Shahrizad
Shari is a human female and a member of the ninth rank of the Illuminati. She is also Thailog's executive assistant.
History
For reasons not yet known, Shari infiltrated the Labyrinth on Halloween, 1996 and met Talon, Maggie and Claw, as well as Goliath and Brooklyn. Upon meeting the clones, she asked Al to tell her of their origins. ("Invitation Only")
After Thailog attacked the Labyrinth, and took back control of the clones, Shari volunteered to head to the Eyrie Building to warn Goliath. ("Masque") But, she was lying as she next showed up at Nightstone Unlimited and, after offering to become Thailog's new executive assistant, revealed to him that she was a high-ranking member of the Illuminati. ("Bash") Thailog brought Shari into his service and she began telling him a series of stories (generally shortly before Thailog turned to stone at dawn). ("Reunion", "The Rock", etc.)
She continues to spend time in the Labyrinth during the day. ("The Lost")
Characteristics
Shari (pronounced "Share-ee") is apparently a young woman of Arab ethnicity. [1][2] However, given the Illuminati's use of rejuvenation drugs, she may be older than she appears.
Shari has described herself as "partial to long stories" as well as a "storyteller". She has expressed the desire to be told stories by others (for example Al in the Labyrinth) and tell stories to others (for example Thailog). Shari usually begins her stories with the phrase "The story is told - though who can say if it be true - . . ."
Appearances
- "Invitation Only" (First Appearance)
- "Masque"
- "Bash" (Name provided)
- "Reunion"
- "The Rock"
- "Rock & Roll"
- "The Lost" (No Lines)
- "Rock of Ages"
Production Background
While Disney rarely found any issue to address in the Gargoyles comic, one critique was Shari's "The story is told . . ." introductions, which they felt was too awkward. Ultimately, the introductions were kept. [3]
While writing for the comic book, Greg Weisman mentally casts new characters so he can hear a voice. For Shari, his actor of choice is Zehra Fazal. [4] Zehra was even used as a real life model for Shari's design. Zehra played Shari in the 2009 Gathering Radio Play, "Religious Studies 101: A Handful of Thorns".
