[The following editorial appears in New Blood #10 --MK]
"Pure aimlessness pursued and yet pursued... "
Theodore Rothke
"The Sequel"
It's been hellacious, and it isn't over. Not
just yet.
We're back from the San Diego Comic Convention, generally regarded as the largest, most frenetic comic book event of the year in the United States. (Though, on paper at least, October's ComicFest is looking to challenge the defender. We'll all know by the time you read this.) The "Fantasy with Teeth" tour is about two-thirds over, and while we're still very much looking forward to the remaining stops, we're also glad we're on the trailing side of halfway. This is tough stuff in steady doses!
And on top of it, we're moving the business. Gluttons for punishment, that's Warp Graphics. We've outgrown the space on Reno Road and will soon - within a week of now - start the daunting process of dismantling fifteen years of accumulated business and reassembling it about four miles north. Not a major geographical upheaval, to be sure, but daunting.
The result of all this activity crammed into a short time is that I can dredge up nothing particularly weighty about which to write. (I can hear the applause.) So this time I think I'll take a dip into the "These are nice general questions that have been sitting, waiting for an answer" file and see what surfaces.
*** One question I hear a lot is "When is Book 9 going to come out?" It's easy to assume that the asker is referring to whatever it is that follows the ELFQUEST GRAPHIC NOVEL 8, which left Cutter and crew in a medieval setting, awaiting further adventures. That Book 9 is not out yet, and will not be for at least a year, since it will collect the story from HIDDEN YEARS (the comic series), issues 10 through 14 or so. However, our ninth book has indeed appeared; it's the hardcover HIDDEN YEARS volume, collecting issues 1 through 5 of that series. However, since it doesn't linearly fit into the chronology that runs from Graphic Novel number 1 through 8, it didn't make sense to call it Book 9. That's why you have to ask for it by name, "THE HIDDEN YEARS", not ELFQUEST BOOK 9."
*** "Do you have any of Wendy's ELFQUEST art for sale?" The short answer is no. But sometimes the short answer doesn't quite say it all. Wendy had, for a long time, done sketches at conventions and sold or given them away. Those days are gone, but every so often a piece of that art surfaces at this or that comic shop, and it's for sale. Recently, we were approached by Christie's, the well known auction house. Were we interested in having some of Wendy's art in the upcoming auction of comic and related art? Does a bear fertilize the forest? You bet! So that's another avenue for EQ art that has opened. Also, more and more comic book art is showing up in galleries, and we're moving to be a part of that as well. And don't forget: The art in ELFQUEST that is done by other artists belongs to them, and frequently they do sell artwork either through the mail or at conventions.
*** "How can I contact Wendy and/or Richard directly?" If you send your letter or artwork or whatever to Warp Graphics, it will go to the proper person as long as it's addressed to that person. I'll say it again: We do read every letter that comes in. (Time doesn't allow us to reply to them all, but we read them.)
*** Oh. I goofed. When I gave my various online user-ids, I typoed the one for GEnie. The correct email address is R.PINI. There is a period after the initial. So, if you're coming in from the Internet, the two addresses that you can use are:
72077.12@compuserve.com
R.PINI@genie.geis.com
Let me hear from you.
*** "Do you take hints?" I love ambiguity, y'know? Do we take hints as in, "Why don't you take a hike!"? Or is the question really, do we take hints about story ideas and new characters and so on from readers's suggestions. And a corollary question to that is, "Can you give me a critique on my art or story?"
As I mentioned earlier, we do read all the letters that come in. Sometimes we get unsolicited artwork or stories. Because time is at a premium here, we just can't give individual criticism or suggestions. Also, every so often we get letters that suggest new characters or story directions. Because we have contractual arrangements with all of the artists and writers that contribute to the Elfquest universe, we don't take ideas from outside that pool. It protects everyone.
*** "What about the movie?" Oy. Some other time.
Time to close up and start putting things in boxes. There's lots to do. Got phones and computers to hook up, walls to paint, furniture to move in. Next time we meet here, Warp's half of the dialog will be coming from a whole new place. See you then!
Richard A Pini