Masque

Gargoyles #4 by Greg Guler & Stephanie Lostimolo

"Masque" is the fourth issue of the Gargoyles comic by SLG, and Chapter Four of the Clan-Building story arc. It was released on May 16, 2007. The issue was reprinted in Gargoyles: Clan-Building, Volume One. It was adapted into a Radio Play and performed at the Gathering of the Gargoyles in 2007.

Crew
Writer/Creator: Greg Weisman Pencil Artist: Nir Paniry Color Artist: Dustin Evans Art Director/Cover Pencil Artist: Greg Guler Cover Color Artist: Stephanie Lostimolo

Solicitation

Thailog's back in town! In an adventure that takes us from the Labyrinth to the Eyrie to the White House, the evil clone of Goliath is determined to collect on his debts. Can the scattered clan come together in time to stop Thailog and save Goliath? And does Goliath want to be saved, now that Elisa has broken his heart?

Summary

Main Plot

The Halloween Masque is in full swing at the Eyrie Building. Elisa arrives with Morgan, and Goliath arrives later with Delilah, and they meet awkwardly. Meanwhile, Thailog attacks in the Labyrinth. He injures Maggie and coerces the clones into helping him, and they follow him to the Eyrie Building under the pretense to obtain Delilah. At the Castle, Goliath tries to talk to Elisa on the battlements. She admits that the night was her mistake, but that nothing has changed, and she flees. Thailog arrives at that moment with the clones, and while waiting for Delilah to arrive, stabs Goliath with a dagger hidden in his gauntlet.

Subplots

Terry Chung goes trick-or-treating with Billy and Susan Greene. They come to Jeffrey Robbins's house, where Hudson is giving out candy. Robbins becomes suspicious when Susan tells Hudson he has a "nice mask".

Angela is angry at Elisa for bringing Morgan to the party.

Brooklyn is still pining over Angela, but he agrees to get dressed into his costume for her.

David and Fox Xanatos are at the White House, where they meet Ambassador Chung. It is established that Alexander is growing at a very fast rate, and Xanatos meets with senior Illuminati member, Quincy Hemings.

Maggie tries to tell the clones that they don't have to join Thailog because they have free will.

Shari volunteers to alert Goliath of Thailog's imminent arrival, but she never shows up.

Morgan realizes that Elisa had broken up with Goliath.

Owen agrees to send Delilah out, so that she may choose whether to go with Thailog or not.

The Story

Just northwest of Harlem, Billy and Susan, dressed up as Jackal and Hyena, are out trick-or-treating with their friend, Terry, who's dressed up as a gargoyle. [1] Billy spots a stone gargoyle on a wall and compares it to his friend Terry's mother. Billy and Susan's mom is not the only one to scold her son, Terry jabs a finger in her direction and reminds Billy that now is not the time to trade "Yo Mama" jokes. Susan tries to ignore them, calling them both immature. As the kids approach the house, Billy and Susan's mom spots two Quarrymen patrolling the streets. As the kids approach the house, they cross paths with a Freddy Kreuger and another gargoyle trick-or-treating. Terry and Billy admire the teenager's costume wings, but Susan is less impressed, pointing out that the masks never look real. Billy dares her to do better as he rings the doorbell.

"Nice mask . . .," Susan squeaks out in awe as the door opens, revealing Hudson with a bowl of candy. Clearly enjoying himself, he asks the children if that is what they are supposed to say. They quickly correct themselves with a "trick or treat!" and he hands them a piece of candy each, admitting that they are running low. Jeffrey Robbins, meanwhile, sits in the living room, with Bronx and Gilly resting by the fire. As Hudson shoos them off to terrify the neighbors, Robbins asks his friend if he heard right; did a child say that Hudson was wearing a mask? Hudson tries to change the subject, pointing out that they are running low on candy. Robbins assures him that there's more in the kitchen, but isn't so easily distracted, pointing out that Hudson ignored his question. Hudson begins to equivocate, telling his friend, "I think we all wear masks . . ."

Meanwhile at the Eyrie Building, the Xanatos's masque is in full swing in the Atrium. While most everyone is enjoying themselves, Margot Yale, dressed as a flapper, berates her partner, Brendan Quarters, for being the "biggest cliché of the season". While Brendan tells her to give it a rest, she spots three party-goers giving the gargoyle-trend "a fresh twist" with The Wizard of Oz. Giving a thumbs up for Angela's Dorothy (with Toto plush) and Broadway's Cowardly Lion, Margot is corrected by Lexington for confusing his cyborg costume for a "post-modern" Tin Man. The costumed gargoyles are then pulled away by Elisa. Dressed as Jasmine from Aladdin, she introduces them to Morgan. Broadway compliments Morgan's costume as Sherlock Holmes, and Morgan returns the compliment, amazed at the costume over a "costume". Morgan tells Elisa how much he's enjoying the party, considering himself lucky that she changed her mind about going out. Hearing this, Angela begins to scowl, and makes the excuse to talk to Elisa for some "girl talk". Out of earshot, Angela asks if Elisa really brought a date to the party. Elisa begins to explain that it's not as bad as it looks, but Angela isn't convinced, speculating just how Goliath is going to react when he returns from the Labyrinth.

But Goliath's long since departed the Labyrinth, unaware of Thailog's arrival at the underground refuge. With no one willing (much less prepared) to give Thailog a "treat", Thailog, wearing a domino mask, begins to assault the denizens of the Labyrinth, striking Al across the head. In the vicinity are the clones, and it dawns on Brentwood that his one-time master is still alive. Talon takes charge, blasting electricity in Thailog's direction while telling the young woman (that Al escorted earlier) to get out of the way. Thailog's rifles are insulated from the electric current and the gargoyle mocks the mutate for thinking he's be unprepared for Talon's attacks. He then fires the electricity back at Talon, and the mutate collapses to the ground in pain. Claw suddenly slams into Thailog, shoving the rifle upward and out of Talon's direction. As Claw wrestles Thailog on the ground, Maggie the Cat demands to know what the gargoyle wants with them. Pinned to the ground by Claw, Thailog explains that his reasons are obvious – he's come to reclaim his property. He's come to take the Clones.

At the Eyrie Building, Goliath and Delilah have arrived at the soiree. They are immediately greeted by a knight in shining armor who, lifting his visor, briefly reintroduces himself as Judge Roebling, before telling Goliath that tonight he is to be 'Sir Ian of Oxford', explaining that he hails from Oxford, Mississippi. "As for your costume," Roebling assures Goliath with a friendly ribbing, "well . . . wink, wink, nudge nudge, say no more!" He lifts his visor again and briefly confuses Goliath's date as Demona. Elisa and Morgan approach the three of them as Goliath begins to dismiss him of that notion as Delilah shares that Demona was but one of her genetic sources – the other was Elisa Maza. Sir Ian finds himself between the two couples and decides its best to search out their host.

Goliath apologizes to Elisa for failing to introduce her to Delilah. Elisa's reticence is enough to prompt Morgan to introduce himself as a fellow officer at the 23rd Precinct. Morgan shakes Goliath's hand and Elisa finally extends the courtesy, introducing Morgan to Delilah and "G".

It's quite the double date.

Brooklyn looks at Goliath and Delilah from behind when Angela points out that he's not in his costume. "Didn't seem to be much point . . ." Brooklyn replies. While Broadway and Lexington enjoy all that the party's buffet has to offer, Angela reminds Brooklyn she's aware that the humans think they're already in costume, so that means she and the clan dress up for themselves. Brooklyn tells her how great she looks, and Angela raises his chin with her hand, encouraging him to allow her to return the compliment. A bundle of awkwardness now, Brooklyn declares that he'll go and change.

Meanwhile, Sir Ian of Oxford finds Owen and admits he can't find their host. Owen informs the judge that "the Family Xanatos was unavoidably called away."

Two hundred thirty miles south, Ambassador Chung greets David Xanatos in the East Room at the White House, describing it as a rare treat to see him in Washington. Wearing a domino mask, Xanatos insists its a treat to see her anywhere. The ambassador looks at baby Alex, dressed in a red gargoyle onesie, and asks the new parents how old he is, figuring he's at least a year old. Fox then corrects her, saying Alex is not quite four months. Ambassador Chung is surprised at how young he is, but Xanatos waves it off, pointing that Alex is just "larger than life. Like his parents." The chief steward of the White House suddenly enters the East Room and announces that dinner is served. As the guests move to the State Dining Room and find their seats, Ambassador Chung admires how well-behaved Alex is, sharing that she could never take her Terry anywhere at that age. She still can't, she admits, mentioning that he's back in New York trick-or-treating. Xanatos suddenly excuses himself, having noticed the chief steward is wearing an Illuminati ring. He follows the chief steward to the Red Room and the two formally introduce themselves with Xanatos beginning with a "Thirty-Six" and the chief steward responding with a "Two".

Back in the Labyrinth, Thailog manages to kick Claw off him and orders the clones to restrain him. The clones obey with a "Yes, Master," and Burbank, Hollywood, Brentwood, and Malibu pin the mutate on his back by his arms and legs. Maggie is astonished that the clones continue to call him 'master' put up with being called his property. She reminds the clones they have free will and they can forget Thailog's programming. Thailog aims his rifle at Maggie to shut her up, but Talon pounces on him and the weapon discharges, sending an electric shot over Maggie's head, causing part of the ceiling to collapse on her. Talon races to dig her out, praying that she's okay. Finally alone with the clones, Thailog asks where Delilah is, and Malibu shares, "Goliath take. To party." Thailog wasn't expecting that – "Goliath? And Delilah? On a . . . date?" he says to himself. Thailog suddenly bursts out laughing at the thought of the two of them together, admitting its his first maniacal laugh in weeks. With that, he orders the clones to leave Claw – they have a party to crash. Once gone, Al gets back up on his feet and asks Talon if someone should alert Goliath, but Talon, having just recovered Maggie, is in no mood of leaving her alone. The young woman helps Claw to his feet, and realizing he's not much of a storyteller, offers to warn Goliath herself. But, she wonders, "where exactly am I going?"

Back at the Eyrie Building, Goliath and Delilah watch Morgan offering Elisa punch. Morgan asks Elisa about "G", having realized that he's the ex she broke up with earlier that night. But unwilling to confide in her date, she hands the drink back, asking for a minute alone. Goliath watches her leave the Atrium and tells Delilah to stay there. Left alone, Morgan asks Delilah if they're having fun yet.

Out on the battlements of Castle Wyvern, Elisa shares with Goliath how it hurt to see him with Delilah. Although she knew the gargoyle was cloned from her genetic material, it was only when Elisa saw her that it became real. Goliath makes it clear that he is also in pain, and reminds Elisa that bringing Delilah was her idea. "Delilah can mean nothing to me," he explains. Pointing out that gargoyles mate for life, he never thought he could love again after his falling out with Demona. But he can't ignore what the two share. Elisa cuts him off, admitting that tonight was a mistake of her own doing. As she runs off, she apologies but insists that her mistakes do not change their situation.

Dejected, Goliath doesn't notice the party crashers, until Thailog begins to mock his father. Goliath's hardly surprised that Thailog's alive after their confrontation at Coney Island and, seeing how he's flanked by the rest of the clones, figures Thailog's come for Delilah. "You will not get her," Goliath declares, eyes glowing. Thailog brandishes his rifles, retorting, "I've brought friends that say otherwise." But suddenly Owen appears, insisting that he must insist on confiscating Thailog's weapons. "You and what army, Burnett?" Thailog growls, pointing one of the rifles in his direction. Owen directs their attention to the Castle's various towers, flanked at all sides by Xanatos's Commandos. Figuring Owen's trying to bluff him, Thailog asks if he really wants a firefight and Owen admits, "No. Mr. Xanatos would not appreciate any interruptions to his fete. And I have transcended any pleasure received from supervising the endless reconstruction of this Castle." He then offers the armed gargoyle an alternative: that Thailog hands over his weapons and, in exchange, he'll dismiss the security team and send for Delilah. Goliath flares his wings in rage and Thailog takes pleasure at his father's reaction.

Goliath roars at Owen, "You cannot offer Delilah in trade?!" But Owen counters that they are but offering her a choice, adding, "assuming she is to have free will." Thailog turns over his lightning rifles and assures there'll be no interference from Owen and his men, and Owen promises there'll be none. Satisfied, Owen leaves the gargoyles to their own devices. Still in a stand-off, Goliath insists that Delilah will not choose Thailog, and, smirking, Thailog figures they'll know soon enough. "In the meantime, there's one thing I've always wondered about . . ."

A blade is suddenly unsheathed from Thailog's left Forearm Guard. "What would happen . . . if I did – THIS?!" Thailog thrusts the blade into his father's abdomen, compounding Goliath's grief that night.

Review

by Todd Jensen.

"Masque" is an admirable continuation of the Double Date story begun in the preceding issue ("Invitation Only") and concluding in the next ("Bash"). It advances that story's threads in a way that makes them all the more intriguing.

After a prelude with Billy and Susan from "The Thrill of the Hunt" (and a friend of theirs named Terry) trick-or-treating at Jeffrey Robbins's house and being greeted at the door by Hudson, we move to the masquerade party being held at the Eyrie Building. Things are in full swing – or would be, were it not for the tensions caused by Goliath and Elisa's dates. Angela is upset about Elisa's bringing her escort (Officer Morgan) to the party when Goliath is going to be present, while Elisa soon becomes unsettled once she actually sees Delilah accompanying Goliath – and all the more so because she knows that Delilah is genetically partly derived from her. The troubled feelings between her and Goliath as they realize how awkwardly the Double Date is going are effectively handled.

But even more trouble is brewing for the clan, as Thailog breaks into the Labyrinth to recover the Clones – who willingly join him. Clearly their old programming "Obey Thailog" has not been entirely removed by the education that they have received from the Mutates, though Maggie pleads in vain with them to think for themselves. Thailog strikes her down and, upon learning the whereabouts of the one missing clone, Delilah, heads off for the Eyrie Building to recover her as well.

Thailog is his usual, thoroughly villainous self – not only cunning and ruthless, but clearly regarding Goliath's troubled situation with amusement. Upon discovering that Goliath and Delilah are on a date, he bursts into a fresh round of maniacal laughter, and is even more delighted when he eavesdrops on Goliath and Elisa's saddened conversation at the Castle, commenting "I'll admit I came expecting to be entertained... but your penchant for drama always exceeds expectations, father."

Owen steps in just as it looks as though another father-son battle is about to take place, making it clear that he does not want a fight disrupting Xanatos's party, and bringing a new Commando Team (presumably replacing the old one lost in "Monsters") to enforce his wishes. (One of the most enjoyable touches in this scene is when Owen mentions being tired of having to constantly have the Castle rebuilt after the damage done it by the numerous battles fought there in the series.) In the familiar "greyish" tone that we can expect from Xanatos's executive assistant, however, he is ready to surrender Delilah to Thailog in return for Thailog cancelling the fight – or, to be more accurate, let Delilah decide whether to go with Thailog or not. Unfortunately, even Owen's intervention cannot prevent Thailog from carrying out an act of surprise treachery on the final page....

The Xanatos sub-plot is also continued, as Xanatos and his family attend a party at the White House, and Xanatos is called away for a private meeting with one of the stewards there – who is himself an Illuminatus, and apparently a very high-ranking member, at that. We will have to wait for next issue, however, to learn the purpose of this visit.

The story continues to balance action, intrigue, and character development well. It also handles the revelation of Delilah's nature (for the benefit of those readers who haven't seen "The Reckoning") much better than the backstory for the Mutates, Thailog, and the Clones given in #3. Delilah's mention of her genetic background is portrayed, not as two pages of familiar information from the perspective of old fans, but as a means of illustrating her characterization – that she is still naively unaware that telling people that she's a combined clone of Elisa and Demona is probably not a very good idea.

Like #3, #4 ends on a "to be continued" note, with many questions remaining to be answered. Will Goliath survive Thailog's attack on him? Will Delilah choose to go with Thailog or display some free will? What do the Illuminati want to talk to Xanatos about at the White House? Will Goliath and Elisa be able to sort out their problems? Who is the mysterious young woman in the Labyrinth? And what will Brooklyn's costume be? Stay tuned to find out.

Featured Characters and First Appearances

Gargoyles	Humans	Others
Hudson Bronx Lexington Broadway Angela Thailog Brentwood Hollywood Burbank Malibu Goliath Delilah Demona (Mentioned Only) Brooklyn	Susan Greene Billy Greene Terry Chung (First Appearance) Sarah Browne Lou (No Lines) Chaz Chalmers (No Lines) Jeffrey Robbins Gargoyle Themed Waitress (First Appearance, No Lines) Margot Yale Brendan Quarters Elisa Maza Morgan Morgan Al Talon Shahrizad Claw Maggie the Cat Ian Roebling Owen Burnett Amanda Chung (First Appearance) David Xanatos Alexander Fox Xanatos Fox Quincy Hemings (First Appearance) Commandos Bruno (No Lines)	Gilly

Places	Objects	Media
Oxford (Mentioned Only) Washington, D.C. White House	Lightning Rifle Thailog's Forearm Guards	Norma Rae (Mentioned Only)

Quotes

• "Dude, we cannot trade 'yo mama' jokes when your mama's right behind us!" - Terry to Billy

• "Nice mask . . ." - Susan

• "Ah, my friend, I think we all wear masks." - Hudson

• "I especially love this post-modern Tin Man."

"Excuse me? Cyborg." - Margot Yale and Lexington

• "As for your costume, well . . . wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more!" - Judge Roebling to Goliath

• "Excuse us a moment. Girl talk." - Angela

• "Wow. Haven't had a good maniacal laugh in weeks." - Thailog

• "We have a party to crash." - Thailog

• "So . . . we having fun yet?" - Morgan to Delilah

• "Elisa, gargoyles mate for life. After Demona, I never thought to love again. But what you and I share . . ." - Goliath

• "Well, wasn't that a pretty scene? I'll admit I came expecting to be entertained . . . but your penchant for drama always exceeds expectations, father." - Thailog to Goliath

• "And I have transcended any pleasure received from supervising the endless reconstruction of this castle." - Owen

Continuity

This is another good issue for cameos:

After being mentioned by their mother, Sarah Browne in "Nightwatch", we see Billy and Susan for the first time since "The Thrill of the Hunt". Further, their mother nervously eyes a couple of Quarrymen. Her reaction will later be clarified in "Trick-Or-Treat" when Susan explains that their mom "almost" joined the hate group.

Judge Roebling attends the Xanatos's masquerade as Sir Ian of Oxford, his first appearance since "Vows". He will next appear as the presiding judge for Goliath's Hearing in "Render Unto Caesar".

Jeffrey Robbins and Gilly make their first appearance since "City of Stone" Part Two.

Brendan Quarters appears for the first time since "Hunter's Moon" Part Three, with Margot Yale and Officer Morgan now enjoying themselves off the clock from their attendance at the Gargoyle Taskforce meeting in the previous issue, "Invitation Only".

The most intriguing cameo, however, comes from Billy and Susan's friend Terry. In the White House scene later on, Xanatos is talking to an "Ambassador Chung", who mentions that she has a son named Terry trick-or-treating in New York. Clearly the two Terrys are the same – which suggests that he is none other than the Terry Chung who would have been one of the leads in the The New Olympians spin-off. Since the Terry of #4 is apparently a pre-teen, while the Terry of the New Olympians spin-off had just graduated from MIT at the beginning of the story, the spin-off is probably not due to take place in the Gargoyles Universe for several years.

Tidbits

Goliath and Elisa's dates are characters that were both voiced by the other one's voice actor/actress in the show. Goliath's date, Delilah, is voiced by Salli Richardson (due to some of her DNA coming from Elisa) and Elisa's date, Morgan, is voiced by Keith David.

We finally learn Brendan's surname: Quarters. (He and Margot get into another quarrel; this time, it's because Margot is indignant about Brendan taking the unimaginative step of dressing up as a gargoyle for Halloween, "the biggest cliché of the season".)

Broadway and Angela attend the masquerade party as the Cowardly Lion and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz (Angela even has a little stuffed Toto in her basket). Officer Morgan comes as Sherlock Holmes, and Elisa continues her habit (begun in "Eye of the Beholder") of going as a Disney princess by dressing up as Jasmine from Aladdin. (This probably has nothing to do with the comments by several Gargoyles fans that she looked eerily like Jasmine in the animation for the The Goliath Chronicles episode "Seeing Isn't Believing".) Lexington's costume is the most intriguing, however: he goes as his cybernetic self from "Future Tense", presumably without being aware of the significance of it. (It's probably just as well that neither Goliath nor Owen notices that.)

Also on the costume front, Billy and Susan go as Jackal and Hyena. Presumably, their admiration for the Pack has survived its fall from a television super-hero team to a gang of super-villains.

Susan, seeing Hudson for the first time, says "Nice mask" – a reference to Greg Weisman's "Nice mask" line in "Awakening: Part Two".

Ambassador Chung mistakenly believes that Alex is a year old or more, and is astonished to learn that he isn't even four months old yet. It is possible that Alex is growing faster than other babies due to being Titania's grandson, though this has yet to be confirmed.

This issue suffers from two technical flubs: the title was inadvertently left off of Page 5, and David Hedgecock is incorrectly credited with the title of "Pencil Artist". The Pencil Artist for this issue is guest-artist Nir Paniry. [2]

Radio Play

"Invitation Only", "Masque", and "Bash" were performed together at the 2007 Gathering in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

The 2007 Gathering Players

Sarah Browne: Airalana Alex Xanatos: Bridgette/Igiebay & Samuel Davis D.J.: Kerry Boyd Jason Canmore: Emambu Bronx: Bridgette (Igiebay) Terry Chung: Rebekah Burbank: Tris Coffin Hollywood: Amber Garrity Malibu: King Cobra-582/Ed Fox: Karine Charlebois John Castaway: Emambu Susan Greene: Elenna Wolfen/Jennifer Branton Brendan Quarters: David Brown Anton Sevarius: A Fan, David Billy Greene: Tiffany Taber Ian Roebling: Revel Margot Yale: Ashlee/Norcumi Maggie the Cat: Rachel (Grey Wolf) Jeffrey Robbins: Jonathan Francis Amanda Chung: Cati Brantan Jay Sato: Shawna Garrity (Nashoba) Matt Bluestone: Rob "Jurgan" Dukes Broadway: Greg Bishansky Morgan Morgan: Chip (Gryphin Wyrm 7) Delilah: Sarah McEvoy Quincy Hemings: Mike Canavan Owen Burnett: Mandi Ohlin Shari: Abbie Lexington: Jae Hudson: Tris Coffin Al: Alex "Carter" Checnkov Talon: Anthony Zucconi (Archangel) Brooklyn: Seth Jackson Martin Hacker: Eric "Gorebash" Tribou Angela: Jennifer L. Anderson David Xanatos: Roberto Rivera Goliath: John Clemens Elisa Maza: Phoenix-Talon Thailog: Emambu with Greg Weisman narrating . . . and Thom Adcox as Brentwood

See Also

• Commentary and Review
• On Sale at SLG, Amazon, and TFAW

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