Just for the heck of it, I thought I'd kick off the SHARDS letter column with a report, from our de facto roving correspondent, on the Chicago Comic Convention held over the July 4th weekend, where the first glimpses of this issue were to be had... - RP
Date: Mon, 4 Jul 1994 19:31:02 -0500
From: Dorinda Hartmann
<dmhartma@STUDENTS.WISC.EDU>
Subject: Assorted news from the Chicago
Comicon
Hi, y'all, I'm back from the Chicago Comicon. That was some big show, let me tell you! I had a great time. I figured I'd let you know any EQ-related tidbits that I noticed while I was there...
Hmmmm, let's see... Well, to begin with, I can answer one question once and for all. I think a couple of you out there were wondering about that EQ poster, with Leetah in the foreground healing a wounded Strongbow under a strange "strangleweed"-type tree, with Cutter riding to the rescue from behind... One or two folks have asked if this is art from some upcoming story. The answer is no, it's just promotional art showing some of the characters, a certain atmosphere, and so on.
There was sample art from each title, including HIDDEN YEARS and SHARDS after the split. I absolutely LOVED the sample art for HIDDEN YEARS! It's done by a Brazilian named "Roko," and it's beautiful. The characters, the colors, the expressions, the movement... It's wonderful. No worries.
There were a couple of concept pages for "JINK" and "THE REBELS"; Richard told me both titles are really starting to come together. The characters looked intriguing. Jink had a sunny-looking, raggedly-handsome male companion sitting at her feet, grinning up at her... I already want to see more of him. :)
There's a large character in "THE REBELS" who reminds me of a conehead... remember, the proto high-ones? Also, there's a character who looks sort of like what might happen if a Preserver evolved (or mutated, or "bred"?) up to person-sized. Richard was a gem of suspense, as usual... when I made my observation about the Preserver-resemblance, he assumed a perfectly neutral face and said, deadpan, "I can neither confirm nor deny that suggestion." I loved it! We should elect him to some high office so he can commit federal crimes... he'd make great sound-bites on the evening news. ("Asked about the missing fleet of ships, Admiral Pini said he could neither confirm nor deny...") :)
I also saw the first solo issue of SHARDS, the inked pages only (meaning no dialogue or captions yet). I could follow much of the story fairly well, even without words... I won't say anything spoiling, but I will say this: 1) There's a scene with Winnowill & a couple of sneaky humans that I thought was a great touch; and 2) It takes the elves a while to make their appearance in the issue (the suspense is building... we start out with the latest stuff in the bad guys' camp, basically). Other than that, I ain't sayin' anything. I have some of my own almost entirely unsubstantiated opinions (premonitions?) about SHARDS, but I'll get to that later.
There were flyers there for an upcoming title called "Elfquest: Bedtime Stories," by the same folks who did stories like NEW BLOOD #10 Where Skywise finds the magic ring. Here's the basic text for the flyer: "For fifteen years ELFQUEST has been enjoyed by children and grown-ups of all ages... Now we've created something that's just for the cubs. (Though we certainly won't mind if grown-ups read it too!) Tales of the Wolfriders told to-- and by-- the young'uns of the tribe. Coming in Fall 1994 for the children's market, from Warp Graphics." The art for the first (I think) "Bedtime Stories" issue was there, and I liked it a lot. It seemed to be a sort of "Little Red Riding Hood"-style tale, told by Leetah. I think this new title really fills a niche (especially now that the main EQ titles are getting more and more intense and dangerous... this provides an outlet for the more carefree, relaxed EQ stuff).
I also met Barry Blair. Folks, I really really like him. He was very nice, friendly, and fun to talk with. We chatted about NEW BLOOD for a while, and I have to be frank with you on a couple of points. First, the virulent "Blair Bashing" stuff that pops up from time to time (mostly on alt.comics.elfquest, I think) hurts him. He's a regular guy, doing a great job on a tough assignment, and when people gnash on about how he should be fired, or killed, or that his art betrays a 'liking' for little boys... well, he tries not to let it bother him, but sometimes it can't help but get through.
Second, he CARES. He cares very deeply about Elfquest, its characters and universe, as much as and more than any of us. He doesn't deserve any of that ridiculous and hurtful crap that gets thrown at him. Therefore, I figured I'd be up front about this... I didn't like "Blair-Bashing" before, but now that I've met Barry and taken a shine to him, I REEEALLY won't tolerate it, and I'm prepared to defend him. NOW NOW NOW before anyone takes umbrage at my tone, let me assure you that I don't intend to have any sort of "chilling effect" on discussion of the comic. Diverse opinions, as always, are perfectly welcome (although folks who say "I've never even looked at it because I know I'd hate it" should just drop dead, because what kind of an argument is that?).
HOWEVER, there is a difference between discussion of opinions about the comic, and hurtful (supposedly 'humorous') remarks about Barry Blair. Let's remember that Barry is a human being, like us, not some distant armor-plated "ARTIST-MONSTER"-- and he truly loves Elfquest, just as we do. Remember, the same line drawn in the sand regarding "Richard-bashing"? Enough said.
And now, my entirely unsubstantiated premonition about SHARDS. For some reason, I think the death toll is going to be heavy. I saw no art and heard no hints that would definitely make me think this... although let me quote something from the SHARDS flyer: "Grohmul Djun has wealth and power. He's also got the lost palace of the High Ones. Cutter and his tribe of Wolfriders must get it back-- at any cost! However, the elves have never met a human like the Djun before and the price they must pay for the palace will change the fate of the Wolfriders forever. Hmmmmmm.
We've been touching lightly on who some of us expect to die, and most of the suggestions seem to have been concentrating on characters people find "expendable"... Skot and Krim, for example, or Zhantee, or even Treestump and Clearbrook. But I don't think this title is going to pull punches. I think anyone could die. I think a number of them will. I think no one is immune. (No, not even Strongbow.) This is not going to be like the little Troll War we saw before... this is high-tech, high-stakes, all-or-nothing stuff, here. Fasten your seat belts, and start chipping away at the "invulnerable" shields you may have mentally placed around your favorite character in the fighter-group. And on that ominous note... I shall end. In closing, let me just say that I had a blast, and I met Marty Kuhn (newcomer to this group) there, and we had fun shopping around the dealer's tables for EQ stuff. Marty may try to tell you that I dropped everything I was carrying on the floor, numerous times, for no apparent reason, but don't believe him! He's trying to deceive you! He... He... all right, all right. I dropped everything on the floor. Numerous times. For no apparent reason. <sighs I think I need a new set of neurons. If I remember any EQ con-stuff that may have slipped by this message, of course I'll post it later. Shade, sweet water, and let's get chewing on those fingernails, people! The Big Split is Coming!
Dorinda
And now back to our regularly scheduled
letters page... - RP
Regarding the "Djun" issue of Hidden Years,
specifically, Tyleet's abrupt removal of a barbed metal
dart from the side of Patience. According to an excellent
local veterinary who has helped my no-humps out
of various scrapes, the cardinal rule for a wound
involving a foreign object is: Never remove the offending
object, be it nail, stick, dart, or whatnot, by yourself.
"Healers" know how to do it the right way; the wrong
way can lead to fatal bleeding, infection and other
nasties. This scene felt wrong to me; sure, it's dramatic,
but it worked better during the first Quest
(Cutter and that troll-spear, which there was no choice
but to remove.) I really feel that Tyleet would have
almost instinctively known better than to do something
like that without Leetah or Mender there. The mud and
moss poultice was a good idea, but I still don't feel it
belonged in that particular situation.
Kellie Wallace
<<street address removed from archive>>
Aaahhhgg!
(Shades of the HY letter column! - RP)
What have you done?! Split the Wolfriders up, how could you? *Arrgghh!!* I could have told you not to write after drinking too much dreamberry wine!
OK. I'm calm. Just please, don't make this permanent. Please! The Wolfriders need each other. The elders need the youths to keep them young; the young need the elders to keep them from getting reckless. (Or something like that.) I hope you guys know what you're doing. You do know what you're doing, don't you?!? These elves have become part of my family. (I am only one year older than ELFQUEST.)
Galena Olney
<<street address removed from archive>>
I just got HIDDEN YEARS #14. Now let me get this
straight. The elder Wolfriders are going to stay and fight
because they've already mothered and fathered their
one or two children and their chances of having another
are just about nil. But the young ones - like Tyleet - are
going to leave and go far away (into the sunset and all
that) so that the tribe can survive. OK.
But what about Venka? She's only a couple of years older than Tyleet, so she would logically go under Ember's rule. But with old Winnowill helping the humans, the elders are going to need her; she's the best at keeping Winnowill out of their hair. Rayek, Strongbow, Cutter and Leetah only run close seconds. And Suntop, of course, is out of the picture.
So many questions, so little space at the end of
the page... Keep reading, is all I can say. The choices
haue been made, the paths taken. Now, only time and
cleverness and strength of will can keep things rolling.
No one knows what the future holds. Stick along for the
ride, and we'll see you in 30! - RP