I've been reading Elfquest for over 30 years. It must have been during 1982 when I first found the Donning graphic novel editions of books 1 and 2. I was fortunate that the B. Dalton's at the Aviation Mall, in Queensbury, New York was apparently one of the first bookstores to stock these titles. My parents and I frequently visited my maternal grandparents, and these day trips often included a stop at the mall. The Elfquest books captivated me, and I soon asked for, and received them, for my 12^th birthday.


I've followed Elfquest ever since, at some times with more dedication, and at others with less. But I still treasure my many collected volumes, and now, 37 years into the publication history, Wendy and Richard Pini are in the midst of releasing The Final Quest, with a new comic book issue coming out every two months.


The latest storyline is being released through Dark Horse Comics. They are gradually re-releasing the older stories in anthologies.Volume 1, which covers the full original quest, as first collected in Books 1-4, is already available. It's the best starting point for anyone unfamiliar with Elfquest, though those with the patience to open one web page at a time might prefer to visit Elfquest.com. The Pinis have made 99% of the Elfquest stories ever published available there to read for free. Anyone who has skipped any of the stories can also use the site to catch up.


I won't go into detail on the history of Elfquest, the website can do that quite well. Instead, I'll give my contrarian view of the relative merits of the main storylines. I won't, at least for now, discuss the many offshoot stories with peripheral characters.


The original quest, as found in books 1-4 (or volume 1 in the new Dark Horse publishing program), is justifiably considered a classic. This set the template for what makes Elfquest successful. A long story, told in deliberate fashion, with each character getting moments to shine. The various characters are all some reader's favorite, and each must get their share of attention.


Books 5-8 will be reprinted as volume 2 of Dark Horse's series. Books 5 and 6 are the Siege at Blue Mountain arc, while 7 and 8 form Kings of the Broken Wheel. Most readers consider all four of these books to be wonderful, probably because they all have Wedy Pini's artwork. However, Siege at Blue Mountain was inked by Joe Staton, and I don't like how he finishes Wendy's pencils. Further, Richard Pini was minimally involved in the creation process. He was busy overseeing the launch of a line of non-Elfquest comics, and thus wasn't able to supply his usual heavy-handed editing. I think his touch is sorely missed, as this story has far too much corny dialog and situations. Finally, the story feels rushed, and only focuses on some of the characters. Things begin to improve with book 7, with Richard back fully on board and Wendy doing her own inking, but it was only in book 8 that the couple really hit their stride again. It doesn't hurt that book 8 is longer than the previous three.


Wendy and Richard Pini kept up the good work in the Hidden Years volume, which told five unrelated but very important stories. It was after this that things began to unravel, at least for many fans. Wendy mostly stopped drawing Elfquest, while focusing on getting the projected Elfquest movie into production. Other artists took over the Hidden Years storyline, which evolved into the Shards series. Brandon McKinney did most of the penciling, and I think he did a fine job, especially compared to those working on the peripheral stories. The Shards storyline was collected into books 10, 12, and 12a.


Shards is actually my favorite Elfquest story. I had to adjust to the different artwork, but I eventually realized it was quite good in its own right. What really impressed me is that the writing is the Pinis' best ever. They masterfully bring together elements from all of the previous stories in a way that feels authentic and appropriate. It makes sense that after hundreds of years of interactions, the elves would finally gain human and troll allies. The world around them changed from how it was back in book 1. The story proceeds at a leisurely pace, spread over three long books. The writing is mature, and finally each character again has moments in the spotlight. By the end, Shards even includes artwork by Wendy Pini!


I doubt many fans noticed that the main storyline continued in the story Full Circle, found in book 8b (In All But Blood). I'm fortunate to own a copy, as this book went out of print quickly. The story is okay, it starts to set the stage for the next larger story arc. The story, and the book as a whole, introduces Sonny Strait as a new collaborator for Wendy and Richard Pini. His art is the closest anyone has yet gotten to Wendy's, and his plot ideas suggest he is in tune with their vision for the series. Strait is working with them again as the colorist for the Final Quest storyline.


In between, the Pinis produced two small, self contained books that further advanced the story, though again primarily setting the stage for the Final Quest. Unnumbered, these are The Searcher and theSword, and The Discovery. Both are enjoyable and well-done, with beautiful art by Wendy and good storytelling. However, both are too short to be fully satisfying. I suppose it is best to look at them as the opening chapters to the Final Quest.


At this writing, the Final Quest just just completed its first book. A nice prolog issue and six regular comic book issues got the story started. It essentially retold the events that were first presented in the abortive Recognition story. This was itself an offshoot of the long Wild Hunt storyline, which told of Ember's splinter Wolfrider tribe during and after the Shards story. The Wild Hunt began poorly, but gradually developed into a fairly good story, with improved writing and art. The Final Quest used six issues to tell the story Recognition would have told in only two (or perhaps three). To give that dead horse another kick, Elfquest simply works better when told in a leisurely way. The Final Quest will ultimately consist of three or four books, the next issue to come out (due the lat week of January, 2015) will form the start of its second book. The paperback first book will be released this spring, for those who prefer to get their story all at once. I really enjoyed it in the separate issues, but only a little that was truly new occurred. The upcoming issues should finally present exciting new developments. I expect the high-quality art and writing to continue.


It's reassuring to know that Elfquest is still going strong after all this time. Thirty-three years on, it still captures my interest and imagination. If you've never read it, give it a try, it might capture yours too!