Glad to see someone else posting besides the bots.

[SPOILER] Something I just thought of was that Goliath's form under the influence of the Eye strongly resembles both Odin's battle armored appearance as well as the appearance of the Norse gargoyles. We might have to ask about the character designs of the clan and whether they were in part inspired by the events of "Eye of the Storm."

morrand> I certainly commented on the stark coloring of the clan and wondered about whether it had something to do with the harsh winters. In any case, the mixture of monochromatic coloring with the more recognizable gargoyle design along with the animal heads thus only seen in the London clan make for a striking group.

One other thing, I decided to do a bit of etymological research on the newcomers of the story. Magni and Modi of course mean "mighty" and "wrath." And I also mentioned Skade means "harm" but going by her mythical comparison to Skadi there's plenty more there. The roots of Skadi trace back to Old English and Old Saxon meaning "shadow", rather appropriate for a creature of the night. [/SPOILER]

Funny you should mention your vacation, morrand, I'm also traveling. Though that's for a family get-together in Oregon.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
You're Gonna Carry That Weight
posted @ Fri, Aug 8, 2025 12:09:32 am EDT from 184.23.35.150

So: apparently the mule team finally made it through with "Demona" #2, and it's timely enough that I guess I get to talk about first impressions.
[SPOILER]
Open on Demona evidently being happy, which is a rare-enough thing (though the second or third time we've seen it this series). Especially with it being Demona, there's room enough in that first panel for a callback of, "I'm king of the world!" (I am not that silly, though.)

And off we go with ... "Viking crewmates"? Oh, that's a turnaround. Into a very congested battle, befitting one held on oar boats, and indeed Demona and Angelika are helping the Vikings. Hmm!

And into the battle drops someone new: Magni, evidently a bit of the swashbuckling sort, full of fire and banter (I see hearts), followed rapidly by more: Modi and Skade, and all snowy white. I haven't read into the spoilers here in the Room yet, but I admit to a great curiosity about the background or inspiration for that, and I feel it likely to be satisfied elsewhere in the comments.

Meanwhile, a bit of bristling against Sigurd by Demona, which is understandable.

The shield of Odin shows up here, and for the second (from our perspective) or first time (from hers), Demona's not really interested. What is interesting is...what's that around Sigurd's neck? Nah, that can't be right.

And...I am dense. I am so dense, because I see Skade brushing a hair out of Demona's eye, then some more, and Angelika's reaction, and I so totally did not pick up the meaning of that until later. First time through, I actually figured this was a bit of a rivalry. Sheesh.

Flash back to get a little backstory on how Demona and Angelika got this particular gig (and a little not-so-subtle linkage back to some of our regular characters, viz. Macbeth, and an unlikely promise that the Canmores won't be trouble again). Our new clan appears to have a somewhat-cunning plan to protect themselves from their fellow passengers, which I bet is going to come back later on (although I don't quite count on it). It is interesting that neither Demona, Angelika, nor the new clan trust their local humans: understandable, but going to as much work as they apparently have to protect themselves from their would-be allies drives home the depth of the mistrust.

The idea of gargoyles ending up underwater during the day is one I'd tossed around myself at one point, so I'm a bit unreasonably delighted to see it addressed here, albeit not in the most optimistic way. Modi's coloring is a little unusual as he's explaining this: I guess he is in shadow, somehow.

And of course Demona's in it for the slaughter. I suppose we would expect nothing less.

Lovely spread here of Demona and her new gang wreaking havoc across the world. I missed the background map the first time through: it just sort of looked like a fiery background, like the sky over Jerusalem was clouded (plus the light in here where I'm reading it is not very good).

Come October 1110, and it looks like Demona's influence on her crew is taking hold, mostly: the ferocity of this fight is striking (and the fiery background here punches it home--many compliments to Robby Bevard on the coloring). But it's also clear that what had been banter is growing between Magni and Angelika, and Demona's feelings about that, in one silent, dark panel, are plain enough.

By December, Sidon is taken and Sigurd is sort of down in the dumps, but at least his lucky charm is somewhat safe (and, gosh, does that look familiar somehow). That is one mean-looking gauntlet on Skade, too, which leads me down a bit of a side path: clearly this is something made for her and not just pilfered from one of their enemies (or at least it has been significantly altered). It does help reinforce the sense that Skade, among others, is lining up on Demona's side of things, and getting a lot more vicious (albeit still evidently loyal to Sigurd). I'd had a thought at one time about gargoyles in armor being a sign of something negative in their spirit: something like a sense they had that they could not defend themselves with their own talents, that they have to hide within a shell, if you like, to protect themselves. Thailog is the prime example, Demona in this series is another. (I don't know where that leaves Brooklyn, to be honest.) If Skade is drifting into armor, is it perhaps just another subtle signal that she's drifting from the right path? Or is that just the reality of being at war?

Demona looks back through the fourth wall to get me to focus. Sorry, Demona.

Happy new year 1111, and a pretty scene of our allies bearing down on Constantinople: two young lovers up on the bow, and I get the sense Magni's teasing Angelika here.

On shore, the gem reset, and...oh, right. So it is. And just in case anyone does not follow: yep, the Eye of Odin, given to the emperor in Constantinople. (So, I guess that we now have an official explanation for why a Norse gem would look so Egyptian. Sneaky, but totally fair.) Flipping back through, I suppose that explains Sigurd's change in attitude.

March 1111, and...geez, am I ever dense.

Here comes Magni to set up the romantic stuff again--I do like his posturing here, and it reminds me a bit of Lefty and I like him for it--and to send off Demona in tears. Aww.

And then here comes Angelika, with an expression of perhaps more loyalty than Demona deserves, but still a touching one. And so they fly off into the night and onward to the next adventure, both carrying bags of some kind containing I know not what.

The art, overall, is terrific again, I already complimented the coloring, and naturally the story is very tight. It is a very self-contained story: to be expected in an arc that's meant to cover a couple hundred years, I suppose, although I am rather sorry to think we won't be seeing Magni and company again. (I don't know that's true, and I hope we do get to see them again.)
[/SPOILER]

I'm so glad to finally be back on the ball with the comics, somewhat, a week behind at worst. I'll readily admit that I don't much like Demona (in the sense that I don't like her as a person, I mean, though as a character she's great) but this series is certainly effective at showing more of her than just the snarling villain.

And that may be more or less all I have to say for a little while as I leave for vacation Saturday night, a vacation that will involve a visit (inspired by Todd Jensen) to the Perth Museum to see their Macbeth exhibit. I'll be sure to report back if I see anything of relevant interest there, or if the Stone of Destiny happens to have a message to pass along or anything.
morrand - [morrand276 at gmail dot com]
posted @ Thu, Aug 7, 2025 10:28:00 pm EDT from 108.69.72.60

GeoGuessr Free is perfect for those who want to travel the world virtually. The game takes you to mysterious locations across the globe and asks you to figure out where you are — using just your surroundings. It's thrilling and totally free!
GeoGuessr - [piokyfara at gmail dot com]
posted @ Wed, Aug 6, 2025 11:40:29 pm EDT from 183.80.174.188

What makes Geometry Dash stand out from other platformers is its combination of electrifying visuals and audio. The neon-colored stages move in harmony with upbeat electronic music, creating a hypnotic, engaging experience. Playing Geometry Dash feels like you're dancing through danger.
Geometry dash - [piokyfara at gmail dot com]
https://geometrygame.org/
posted @ Wed, Aug 6, 2025 11:36:57 pm EDT from 183.80.174.188

I love this genre and am always looking for more stories to read. I have some free time and does anyone have any suggestions?
Survival Race - [gajeyev186 at smvvv dot com]
posted @ Wed, Aug 6, 2025 12:48:09 am EDT from 180.149.231.12

I love this genre and am always looking for more stories to read. I have some free time and does anyone have any suggestions?
Survival Race - [gajeyev186 at smvvv dot com]
posted @ Wed, Aug 6, 2025 12:44:19 am EDT from 180.149.231.12

Interesting that it was unnoticed or wasn't asked before. I recall wondering if the Blue Beetle of Bart's future was supposed to be Jaime or not since it was established in "Before the Dawn" that the Reach would most likely have to kill Jaime in order to reboot the Scarab and put it back on mode.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
You're Gonna Carry That Weight
posted @ Tue, Aug 5, 2025 3:24:44 am EDT from 184.23.35.150

https://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=26506

Nothing ground breaking, but first of several YJ questions on the post was unnoticed or not mentioned before.
Antiyonder
posted @ Mon, Aug 4, 2025 8:32:42 pm EDT from 68.119.3.1

Todd> I really like that idea. Very interesting. And certainly a case of "alls things are true, few things are accurate". Unfortunately, [SPOILER] I suspect it will be some time before we can learn more about the Norse gargoyles, Ragnarok, etc. unless something comes up when we (presumably) come back to Magni in Demona #4. [/SPOILER]
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Mon, Aug 4, 2025 11:46:06 am EDT from 204.184.178.1

Fedora Matthew and Matt - [SPOILER] I too like the iron-theory. I was actually wondering if the mace used to smash the original casing was iron, making it possible to break it. The iron casing idea also suggests, like the Phoenix Gate and the enchanted suits of armor on Avalon, a mixing of magics. [/SPOILER]
Phoenician
Gus: "I always forget you're there." Hooty: "I forget I'm here toooooo."
posted @ Mon, Aug 4, 2025 9:40:51 am EDT from 68.2.64.232

Another thought on "Demona" #2.

[SPOILER] The three new Norse gargoyles all bore the names of characters in Norse mythology - and at least two of them were jotnar/jotuns (the beings in Norse myth popularly known as "giants" or "frost giants"), or partly so. As I mentioned in my posts last week, the Skadi of Norse myth was a jotun. The Magni of Norse myth was Thor's son, but by a jotun named Jarnsaxa rather than by Sif; Modi, also a son of Thor, seems to have been his son by Sif, making the Magni and Modi of Norse mythology half-brothers, though brothers nonetheless.

And this has led me to wonder whether, in the Gargoyles Universe, the gargoyles of Norway were the originals - or part-originals - of the jotnar. One feature that makes this identification particularly appealing is that some takes on the jotnar (particularly in Roger Lancelyn Green's retelling of the Norse myths - the same Roger Lancelyn Green whose retelling of the Arthurian legends was one of Greg Weisman's major sources) depict them as turning to stone in the daytime - though handled more in a "turn to stone permanently if exposed to sunlight", like the trolls in "The Hobbit", rather than the natural back-and-forth of gargoyles; presumably this might be another case of the legends getting distorted through many retellings.

Of course, some of the stories about jotnar make them seem more like magical beings of the same sort as the Norse gods, suggesting a rival group of the Third Race rather than gargoyles, so from the perspective of the Gargoyles Universe, the jotnar found in the Norse myths might be a case of two groups of being merged by storytellers - another example of "Few things are accurate".

If the gargoyles of Norway were at least part-originals of the jotnar, of course, this gives a new and darker interpretation of gargoyles being extinct in Norway as a result of a localized Ragnarok. (Had that event happened before Sigurd Magnusson's great voyage? The original Magni and Modi were described as being among the few survivors of Ragnarok.) [/SPOILER]
Todd Jensen
posted @ Mon, Aug 4, 2025 9:15:36 am EDT from 68.99.93.213

Sorry for the double post.
[SPOILER] Eye of Odin> My initial reaction when reading was also that it was odd that Sigurd wearing it wasn't more transformative. But after more reflection, I think it actually was, it was just more subtle. The Eye transforms the wearer into a being that is "more like themself". We don't know Sigurd before donning the Eye, but we do see how different he is after losing it. With or without it he was a warrior and a king, but the Eye gave him a real fire. A charisma and a drive. Without it, he is a bit more complacent. Just going through the motions. As for the physical change, there really wasn't one, though I would note that the Archmage's physical change when wearing the Eye was fairly minor and cosmetic (mostly new clothes and a trimmed beard). So, there is no rule that wearers have to become vastly different looking.

With all of that said, I do like the idea that the original casing was iron and that was dampening the effects. [/SPOILER]
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Mon, Aug 4, 2025 9:01:38 am EDT from 69.229.197.48

Grabbing FOURTH! before heading back in to read your comments!
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Mon, Aug 4, 2025 8:28:59 am EDT from 69.229.197.48

[SPOILER] Blaise: "someone else has already made the obligatory 'Istanbul' joke"
Me: Guilty as charged.

I was thinking some more about the Eye of Odin and what others had written about how it hadn't transformed Sigurd or how whatever changes it might have made were more subtle. While reviewing the images from the last issue and the double ravens made for the casing. It's hard to tell but I'm going to guess that the casing was made of iron. Now this is just speculation on my part, but if it was made of iron perhaps in keeping with the Third Races' weakness, the iron helped...let's say weaken it's more corruptive nature. Or perhaps lessened the influential magic that seems to come with wielding or carrying it.

Of course the Eye's most consistent power was exemplifying the holder's strengths and weaknesses until they become a mockery of themselves. Sigurd's reaction, or lack there of, on the jewel's recovery does raise a few questions like how long he possessed it, what power it might've influenced him and why he didn't show the same addictive traits others had when they used it.

Of course these are all guesses on my part and I'm curious to hear other speculations. [/SPOILER]
Matthew the Fedora Guy
You're Gonna Carry That Weight
posted @ Mon, Aug 4, 2025 2:13:01 am EDT from 184.23.35.150

Demona #2 - [SPOILER] Loving this series. Honestly, I didn't wanna say it, because I didn't really wanted to be a downer and I wanted to be fair, but I was never super feeling Here in Manhattan or Quest. I liked them, but didn't love them. They felt way too packed, the pacing felt a little awkward to me, and I didn't really get a strong sense of character dynamics because the plot beats were so immense and there just wasn't room for a lot of character storytelling.

But I think this Demona series is doing a really good job with that. Even though we don't get a TON of time with them, the cast kinda popped here.

The designs of the Norse gargoyles were also just super sick honestly. Skade looks so cool, and while I'm REALLY not a fan of the more furry or animalistic type Gargoyles aesthetically, the sort of Raven-looking Gargoyle (Modi I think?) looked so cool I have to admit I really liked his design.

I kinda heard about the Eye of Odin thing before the issue, and I thought it might bother me (I think the writing can get a little self-indulgent) but it didn't. Felt really natural, there wasn't too much of a bow tied onto it. No wink to the camera. Ultimately, the only issue I have with it, is narratively it doesn't really loop into anything, it sorely exists to explain why the Eye of Odin looks kind of Egyptian in the TV show. Which... isn't really ultimately that important and I feel like the story real estate is better spent on other things, but I think it was a small enough piece of the story that it's fine.

It also seems like... I guess the Eye of Odin is inert right now for whatever reason? No one seems to be affected by it.

Demona's awkwardness over the relationship with Skade is fun. Felt pretty real. Skade doesn't mean much to Demona outside of just... general companionship probably. A way to stave off loneliness, but Demona seems to mean a lot to Skade. Who seems similarly sort of devious and ambitious.

I also love the vignette-type nature of these stories. They're not building up to anything. It's just kind of a Jason and the Argonauts-type Oddysey where every issue is bringing us somewhere new and telling a new self-contained story. I've actually sort of missed that kind of thing. TV and film is so serial and is always just building up to something bigger these days. It can end up feeling like these stories are thin and are just serving a bigger, grander, broader narrative. Rather than serving themselves.

Don't have that problem with "Demona". I feel like each issue is telling a full narrative, with a beginning, middle and an end and it's really working for me.

The next issue sounds even cooler and I'm really looking forward to it. [/SPOILER]
Alex (Aldrius)
posted @ Mon, Aug 4, 2025 1:25:05 am EDT from 65.95.86.244

****Blaise BAMFs into the Room.****
FIRST!!

GOREBASH> Thank you for the help! I'm able to get back in the Room and post like before!

PHOENICIAN> This is response to a comment from a little over a month ago, but I'm glad my attempts at humor gave you a good laugh. Thank you!

Now the latest issue:
FORTUNE FAVORS THE BRAVE...>[SPOILER] We begin the "swashbuckler" issue (as Greg has called it) with Demona in one of the rare "happy" moments. It seems her current situation agrees with her. Angelika is here, too, now a teenager (physically and mentally, anyway) and with all the energy and recklessness that can bring. They engage in some banter as they leap into battle and we learn (through the already rather iconic large-white-number-on-all-black-page timestamp) the year is now 1109. We also learn that they are fighting on the side of *Vikings*, surprisingly enough. Oh, and Angelika took advantage of the time stamp page to grab a couple of swords from somewhere.

Demona shows herself enjoying the combat (or at least enjoying knocking down humans) while we get our first look at her allies, including a King Sigurd carrying a very familiar shield...
Other folks here, who are more knowledgeable about this than me, have already talked about Sigurd and his place in history, as well as other stories around him, so I'll leave that to all of them. For me, this issue is my first real introduction to this person, so I'll be looking at the story from that perspective.

We also see another gargoyle, Magni, who's the sort to namedrop himself (kind of him), as he drops in to help Angelika keep from getting flanked (yeah, I like the "flank" banter here, and Magni's response to it).
Shortly after, Demona helps out the king when his shield gets knocked away. She is, of course, rather cool when he offers his thanks (love the "Not *my* king, Norseman"), but he doesn’t seem too upset by it.

We then meet two more new gargoyles on the next page! Modi, a more animal-headed gargoyle who is Magni's brother (in the Rookery sense of course, but their celebratory chest bump puts me in mind of frat-bros, too), and Skade, a female gargoyle with the most serious mien of the three new faces (so, the leader) and one heck of a tail. The ridges on it really put me in mind of dragons and draconic creatures (and after "Dark Ages" this really feels like another reminder of gargoyles' heritage). I had wondered if there was some significance to these names, and the Comment Room did not disappoint with furnishing that information--thanks everyone!

We learn a bit more about Sigurd, too, as Demona attempts to return his shield to him (awful nice of her). He instead gifts her the shield, saying its "Pagan iconography no longer suits [him]"--so, he's a Christian king (well, he is participating in a Crusade). But then he calls himself a hypocrite about that because he can't bear to part with his "lucky charm," a dark blue, round jewel in an ornate casing...
MY FIRST TIME READING THIS: "Say...that kind of looks like the Eye of Odin design from the Genesis video game. Cute Easter Egg!"
Oh, and it seems Skade is attracted to Demona, if her little "you have a little hair in your eyes, warrior" is anything to go by. And judging by both Demona's and Angelika's reactions, neither are fooled.

Of course, all this raises all sorts of questions:
Why is Demona working with humans, let alone Vikings?
What about these other gargoyles?
How did they all come together like this?

Well, these are all pretty much answered on the next couple of pages as we wind back the clock six months before the last scene. Skade, Magni and Modi are attempting to sell Demona on joining up with them and King Sigurd. I like Demona's line here about not liking "humans, Vikings or kings." We also learn that she and Angelika apparently worked for--sorry, *with* El Cid for five years. Now, El Cid I had heard of (one of my Spanish classes in High School), and had even seen the 1961 movie with Charlton Heston based (loosely) on his life and legend, so this was a bit of a "sit up and take notice" moment for me.

When Demona derides Sigurd (who is only nineteen!) as just a boy, Skade starts listing his accomplishments (literally, I think, as it looks like she’s using her fingers to count them off). This includes taking out the former Earls of Orkney, Canmore's stepsons introduced last issue, who were also kinsmen of Macbeth, all of which makes Demona (slightly) more favorably disposed toward the guy.
But even when Demona worked with El Cid, she never fully trusted him and his army to not shatter them in stone sleep (despite admitting he kept his promises earlier), with Angelika admitting that they "hid in the hills every night before dawn," a confession Demona apparently doesn't wish to share even with other gargoyles if her growl is anything to go by. I guess she maybe feels that makes her sound weak or scared. Either way, she points out that there's no place to hide on a ship, but it turns out Skade's clan has their own form of protection during the day: The Box. An iron structure that only the gargoyles can lock from the inside, it definitely protects them during the day, although Angelika raises the obvious question about its usefulness on a sinking ship. Magni and Modi's differing reactions (Magni's bravado at surviving that situation against Modi's realism that they'd most likely drown, but that's a common risk) help to highlight their respective personalities, as does Demona's satisfaction that they would at least be safer than the humans on board.
That's something about The Box: while Demona is mainly thinking about it protecting them from their human allies, it would also protect the gargoyles from many other dangers of sea travel, including the enemies of those allies. There's no guarantee of avoiding a sea battle during the day, and there's only so much that can be done to protect stone statues in a pitched battle. Of course, given what we know of gargoyle biology, I'm guessing these five will be eating more food than usual to make up for losing the energy they would normally get from roosting outside during the day.
Ultimately, when it comes down to "humans attacking humans" and getting to *help* them do that, Demona decides to sign up, with a very wicked grin.

The new gargoyles are definitely a highlight of this issue (as they would be in an episode of the show). Their designs are cool (with a striking white-based color scheme, as others have pointed out), and their personalities are engaging. Something that occurred to me while I was reading this issue: this new clan is only three members. Whether that's because they've left their actual, full clan for this adventure or they are all that's left of their former clan I don't know, but for some reason I find myself leaning towards the latter. They are introduced using names, too, so either they lived alongside humans a lot or they adopted names on their own.

Anyway, Demona does the arm clasp with Sigurd and we get a time-passing action montage (or the comic book equivalent), showing snapshots of the gargoyles' adventures working for Sigurd. Angelika seems to be having the time of her life riding on the dragon-headed prow of the ship, and we see her with a locket (*the* locket from "A Prize Beyond Compare...") during stone sleep in The Box (how hot is that thing when they wake up at sunset, anyway?). We follow this montage right past where we started to a battle at Sidon in October of 1110.

This fight feels to me like the most swashbuckling of all in this swashbuckler issue, with all the banter and action. All of the gargoyles we see are enjoying the thrill of battle, with Skade and Demona apparently liking the "no quarter asked, no quarter given" aspect (or at least Demona says that's just the way she likes it), and Magni and Angelika quipping back and forth ("definitely") as they take out a whole group of enemies with a mast. Of course, this is basically their flirting and ends with them side-by-side at the ship's railing. A and M's growing closeness is hard to miss, and Demona certainly doesn't.
Elsewhere, Sigurd is in the thick of battle, too, and crows about how it's "too easy." You fool! Never tempt fate! Sure enough, someone gets a lucky shot in that doesn't really hurt Sigurd directly but shatters his "lucky charm." Sigurd is so surprised and distraught by this that he only survives because Demona saves his life, while admonishing him, of course. She calls him "King" now, but I don’t know how much of that is due to any respect on her part. Sigurd can just stare at where the charm used to be.

We catch up some months later in December. Apparently, Sigurd’s army has been besieging the city, and the city has finally surrendered. And a bonus: Skade found the jewel from Sigurd’s luck charm (and is it just me, or does her smile look particularly vicious here?), and suggests having one of their prisoners, a smith from Egypt, create a new setting for it.
MY FIRST TIME READING THIS: (distracted) "Uh huh, yeah, interesting--wow, this doesn't raise Sigurd's spirits in the slightest."
Yeah, I was preoccupied with Sigurd here and how his joie di vivre seems to have completely vanished. He's no longer standing with his fighters, human and gargoyle, but sitting in his chair with a drink. He thanks Skade for finding the jewel and the rest, but it's quiet and subdued. Judging by Demona's expression in the final panel here, whatever (little) respect she may have had for him is now gone.

We get another full-page timestamp of 1111, before the next page specifies January (so 1/1111). The fleet is arriving in Constantinople (someone else has already made the obligatory "Istanbul" joke), as Skade shows off her worldly knowledge by reciting all of its many (other) aliases. But Sigurd is going to be greeted by the Byzantine Emperor, himself.
Before that, though, Skade presents Sigurd with his lucky charm's jewel in its new setting made by an Egyptian smith...
MY FIRST TIME READING THIS: "...Oooohhhh...I see what you did there, Greg. Very clever."
Of course for all I know, this may have been Frank's idea. It *feels* like something Greg would do (especially with him on record as saying he always felt the show's design looked more Egyptian than Norse), but you never know until someone says one way or the other. Either way, I love this particular wrinkle folding the video game design into the canon.
Regardless, Sigurd still doesn't brighten up, though he doesn't fail to thank Skade.

In audience with the Emperor, one that takes place at night so the gargoyles can attend (that's awfully nice of them!), Sigurd gives him the Eye of Odin (calling it that for the first time) as a "token of esteem." Another act Demona pays great attention to. Did she remember her old master, the Archmage, ranting about possessing that all those decades ago?

A few months later, in March, Sigurd has sold his ships and is preparing to ride back to Norway, though most of his men have elected to stay in Constantinople and serve the Emperor. The gargoyles seem to split similarly: Skade is returning with Sigurd, stating she "misses [her] mountains" (thank you, Todd, for the extra mythology Easter Egg there), while Magni and Modi are staying in Constantinople as members of the Emperor's Varangian Guard. And both Demona and Angelika get an invitation from their respective suitors...
Skade offers the choice for Demona to return to Norway with Skade or stay in Constantinople, but Demona would prefer that she and Angelika take a third option and continue their wandering. Besides, she says "Sigurd has lost his luck and his nerve" so she wouldn't be following him anymore, anyway. But she clearly cares for Skade as they both stroke each other's hair. Demona wishes her well, saying she will miss their..."friendship." I could make fun of Demona calling what they have "friendship" (any number of "just friends" gags), but I'll leave that for now and just say that I really feel like this is Demona intentionally distancing herself from a romantic relationship. And I just feel sad for her, because I think, maybe, she could have been happy with Skade. For a while, at least.
Up in a tower, Magni is crowing about his new position to Angelika, and mentions that she could join the guard, too, if she wanted to stay. And he really wants her to stay with him, something Angelika isn't immediately saying "no" to. Though, Demona (never one for private conversations unless they're her own) is listening in, and assumes that Angelika will stay with Magni, so she quietly glides off crying. This is another really big (for lack of a better term) humanizing moment for Demona, in a series that's full of them, and is beautifully captured here.

Demona begins packing (including the shield) and is now talking to herself (something I'm sure she's done, and will continue to do, a lot), trying to turn tears to indifference or even anger as she talks about how she didn't even want "that hatchling" around anyway...which Angelika playfully responds to. The younger gargoyle is already packed and ready to go with Demona, because while she cares for Magni (and I can't imagine leaving him was an easy choice), Demona is her clan (lovely line), and she will not lose another clan in her life. Demona is crying again, but for a different reason this time.

And we leave off with our little group going their separate ways: Skade with Sigurd, Magni and Modi guarding the walls, and Demona with Angelika gliding off into the night. One thing I can't help but notice, though, is that Demona is the only one smiling out of all of them.

A fun swashbuckler, as was promised, but with great character moments and a fun bit of lore regarding one of the series’ most important talismans. Of course, we now have bit of a mystery as to why Sigurd was able to wear the eye without physically transforming. Maybe it's because he was king of Norway, or maybe it was the change in its setting that made its "power and insight" thing become more overt. Plenty to speculate about!

And, because I don’t think I mentioned it specifically earlier, wonderful art by Frank! [/SPOILER]

An enjoyable issue!


****Blaise takes a deep breath...and then leisurely strolls out of the Room.****
Blaise
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."--The Doctor
posted @ Mon, Aug 4, 2025 12:16:18 am EDT from 45.48.46.39