I just got the HOLIDAY SPECIAL "Rogue's Challenge" and, well... It was excellent!
No, more than excellent, superb!!!
The art and script combine perfectly to make a truly classic comic. The art just jumps out at you. I loved it!
I am an Aussie kid who is a latecomer to ELFQUEST (then again, how many people have heard of ELFQUEST down here? Not many!). I must ask, how many people would make an hour trip to buy a comic or two? I would. There is only one shop in Victoria that sells ELFQUEST and man, it is soooo annoying. But I get by... just!
Well, I'd better be heading off (got some cattle to herd). I hope I am lucky enough to see this letter soon; I have already sent in three letters plus a little parcel of art and poems, which I never heard of again. Oh well, I guess I'm not very lucky in life. Or in this case, ELFQUEST!
(Sucking up time.) I think HIDDEN YEARS is great and I love the way you are getting new artists in to do ELFQUEST in NEW BLOOD. The World of Two Moons is definitely expanding; I can't wait for continued works in the Graphic Novel series. I think what you are doing is great and keep up the excellent work. (Suck time over.) See you!
Camilla Fischer
<<street address removed from archive>>
We sincerely hope that (a) this letter in print assuages your pique about the previous three, (b) that you like the direction that all of our titles are going in, now that we've made a commitment to ongoing series, and (c) with the introduction of WAVEDANCERS to the EQ fold, a lot more folks down there in Oz will hear of ELFQUEST, given that WAVEDANCERS is produced by a trio of your very own artists and writers!
Writing regarding HIDDEN YEARS 9 1/2. I'm
sure you will get scores of letters about this one, so
I'll keep this one brief. WOW! I have tried to think of
an EQ story that was better done than this one. The
only one that comes close is the one about Little
Patch (HIDDEN YEARS #3 - RP). Thanks for this one.
GORGEOUS! I must say I loved the little details (like
Winnowill's smile and Cutter's black sending reply).
I've always enjoyed Rayek, even though I was usually
furious at him. He has just gone up a notch in my
respect scale.
It is good to see the elves back together again. I disagree with Treestump and the others' analysis of the problem. I don't think stagnation was hurting the Holt. I think that it was Cutter's bitterness. In true Arthurian fashion, the problems of the king/chief reflect in the kingdom/holt. Cutter's curt was destroying the spirit of the Wolfriders, and how could it not in a group as tight and close as they are? I hope now that he has dealt with (or at least started to deal with) his pain, he will share with the rest of the pack.
This is a wonderful conclusion to the KINGS OF THE BROKEN WHEEL. Rayek has managed to close a circle by healing the hurt he caused in the Holt. But just as importantly, Cutter has managed to close a circle by healing Rayek of the hurt he was dealt at the Bridge of Destiny. Rayek?! Yes, Rayek. Rayek's problems with Cutter were a foundational part of the problem that led to the whole broken wheel situation. How did Cutter heal him? By raising his daughter to be the kind of person that could reason with Rayek on his level.
Rayek, always the thinker, took a long time of soul searching to reconcile his pain. Cutter, the one of action, needed the cleansing explosion that Rayek gave him. Each healed the other, bringing the elves back together. Beautiful! And from the looks of the hype around issue #10 they are going to need it. It is going to take a fearsome problem indeed to daunt the combination of Cutter and Rayek reconciled, but I'm sure there is someone willing to "rise" to the task.
One last request: I want a poster or at least a print of the wonderful drawing on page 30. That one picture is probably the second most powerful image I've ever seen in ELFQUEST. (The first would have to be the original tree form KINGS #7.) Thanks for great literature!
Zambia P.
<<street address removed from archive>>
Wow. Another wait well worth it.
I think HIDDEN YEARS #9 1/2 is GREAT! The art we've all missed plus the story marketed as the story of the year. After all that anticipation, the story couldn't have turned out better. And John Byrne did a great job with the inks and kudos to everyone else too. (Now that we readers know exactly what goes into the making of an issue, we can appreciate it!)
I don't read super-hero bash-n-thrash 'em comics, so I can't and don't want to compare, but I think the fight scenes were really good.
But the picture that really left an impression was the one of Cutter and his family in perfect contentment. Ironic? The most peaceful scene in an issue that held the fight of ten millennia? Maybe. But I really loved the peace and serenity about it and what it meant. (You know, loved ones you care about... sappy stuff.) Really beautiful and beautifully drawn.
Mushiness aside, another page that left an impact was page 30, of Cutter's agony - his image in wood, each year etched painfully into his soul, all in the silhouettes of Leetah, Ember and Suntop, reaching for him, yet unable to. Wow. And, "You made me human!" Real strong stuff.
And not just here but in the language throughout. Even Strongbow had something to say (and why not send?). And the other elves did not disappoint either: Mender, Ember and Trinket, and Winnowill... (Ha! I just read issue #10!)
I think the ending couldn't have been better. I guessed a win-win situation but didn't expect this. I think Cutter's the stronger, though Rayek's the more magnanimous. (Is he sincere? He looked so arrogant at first, but I think Leetah, at least, has forgiven him.)
The story just flowed. The wit, the humor, the subtlety, the past, the possible future, everything fitted in nicely. Can we readers hope for more Specials?
Vanessa Goh
<<street address removed from archive>>
I just finished HIDDEN YEARS 9 1/2...
Simply incredible!
The Challenge - the first good look that Rayek and the rest of us have had of Cutter since the Palace's return. The eternal cap to top off five hundred years of anger, emptiness and loss. Suddenly exploding off the pages into a battle taking me forward to the end without blinking an eye and backward to a bridge, an irresistible female, and two youths battling for her hand. My hat is off - my heart is home!
Scott D. Everett
<<street address removed from archive>>
I really wanted Rayek to die.
In the only "universe" where dead characters stay dead, I wanted Cutter to beat the life out of Rayek.
I've never been able to forgive him for all he's done since the Wolfriders' first meeting with the Sun Villagers. Granted, he's a fascinating character, and surely one of the most interesting to play in an ELFQUEST movie or series, but I didn't care about that. All I could remember was the final injury he did to Cutter, taking his kith and kin away from him for an eternity.
Forgiveness was not in my heart to give, and four issues spotlighting our prideful friend was still not enough to sway me. I'm afraid that in all the years that have passed since I first began spending time with the elves, Rayek to me has been a one note song. Oh, a multilayered and integral one note song, to be sure; but quite frankly, I've never seen Rayek take a big enough step to lose his pride, and in turn gain my approval. As it turns out, I'm just as shocked by his... humanity during the fight as Cutter.
I was certain that somebody was not going to walk away from issue # 9 1/2, and at one point I thought it might actually have been Cutter. Before the issue came out, I thought, "what better major event to set up a continuing story... the elves without Cutter." I wouldn't have liked the outcome, but from a storytelling point of view, I could deal with it. Now I have to find some satisfaction in the fact that Rayek is still alive.
I'm not really surprised by the outcome of the fight; in fact, it was more "Elfquest" than the story I would have written. I guess I'm reluctant to admit that ol' brown-skin had it in him, and I'm not sure if I don't hate him all the more for it.
No matter how justified my feelings about him are, I'm denying Rayek the right to change, just like the ELFQUEST fans who would deny Wendy and Richard that same right in their storytelling. I'm surprised by my attitude. You'd think that in five hundred years, someone might even become wise, but I never thought that person would be Rayek. I see now that I'm not that wise, either.
The fight was exhausting and emotional to read, and I thank John Byrne for his help with it. It looked beautiful and flowed better than any all-fight issue I've seen from the competition. Good luck on the major story coming up.
Michael Brady
<<street address removed from archive>>
At least you'll get to see one group of the Wolfriders who must go on without Cutter's leadership - and no, I'm not referring to the gang over in NEW BLOOD. Something big is in the wind that blows through the Holt, and it presages a separation the likes of which the elves have not seen since the days of Huntress Skyfire and Two-Spear.
Keep those great cards, letters, photos and bits of string coming in, and we'll see you here next time! And remember, Play By The Way! - RP