Reunion
"Reunion" is the sixth issue of the Gargoyles comic by SLG, and Chapter Six of the Clan-Building story arc. It was released on October 10, 2007 and a reprint of the issue (to correct errors) was released on November 14, 2007. The issue was reprinted in Gargoyles: Clan-Building, Volume One.
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Contents
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Solicitation
What promises Yetis, monks, deadly archers and long-lost cyborg-zombie rookery siblings with multiple personality disorder? That's right, it's Clan-Building, Chapter 6: Reunion. Thailog's new executive assistant keeps him busy with a tale of World Tour's past, as Goliath, Angela, Elisa, and Bronx journey to Tibet and encounter an old friend... or perhaps a foe.
Summary
Main Plot
Shari relates to Thailog the untold Avalon World Tour tale about Goliath, Angela, Elisa, and Bronx arriving in Tibet and encountering Coldstone. They find themselves in a laundry pot of a monastery where they are mistaken for Yeti and attacked by archers at Sangpo's command. They flee to a nearby cave where Coldstone is hiding out. Sangpo and Master Dawa arrive, and the latter explains that he has been helping Coldstone deal with his inner struggles. Goliath and Angela express their desire for Coldstone to join them. Not wanting to risk the lives of his children on Avalon, Coldstone pretends to switch to the "Iago" personality, attacking the others and threatening Elisa's life so that he could knock them all unconscious simultaneously. The travellers later wake up on a lake in Shambahla. Shari's story ends and she hints that the adventure has a significant purpose not yet revealed.
Subplots
The Trio and Angela are outside the castle, and they are glad that Goliath and Maggie are healing from their recent clashes with Thailog.
During their World Tour, Angela figures out that her rookery brother Gabriel is Coldstone's biological son.
Back in the present day, David Xanatos summons Coldsteel at the Scarab Corporation building.
The Story
Angela swings from the spire of the Empire State Building as snowflakes fall around her. She is enjoying the "glorious night". She leaps down to join the Trio on the building's rooftop below. There is much to be happy about, she notes: Goliath is healing from his injury and Maggie is also fine. Not to mention the Clones have chosen good over evil. "All except Brentwood," Lexington adds dryly. Angela and Broadway hold hands and note that they are free from the confines of the Castle while placing a friendly hand on Brooklyn's shoulder. Broadway agrees with Angela: There is no point of hiding in the Castle if their enemies are just going to attack them there. Brooklyn pulls away and Angela questions his intentions. He can't celebrate yet, he tells her, not while Thailog is still out there.
Meanwhile, Thailog relaxes in a toga upon a throne in his chambers at the Nightstone Unlimited Building. Shari is feeding him grapes. The gargoyle tells her that he always gets what he wants and what he wants now is "a bedtime story". Shari is all too happy to oblige and glad he finally asked. She begins her tale: ""The story is told – though who can say if it be true – of four travelers sent around the world on a series of quests . . ."
The story begins during the Avalon World Tour. Goliath, Angela, Elisa, and Bronx are on board their skiff surrounded by mist. Angela wonders where Avalon has sent them this time and Elisa wonders about their purpose there. The mist blends into steam and begins to clear and the skiff strikes metal. They have arrived. Elisa, sweating in the sudden heat, takes in their new surroundings. They are floating in a giant cauldron of boiling water! "I think we're soup!" Elisa jokes. They assume they are in some sort of laundry room. Bronx leaps to the floor below and the others quickly follow, before the heat overwhelms them. Goliath removes the skiff from the boiling water while Elisa takes a peek outside. Seeing a frigid snowscape, she tells her companions that they should enjoy the heat while they can. She jokes again that perhaps they could skip this adventure and see if Avalon instead needs them in someplace nicer, like Hawaii. As they don heavy fur coats and venture outside, Elisa wryly remarks, "I didn't think so."
A young man with a bald head on a building nearby spots the travelers and Angela points him out as Bronx growls. In a language that the travelers do not recognize, the man misidentifies them as Yeti in their sanctuary and calls for archers. Elisa, not understanding, notes that he doesn't seem happy to see them and Goliath points out that humans rarely are. As arrows begin to fly around the travelers, Goliath batters down the wooden door to the sanctuary so that they might escape. The four travelers glide off into the night unharmed, Goliath carrying Elisa and Angela carrying Bronx. The young man tells his archers to continue firing. They must not escape, but an older man orders his young pupil, Sangpo, to stop at once. The older man, Master Dawa, explains to Sangpo that he is new to their order and does not understand that archery is a tool for learning meditation and concentration, not an excuse for violence. Sangpo protests. He is concerned about the Yeti. Dawa advises him that the Yeti of legend have never been their enemies, nor do they have wings. Sangpo wonders that kind of monsters they were then and Dawa smiles and reminds Sangpo of how much he still needs to learn. As for the other acolytes, the Master says (watching the gargoyles gliding away above the mountains), "their souls are fortunate that their bodies are such lousy shots."
Far above, despite the warm coat she wears, Elisa shivers in the cold wind. Goliath tells her to hold on. They will find shelter. Angela spots a cave and they land at the opening of this makeshift shelter. It will suffice, but they will need to build a fire for Elisa. The woman assures them that she will be fine. Meanwhile, Bronx has caught a scent and growls into the cave before running deeper into the darkness. The others follow him. They eventually come into a lighted area. A torch is on the wall of the cave, and Angela wonders if someone lives here. A clawed hand reaches for the torch and Bronx, growling, leaps at this new figure. The torch falls to the floor as the mysterious figure cloaked in fur grabs and and holds up the struggling beast. Goliath, eyes glowing, runs forward to engage this figure. He throws a punch that narrowly misses. Elisa, meanwhile picks up the fallen torch in order to better see their adversary and Angela grabs at the figure's furry cloak, ripping it away. The figure stands, finally revealed in the torchlight: It is Coldstone! The battle ends immediately as Goliath and his long-lost brother embrace. Master Dawa and Sangpo arrive soon after and, switching to English, Dawa explains that he runs a teaching monastery. He jokes to Sangpo in his native tongue that these don't really look like Yeti after all.
The seven characters in Shari's tale sit around a fire and make their introductions quickly. Explanations, however, would take longer. Master Dawa explains that he has been working with Coldstone to control his "inner demons". Coldstone, meanwhile, is astonished to meet a rookery daughter and asks where she came from. He had thought that gargoyles were all but extinct. Goliath and Angela explain that their clan's eggs had been rescued and raised on Avalon. Sangpo cannot understand English and wonders to his Master what is being said. Dawa advises him to listen with his heart . . . and if that doesn't work, Dawa will interpret later. Coldstone next wonders how the travelers found him. Elisa tells him that Avalon has been sending them all over the world. Goliath tells them all that their purpose here stands revealed: Avalon sent them to reunite with Coldstone. Angela is thrilled and embraces Coldstone. She tells him that he must come with them back to Avalon. She would like him to meet Gabriel! Goliath is wary of her thoughts, but Angela forges on. Gargoyle children belong to the whole clan, but it seems obvious that Coldstone is Gabriel's biological father. Coldstone quietly processes all of this. ""Biological"...? Son?" He changes the subject. He cannot go with the travelers. They protest, but he reminds them that though Goliath calls him brother, he is in fact the revived corpse of three dead gargoyles. And one of those gargoyles is "unspeakably evil." Suddenly, his demeaner completely changes. He now tells the others that he would like to go with them. Elisa is alarmed. The evil personality must've taken control! Goliath orders his friends to subdue Coldstone so that they may save him and a new battle begins. Sangpo is confused by all of this as he thought they were friends. Master Dawa reminds him that friends sacrifice for each other. Sangpo should watch and learn. Goliath roars and leaps at Coldstone, but the cyborg throws him aside. He activates his forearm blaster and takes a few shots at Bronx, but does not hit him. Angela grabs the blaster and destroys it before punching Coldstone's face. Coldstone throws her aside. Elisa, meanwhile, moves to get the other humans to safety, but Coldstone tells her that they are not what she should be worried about. He grabs her neck and lifts her off the ground. He wonders if in this century "human necks make the same noise when they snap". Goliath, Angela, Bronx leap to Elisa's rescue. They all grab the cyborg and start to pull him down, but Coldstone is ready for this. He electrifies his body and all four of the travelers in contact with him are shocked and lose conciousness. Coldstone looks at their bodies on the cave floor. Sangpo is still confused about this conflict. He senses no evil from any of these people. Master Dawa points out that while he might not understand, he is starting to learn. Dawa expresses his regret to Coldstone. The cyborg tells him that the travelers would have never have left him behind, so he instead pretended that his evil personality had taken control. It could, after all, take control at any time, and Coldstone would not risk the safety of his clan and their children.
Shari's story concludes with the travelers asleep on their skiff "upon a beautiful lake in Shambahla." But that is a story for another night, Thailog laughs at her tale. Avalon sent his father Goliath to redeem his uncle Coldstone and Goliath failed. Shari asks if he is so sure that they failed. Thailog is angry and asks what she knows. Shari only knows that "seeds were sown that night . . . seeds which have yet to bear fruit." Before she can explain further, Thailog lunges toward her but turns to stone. Shari, eating a piece of fruit, tells the sleeping gargoyle that is a story for another time as well.
Dawn at Scarab headquarters. David Xanatos stands alone on the building's roof. Waiting. The metallic form of Coldsteel suddenly arrives. The robot looks at the grinning Xanatos and quips, "You rang?"
Review
By Todd Jensen
"Reunion" might be described as an intermission between the "Double Date" story (#3-#5) and the next adventure of the gargoyles (to begin in #7). While it is framed by events in the present of the Gargoyles Universe, the bulk of the story is a flashback to the Avalon World Tour.
The flashback is narrated by Shari (how she learned about the events in it is not explained, though her high rank in the Illuminati might have something to do with it) to a restless Thailog, who's in the mood for a bedtime story. It deals with a visit that Goliath, Elisa, Angela, and Bronx made to Tibet during the World Tour; while there, they encounter Coldstone, who has gone there to live in seclusion since the events of "High Noon". The cybernetic gargoyle has been seeking help from Master Dawa, the head of the local monastery, in order to contain "Iago" – but despite Dawa's help, Coldstone clearly does not trust his ability to stop his evil rookery brother from usurping control of his body. So much so, in fact, that he pretends to have been taken over by "Iago" and knocks out the travellers, as the only way he can think of to dissuade them from reuniting him with the clan.
The story is a trifle rushed, in order to fit into a single issue (see one possible reason for that below, in the Tidbits section), but it contains some effective moments. The visit to Tibet opens with the amusing notion of having the skiff arrive in a laundry pot, showing that Avalon can transport one to very small bodies of water indeed (as fans have speculated). Master Dawa is an enjoyable new character, combining wisdom with such examples of verbal wit as "As for your fellow acolytes... their souls are fortunate that their bodies are such lousy shots" and "Listen with your heart, Sangpo... if that doesn't work, I'll translate later." (Elisa provides a delightful line of her own when, after first experiencing the cold of Tibet, she wonders aloud whether they shouldn't find out if Avalon needs them to be in Hawaii instead.) And, through the mouth of Angela, Greg Weisman finally officially confirms what sharp-eyed Gargoyles fans had suspected since "Avalon" Part Two: Gabriel is Coldstone's biological son – a revelation that startles Coldstone considerably. (Judging from his own comments, however, he clearly views all the young gargoyles on Avalon as his children, as per gargoyle tradition.)
The framework contains some fine moments of its own, that advance the present-day story a little more. On the opening pages, Angela and the trio are shown outside the castle, having clearly decided to venture out of it once more rather than hide within its walls (as Broadway points out, there's no point doing that in light of Thailog's recent attack). Thailog has now adopted the mannerisms (and even the attire) of a Roman Emperor, having Shari feed him grapes – but Shari's own actions indicate that she is more than equal to the scheming clone, making her all the more interesting a character. (She seems particularly delighted in being privy to information that Thailog does not know.) And on the final pages, we see Xanatos, presumably about to embark on the mission that the Illuminati had assigned him in #5, making contact with his new ally – Coldsteel, appropriately enough. Apparently his making a robotic body for "Iago" in "Possession" was not for entirely altruistic reasons after all...
Featured Characters and First Appearances
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Quotes
- "I always get what I want. And what I want now, Shari...is a bedtime story." - Thailog
- "...I think we're soup!" - Elisa
- "I don't suppose you'de care to skip this adventure...? See if Avalon needs us in Hawaii...?" - Elisa
- "As for your fellow acolytes...their souls are fortunate that their bodies are such lousy shots." - Master Dawa
- "Listen with your heart, Sangpo...if that doesn't work, I'll translate later." - Master Dawa
- "'Biological'...? ...Son?" - Coldstone
- "I wonder if in this century...human necks make the same noise when they snap?" - Coldstone
- "What seeds?! What fruit?!" - Thailog
Tidbits
"Reunion" is based on a story that Greg Weisman had written for Issue 17 of the original Gargoyles comic book produced by Marvel Comics, though the comic was canceled before the issue containing that story could be published. "Possession" alluded to it at the beginning, when Xanatos tracks Coldstone down in the Himalayas, but the details of the story itself remained a mystery to the fans, until the release of this issue.
Since the story had to be altered to include the scenes between Thailog & Shari and Xanatos & Coldsteel, the following had to be removed from the story as originally planned:
- Mountain climbers encountering a fur-covered Coldstone and believe him to be a yeti.
- An unexplained Twilight Zone kicker as an ending. [1][2]
The first printing of "Reunion" had the misfortune of containing a great number of production errors. Among these were the omission of the logo and title on page 1, a repeat of the art for page 16 on page 12 (but with the speech balloons that belonged on page 12), and the wrong lettering style for "Scarab" on page 23. Greg Weisman apologized to the fans on Ask Greg. A new printing of issue #6 was released by SLG correcting those and other small errors, and offered in exchange at no charge to fans who bought the first printing. The trade paperback collection also corrected these errors.
The title itself is another example of Greg Weisman's penchant for not letting anything go to waste, as "Reunion" and "Reunions" were both very early titles for "The Gathering" two-parter. [3][4]
Elisa alludes to the episode, "The Green", in her description of the laundry room as "hotter than the rain forest".
Many of the monks mistake the gargoyles for yeti, though Master Dawa knows better and corrects them. It is as yet still unknown whether yeti exist in the Gargoyles Universe (though, since Dawa states that they never had wings, they can't have been based on gargoyle sightings).
At the end of the flashback, the skiff is mentioned as having been taken to "a beautiful lake in Shambahla". Shambahla (more commonly spelled "Shambhala") is a "real" legendary place like Avalon, which figures in Tibetan myth as a secret kingdom famed for its enlightenment and mystical wisdom.
Although the Scarab Corporation's logo was featured in "Awakening: Part Four" and "Legion", this is the first time that its name has appeared in canon.
See Also
- Corrections
- On Sale at SLG, Amazon, and TFAW
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