Fiends In High Places

Gargoyles #1

"Fiends in High Places" is the first issue of the Gargoyles comic book published by Marvel Comics. It was released in February, 1995.

• Writing: Martin Pasko
• Drawing: Amanda Conner
• Man with the inks: Alberto Saichann
• Man with the letters: John Costanza
• Spraypaint: Greg Wright
• Heavy sweating: Hildy Mesnik
• Editor-in-chief: Tom DeFalco

Summary

Main Plot

Elisa goes undercover to work at a construction site where the workmen have been attacked by a gargoyle-like creature late at night. When she's attacked by the creature the following night, Goliath rescues her, and they notice that the creature appears to be robotic. They immediately begin suspecting that the creature is, in fact, a Steel Clan robot. When they encounter the creature again the next night, they discover that it's Demona wearing a robotic suit of armor which Xanatos has made for her. After a brief scuffle, Demona captures Elisa in the hopes of luring Goliath back to Xanatos' lab aboard a ship which has been docked in the harbor. Her plan is to kill him there, but Goliath and Elisa manage to destroy the laboratory and release several abducted workmen.

Subplots

The reason the workmen had been working at night is because a company called R.T.C. had decided it wanted its new corporate headquarters completed in just a few weeks, and had hired construction crews to work around the clock. Using the Internet, Lexington discovers that R.T.C. is owned by Xanatos Enterprises, and that Xanatos deliberately orchestrated the entire situation in the hopes of luring the gargoyles into investigating.

The reason Demona had been abducting the workmen was for Xanatos to use in his experiments, and also to lure the gargoyles to him. Although Demona had wanted to kill Goliath, Xanatos' plan was to use him in his experiments. In the end, Xanatos' head of the "Special Projects" division of Gen-U-Tech, Dr. Phobos (the comic-book counterpart to Dr. Sevarius from the canon material), realizes that he can accomplish his goals without a gargoyle.

Xanatos' scientists had developed a new weapon called a Neurophager, similar to a laser gun, but apparently more powerful. However, this technology caused Steel Clan robots to short circuit, which is why Xanatos needed Demona to work for him instead.

Tidbits

This issue contains a scene of Demona becoming upset when she realizes Elisa is still alive for the first time since Long Way To Morning - a scene which is conspicuously missing from the canon material.

This issue also gives a new dimension to Elisa's psychology behind not telling Matt about the gargoyles. According to her, another reason is because although Matt is obsessed with proving the gargoyles are real, she feels even he wouldn't believe in an ancient race that turns to stone during the day and was put to sleep for thousands of years by a magic spell. This is consistent with Matt's reaction in the canon episode Revelations, in which (even after finding out about Elisa's gargoyle connections) he still cannot understand why she brought him to the top of the Clock Tower to show him "statues."

This issue introduces Dr. Phobos, who is used as the comic-book counterpart to the canon material's Dr. Sevarius.

Unlike most comic books, this issue's (and future issues') narrator is not an omniscient narrator, but is Elisa Maza. This is somewhat inconsistent, in that the issue also depicts events which Elisa cannot possibly know about, such as meetings between Xanatos and Demona.

Although this is the first issue, it clearly takes place after the events of Long Way To Morning, well after Elisa meets the gargoyles, moves them to the Clock Tower, and so on. A small narration is given to catch the readers up to speed, similar to the one given in the first issue of the SLG Comic.

Links

• "Fiends in High Places" at the Avalon Archives

Followed by: "Always Darkest Before Dawn" >>