Gargoyles #4-6

[gargoylekitty]

Picking up from the last post.


While I do adore the series, one problem I always had with Gargoyles, along with most other series/comics/books/so on, was the sheer gender imbalance throughout. No matter the scenario there always seemed to be males outnumbering females. For example, Demona and Elisa were the only two main female characters for awhile. Given that the main clan alone had 6 members, all male, this meant there were more than twice as many main characters who were male than female(granted, still less than the JLA at some points) for a long while, and even when that wasn't the case the difference often only dipped as low as 2:1. That is, two males for every one female.

Of course, this wasn't limited to just main characters either. The Pack? 2:1, before Fox left. The Coldtrio? 2:1. The Mutates? 3:1. Those protecting the eggs? 2:1. The Avalon clan(of what's shown)? 5:2, maybe 2.5. The London gargoyles? 2:1. The Ishimura clan? 2:1. The modern Hunters? 2:1. And so on.

While some of these groups hadn't been introduced by the time this comic rolled around, the main cast in itself is enough to see this. Not that it makes these two stories any less 'wtf', but perhaps this is what lead the writer to attempt to introduce two female characters in two back-to-back tales.

...shut up, I want to believe that at least the intent was okay. I mean, they did also bring her sister in early.

So, the first.
It all starts innocently enough. Broadway is out patrolling. He hears some noise, investigates, beats up some baddies, and...

So, out for food they go!

All seems to be going well until the sun starts to rise sending both of them scurrying in opposite directions with promises to see one another again soon. That settled, we get this 'mysterious' character's backstory!

So... she was made into a vampire for the express purpose of obtaining gargoyle blood. Seems like a lot of work, but I suppose there's some creativity points there? Because, seriously? Wtf.

The next night, she meets up with him again. From there he introduces her to the rest of the Trio and the "especially attractive to gargoyles" part comes into play as the guys end up getting in a fight in the middle of patrol leaving her to do some rescuing.

Of course, this backfires.


The End.

So, that clearly didn't go so well. Maybe the next one will do better, right? ...Right? Eh.

'phat ride'. Oy.

Don't tell me you don't see where this is heading.

Later...

And she's named 'Venus'. You know, like Venus? Oh, I just know this is going to go so well!

In the next issue, Elisa starts us off with a little rundown in case you missed what just happened there.

And a few moments later, the rest of the clan meets her as well as she rescues them from Xanatos who is for some inconceivable reason trying to blast them with a ray that would turn them to stone.

Yes, sir. He's trying to blast gargoyles, beings that here turn into stone by day, with a ray that would turn them into stone. Whatever just happened to shooting someone if you wanted to off them? Oh well.

Small note, it got cut due to pages but Elisa's first remark upon getting a glimpse of Lavonne was the same question.

Alas, Xanatos can still fight back and does so, knocking Venus out and making his escape.

Luckily, they find her.

Wait... whut? A quick reminder, Venus is made up of a mixture of Elisa and Goliath. In a biological sense, this would kinda make them her parents. Venus is now kissing Goliath. Ew.

Just then, Demona jumps in to take over where Xanatos left off, by trying to turn everyone to stone.

Lots of fighting, fighting, fighting, Venus gushing over Goliath, fighting. Then, Elisa decides she's sick of this nonsense.


Oh, come on!

Mte, Broadway. Oh well, let's see this 'Wrath of Venus'.

Wait, what the hell? I... really?

Really?!

So, in case you missed what just happened here. That was two stories, back to back, which both introduced a female character that...
1) Was created via SCIENCE!
2) Fell gushing over the first male gargoyle she came across.
3) Died via being hit by something(sunlight and Medusa device) that turned them into something(a withered burned out corpse and stone) saving said gargoyle.
ಠ_ಠ
FFS.

Any who, for the next post, I might do the next issue or I might skip it because I find the Pack boring. Yet, I dislike skipping things, so in the next post we get the Pack!

tags: title: gargoyles, creator: amanda conner, creator: martin pasko, creator: mort todd

Comments

[theanswer]

I remember the animated series frustrated me after a while with the constant ambiguous fates of new Gargoyles.

[theanswer]

Then, when they actually did add a permanent new Gargoyle she turned out to be annoying.

[introverted_excavator]

Aw, I liked Angela.

[arbre_rieur]

Ambiguous? The only time I can recall that being the case was Goliath's brother Coldstone. All the other new gargoyles were very much alive and active after their introductions.

[gargoylekitty]

For Coldstone even it just seemed a matter of not having the time to get to it. He showed up again in the more recent comics.

[almogv]

Did anyone ever point out to Goliath that taking genes from Eliza and him makes Venus his kid rather than sister. There's a fun level of incest right there.

[salad_barbarian]

But half the genes aren't from him so as long as he only fondles half of Venus it's ok!

[blake_reitz]

Ah, it's more like making out with your half-clone. That's still cool.

[introverted_excavator]

So would having sex with said clone be half-masturbation then?

[greenmask]

Ooh, this, apart from the gender weirdness that you mention, is good stuff!

[cmdr_zoom]

There was no such thing as science on this show, only SCIENCE!

[rallamajoop]

...anyone else remember those older definitions of Mary Sues that used to involve her dying tragically at the end of the story? Yeah. Not a completely unworkable trope, but not exactly the best way of evening up a gender imbalance either.

[pyrotwilight]

I think that's essentially the original meaning anyway since it's what happened to Mary Sue at the end of her story.

[liara_shadowsong]

I just wanted to say that I love your icon.

[silverzeo]

What's with the 90s and clones?

[gargoylekitty]

Clones are EXTREME? Idk.

[deleonjh]

Did the Venus story happen before or after the episode where Thailog makes a Demona/Elisa hybrid?

Man, I still miss the show though the animation hasn't aged well. Remember how progressive it was that Elisa was the product of an interracial marriage, with neither of her parents being white? The gun safety episode was also great.

[gargoylekitty]

Way before. This was actually on the shelves before the episode with Thailog even aired.

[joysweeper]

Huh. Makes me wonder if there was a pitching machine for One-Off Female Characters.

Thanks for doing this.