Wes’s Guide to Gargoyles: Gargoyles #9

Welcome back my friends, to another Gargoyles comic book review.

We open in court with the judge making it clear that this is a hearing, not a trial. Goliath has been charged with no crime and no verdict of guilt or innocence will be rendered. The purpose of this hearing is twofold. First, they will be determining if Goliath possesses sentience and second, they will determine whether or not Goliath, and by extension, other Gargoyles, deserve the same rights and protections under the law as human beings. Goliath’s lawyer, Tobe Crest,  insists that the proceedings take place after sundown so Goliath may be present to aid in his defense. District Attorney and racist Bitch Margot Yale finds the very idea of “That Thing” being allowed to testify in court laughable, but Crest isn’t backing down. The judge allows Goliath Crest’s request.

Later, Matt Bluestone takes the stands to give his expert opinion that Goliath poses no danger to anyone. One interesting thing we learn in this scene is that Matt’s middle name is Menachem, a Hebrew name, which is a strong indicator that Matt is Jewish. I don’t know if this is news to anyone else, but I think it’s cool. We also reveal that this hearing will be televised, meaning that the world will be watching Goliath’s fate getting determined.

At Castle Wyvern, we see that it’s Lexington’s turn to take on narration duties, but this time around, there’s a unique twist on it. See, instead of traditional narration, we instead read Email correspondence between Lex and his British Deer-Headed boyfriend, Stagheart. Lex says that Goliath going before the court means that all Gargoyles are going on trial, and how he feels powerless to do anything other than sit there and watch.

As the hearing begins, Crest calls Halcyon Renard to the stands. Renard testifies that Goliath has been his close friend for two years and he can vouchsafe him to be an individual of admirable integrity and restraint, qualities that Renard feels that Goliath possesses in excess of most humans he knows. As to the question of Goliath’s sentience, Renard, as the world’s leading expert on artificial intelligence, says that determining sentience is his area of expertise and feels that Goliath’s sentience cannot be in question. So far so good, at least until Margot gets a chance to question the witness and drops a bombshell on everyone. Renard is the primary benefactor of the Gargoyle Task Force. An embarrassed looking Renard tries to explain himself, but suddenly begins coughing uncontrollably and is helped out of the courtroom by his assistant, Preston Vogel, apologizing to Goliath on his way out.

Next up, it’s time for Goliath himself to take the stands. The big guy explains his backstory as best he can. The crowd is astonished by the mere fact that Goliath can even speak, which, as Lexington notes is good for their case, but doesn’t exactly bode well for public perception of Gargoyles going forward. Margot takes the stands and tries to provoke Goliath by bringing up his troubled past with humans and how it’s natural that he’d want revenge. The big guy isn’t stupid and immediately recognizes what Margot is doing and states that he can keep his anger in check as well as any human. He also says that he does not demand revenge as many humans may in his situations since Gargoyle ways are not Human Ways. Margot turns this around on Goliath by saying that since Gargoyles are so different from humans, why should they qualify for the same rights. As Lexington says, score one for the Wicked Witch of the West Side.

What follows is testimony from various other stories witnesses including a Doctor, the prison guard at Riker’s from last issue and John Castaway, the David Duke of the Gargoyles Universe. Crest seems to be running out of options, and decides it’s time to play his trump card. Goliath seems angry about what Crest is about to do, but Crest insists on doing what’s best for his client. And so our comic ends with Elisa Maza taking the stands.

Despite no actual action in this comic, this was a very gripping issue. It’s clear that Weisman has been wanting to do this story for some time and I think so far the execution has been truly excellent. By the way, Elisa’s middle name being Nichelle, an obvious tribute to the late Nichelle Nichols, who voiced Elisa’s mother in the series, was a very nice touch. I also really liked the unique take on the narration this time around and it’s always great to see more from Lexington’s relationship. Next time, Elisa takes the stands and the Judge’s final verdict is rendered.