First, some words from this issue's creative force, Lea Hernandez...
Nearly six years ago, I began working on a
story about a girl and her rabbit. It was entitled, at
that time, La Pared Grande de Tejas - the Great
Wall of Texas. Many twists and turns later, it was
known as Glory Witch. A few more twists and
turns, and Glory Witch begot a story that became
known as Cathedral Child, and Cathedral Child's
cousin is Moonshade.
I spent a year and a half plotting Glory Witch, and began learning how to write a story with a beginning, middle and end. Glory Witch turned out to be, in proposed comics form, seven 44-page books long. For a publisher, seven issues was a hefty risk to take on an unproven property. I plotted a companion series, four 26-page issues long, and that was Cathedral Child. Then I had to prove, on spec (which means "you might not get paid"), that I could draw Cathedral too, since I had demonstrated I could plot and script. It took me some months (I had to set Cathedral aside often for other work) but I did it.
So when Richard Pini put out the call for
submissions for Elfquest: New Blood, I was
fortunate enough to have samples and experience.
What it looked like I might not have, was nerve. I
had been reading Elfquest for ten years. The event
of each and every issue's arrival at the book store
(especially in the original series) was a mini-milestone,
so much so that I can still recall what
happened the day I picked each issue up. Elfquest
had validated my career choice - to be a woman
and draw manga- and anime-influenced comics.
Elfquest has simply been there for more than one-third
of my life. To write and draw an Elfquest story
was a knee-knocking experience, especially the
drawing part.
The was business; this was the Big Time;
Warp Graphics had a book to put out; I had a book
I had promised to draw. (This would be my first
book, too. Cathedral Child derailed, to my extreme
disappointment, right after I began the first part of
Moonshade.) The pressure was on; I had to swap
one dream assignment (my own book) for another
(a shot at Elfquest). I didn't have to prove ability to
Richard and Wendy. What I had to prove was that I,
like Cutter did nearly fifteen years ago, would walk,
and keep walking, until I reached a goal. Would I?
I walked. Enjoy the story.
I've been a fan of Barry's since 1986 and
am always glad to see him experiment with new
projects, styles, etc. I honestly can not say that I've
liked the results of every change, but I was
comfortable with his recounting an ELFQUEST story. I
feel it was a "good fit." Keep up the good work,
and keep Barry off the streets in his Jeep-- send
him some more work!
Don Meyering
As long as he does less damage with the
Jeep than I do with my motorcycle, Barry gets to
keep his four-wheeler. And as for new work, well,
as I write these words, Mr. Blair had a meeting with
Wendy the Art Director yesterday, and I think some
powerful stuff is brewing for the middle future.
To the artists who want to try, I'd say not to
worry and just give it their best. To Richard Pini:
You did the right thing when you opened up the
World of Two Moons to other artists. It has caused
and will surely cause more pleasure than grief. if
someone does not enjoy NEW BLOOD they can stop
reading it. If they can only handle Wendy's
depiction of elves, then let them choose what to
look at. If they are as hungry as I am for more, they
will still love it, and continue to sup.
Jillian St. Andre
It's interesting. The sales figures for NEW
BLOOD (not Wendy's art) are nearly the same as for
HIDDEN YEARS (Wendy's art). I think this means that
most everybody is indeed giving the new kid in the
holt a chance, and I thank you all. I'm curious,
though... what did you mean when you said the
experiment was going well scientifically? I have an
image of issues of NEW BLOOD bubbling away in
beakers of smoking, multi-colored fluids...
Jason Zuleger
The tricky part about growing is not doing
it too fast. We've already added some talented office
staff here at Warp Central; we've brought on board
some wonderful writers and artists to work with,
and we're casting our eyes ever outward. We've got
at two new titles in production for this summer,
and more for 1994. But we won't let anything
happen until it's just right. There are still only so
many hours in a day, and they're getting eaten up
faster and faster, due to this little tour thing we've
cooked up, as you'll see on the next page...
And now, our regularly scheduled letters...
I wanted to write to express my appreciation
for giving Barry Blair an opportunity to
participate in the NEW BLOOD series.
<<street address removed from archive>>
Don't let anyone put down ELFQUEST: NEW
BLOOD. Although I'd rather be reading "real
Elfquest" any day, NEW BLOOD is an experiment
which, scientifically, is going very well. None of the
artists in issue #1 deserved to be insulted. I enjoyed
every story.
<<street address removed from archive>>
Thank you for expanding the ELFQUEST
universe! Waiting for new issues of ELFQUEST to
come out has always been the hardest part of being
a fan. Now it looks like we will have much diverse
material to enjoy in addition to our "familiar"
ELFQUEST in HIDDEN YEARS. I couldn't be happier. The
fresh perspective offered in NEW BLOOD is, in my
opinion, exciting and necessary for continued
growth. The original "Journey to Sorrow's End" can
never be duplicated, but that's not what we're after,
right? Please continue the expansions and
experiments. I think there are many highly talented
writers and artists who deserve the right to take a
crack at ELFQUEST. I eagerly await the next issues of
HIDDEN YEARS and NEW BLOOD and all of the future
projects waiting in the wings. Take care.
<<street address removed from archive>>