OK. I promised. In the previous issue of NEW BLOOD, Barry set the scene for Suntop's first deep impression of the endless jungle of the Forevergreen. About halfway through the work on the art, Barry came in and said, "I need a poem for Suntop to be thinking on these pages here." So I said, all right, I'll see if I can cobble something up. And then I forgot about it, because there were a dozen other things to be done.
A few days later, Mary Lou - who acts toward the Warp production schedule the way Patrick Ewing acts toward the opposing defense - beeped me on the intercom and said "I need that poem in five minutes!"
It turns out that all she needed was my acknowledgment that I would in fact provide that piece of the script. But I didn't know that. and after I peeled myself off the ceiling, I put on my doggerel cap and banged out the following:
Suntop is a little elf
This great big woods is really nice
But right now he just wants to find
Who's lost as he can be
He don't know where he's got himself
He's really up a tree.
The best he's ever seen
He might come back here once or twice
To this Forevergreen.
His smart-ass buddy Chot
So he can pound his li'l behind
And beat him all to snot.
In issue #5 of SIEGE AT BLUE MOUNTAIN, someone
wrote in to say that Dart looked like a reject from...
ELFLORD. You knew someone would catch it eventually.
Actually, what I've wanted to tell you is that almost all the Elfquest fans I know are strongly prejudiced against Barry Blair. They honestly don't know why you "let him in." Keith looked like he was going to be sick, when I brought it up. But I like his work in NEW BLOOD, and I have to disagree with them. (What a bunch of old growlers!) Mr. Blair? I hope you read this. If Savah's head would just pick a shape and stay that way, I'd start to stick up for you.
Also, this might not be the right time to ask, but will Skywise ever learn that he has a daughter?
Jillian St. Andre
<<street address removed from archive>>
Ohhh, I'd say there's a better than even chance of that.
This letter is about ELFQUEST: NEW BLOOD.
There's so much to say. I didn't much like it in the
beginning. It was way too different from Wendy's work.
I didn't really like the time period of NB #2 and #3.
Elves interest me much more than the humans do. And
for Suntop and Ember being twins Ember sure has
matured faster than her brother, especially physically.
In NEW BLOOD Suntop still acts and is treated like a
whelp. I really can't wait for him to grow physically -
he'll be wonderful.
NEW BLOOD #10 was good but I really like the way it has taken off starting with NB #11. I really like all the characters, though I don't think I like Dart very much. He's very arrogant. Everyone seems to have him up on a pedestal. The village doesn't seem like it could function without him. He gets compared to Cutter but he's not even close in my eyes. Cutter is loved and appreciated where Dart is more praised. Dart doesn't seem to enjoy leading; he seldom has happy times.
I really like the way Windkin is being drawn and colored. He looks like a Black version of an elf. I love it. You're becoming "equal opportunity" artists!
I have a feeling I know who this elf in trouble is. It's Door from Blue Mountain, who went off with the Hoan-G'Tay-Sho, isn't it? Well, that's my guess. I can't wait to see where this title leads. I'm so glad it's on a monthly rather than a bimonthly schedule. Thank the High Ones.
Bryan Crabtree
<<street address removed from archive>>
First off I would like to thank you for the
letter you sent. Very few people in this industry
actually take the time to respond to their fans and I
appreciate it greatly. Ironically, issue #15 of NEW
BLOOD hit the stands the day before I got your letter.
I have a really bad feeling that Savah will not be seeing Suntop or the others again. While I hope that this is not the case, her words to Suntop suggest otherwise. It would be nice to see Savah interact with the WAVEDANCERS but that now seems impossible. Savah and Tentus have so much to discuss and I would love to see it.
Now that Dart has his little group on a quest is there any chance of Ember taking Mender, Tyleet, Zhantee and Venka on a Quest which will end up in all of them becoming the founders of a new Holt? The reason I ask this is because I would like to see Windkin and Ember Recognize, as well as Venka and Suntop. Originally I wanted to see Windkin Recognize Tyleet; however it looks as if she and Scouter are the ones...
I have to wonder which Glider survived the destruction of Blue Mountain and is being held prisoner. Dart is in for a shocker when he sees the emblem on the wall, the one he is responsible for! I had forgotten just how old Dart really is. Speaking of Dart, if I didn't know better I would say that he was Cutter's son. And why does it seem as if Ember is many years older than Suntop? It's obvious that she and Mender are playing lovemates yet Suntop still seems to be too young. Now, I realize that women mature faster than men but still they seem to be different ages.
While Dart and the rest are in the Forevergreen, will they meet Barmek and Sleia? Another Recognition I would like to see is Barmek and Shenshen. All the tribes have been linked by Recognition and this would be the most interesting.
I suspect that this group will be learning a lot about teamwork and what they are capable of doing. I will say this again - the messages and values you send with each issue are fantastic. The writing and the art are really breathtaking.
Steven Leitman
<<street address removed from archive>>
It's a bit surprising the number of letters we get wanting to know if the "New Blood" elves are going to meet the two adventurers from WAVEDANCERS. Someday, we all suppose, it would be a Neat Thing to happen, but for the moment, think about it. Barmek and Sleia are in the part of the world where Blue Mountain fell, and Dart and his merry band are a continent away! Not too likely just yet. I'm afraid.
Well! I'd been wondering what happened to
the Hoan-G'Tay-Sho. However, this is pretty bad. With
a high powered rock shaper (Winnowill's pal) to tote
around, the tribe still deteriorated. How lovely. Did
Door decide to recreate his mistress in the leaders of
these humans, and teach them to be sadists? Perhaps
Door will also be able to tell the ultimate fate of Nonna
and Adar, though I hope they went back to Olbar's tribe
to raise that bundle of adopted children.
I do have a little complaint. As I recall, Suntop and Ember are twins. Now, she's running about age 16 or so (I lose track, probably closer to 20), while Suntop is bopping about in New Blood looking (and acting) like a ten-year-old. This is seriously amiss. Come on, folks.
Of course, I am deeply interested in knowing what a troll is doing in the service of humans. So I anxiously await that. I figure Door must have seen/sensed Windkin go by that first time, and thought "Maybe I can use this kid to get me out of here." So I'm also waiting for that tale also.
Jill Sylvan
<<street address removed from archive>>
The "when did Suntop and Ember split so far apart in age?" question has come up in electronic mail as well, and the answer is really a simple one. It happened before they were born! Of course they popped out of the oven at the same time, but recall what Leetah said while they were still baking - that Ember pulled the wolf blood to her. Now, whether Ember's got it all and Suntop has none, or she's just got the majority of it, is of less consequence than the fact that she's got more than he does. For that reason alone she'd appear to mature faster. Plus, the differences - visual, psychological - provide us a wonderful opportunity to contrast the two personalities. Imagine what an eventual reunion would be like!
Dart was Recognized and had a cub. You
could have given us more than a page for that.
Could Windkin's "friend" be Door? He was taken away a long time ago. It sure seems like it. Poor Windkin, he sure is in a fix. So where's Yun? She left early, didn't she? The only elf that really gets on my nerves lately is Suntop. He's just so... duh. You know. He lived with the Wolfriders; he's got to know how to act like one. Not just a magic-filled airhead.
Brandywine Smith
(age 15)
<<street address removed from archive>>
I'm writing to you first to let you know how
pleased I am now that you've decided to let your
sadistic tendencies run free and return to longer
storylines. I have been enjoying your NEW BLOOD
series and absolutely loving the more original visions
(NEW BLOOD #8 and #9). But I was missing the long
stories, and the waiting between issues. I guess I am
a masochist.
Barry Blair has also been a pleasant surprise. I wasn't familiar with his name, but I like his art, and I think he has a superb eye for color. I had the curiosity to compare his character designs with Wendy's, page to page, but except for rejoicing in differences I couldn't find a single common element, a clue to why I view them both as Elfquest perfection. Perhaps it's all a matter of taste.
Ann Maria Meca
<<street address removed from archive>>
Amen to that. See you all in 30! - RP