Miracle Child

Gargoyles #3 by David Nakayama

"Miracle Child" is the third issue of the Gargoyles comic by Dynamite Entertainment, and Chapter Three of the Here in Manhattan story arc. It was released on February 22nd, 2023. [1]

Crew
Writer/Creator: Greg Weisman Pencil Artist: George Kambadais Color Artist: George Kambadais Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry Editor: Nate Cosby Main Cover Artist: David Nakayama

Solicitation

Tensions are rising within the Manhattan Clan! Some Gargoyles believe that Xanatos is responsible for the recent kidnappings, while others consider him an ally. But all that will have to wait, because someone has initiated the Great Minds Protocol! Written by Gargoyles mastermind Greg Weisman with spectacular art by George Kambadais!

The Story

Broadway considers the situation that he finds himself in. Elisa Maza is part of the Manhattan Clan and that means they need to help her brother, Talon. Someone has kidnapped Talon's mate, Maggie the Cat who is pregnant with their child as well as the midwife, Mary. Coldfire has informed the clan that Owen Burnett overheard Elisa saying the baby was going to be born soon and likely informed his boss, David Xanatos (who isn't exactly reliable). Still, Broadway ponders, something does not add up. But there is little time to think. A furious Talon has Xanatos by the neck as Owen Burnett, Xanatos' wife, Fox, and his son Alexander Fox Xanatos watch on. Broadway had followed Talon to Castle Wyvern along with Elisa, Goliath, Angela, and Dr. Sato in order to confront Xanatos. Fox demands for her husband to be released and Broadway knows that due to Fox's magical heritage and lack of control of her abilities, this situation could get out of hand quickly. And they are not even really sure that Xanatos is involved anyway. Broadway considers himself an amateur detective and he is savvy enough to know that sometimes the most obvious suspect isn't the true culprit. And there is no sense judging a book by its cover. After all, that happens to the gargoyles all of the time.

Broadway suggests to everyone that they all calm down and Xanatos agrees. The man admits that Owen did tell him that Talon and Maggie were expecting, but he has nothing to do with her disappearance. Talon is still furious and refuses to believe this. Xanatos explains that he knows the pain of a child being stolen away. That isn't a line he would cross. Talon, still furious, cannot believe Xanatos. Goliath, however, does. Elisa tries to tell the gargoyle that he is being duped, but Goliath insists that after witnessing Oberon's attempt to take Alex, he knows Xanatos is innocent (of this crime, at least). Goliath tells Talon to release Xanatos and Talon finally complies. Still, he's naturally very concerned about his wife and child. Dr. Sato is concerned about Mary as well. Xanatos suggests they brainstorm the problem together.

Meanwhile, in the Nightstone Unlimited Building, Mary coaches Maggie to stay strong. Standing nearby, Thailog tells Sevarius that he is losing patience. Sevarius begins to consider other options, but is interrupted when Mary announces the baby is finally coming.

Back at the Eyrie Building, Xanatos notes that since the midwife was taken as well, the kidnappers obviously want a successful birth. So, who else might have an interest in the child? Everyone quietly thinks while Broadway and Elisa share a glance. Xanatos notes that the list can't be that long. Broadway offers Sevarius and Xanatos concurs. He isn't funding Sevarius though, so who is? "Has to be Thailog," Broadway adds. Talon, furious again, wants to know how they can find the clone. Owen Burnett is already on it and has performed a search. Xanatos, pleased, prepares to suit up in his armor.

Broadway, Coldfire, Xanatos, Goliath, Angela, and Talon move through the city by air as Elisa and Dr. Sato follow by car. Xanatos explains to the others that Thailog founded Nightstone Unlimited with Demona who appears not be involved anymore for one reason or another. Now "Alexander Thailog" is C.E.O. Broadway is surprised that Thailog chose the same name as an alias that Xanatos chose to name his son. "What can I tell you?" says Xanatos, "Great Minds and all that."

At the Nightstone Building, Brentwood notes the gargoyles' approach and Thailog orders him to initiate the Great Minds Protocol. From secret panels at four corners of the building emerge small drones that fly high above the building and, together, activate a force field. The gargoyles veer off before colliding with the field. Xanatos notes that once again Thailog has stolen from him. Still, he obviously has ways to disarm his own technology. He sets his armor's cannon to emit a sonic pulse and fires upon one of the anchor emitters destroying it. With one down, the field collapses. Coldfire uses her infrared vision to quickly locate the clones, humans, and mutate inside the building. Xanatos is glad to see that she is using the technology he gave her well and she tells him that he is very generous to those he seeks to exploit. "Ouch," replies Xanatos. He decides to lead the charge and blasts a hole in the building. As the gargoyles enter the skyscraper, Elisa and Dr. Sato have arrived. Clearly, they will need to find a different way in.

Inside, Talon and Maggie are relieved to see each other. Thailog wastes no time activating his forearm blades. He's ready for battle and swipes at Talon as Brentwood fires a bazooka at Xanatos. Mary points out that help has arrived, but Maggie's thoughts are elsewhere. Xanatos scolds his wayward son while firing a blast at Brentwood's weapon. Surely Thailog's three fathers raised him better than all of this?! Thailog suggests taking a poll and Sevarius is quick to voice his support. As the clone points out that the poll is tied, he rips off Coldfire's arm! The robot yells in pain and Angela is horrified. Goliath says nothing to voice his own thoughts and instead puts his clone in a headlock. Broadway and Angela use the opportunity to pull off his forearm blades. Meanwhile, Mary has delivered Maggie's child at last! It is a boy! Talon freezes, stunned, as Sevarius demands to examine the child. The battle stops. The room is still. Sevarius, discouraged, reports that a genetic test and visual observation confirms that the alterations to Derek and Maggie's DNA has not been passed on to their offspring. The child is completely human. Thailog is disappointed. He tells the his foes to take the child and leave.

Across town, Jack Dane, Huracán Sanchez, Choi Yingpei, Grisha Volkov, and Izaak Slaughter sit around a table and discuss the issue that concerns them all: the return of Dino Dracon. They are not friends or allies, Dane notes, but they do need a plan. Sanchez suggest just killing Dino if he steps out of line, but Yingpei points out that Dino doesn't take "steps". He's not incremental. Volkov agrees. He is a wave of problems. And that, Slaughter adds only brings in the cops, the government, and "the Grim Reaper". Dino, they all concur, is bad for business. They need a plan.

Later that night, the gargoyles and their allies have all returned to the Labyrinth. Shari is stunned to hear that Thailog just let them all go (aside from telling Xanatos that he would be sending a bill for the damage they caused!). Goliath asks about his sister's wellbeing. Coldfire, reaffixing her severed arm, reports that her nanotechnology will soon see her fully repaired. Dr. Sato finishes his examination of the new baby. The boy is healthy. Mary has no doubt of that. Neither does Diane Maza who has arrived with her husband. They are thrilled to be grandparents. Elisa asks if her new nephew has a name yet. Maggie informs them all that she and Derek wanted to name him after his two grandfathers. His name is Michael Peter Maza. Peter Maza is honored. Diane lets them know that their sister Beth will arrive tomorrow and Elisa adds that the rest of the clan will want to see Michael as well. Talon and Maggie are excited for everyone to meet their son. Considering the circumstances of his birth, Dr. Sato quips, Michael is something of a "miracle child". "Aren't they all?" Mary replies. Placing a talon on Angela, Goliath agrees. Broadway then embraces Angela. They are both thinking of their own future progeny. Suddenly, some voices beg to enter the room to meet Michael. Erin, Benny, Al, Claw, Thug, Burbank, Hollywood, and Malibu enter and rush forward impatiently to meet the new member of their clan. Maggie shows off her son proudly for a moment before taking her child to his bed. Broadway is pleased. This is what his clan fights for: family of all kinds.

Maggie places Michael in his crib and tells him to sleep knowing that he is loved. She leaves the room. Michael's eyes suddenly open and electricity crackles from them!

Review

This issue concludes the first story in the Gargoyles Dynamite series, Thailog's attempt to acquire Talon and Maggie's child.

The narrator this issue is Broadway, who brings his detective interests (shown earlier in "The Silver Falcon" and hinted at in "Protection") to the fore. Broadway suspects from the evidence – correctly – that Xanatos isn't the guilty party in Maggie and Mary's abduction after all. And Xanatos (naturally, as calm as ever, even when being grabbed by the throat by an angry Talon) leads the clan to work out who the real culprits are, leading to a confrontation with Thailog and Sevarius at Nightstone Unlimited.

The fight is short – it had to be, thanks to being introduced in the final act of the story – but has a few impressive moments. Thailog surrounds Nightstone Unlimited's headquarters with a force field sharing the design that Xanatos used against Oberon in "The Gathering". (Trust him to "borrow" Xanatos's methods.) This time, however, Xanatos neutralizes the defenses in a couple of pages, far more quickly than Oberon managed to overcome them. (Partly out of necessity, since, as noted above, there's far less room to devote to the fight. It fits Xanatos's nature, however, that he'd figure out a way to overcome his own systems in case they were used against him.) Thailog puts up a fight, using his blade defenses from "Bash", and even cuts off Coldfire's arm. (Fortunately, her nano-system allows her to speedily repair it.) And he can't resist taunting two of his three fathers, as ever (sparing only Sevarius, who's on his side).

What ends the fight is the revelation that Talon and Maggie's new-born son is human rather than mutate after all. Thailog, disappointed doesn't see the point in keeping him, and decides that Talon and Maggie can keep him after all. While it might seem a conveniently speedy solution, it does allow the necessary speedy resolution, and gives Thailog a believable reason to lose interest in the kidnapped child. (Experts on genetics in the Gargoyles fandom have pointed out, for that matter, that it's realistic that Talon and Maggie's son would not inherit their Mutate characteristics.) Although the final page reveals that Thailog and Sevarius were maybe too hasty in dismissing the baby....

The family gathering scene in the Labyrinth afterwards is a charming one, as Peter and Diane Maza get to meet their grandson. (This meeting, complete with a mention of Beth, and with Dr. Sato present, echoes "Deadly Force", but under much happier circumstances this time.) Derek and Maggie are proud parents, and Braodway and Angela snuggle together, as if reflecting on their own future offspring. Broadway himself reflects on the importance of family, a major theme in the series.

All is not well in Manhattan, however; the upcoming release of Dino Dracon continues to cast a shadow. Our heroes aren't aware of it yet, but the heads of New York's various gang factions are, as they uneasily hold a (literal) round table meeting to discuss the implications. It's clear that Dino is extremely dangerous – dangerous enough to alarm the leaders of the underworld with the disruption he will cause. And the preview of the next issue indicates that he'll be soon coming to the fore as a new adversary for the gargoyles . . .

The opening story is uneven in its pacing, with Thailog's kidnapping scheme not getting fully underway until the second issue (I suspect that if this had been a television episode, it would have been carried out by the end of Act One) and the rescue having to be carried out in just a few pages in this issue, but with many pages being needed to re-introduce the cast, it's understandable. (I suspect that the next story, for issues 4 to 6, will be able to get to the main events more quickly.) But it makes an enjoyable return to the Gargoyles Universe, and prepares the readers for a new adversary. (Greg Weisman seems to be using the same kind of introduction for Dino Dracon as he'd used for the Hunter in "City of Stone" Part One – which, by his own admission, he'd borrowed from the introduction of comic strip hero Steve Canyon – have people talking about him as someone to be reckoned with, before bringing him on-stage.) I look forward to the next issue.

Featured Characters

Gargoyles	Humans	Oberon's Children
Broadway Goliath Coldfire Angela Goliath Thailog Brentwood Demona (Mentioned Only) Burbank (No Lines) Hollywood (No Lines) Malibu (No Lines)	Elisa Maza Talon Fox Alexander Fox Xanatos Jay Sato Owen Burnett David Xanatos Mary Maggie the Cat Anton Sevarius Michael Peter Maza (First Appearance, No Lines) Jack Dane Dino Dracon (Mentioned Only) Huracán Sanchez (First Appearance) Choi Yingpei (First Appearance) Grisha Volkov (First Appearance) Izaak Slaughter (First Appearance) Shahrizad Diane Maza Peter Maza Michael Reed (Mentioned Only) Beth Maza (Mentioned Only) Claw Erin Thug Benny Al	Titania (Mentioned Only) Oberon (Mentioned Only)

Tidbits

Michael Peter Maza's first name, while treated in-story as taken from Maggie's father, was actually a tribute to Michael Reaves, one of the major writers for Gargoyles in its first two seasons.

Fox's magical abilities as Titania's daughter, last seen in "The Gathering" Part Two, re-surface; she seems prepared to use them when Talon threatens her husband. (Fortunately for Talon, the situation is resolved before she could unleash another bolt of magical fury.)

Broadway notes that Thailog's "first name alias" (introduced in "Sanctuary") of "Alexander" mirrors that of Xanatos's son.

When Dr. Sato declares Michael a "Miracle Child" given the odds of successfully delivering him, Mary's response of "Aren't they all?" echoes the exchange between Jeffrey Robbins and Hudson in "A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time".

Cover Gallery

See Also

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