Miracle Child
"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]
- Writer/Creator: Greg Weisman
- Pencil Artist: George Kambadais
- Color Artist: George Kambadais
- Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
- Editor: Nate Cosby
- Main Cover Artist: David Nakayama
Contents
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
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 |
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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
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Links
| << Previous Episode: "Here In Manhattan" Chapter Two: "Idyll or Nightmare" | Next Episode: "Here In Manhattan" Chapter Four: "Tale Old as Time">> |
