Review: Elfquest: The Final Quest #24

Wow.

40 years of Elfquest. The end of the story.

Forgive me while I slice my way out of Petalwing’s wrapstuff and take a little look back at four decades worth of what I consider to be one of the greatest epics of fantasy ever created for comics.

Some time around 1985 I was introduced to Cutter and the Wolfriders when Marvel began to reprint Wendy and Richard Pini’s original series through their imprint, Epic Illustrated. This original 20 issue run hooked me in immediately with Wendy’s unique art style. The emotion she could convey on a page was palpable. Skywise’s playful smirk, Rayek’s raging jealousy, Leetah’s passion towards Cutter in spite of herself when they first met.

The Wolfriders were a tribe of elves constantly on the run from hateful humans and backstabbing trolls, quickly abandoning their holt and going off in search of other elf tribes. This was a series of constant change, often at a breakneck pace as time takes leaps forward, characters are born, grow older and relationships change. They quickly learn that not all humans, trolls or even elves are good or bad.

The quest continues over the course of time, through the original series and future chapters such as Siege at Blue Mountain, Kings of the Broken Wheel and Blood of Ten Chiefs. But here we find ourselves in the final issue of the final story.

The Final Quest.

This story is basically the aftermath of the previous issues battle between the humans and the Wolfriders. The Commander of the human forces has sacrificed himself to destroy the Elves Father Tree, home to Wolfriders living and the spirits of those passed. Shuna, Cutter and Leetah’s adopted human daughter, has also been gravely wounded.

It’s hard for me to talk about the contents of this issue without completely spoiling the ending, so instead I will only give the story my highest possible recommendation for anyone who has ever read an Elfquest comic and hope that you take my advice and seek this out. Several characters shine in this issue including Winnowill, trapped inside the mind of Rayek; Leetah as she fights to save Shuna and Strongbow, the stoic warrior who finally chooses love over ‘The Way’.

Artwise I have mixed feelings. On one hand the coloring is beautiful. Sonny Strait is spot-on. This whole series has been eye-catching. Lacking, and maybe I’m nit-picking, was Wendy’s art. Don’t get me wrong its classic Wendy Pini artwork, but it’s obvious that Elfquest: The Final Quest was not a labor of pen and ink to paper. There’s been a technology leap with so many creators using computers and graphics programs these days for their work. Elfquest is no different. There were several panels where it’s obvious that Cutter is the same drawing with slight changes. I can see why these choices get made but I think the work suffers a bit because of this. Wendy’s work for so long has been a focus on facial expressions and conveying emotion with body language. Here the Wolfriders seem wooden and blank most of the time. If one were to compare early Elfquest to now you can really tell the difference.

But overall this is a minor gripe. As a fan of the Pini’s work since it began I can honestly say The Final Quest is a worthy addition to what has come before. This issue is released 40 years to the day the original Elfquest debuted and this year is rumored to be filled with celebration that I am greatly looking forward to.

Shade and Sweetwater. 4 out of 5 stars!

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