up on-screen, as they are clearly a well-known feature of the criminal underworld by Team Year Eight.
So these are a few of the questions that I've been mulling over since my last rewatch of OUTSIDERS. If any of these are considered to be spoiler requests or touch on unseen elements of PHANTOMS, feel free to skip over, but I figured I'd give it a shot!
1) Who first invented the Control Chips?
2) In "Auld Acquaintance" Vandal mentions that one of the Light's goals was cornering the market, as it were, on "every conceivable method of mind control." As he says this, we get a quick montage of examples from Season 1, including Starro-Tech, G-Gnome telepathy, the Joker's plant-controlling gloves, Queen Bee's pheromone abilities, and Psimon's psychic powers. Were any of these precursors or bases for the Control Chip tech?
3) Anything you're willing to share about how the Control Chip's level of...well, control, compares to the above-mentioned methods? For example, Starro-Tech explicitly only allows an external user remote control of the mind, without actually altering the victim's thoughts. If not neutralized by a Cure Chip, do Control Chips have this same limitation, or do they work along an entirely different vector?
4) Is there a "standard" Control Chip model used by the various meta-traffickers around the world, or is this the sort of case where once the technology exists, unsavory characters of all sorts reverse-engineered their own "flavors"?
5) How does the Control Chip imprint who the victim is supposed to be obeying? Clearly in Jace's case, for example, she had primed the chips she used on Brion and Tara so they would obey her, but is that done by a voiceprint sample, DNA, or some other method?
I'm probably overthinking this one little part of the worldbuilding, but hey, that's what this sight is for! That, and asking for the age of every character who has ever been mentioned for a single femtosecond, LOL...
Regardless, wishing you, the rest of the cast and crew, and all of your loved ones the absolute best! Cannot wait for the next chapter of PHANTOMS to enter my eyeballs.
Mahalo nui loa! :D
Greg responds...
1. They're a spin-off of Starro Tech, created, I assume, by Ultra-Humanite and his compatriots.
2. See above.
3. When activated - and they can be installed without being activated - one has to follow verbals commands, even against one's will.
4. Eh. Mostly the former, but certainly the latter may be happening, as well.
5. There are multiple options, but it does need to be prepped in advance of installation.
Thanks, Masterdramon - for your kind words here and for moderating Ask Greg. I and all the fans owe you a debt!
Isaac writes...
Hello! I was wondering if you ever watched Robert Kirkman's Invincible (2021) animated series? It's about superheroes and gave me the same vibes as Spectacular Spider-Man and Young Justice (just WAY gorier). I really enjoyed it, and one aspect of it that I absolutely loved was the longer episodes, running about forty-to-fifty minutes each. I know it's way above your pay-grade, but I was just curious, if you had the choice, would you want to extend your episodes to fifty-some minutes like Invincible? Or would you want to keep them a little over twenty minutes? Assuming of course you'd be able to still produce twenty to twenty-six episodes for each season, which Invincible didn't do at just eight episodes per the first season.
Anyways, Happy Halloween! I'm eagerly awaiting the next episode of YJ Phantoms! Artemis' arc is looking to be fantastic!
Greg responds...
I haven't seen Invincible.
In some ways, I'd love to stop worrying about episode lengths entirely. But I'd still want the same quantity of episodes (or more). And budget is definitely a factor. It's been great on the last couple of seasons of YJ that if we have (within our budget) been freed from the constraints of a maximum length. But I don't feel like we've been hugely restricted by running between 22 and 27 minutes. Don't know that we need "fifty-some".
Verdragon writes...
What was the process behind selecting the destinations for the Avalon World Tour? Specifically, how and why did you pick the locations that didn't have hard thematic parallels to the Gargoyles (Like Prague in 'Golem') or could have established characters show up there (Like Dingo in Australia in 'Walkabout)?
Greg responds...
They ALL had one or the other. Can you name one that didn't?
Anonymous writes...
Why didn’t Gar meet Em'ree on his last trip to Mars like he did M’comm?
Greg responds...
Em'ree and M'gann weren't close. Gar didn't meet most of M'gann's siblings.
Chip writes...
I was wondering, given their caste differences, how did S’yraa S’mitt and Prince J’emm meet?
Greg responds...
Wow. Martian names and ASK GREG don't go well together, do they?
In any case, as always, #NoSpoilers.
Algae writes...
So... who exactly was "J.W." from the Recruits radio play supposed to be?
Greg responds...
No spoilers.
Anonymous writes...
What was Em'ree referring to when she said "I didn't know that" on the Sacred Rivers? What did she not know? And why did she seem shocked at that?
Greg responds...
I think it's extremely clear what she's responding to in that moment, i.e. what was said immediately before she made that statement. So I'll just suggest you watch again.
: « First : Displaying #21 - #45 of 101 records. : 25 » : Last » :