The Dream

Gargoyles: Dark Ages #5 by Clayton Crain

"The Dream" is the fifth issue of the Gargoyles: Dark Ages comic by Dynamite Entertainment. It was released on January 24th, 2024. [1] The digital version of the comic became available on Kindle on January 3rd, 2024.

• Writer/Creator: Greg Weisman
• Pencil Artist: Drew Moss
• Color Artist: Martina Pignedoli
• Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
• Editor: Nate Cosby
• Main Cover Artist: Clayton Crain

Solicitation

The four youngest Gargoyles find themselves at the mercy of a menacing dragon, and while Mentor and Goliath ready their warriors to do battle with the great beast, the Archmage tells Angel that his magicks have sensed a problem — and an opportunity…

Writer and Gargoyles creator GREG WEISMAN and artist DREW MOSS continue their epic origin tale in this 40-page issue, which includes a new text story from Weisman and all cardstock covers featuring art by CLAYTON CRAIN, ALAN QUAH, MIRKA ANDOLFO, KENYA DANINO, and ERICA HENDERSON!

The Story

Opening Quote

I feel something new . . . or, no . . . it's something very, very old . . .

The Tale of the Three Brothers

Alesand notes that the Light-Bringers only had three plays to perform, for they repeated the Italian tragedy. Alesand notes that because she saw it twice, she understood what happened in the play better. After their performance, Shahrizad continued her tale:

Still in the year 967, King Duff and his forces battle Culen's Irish Army. In the skirmish, Duff is wounded in the leg and swiftly carried away to safety Prince Kenneth fights valiantly and Robbie saves a distracted Prince Malcolm.

Alesand notes that, at this point in the tale, Prince Malcolm walks away from both the fire and the story being told:

An injured Duff names Kenneth as his heir once more. Kenneth protests at the development, insisting that his nephew is already heir. But Duff is adamant: the kingdom needs a leader and a king, not an infant. Kenneth assures Duff that their people would not need a new king only to learn that Duff was determined to be present at the battle the next day. Kenneth balks at the idea, reminding his older brother that he can't even walk, only for Duff to settle the matter: "We have ordered a litter. The men must see their King."

The next morning, Duff is present with four guardsmen holding his litter. Prince Malcolm and Robbie are on the field once more, while Prince Kenneth is relentless in his attacks. Just as the Scots begin to rally and win the day, Duff is betrayed and killed by one of his guardsmen. Kenneth takes his surviving family into Northern England. On the journey, Katharine falls ill and dies.

Stopping the story there, Shahrizad promised to conclude the tale the following evening.

Review

We now learn at last the reason for the name of Wyvern Hill and Castle Wyvern – and it's a big one. Wyvern is the name of a dragon dwelling in the cave near Wyvern Hill that featured in both "Long Way To Morning" and "Shadows of the Past" – and a truly fearsome dragon at that, with all the classic features (wings, fiery breath, and a hoard). Furthermore, Wyvern the dragon is related to the gargoyles, even having his own version of stone sleep (though the rules for it appear to be a bit different than those of the gargoyles), and even brought the Wyvern Clan there to protect him and his. The quartet and Alesand, exploring his cave, unwittingly awaken him and let slip the existence of the humans, sending him into a just-as-classic fury. (At least they didn't steal a cup from his treasure – though they didn't need to in order to arouse his wrath.)

The adventures of these children continue to form a delight – if with darker elements even before they met Wyvern. Alesand gets to "fly" with the gargoyles for real, and is as delighted about it as in her dream. The Trio display their knack for causing trouble even before entering the cave, when they inadvertently wreck some of the machinery at the building site. On a more serious note, Antiope spots the "Megalith Dance" that will be turned against Goliath over a thousand years later, calling it a "ghost-cage". And poor Alexander displays a knack for letting spill information that he shouldn't, twice, in his meeting with Wyvern.

The rest of the cast get their own developments, while all this is going on. "Desdemona" and Angel continue their lessons (which are interrupted, for both pupils, by the dragon's awakening), complete with Angel reading a couple of fables, at least one of which may foreshadow her future development. Robbie eagerly toils on the castle alongside the gargoyles, seeing it as a way to bring gargoyles and humans together, while Prince Malcolm and Mentor comment on the work's progress in one of the issue's funniest moments. And young Nicolas seeks to join the players – whose king and queen seem themselves to suspect the dragon's approach (not surprising, given their true identities).

We end on a great cliffhanger – and a very appropriate use of the Wyvern clan's "By the Dragon" line (whose origins we may now know). The one concern I have is, with only one issue left of Dark Ages: Alliance, will that be room enough to wrap up this story? Will a single issue be able to do justice to an enraged dragon on the loose? We shall have to wait and find out.

First Appearances

Characters

• Wyvern
• Wick the Weaver (Mentioned Only)
• Left-and-Rear Guardsman (Mentioned Only)

Miscellaneous

• Battle of Gaine

Tidbits

Angel's reading lessons include two "real" fables (though both were first recorded after the tenth century), "The Scorpion and the Frog" and "Belling the Cat".

The "Italian story of betrayal" mentioned as performed by the players in "The Draw" is now revealed to be a pre-Shakespeare version of Othello.

Links

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