Gargoyles: Deadly Doubles
Gargoyles: Deadly Doubles is a 24-page adaptation of the episode "The Edge," published by Golden Books in 1996 and adapted by Marie T. Morreale. It is the second Gargoyles book published by Golden Books, the first book published the previous year.
Summary
The book closely follows the actions of the episode, beginning with the clan seeing Xanatos's interview on TV, and ending with Goliath and Elisa's final scene on the Clock Tower. The text is illustrated throughout the book with actual screen shots from the show.
The book simplifies the plot of the episode, largely by removing the first and last Xanatos scenes (the opening sparring session, and the "Xanatos Tag") and focusing almost exclusively on the gargoyles. As such, the red Steel Clan (referred to as "the robot leader" in the text) is never revealed to be Xanatos. However, the text does use the masculine pronoun "his" in reference to the leader's final escape ("His only way out was to make a fiery escape into the night"--pg 22), which may indicate that the adaptor was familiar with that plot element.
The two Xanatos scenes still present are likewise simplified. The book opens (after a backstory-scroll, see below) with the clan watching Xanatos's interview with Travis Marshall (here just referred to as "a reporter"--pg 2). The text just states that Xanatos has donated the Eye of Odin, Goliath "howl[s] with rage" (pg 2), and then the action moves to the Eye's theft by Xanatos in his armor. In his second scene (pg 14), corresponding to Goliath's confrontation with Xanatos atop the Eyrie Building, Xanatos reveals "his evil plan" to use his robots "to turn the city against the Gargoyles" so they would "be hunted like criminals," but unlike the episode, no mention is made of Xanatos offering them asylum (of his making) in his upstate research facility.
Other items of note:
- Since this book directly follows an adaptation of the first two episodes of "Awakening," a "scroll" on the first page tells the most basic backstory of the clan: being put under a spell (no stated reason why), awakening when Xanatos moved the castle, realizing that Xanatos is no good, and finding a safe home thanks to Elisa ("their new, true friend"--pg 1).
- With the exception of Owen (whose only scenes were cut), most of the supporting characters from the episode are included in the book. Matt Bluestone is present, but the text does not indicate that he and Elisa being partners is a new development, nor is any of his conspiracy dialogue included, or his vow to find out the truth about the gargoyles.
- While ostensibly a book for children, Matt still fires a gun at the escaping armored-Xanatos.
- Broadway disposes of one Steel Clan robot as per the episode (tricking it into crashing into Lady Liberty's tablet (pg 21), but the second one is just said to have been "overpowered" by Lexington and Brooklyn (pg 22).
