If you thought you’d read the last story featuring Disney’s Gargoyles, this week proved you wrong with a grand new story beginning from Dynamite Entertainment in Gargoyles Volume 2 #1!
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
The animated series that started it all back in 1994 keeps finding new life in comic books, particularly through Dynamite Entertainment. And there are rumblings that the show might be returning on Disney+.
Here’s the description of the new comic:
>>ALL-NEW STORIES BY SERIES CREATOR GREG WEISMAN AND RISING STAR ARTIST GERARDO GAMBONE! THE STARS OF THE SENSATIONAL ANIMATED TV SERIES RETURN WITH NEW, IN-CONTINUITY ADVENTURES! One thousand years ago, superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness. It was a world of fear. It was the age of GARGOYLES! Stone by day, warriors by night, they were betrayed by the humans they had sworn to protect…frozen in stone by a magic spell. Now, here in Manhattan, the spell is broken, and they live again! They are defenders of the night! THEY ARE GARGOYLES! It is 1997. The Manhattan Clan has remembered their calling being heroes to the helpless on the streets of New York. At the same time, the Gargoyles desperately search for clues to the whereabouts of their missing Gargoyle egg. And they must hurry, for an ancient, all-powerful evil has awoken, with a score to settle…<<
The great things about this book is that it is NOT a reboot, NOT an “untold tale,” NOT something long-time fans like me will be baffled to pick up and read. Instead, it is a continuation of previous comics’ stories, and did I love it!
For those who didn’t get the chance to watch Gargoyles in syndication, here’s a very brief summary: “After spending a thousand years in an enchanted petrified state, the gargoyles (who have been transported from medieval Scotland) are reawakened in modern-day New York City, and take on roles as the city’s secret night-time protectors.” By the way, you can watch those now-classic three seasons on the aforementioned Disney+. I recently rewatched them myself, and even though they are set in the 1990s, they still work and work well.
Gargoyles was noted for its relatively dark tone, complex story arcs, and melodrama; character arcs were heavily employed throughout the series, as were Shakespearean themes. The series also received favorable comparisons to Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men: The Animated Series.
In other words, it was worth parking yourself in front of the TV during “Disney Afternoons,” as they were then called.
Normally, when a show moves to comics, the plots and storylines get reduced to fit what they consider the “comics setup.” That didn’t happen with Gargoyles. In fact, the stories continued almost perfectly from the show, and some new wrinkles and surprises greeted us fans, largely due to Greg Weisman’s influence carrying over from the cartoon. To hear my recent interview with Greg, you can go here on MajorSpoilers.com.
CONTINUING STORYLINES
The big ongoing story in this comic focuses on one of the most interesting ones I’ve ever seen in the franchise: Demona, former lover of Gargoyle leader Goliath, has stolen one of their eggs in an attempt to raise a new member of their species with her particular perspective, and it ain’t pretty!
Normally, in a comic, that kind of storyline would be wrapped up pretty quickly. Not so in Gargoyles! They are on the hunt to find her, but she’s nigh-unto immortal, and she’s had centuries to figure out the modern landscape, something she’s certainly taking advantage of.
Granted, some of the characters have changed over time, with his second-in-command Brooklyn adapting to losing an eye and other damage.
However, they certain seem to be popular dance partners, as it were. They’ve recently teamed up with the Fantastic Four (they both are in New York City, after all) and Darkwing Duck, even, and those books seemed to have sold well. What’s next? X-Men 89?
THE GARGOYLES NEED TO FACE A DAUNTING PROBLEM
In previous columns, I’ve addressed the difficulty that the Justice Society and Captain America have always faced—they’re locked into a specific time period, namely the years of World War II. As the real life years continue to march on, that period continues to be farther and farther in the rearview mirror, and fewer and fewer people have any sort of connection to that event or that time.
The JSA and Cap are not alone in this concern. The Gargoyles seem to be locked into the 1990s, and sooner rather than later, that could turn into a serious problem when more years continue to pass by. Will the comic or a new animated series have to make a time jump to today happen to keep the franchise current? What will happen if Goliath squeeze Elisa Maza ages faster than Goliath?
Of course, the Gargoyles aging is not something they’ve had to deal with very often in their time awake. And I love that they are very vulnerable during the day when they “sleep” by being turned to stone. It makes them much less formidable and ever more relatable because they are in trouble during the day. Demona is the only one free from that concern, but it would make the Gargoyles less interesting if they all were free from the chance of being harmed or destroyed.
Still, it’s a good sign that the Internet is talking about a return to animated for the Gargoyles. I hope it takes place soon because the show debuted, what, 30 years ago almost? Some of us hope we can see this return while we are still able, so I’m all for it, especially if Mr. Weisman and his crew are deeply involved in it!
So for now, I am happily buying and reading the new comics, and anxiously looking forward to what could be a glorious return to animation!
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