Issue Description

This comic can be read free at http://www.elfquest.com

Attack on the elf-den

Most of the Go-Backs and the Wolfriders adults have gone into the caves to defeat Guttlekraw, leaving Redlance, the wolves, and a few Go-Backs to defend the den.

The Ice-Trolls are downwind of the wolves, and use Ekuar's brother, a fellow rockshaper captured and tortured by the Trolls, to open an entrance to the den. Suntop senses his kin but cannot understand his sending-feelings in time to warn Redlance.

The trolls invade with great initial ferocity, killing a Go-Back, and advancing deep into the den. But Redlance's powers of treeshaping overtake him. Overcome with paternal instincts, Redlance enters into his Hydian form, and the wooden fixtures of the den begin to grow thorns and choke the Trolls.

Somehow, though improbably, Redlance and the wolves have luck and a brutal attack from the trolls is withstood where the elves were weakest.

In Guttlekraw's Sanctum

Meanwhile, the Go-Backs, Wolfriders, and Trolls advance towards Guttlekraw who is preparing for all-out war. Two-Edge destroys a bridge that Ekuar grew with his powers of rockshaping, also knocking out Rayek and kidnapping Ekuar, but Picknose's gang builds a second bridge by felling a rock-slab onto the gap of the two cave-cliffs.

Thus, Cutter, Kahvi, and the trolls move on to face their final battle with the selfish & greedy trollking, Guttlekraw.

ElfQuest

Publisher

Warp Graphics

Volume Description

ElfQuest, by Richard and Wendy Pini, is the story of elves inhabiting the World of Two Moons, being a world much like earth, with a climate much like earth and even hosting a native race of humans.

On the World of Two Moons, a primitive human like race lived an early stone age level of existence. An interstellar craft, bearing three races of extraterrestrials known as Trolls, High Ones, and Pixies descended onto this world. Treachery onboard the craft caused it to crash, leaving the inhabitants stunned as they emerge into the new and savage world. The savage and primitive species of humans, fearing the strange new beings emerging from the craft, attacked and murdered several of the High Ones, causing the remaining High Ones to split up and take refuge on the unfamiliar world, so being forced to survive by their wits and their various supernatural powers.

One group of High Ones took to the mountains, where they used their powers to shape the stone, creating caves to form a dark, comfortable and safe indwelling. This family included hunters who could fly and tamed a species of native giant hawks. They preserved some of the high-culture of their ancestors and lived in seclusion. Their human neighbors benefited from technological advancement and grew to worship them as "Bird Spirits".

Another line of descent followed one of the first born descendants of the High One, Savah, who led her family to dwell in a village, known as Sun Village. This village was separated from any hostile humans by a vast, wide desert, and was thus cultivated and built in relative seclusion. There, they lived mostly as farmers living a peaceful and unchanging way of life. All of the villagers trust Sun-Toucher, father of Leetah, as their trusted guide and link to the Way, while trusting Savah, first descendent of the High Ones, as their spiritual guide. Savah possesses the ability to allow her spirit-form to leave her body, and to contact other elves psychically.

Old Wolfriders

Meanwhile, on a separate path of devolution, the remaining High Ones realised that more drastic adaption was necessary to survive the cruel reality of nature on the planet. So Timmain fused her High-Spirit fully into the compatible form of wolf, and hunted for her party. This group of High Ones rapidly became fused with this primitive way of the forest, and would continually spar with the fearful primitive tribes. Through ten generations, the stories of the elves Heritage of the Palace of the High Ones was preserved by the campfire, where elf and wolf alike would gather to share blessings and recount the glory of their clan.

With ElfQuest #1 circa 1978 by Wendy & Richard Pini, we see the Wolfrider Chieftain at odds with the native human tribe, worshippers of Gotara, who have captured the Wolfrider Treeshaper, named Redlance, whose blood is soon to be sacrificed around the broadfire to Gotara by the tribe's shaman. Cutter and his soul's brother, Skywise lead a charge to rescue Redlance at the last moment. Having the chance to murder the human shaman, Cutter decides to only admonish him, but to his detriment, the freed shaman sets fire to the entire forest, which was co-habited by humans and elves.

Tribe NameLocationElder ChiefJunior ChiefAttributeWolfridersHidden GroveTimmain
Cutter KinseekerEmberWolf-Blood, TreeshapeGo-BacksTiaga MountainsKahvi
Two-SpearCutterNo recognition, WarriorSun VillagersOasisSavahSuntoucherPeaceful, SpiritualGlidersMountain CaveLord VollWinnowillHas preserved ways
of former planetPreserversThe Forbidden GroveTimmainPetalwingTough skin, tine,
butterfly wingsTrollsTunnels & CavesGreymung
GuttlekrawPicknoseMiners, Forgers,

Although Timmain is by no means the main character, she is the most important elf on the world of two moons through the entirety of ElfQuest. In her first appearance, she is a wolf thrown into the pits by the ferocious Cave Trolls. In ElfQuest #20, she morphs from wolf into the last remaining member of The High-Ones. She is the last surviving extra-terrestrial who beamed down in a cosmic egg-spaceship onto the earthen "World of Two Moons".

Thus, it is revealed that she has been guiding protagonist Cutter Kinseeker in a racial pilgrimage to discover & regain his true form. Like Savah, Lord Voll and Winnowill, she is as tall as a human but quite slender, whereas most of the other elves are roughly 42" tall.

Meanwhile, still another group of elves managed the most secluded life of all: that in the sea. These elves had fused their form, growing fins, gills, and becoming generally more fishlike, known as the Waveriders. It is not until the later generations of Wolfriders that we would meet the Waveriders.

Sending

All elves share the gift of telepathic communication, but the gift of telepathy has diminished in all elves from the original High Ones (be they Grey E.T.'s or elves) through each successive generation on this world. Their ability to "send", or to call out to their kin through thought, is centered on the idea of family, as several elves can enhance the distance and luminosity of their "send" by linking minds. Throughout the many adventures and while facing many conflicts, the power of the tribe's united-"send" proves to be the strongest force of all.

In reality, each elf has a separate life and a unique set of interests, but every elf is united through the potentiality of "sending", and every elf has both a natural name and a soul name. When an elf mates with their partner, they will recognize, within their spirit and soul, the soul name of their mate, as heard through thought and the power of sending. Every elf has a soul name, which when known gives the power to locate the spirit of the elf within the dream-world.

Recognition

Recognition is the elves' primary method of betrothal and marriage. Female and male elves are equals in the story. Recognition is basically an anecdote for the fatalistic concept of "soul-mates" we experience as humans. Cutter believes that "no one can refuse recognition", but this is contrasted by the Go-Backs tribe, who are highly licentious and have abandoned many of the ancestral practices.

Through the act of sending, highly-skilled elves such as Savah & Suntop may leave their body. It is through such spirit-separation, that all departed elves join into a communal spirit with all The High-Ones. In addition to this, a mature elf, in adulthood discovers their unique matching of soul with another specific elf. It is called recognition. Tyleet, bonded in this way with Scouter describes recognition as "finding a piece of yourself you didn't know was missing. You become more than before... as if you see through two sets of eyes, feel through two hearts." Moonshade further expounds "and once you have recognized, your souls always touch -- no matter the distance between your bodies." (ElfQuest: Hidden Years #20)

Trolls, Preservers and Elves

When the Palace of the The High-Ones landed on the World of Two Moons, three alien species dispersed onto an earthlike planet originally native to only animals, plants and humans. These were the Preservers, the Trolls, and the Elves.

The Trolls were originally much shorter but still plump, green creatures with greed-ridden intellects, who are untrustworthy and have love but for their children, metals, and strength. They were originally trained servants within the Palace, and never understood the beauty of the Palace, being adopted into it. Their progeny on the planet were solitudinous, avoided confrontation, and grew to a larger size.

The Preservers were eternal Pixie-like winged creatures who apparently have no ability for reproduction. When the Palace crashlanded, these folk took to the Forest of Eternal-Sleep, where they would cocoon all who entered with sticky wrapstuff.

All of the elves are descendents of the High Ones originally, although the progeny would split off into four main separate tribes: Gliders, Go-Backs, New Wavedancers, and Wolfriders.

Perhaps then, comicvine can technically regard elves, trolls, and preservers as "Alien", since elf is not a valid character-type.

Humans

The World of Two Moons resembles this planet in many ways. There are snakes, wolves, bears, deer, and modified horse-specie called "Zwoots". Humans are the indigenous population of this world, who are in a primitive tribal phase of civilization's progress. The first human tribes encountered by the Wolfriders are belligerent and vengeful of the elves. Many of The High-Ones were slaughtered by these humans in their original attempt to make peace. The Gliders, however, manage to form friendly relations with the humans, who become "Bird-Spirit" worshippers because the Gliders hunt on giant native hawks.

The progressive series of ElfQuest feature advancing culture; in SHARDS and New Blood, the humans have reached a state somewhat beyond the dark ages of our world. In Jink, there are perhaps only two remaining elves, and the humans have progressed into a futuristic way, developing psionic traits by studying the remnant of the elves' culture and abilities. These humans also have developed hover cars, space-stations, and television-telphones.

WaRP Graphics

WaRP Graphics has held complete online archives and a forum at http://www.elfquest.com/ for several years. All copies mentioned in this database are available to read virtually for no cost of the issue.

ElfQuest Series# of issuesyearOriginal Quest201978-1984ElfQuest Marvel Comics Retelling321985-1988ElfQuest: Siege At Blue Mountain, Kings of the Broken Wheel8 + 91986-1990ElfQuest: Hidden Years, Shards29 + 161992-1994ElfQuest: New Blood351992-1994ElfQuest: Blood of Ten Chiefs201992-1994ElfQuest: Jink & The Rebels12 + 121994ElfQuest: Two-Spear & Kahvi5 + 61994-1995ElfQuest: Wave Dancers

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