It's a lot of print and it's small print, but please read it. This is an important editorial page; it contains more hopefully useful information per square inch than any we've done so far. The first item, we guess, is the increase in ELFQUEST's cover price. Inflation is hitting all around and it's finally hit here. You've probably heard all the reasons before so we won't repeat them here - it's a sad song and we all know the words anyway. We sincerely regret the necessity of having to bump our price, but at least we promise to keep 32 pages of art and story in each issue, come trolls or high water. Stick with us.
Also with this issue, we're changing some of our mailing procedures. Because of the growing number of subscriptions we're handling, we will no longer be able to take orders for back issues and single copies - effective immediately, you can order these items from: Bud Plant, PO Box 1886, Grass Valley, CA 95945. Cost will be $1.25 per issue plus .75 per order for postage and handling. Don't send back issue and single copy orders to WaRP - we'll have to return them. We will, however, continue to handle subscriptions (more on those later) as well as merchandise orders.
A lot of readers have written to us about the following three topics, so we thought we'd save time and cover a lot of bases by addressing them here. They are: the animated film, selling original art, and ELFQUEST merchandise.
We have a bit more to report on the animated ELFQUEST. Since issue #4, we've seen a short pencil test film (seeing the characters move, no matter how roughly, is an incredible experience!) that we've taken to a few conventions as part of the traveling ELFQUEST show. Further, one of the animators is working on a series of vignettes that may yield a 20 minute presentation piece. Things are neither moving at breakneck speed nor standing still - we'll keep you posted right here.
Probably the two most frequently asked questions we receive are, "Are you selling any original ELFQUEST art?" and "Can Wendy do a drawing for me on commission?" Unfortunately, the answer to both is no. We keep the originals for two reasons mostly - because we're currently looking to reprint, in color (hey! hey!) each five-volume chunk as it is finished, and also, quite simply, because the art is very dear to both of us. Wendy can't do commissions because there aren't 50 hours in a day. She's crazy anyway - in addition to ELFQUEST, she is and hopefully will be doing more work for Marvel and DC, an ELFQUEST portfolio, and occasional pieces for conventions and magazines. Her work day goes from 8 AM until 3 the next morning! Gaah! Guess who does the laundry.
About that portfolio. Sometime during the summer of 1980 Pacific Comics, who put out fine comic art portfolios, will release a limited edition collection of six black-and-white plates of scenes from the ELFQUEST saga. These will be unlike anything you've seen in the books - they will be gorgeous (us? humble??). We'll keep you posted in future issues.
If you go looking in the back of this issue for our usual letters page, you'll find it gone! Last issue we announced that we'd start advertising some ELFQUEST- related items for sale, and we had to make a decision here - to fit the ad we had to drop either the letters page or a page of art. We figured the story would be missed more. We don't intend to lose the letters page forever - we like the letters page! we'll find some way. In the meantime, whatever information that is available about ELFQUEST merchandise will appear in the book. You'll know as soon as we know.
Finally, welcome to Indicia Reading 101. We'd like to introduce you all to the indicia, which is that mostly ignored little block of small print at the bottom of page 1. Most comics and magazines have one - they're quite useful. In addition to everything else, the indicia contains information about subscriptions and back issues and such. Instead of writing to us inquiring about subscriptions or ordering, you can save a little postage and lots of time by reading the indicia. (Always try to get the information from our latest issue - it'll be the most accurate) Makes life so much simpler. Class dismissed.
Thanks for plowing through this with us. Enjoy the story...