I'm really enjoying BLOOD OF TEN CHIEFS. It's nice to read a one-issue story, especially issue #7. Andy and Terry did a nice job adapting Nancy Springer's story and Steve Blevins did a great job on the art. What I like most about the art was the background scenery. Is Steve by any chance related to Bret Blevins?
I know this isn't the right book to ask this but whatever happened to WORLDPOOL? If you still do WORLDPOOL I would really like to see Stan Sakai work on an issue. He does such a fantastic job on Usagi Yojimbo. Maybe Usagi can meet up with the elves or something.
Sean Moriarty
<<street address removed from archive>>
As far as we know, Steven Blevins and Bret Blevins, while they are both fine artists, inhabit two separate branches of the proto-Blevins family tree. I could be wrong, though. One never know, do one?
And hey, why not ask about WORLDPOOL here? It's perfectly valid and since we don't seem to get as much mail for BLOOD OF TEN CHIEFS as we do for our other titles (a not-so-subtle hint to all you literary chiefskates out there), it also helps me fill out the letter column!
WORLDPOOL - the successor to what NEW BLOOD used to be - is definitely in the works. Since Barry Blair has been given the NEW BLOOD title to explore the adventures of Dart and the other younger elves (the "new blood" elves, get it?) WORLDPOOL will take over those totally "what-if" stories that don't really fit into ELFQUEST, but which are still so good that they cry out for publication. Once we've got WORLDPOOL On a solid production footing, we'll announce it in all the EQ titles. We've already received word from Toon-meister Bill Neville that he wants to do another excursion into wackiness, and have a couple of surprisingly different story proposals in a more realistic vein as well. - RP
I received BLOOD OF TEN CHIEFS #7 - "At the
Oak's Root" - by Mangels, Collins, Blevins and Taillefer.
I had already read the prose version of that story and
found it very interesting. I can only say that the work of
the assembled persons above fleshed out a wonderful
tale. The artwork and the story flowed very nicely
together and were an excellent compliment to each
other. I enjoyed Blevins' depiction of Freefoot. Very
Cutter-like. BoTC #5 just hinted at what Talen was like;
Blevins finished rounding him out. The full-spread
pages that described the battle scene with the snakes
was... intense. And that page prior to that, when
Freefoot came charging out of the shelter yelling
"AWWWOOOLLL!" - Uh, what? I had to wonder, now
that isn't a proper howl, is it? And then I realized: He was
calling Owl. Nice touch, make me think of "HEY,
AHHBUTTT!"
I'm sort of disappointed that Blevins isn't doing next month's issue - sigh - but I'll wait and see. The cover art kind of reminds me of Barry Blair's work. Who is Nastos? I don't recall ever seeing his/her work before. I have to say, as many others will, this issue was absolutely amazing.
(and then a little later... - RP)
Blood of Ten Chiefs #8 - "Spirit Quest" - was excellent. I see now that the cover art was drawn by Barry Blair. Tricky...
Mat Nastos is quite good. His features are great, Goodtree and her tribe were very believable the way he drew them. I found his bodies to be a bit stiff and bulky, though - he should work on bringing some elegance into the elves' bodies. The story followed the prose version closely and the spirit scene with Goodtree and her parents was beautifully conceived. I'm looking forward to the next issue by Mat Nastos. (Mat is the newest penciller to join Team Elfquest; you saw his work in BLOOD OF TEN CHIEFS #8 and #9, a two-part Goodtree story. Steve Blevins is back on BoTC #10 (this issue) and #11]. We're also looking forward to welcoming Steve to some other projects that we're planning, so you haven't seen the last of him! - RP)
What is the problem some fans are having with the concept of the Go-Backs being blood-related to the Wolfriders? I can see it happening with the Hunt. In the story "Colors" it was apparent that Rahnee and Fastfire had joined the Hunt. Maybe Trickster's clan came with them too? Even if they didn't, the child Rahnee conceived would be with her. The very genetics of the elves would have worked very hard to correct the fatal problem in the blood. Still, they would have needed much more pure blood to all but erase the last traces of wolf blood, or else they would be very much like Wolfriders too. What happened that makes them so different?
Jennifer Duff
<<street address removed from archive>>
The question that seems to be on everyone's mind about the Go-Backs is: If they have any wolf blood in them at all, why didn't Leetah sense this when she healed some of the wounded Go-Backs during the troll war, the way she sensed the wolf blood in Redlance when she healed him in the desert? It's a good question. There's a good answer. - RP
"At the Oak's Root" is a terrific story - I
actually know how the elves must have felt with all
those snakes (eek!). I have quite a few copperheads,
cottonmouths and adders where I live.
My main question, however, is what kind of animal is Winterleaf? I know the elves call him a snake-catcher but is he really a fox or some kind of prehistoric cat? Well, that's all for now - keep up the good work!
Summer Dawn Gammill
<<street address removed from archive>>
Keep in mind that not every animal on the World of Two Moons has a counterpart here on Earth. Zwoots are not quite horses, not quite llamas, not quite camels. Ravvits aren't rabbits. So Winterleaf isn't quite a fox, not quite a mongoose, different from a ferret. Winterleaf is... well... um, yeah. - RP
"At the Oak's Root" was an excellent story.
My only regret is that we aren't going to see Oakroot
discover the meaning of the lake next issue. I still
think that each chief should have at least four issues.
You give us great characters and then leave them.
I was wondering how the Wolfriders' numbers kept getting smaller. Now I know part of the reason. Snakes took a few of the elves. I did like the way you (or should I say Andy and Terry) told the story of acceptance the way they demonstrated that even though someone may appear different from the norm they too are just as special and have much to share.
Also impressive were Steve's pencils. They were so good that the words would not have been necessary to tell the story. I do hope we'll be seeing more of his work in these pages. I also like the new paper you are using for the covers. It seems to make the art jump out at you more - it's more noticeable.
Steven C. Leitman
<<street address removed from archive>>
As long as we're entertaining speculation about wolves, elves, blood, genetics and the like, here are some threads from the world of the internet (just to stir up the hornet's nest eh?) - RP
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 1994
From: Dave Spracklen
Subject: Descendants of the WR -- yes or no?
On Tue, 9 Aug 1994, Kat Feline wrote:
(Kat) Dave Spracklen writes:
The point being that Savah's parents never
interacted with Timmain from what is seen.
(Kat) FROM WHAT IS SEEN.
Well, if you'd like to suddenly begin hypothesizing about events which aren't in the books and aren't mentioned then I think the field opens up a bit too much, mm?
Timmain and her group went one way, and the others went somewhere else. The comments being tossed around surround Timmain's daughter who was not part wolf. That's something I can't offer much talk on as I don't know about the daughter.
You see, this is where it all falls apart. You can't say that at ANY point ANY other tribe had wolfblood in ANY small amount because the tribes never saw each other. The Wolfriders were isolated .. the blood of Timmorn never left the single, local tribe until Cutter Kinseeker took his tribe to places not dreamt of by them before. The Wolfrider 'stock' is strictly within their tribe from all that's seen.
(Kat) Wrong. Remember there are at least 2 other WR tribes (the tribe started by Rahnee and the tribe of Goatriders exiled from the WR tribe in the time of Two-Spear/Skyfire) Also, note that the tribe was huge at times and some of the WR left--maybe they started other tribes or joined other tribes. The idea that the WR never interacted with other tribes is faulty.
Yes, there are other tribes of Wolfriders .. who also never interacted with the Sun Folk. I feel the Sun Folk would have reacted quite differently to strange elves if they'd had interactions with other Wolfriders personally. You're also beginning to make large assumptions that the tribe grew too big at some point and that it did split. That's totally assumed. This is something not even hinted at in the books.
It's pretty clear that the tribes you mentioned were the only splits involved in the history to me.
Dave .. Graymist
From: KatFeline
Monica said
> Dave Spracklen said:
> (You see, this is where it all falls apart....The
Wolfrider 'stock' is strictly within their tribe from all
that's seen.
(Monica) You neglect the splitting of the tribe
by Two-Spear aka Two-Spears Madness. (Where in
the world-of-two-moons did Two-Spear, Willowgreen
and Greywolf go.?) You also neglect the Hunt.. which
(in blood) is still "out-there". Also WR's don't seem to
be constant bedfellows.. notice Bearclaw(?) went off
Recognized and made a cub with the Plains elves...the
blood is out there. In dribs and drabs but it is out there.
It was Freefoot and the plains elves who were the direct descendants of the exiles who went with Two-Spear. The hunt devolved into the wolves the WR ride, larger smarter and able to send, unlike the 'normal' wolves.
Kat
Plains elves? Goatriders?!? As you can see,
discussions get wild and woolly. Keep those electrons
coming, and we'll see you in 30! - RP