Tyleet is wrong at the end of HIDDEN YEARS #11 if she thinks the humans are capable of putting all those crystals together. If the elves can't recover the shards of the Palace, the Djun will probably sell them off to finance a bunch of expensive military campaigns. But Tyleet is right in thinking that the Wolfriders are in big trouble. They're no longer facing scattered bands of stone-age hunters, but rather a large military organization supported by a commercial economy. The Djun may have already picked up hints of the Wolfriders' existence, especially the encounter one soldier and his family had with Leetah toward the end of KINGS OF THE BROKEN WHEEL. Someone as ruthless as the Djun (nine headless wives???) would love to enslave magic-using elves.
But maybe Tyleet's nightmare of a restored Palace under human control could come true if Winnowill (undoubtedly still alive) takes a hand. Winnowill could shape-change herself into a human, seduce the Djun, help him rebuild the Palace and use his army to wipe out the Wolfriders.
Meanwhile, where on the World of Two Moons has Two-Edge gotten to?
John W. Weigel
<<street address removed from archive>>
Funny you should ask...
I felt I had to write and thank you after reading
HIDDEN YEARS #11.
I am an avid comics collector, collecting Marvel and Image comics as well as Warp. Of Warp's comics, I read HIDDEN YEARS and WAVEDANCERS. I'll probably collect the BLOOD OF TEN CHIEFS stories that I liked from the novels, depending an how the art is. With that said, let me get on to the main point of the letter.
I have enjoyed HIDDEN YEARS up to this point, although I have felt that there has been something missing. Issues 9.5 and 11 had that thing. I can't say exactly what it is, but I'll try. There is a sense of family missing, especially with the wolves being excluded. Way back in the first Quest, we knew the wolves as well as we knew the elves (almost, anyway). That had been missing since the HIDDEN YEARS started.
After seeing the page with Cutter holding the cub in his arms, howling at the moon, all I could think of was the scene where the elves howled for Nightrunner in the first Quest. That was one of the best, albeit saddest, moments so far in all of the books. I hope you continue this, as I want to know all the wolves' names and attitudes just as I want to know the elves. Perhaps you could do one of those fold out "who's who" posters.
Now after all this, let me respond to something you wrote in the letters page. You said you were planning to split up the Holt. Please don't do this. As you've told us so many times, the elves' strength is in their unity. If some elves have to go look for adventure to keep the race going, let them do so for a short time, and then bring them back. Don't split the Holt! Please!
That's all for now, keep up the wonderful work. Oh yeah, if anything suffers because of Hidden Years going monthly, please remember we will wait two months. But if you can pull it off, and I get twice as much ELFQUEST over the year, that will be wonderful.
Jacob W. Michaels
<<street address removed from archive>>
In the German language, eleven is "elf" and
twelve is "zwolf." Now, perhaps this means that ELFQUEST
goes beyond the barriers of time and language. Perhaps
not. But whatever it means, HIDDEN YEARS #11 was
great, and #12 looks even better. Brandon McKinney's
art is superb and the story is getting more and more
intriguing. I'm glad Cutter has a new wolf-friend and...
what's this about unexpected Recognition???
Keep up the good work! And oh, by the way, thank you!! I am sure that many fans will agree with me that a monthly ELFQUEST is truly a wish come true.
Megan Force
<<street address removed from archive>>
I have just finished reading HY #11. It was great! The artwork is getting better with every issue (although I still think that the one person McKinney and Barnett can't get right is Tyleet). But I got a lot of surprises with this issue.
First of all, the best drawing by McKinney and Barnett I've ever seen: Page 28 (if I counted right), the climax of the hunt, where Cutter holds his new bond wolf and howls to the two moons. The atmosphere of this one picture! At last Cutter fully feels the life running through him again. After all these years (after the death of Warfrost) he bonds with a wolf cub and by doing that he accepts life as it is, only now he is following the Way truly again (because when Warfrost died and he "bonded" with Timmain, he made an understandable step away from the Way). This picture is maybe one of the best I have ever seen in an Elfquest story and is worth becoming a poster. At last all the Wolfriders can know peace again now that their chief is at peace with himself - first settling things with Rayek and now accepting all parts of life.
And then you brought me a great shock! Now that the Wolfriders are together again, they will split up? And not just for a few seasons but for quite a long time. What will it be that causes it? Rayek's madness, Cutter's madness, or maybe Strongbow's madness? Or will it be something completely different? One thing will be sure, it has something to do with the Palace and the humans. Well, we'll see, but I hate it when I've got to wait for something to happen that I won't like.
And then the greatest shock! From the moment Dewshine Recognized Tyldak, I know that sometime, someplace, Scouter would surely Recognize another elf, somebody from the Sun Village, a Go-Back, or any other elf from a tribe yet unknown. But why on all the World of Two Moons does he have to Recognize an elf from the same tribe he and his lovemate come from? Or is that cover for next month's issue a diversion and it won't be Scouter and Tyleet but two other elves (for instance a certain healer and a certain chief-to-be, hint hint) - but that wouldn't be unexpected and surely no trouble. We'll see. By the time you get this letter we'll know it anyway. But the cover for HY #12 looks very promising (and beautiful, again a great piece of art done by Wendy), but although I tried to convince myself of the opposite, it must be Scouter we see (the necklace makes any mistake impossible).
Ronald Gravendeel
<<street address removed from archive>>
HIDDEN YEARS #11. Interesting cover - is that
our favorite five-fingered woodcutter from KINGS OF
THE BROKEN WHEEL? It sure is! And I like the addition of
the first two pages - you know, the "What Has Gone
Before" - very helpful! (Not that I'd ever miss an issue!)
Sputter! The Wolfriders, going on a hunt? NOW?? I have to side with Rayek on this part. But then, I have to agree with the Wolfriders too, because they can't really do anything about the situation.
Tyleet and Scouter seem to be great friends. That's good. But why is she so interested in Scouter? (Not that I blame her - he is one major elf babe!)
I hope Leetah and Mender do spark some new Recognitions. We need some new blood (pardon the pun) in the Wolfrider clan.
Cutter has a new wolf-friend - I'm so happy! He is again the optimistic young chief we know and love.
Whoa! Back up a few pages. What's this Strongbow is saying? The younger Wolfriders should what?? Aaagh! I hate cliffhangers! The suspense is unbearable! Don't separate the Wolfriders - please don't. I - I'll cry! Okay, I understand about the young ones needing to go off on their own, but you can't do that! Where would they be without the elders? And about the elders - it doesn't say that just because they're a few hundred years older they can't have any more cubs. Leetah's a healer - she can do anything!
Oooh! Oooh! Oooh! Tyleet Recognizes! I knew it, I knew it! But Scouter? I could have sworn it would be Skywise. What about Dewshine? Love next issue's cover. Is it just me, or do elves sweat a lot? It seems every elf we see is into heavily perspiring.
DON'T SPLIT UP THE WOLFRIDERS!
Jessica Hillman
<<street address removed from archive>>
But everyone in the world expected it to be Tyleet and Skywise, see? And we've got some very special ideas about what to do with Skywise and fatherhood. At least fatherhood that we can trace - as we've already seen, as a result of parties like the Go-Backs' prewar hoedown, he's probably got progeny all over the World of Two Moons! (And no, it's not that elves sweat that much, but dunk 'em in a pond or put 'em in the rain, and they do drip.)
And just for fun...
While still in the glow from watching the best
and most uplifting Academy Awards I've seen in a
quarter of a century, I propose a new award, the
Wendy's.
These are my first nominations:
Best High Ones - the Wendy goes to Wendy Pini for her beautiful group portrait of the Firstcomers.
Best Preservers - to Brandon McKinney for his portrayal of Petalwing, Berrybuzz and the whole gang in HIDDEN YEARS #11.
Best Suntop - to Barry Blair for his great snapshots in NEW BLOOD #14, which show Suntop's invincible innocence, hidden power, pubescent glow and sense of wonder. (By the way, I think he should Recognize the daughter of Kahvi and Tyldak, to mix the four tribes together.)
Best Suntop's Wardrobe - to Wendy Pini for her high fashion in HIDDEN YEARS #4. (Barry, please let Suntop wear those clothes again sometime.)
Best Trolls - a joint Wendy to Wendy Pini and John Byrne. Now, those are trollish trolls. Everybody else please pay attention.
Best Windkin - to Barry Blair for his slightly sinister and supremely sensual son of Tyldak. (Windkin should of course Recognize Venka, which would also bring the four tribes together, as well as generate some super sparks.)
Benjamin Urrutia
<<street address removed from archive>>
Anyone else got their own nominations? If this gets big enough, maybe we'll actually cobble up some awards! Keep writing, and see you in 30! - RP