Elfquest #5, 1979.
Cover art by Wendy Pini.

Elfquest (or ElfQuest) is a comic book property created by Wendy and Richard Pini in 1978. The basic premise is a fantasy story about a community of elves and related species who struggle to survive and coexist on a primitive Earth-like planet with two moons. A number of related works of prose fiction have also been published in the setting. Over the years Elfquest has been self-published by the Pinis, then Marvel Comics, the Pinis again through their own company Warp Graphics and now DC Comics. Front cover from Elfquest #5, 1979. ... Front cover from Elfquest #5, 1979. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Artist, creator of the well-known ElfQuest series of comics (or graphic novels). ... Artist, creator of the well-known ElfQuest series of comics (or graphic novels). ... For other meanings see Fantasy (disambiguation) Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ... The comic book series Elfquest, created by Wendy and Richard Pini, features a race of elves on the World of Two Moons, searching for their origins and place in the world. ... Earth (IPA: , often referred to as the Earth, Terra, the World or Planet Earth) is the third planet in the solar system in terms of distance from the Sun, and the fifth largest. ... The World of Two Moons or Abode is a fictional Earth-type planet featured in Wendy and Richard Pinis comic book Elfquest. ... Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Entertainment, Inc. ... WaRP Graphics, later Warp Graphics, was an alternative comics publisher which was most well known for being the original publisher of the Elfquest comic books. ... DC Comics is one of the largest American companies in comic book and related media publishing. ...

Story

Strictly speaking, the characters in question are not actually the creatures of folklore, but actually the descendants of highly advanced alien beings, known as the High Ones, who intended to explore the planet Abode (known to elves as the World of Two Moons) in search of others of their kind during the planet's medieval time period and assumed the form of the creatures for that purpose. However, a mishap disrupted the controls of their vessel and made them make a forced landing far earlier in time, in the paleolithic period. The inability to communicate quickly caused a catastrophic misunderstanding that brought on a massacre of the aliens and drove the survivors from their palace-shaped vessel. The elves were slaughtered by humans, and the destructive environment. Separated in the chaos, several different tribes were begun, though only one is tracked. To adapt to the environment, a female member of one group of elves, Timmain, shape shifted into a wolf and mated with a native wolf to produce a stronger, more adapted offspring to lead them, known as Timmorn Yellow-Eyes. Folklore is the body of expressive culture, including tales, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, customs, material culture, and so forth, common to a particular population, comprising the traditions (including oral traditions) of that culture, subculture, or group. ... The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, currently used by the SETI project in the search for extraterrestrial life Extraterrestrial life is life that may exist and originate outside the planet Earth, the only place in the universe currently known to support life. ... The World of Two Moons or Abode is a fictional Earth-type planet featured in Wendy and Richard Pinis comic book Elfquest. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (Greek παλαιός paleos=old and λίθος lithos=stone or the Old Stone Age) was the first period in the development of human technology of the Stone Age. ... The quintessential medieval European palace: Palais de la Cité, in Paris, the royal palace of France. ... In the comic book Elfquest, created by Wendy and Richard Pini, the Wolfriders are a fictional tribe of elves on the World of Two Moons. ...

The main story begins 10,000 years later, with elves and other beings having adapted with great difficulty to their home. The main characters are the Wolfriders, a tribe of elves descended from Timmorn Yellow-Eyes who became the rough equivalent of the Iroquois Native American nation of ferocious hunter/warriors who are closely allied with wolves who serve as mounts, hunting partners, and friends. The Wolfriders also have some basic psychic powers like telepathy, healing and plant manipulation. The central storyline, beginning with the series known as the Grand Quest or Original Quest, focuses on the tribe during the leadership of their eleventh chief Cutter. At the start of the story, the Wolfriders' regular forest life - interspersed with intermittent conflict with superstitiously genocidal humans - is lost when the humans set fire to the forest in retaliation for a previous battle. The Wolfriders seek refuge in the underground caverns of their sullenly greedy, but cowardly trade partners, the trolls. Originally the High Ones' servants, the trolls' ancestors fled the crash site and became cave-dwellers. The Wolfriders are a fictional tribe of elves on the World of Two Moons in the comic book Elfquest, created by Wendy and Richard Pini. ... The Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee, also known as the League of Peace and Power, Five Nations, or Six Nations) is a group of First Nations/Native Americans. ... This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... Wolf Wolf Man Mount Wolf Wolf Prizes Wolf Spider Wolf 424 Wolf 359 Wolf Point Wolf-herring Frank Wolf Friedrich Wolf Friedrich August Wolf Hugo Wolf Johannes Wolf Julius Wolf Max Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf Maximilian Wolf Rudolf Wolf Thomas Wolf As Name Wolf Breidenbach Wolf Hirshorn Other The call... Parapsychology is the study of certain types of paranormal phenomena (parapsychology comes from the Greek para, “beside, beyond,” + psychology, derived from the Greek psyche, “soul, mind,” + logos “rational discussion”). The term was coined by Max Dessoir (1889). ... The comic book series Elfquest, created by Wendy and Richard Pini, features a race of elves on the World of Two Moons, searching for their origins and place in the world. ... // Telepathy (from the Greek τηλε, tele, distant; and πάθεια, patheia, feeling) is the communication of information from one mind to another by means other than the known perceptual senses. ... In the comic book Elfquest, created by Wendy and Richard Pini, the Wolfriders are a fictional tribe of elves on the World of Two Moons. ...

The elves claim that the trolls owe them sanctuary, but the troll king, Greymung, feels humiliated and plots revenge. The elves are taken down a long tunnel toward what the trolls claim will be a land of bright promise, but is actually a trackless desert. Then their guide seals the tunnel behind them. Desperately inspired by the finding of a piece of "magic" lodestone, which inadvertently acts as a crude compass, they make an extremely arduous journey across the wasteland until they encounter an oasis called Sorrow's End, populated by a sedentary elfin tribe called the Sun Folk. After an initial misunderstanding, the two tribes quickly unite in smooth fashion with each side willing to adjust to their new companions to their mutual benefit. The Wolfriders enjoy the benefits of a more sophisticated culture with revealing knowledge about the past and elders who have more advanced psionic skills, while the Sun Folk benefit from a band of strong hunters and defenders of their desert refuge from humanity. Erg Chebbi, Morocco In geography, a desert is a landscape form or region that receives very little precipitation. ... Magnetite Lodestone or loadstone refers to either: Magnetite, a magnetic mineral form of iron(II), iron(III) oxide Fe3O4, one of several iron oxides. ... Compass in a wooden box A compass (or mariners compass) is a navigational instrument for finding directions on the earth. ... In the comic book Elfquest, created by Wendy and Richard Pini, the Sun Folk are a fictional tribe of elves on the World of Two Moons (also called Abode). ...

Due to a built in genetic effect from their "sending" (telepathy) ability, Cutter was there forced to deal with "recognition", a kind of psionic "matchmaking" effect that forces the elves to mate, in hopes of breeding children, and often results in a lifelong pair-bonding known as "lifemating" if the elves are compatible with one another in temperament. In Cutter's case, this resulted in a major conflict between him and the Sun Folk's chief hunter, Rayek, over the affections of Leetah, the healer of the village. In the comic book Elfquest, created by Wendy and Richard Pini, the Sun Folk are a fictional tribe of elves on the World of Two Moons (also called Abode). ... In the comic book Elfquest, created by Wendy and Richard Pini, the Sun Folk are a fictional tribe of elves on the World of Two Moons (also called Abode). ...

The sanctuary is eventually breached years later by a handful of starving humans who approach the oasis. Although they are sent on their way (probably to die of thirst), Cutter realizes that more could follow and decides to take action. He goes on a quest with his close companion, Skywise, to try to find other elf tribes to unite with to defend themselves against humanity. Later, Cutter's son, Suntop, receives a warning from the Sun Folk's elder Savah about an evil to be avoided, and the Wolfriders and Cutter's family set out to find the explorers. This article is about the word, for other meanings see Quest (disambiguation) A quest is a journey towards a goal with great meaning and is used in mythology and literature as a plot device. ... In the comic book Elfquest, created by Wendy and Richard Pini, the Wolfriders are a fictional tribe of elves on the World of Two Moons. ... In the comic book Elfquest, created by Wendy and Richard Pini, the Wolfriders are a fictional tribe of elves on the World of Two Moons. ... In the comic book Elfquest, created by Wendy and Richard Pini, the Sun Folk are a fictional tribe of elves on the World of Two Moons (also called Abode). ...

What follows is a difficult but enlightening journey, in which the elves' most basic assumptions about the world are turned upside down as they meet humans who are more good than they ever hoped, elves more evil than they ever imagined, and trolls more aggressive than they ever feared. Throughout these adventures, Cutter and his companions learn about the world and themselves in profound ways that they can only begin to understand. For other uses, see Evil (disambiguation). ...

Series Theme - The Acceptance of Change

The series has been interpreted as having the theme that healthy individuals and societies must be willing to accept change in their lives and take advantage of it for the betterment of all.

For example, the more sympathetic elf communities, the Wolfriders and the Sun Folk, are the ones most willing to change their ways in the face of different circumstances and opportunities. By contrast, the less sympathetic elves, the Gliders and the Go-backs, are depicted as belonging to highly conservative cultures: the Gliders are obsessed with preserving their society from contamination from the outside, and the Go-backs are determined to return to an earlier ideal represented by the Palace, ancestral home to all the elves. However, in their fanatic conservatism, both the Gliders and the Go-backs have in fact changed even more than the sympathetic tribes, but in far less beneficial ways, whether it be the Gliders' decadence and inability to reproduce or the Go-backs' warlike savagery. The comic book series Elfquest, created by Wendy and Richard Pini, features a race of elves on the World of Two Moons, searching for their origins and place in the world. ... The comic book series Elfquest, created by Wendy and Richard Pini, features a race of elves on the World of Two Moons, searching for their origins and place in the world. ...

The Elfquest universe

The world where the series takes place has many similarities with our own, but has two moons instead of just one. The history and continents are a little different, but the development of human progress is about the same. Besides humans, elves, and trolls, there are also some creatures called the Preservers who originally came to the World of Two Moons (WoTM) in the Palace with the ancestors of the trolls and the elves. They are genderless and don't seem to be able to breed; but, as they are immortal and tough survivors, their number is relatively constant. Both the trolls and the preservers evolved from more animal-like ancestors, but because of the magic in the palace they became immortal and got the ability to speak and to think abstractly. Once on WoTM, natural selection caused the trolls to increase in both strength and size. To survive and multiply despite their low numbers, both the elves and the trolls have to breed with close relatives, often turning to incest. Picknose and his mate even created their own kingdom on incest, as their children were breeding with each other, resulting in a new society of trolls. Sexuality and nudity among the elves are seen as something natural, and having sex with other tribe members, often including three or more at once, is seen as something quite natural once they are mature enough. Besides the three alien races that came with the palace, the palace itself consists of two main parts: the material it is made of, and two magic rolls that contain all the history from its home world. The palace is also where the souls of the dead elves come together to spend the rest of their existence. This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ...

Publication

The first Elfquest story was published in the underground comic book "Fantasy Quarterly" in the spring of 1978. "Fantasy Quarterly" was published by IPS (Independent Publishers Syndicate) based in Lansing Michigan. Sandwiched between Elfquest's "Fire and Flight" parts one and two was a brief story written by T. Casey Brennan and illustrated by future Cerebus the Aardvark creator Dave Sim titled "Doorway to the Gods". Despite the obvious talent of the contributors, the quality of the publication was terribly disappointing to Wendy and Richard Pini. The cover was only slightly better than newsprint (the exterior was printed unglossed with a very limited color palette) and the paper used inside of the comic book appeared to be newspaper. The poor quality of this publication convinced the Pinis that they could produce a higher quality publication on their own. After borrowing money in order to start WaRP Graphics, the Pinis started publishing with "Elfquest #2" (published tabloid size with glossy full color covers and a character portrait print on the back cover by Wendy; a format that would continue throughout the series entire run). This story continued the Elfquest tale started in "Fantasy Quarterly". Later, the Pinis' company WaRP Graphics would reprint the story from “Fantasy Quarterly” as “Elfquest #1” with a new front cover and full color portrait print for the rear cover. T. Casey Brennan is the author of numerous comic book stories, published in the 1970s Warren anthologies Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella. ... Cerebus the Aardvark (or simply Cerebus) is an independent comic book, written and illustrated by Canadian artist Dave Sim, with backgrounds by fellow Canadian Gerhard. ... David Victor Sim (born May 17, 1956 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian comic book writer and artist, best known as the creator of the 6,000 page graphic novel Cerebus the Aardvark. ...

This series was one of the early successes that marked the establishment of a phase in underground comics at which a new market of alternative independent comic books emerged that were closer to the comics mainstream. Elfquest was also one of the first comic book series that had a prearranged conclusion, and that was highly praised for its innovative theme. The fact that a female artist/writer (Wendy Pini) was principally involved in the series was another notable element. The term underground comics or comix describes the self-published or small press comic books that sprang up in the US in the late 1960s. ... Artist, creator of the well-known ElfQuest series of comics (or graphic novels). ...

The original series ran for 21 issues (although the last issue consisted entirely of letters and behind-the-scenes material) and was followed by numerous sequels and spinoffs under the WaRP Graphics (later Warp Graphics) imprint. Some of the later stories introduced other artists and writers and also included some "alternative" stories and self-parodies. The sequels were the eight part series "Siege at Blue Mountain" and the nine part series "Kings of the Broken Wheel". The spinoffs were: "New Blood" (35 issues), "Hidden Years" (29 issues), "Two Spear" (5 issues), "Kahvi" (6 issues), "Shards" (16 issues), "WaveDancers" (old - 6 issues, new - 1 issue), "Blood of Ten Chiefs" (20 issues), "The Rebels" (12 issues), and "Jink" (12 issues). Following these spinoffs was an anthology series simply titled "Elfquest" (known to fans as "Elfquest 2" that ran for 33 issues. WaRP Graphics, later Warp Graphics, was an alternative comics publisher which was most well known for being the original publisher of the Elfquest comic books. ... WaRP Graphics, later Warp Graphics, was an alternative comics publisher which was most well known for being the original publisher of the Elfquest comic books. ...

The original series was re-edited into 32 installments with some additional pages, and published by Marvel Comics's Epic imprint. This gave the series some much-needed mass-market publicity, although none of the sequels followed suit. There have also been graphic novel collections in both color and black and white, as well as novelizations and original anthologies based on the series. Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Entertainment, Inc. ... Sabre (1978), one of the first graphic novels. ...

The series has also served as the basis for several novelizations and short story anthologies.

Elfquest: Wolfrider #1, 2003.
See image page for copyright details.

Cover from Elfquest: Wolfrider #1 by Wendy Pini. ... Cover from Elfquest: Wolfrider #1 by Wendy Pini. ...

Recent developments

In March 2003 it was announced that after 25 years of self-publication the Pinis had licensed all publishing and merchandising rights in the series to DC Comics, although the Pinis retain creative control. DC Comics is one of the largest American companies in comic book and related media publishing. ...

DC's publication of Elfquest material began in July 2003 with The Elfquest 25th Anniversary Special, reprinting the very first issue of Elfquest with brand new computer coloring and lettering by Wendy Pini, and two short interviews with the Pinis. This was a taster for The Elfquest Archives, which began in November 2003. When complete this series will reprint the first eight graphic novel collections in glossy format with new coloring and lettering. Fans have complained that the publication schedule is disappointingly slow. Volume 2 was originally scheduled to appear in fall 2004 but after some delays was finally released in March 2005, 16 months after Volume 1. Part of the reason for the delay is that Wendy Pini was undergoing hip replacement surgery [1]. Bones of the Hip In anatomy, the hip is the bony projection of the femur, known as the greater trochanter, and the overlying muscle and fat. ... A cardiothoracic surgeon performs a mitral valve replacement at the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. ...

Meanwhile, September 2003 saw the publication of Elfquest: Wolfrider Volume 1, beginning a series of bimonthly manga-sized black-and-white reprint collections which arrange the story into chronological order for the first time, beginning around 600 years before the events in the original series. Wolfrider Volume 2 is followed chronologically by Elfquest: The Grand Quest Volume 1, the first in a series reprinting the original storyline, including the additional art drawn for the Marvel version. In this series the original artwork has been rearranged into new panel layouts for clarity in the physically smaller manga format, which sometimes involves Wendy Pini adding extensions to the original artwork. Unfortunatley, sections of the original work are however missing, for example in "ElfQuest: The Grand Quest Volume 11" the story involving Tyleet and her adopted human son Little Patch is not in the volume though later in Volume 13 Tyleet mentions Little Patch constantly while discussing the dream she had while encased for 10,000 years by the preservers. 2nd English edition of InuYasha Vol. ...

A newer book, Elfquest: The Searcher and the Sword, beginning a new series of color EQ graphic novels, was published in July 2004. Critical reaction has generally been favorable; the major criticism leveled at the book is that it is overpriced for its size (96 pages).

The latest story is the four-issue comic series Elfquest: Discovery, published between January and July 2006.

Animated Video Series

In the early 90's, an ad for a multi-volume animated adaptation of Elfquest appeared in the comic. A few issues latter the Pinis told readers they'd withdrawn from the deal, and to ask for refunds. Those who didn't eventually received a 50 minute vhs tape from Abby Lou Entertainment, copyright 1992. Covering the first volume of the book, it consists of color still images taken straight from the comic, some minor animation, and spoken dialog.

Elfquest the Fanfilm

Starting in January of 07, Production will begin of Elfquest the fanfilm. Co-creator Mr.Pini will be involved in its direction. The movie will star Victor "Vero" Phillips as the lead character Cutter, and will be directed by Wendy Potter. It will be shot in the mountains of northeast Tennessee and Virginia. The cast and crew are still getting equipment and costumes ready for the first photoshoot in January 07. The cast will have people from as far as Ireland to California participating. For the latest up to date news of the project, go to the official website. Other information may be found on the official forum thread that lead to the creation of the movie. One criticism leveled at the movie is that none of the actors look anything like the characters they're supposed to be portraying.

 This is not the OFFICIAL movie, it is a fanfilm. 

[2]

Role Playing Games

A licensed tabletop Elfquest RPG was produced by Chaosium, utilizing the popular Basic Role-Playing system which had first appeared in the game Runequest. Only one supplement was produced for the game, Sea Elves, though it is noteworthy for introducing information and art provided by the Pinis describing the Sea Elf tribe long before they appeared in any of the comics. This article is about traditional role-playing games. ... Chaosium is one of the longer lived publishers of role_playing games still in existence. ... Basic Role-Playing, or BRP, is the name of the generic form of the fantasy_oriented RuneQuest role-playing game rules. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Both the role-playing game and the comics themselves have sprung a number of online games (mostly MUSHes). A listing of these is available from Fan Links on the Official Elfquest site. The login screen from M*U*S*H, the centre of development for PennMUSH. A MUSH (sometimes said to be an abbreviation for Multi-User Shared Hack, Habitat, Holodeck, or Hallucination, though these are backronyms) is a text-based online social medium to which multiple users are connected at the...

External links

• Official Elfquest site

• Offical Elfquest movie site

See also

• Elves in Elfquest
• List of characters in Elfquest
• List of Elfquest publications