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dantastic's review
4.0
When the Wolfriders are driven from their forest home, they endure great heartships before joining with the elves of the desert. But are there more tribes of elves on the world of two moons and where did the come from in the first place? That's what Cutter, Leetah, and the rest of the Wolfriders want to know!
ElfQuest was always in the periphery when I was playing Dungeons and Dragons back in the day but I never read an issue. We were milling around in Barnes and Noble not too long ago, waiting for some of my wife's college friends to show up, when I flipped through this tome. Needing a new series to read now that I'm caught up on Usagi Yojimbo, I eventually decided to give it a shot.
Yeah, I should have picked this up decades ago. For my money, ElfQuest has a lot going for it. It's not your typical Tolkien by way of Dungeons and Dragons fantasy. There are science fantasy elements lurking in the background. The Wolfriders have more in common with Native American culture than they do Professor Tolkien's creations. I have to think there's a little Michael Moorcock in their parentage as well. Instead of wanting to save the world, the Wolfriders and their elfin allies seek only to find where they came from and where they belong.
Flowery hippy crap aside, this is great stuff. The art isn't your typical comic fare of the time period. Wendy Pini drew inspiration from more than the usual suspects of the day, from diverse sources as Disney cartoons and manga. Yes, I'm aware manga is influenced by Disney cartoons brought to Japan after World War II. She puts a lot of detail in the background, probably more than she needs to, and her elves are both beautiful and alien. I have to think it was an influence on later works like The Dark Crystal and Pirates of Darkwater.
It was easy to get enthralled by the adventures of Cutter, Skywise, and the rest as they go from adventure to adventure, battling men, trolls, and even other elves in their quest for the truth. Since the Pinis are working without a net, I had no idea who would live or die.
There's not a lot else I can share without spoiling too much. The Complete ElfQuest is a journey I should have embarked on years ago. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
ElfQuest was always in the periphery when I was playing Dungeons and Dragons back in the day but I never read an issue. We were milling around in Barnes and Noble not too long ago, waiting for some of my wife's college friends to show up, when I flipped through this tome. Needing a new series to read now that I'm caught up on Usagi Yojimbo, I eventually decided to give it a shot.
Yeah, I should have picked this up decades ago. For my money, ElfQuest has a lot going for it. It's not your typical Tolkien by way of Dungeons and Dragons fantasy. There are science fantasy elements lurking in the background. The Wolfriders have more in common with Native American culture than they do Professor Tolkien's creations. I have to think there's a little Michael Moorcock in their parentage as well. Instead of wanting to save the world, the Wolfriders and their elfin allies seek only to find where they came from and where they belong.
Flowery hippy crap aside, this is great stuff. The art isn't your typical comic fare of the time period. Wendy Pini drew inspiration from more than the usual suspects of the day, from diverse sources as Disney cartoons and manga. Yes, I'm aware manga is influenced by Disney cartoons brought to Japan after World War II. She puts a lot of detail in the background, probably more than she needs to, and her elves are both beautiful and alien. I have to think it was an influence on later works like The Dark Crystal and Pirates of Darkwater.
It was easy to get enthralled by the adventures of Cutter, Skywise, and the rest as they go from adventure to adventure, battling men, trolls, and even other elves in their quest for the truth. Since the Pinis are working without a net, I had no idea who would live or die.
There's not a lot else I can share without spoiling too much. The Complete ElfQuest is a journey I should have embarked on years ago. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
rumireads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Grief, Violence, Death, Blood, Animal death, Confinement, and War
Moderate: Physical abuse, Gore, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Suicide, War, Torture, Animal death, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Slavery
Minor: Sexual harassment, Abandonment, and Sexual content
jroberts3456's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
luckyjinx's review
5.0
Why didn't I read this sooner? What a well written, well drawn, well thought out series. I'm excited to snag Volume 2 now!
sidneyua's review
Цей комікс написали ще у вісімдесяті роки, і це дуже помітно. Я все ж виріс на сучасніших коміксах, і тому читати постійні коментарі в стилі "Він єдиний постійно дивився в небо, бо його цікавість переважала над його страхом" мені дуже важко. Таке враження, ніби ти дивишся фільм з аудіокоментарем для людей з вадами зору, коли все, що відбувається на екрані, одночасно вимовляється вголос. Тому я просто не витримаю 800 сторінок у такому стилі.
achioopa's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
mexigingerale's review against another edition
3.0
Fun to reread after not having touched the comics since I was a kid. While it does a lot of things well for its time, there are some issues with anti-semitic stereotypes, rapey undertones, erasure of homosexuality and so on. It was written in 70's/80's so I was willing to overlook it and continue on, but after a bit of research (after finishing this) it seems like these issues have not been fixed (and the series are still ongoing) and instead seem to instead have become worse with children (14-17 year olds) having relations with adults, kill your gays, noticeable lightning the skin tones of some darker characters and with the creators endorsing black face for cosplay and saying gays don't sell (but wolf fucking does?) and some other not so great things.
With that in mind I've concluded that sadly I will personally not continue reading further. This is not to hate on anyone, who even with this in mind has love for the series, so do I still, just that for me the journey with elfquest ends here.
With that in mind I've concluded that sadly I will personally not continue reading further. This is not to hate on anyone, who even with this in mind has love for the series, so do I still, just that for me the journey with elfquest ends here.