Rock and Roll

The correct title of this article is Rock & Roll. The ampersand has been replaced because of technical restrictions.

Gargoyles #8 by Greg Guler & Jorge Molina

"Rock & Roll" is the eighth issue of the Gargoyles comic by SLG, and Chapter Eight of the Clan-Building story arc. It was released on March 26, 2008. The issue was reprinted in Gargoyles: Clan-Building, Volume Two. It was adapted into a Radio Play and performed at the Gathering of the Gargoyles in 2008.

• Writer/Creator: Greg Weisman
• Pencil & Cover Pencil Artist: David Hedgecock
• Color Artist: Robby Bevard
• Art Director: Greg Guler
• Cover Color Artist: Jorge Molina

Solicitation

From the Holy Land to the British Isles... everyone wants a piece of the Rock. Xanatos, Macbeth, Coldsteel, Thailog, Merlin, Cu Chullain and the gargoyles strive to find it, possess it and learn its darkest secrets. All this and Fox's new shoes in CLAN-BUILDING, Chapter 8: Rock & Roll.

Summary

Main Plot

The story continues from the last issue, "The Rock". In London, Macbeth and King Arthur realize that they share the same mission of protecting the Stone of Destiny. Hudson and Lexington meet up with Griff, Staghart, and Constance of the London Clan, who bring the two Manhattan Clan members to their clan's home at Knight's Spur, while Arthur and Macbeth stand vigil through the day. They all go out later that night to stand watch at the Abbey, and are attacked by Coyote 5.0, Coldsteel, and a Steel Clan and Iron Clan robot. Macbeth and Arthur watch the scene from the ground when Arthur mysteriously disappears. The two gargoyle robots are disposed of, but Coyote takes out Lexington, who is saved by Staghart, and Coldsteel nearly dismembers Hudson when Coldstone and Coldfire show up.

Subplots

Vinnie is boarding his flight for Japan.

A man calls for a bomb unit on a bridge.

Shahrizad continues telling Thailog about the Stone of Destiny, while the two play chess. Shahrizad's stories contradict each other as she begins the tale with Moses taking the stone along with him during the Exodus, and bringing forth water from it for his thirsty followers. The stone is passed down through the centuries until King Eochaid of Ireland accepted it as dowry when he married Princess Tamar Tea Tephi, and brought it to Tara. The stone was later cut in half by Cu Chullain, angry that it didn't confirm his friend Lugaid Red-Stripe as King. Prince Fergus of Ireland brought a stone half to Scotland, where Merlin and King Pelles contact him at Castle Carbonek, borrowing the stone so that Arthur could pull Excalibur from it. Saint Columba died upon the stone on Iona, and Kenneth mac Alpin was crowned King upon the stone at Scone, as were all the Kings of Scotland thereafter.

Arthur and Macbeth trade stories about their pasts over Nightstone's Coffee. They make a toast to immortals.

Arthur explains that he and Griff have searched fruitlessly for Merlin, so they returned to London where Arthur has been researching his own exploits.

Lexington talks to Staghart and Constance about the London Clan, which is revealed to have 196 members, 25 eggs, but no gargoyle beasts. Mated pairs in the clan are only allowed two eggs a lifetime to keep the population under control.

The Story

November 14, 5:40 AM, GMT. "Welcome to Knight's Spur," says Griff, gliding over an English stately home in the middle of a forest, with gargoyle silhouettes surrounding it.

November 15, 12:05 AM, GMT. Hudson and Coldsteel do battle.

November 4, 5:35 AM, EST. Vinnie eagerly boards Flight 994 for Japan.

November 15, 10:02 AM, GMT. Atop Coldstream Bridge, someone calls for the Bomb Unit - "now!"

November 8, 5:34 AM, EST. As they play chess, Shahrizad tells Thailog how, during their wandering in the desert, Moses supplied the Hebrews with water by striking Jacob's Pillow. Thailog points out the discrepancy with her earlier story, in which Moses gave the Stone to Gathelus and Scota before the Exodus took place. Shahrizad is unrattled, and simply goes on to tell another tale from the Stone of Destiny's history - how the prophet Jeremiah and Princess Tamar Tea Tephi of Judah brought the Stone to Ireland, where Tamar married King Eochaid. Jeremiah gave the king the Stone as Tamar's dowry; Eochaid set it up at Tara and named it the Lia Fail.

November 13, 11:51 PM, GMT. King Arthur and Macbeth now recognize each other. Macbeth explains that he came to London to protect the Stone of Destiny.

September 29, 1040. Macbeth is crowned King of Scotland upon the Stone of Destiny....

September 29, 500. ...just as the young Arthur Pendragon was crowned upon the Stone by King Pelles, over five hundred years earlier.

November 13, 11:53 PM, GMT. King Arthur and Macbeth realize that they share the same cause - then also realize, to their alarm, that their gargoyle allies will be fighting each other.

November 13, 11: 52 PM, GMT. Fortunately, Griff has recognized Hudson and Lexington, and peace has prevailed.

November 12, 10:00 PM, GMT. Xanatos pulls out a device from his jacket and presses its button.

November 14, 5:28 AM, GMT. Macbeth tells Lexington and Hudson to go with Griff, while he and King Arthur keep watch in the daytime.

November 14, 7:48 AM, GMT. At a coffee shop in London, Arthur and Macbeth swap tales about their pasts. "So here's to the immortals," says Macbeth. "There aren't many like us."

November 9, 5:36 AM, EST. Shahrizad tells Thailog how the Lia Fail refused to acknowledge Lugaid Red-Stripe, a claimant to the throne, as King of Ireland. Lugaid's friend Cu Chullain was so furious that he struck the Stone of Destiny in half with his great spear, the Gae Bolga.

November 14, 5:33 AM, GMT. Griff explains to Hudson and Lexington that they're going, not to the Into the Mystic shop in Soho, but to Knight's Spur. He introduces them to the other two London gargoyles, Constance and Staghart. Staghart states that his friends call him Amp. "Nobody calls you Amp, luv!" says Constance.

November 15, 12:06 AM, GMT. Lexington shouts to Staghart, "Amp! Look out!", and shoves him out of the way of Coyote's attack. The gargoyles are fighting a group comprised of Coldsteel, Coyote, a Steel Clan robot and and Iron Clan robot. Griff asks why the last two resemble Goliath; "Long story," replies Lexington.

On the ground below, Macbeth and King Arthur are watching the aerial battle. Macbeth recognizes the robots as Xanatos's work, and concludes that Xanatos must be after the Stone - but that the robot attack seems to be a diversion. He then realizes that Arthur is gone.

November 10, 5:37 AM, EST. Shahrizad tells Thailog how Prince Fergus, when he led his people to the southwest of Scotland to found the kingdom of Dalriada, took half the Stone of Destiny with him. On the way to Scotland, he came to the castle of Carbonek (or, more accurately, it came to him), where Merlin and King Pelles persuaded him to lend them the Stone. They took it to London, where the young Arthur drew the sword Excalibur from it and thus became King of Britain.

November 14, 6:32 PM, GMT. At Knight's Spur, Hudson meets with King Arthur and Macbeth in the library. Hudson asks Arthur about his quest for Merlin; Arthur explains that he and Griff had searched for the famous wizard in "all the obvious places", but without success. So Arthur is researching both Merlin and himself; among the books he's consulted is Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. Hudson remarks "So many books... are any of them true?" "All things are true," Arthur replies, "few things are accurate." Macbeth agrees.

November 14, 6:32 PM, GMT. Meanwhile, as Lexington, Griff, Constance and Staghart watch over Westminster Abbey, Lex asks how many gargoyles are in the London clan. Griff replies that there are a hundred and ninety-six, with Old Pog being the eldest....

November 14, 7:20 AM, GMT. The London gargoyles, as well as Hudson and Lexington, stand atop the roof of Knight's Spur in stone sleep.

November 14, 6:34 PM, GMT. ...and Lunette and her rookery siblings being the youngest. Lexington asks if the clan has eggs; Griff replies that they have twenty-five. "So few," comments Lexington sadly. Constance explains that they keep the eggs' numbers deliberately low to avoid outgrowing their home; they only have two eggs per female, forcing each female gargoyle into confinement when the time comes to lay the third egg. Lexington is unsettled by that revelation.

He then asks Constance and Staghart if they are mates; they amusedly reply that they're only "mates" in the British English sense (i.e., friends), not in the biological sense. Lexington changes the subject to gargoyle beasts; Griff sadly informs him they have none.

November 11, 5: 38 AM, EST. As they play chess again, Shahrizad tells Thailog about St. Columba, who tamed the Loch Ness Monster, and later passed on at Iona, his head resting upon the Stone of Destiny (which Merlin and King Pelles had brought to Iona after Arthur was crowned King).

November 15, 12:00 AM, GMT. Hudson rejoins the other gargoyles in their vigil at Westminster, only for them to be attacked by Coyote, Coldsteel, and the two Clan robots. The other gargoyles take to the skies to fight the robots, while Hudson battles Coldsteel upon the Palace of Westminster's rooftop.

November 15, 12:08 AM, GMT. Coyote offers to leave the gargoyles alone if they vacate the area. "Dream on, you electric sheep!" cries Lexington, stating that they won't leave until they find out what Xanatos and Fox are up to.

November 7, 2:41 PM, GMT. Fox purchases a pair of shoes at a shoeshop in London.

November 12, 5:39 AM, EST. Still playing chess with Thailog (and checking him, to his annoyance), Shahrizad tells how Kenneth mac Alpin, first King of Scotland and a descendant of Prince Fergus, was crowned upon the Stone of Destiny at Scone - as would all the other Kings of Scotland (including Macbeth) for the next four centuries.

November 15, 12:09 AM, GMT. Coyote responds to Lexington's defiance by zapping him. Staghart catches him in mid-air. Griff uses his "lightning gun" to shoot an arm off the Iron Clan robot. Constance is delighted - but has her own way of literally disarming a hostile robot, by ripping the arms off the Steel Clan robot.

Coldsteel mockingly suggests treating Hudson to the same fate - only here he'd be ripping an arm off a flesh-and-blood being. He wraps his tentacles around the old gargoyle's sword-arm, but before he can pull the arm off, a blast of fire from above severs the tentacles. Coldstone and Coldfire hover over their heads, as Hudson and Coldsteel stare up at them; the intervention that saved Hudson was their doing. Staghart, still holding Lexington, asks "Anyone order up the kitchen sink?"

Review

By Todd Jensen

"Rock & Roll" continues the saga of the Stone of Destiny, begun in "The Rock". We learn more about the Stone of Destiny's history (all the way down to 843 at least), and see the present-day struggle over it continue, with a few unexpected turns – and all still in the same non-linear style of "The Rock".

"The Rock" ended with Macbeth, Hudson, and Lexington seemingly threatened by King Arthur and a few London gargoyles. Fortunately, Arthur quickly learns that Macbeth shares his concern over the Stone of Destiny's safety, and since Griff is one of the London gargoyles on the scene, Hudson and Lexington are soon making friends with the new gargoyles. These are Constance (nicknamed "Coco") and Staghart (nicknamed "Amp" – though only Lexington calls him that). Both are lively young gargoyles; Coco, in particular, is a fine warrior, able to disarm (literally) a Steel Clan robot in aerial combat (outdoing Beowulf in his battle against Grendel by pulling both arms off). Staghart and Lexington have quickly developed into close friends.

We learn more about the London Clan as well, and that the Into the Mystic shop is not their only property. The bulk of them live in the country estate of Knight's Spur. And they are a numerous clan – so numerous that they have to set up breeding strictures to prevent overpopulation. They also have no gargoyle beasts (the way that Griff reveals this almost suggests there is a story there).

Arthur, in the meantime, is clearly developing from an enemy to Macbeth (as in "Avalon" Part Three and "Pendragon") into a friend and ally. The two of them share their thoughts over coffee on being immortal medieval kings in the modern world, and stand vigil over the Stone of Destiny together – until Arthur mysteriously disappears. We also learn that Arthur, unable to find Merlin, has taken to studying the legends about himself and his famous advisor, in order to gain guidance.

Speaking of legends, Shahrizad is still narrating the backstory of the Stone of Destiny to Thailog – who points out some of the inconsistencies in her account. (Shahrizad has provided a second version of the Stone's history in biblical times; now she claims that Moses took it with him during the Exodus rather than entrusting it to Gathelus and Scota, that it was the stone he struck to provide the Israelites with water, and that it was brought to Ireland by the prophet Jeremiah some centuries later.) Shahrizad, however, is not at all fazed by Thailog's response, and he has to back down in the end. Shahrizad also tells how Cu Chullain split the Stone in half during a rage, how Prince Fergus took it with him to Ireland, and how the Stone became part of the young Arthur's Sword in the Stone feat. (We even see Merlin clearly for the first time in the comic – though in flashback form – and that he's wearing a cowboy hat. Merlin is also portrayed as partners with King Pelles of Castle Carbonek, entering the Gargoyles Universe for the first time.) Shahrizad also reveals the Stone's links to Saint Columba (already connected to the Gargoyles Universe through his taming the Loch Ness Monster) and Kenneth mac Alpin, the founder of Scotland.

Back in London, the gargoyles find themselves attacked by Xanatos' forces: not only Coldsteel and Coyote 5.0, but also two Steel Clan robots – or rather, a Steel Clan robot and an Iron Clan robot (apparently left over from "The Gathering" Part Two). (Evidently Xanatos is not worried about the gargoyles discovering that he's behind the threat to the Stone of Destiny.) While Griff and Coco take out the Steel Clan robots, Lexington is injured by Coyote, and Hudson almost maimed by Coldsteel – but fortunately, Coldsteel's designs on the oldest member of the clan are foiled by the arrival of Coldstone and Coldfire on the final page....

We still have many questions yet to answer. Why has Arthur disappeared? Why are the Illuminati and Xanatos interested in the Stone of Destiny (assuming that it's their real goal)? What is the significance of Xanatos pushing a red button on November 12? And what does Fox buying shoes have to do with all this? "Rock of Ages", the next issue, should (we hope) provide solutions for all (or almost all) of these mysteries.

Featured Characters and First Appearances

Gargoyles	Humans	Others
Griff Hudson Coldsteel Thailog Constance Staghart Lexington Demona (Mentioned Only) Goliath (Mentioned Only) Old Pog (First Appearance, No Lines) Lunette (First Appearance, No Lines) Coldstone Coldfire (No Lines)	Vinnie Grigori Coldstream Guards Shahrizad Moses (No Lines) Gathelus (Mentioned Only) Scota (Mentioned Only) Jeremiah (First Appearance, No Lines) King Eochaid (First Appearance, No Lines) Tamar Tea Tephi (First Appearance, No Lines) King Arthur Pendragon Macbeth Findlaech (Mentioned Only) David Xanatos (No Lines) Cu Chullain (No Lines) Lugaid Red-Stripe (First Appearance, No Lines) Prince Fergus (First Appearance, No Lines) Pelles (First Appearance, No Lines) Merlin (First Appearance, No Lines) Saint Columba (First Appearance, No Lines) Fox Kenneth mac Alpin (First Appearance, No Lines)	Coyote 5.0 Iron Clan Steel Clan Loch Ness Monster

Places	Miscellaneous
Knight's Spur Tara Dalriada Tintagel Castle Carbonek	Nightstone's Coffee

Quotes

• "Brave words for a metal ghost!" - Hudson

• "Been sleep-walking for nine hundred thirty-nine years." - Macbeth

• "Guess I got the better bargain." - Arthur

• "So here's to the immortals-there aren't many like us..." - Macbeth

• "<Hmph> watch who you're callin' a yank, lass..." - Hudson

• "My friends call me Amp!"

"Nobody calls you Amp, luv!" - Staghart and Constance

• "All things are true...few things are accurate." - Arthur

• "Dream on, you electric sheep!" - Lexington

• "Would you prefer I lost on purpose?"

"I'd fire you if you did." - Shahrizad and Thailog

• "Like I need the gun." - Constance

• "Anyone order up the kitchen sink?" - Staghart

Tidbits

Vinnie's flight to Japan is No. 994; 994 is the year of the Wyvern Massacre.

Most of Shahrizad's account of the Stone of Destiny's history is based on actual legends about it (including its links to Jeremiah and Tea, Cu Chullain striking it in half, Fergus bringing it to Dalriada, Columba dying beside it, and Kenneth mac Alpin and his successors being crowned upon it). Its identification as the Stone from the Sword in the Stone is entirely new (though it goes back all the way to "Pendragon"); we finally have the details for how that came about.

The apparent inconsistency in Shahrizad's story of how the Stone of Destiny came to Ireland (one version having Moses give it to Gathelus and Scota, the other having Moses keep it during the Exodus and Jeremiah and Tamar bring it to Ireland), which Thailog calls her on, foreshadows the revelation of the Stone's true nature in "Rock of Ages".

The date of Arthur's mortal wound and conveyance to Avalon, 542, comes from Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain.

Macbeth and Arthur's coffee cups are labeled "Nightstone's"; apparently either Demona or Thailog has decided to go into the coffee business. Their labels are written in the Gargoyles font.

Constance and Staghart's nicknames are references to the original comedy development of Gargoyles. Coco was at first the name for a heavy-set female gargoyle, the forebearer of Broadway; Amp was the name of Brooklyn's comedy counterpart (though he physically resembled Lexington more than Brooklyn). Later on, Hudson completes the references to the comedy development's trio when he addresses the other gargoyles as "lads and lassie"; Lassie was the name of the comedy precursor of Lexington.

One of the books that Arthur is consulting is Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, the famous 15th century English prose romance that has become the leading primary source for the Arthurian legend in modern times.

Arthur repeats Seline's famous line from "Avalon" Part Two (which Greg Weisman has quoted several times at Ask Greg), "All things are true", but adds to it "Few things are accurate". In 2010, he commented that the amended line is one of his personal favorite lines he's ever written. [1]

Lunette, one of the youngest members of the London Clan, is named after the Lunette of Chretien de Troyes' Arthurian verse romance Yvain, the Knight of the Lion. [2]

Lexington's cry to Coyote, "Dream on, you electric sheep!" is an allusion to Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Thailog and Shahrizad repeat (with some minor changes) Xanatos and Owen's exchange at the start of "The Edge", when Shahrizad asks Thailog if he would prefer she deliberately lost to him at chess.

When asked if they are mated to each other, Constance and Staghart deny it vigorously, but with a lighthearted tone of being very close friends.

Links

• On Sale at TFAW
• Chronological adaptation Chapter VIII

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