Now this is what having the comic book format is all about. This month's installment is told non-linearly, jumping across centuries to tell us the history of the Stone of Scone, and how its past is tied with our characters. Shari weaves her tales for Thailog as Macbeth gathers some of the clan for a security detail. Goliath and Elisa are finally on board with what the rest of us have known for over a decade. King Arthur is back. Also, Maggie's pregnant.

Not bad for a couple of pages, huh?

After the slow pace of the previous installment, the seventh issue takes off in a storm of plot and character that is years overdue, and very welcome to see finally realized. We've had screencaps of exactly one G/E kiss to go on since 1996. Now we've got a new panel, and a lovely skyline behind them that won't turn to daylight anytime soon. It's nice.

The slightly more adult nature of the comic medium also allows us to find out that Maggie and Talon haven't been idle in the Labyrinth. I really hope we get to read about Diane and Peter's reaction when they find out. Macbeth may or may not be working toward his own ends, but it's lovely seeing him working with the clan on something clearly important to him. He's going to have to talk fast to explain to King Arthur that he's on the side of the angels this time, though!

The histories we're seeing from Shari are telling the stories of children and families, and we're seeing this echoed in the Xanatos family, in the expanding Maza family, even in the arrival of the new British gargoyles on the scene (as well as the presence of Coldsteel and Coyote in the background, themselves strange outcast parts of their families). The clan-building is beginning in earnest.