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PHOENICIAN - Thanks for tracking down that particular "Ask Greg" question and answer, by the way.
Todd Jensen

Well, I voted with my dollars today and bought both hardcover and paperback versions of the trade. Really glad to have Gargoyles back.
Logan

One other thought. Has anyone else here, after reading [SPOILER] the final page of #12, gone back to reread #7 inn light of what we've now learned about Demona, to see if parts of it take on new significance from this knowledge? [/SPOILER]
Todd Jensen

Todd & Kate: The question in, well, question: https://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=152

It ain't called canon-in-training for nothing. But to be fair, any timeline-related question answered before 2001 is subject to additional interpretation and context, given that Greg Weisman wrote about overhauling the entire timeline in 2000-2001, which you can read here: https://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=4525

Further, 'forseeable future' is plenty vague already -- Elisa's secrets being kept through the second-half of Goliath's hearing in "New Rules" would qualify. Could have also qualified if she kept mum through 2000 in-universe. You get the idea.

Phoenician
Gus: "I always forget you're there." Hooty: "I forget I'm here toooooo."

Todd> I'm actually a little bit happy to hear this. As a new fan I've generally tried to avoid reading a lot of Ask Greg in fear of spoiling myself. Despite that, I've still seen a lot of bits and pieces from it come up in one way or another. It's nice to know that perhaps he'll change his mind on some things, I don't like knowing the future!

Phoenician> There's trades going out for the new series now? Neat. I did pick up the Halloween special as a physical release, but was waiting on trades to get the rest that way.

Kate

For fans of the namesakes for Hyppolyta and Antiope:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/mar/24/truth-behind-the-myths-amazon-warrior-women-of-greek-legend-may-really-have-existed

Ed: [SPOILER] Fun idea regarding Brooklyn and the Dracons. Not much more to add, other than TimeDancer remains a top contender for a future spin-off. But, to be fair, I'll be smitten with any new canon. [/SPOILER]

Looking forward to getting my hardcopy of the Here in Manhattan, Volume One trade paperback this week -- hopefully today when I find time to visit my comic shop :--)

Phoenician
Gus: "I always forget you're there." Hooty: "I forget I'm here toooooo."

A thought I recently had. I'm still looking for this reply in "Ask Greg", but someone once brought up how, at the end of "Angels in the Night", Elisa's openly standing next to the gargoyles and asked whether, in Greg Weisman's own vision for "Gargoyles", Elisa's relationship with the clan would become public knowledge. Greg replied that he saw her connections to the gargoyles staying secret for a long time.

Which goes to show that "Ask Greg" revelations are subject to change....

Todd Jensen

Blah. Last post was me. Sorry.
Craig

Nate Cosby tweeted one day a few months ago that he to write nine solicits before lunch...not necessarily for Gargoyles, but it seems that that falls within the parameters of his job on at least some of his titles. In another tweet from last February, he said, "The key to great solicit text is letting everyone know that in this issue, everything changes, and it's an all-new direction, and nothing will ever be the same. Y'know, like last issue. And the issue after."
Anonymous

Honestly, I love that the solicits are unreliable. Early on, I was getting frustrated that the solicitations were hard to avoid and yet seemed to give away a lot of plot content. I'd prefer they just go to being much more about sizzle than steak but having them be wildly unreliable is one solution!

When I have time, I really need to revisit Green. Interesting thoughts, Craig and Todd.

GARGOYLES #12: [SPOILER] Quick thoughts on Dino’s death…

I do think we’ll see him again given enough issues - Greg wouldn’t waste a great character. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s alive though.

Two thoughts — both big reaches but… hey… fun.

1. I think there's a chance Dino has been aware of Brooklyn previously because of a timedance set in the mid-20th century. His choice of the Brooklyn mask was never explained - for someone who wants to be "top dog", Goliath would be the obvious choice. In #4, Glasses talks about the gargoyles being painted blue because they're so close to the police and Dino responds "that's new". The superficial reading here was that the involvement of gargoyles was new but it's also plausible that he means that gargoyles being on the side of the force is new. Later in #4, his line "so you're the gargoyles" suggests that he hasn't met them himself but he might certainly be aware of them. I mean, Dominic Dracon would have been around Tony’s age during prohibition so a rise of the Dracons story seems like it’s begging to be told somehow or other.

2. Note how in #4, Dino’s scene with Dominic sets up the enmity with Anthony that leads to his downfall. But the previous scene discussing Dino in #3 also has a comparison to “The Shining”. Almost certainly just creative imagery… but… if anyone were to return as a vengeful spirit… and if you were going to foreshadow a ghostly turn…

Now all that said, I think the likeliest explanation is that he’s cheated death another way - either through his own design or through the intercession of a third party such as Demona or Thailog. Demona, the Archmage, Coldstone and many others appeared with various degrees of certainty to be dead after their first appearances and while this looks more on the Archmage end of the certainty spectrum, he also engineered his own last stand and is a showman so some kind of sleight of hand can’t be ruled out. [/SPOILER]

Ed

I think that it might be a good idea to take the solicitations with a grain of salt and not be disappointed in an issue's content due to them not matching up. We're not sure who is writing the solicitations, but I don't believe that Greg Weisman is because... well, he knows Maggie the Cat isn't a gargoyle and I strongly believe whoever wrote that solicitation for the first issue likely mistook Maggie for one.

[SPOILER] I can't believe that Greg Weisman would have the Commitment Ceremony take place off screen. Given enough time and issues, I think we're going to get it. [/SPOILER]

Greg Bishansky

Sorry, that was me. I'd forgotten that the library computer I was posting on didn't have my name and the rest saved.
Todd Jensen

Sorry for the double-post, but I've now read #12. I'm coming late to the conversation, but a few things that stood out to me.

[SPOILER] 1. I was a bit disappointed that we didn't actually get to see Broadway and Angela's commitment ceremony, after the build-up - presumably that's being saved for a later story.

2. The resolution of the gang war felt a bit rushed in an "only one issue left way", but with some effective moments - including Dino Dracon revealing that he was the guy who killed his brother, and his (apparent) demise.

3. The really big surprise - Antoinette was secretly working with Demona, and so is Coldstone (tying in with his distrust of the humans). I definitely hadn't seen that one coming - and wonder if we'll see some of the ramifications there in "Gargoyle Quest", given that Demona will be playing a major role in it.

4. And Goliath is now openly working with the NYPD - and in the Gargoyle Task Force, at that, giving new significance to its name. (I was amused to note that his badge number ended with the digits "94" - an allusion to the year the series began?) With Coldstone troubled by it, seeing it as the clan surrendering their autonomy to the humans - more as subordinates than as equals. That should be something worth exploring in later issues.

More later. [/SPOILER]

Anonymous

CRAIG - The notion of Nimue and the Lady of the Lake as separate characters makes sense, in light of Nimue being depicted in a lot of versions of the story as learning magic from Merlin after the Lady of the Lake gives Excalibur to King Arthur. (And a few versions, including Malory and Green, have Sir Balin kill that Lady of the Lake before Nimue's introduction.)

[SPOILER] The possible blending of Gungnir with the spear in the Grail romances reminds me of an Arthurian story I've been working on for a while - currently on hold, though I hope to return to it someday - that also merged the two. [/SPOILER]

Todd Jensen

Todd > And another point of departure from Green is that Greg evidently intends for Nimue and the Lady of the Lake to be separate characters, whereas in Green they appear to be the same person.

Spoilers for Gargoyles: Quest #3 solicitation:
[SPOILER]
And as we have previously discussed, Gungnir being called the "Lance of Fate" ties it into the spear of Longinus potentially, also an item with strong ties to Carbonek and the Grail in Arthurian myth and in Green...although the comics may not directly acknowledge this given the religious nature. Also, we know from the solicitation that Wyvern possesses the spear in the present-day, so that makes potentially two Arthurian relics he's gotten his claws on, leading one to really wonder about his history...
[/SPOILER]

Craig

CRAIG - Thanks for your comments on Roger Lancelyn Green's retelling of the Arthurian legend (which I'm still recommending to everyone here, by the way).

[SPOILER] I noticed that the Illuminati's treasure in Falstaff's keeping in "Bad Guys" included a knight's shield with a swan on it, that tied in with Loherangrin being known as the Swan Knight. I wondered if that was deliberate, but when I cautiously asked Greg Weisman about it, he said that the details of the treasure (including the shield) were the artist's rather than his own, so it might be a coincidence. Of course, one crucial difference between Green's work and "Gargoyles" - alongside Percival/Peredur and Blanchefleur being still alive in the present in "Gargoyles" - is that the Grail is also still on Earth in "Gargoyles", while in Green's version, it was taken up to Heaven forever at the end of the Grail Quest. [/SPOILER]

While on the topic of legendary elements in "Gargoyles", I noticed in the teasers for "Gargoyle Quest" that [SPOILER] one of the new Three Keys to Power is something called "Gugnir", which suggests Gungnir, Odin's spear in Norse mythology (and "Gugnir" might be just a typo). One of the original Three Keys to Power, of course, was the Eye of Odin, which turned out to be literally that. So one of both the original Three Keys to Power and their replacements are linked to Odin, which raises the question of whether the other two new Keys may have similar connections or parallels to the Grimorum Arcanorum and the Phoenix Gate. [/SPOILER]

Todd Jensen

Er, also...fourth!
Craig

I'm rereading Roger Lancelyn Green's 'King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table.' Really enjoyable in the way it weaves together many different sources into a cohesive whole. A couple of things I've noted in regards to 'Gargoyles' which I'm going to spoiler tag out of an abundance of caution for those who want to avoid theories.

[SPOILER]
For awhile, I've pondered the idea that either Duval or Peredur might be the Green Knight, in some form or another, just because in the grand scheme of Greg's named Arthurian survivors, the GK seems like the most likely candidate to be the other most important person in the world to Percival (besides Blanchefleur) due to his interactions with Percival's father Gawain. I was also intrigued by the fact that Duval, Valmont, and Valois all had green elements to their outfits, although this pattern appears to have been broken with Valdez. I note that in RLG's book, the Green Knight is said to have his Chapel in a valley--a detail which comes from the original Middle English poem in which the story was first introduced, as well. "Duval" and "Valdez" both mean "of the valley" in their respective languages. Although, I also note that Merlin is said by RLG to come "out of the deep, mysterious valleys of North Wales"... Of course, what little we've seen of Duval's nature doesn't seem like a great fit for the characterizations of either the Green Knight or Merlin, but people can change...especially in the 'Gargoyles' world.
[/SPOILER]


The following also contains a potential spoiler for 'Dark Ages' #6 ("The Pledge"):
[SPOILER]
I also thoroughly enjoyed the chapter with Percival and Blanchefleur's initial interaction, which is very atmospheric. As Todd noted a couple of weeks ago (his comment inspired my revisiting the book), Blanchefleur is a Grail Maiden, with a mysterious and never fully revealed connection to Carbonek Castle...as well as some abilities of precognition, seemingly, along the same lines as Merlin, Nimue, and King Pelles himself. Her preexisting relationship with Carbonek and the Grail even before Percival arrives makes her a very fascinating character, both in Green and in the 'Gargoyles' universe. Todd will hopefully correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Blanchefleur's only true appearance prior to Green's book was in the unfinished Chrétien de Troy poem "Perceval," wherein her characterization and circumstances are very different and she has no obvious connection to the Grail (as recounted on the Gargwiki).

I also note that in Green, Percival and Blanchefleur are said to die eventually, with their son Loherangrin taking over as master of Carbonek. I wonder if Loherangrin existed in the 'Gargoyles' universe (I would assume so since Greg wastes nothing and is always up for a good myth), and if so, whether what became of him (since he isn't listed as a survivor) informs some of the fallout between Peredur, Fleur and Duval...
[/SPOILER]


On another note, I also happen to be rewatching 'Hill Street Blues' on DVD at a rate of one episode a day (give or take, depending on my commitments), so it's a concentrated period of revisiting 'Gargoyles'' influences for me.

Craig

Third!

I agree. I'm looking forward to my hardcopy of Volume 1 this week. I never got paper versions of 2-5, only digital, so it'll be nice to see and read.

Matt
"And, thus, given no choice, we waited..." - Alesand, "The Reach"

Second.

But I will be much later to the party on reading #12 as my copy will not be sent until this Thursday, for reasons I've already vented my spleen about. (I do agree that reading electronically feels off somehow.)

I look forward to looking behind everyone's spoiler tags someday soon.

morrand - [morrand276 at gmail dot com]

I've been more than a little late in writing on #12. Coverage went in quick and pretty in-depth so I wasn't sure what else there is that I could add. So instead I decided to look back at the twelve-parter as a whole, what it's about and what the future may hold. Putting things in Spoilers just to be safe.

[SPOILER] Going back into official, honest-to-God canonical Gargoyles is a big thing and there's been a time skip both in and out of universe. Out of universe it's been over a decade since we've gotten a new comic series so naturally time has to be spent both introducing new readers to our favorite clan as well as easing in old fans who might be coming back. Out of universe it's only been a few months since the story left off but for simplicity's sake, it comes off a bit like we're picking up just where we left off.

I'd say the two big themes of this series are Uncertainty and Change, both of them tying well into each other. There's the big change-up with the size of the clan and how everyone is dealing with this, Brooklyn and his family now in a permanent residence and time, the shifting dynamics of the Trio and how they deal with that, heck, even the first born mutate has drawn the attention of hero and villain alike.

But the big change and one that makes up half of the story is that thanks to the efforts of the Gargoyle Taskforce and and the court of the city, county, and state of New York, the gargoyles are now official within the eyes of the public, no more urban legends or existing only by stray eyewitnesses. Amidst the gang war it's easy to forget that the clan was having their very beinghood argued over. I once wrote that Gargoyles was unique in that its inhuman group of heroes were written as public figures in the past and made it clear that they'd like to be so again. Here we see the dangers and hang-ups of suddenly thrusting them into the spotlight, and through a public hearing no less. And while the road is rocky, they are legitimized through the media, the court and thanks to the late Halcyon Renard, through wealth. How this is going to affect Goliath remains to be seen but one thing is for certain, not everyone in the clan likes the idea of needing human approval in order to have a right to exist.

Antagonists fighting against change is nothing new, not here nor in Greg's other works. Margot of course represents a small-minded perspective on how the world is and how it should be when the truth is that the world has never been what they thought it was. While she's beaten in court, prejudices aren't likely to disappear like that and you can bet she's going to cling to her preconceived notions and bigotry a bit longer. Which brings us to Dino Dracon.

The gang war heavily reminds me of the arc of the same name from The Spectacular Spider-Man and Hammerhead's role in it. Like Dino he's an old-school gangster living in a time of change, when bombs and bullets are replaced with wonderous technology. And while Dino does adapt better to this change than Hammerhead does, he's still held back by something else. Dino also somewhat reminds me of Giuseppe Rosetti from Boardwalk Empire, both are gangsters who are shrewd tacticians on the battlefield but undone by their personality problems, Rosetti with his violent and brutal temper and Dino with his inability to change up his methods. His inability to make allies and constantly relying on brutal violence eventually catches up with him and if he really did perish at the end of the story it's rather appropriate that he would be the only fatality of his failed scheme, undone by his own bomb.

Above everything else I see "Here in Manhattan" as a sea change for the clan, the cops and the criminals. While Dino was unable to change his methods it's rather telling that the rest of the gangs are smart enough to recognize that they have to be considerate with what's going on with the Gargoyles "gang." Antoinette even utilizing the heroes as a means to undo Dino's plans while securing her place as Dominic's right hand. Goliath's speech at the summit heavily reminded me of his and Broadway's actions in "Protection" and how well they slipped into the role of muscle for Elisa. Long gone are the days when they questioned what a detective is, now they not only understand the criminal underworld they now how to speak to the heads of criminal organizations directly in a language they understand.

And thus we settle into the new status quo (if it can so be called), crime families now pondering the future under the oversight of the gargoyles plus two scions involved in a Romeo and Juliet relationship, the gargoyles now recognized by the world at large, and Goliath moving away from the role of vigilante into a deputized member of law enforcement. I can speculate on a few things: such as the crime bosses taking a backseat as we shift focus to the new Keys of Power, the changes of the clan as relationships become official, and the trouble Goliath is going to get into now that he's part of Halcyon's legacy, to say nothing of what his role in law enforcement will be with Coldstone's actions, Antoinette's connections and Demona looming in the background... [/SPOILER]


That's all for now, I look forward to both the trade collection (reading electronically just feels off) and to the next story. Congratulations Greg, here's to Gargoyles Quest.

Matthew
Ain't nothing crazy 'bout me but my brain!