Writer: Greg Weisman
Art: George Kambadais
Publisher: Dynamite Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 5, 2023
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THE DISPATCH
Gargoyles #7 sees the long-awaited return of the diabolical Demona! She’s back and is as sinister as ever! We first see her in her human guise, Dominique Destine. This issue does an excellent job at bringing us up to speed with what Demona has been up to and how her plans are connected to plot points from the show. Her narration fits the story well, and the dialogue is very indicative of how her voice actress, Marina Sirtis, would speak as the character. The parts with Goliath aren’t necessarily bad, but they seem to be too much of a re-iteration of plot points from season 3 of the show, such as Goliath being put on trial in the episode, “And Justice For All”. Astute fans will notice Goliath’s mention of the name of Halcyon Renard, a character who appeared in a few episodes of the show as an ally to Goliath, and is the father-in-law of David Xanatos. This could mean he could appear in future issues.
ART
Kambadais’ art continues to be good in Gargoyles #7. He really nails Demona’s features, both as human and gargoyle. There’s a fantastic sequence of her transformation from human to gargoyle. There’s also some great pages of her using magic to spy on the other gargoyles. The art also pays tribute to past plot points from the show, such as the Archmage swallowing the Grimorium and Odin taking back his eye. Kambadais represented these points well, in order to remind longtime fans of events from the show, as well as to bring new fans up to speed.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Gargoyles #7 is a refreshing change of pace in the storyline, with less focus on the mobsters and the plight of the other gargoyles, and focusing instead on the malevolent machinations of Demona. This issue may serve as a way to tie into the upcoming spinoff comic, Gargoyles: Dark Ages, also written by Weisman. It is a touching tribute to series writer Michael Reaves, who passed away earlier this year. He wrote several episodes of the Gargoyles show as well as many episodes of Batman: the Animated Series. What trouble will Demona have for the other gargoyles, and what effects might her spells have?
“but they seem to be too much of a re-iteration of plot points from season 3 of the show, such as Goliath being put on trial in the episode, “And Justice For All””
The reason for this is because the trial of Goliath was originally Weisman’s idea… the idea of Goliath being tried for his sentience; notice they even debated having a trial in the first place. But the season three writers who replaced him didn’t understand the series, the characters, the situation, and butchered the idea… suddenly he’s falsely accused of robbing a jewelry store and put on trial as if he was a mutant from X-Men or something.
I’m glad Weisman is getting the chance to tell this story his way.