Words are fascinating. WELCOME, for example, comes from two old root words WEL and GWA meaning both "call of greeting" and "special guest." Welcome, then, special guest, to the world of ELFQUEST. It's a special world to us, this place of elves, trolls and creatures you've never seen before, and we hope you find it special too.
You hold in your hands the second issue of ELFQUEST and our first. You may have noticed that publication has been taken over by WaRP GRAPHICS, and that there are changes in this issue's appearance and content, we think, all for the better. We plan to publish three times a year, and promise that each issue will at least maintain, if not surpass, the quality of this one.
For those of you new to ELFQUEST, a brief retelling of the story so far... Since the beginning of memory, elves and humans have been bitter enemies in this nameless, prehistoric world. Near the forest home of a tribe of elves called the WOLFRIDERS dwells a band of humans who hunt and sacrifice elves. The tribe's chief, CUTTER, rescues a captured elf and kills a human in the process. For revenge, the humans set fire to the forest, destroying the tree- homes of the Wolfriders, and forcing the elves to take refuge in the caverns of the trolls. The trolls, however, also mistrust the elves, and in order to rid themselves of their unwanted visitors, trick the elves into escaping through a tunnel that leads not to hoped-for woodlands, but to sun-swept waste...
Dear Wendy & Richard,
I have to congratulate you on ELFQUEST, one of the most exciting and enjoyable fantasy works I've seen in some time. The Wolfriders are great characters I'm eager to see more of. The idea itself of making them Wolfriders is a beautiful and ingenious stroke, combining the uncanny reputation of wolves with a keen insight into the elves' adaptation to the new world and their personality here. Knowing they couldn't survive without striking a kinship with the forest, they nonetheless didn't take the fairy tale path of becoming fawn-cuddling lovers of all animals, but as fledgling predators, made their pact with predators. Very neat. The scene in which the riding elves and wolves sing their hunting song together further underscores that this is a working partnership.
I also especially appreciate your concept that the delicate astral folk who first came to the human world have devolved to the tough, stocky literally earthier beings of the tribe, through generations of hard living and bare survival, since it tallies neatly with my own favorite elfin people, the Irish Tuatha De Danaan. and their history.
The characterizations of Cutter and Skywise are most nicely handled. I particularly liked Skywise's (great name) delight at finding that his fascinating magnetic stone was a meteorite, fallen from the sky - are there other elves with such a star-reading bond to their ancestral home? Another very fine point was the offering of Cutter's soul-name to the reader almost on first sight of him, in a passage explaining his love for his people - you must have done that - didn't you? - in the knowledge that, by magical law, that made him more vulnerable and open to the reader. I can hardly imagine a subtler and more appropriate way of completing the tenderness of the panels in this sequence by giving us a share of Cutter's gentler side.
I wish there was a bit more clarity about why the humans despise the elves so. If their magic powers are so much weaker on the human world, how have they been 'twisting the shape of things?' Some examples would have been welcome. Not that humans aren't capable of hatred with no basis, of course, but I'd feel better if there was more to it. Fear is one thing, and could be rooted in no more than the elves' mystery and alien appearance, but genocidal hate?
Another hope - I would dearly love to see a female elf or two as tough-willed and strong as Cutter or Redlance. Surely their role isn't entirely as brave mates and loving mothers. Nightfall, talking back to the troll king, shows signs of spunk - might we see her doing some fighting eventually?
As for the artwork, I love it, of course. Action scenes, especially the raid on the human village and the spread of the forest fire, are very dramatically handled, as is use of shadow throughout. There's no wasted space. I especially liked the clear simplicity of the telepathic summons Cutter sends his tribesmen. There's no doubt that's what he's doing, no jargon or excess hocus-pocus. All-round, fine, active and convincing storytelling, by me. Two pieces stand out: one is the two-panel time lapse on page 5, which shows powerfully and with bitter clarity just how the hard centuries have changed and hardened the elves; the other is that stark, terrible vista of desert. I applaud your knowing when the fewest words possible are best. And thank you especially for the elves' general appearance; they have a kind of beauty, but thank Danu they aren't cute!
Again, many thanks for ELFQUEST. I'm most eagerly awaiting the next issue.
Paula O'Keefe
Minot, Massachusetts
*** And thank you, Paula, for a most wonderful letter - we hope this second issue is to your liking. There've been several improvements made; for instance, the artwork was done specifically for black and white reproduction this issue, which makes it more powerful. As the story unfolds in future issues, you'll be seeing answers to your questions and speculations about the humans and female elves, and we think you'll find a few surprises and turnabouts, too. The ride is just beginning!
Wendy & Richard,
ELFQUEST at LAST! The event had to be commented upon!
Cutter - Wendy, Skywise - Richard. As I finished the book, the parallel became more and more enjoyable. The faces of some of the elves in not a few of the pages were drawn with exquisite grace and skill. They are a wonderful bunch, very much alive. I found them full of expression and beautifully animated.
Part Two really flipped me. The Trolls were on the edge of being heavenly. Greymung - MUNG! Love it! and Picknose! Well, I did have a problem as a child. Great stuff. You executed the second half with a bit more flavor. Doing the mildly humorous stuff ain't easy. Flat out funny stuff is a pushover. Riding close to realism, and trying to be funny is tough. Well done.
Frank Thorne
Scotch Plains, N.J.
Dear Wendy & Richard,
I do like everything about the story: the art, the plotting, the dialog... I'll be very interested to see how the story develops. All of the characters are very well drawn; even the humans and trolls are presented rather sympathetically. When you were here last year, you showed sample pages from later in the adventure that indicate that the whole story is going to be a rich one both in action and characterization. The second issue will be out soon, I hope?
Fred Patten
Culver City, Calif.
*** The issue you're holding right now should answer that, Fred. It's been a bit of rough sailing between #1 and #2, but things are smoothing out now. ELFQUEST is a long story that will unfold issue by issue to reveal the colorful tapestry of Cutter's world; we've got the thing plotted yea unto the fourteenth issue so far, and after that, who knows?
Dear Richard & Wendy,
Enjoyed ELFQUEST and hope it is a success for you both. It has a nice Tolkien quality to it... Wendy, you seem to have a flair for these fantastic little characters; I'd love to see your versions of Bilbo, Gandalf, etc.
Bill Wilson (QUESTAR)
Clairton, Penn.
*** Many thanks for your comments, Bill. We've received a number of letters that suggest a similarity between ELFQUEST and LORD OF THE RINGS. and while there probably are surface likenesses (after all, elves have been around a long time!), we think that our story is pretty much different and new - kind of like an elfin "ROOTS."
Dear Wendy & Richard.
Just picked up the first Issue of ELFQUEST at BaltiCon 12 over Easter... WOW! It's gorgeous! your detail is unbelievable, especially in the fact that it was carried through the entire comic. The facial expressions are beautiful - I nearly cried over some (Cutter holding Redlance, and Nightfall looking at her mate with that tear welling in her eye). The storyline is fast moving and intricate enough to hold an adult's attention but still simple enough to be delightfully entertaining. Geez, Wendy, it's beautiful - your devotion, sweat and love really show. I mean, to some artists, doing a comic is just another job, but ELFQUEST is a labor of love (speaking of which, I think I'm in love with Cutter...). Lots of luck with ELFQUEST. You're off to a great start and I'm 100% behind you!
Sally Fink
Johnstown, Penn.
*** You've picked up on one of the very important things we're trying to do with the story, Sally, and that is to make it into something that can be enjoyed by all ages. It's gratifying as all get out to receive letters from adult, parents who are reading ELFQUEST to their children. Ours is basically a G-rated book, and we think there's room for it out there.
Dear Richard & Wendy Pini,
I have never written to a magazine before, although I've several friends who've done fanzines, and one who owns a comics shop... He's the one who sent ELFQUEST to me, and I must admit it's the best thing he's ever done.
I enjoyed the artwork immensely. At the beginning, I thought I was getting an illustrated cross between LORD OF THE RINGS and SWORD OF SHANNARA, but I was wrong. It's a story in its own right, and justly so. The only disappointment is that it comes out only once every four months. I'm looking forward to the next issue - make it good.
Shanna J. Marshall
(no address)
*** We're doing the best we can, Shanna - hope you like it. Our choice of publishing frequency was dictated by the amount of time we both have to give to the book - we'd love to have a monthly but we'd be dead very soon! By the way, somehow your address got lost, so we haven't been able to respond about your leprechauns. If you'll write again, we'll get back.
Dear Wendy & Richard,
Thanks very much for ELFQUEST. To sum up my feelings, it was good fun to read! The plot was tight (and, thankfully, not formula-ized like Marvel's WEIRDWORLD), and very well paced. And bravo, Wendy, for the drawings. They complimented the writing very well. The strip felt fresh, perky, fun! There will be more, won't there?
Bob Pinaha
Sayreville, N.J.
*** If we can help it, there will!
Dear Wendy & Richard,
I finally got around to reading the comic book ELFQUEST - it disappeared under the mail and only recently surfaced. It was great fun and I hope it sells a million copies.
David Gerrold
Hollywood, Calif.
*** If it sells a tenth as many copies as there are tribbles in the grain store, we'll be ecstatic!
Dear Wendy & Richard,
I was very taken with ELFQUEST... I like the elves you've invented. They seem to be a new type - neither the Fair Folk of heartless legend nor the cutseypoo little fluttery ones. Have you ever noticed that the tall elves either act like Vulcans or emotional basket cases and the short elves act like sugarplum fairies? Here in ELFQUEST you have short elves that still act like tough people. Now all you need are some tall elves that act like Goldie Hawn instead of Galadriel (you can't hit me, I'm too far away. Nyahhh.). Never trust a smiling troll...
Barbara Wenk
Brooklyn, New York
*** Consider yourself whapped by long distance anyway, Barbara!
[IMAGE: a Sergio-esque characture of Cutter, signed " With love, Aragones " --MK]
*** And thank you, Sergio.
*** It's almost embarassing. So far, the response
to ELFQUEST has been uniformly positive.
It is doing wonderful things for our spirits,
however, and we invite any and all comments (and
criticism, too). It's the readers who make a
book and we'd be nowhere without you. So write!
The address is:
WaRP GRAPHICS
P.O. Box 33
Taunton, Massachusetts 02780
And if you can't find ELFQUEST where you buy comics, bug 'em. Tell them to contact their distributor, and spread the word. Thanks, and take care...