As I mentioned previously, Season 2 of Gargoyles is when the series went from "pretty cool" to "so friggin' awesome I can't wait for the next episode when is it on already?!?". This volume collects the first 26 of the total 52 episodes for Season 2. As for the rest of the season, Disney hates their fans and consumers. I kid, of course, but seriously Disney, GET ON THAT.
Anyway, this season is awesome for several reasons. First, the cosmology and history of the series is expanded upon, creating a rich tapestry, so much so that they had SEVEN spin-off pitches. More importantly, this season is where they broke the rules. Traditionally in cartoons, the good guys win and the bad guys lose. In Season 2, however, there are episodes where that's reversed. The bad guys win sometimes, and the heroes have to face their failures. It's deep stuff. Similarly, the series' antagonists pretty much own this season. They're fleshed out, given origins and, more importantly, goals and even redeeming qualities. They may be bad guys, but they're not "bad guys". There are points in the show where I was more anxious to learn what happened to the villains than the heroes ("Xanatos and Fox are gonna have a baby? Whoa!").
The regular cast from the first season continues to deliver this season, and they're aided by a new cast member, Brigitte Bako as Angela, Goliath's long lost daughter, and a host of impressive guest stars, including Tim Curry, the late and great Mssrs. Darren McGavin, Robert Culp, and Paul Winfield, Sheena Easton (rrooawr!), James Belushi, a whole host of Star Trek cast members, and more.
As for special features, all episodes feature optional introductions from co-creator Greg Weisman, in which he gives a little background about the production of the episode. There's also a feature that... uh... features the voice actors, which is entertaining. Finally, there's commentary on the four-part "City of Stone" storyline, which is cool, as that's one of the series' better arcs. First, it's action packed and features the origins of not one but TWO of the series' main baddies. Second, it's educational. While in high school, way back in '96, we were reading MacBeth in my English class. "City of Stone" is ACTUALLY about MacBeth, and they were rerunning the arc on tv at the same time. I mentioned this to my teacher, and she had seen it and commended the show on the historical accuracy regarding the real MacBeth. So, parents, Gargoyles is not just an action-adventure series, but an educational action-adventure series.
All in all, Season 2 Volume 1 is FAN-FRIGGIN-TASTIC. If there are any holdouts who haven't picked this up yet because they're also waiting for Volume 2, well, it's been five years; if Disney will ever release (please God!), they need to think there's profit in doing so.
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