Broken Frontier

The Illuminati comes calling and Goliath and Elisa face some harsh realities in the first all-new Gargoyles story in many years.

Though the city is still gripped with fear over their presence, the Gargoyles prepare for a masked Halloween ball at David Xanatos’ estate. With all that’s happened, Elisa begins to examine her relationship with Goliath and what sort of future two such different beings can have together. This leads the Gargoyle to (grudgingly) consider his options and pay a visit to the mutates and clones of the underground Labyrinth, the only other creatures similar to his species. Meanwhile, Agent Hacker of the secret Illuminati society pays a visit to several individuals on both sides of the Gargoyles conflict. Whose side is he really on?

As the first two issues were adapted from an episode of the animated series, Gargoyles #3 marks the first entirely new story written for the series canon by creator Greg Weisman. This is a rather momentous event for fans of the property, one that’s been over a decade in the making since the show left the air. Was it worth the wait?

The answer is most assuredly yes! Despite an unfortunate publishing delay (Halloween in March?), Weisman wastes no time in his script and immediately begins taking the characters in intriguing new directions. Familiar faces sure to induce smiles or gasps from longtime fans return on practically every page. This is at times a double-edged sword as some may go over the heads of new readers (paralyzed former enemy Jason Canmore, for example, appears without introduction). However, Weisman makes use of well-placed flashbacks where it counts and moves the story forward at such break-neck pace that the finer details become immaterial. Weisman’s story gives us conflicted characters and a world at odds with itself over one shocking fact—that humans are not alone on this planet and living myths soar through the night sky.

All of this is very ably illustrated by artist David Hedgecock. Though not quite aping the style of the animated series, he captures the likeness of each character and adds his own somewhat looser stylization, creating a wholly separate but satisfying animal. The action is dynamic and Hedgecock excels at the subtler moments as well. I almost missed Brooklyn’s despondent, jealous glances as his clan-mates flirt with the few remaining females of the species. Colorist Dustin Evans completes the package by blending the dark atmosphere with a vibrant animation-like palette.

Though I fear new readers may be playing catch-up with this sprawling cast, the strong storytelling and complex characterization of this series has not missed a beat. It’s great to have the Gargoyles back.