Sure, everyone knows a gargoyle is an architectural gothic ornament, cold, unliving stone, a "glorified drainspout."
Well, not exactly...
In Scotland, 994 A.D., the Magus of Castle Wyvern in mistaken anger and grief cast a spell on the gargoyles. Once living
defenders of the castle, they slept as stone statues for a thousand years... until 1994 A.D., when a billionaire named
David Xanatos purchased the castle "lock, stock, and gargoyle," and moved it to the top of his skyscraper in Manhattan.
With the castle above the clouds, the spell is broken... and New York City will never be the same again.
Unsure of who they can trust in this strange new world, the gargoyles befriend Elisa Maza, an NYPD detective. With her
help, they commence their struggle to survive.
With dramatic story lines, striking animation, fully developed characters, and an excellent cast (if you're wondering
what Marina Sirtis, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, and Michael Dorn did after Star Trek: The Next Generation
ended, this is the place to be), the show has gathered a dedicated following.
Gargoyles first aired in syndication on October 24, 1994, and ran for two seasons, sixty-five episodes. On
September 7, 1996, the show made its third season debut as part of ABC's Saturday line up. Retooled for a younger audience
and renamed Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles, the final thirteen episodes were the subject of intense debate
among the show's vocal fan base.
The original Gargoyles series continues to air in syndication on the Toon Disney cable network, and Season 1
and the first 26 episodes of Season 2 were released on DVD in 2005 as three-disc sets. If you are new to the series, there
is an episode list at The Gargoyles Fans Web Site which lists the episodes in story order.
So that's Gargoyles... what is The Gathering?
The first ever "Gathering of the Gargoyles" happened in June of 1997, when about 80 people who had all met mostly over the
Internet traveled to New York City to spend a weekend together sharing their love for the show at a small convention held at
the Mayflower Hotel. Series creator Greg Weisman was the Guest of Honor, and Keith David, the voice of "Goliath," stopped in
on the last night of the convention for a surprise appearance, much to the delight of everyone who had come. The convention
took its name from one of the late second season episodes, "The Gathering," which in part focused on Oberon's Children being
called home to Avalon from all around the world. To those first con-goers, as well as all those who were unable to attended
except in spirit, the name seemed more than appropriate.
In August of 1998, fans returned to New York City, this time to the New Yorker Hotel. Greg Weisman made a second appearance
as Guest of Honor and began a tradition of his own with the first of his now-famous Radio Plays. With two successive years,
The Gathering was now a tradition in its own right, and with the third convention in 1999, it hit the road in its own
"World Tour," another all-too-appropriate reference borrowed from the show.
Leaving New York City for the first time, the Gathering traveled to Dallas, Texas in 1999. Special guests that year included
Thom Adcox, the voice of Lexington, Greg Weisman, Steve Jackson of Steve Jackson Games, author P.N. Elrod, and artist Jamie
Murray (with his mischievous alter-ego Myrh). Attendance grew as more people learned of the convention, and the Gathering
continued to grow. In 2000, the Gathering headed to Orlando, Florida, with Thom Adcox and Greg Weisman returning again as
guests, joined by character designer Greg Guler and storyboard artist Victor Cook. In 2001, the Fifth Annual Gathering of
the Gargoyles was held in Los Angeles, California, drawing over 50 special guests and the largest fan attendance ever.
The year 2002 took the Gathering to historical Williamsburg, Virginia. In 2003, it returned once more to New York City. In
2004, the Gathering went international when it journeyed to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In 2005, Gargoyles fans
from around the world converged on Sin City for a convention in Las Vegas, Neveda. In 2006, the Los Angeles again played host
for the Tenth Annyal Gathering of the Gargoyles, and the convention drew even more special guests than it had the last time.
In 2007, the Gathering headed to the Smoky Mountains with a stop in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. And in 2008, it glided in to
the Windy City of Chicago, Illinois.
In 2009, the Gathering of the Gargoyles returns once again to Los Angeles, California, home of the entertainment industry.
With a dedicated and hard-working staff of veterans from the 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008 convention staffs,
it aims to be the largest and most exciting Gathering yet. If you've never attended a Gathering, The Gathering 2009 is the
one to finally turn out for. And if you're a Gathering veteran, whether by having attended just one or all twelve of the
previous conventions, you definitely won't want to miss this one!
On August 21-24, 2009, the place you need to be is Los Angeles! We'll see you there!
