FSC: ELFQUEST #1

ELFQUEST was one of the seminal self-publisher titles in the very early Direct Sales market place of the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was a very personal fantasy series conceived and created by artist Wendy Pini with input from her husband Richard Pini, who also ran the business end of their operation, WaRP (Wendy and Richard Pini) Graphics. Not only was the content of ELFQUEST a departure from pretty much anything in the mainstream, so too was the manner in which it was released. The Pinis took their cues from the world of underground comics. Realizing that their serialized storytelling would attract new readers as the series went along, they continued to keep each issue in print throughout the process of completing their initial 20-issue run. So it was possible to discover ELFQUEST at a certain point and immediately scoop up all of the back issues released up to that time. I knew about ELFQUEST but I hadn’t sampled it until I came across a few copies stocked in a candy store right by the University of Delaware campus. Despite the fact that fantasy really wasn’t my jam, needing something to kill an hour or two between classes with, I went ahead and took the plunge.

Wendy Pini had been developing the story of ELFQUEST from a young age, but self-publishing wasn’t the original goal. Initially, she and Richard had sought out independent publishers who might allow them to keep the rights to the property. the reached out to Power Comics, the Michigan-based publisher who had put out a number of books. By the time they arrived, Power Comics was no more, but one of the players involved, Timothy Donohue, had designs on carrying on with the operation in a new form. The first Elfquest story was released as the lead feature in FANTASY QUARTERLY #1, put out by IPS (Independent Publishers Syndicate, Donohue’s outfit.) But the Pinis weren’t happy with the result (nor in the fact that they wound up having to chase Donohue for payment) and they figured that they could do better themselves. Accordingly, they took out a loan and started WaRP Graphics, beginning with the publication of ELFQUEST #2. Eventually, as they got their feet under them, they went back and reprinted the FANTASY QUARTERLY story as ELFQUEST #1, adding a new cover to it and keeping it in print along with the rest of the series.

ELFQUEST is the story of the Wolfriders, a band of elves descended from the High Ones who first came to this world from another plane, fleeing a great disaster. The primitive humans of the period feared and hated the new arrivals, and so the two civilizations existed uneasily side-by-side in a perpetual state of cold war and enmity. As the story opens, one of the Wolfriders, Redlance, has been captured by a tribe of humans while out hunting alone. The humans intend to sacrifice him as an offering to their deity. But his fellow Wolfriders have located him, and the chief of the tribe, Cutter, takes them into battle to liberate Redlance. In doing so, Cutter is forced to kill one of the humans, which portents even greater strife between the two civilizations. But for now, the Wolfriders return to their Holt deep within the forest.

One of the things that caused ELFQUEST to build up a strong and almost rabid following was the fact that the story was as focused on the feelings and emotions of the assorted characters as any action-adventure plot. Pini also swiftly developed a large cast of characters, so it was easy for readers to find somebody in the large cast to become their favorite. Anyway, in the aftermath of the battle Cutter shares his misgivings with his starry-eyed friend Skywise. His tribe is just as fearful of the humans as the humans are of them, and he longs to change their circumstances. Unfortunately, he’s inadvertently done so already. Spurred to action by the death of their clansman, the tribe of humans sets fire to the entire forest, despite the fact that this will destroy their own food supply, in an attempt to burn out the Holt and the Wolfriders. The tribe has no choice but to pack up whatever they can easily carry and make a run for it toward the caverns of the trolls.

Reaching the entranceway to the underground kingdom of the trolls, Cutter and the Wolfriders force their way inside, necessity overcoming courtesy. The Elves have maintained an uneasy peace with the Trolls for some time, bartering with them for food and supplies. But neither party much likes or respects the other. The Wolfriders are brought before King Greymung, whom they petition for assistance. With the forest burning, they Wolfriders need a new place to relocate to. Greymung doesn’t trust the Elves at all, though, but he dispatches his underling Picknose to escort them to the Tunnel of Golden Light, through which he promises they will find a new land upon which they can settle that is bereft of all humans. Skywise is fascinated by a strange stone in the Troll quarry that powerfully attracts other metals. Despite Greymung’s protests, Cutter strikes off a hunk of the strange metal as a gift for his friend–an action that only serves to justify Greymung’s fears about how trustworthy and hospitable the Elves truly are.

Excited about the prospect of finding a new home far away from their human enemies, the Wolfriders head out, following Picknose’s direction through the expanse of underground tunnels. Along the way, they sing songs to buoy their spirits (and communicate to the audience a bit about Wolfrider culture and spirituality). Eventually, after a journey of several days, the group approaches the entranceway back to the surface, which is lit by a golden light. Picknose begs off, saying that the light of the sun is harmful to his kind, but the Wolfriders proceed forward, coming out at the edge of an expansive and barren desert. And then, all at once, Picknose touches a spot on the wall and triggers a cave-in, trapping the Elves outside of the tunnels. And as the issue closes, the Tribe is faced with an uncertain future in an unfamiliar and inhospitable land, one in which they already are bereft of food and water. To Be Continued.

This first ELFQUEST chapter doesn’t really get to the heart of the story, forming merely a prologue in the eventual work. As such, several of the hallmarks of the strip haven’t come into focus yet, as a number of key characters haven’t been introduced. In particular, Cutter has not yet met Leetah, his partner in Recognition, a sort of psychic connection between destined romantic partners. The romance and courtship between Cutter and Leetah and his rivalry with her betrothed Rayek forms the central spine of the opening arc of the series, and is really the stuff that made readers click with the book. As for me, having sampled this one issue, I didn’t find enough of it compelling enough to continue on just yet. I’d eventually read the entire series several years later in the very attractive Donner/Starblaze color collections, a terrific format that collected five issues of the run at a shot. ELFQUEST was better experienced in larger chunks.