Remember the days when you were convinced that elves and faries were real, that a pet dragon didn't have to have the word Kimodo in front of it, and magic was real and alive and possible?¹ Well, one of the best interpretations of a world in which all of these things exist is the world of ElfQuest.

ElfQuest is the brain child of Wendi and Richard Pini, and combines beautiful artwork with mature, well developed stories and characters. This is the World of Two Moons, the world of Cutter and Leetah and Skywise and Rayek and Winnowill. This is the world of rock-shapers and plant-shapers and healers and flying and "sending." This is an artist's masterwork, a telling of a story that has never been told before. It is not just a comic book, but a saga that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

A WaRP through the Elves world

ElfQuest is published by WaRP² graphics, based in Poughkeepsie, NY, USA. ElfQuest was one of the first independently published comic in America. It made it's premier in 1978, after several years in development.

The first comics were black and white, and told the story of Cutter, Blood of Ten Chiefs, and his tribe of forest dwelling, wolf riding elves.³ Forced into a desert migration by their enemies, humans, these telepathic elves finally find themselves in the Village of the Sun Folk, another group of elves, burned brown by the sun. It is at this point that "Recognition" is first introduced.

Recognition is the telepathic equivilent of love at first sight with an interesting twist; the two elves that Recognize each other have to mate soon or will eventually grow sick and die. Cutter Recognizes Leetah, the Sun Folk's Healer, who is in love with Rayek, the Sun Folk's chief hunter. Cutter carries Leetah off, much to the annoyance of Rayek. Rayek challenges Cutter to a trial to determine who has the right to "woo" Leetah. Cutter of course wins, sending Rayek into a spiral of shame, which leads to his eventual self-imposed exile.

This is simply the first chapter of this gripping story.

The Volumes in order of appearence

After several years of black and white comics, (1978 to 1984) numbered 20 in all, WaRP Graphics compiled the comics into 4 colour anthologies, named Fire and Flight, The Forbidden Grove, Captives of Blue Mountain, and Quest's End. Following in 1986 were 8 more black and white comics, which were followed yet again in 1988 by 9 black and whites. These comics were compiled in colour in the anthologies Siege at Blue Mountain, The Secret of Two-Edge, The Cry from Beyond and Kings of the Broken Wheel.

There are also several other volumes that fall outside the first "series" of books, which tell the stories of Cutter's children, elves that have never been seen before, stories that weren't elaborated on before, etc. These are the New Blood and The Hidden Years. While most of the stories are not illustrated by Wendi Pini, they are good examples of art and storytelling in and of themselves

Preservers and Trolls and Elf Tribes, Oh my!

As mentioned before, Cutter is the chief of the Wolfriders, who marries into the Sun Folk's tribe. Cutter is the eleventh chief the Wolfriders, who becomes Cutter Kinseeker because of his quest to find others of his own kind. The other elf tribes within this world are the Gliders, so named because they ride giant birds and can fly using the powers of telekeisis, and the Go-Backs, named for their own quest to "Go Back" to the home of their elfish ancestors.

Also on the world of Two Moons⁴ are creatures known as Preservers and Trolls. Preservers resemble fairies, are sexless, shoot webs out of their mouths, and make Yoda look like an erudite public speaker. Trolls are a little more conventional in this world, being hulking grey-green creatures with a penchant for mining and treasure. Also included are animals that are wholly alien yet familar, such as zwoots, which vaguely resemble camels.

Links for the fan

ElfQuest is a gripping read for all ages, and is also a source of facinating art by a facinating artist. It's a great addition to any graphic art collection. You can visit the on-line version of WaRP at ElfQuest.com. It includes character bios, story lines and an on-line store, where you can purchase the graphic novels and other pieces of memorabilia.⁵