The Gargoyle

FROM THE ARCHIVES (Comics That Time Forgot)

The Gargoyle

# 1-4, Marvel Comics, 1985 (limited series)

J.M. DeMatteis: Writer
Mark Badger: Artist
Ken Bruzenak: Letterer
Bob Sharen: Colorist
Carl Potts: Editor
Jim Shooter: Editor-in-Chief

Search for "The Gargoyle" and "comic book" on the Internet, and you’ll turn up literally hundreds of links to a wide variety of fictional heroes, villains, and monsters. Marvel Comics itself has lended to the ambiguity by publishing comics with at least three different "gargoyle" characters: an Incredible Hulk super-villain, a cartoon tie-in, and a super-hero.

Marvel’s 1985 limited series The Gargoyle involved the last of these characters: Isaac Christians, an elderly man whose soul was somehow transported into the body of a semi-monstrous gargoyle creature. The Gargoyle, a long-time member of the famous non-group The Defenders, finally received a chance to star in his solo series by noted comics writer and co-creator, J.M. DeMatteis.

The Gargoyle does what every limited series should: it makes an important change in a character’s life and positions the character well for the future. In The Gargoyle, we learn several never-before-revealed secrets about the character’s origin and early life. For example, we discover, in one of those twists-of-fate that make perfect sense but that we perhaps never expected, that just as Isaac Christians’ soul was transported into a gargoyle’s body, that gargoyle’s soul was transported into his original body. Indeed, the major plot of the limited series involves a plan by the original gargoyle to get his body back by manipulating Christians through the appearance of characters from the old man’s childhood.

The Gargoyle is another one of those great comics that can often be found in quarter bins and should be snatched up immediately. The third issue is the weakest and I’m dubious about the need for the Last Druid character, but series still shines. As mentioned, it is not a standard adventure story for a standard super hero—it is a great story about an interesting, tortured old man who simply wants to be himself again. The covers are beautiful Berni Wrightson paintings (each of which I would love to have as posters), and the interior artwork is appropriately moody to fit DeMatteis’ dark story.

The Gargoyle has had an interesting, though convoluted history since the limited series. Although apparently destroyed near the end of the Defender’s original run, the character has appeared in a wide variety of comics since. More about the character’s recent appearances can be found at the Defender’s non-Page, www.geocities.com/Area51/Orion/4895/Profiles/gargoyle.html

Notably, this source states that The Gargoyle "represents one of the highest points to which a comic book can aspire." I agree.