This is chapter 3, “Invitation Only.” We’re finally in the truly new and canon part of the comics. Here is where you’ll see the comics diverge from the Goliath Chronicles – for the better, I might add.
Miss last week’s? Read The Journey review.
Spoilers are in the 20/20 moments. Info from Ask Greg is in the According to Greg bits.
Gargoyles Clan-Building: Chapter Three: “Invitation Only”
Reason(s) for existence: Advance the story, forming a foundation for the next chapter. Show that House Xanatos is serious about making life better for the gargoyles. To reveal the Illuminati’s double-strike plan.
Main antagonist(s): Thailog, Illuminati
Time(s): October 31st, 1996
Location(s): New York City, New York, USA
We open with a shot of Xanatos’s desk contents. There’s an invitation he’s sent out, which talks about a Halloween masque at the Eyrie building.
Behind it, you’ll see something from the White House. I missed that the first few times reading this, since I just wanted to skip on to the good parts. But keep it in mind.
In David’s office, he and Fox are getting the kiddo into his Halloween costume while they listen to the news. The breaking news is that the most popular Halloween costume in the city is a gargoyle. Alex’s costume is also a gargoyle costume. A red one.
When I first saw it, I thought it was a little devil costume, which would fit, considering has pedigree, but there was no fork at the tip of the tail. Tie that with the costume report, and you know it’s a gargoyle.
We go to the gargoyle task force. Matt and Elisa are on it of course. Matt’s heading it up.
This is a part-time deal, so it’s not getting that much funding. No overtime for the members, I mean. Apparently the city doesn’t think the garg threat is that important. We’ve got two new detectives on the case, joining Officer Morgan and his partner Phil Travanti. We’ve seen Phil before, but we never knew his name. ADA Margot Yale is there, but she’s complaining there’s no Federal response.
Enter Martin Hacker, FBI liaison. I’m not sure why this is in the FBI’s jurisdiction, but this is in the 1990s, before we had a plethora of alphabet soup agencies for the supposed purpose of protecting us. The second he enters, Matt dismisses everyone. He knows Hacker is here for more than just the Fed gov’t’s interest in the gargoyles.
As everyone leaves, Morgan hits on Elisa, asking if she wants to go on a date. Now, he’s a bit older than she is, and an officer rather than a detective, so there’s that difference. But what she cites is that she already has someone, even though he responds he’s never seen this someone. This makes her think about how her life must look to others – and about the many ways she can’t have a “normal” relationship with Goliath.
You know, this makes me wonder what she thinks of the gargs living at the Eyrie with House Xanatos. I don’t mean if she thinks they’re safe. I mean, what her role in their life now is. At the clock tower, she was one of the only humans they trusted. She gave them protection and food. Now Xanatos and Co covers that role. Even when the gargs were still at the castle (while David was in jail), she acted somewhat as their protector. At least, she tried to. She wouldn’t have been able to do a darn thing if Xanatos wanted to off them during the day and she wasn’t there… I think she’s feeling a little lost about her new station in their lives.
Matt and Hacker speak in private. Matt identifies himself by a number: 36. That is, number 36 in the Illuminati. Hacker’s number is 32, outranking his protege. Hacker knows Matt is using the task force to run interference for the gargoyles. But don’t worry. The Illuminati wants to keep the peace between the humans and the gargoyles, since the two species aren’t ready for interacting yet. Or so they say.
At Manhattan General Hospital, Elisa is “fraternizing with the accused felon” Jason Canmore. Jason is in a prison-orange shirt. During my time working in hospitals, I don’t remember any of the prisoners wearing anything but a gown. He is handcuffed to the rails, though, which is accurate.
He’s sorry Elisa has to come see him. He says she shouldn’t settle for anything less than a man who can give her everything she’s wanted. Um, those unicorns don’t exist, fyi.
This relieves her of any duty she might have felt to keep up the relationship they had before…everything came into the open. As if him turning out to be a Hunter wasn’t enough?
Later that night, Elisa waits for the gargoyles to wake up. Lex and Broadway are thrilled it’s Halloween again. Angela doesn’t know about Halloween, the poor girl. But Fox is more than happy to show her why it’s the best holiday ever.
Inside the Great Hall, Fox has brought the clan’s costumes. Hudson and Bronx aren’t going, but everyone else is.
Lexington is a little bit suspicious of Fox, but she reassures him.
Angela is even more uncertaint than Lex, but for a different reason: she doesn’t know why they’re allowing strangers into the castle when everyone is up in arms against the Gargoyles. Broadway explains it’s because humans will think the real gargoyles are people in gargoyle costumes.
Xanatos is watching all this from the sidelines.
Owen alerts his boss of a visitor.
Meanwhile, up on the parapet, Elisa is explaining that she needs balance and normalcy in her life. She wants the 1960’s version of the American Dream: house, yard, picnics on Sunday afternoons, kids. This is odd. She’s never talked about this before. I hadn’t pegged her as this sort of person, either. She’s a young detective in New York City! This “white picket fence” stuff is more the June Cleaver dream.
We cut back to Xanatos, who’s meeting his guest, Martin Hacker. The agent shows his badge – and his Illuminati ring. David identifies himself as a number 36, the same rank as Matt. Xanatos tries to hurry Hacker along, still trying to affect dominance in a situation where he’s talking to his superior, despite the differences in their mundane life’s social standing.
Martin brings up the party and Xanatos’s plan to introduce humans to the gargoyles. He knows that when the gargoyles come into their own, the people who are at the party won’t be able to condemn them, because they spent the entire Halloween evening partying with them.
The Illuminati approves of this.
Then Hacker drops the bomb: David will not be going to his own party. Okay, this is akin to canceling Christmas for Xanatos. This takes David by surprise, since he figured the Illuminati would want him to be there. But per usual, David takes the cancellation with calm. He replies with the somewhat-salty “Why banish me?”
Ah, it’s not a banishment, though! If he’d talked to Mr. Duval, he’d know this. But he didn’t. He has another invitation, one that is very important. No word on what, though. Hint: the letter from the White House.
Upstairs, Elisa is breaking up with Goliath. Yes, you read that right. She actually uses the tired old line that they should “move on and see other people.” Exactly who is he supposed to see? She says she knows his “options are limited,” but she has someone in mind. And he knows who she is.
With that hanging in the air, we cut to Demona. She’s picking a jewel out of the rubble of St. Damian’s Cathedral.
Back at the castle, Goliath is going with Brooklyn to the Labyrinth.
At the Labyrinth, we get a backstory with the homeless guy Brooklyn once saved from Fang. He’s telling a new chick who doesn’t really look homeless that the gargoyles are coming.
When Goliath and Brooklyn arrive, the clones jump out as well. It’s meant to be scary, like they’re attacking.
The homeless guy goes on to tell New Chick about the gargoyles and Mutates. I love his rendition, which describes Xanatos only as a “rich dude” who wanted his own personal gargoyles. (Haha, and now he has them!)
The Mutates and Sevarius are mentioned, as well as Thailog. Thailog is in the account to continue the story of “rich dude” wanting personal gargoyles.
He also mentions Demona.
He goes on to introduce the clones, including Delilah, the hybrid of Elisa and Demona. He calls her a “mutt.”
Brooklyn appears pretty attracted to Delilah. No surprise, considering his interest in Demona. However, before he can say anything, Goliath steps in and invites her to go to the masque at the Eyrie Building.
At the Quarrymen headquarters, John Castaway is telling his people not to use hammers. They don’t want anything to happen – like Quarrymen killing a human in a gargoyle costume – that would tarnish the Quarrymen’s good name.
Hacker walks in. They identify themselves as Illuminati. John is also number 36.
The Illuminati has apparently invested in the Quarrymen. Hacker says the Illuminati wants the complete destruction of the Gargoyles.
Wait a sec, Hacker just told Matt that it’s not time for interspecies meetings, and he just told Xanatos the party’s a good idea, because when interspecies meetings does happen, the city’s elite will be forced to admit the guards were okay. Haha, playing both sides of the field, as Illuminati always does!
Back in the Labyrinth, Goliath returns. Or does he? No. It’s Thailog. And he’s brought toys.
Final Thoughts
It’s interesting to see Xanatos have to do what he’s told. However, he’s doing this for his own benefit. Being part of the Illuminati is no small feat. The benefits they supply are far beyond those of any other group. Still, anything that powerful is also dangerous. He needs to watch his step.
Speaking of steps, what’s Demona stepping into?
And what’s going on with Elisa? Why is she dumping Goliath? After all they’ve been through on the Avalon Tour, and also after getting home, you’d think they would never want to leave each other’s sight. It almost comes off as her wanting to distance herself from Goliath now that the world knows about him. No longer is she the special human who knows about the gargoyles and whom they trust. Now she’s in danger of possibly losing her job or running afoul of the Quarrymen. I know it’s not that, but it comes across that way to a certain extent.
But who will she go with? She can’t really go with Jason. He’s a felon, he’s still in the hospital. She can go with Morgan, I suppose. But work relationships are tricky.
I love seeing House Xanatos working together with the clan. Fox seems to be really digging it. It’s great to see her and her husband working as a close team. I imagine the gargoyles are quite the topic of conversation between them.
I wonder how the masque will go, now that David and his family won’t be there? I’m sure Owen can run it fine.
And where is Xanatos going? What invitation was Hacker talking about that was so hard to obtain?
And what about Goliath? Sure, he’s taking Delilah to the party, but how will everyone else perceive that?
Tune in Tuesday for the answers to our questions, and a major butt-kicking of someone you wouldn’t expect.
Thoughts? Comment!
“Speaking of steps, what’s Demona stepping into?”
Frustrating me for eleven years now, and counting. That’s what she’s up to.
That’s what fanfic is for!
Yeah… but I’d rather have Greg Weisman. No fanfic will ever come close.
True that.