Nightwatch (episode)

Gargoyles #1 by Greg Guler & Stephanie Lostimolo

Nightwatch is the first issue of the Gargoyles comic by SLG, and Chapter One of the Clan-Building story arc. It was released on June 21, 2006. 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 2004.

Crew
Writer/Creator: Greg Weisman Pencil Artist: David Hedgecock Color Artist: Will Terrell Art Director/Cover Pencil Artist: Greg Guler Cover Color Artist: Stephanie Lostimolo

Solicitation

Released from a medieval Scottish curse, the Gargoyles now live in the rooftops of Manhattan. But all is not safe for them — a mysterious organization called the Quarrymen are determined to see them all obliterated. The gargoyles must rely on each other and their human friends to turn the tide of public sentiment and show that they can live peacefully with humanity. Gargoyles is a FULL COLOR comic book series based on the Disney Afternoon animated television series. Written by series creator Greg Weisman.

Summary

Main Plot

Manhattan is unsure of what to make of the gargoyles since they've been exposed. John Castaway starts the Quarrymen organization, further fueling hatred and fear of the gargoyles throughout the populace. Goliath is upset and frustrated, and goes to receive comfort from Elisa. His stone form is spotted on her balcony by the Quarrymen Banquo and Fleance, who attempt to smash him, but Elisa is able to stall them until he wakes up. Goliath and Elisa flee with the Quarrymen helicopter right behind them, and Goliath's wing is hit mid-flight by a direct hit from the helicopter.

Subplots

Matt Bluestone covers for the gargoyles with the media and Captain Chavez.

The gargoyles express their unease with living at the Castle with Xanatos.

Goliath is shot at by Art en route to Elisa's apartment.

Vinnie Grigori joins the Quarrymen, but is somewhat wary of Castaway's tactics.

Vinnie has been offered a job in Japan.

The Story

A television screen shows residents of Manhattan being interviewed about gargoyles. First, Sarah Browne expresses her fear of the gargoyles and expresses concern for her children. Next, a Jogger wonders what they are. Dinosaurs or aliens or demons, perhaps? He suggests capturing and dissecting a gargoyle to find out. Finally, Vinnie Grigori tells how he lost his job because of the gargoyles and in return hunted one down and got revenge. The screen shifts to the Nightwatch logo and the program is introduced by its host, Travis Marshall. He is continuing his coverage of the newly revealed gargoyles that are living among the citizens of New York. Showing footage of gargoyles fleeing from the destruction of the Clock Tower, Marshall expresses the the once popular urban myth is now proven to be an urban reality. He introduces his guest on the program, Detective Matt Bluestone, the head of the NYPD's Gargoyle Taskforce. He asks Bluestone if the gargoyles are dangerous. Matt is glad he asked and points out that there is no evidence that the gargoyles are a threat and asks that the public remain calm. Marshall then asks if there is any truth to the rumors that David Xanatos is harboring the gargoyles at the Eyrie Building. Bluestone only reports that all leads are being investigated. "Mr. Xanatos could not be reached for comment." Travis Marshall reports.

At Castle Wyvern, as a dark helicopter circles outside, Hudson switches the TV off from the Nightwatch program. He is sitting in the Castle's TV Room and is accompanied by Goliath, Brooklyn, and Xanatos. Hudson asks what Xanatos will say when he is contacted and the human brushes the concern off. He'll think of something. He leaves the room. "Welcome home." Brooklyn wryly says to his leader.

Outside, two humans dressed in black hang out of the helicopter. They scan the turrets of the castle below and see no sign of any gargoyles. They quickly depart so they won't be late for Castaway's "big meeting". As the helicopter veers off, Goliath, Hudson, and Brooklyn emerge from the Castle's highest tower. Brooklyn wonders if the clan can really trust Xanatos. Goliath thinks that they can trust him enough to not destroy them while they sleep and Hudson agrees: Xanatos would never be so wasteful. Brooklyn is unsure and again presses that Xanatos is perhaps just preparing for another scheme. Goliath, angry, snaps at Brooklyn. Is the younger gargoyle suggesting that they leave? Where would they go? Brooklyn quietly backs down and the three gargoyles stand in silence. After a moment, Goliath opens his wings and prepares to depart. Alarmed, Hudson and Brooklyn point out that it'll be sunrise soon and the situation could be worsened if Goliath is spotted. Goliath only tells them that he is going to see Elisa. Hudson and Brooklyn wish him well as Goliath glides off.

Moving among the skyscrapers of Manhattan, Goliath is suddenly surprised to find himself the target of a man with a shotgun. Several shots ring out, but none hit the gargoyle. The man calls for his wife as Goliath dives down towards him. Now at point blank range, the man finds himself out of ammo! He ducks behind the window frame in fear, but nothing seems to happen. His wife asks what happened and the man wonders if he got the gargoyle, or scared him off at least. "Gargoyles do not scare easily." says Goliath perched on the building above the window. He tells the man that they are not enemies and he has nothing to be afraid of either. The gargoyle takes the man's gun and bends the barrel into a spiral. The man understands and Goliath allows him to keep his weapon. The gargoyle takes off into the night as the man looks at his weapon stunned.

Goliath glides above Vinnie who is walking down the street. Vinnie is trying to find an address and is struggling. Finally, he finds the correct building. John Castaway is there to greet him and introduces himself. Castaway was impressed by Vinnie's interview on Nightwatch and thinks Vinnie might be just the kind of person to join their group. They enter the building and as the door shuts behind them, a stylized hammer insignia in the shape of a 'Q' is revealed on the door.

Meanwhile, Goliath arrives at Elisa's Loft, but she is alarmed. It isn't safe for him to be seen right now. Goliath wonders when they will ever be safe from those that don't even think they have a right to exist.

At the same time, Castaway's big meeting has begun. He addresses the large crowd that has assembled. He knows they are reasonable people, but this is not a reasonable world, he explains. Violence, racism, and injustice are all struggles for them and now something new and horrible has entered their world: Gargoyles! He pulls a sheet off off a huge, menacing, stone gargoyle. Castaway assures the shocked crowd that they are not alone in fearing this creature.

At Elisa's Loft, Goliath explains to Elisa that he feels so alone. Every time he and his clan reach a time of safety and stability, it is destroyed. He reminisces about the Wyvern Clan living at peace with the humans until they were betrayed and most of his clan was destroyed. Those left were frozen in stone by a magic spell for a thousand years before finally being awoken in Manhattan. There, he explains, they were driven from their home by enemies old and new. Over time, and thanks to Elisa's friendship, they established a new life at the Clock Tower with Manhattan as their protectorate. But, again, it abruptly ended with the Clock Tower's destruction and the gargoyles being revealed to the world. Now they find themselves back at their ancestral home, but only under an uneasy truce with Xanatos and, further, the humans will give them no peace. Elisa tells him that they are both tired. Things will be better after they get a "good day's sleep". And, if not, the following night is her night off. They'll use the time to make things better.

Back at Castaway's rally, the man is riling up the crowd with threats of gargoyle attacks and kidnappings. He insists that the crowd is not alone and the people are pushed into a frenzy. If they believe the gargoyles must be stopped, they are not alone and they should join him and become Quarrymen! He dons a black hood. As Goliath turns to stone on Elisa's balcony as the Sun rises, Castaway invites the crowd to take a hood and a hammer from crates he has provided. They are Quarrymen now! As most of the rowdy crowd takes up hoods and hammers, Castaway again reminds them that they will never be alone again. He activates his hammer which crackles electricity and glows brightly. He uses it to shatter the head of his stone gargoyle.

The Sun rises over the ruins of the Clock Tower. Construction crews work around the building as Maria Chavez climbs the ramp up to the doorway of a temporary office trailer. She enters and finds Matt Bluestone working at her desk. He is surprised to see her back at work. She asks what she has missed regarding the gargoyles situation. Bluestone admits that a lot of people are scared. Chavez wonders about the Xanatos angle and Matt stammers out he and Elisa have both been up to the Castle and have found nothing "unusual". Chavez asks where Detective Maza is.

Later that day, Cagney wakes up Elisa by begging to be fed. Elisa feeds her cat and looks out the window at the sleeping form of Goliath. She tells him that she'll be showered and dressed before he wakes up.

As Elisa goes to get ready, the Quarrymen Helicopter arrives above. They've found another gargoyle. One Quarryman remarks that it is probably just another statue, but via radio Castaway orders them to take no chances. They must destroy it. He is coming with backup. The Quarrymen move in.

At the Quarryman Brownstone, Castaway orders his people to hurry. They must make it there before dusk. Vinnie arrives. He tells Castaway that someone else saw him on TV and offered him a security job in Japan! Castaway ignores this and implores Vinnie to join them on their assault against a gargoyle since he has hunted them before. Vinnie admits that all he did when he did confront a gargoyle was to hit it with a banana cream pie. He doesn't know if all the hammer stuff is necessary. As Castaway dons his black hood, he asks Vinnie to come along in order to see the necessity. Vinnie joins the Quarrymen in their van and they all depart.

Elisa is ready for her date with Goliath as soon as the Sun begins to set. She notes that the helicopter above is annoying. However, her annoyance quickly turns to alarm when she sees a masked human bearing a hammer climbing down from the helicopter on to her balcony. She screams in fear. The Quarryman activates his electric hammer and prepares to destroy Goliath. Suddenly, Elisa slams into him and the hammer falls to the ground at Goliath's feet. She and the Quarryman fight and Elisa loses a shoe. The masked man notes that she wouldn't be fighting so hard if the gargoyle wasn't the real thing. That'll make smashing him all the sweeter. Elisa angrily continues to battle him. He begins to call her an awful name, but she punches him in the face and tells him to shut up. He is unconscious and Elisa pauses to catch her breath. She reaches for the fallen hammer, but finds herself in a spotlight. A female Quarryman points a gun at her from above and demands she back away from the hammer. As the make Quarryman recovers, his companion tells him to finish what he started. He picks up his hammer, but it is too late. The Sun has set and Goliath's stone skin crackles. He bursts awake with a roar! Elisa calls out a warning as the Quarrymen attempt to hit him with both hammer and bullets, but Goliath avoids their attacks and quickly takes them down. Elisa rushes to Goliath's side and the pair ask each other if the other is all right. Before either can answer, laser fire zaps around them. The helicopter is firing on them. Goliath scoops up Elisa and launches himself into the night. Stopping only to retrieve the two Quarrymen from the balcony, the helicopter gives chase. Despite doing his best to avoid the laser shots, the helicopter's targeting system hones in and fires. Goliath is hit in the cheek and another shot pierces his wing! He roars in pain.

"Welcome back," reports Travis Marshall.

Review

By Todd Jensen

The first new Gargoyles story from Greg Weisman in almost ten years, "Nightwatch" relaunches the series in its new comic book form. While the story is familiar to those who saw "The Journey" (the only episode that Greg wrote for The Goliath Chronicles), there are still enough twists in it to make it an enjoyable experience.

"Nightwatch" is set in the immediate aftermath of the events in "Hunter's Moon" Part Three, as New York City reels under the revelation that gargoyles actually exist. While Travis Marshall talks about the impact of this discovery on the air and even interviews Matt Bluestone about it, an apparent newcomer named John Castaway manipulates the frightened citizenry into joining his organization, the Quarrymen, and Goliath, troubled over this turn of events, goes to visit Elisa, seeking solace from her. These last two threads soon join when the Quarrymen discover Goliath roosting outside Elisa's apartment...

Tension is in the air throughout this issue. We see just how on edge the people of Manhattan are when Art (the restaurant-owner from "Protection") opens fire on Goliath when the latter glides past his apartment window (leading to one of Goliath's rare jokes, when he tells Art that he can keep his gun - after twisting it into a spiral shape), and then when the audience at Castaway's meeting eagerly snatch up hoods and hammers at the end of his speech. But there is more than even that. After the destruction of the Clock Tower, the gargoyles are living with Xanatos again - and wonder how much they can trust him (with good cause). At least they're in no danger of Xanatos killing them in their stone sleep, as Goliath and Hudson agree - but who knows what the Machiavellian businessman may be planning? We can expect the interactions between the clan and Xanatos to be much more complex than they were in The Goliath Chronicles.

One of the highlights of the issue is Castaway's recruitment speech, which is filled with delicious irony. He begins by talking to his audience about the troubles weighing upon them - "violence, racism, injustice" - all while urging them to join an organization that typifies all three of these. He asks them if they fear the gargoyles attacking them in their sleep or kidnapping their children; in the original sixty-five episodes of Gargoyles (and in this issue, for that matter), it's clear that gargoyles similarly fear (with good reason) humans attacking them in their stone sleep, and in "The Reckoning", Demona interpreted Princess Katharine and the Magus's rescue of the eggs as kidnapping. Finally, Castaway uses the word "alone" repeatedly throughout his speech; this gains all the darker a significance when we remember where we heard that word before in the television series - and which character it was linked to.

The Quarrymen are an element in Gargoyles that have suffered under a bad reputation up until now, largely through the clumsy use that The Goliath Chronicles made of them. One of its biggest blunders, in particular, was its choosing to make Castaway's followers almost entirely criminals, thugs, and mercenaries; this was a mistake in that it blurred the "racism and fear of the unknown" issue that was so critical to the Quarrymen's original conception. Since Goliath and his clan (the most prominent gargoyles in New York, and therefore the ones most likely to be targeted by the Quarrymen) are crime-fighters, the criminal element in New York would be after them anyway; their pursuit of the gargoyles would be no more a case of bigotry than the criminals in Gotham City trying to get rid of Batman or the criminals in Metropolis trying to get rid of Superman. The comic, on the other hand (like "The Journey"), clearly shows that Castaway's audience is made up of ordinary, well-intentioned, law-abiding citizens (even though he does have mercenaries like Banquo and Fleance working for him as well); I hope that this element will remain in the Quarrymen in the comics, and allow that organization more depth.

Vinnie, previously used for comic relief purposes in "Vendettas", is back, and still portrayed in the same humorous light as before (he has trouble reading his own handwriting, and his responses to Castaway's questions are out of sync with those of the rest of the crowd). But mingled in with this, we can see something more serious. Vinnie is already entertaining doubts about whether the Quarrymen really need to go to the lengths that they are going - something which, as any viewer of "The Journey" knows, will prove to be significant soon.

Elisa is there to help Goliath as usual, valiantly defending him against Banquo and Fleance when they show up to smash him in his stone sleep. (In a sign that the comic's S&P may be more liberal than those of the animated series, Banquo actually delivers a very crude insult at Elisa - which is cut off mid-word when she punches him a good one.) The comic ends on a cliff-hanger as Goliath and Elisa flee the Quarrymen in their helicopter, only for Goliath to be shot in the wing...

Featured Characters and First Appearances

Gargoyles	Humans	Others
Hudson Brooklyn Goliath Bronx Lexington (No Lines) Broadway (No Lines) Angela (No Lines) Demona (No Lines)	Sarah Browne Jogger Vinnie Grigori Travis Marshall Matt Bluestone David Xanatos Banquo Fleance Art Lois (Voice Only) John Castaway (First Appearance as John Castaway) Elisa Maza Hakon (No Lines) Owen Burnett (No Lines) Fox (No Lines) Macbeth (No Lines) Maria Chavez Taro (Mentioned Only)	Cagney

Places	Objects	Media	Miscellaneous
Art and Lois's Apartment Quarryman Brownstone	Quarryman Hammer	Nightwatch	Quarrymen Helicopter Quarrymen Quarryman Van

Quotes

• "What are they? Dinosaurs? Aliens? Demons? Maybe we should capture and dissect one." - Jogger

• "Do we understand each other?"

"Uh, yes, sir."

"Good. Then you may keep your weapon." - Goliath and Art

• "Can you believe it? Can't even read my own writing here." - Vinnie

• "Every time I think we have arrived at a safe and stable life--it is abruptly torn away!" - Goliath

• ". . . But now that our existence has been revealed to humanity . . . your race will give us no peace."

"You're tired. We both are. Things'll look better after a good day's sleep. And if not...well, tomorrow's my night off . . . We'll use the time to make things better." - Goliath and Elisa

• "When you wear our hoods, believe me . . . you are no longer alone!" - Castaway

• "Dirty monster loving wh––"

"Shut. Up." - Banquo and Elisa

Tidbits

While the comic follows the first half of "The Journey" closely, there are a few differences with the television episode, some due to re-incorporating rejected elements of Greg Weisman's original script, others due to new material specifically written for the comic. Among these are:

1. The television episode began with a monologue by Goliath about the consequences of the clan being exposed; the comic begins with various New York citizens being interviewed about the gargoyles.
2. Goliath's encounter with Art en route to Elisa's apartment is new material.
3. A brief conversation between Matt Bluestone and Captain Chavez over the gargoyle issue is also new for the comic.
4. Goliath reminiscing over the past troubles of his clan to Elisa was a specific invention of the comic, intended to explain the backstory of Gargoyles to people being introduced to the franchise.

Greg first mentioned that Castaway and Jon Canmore from the "Hunter's Moon" three-parter were the same man as early as 1997, a detail that would not be canonically confirmed until the SLG issue "Estranged" eleven years later. [1] There are, however, two hints of this in "Nightwatch": the first is his name, which fits the Canmores' pattern of aliases beginning with a hard C (Conover, Correy, Carter); the second is his Hunter's symbol (three red slashes), protruding beneath his Quarryman badge.

Many familiar "bit characters" appear in this issue. The New York citizenry being interviewed on the first page include the Jogger, Billy and Susan's mother, and Vinnie (who recalls his pieing of Goliath in "Vendettas"). Vinnie and Billy and Susan's mother are both at Castaway's meeting. Art encounters Goliath when the latter is on his way to Elisa's apartment (with Lois having an off-stage role in this scene). Banquo and Fleance, formerly Macbeth's henchmen, are now working for Castaway (maybe in part to get revenge for their past encounters with the gargoyles in "A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time" and "Pendragon"), another irony in light of his true identity and descent. And Travis Marshall discusses the gargoyle issue on the news.

On Voices from the Eyrie, Weisman commented how, in this issue, fans long assumed the character Sarah Browne was fully on board with the Quarrymen, but did not have a chance to clarify her reluctance until the Dynamite comic "Trick-Or-Treat" was written seventeen years later. (The animated sequence in the non-canonical "The Journey" may have played a role with this assumption.) [2]

According to Greg Weisman, the man in Japan who offered Vinnie a security job is Taro. [3]

In Goliath's reminiscences, we see Hakon about to smash a stone gargoyle, and in the panel representing the gargoyles' various adversaries, Xanatos, Owen, Demona, Fox, and Macbeth.

Goliath's line during those same reminiscences, "Now, here in Manhattan, the spell has been broken, and we live again!" is a quote from the narration during the opening sequence in Season Two.

See Also

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

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