Into The Future
by: Mary "Stormy" Pletsch
Synopsis
The story opens with a wizard watching the Gargoyles appear in his cauldron. He says that he needs the Gargoyles' help for a hopeless- seeming campaign, but due to his ancestry they will not help him willingly. He needs one he can control...and chooses Venus (issue #6), bringing her back to life.
Elisa fights the Alley Killer. He makes her drop her gun; she makes him drop his knife. Hand to hand, he pins her until she reaches her broken heel (Issue #10) and slugs him under the jaw. She really beats him up. As she arrests him, he confesses to all the slasher murders... including the ones she arrested Adam Jones for.
As the Trio dodge trains in search of Bronx, Bronx has left the underground and turns up in...the South Bronx. He steals a donut from a drunk, who passes out again when he sees the gardog. A group of four kids are out late. The youngest one, PeeWee, is tagging after the others when he sees Bronx ("a monster pit bull!" he says) and feeds him chips before chasing after the other boys. Bronx is alone and confused.
Elisa tells Captain Chavez about the shaggy killer and admits to getting the wrong man in Adam Jones. She tries to turn in her badge but Chavez hands it back, saying she made a mistake because she was human, and humans made the best cops.
The Trio has arrived at the Bronx station by train-surfing. The drunk says "More monsters!" so they know they're on Bronx's tail. The kids go in an abandoned building to light firecrackers; Bronx senses danger. The leader, Weez, drrops a smouldering match and a fire starts, unknown to them. Bronx is going in after them when Lexington grabs him...
Elisa visits Adam Jones at Riker's Island to apologize for her mistake. Jones is bitter and refuses to forgive her. Elisa struggles with her guilt over what she did to Jones.
Bronx pulls free of the Trio and charges into the building, with Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington close behind. Each gargoyle grabs a kid and carries him to safety. They are about to go back in when Bronx charges through the wall with PeeWee clinging to his back. The gargoyles flee as the fire department arrives.
Back at the clock tower, Goliath comforts Elisa with the same words she told him after the egg incident (Issue #9, "...some things happen that you have absolutely no control over and can't be held responsible for." Goliath and Elisa are hugging when the Trio barge in with Bronx.
Review
Elisa's Story and Bronx Tale complement each other well. Had they been published in separate issues, the former would have been too dark and disturbing, and the latter too frivolous. Together, they set each other off with their differing moods.
I liked the way Elisa was able to hold her own in a fight with the Alley Killer--now THAT's a heroine! Chavez' and Jones' reactions were both realistic, so that while Elisa hasn't lost her badge she does have some guilt to work through. The hug at the end was very touching. Bronx Tale, while not very substantial, was a nice break in mood and considerably better than the Goliath Chronicle of the same name.
Credits
- Writer
- Mort Todd
- Letterer
- John Costanza
- Colourist
- Anthony Tollin
- Editor
- Hildy Mesnik
Elisa's Story
- Penciler
- Amanda Conner
- Inker
- Alberto Saichamn
A Bronx Tale
- Penciler
- Grant Miehm
- Inker
- Bob Downs
Into the future....
Ended up being an ironic title, as this was the last issue of Gargoyles ever published. The next story was to be called "The Day the Sun Kissed the Earth" and feature the return of Venus. The wizard's remark about his ancestry made me wonder if he was a descendant of the Archmage, but this question, and what his desperate mission was, were never answered. There was also to be an upcoming story focusing on Brooklyn.