Books like Elfquest The Hidden Years

So here we are. I have finally knocked off ALL of the existing Elfquest graphic material that was to be found in the Jandrok abode. This last installment consisted of the collected issues 1-5 of the “Hidden Years” series. “Hidden Years” was an attempt to collect and tell some of the tales from various periods of time that didn’t fit directly into the major storylines of the original Quests. Thus some of the stories are from that eons-long span of time between when Rayek forced the Palace forward in time, stranding Cutter and a number of his tribe in what was now the “past.” Some of the tales date to that time AFTER the two tribes found each other again after the long wait and the even longer sleep that Cutter and his band had to endure. And one or two of the issues date back to a time before Cutter was even born. As far as I am aware, this collection (in hardcover, no less) was the only set of the “Hidden Years” stories that was published in graphic novel form. All of the other issues (there were 29 in all) were simply published as newsstand singles. As such, it’s a bit of an oddity in the Elfquest canon. All of these short epics were done in full-color with artwork by Wendy Pini, or at least these first five were. The writing is absolutely up to the usual high Elfquest standard. The art is….well, the art is a bit…..DIFFERENT. Wendy Pini had by this time become intimately familiar with her Elven alter-egos, and the lines here show a deft hand and a welcome familiarity. But there is an odd lack of motion in these frames, as if Wendy had abandoned the kinetic nature of the original series in favor a more static style of positioning and posing that didn’t look bad, just….DIFFERENT. Part of it is that I think these panels were drawn with color in mind, and Wendy did not rely on an inker to go back over her pencils. Thus some of the lines look a bit thinner than what I have been used to in the past with Elfquest. The stories are summarized in order here:“Wolfwood” - A tale set in that long stretch of time after the Palace has been swept into the future by Rayek. Strongbow’s wolfrider bond Lashpaw has gotten older and less able to keep his place in the pack. According to “The Way,” he must be exiled from the pack. Strongbow goes after Lashpaw, ostensibly to give him a final, glorious…..and humane…..end to his life. But before he can do this, Lashpaw saves him from a rabid dog, being bitten in the process. Strongbow attempts to save his wolf, but in time he too is infected with the foaming madness. Both must now rely upon Strongbow’s strength of will to survive long enough for the Trolls to intervene with a possible curative. “Going Back” - Also a tale from the dark times before Cutter makes the call to go all wrapstuffy. Kahvi and Tyldak decide to travel to the Sunfolk enclave and lay claim to the shard of the Palace that remains in their keep. Assembling a small attack group, they attempt to extract the shard peacefully at first, but are rebuffed. This causes them to regroup and try to liberate the shard through brute force. They come close, but…….“Little Patch” - Perhaps one of the more heartbreaking, yet uplifting tales in the entire Elfquest canon. The Wolfriders save a human infant who has been tied to a tree and left in the wilds to die. Tyleet soon adopts the human baby as her own, and brings him up to be a fine Wolfrider. But the lad yearns for what he cannot have with the Elves, and tries to integrate himself back into human society, with mixed results at first. Just remember that the Elves are nigh immortal by comparison to human lifespans…….“Right of Passage” - A story set post-Reunification, in that time after the two groups of Elves have “caught up” to each other in time. Cutter’s daughter Ember has big ideas and a rebellious streak a mile wide. Now teenaged by Elven standards, she attempts to accompany a revitalized Rayek on a journey back to the Sun Folk. But Papa Cutter has other ideas. Trouble ensues. As a father to a daughter, I must say that this story hit me in the feels.“Starfall, Starrise” - A tale set in the pre-Cutter days when Bearclaw was still Chief of the Wolfriders. The focus here is on Skywise, as this is basically his “origin story.” Intrigue with the humans leads to tragedy all around, and we get to see a bit of why Skywise is the person he is in later years. A solid story that fills in a few of the narrative gaps in the early portions of the original Quest. And that’s it…...maybe. One of these days I may try and get around to reading some of the later story arcs, as well as the remainder of the “Hidden Years” series. The entire Elfquest saga prior to 2014 can now be found online here:http://elfquest.com/read/digitalEQ.htmlSo it’s there for the taking if I so choose. But I may have had my fill now of the Elfquest universe, at least for a while. Other muses are calling my name, and there is so much to read and so little time. But I have had a ton of fun discovering this groundbreaking series this late in my personal game. That crazy little magazine that I saw people quite literally devour back in the day now has its rightful place in the pantheon of Great Comic Books. Elfquest redefined what it meant to be an independent comic back in the day. Wendy and Richard Pini quite literally revolutionized how the comic book industry operated. Chances are that you would not now be so inundated with great and exciting titles and classic characters across genres had it not been for the Pinis and their modest little tales about pointy-eared Elves. They changed the parameters for graphic storytelling forever, and for that we owe them a huge debt of thanks. Carry on Cutter…..carry on Wolfriders…..carry on Winnowill….and Rayek….and Kahvi…….there are still those who have yet to hear your tale…..carry on and tell it anew to each generation.