Gargoyles

[GamerSlyRatchet]

The Halloween Special ended up being a pretty cute affair. I was already expecting it to be considering Nashville is the protagonist and the plot itself, but it reminded me a lot of the show's one-off adventures. It's a good reminder that the show could also appeal to kids, and I think you need breather stories like this to really explore how much the world has changed when you don't have to progress a story arc.

I enjoyed that we not only got Gnash as the protagonist, but that we also got some good time with Katana and Fu-Dog. Since their introduction, we've only gotten bits and pieces, so this was strongly needed. I thought it was nice that Gnash already made friends faster than the clan elders did. I also like the contrast between the overconfidence he shows in front of his parents and his insecurity when trying to hide his secret from his new friends.

I was surprised at how John Castaway and the Quarrymen came off as this time. Before, they were a bit pragmatic and seemed like they could be recurring foes. However, yeah, they were humiliated pretty badly. No Xanatos tag or anything. spoilers:

I was definitely surprised that Castaway was outright arrested. I wonder if he'll worm his way out soon or if there's going to be a leadership change.

end of spoilers In a way, their call for open violence feels truer to how hate groups work today. It does have the consequence of making them appear as less impressive villains, but considering the scale of the story, that's not really needed for now. The helmets don't look as menacing as the hoods, but they are more practical.

The rest of the clan had some amusing bits and pieces. I can't place what everyone dressed as besides Gnash as Blackbeard and Elisa as Alice. spoilers:

Interesting that something happens in the main series that causes the gargoyles to be seen as popular celebrities. I wonder if this is from the hearing alone or if they'll have a big heroic moment involving Dino and the gang war.

end of spoilers. The "witch" from "Eye of the Beholder" returns to reunite with Goliath and flirt a bit with Lex. I'm glad we're getting more queer characters in canon beyond just Lex. Speaking of, I hope he gets to visit Staghart in Gargoyles Quest. I wonder where Coldstone and Coldfire are.

Finally, I was amused by Gnash revealing that spoilers:

Blackbeard was a gargoyle, and a "nasty" one too

end of spoilers. It only makes me want a Timedancer spin-off more.

[Voices From the Eyrie]

Gargoyles #10 is out... and it's a big one!

[Frontier]

spoilers:

Not only does she get a spotlight in the Halloween special but now Katana even gets the narration centerpoint of this issue! I did not expect the love confession on the witness stand. Powerful stuff, just really not quite the place you'd expect it to come out. I wonder if this is going to effect Elisa's job at all because, while we saw Captain Chavez, we didn't really get to see how she feels about Elisa keeping her in the dark the whole time. I hope we see Goliath's lawyer again, he seems like a cool guy. I wanted to see Margot's face when Goliath got released. I can only imagine how much she's seething now, especially when it seems like anti-Gargoyle hysteria is dying down. Was Coldstone planning to do something if Goliath wasn't released? I knew Xanatos had to be involved somehow. I mean, does it take some of the oomph out of the verdict to know that it was bought out even if it worked out in the end? I guess we're meant to wrestle with that. So Titania and Foxe are there for Renard's last will and testament? It doesn't look good for him.

end of spoilers

[Tofali]

The declaration of love bit was unnecessary, maybe Demona can help them by turning her beloved in to a human and casting a spell that will put him back in time and tell him he needs to learn survive again.

[Voices From the Eyrie]

https://twitter.com/FromEyrie/status...57057603633283

[Tofali]

Great! it won't be the last we see of Gargoyles and it looks like after this current series concludes there is already plans for another book.

[GamerSlyRatchet]

Issue 10 was certainly eventful. I already knew how the hearing was going to turn out due to the Halloween Special, but Greg Weisman and George Kambadais know how to give this moment some weight. I especially loved the spread with all of the characters watching the trial. It's an inventive way of showing it without having a lot of panels of everyone watching it via TV.

I called it on Katana being the next focus point, and it gives us a brief look into her past and her personality as someone who is cautious over those she loves. I was amused by the peek we got of her Timedancer adventures and her and Brooklyn meeting the Three Musketeers. Between this and the Blackbeard tease, I'd be surprised if we don't get a Timedancer spin-off sometime in 2024.

The big highlight for me wasn't even the ruling or anything after, but Elisa admitting her role of Goliath to not just the court but to entire world. That takes a lot of guts, especially when the court hasn't even decided if he's even sapient. It also conclude her mini-character arc where she keeps hiding her relationship and got called out on it by Matt. Unfortunately, Margot also pointed out how this could impact her career. We saw her arrest John Castaway like nothing in the Halloween Special, but I hope that there's some consequences to her actions, admirable as they are.

And it turns out that the judge was bribed by Xanatos. I honestly missed a good Xanatos Tag, although this one was more to reveal why the judge ruled in Goliath's favor rather than another scheme (that we know of). It stains the victory a bit, but it also places it in a morally grey area. Who knows if the judge was going to rule in favor of Goliath without the bribe, but him pointing out the drawbacks signs towards "no". It reminds me of Young Justice where M'gann and Zatanna helped Artemis heal from her grief with some, um, questionable methods. And just like I wonder if Artemis will ever find out the truth, I also wonder if Goliath or anyone else will ever find out about Xanatos's role. Also, is Xanatos Tobe Crest's employer or is there someone else involved with that?

All in all, this was an excellent issue and probably my favorite yet. We only got two issues left and I'm very curious how it'll all end.

[GamerSlyRatchet]

Dark Ages #4 is a more relaxing affair after how intense things got in the previous issue. It's more about following the construction of Castle Wyvern and setting things up for the final couple of issues. As such, the narrative mostly follows Alesand as she explores the construction, sees the eggs, and makes some young friends. Goliath and Mentor make some brief appearances, and Robbie is mostly there to guide Alesand and get his promotion to Captain of the Guard from Malcolm.

We also briefly see some other perspectives, of course. Desdemona begins to learn how to become a priestess from Sacrifice (the gargoyle who headed the Wind Ceremony from the previous issue), while Angel learns to read from the Archmage. I liked the parallel between these two, especially the kind Sacrifice's "We have much work to do" versus the Archmage's condescending "You have much work to do". A simple, but impactful change.

Alesand's quick friendship with the youngest gargoyles (Brooklyn/Caesar, Lexington/Alexander, Broadway/Charlemagne, and Antiope) were heart-warming and sweet. She's very quick to embrace the gargoyles, a sharp contrast to the legal proceedings in the main series and the Quarrymen shenanigans in the Halloween Special. Unfortunately, I don't foresee a happy ending in sight for Alesand and Antiope, between both of their absences in the show's canon before this comic and the Captain's cynical, jaded nature by the time we meet him in the show.

More importantly, Alesand's subplot leads to the unexpected arrival of the traveling players, the Light-Bringers. I was very surprised to see this early incarnation of the Illuminati show up. I knew they were alluded to in "The Tale of the Three Brothers" segments at the end of the issues, but I didn't think we'd see the beginning of those section in context to this story. We get earlier incarnations of Peredeur, Blanchefleur, and Shari (who is telling the "Three Brothers" tale too), as well as a few new characters. Plus, Brother Valdez sure acts weird around them. I wonder if he's connected to Lord Valois from earlier in the story. Or Brother Valmont. Or Duval.

My only small disappointment (and it's nothing wrong with the issue itself) is that the solicit and some of the covers made it seem like the dragon would finally show up. I don't mind waiting more, but just a small nitpick.

[Frontier]

It's kind of funny how we got cute kid Gargoyles and kid humans stuff two months in a row.

[Voices From the Eyrie]

Another new interview with Greg Weisman about "Gargoyles Quest"

https://www.comicsbeat.com/interview...yles-timeline/

[shooshoomanjoe]

Since Disney owns Marvel Comics, do any of the Disney universes have a number for Marvel's multiverse?

[Voices From the Eyrie]

Since Disney owns Marvel Comics, do any of the Disney universes have a number for Marvel's multiverse?

I hope not. Please keep Marvel far away from Gargoyles.

[Dipter]

Since Disney owns Marvel Comics, do any of the Disney universes have a number for Marvel's multiverse?

Well, the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon is said to take place on Earth-12041, and that show had a crossover episode with the Disney channel sitcom Jessie. So there’s that. The Phineas and Ferb episode where they met the avengers is probably canon to the marvel multiverse as well lol.

[Frontier]

For concluding the run of this series of Gargoyle comics, I think Weisman did a good job bringing together the main plot/sub-plots of the past few issues...Dino's plan, the Manhattan Clan brothers coming together again as a team, Brookyln getting to shine as a leader, saving RomeoxJuliet, and with plenty of action to boot.

Elisa (and by extension Matt) finally gets read the riot act by Captain Chavez. I was expecting her to double down on it not being her secret to tell, but I guess we're past that point. I'm curious what Matt's plan to smooth things over is.

But probably the most emotionally pivotal element of the issue was the passing of Renard, which is major because he's almost been there from the beginning and is connected to so many pivotal characters, each of whom get a moment with him.

He makes peace with Fox and gets to share one last genuine daddy-daughter moment with her.

He re-confirms his love with Anastasia/Titania was genuine and she's there for him in his last moments.

He's as cantankerous with Xanatos as ever.

He gives his company over to Preston and we get the obvious Preston/Owen gag.

He makes things right with Goliath and explains himself, and makes him promise to make sure Alexander is set on the straight and narrow which I feel will become a pivotal direction for Goliath moving forward as he's now practically the boys' godfather. Oh, and he made Goliath rich, which should be fun to watch play out.

[GamerSlyRatchet]

The main plot with the Brooklyn/Broadway/Lexington trio comes to a head when they learn from Antoinette all about Dino's schemes, from his attempted assassination of Tony and Tomas to his kidnapping of Peter and Rosaria. Along with Gnash (this issue's narrator), they rescue the young lovers, fight Dino and his goons, and bond in the process. I'll be honest, while I like many ideas here (the trio vs. the fake trio) I felt it was rather rushed. The exo-suit goons were defeated too easily and Gnash's enthusiasm at the trio's reunion felt unearned and a tad cheesy. I enjoyed Brooklyn seemingly hesitating to act only to quickly glide to the occasion. It was good character growth and the fake-out was executed well.

Meanwhile, Elisa is getting chewed out by Chavez for secretly conducting policework with Goliath's help. I feel mixed on this because while I like that there's some consequences to Elisa's actions and confession, it already feels like Chavez is not as upset as she should be and is more worried about appearances to higher-ups. And from what we see in ''Halloween Special'', she'll still be a cop, so whatever Matt proposes might just bring things to status quo. Still, I respect Elisa for not making up excuses and Matt for confessing he knew too and taking his share of blame.

Finally, Goliath joins Xanatos, Fox, and everyone in Halcyon Renard's death bed, where he says his good-byes and passes his last will. Fox and Alex (via Vogel) getting parts of his company isn't surprising, but the endgame of Renard's scheme being Goliath as a wealthy citizen and Alex's moral guardian definitely is. This was my favorite part of the issue, full of surprises and pathos. It opens up new story paths for Goliath for sure. I was also amused by Xanatos's reaction to the news. And while I called Gnash's declaration cheesy early, I forgive it a bit due to its juxtaposition with Renard's death.

Kambadais's art sadly takes a hit in this issue. Chavez didn't look like herself much and the panel with the multiple phone calls at once is very confusing to read unless you use panel view. It doesn't help that the issue feels a bit crammed and rushed. My highlight is the particularly sinister Dino in the penultimate page where he declares his last play to take over New York by force.

Secret message is now: AIM TRUE MY NY.