Yes. I loved that part too. Honestly, I could listen to Greg talk about gargoyle culture for hours. I love when he gets into that stuff at conventions or on Voices. It's amazing.
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Sat, Apr 26, 2025 12:26:12 pm EDT from 47.233.90.133

I also really liked the part about [SPOILER] how gargoyles view the night - it was a very lovely and poetic description - as part of the "gargoyles aren't humans with wings" discussion [/SPOILER].
Todd Jensen
posted @ Sat, Apr 26, 2025 10:19:54 am EDT from 68.99.93.213

Todd> Yeah, I caught that too.
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Sat, Apr 26, 2025 10:07:01 am EDT from 47.233.90.133

The "Voices from the Eyrie" podcast on "Mark of the Panther" has just come out (it came out yesterday, but by the time I found out about it, it was too late in the evening for me to listen to), and I enjoyed it - and highly recommend it. A lot of neat elements in it. [SPOILER] It had one element that felt like a startling coincidence - and one which I'm certain was unintended - when they were talking about "Gargoyles" being planned as the start of a Disney Action Universe - and specifically described the gargoyles as being planned as being to it what the Fantastic Four were to the Marvel Universe.... [/SPOILER]
Todd Jensen
posted @ Fri, Apr 25, 2025 9:39:01 pm EDT from 68.99.93.213

So besides the fact that Gargoyles is more evolving and such compared to the usual Marvel books, of course there's Greg XB's mention about how Odin is a bigger deal in Marvel. Still is in Gargoyles, but would Alt-Marvel Odin be a Children of Oberon, as well as Thor and Loki? Heck, the radio play continuity adds to the Blackbeard bit with Vandal Savage having taken the name.

And of course with Marvel/DC merged, there's Atlantis having both Namor and Aquaman, maybe even the Atlantis movie and DTV Canon in the radio play verse.XD
Antiyonder
posted @ Fri, Apr 25, 2025 2:02:06 pm EDT from 107.77.205.50

MATTHEW - well, that one was a quote from the opening of the crossover between "Phineas and Ferb" and "Star Wars"; I'm assuming that this upcoming crossover will fall into the same category.

But, yes, I think that the fact that Disney's doing a crossover between "Gargoyles" and some of Marvel's most celebrated super-heroes is a good sign for its interest in the series.
Todd Jensen
posted @ Fri, Apr 25, 2025 9:12:29 am EDT from 68.99.93.213

Craig> On that note, I fully agree! In fact, the most exciting part about this announcement to me isn't the story or the book itself, but just what it means vis-a-vis Disney and their attention to the franchise. I have no doubts that the writing and art will be... fantastic, but the real thrill is that Disney is pulling Gargoyles slightly more into the spotlight.
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Fri, Apr 25, 2025 8:23:39 am EDT from 204.184.178.1

oh wow. that's amazing
google baseball - [RalphRobertos92 at outlook dot com]
posted @ Fri, Apr 25, 2025 3:51:22 am EDT from 222.252.51.87

Todd> So you're saying that instead of wondering about how this connects and other continuity facts, we should repeat to ourselves "It's just a comic" and we should really just relax?
Matthew the Fedora Guy
Ain't nothing crazy 'bout me but my brain!
posted @ Fri, Apr 25, 2025 2:33:49 am EDT from 135.180.3.149

I've got to agree that this is a particularly bizarre piece of "Gargoyles" news - the sort that I'd have expected to appear on the first day of this month. But it does seem to be a genuine plan.

I'll admit that, alongside the "Broadway and the Thing both wearing the hat and trenchcoat" image (and I recall Greg Weisman stating that they did have the Thing in mind when they gave Broadway that outfit), I can't help wondering what happens if they bring up Blackbeard. And I was amused to note that one of the Fantastic Four villains featuring in this crossover goes by the name of "the Gargoyle"; it seems inevitable that he'd show up.

It could be fun, but I think we're all hoping that it'll come with a label along the lines of "And none of this is canon, so just relax".
Todd Jensen
posted @ Thu, Apr 24, 2025 7:31:57 pm EDT from 68.99.93.213

One thing I will say firmly in the "positives" column, is that this seems like a real vote of confidence from Disney in Gargoyles and in Greg. For Marvel to license their characters out to another publisher--and in particular, the stars of Disney's big tentpole summer movie--is pretty big, and seems like they really want to draw attention to Gargoyles.
Craig
posted @ Thu, Apr 24, 2025 6:08:20 pm EDT from 69.118.30.106

Looking forward to reading it.

Seriously, they need to get on Beauty and the Beast with Hank McCoy included.
Antiyonder
posted @ Thu, Apr 24, 2025 5:26:59 pm EDT from 107.77.205.85

I'm of a similar mind in that I'm not sure how to feel about this crossover right now. Marvel and Gargoyles are quite different in tone and feel so this isn't something that will just click together with little work.

However, Fantastic Four is one of those comic titles and teams that doesn't really have limits when it comes to oddball storytelling. And they have a history of multidimensional traveling so if any Marvel group is going to show up, it wouldn't be out of character for it to be them. And yes, this does feel like another way to prop up the upcoming movie but that doesn't mean it can't be a fun noncanon comic.

And I have to agree, morrand, that if we don't get hat and coat Broadway and Ben it would be a waste. Though I will settle for a scene of Gnash making friends with Franklin and Valeria Richards.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
Ain't nothing crazy 'bout me but my brain!
posted @ Thu, Apr 24, 2025 5:13:05 pm EDT from 135.180.3.149

Count me tepid for the crossover as well. I'm not sure it makes sense as a canon thing. But the article refers to the Marvel Gargoyles comics, so perhaps this is a continuation of that branch of the story and not strictly the "Clan-Building" one?

The article mentions it'll be previewed at the back of Demona #0, so we'll see more about this soon, maybe.

If we do not see Broadway and Ben Grimm side-by-side in coats and hats at some point, then I will be apocalyptically shocked.
morrand - [morrand276 at gmail dot com]
posted @ Thu, Apr 24, 2025 2:34:00 pm EDT from 108.69.72.60

I'm kinda in the same boat as Matt. Gargoyles crossovers with other comic/TV properties have never been an appealing prospect to me. The world is rich enough on its own, and obviously contradicts the Marvel universe in all sorts of ways. I'm fairly surprised to see this, actually, since it seemed like Greg was generally opposed to the idea as well (I recall he once said he wouldn't want to do a Marvel crossover, but would pick The Defenders if he had to).

But of course I'll buy it, and I'm sure it will be good for what it is. If it brings eyeballs (and dollars) to the property, then fair enough, I guess.
Craig
posted @ Thu, Apr 24, 2025 12:01:38 pm EDT from 69.118.30.106

The crossover is... interesting, I guess. I will buy it to support the property, of course. I dunno. It is kinda like the old Marvel comics to me. Not canon. Just merch. I'm not super interested in this from a story angle. However, I am very interested in this as a boon for the franchise and I am happy to throw my money at it.
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Thu, Apr 24, 2025 11:52:43 am EDT from 204.184.178.1

Gargoyles first ever crossover is coming and it's with the Fantastic 4

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/fantastic-four-gargoyles-crossover-from-marvel-disney-dynamite/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky

Can't wait for this.
VickyUK
posted @ Thu, Apr 24, 2025 11:19:10 am EDT from 86.130.130.0

Sorry - it should have been "Angelika", not "Angelike".
Todd Jensen
posted @ Thu, Apr 24, 2025 9:49:52 am EDT from 68.99.93.213

I forgot to mention during my review of the Gargoyles Winter Special last evening that I'd completed the 30th anniversary "Gargoyles" review on April 23, traditionally Shakespeare's birthday - which felt apt, although the Winter Special didn't have any Shakespeare references. (I did discover one I'd previously overlooked in "Gargoyles Quest", though, when Coldstone asks Demona whether she knows how to play Puck's flute. She replies, "I know no touch of it, brother." The "I know no touch of it" comes from "Hamlet", in a scene where Hamlet, just after the "play within the play" sequence is asking Guildenstern (of "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern" fame) if he can play a recorder, and Guildenstern protests that he can't, saying "I know no touch of it, my lord."

We now have the "Demona" mini-series coming up, which I'm looking forward to. For a start, we'll be getting the story of Demona and Angelike; I'm curious about what Angelike will be like, and what kind of relationship she'll have with Demona. I can certainly foresee some drama about one particular aspect: Demona doesn't age, but Angelike will, with inevitable consequences. (Imagining how that might go reminded me of a book L. Frank Baum (of "The Wizard of Oz" fame) wrote about Santa Claus, which here depicted him as an orphaned human baby found and raised by a wood-nymph. The ruler of the forest-folk, while letting her do so, decides that this will be a one-time event only and that his people will adopt no other humans, explaining that because the forest-nymph doesn't age, but the human child whom she's raising does, he will start off looking young enough to be her son, but as he grows older, look closer to her in age - and then seem old enough to be her father or, eventually, her grandfather.)

Also, we know from the solicitations that there'll be some background medieval history worked in, which I'm eagerly anticipating - this being one of my favorite elements of "Gargoyles". The first issue will be about Canmore's death - and will, no doubt, explain how the Hunt resumed and changed its focus from rivalry over the Scottish throne to fanatical hatred of gargoyles. The second issue will feature the voyage of King Sigurd Magnusson of Norway through the Mediterranean in 1107, an actual historical event that I've been reading up on in anticipation; we know that Demona will be accompanying him on it - and I'm curious about what got her to take service under a human king, given that the events in "City of Stone" must have made her even less enthusiastic to have any dealings with humans (other than slaughtering them) again - all the more so given that this one's technically a Viking, one group of humans whom Demona would really htae thanks to the Wyvern Massacre. We also know from the solicitation that other gargoyles besides Demona and Angelike will be travelling with King Sigurd, giving us a likely glimpse of other varieties of gargoyles (I speculated here a while back that Scandinavian gargoyles might resemble the dragon-heads on Norwegian stave-churches - which would not only match the dragon-heads' functions, but also gargoyles and dragons being related).

We know from Greg Weisman in an interview that the third issue will be a horror story, though I don't have any speculations about that one. The fourth issue will feature a murder mystery - and I do have a speculation on that one (two, actually) - though I'll save that for another post. The final issue is reported to be an elegy; obviously Angelike will die in it. I'd thought at first that she'd pass on from natural causes, but I've also seen the possibility raised (from a friend in an e-mail correspondence) that a Hunter might kill Angelike (strengthening Demona's feud for them all the more - and maybe even offering a new perspective on her response in "Hunter's Moon Part Two" when Goliath tells her that the Hunters almost killed Angela).

We know that it'll cover about two hundred years, and since it starts in 1093, it'll take us to near the end of the thirteenth century, covering two centuries in the medieval period. The Pied Piper of Hamelin, as I mentioned in an earlier post, is traditionally dated to 1284, towards the end of this period - and it's tempting to imagine a glimpse of that event in the final chapter (with maybe even the loss of the children of Hamelin serving as a sort of echo to Demona's loss of Angelike). One well-known historical figure during this period whom Greg Weisman's handled elsewhere, incidentally, is Genghis Khan - though if Demona *does* meet him in this mini-series, I doubt he'll be depicted as a fellow immortal.

As I said, it'll certainly be something to look forward to.
Todd Jensen
posted @ Thu, Apr 24, 2025 9:37:09 am EDT from 68.99.93.213

Forgot about the winter special, and it is a nice little outing focusing on the one member of the Clan that doesn't get much attention. While Bronx does have many dog traits it's kind of nice that he doesn't go into the full stereotype when it comes to cats and helps reunite an owner with their pet. Not much to it, just wholesome.

I've had the theory that there will always be Three Keys to Power existing at some point and when one is lost circumstances or fate works to ensure a new trinity comes into existence not long after. After the Grimorum was destroyed the Eye soon found its way back to its master and the Phoenix Gate began its cycle of time travel not long after. With this new trinity destroyed, I can imagine another quest will soon ensure for them, perhaps in one of the proposed spinoffs.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
Ain't nothing crazy 'bout me but my brain!
posted @ Thu, Apr 24, 2025 4:12:23 am EDT from 135.180.3.149

MATTHEW AND MORRAND - Thanks for your comments on this chapter - particularly the chilling notion of one reason why Demona might want to keep the humans alive.

To answer your "what next?" question, Matthew - today I reread the Gargoyles Winter Special, the most recent (for now) "Gargoyles" story. It's a particularly charming one - as well as very different, as the one story which has no dialogue (and, thus, no "Favorite Lines" - until I wound up unexpectedly finding one after all...). This one is a Bronx-focused story, in which he gets to have an adventure on his own - well, technically, with a dog whom he's just befriended. It's all the more a contrast because this time, there's no antagonist (except for the weather), a one-time moment in "Gargoyles".

When I first read this one, I was expecting the "missing family member" mentioned in the solicitation whom Bronx would help to be the dog (who'd been glimpsed in the preview). To my surprise and delight, it turned out to be a missing cat; being a cat-lover, I was glad to see Bronx and the dog coming to the aid of the missing cat and reuniting her (and her kittens) with her human. This is the kind of story I'd read to my cat - except the format would make it difficult....

Seeing the snow fall in New York City at the start of the story brought back memories of snowfall in St. Louis; one thing I've regretted about moving to Phoenix ten years ago is no snow, so I can only experience the beauty of snowfall vicariously.

Bronx certainly winds up with a lot of adventure even before he finds out about the missing cat and goes in search of her; he climbs all the way down the Eyrie Building, and actually climbs up a lamp post (which, fortunately, doesn't seem damaged by having a gargoyle beast perched atop it) - and later, during the search itself, Belvedere Castle). He and the dog also get to push around in the snow, almost like living snow-plows, searching for the cat. (We also get a lovely aerial view of a snow-covered Central Park - which looks almost like a small sea of snow surrounded by the city. And another visit to the Alice statues that we saw in "Awakening Part Four".)

I don't know if the lady and the dog had met each other before, but it seems that they're becoming friends now - and no wonder, after he helped reunite her with her cat. (Bronx's own role will go unrecorded, of course, but he doesn't seem to mind; what matters is that he had a great adventure and helped the cat and her human out.) It's a sweet story, all in all.

FAVORITE LINES.

Stone by day, warriors by night! We were betrayed by the humans we had sworn to protect, frozen in stone by a magic spell for a thousand years. Now, here in Manhattan, the spell is broken, and we live again! We are defenders of the night. We are GARGOYLES... but today's tale does not center on we gargoyles. It is about a gargoyle beast, known as... "Bronx".
Todd Jensen
posted @ Wed, Apr 23, 2025 7:12:35 pm EDT from 68.99.93.213

To some extent, what I see is Demona focusing on saving the gargoyles that are completely outside her capacity to save. That would be the ones of Wyvern, one thousand (plus) years before the events of this episode. Yet again, she cannot let the past go, and as much as she may have convinced herself to the contrary, there's nothing that exterminating the current human population can do to protect those gargoyles from being destroyed.

Yes, she is out for vengeance too, but in some ways isn't that the same thing?

Demona in this arc is a canny enemy (not that she wasn't previously). Taking certain precautions against the "Temptation" solution shows that much (and, by the way, that exchange got a good laugh from me, as well as a bit of satisfaction that Goliath would try it), but I suspect that she is just in control of herself enough to realize that wanton slaughter of the humans under her control is not a good long-term strategy. Having billions of slaves is practically useful, and having them be humans, which Goliath and company are protecting, probably gives her a bit of an edge.

Demona's reactions to Angela's overtures (both here and previously, when Coldstone mentions her hopes for a reconciliation) are interesting. I wonder how much of that represents Demona having a flicker of regret for the path she's on, or for the consequences of that path, more precisely. (And, whether we're about to see that developed further in the upcoming series.) Not a character reversal, as even if she were interested in reforming, I don't think she'd consider herself able to change her course now. Just a sense of what her course has cost her.

Regarding the Keys: one constant we have seen in the series is that the Keys to Power must be destroyed once the story is done with them. (Well, sort of: the Phoenix Gate evidently had a bit more work to do, but it seems to have done that in the course of its own destruction.) Whatever else may be responsible for that, it seems like that's the best course from a story-telling standpoint. Having too many of those sort of things hanging around in-universe might make things a little too easy for the characters (or, frankly, the author), and, hey, destroying them makes space for three new Keys.

Which, interestingly, are likely to show up quickly. In-universe, the last of our original Keys was only destroyed within the past few months: looking back at the end of "Clan-Building," within about 3-4 months. That seems awfully fast for three new Keys to acquire their powers, especially given that each of them has some antiquity backing it. It seems to me that there's a bit of time-bending going on here: that the power of the Keys is such as to attach backward in time to the new Keys, and only revealing itself once the existing Keys are destroyed. Or, if you like, the power of a destroyed Key snaps backward in time to attach itself to some other thing, but in such a way that it is latent until it is time.

It'll be interesting to see if Egwardo becomes a motivator in the next series. It's certainly a direct jab at the clan that Demona's stolen the one thing they value most; that can't just be a side effect.

Coldstone is a bit hard to read in all this. I think the term I'd used previously is "gargoyle-supremacist," and I still think there is an element of that in him. I'm not sure I read him as being mortally opposed to humanity, nor necessarily out for revenge for what was done to him (not that revenge is completely out of his mind), but that he is interested mainly in restoring what he sees as the right balance: the gargoyles, being superior creatures, may protect the humans as an act of grace, but the humans are in no place to demand anything of them. (Lefty had a bit of this going as well in "Dark Ages," albeit much less intensely.) If there's going to be any reconciliation for Coldstone, I'd suspect it is going to come out of the difference between this and Demona's approach.

Goliath's reaction to Coldfire's insistence on Coldstone's exile is a little odd, to my ear. "I suppose he does [need to be thrown out]," is a bit soft, and I'm not sure if that reflects his reluctance to eject his brother, or whether it reflects his surprise at Coldfire's vigorous insistence that he be exiled. It's fair to expect that Coldfire knows Coldstone's mind, and perhaps this is a good sign that he'll come around sooner than later--that the exile will drive him to reform himself rather than dividing him permanently from the clan. (Or perhaps it'll be a tragic end after all.)

I'll agree with Matt's point about the effect of Demona's acts on relations: no doubt it provides good ammunition for Castaway and his fellow travelers, and for the few humans who do remember anything more about the events, many of them are going to remember that fight at LaGuardia and having gotten away with their lives. I don't think it's fair to say the whole of Manhattan (or the wider world) will turn on the clan, but it's not going to make the next few years easy.
morrand - [morrand276 at gmail dot com]
posted @ Wed, Apr 23, 2025 3:43:19 pm EDT from 108.69.72.60

If I had a nickel for every time Marina Sirtis played a villain with a heavy emphasis on mind control, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.

And so concludes "Gargoyles Quest" and what a conclusion.

I remember drawing comparisons between this and the first season finale of Young Justice, when the League fell under the thrall of Vandal Savage and only our heroes were left to free them. A big difference is that the Team used to stealth, hit-and-run tactics and coordination to free the much more dangerous or powerful heroes one-by-one. Here though the Clan can take down any human without too much trouble but the danger lies in having to fight off every human they encounter without harming them too much. Both scenarios are really breakneck in terms of urgency, the former because their mentors are hunting them down and they need to cure them before there's no chance to stop them. And here the longer they delay the better chance Demona has to escape and extend her power to other parts of the world.

While there is a pragmatic reason given for why Demona doesn't kill the humans under her control, I think there's an underlying level of sadism as well. If she killed them while they were under her thrall or ordered them to kill themselves that would be the end of it. But to keep them under her control for the rest of their lives? She'd get to kill them (figuratively speaking) everyday.

Speaking of sadism, there's the last minute twist at the end with the reveal that an enthralled Elisa was used to steal Egwardo away. Again, this harkens back to the finale of Young Justice and Greg's use the Xanatos Gambit. While having the League and any other hero under Vandal's control was the big point of that period of time, the long term plan was to use the enthralled heroes to attack an alien world and thus bring Earth to the attention of the galaxy at large. That goal succeeded though it took five years before the fruits of that plan paid off. Here the secondary plan of stealing the egg feels more like a direct jab of cruelty, something to twist the knife against the Clan for their continuous interference in her plans.

While it would've been nice to see Castaway under Demona's control I think that's being saved for another time and plot point. Once word gets out that Demona was responsible for mind controlling all of Manhattan there's going to be a lot of backlash. And if the scared and angry can't direct their blame at the one responsible, they'll do it to whoever is closest. In one night Demona might've set back a lot of the progress in human/gargoyle relationships. To say nothing of what the Clan will do once they find out Coldstone and Antoinette are willing helpers in Demona's schemes.

But with that wrapped up I have to ask, what comes next, Todd?
Matthew the Fedora Guy
Ain't nothing crazy 'bout me but my brain!
posted @ Wed, Apr 23, 2025 2:00:14 pm EDT from 135.180.3.149

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand the mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.


I reread Chapter Five of "Gargoyles Quest" today, "Queen of All She Surveys", which concludes this arc.

One of the elements that most strikes me is that Demona has seized full control over the humans of Manhattan - and lets them live (if as slaves to herself) rather than slaughtering them. Based on her actions throughout the series (particularly in her past attempts to strike out at humanity - "The Mirror", "City of Stone", and "Hunter's Moon") and on what we saw of her motives, it struck me that what Demona wanted was to wipe out the humans utterly - and that while she claimed it was for the safety of her people, her real motives seemed to be revenge, mixed in with a need for a target to blame all the misery and suffering in her life on, other than herself. (Indeed, Demona's actions in the early part of the series, before "Avalon", would have seemed barely about "protecting gargoylekind from human aggression", no matter how much she claimed it was. Back then, as far as the audience knew, the only gargoyles left were herself and the Manhattan clan; a species with such few numbers - and especially with the male members estranged from the one female member - is doomed to extinction even if its natural enemies were to disappear. Add onto that that Demona was ready, many times, to wipe out the Manhattan clan, and it made her claims to be seeking the safety of her species even more unlikely. Of course, Demona might have known about the existence of other clans back then, but she made no mention of it, and so the audience, judging her actions by what they knew at that point, would conclude that wiping out the human race out of revenge and hatred was her real goal, and that the "for the sake of gargoyles' survival" claim was just a pretext, a piece of self-justification that no observant onlooker would accept.)

I suspect that a major reason for Demona, this time, sparing the humans was out of plot-necessity. If Demona *had* ordered them to commit mass suicide (and the manner in which she mused about doing it - marching into the sea - felt appropriate, in light of one of the new Three Keys to Power being the Pied Piper's flute), I think it extremely unlikely that Goliath and his clan would have been able to save the lives of more than a handful of humans, thanks to Manhattan's population vastly outnumbering that of the gargoyles (I don't know just how many humans were living in Manhattan in 1997, but it's safe to say it'd be over a million); the result would be Manhattan becoming vastly depopulated, almost a ghost town, which would make the Gargoyles Universe too openly different from the real world. (The radio play that crossed over with "The Spectacular Spider-Man", which paralleled this story in so many ways - something that should be analyzed in another post - had Demona stopped before she could bring more than a handful of humans under her spell rather than the entire population.)

From an in-story perspective, I can think of one reason why Demona would be "merciful" to the humans under her thrall, a compromise designed to try to win over the Manhattan clan (which doesn't succeed, of course - except for Coldstone, who was already supporting her plans). Demona obviously doesn't want to be alone, and maybe she was desperate enough to make some sort of peace with the other gargoyles (particularly Angela), that she'd be ready to - for the moment - spare the humans (while probably hoping to decree their death sentences later). (She also brings up one practical argument against wiping them out - all those dead bodies - which I've seen posited as a flaw in her "Hunter's Moon" scheme - though it feels more like an excuse.)

As has been noted here before, Demona takes care to this time counter the strategy used in "Temptation"; she must have figured out how Goliath was released from her spell.

When Angela confronts Demona, asking her what she's done, Demona pauses for a moment, looking surprised, even uncertain, before explaining - suggesting that Demona's feelings about her daughter are one of her vulnerable spots, vulnerable enough to produce such a pause.

Coldstone supports Demona's plan even before his helping her is revealed, arguing that it would ensure gargoyle safety and survival; of course, Goliath won't accept it. (And he brings it up again after exposed.) Whatever Demona's real motives might be under her tangled confusion, I suspect that Coldstone really is concerned about the safety of gargoylekind - especially in light of his unease about Goliath's victory at the end of "Here in Manhattan" being just a case of the humans deciding that gargoyles might be useful to them, so keep them alive - but under human rule.

Another touch I hadn't thought of but liked when I saw it; Demona is convinced that humans invented aircraft and its related technologies in order to "steal even the skies" from her kind. Trust her to take that approach.

Demona eagerly quotes from "Ozymandias" (see above) - without, I suspect, giving too much thought to the full story in that poem. First off, Ozymandias's rule clearly was not eternal; the poem vividly shows the barely-surviving ruins of his kingdom. For that matter, the fact that the one remaining memorial of his rule was a shattered statue doesn't seem too auspicious from a gargoyle standpoint (of course, Demona hasn't been turning to stone and thereby potentially facing a fate for some time - but such a fate for gargoyles must be still lingering in her nightmares, after the effect that the Wyvern Massacre had on her). (There might be a piece of poetic justice in someone misinterpreting a poem by Shelley that way - but that's something for another time.)

And we get the great moment where Goliath confronts Demona and points out to her one of the great ironies of the series - that she, the gargoyle who hates humans with a passion, is the one who regularly turns into one in the daytime. That was one of my favorite moments in the crossover radio play that preceded this story, and I'm glad it made it into "Gargoyles Quest". (And "Gargoyles Quest" improved on it by following it up with Goliath reminding Demona of the Wyvern Massacre and her part in it - another of her vulnerabilities.)

The gargoyles destroy the new Three Keys to Power. I remember having had the thought (and even sharing it here) before this issue came out, that an alternate way of dealing with them would have been - once the clan had wrested them from Demona - to send them to Avalon (Jade and Turquesa delivering them, of course), since at least two of them had originated with members of the Third Race, and Cleopatra's Necklace, as a gift from Hathor, was most likely the work of the Third Race as well (if Anubis was one of Oberon's Children, we can assume that the other gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt were also) - thus placing them outside Demona's reach and ensuring no new successor Keys to Power. Of course, instead the gargoyles break them, ensuring (as Coldfire points out) that another set of Keys to Power will appear; I suspect it's easier to come up with the plan above if you're quietly reading the story at home rather than being in the middle of the adventure.

Coldstone is exposed as a traitor and banished - still insisting that Demona's plan was the right path - and since he joins her after being exiled, it's unlikely that he's recognized that the two of them were in the wrong. Certainly a sign of likely trouble ahead - but the bigger one is the loss of Egwardo to Demona (and the fact that she used Elisa to carry it out will only make matters worse; I'd almost imagine Demona trying to use it to convince Goliath that it shows how untrustworthy humans are, except that it was abundantly clear that it was because of Demona's spell that Elisa did it). This might be one of the biggest blows to the clan yet - losing their only egg (whose hatching they had so looked forward to) to Demona.

(One small thing I find a pity; most likely thanks to lack of room, we didn't see Castaway - in prison at this point, obviously - under Demona's spell. The sight of him being a "willing" slave to gargoyles would have made an interesting picture. Though an even more intriguing alternative would have been Castaway being the one human in Manhattan not to fall under Demona's spell, with his hatred for gargoyles being so intense that not even the new Three Keys to Power could overwhelm him - a case of even the mightiest magics having limitations.)

FAVORITE LINES.

GNASH: this must be bad. No one's telling me to stay home with Bronx and Fu-Dog.


DEMONA: You humans so longed to steal even the skies from we gargoyles that you built these edifices to flight. Well, now, look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!

AIRPORT PERSONNEL (in unison): How may we please you, Gargoyle-Magistra?

DEMONA: Oh, that's right. You can't despair. Pleasing me makes you too, too happy.


DEMONA: Would you grapple until the sun rises, Goliath? Until you turn to stone?

GOLIATH: Should you not fear that more than I? For I am not the only one who "reeks of humanity" - am I... Dominique?


ANGELA: Mother, as long as you walk the path of evil, I will stand against you! But I swear I would still embrace you gladly, should you seek a better course.


DEMONA: Goliath, don't be a fool! Would you really save humanity so it might one day destroy us?

GOLIATH: If the humans ever do destroy us - you will be the likely cause! Witness Wyvern.

DEMONA (tears forming in her eyes): No... Noooo!!!!
Todd Jensen
posted @ Tue, Apr 22, 2025 8:39:31 pm EDT from 68.99.93.213

And that makes me fourth.

I've mentioned before that unlike so many other shows, animated or otherwise, Greg uses holidays for more than just holiday-themed episodes but to really show the passage of time. Interestingly, Spectacular Spider-Man's two seasons have been the only one of Greg's works to not skip any of the "big" holidays such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Valentine's Day. Halloween of course is big for the Clan and given that they're technically speaking European immigrants, there's never been a big cultural reason to celebrate Thanksgiving. While it's never directly referenced, given that Martians in Young Justice are big fans of Earth television, I'd say it's fair to say they learned about holidays through them.

The relationship between Goliath and Coldfire is a fascinating one considering the backstory when they trio of Othello, Desdemona and Iago with Goliath playing the role of Cassio of sorts. Bits like what was shown here really demonstrate a brother/sister relationship between the two and one I'd like to see explored more in the future. As well as Coldfire's spiritual side as she continues to adapt to her metal form.

In the event that we get more questions answered by Greg, I'd love to get a list of the "score" of books Hudson has read. I can imagine some of them were pretty basic and uncomplicated considering he spent most of his life illiterate. Actually, now I can just imagine Ed Asner reading "Go, Dog. Go!" aloud and grumbling about the ridiculous plot.

But the big reveal comes at the end with Manhattan supplicating themselves to their new gargoyle masters and Elisa bowing to one of her most dangerous enemies. When the issue came out I remember how much it evoked the penultimate episode of Young Justice's first season with the whole of the Justice League falling under mind control and bowing down to Vandal Savage.
Matthew the Fedora Guy
Ain't nothing crazy 'bout me but my brain!
posted @ Tue, Apr 22, 2025 2:55:18 am EDT from 135.180.3.149

Third.

Reread Chapter Four of "Gargoyles Quest", "Unequivocal Success".

In this chapter, Demona at last assembles the new Three Keys to Power, and uses it to magically enslave the human population of Manhattan. I'll have more to say about this when I get to Chapter Five, but it's clear that it's (for the moment) a victory, with everyone (including Xanatos, Fox, Owen, and Elisa) under her control, to the gargoyles' alarm.

This chapter also sees the first real-world holiday other than Halloween to appear in "Gargoyles", namely Thanksgiving. This strikes me as one major difference between "Gargoyles" and Greg Weisman's other two animated series, "The Spectacular Spider-Man" and "Young Justice"; both featured the regular holidays and familiar landmarks of the year. While I've generally preferred "Gargoyles" to "The Spectacular Spider-Man" and "Young Justice" (based on the fact that I grew up on medieval legends and history, with DC and Marvel super-heroes being something I was aware of in a "pop-culture osmosis" sort of way, but didn't give attention to), that is one feature I did like about them. (I can see, of course, why non-Halloween holidays got so little attention in "Gargoyles"; Halloween was the only human holiday that the gargoyles would have paid much attention to. "The Spectacular Spider-Man" and "Young Justice" were far more "human-centric" series - "Young Justice" did get one or two major alien characters like Miss Martian, but they were shown as eager to explore Earth holidays.) Perhaps the one drawback of Thanksgiving featured in this chapter is that it might have been the reason for the release of it being delayed until November.

One of my favorite moments is the scene between Goliath and Coldfire, where Goliath encourages Coldfire to redevelop her "sensitivity" that we saw her learning in "Dark Ages: Alliance". The scene reminded me of the glimpses of Goliath trying to help a troubled "Desdemona" in "Legion"; here, again, he's offering support to a rookery sister, the two displaying close friendship without even a suggestion that there may be anything romantic in it (and it being truly clear who their loves are). I also liked the touch of Goliath's concern over Coldfire's fear that Coldstone is growing more distant from her, recalling the similar distancing between himself and his "angel of the night" (all the more apt given the reason for Coldstone's distancing himself).

Goliath and Elisa get another brief romantic moment at the clock tower, with another "old times' sake" feel to it.

Jeffrey Robbins visits the castle for Thanksgiving dinner, leading to a nice scene between him and Hudson. I wondered, when Hudson mentioned having read "a score" of books already - i.e., twenty - which particular books they might have been. (We know that Robbins is a novelist; I doubt that his novel on Merlin has been published yet, just two years after he was inspired by the events in "A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time" to write it, but there are the books he has already published. We know that one is about the legendary Sumerian hero-king Gilgamesh; I wonder if Hudson might have already read that. For that matter, I've wondered whether any of the Manhattan clan - not just Hudson - might have read any classic books on Scotland besides the obvious case of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" - say, Robert Burns' poetry, or Sir Walter Scott's historical novels set in Scotland. I've wondered this all the more since I've been recently rereading Robert Louis Stevenson's "Kidnapped", set in Scotland a few years after Bonnie Prince Charlie's failed rebellion, and dealing with its consequences for Scotland.)

And one detail particularly stands out to me: the creepy smile on Coldstone's face when he and Coldfire and looking at all the New Yorkers kneeling before them. If I'd seen that expression on him before the events in "Possession", I'd be worrying that "Iago" was the one controlling his body. Which would have probably been less disturbing....

FAVORITE LINES.

DEMONA: Now, we may harvest the fruits of our labors... now, we may harvest the entire human race!


COLDSTONE: The coast is clear.

DEMONA: Oh, I hope not... After all, where's the fun in that?
Todd Jensen
posted @ Mon, Apr 21, 2025 8:19:52 pm EDT from 68.99.93.213

Second. (The bots must be hammering the Comment Room this morning. It seems sluggish.)

I'm excited and hopeful and looking forward to Demona #0. Also willing to help get a copy for anyone who hasn't got a participating shop near them.
morrand - [morrand276 at gmail dot com]
posted @ Mon, Apr 21, 2025 10:15:09 am EDT from 108.69.72.60

First!

A mere 12 days to go until Demona #0!
Matt
"My daughter?! How dare you mock me! I have no daughter." - Demona, 1996
posted @ Mon, Apr 21, 2025 8:32:23 am EDT from 47.233.90.133