World Famous Comics: Elfquest: The Searcher and the Sword
Elfquest: The Searcher and the Sword
By: Wendy Pini, Richard Pini Publisher: Elfquest Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Elfquest Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 96 Publication Date: August 01, 2004 Release Date: August 01, 2004
Product Description: Led by Cutter, the elfin Wolfriders have experiences equal parts triumph and tragedy, loss and gain. Now, the elves must adapt to a world without the Troll smiths, who forged their weapons and tools. Still in shock and recovering from her parents violent deaths, Shuna, the adopted human daughter of Cutter and Leetah, must cope with a rugged new world full of strange rules and pitfalls. Painfully aware that shes simply a human girl whos surrounded by impossibly beautiful, magical beings, Shuna embarks on a quest hoping to unite elf and humankind in peace.
A Human's-eye View Yes, this book is mostly about Shuna, a human. But the story is told with the same clever style as all Pini's work, and seeing the elfin world through human eyes adds a whole new dimension to it. Through Shuna's trials and mistakes, we learn more about Pini's elves' culture. Plus, the art is beautiful and the characters just as charming as ever. 5 Stars, Pini!
Liked it I read this last night and I thought it was pretty good - not incredible, but decent.
Maybe I was more pleased with it because I had just finished reading the EQ New Blood "Forevergreen" series which was HORRIBLE and a complete waste of time, and in comparison this was a breath of fresh air! Or maybe it's because I welcome any chance to read about Cutter's tribe; Cutter and the Wolfriders will always mean much more to me than any other EQ characters, and I enjoyed the chance to just interact with all those old friends again, especially as drawn (and inked) by the creator of Elfquest, Wendy Pini. I thought the artwork was very nice, unlike some other reviewers.
There were some unrealistic plot elements, like Kimo being able to shapeshift, the strangely crazed trolls, and Ahdri coming back to life. And there was of course the usual Pini "hippie" preaching about feminism, free love, and tolerance, which gets annoying. But overall I thought it was more enjoyable than not.
Very disappointing This is the story of Shuna, the adopted, human, daughter of Cutter and Leetah. A story of a human who finally found a home, a home among the elves, and her attempt to bring a rapprochement between the elves and the humans. It's a story of hope and failure.
I love the early Elfquest comics, with their fascinating stories, bright colors and magical worlds. However, this graphic novel was a real disappointment for me. Shuna's constant moping was a real downer, and her discovery that all men are abusive, domineering misogynists was predicable and far from entertaining. To make matter worse, the story has an unfinished feel to it - What was wrong with the trolls that attacked Treestump and Clearbrook? What did Shuna finally do to bring the two worlds together? To simply end it with "But that's another story altogether!" was very disappointing.
So, as an Elfquest fan, I can only say that this book does not live up to the earlier works. I did not enjoy the story, not at any time, and it saddens me to say that I do not recommend this book.
Fun read and return of Wendy's amusing characters I checked this book out of the library for a quick read. I have been a fan of Elfquest since I was a kid and couldn't resist looking through new artwork by Wendy Pini! I was entertained in both areas of story and art.
The story is told in retrospect by the human, Shuna, adopted by Cutter and Leetah. The story isn't amazing, but it entertains for an afternoon. The art was done using Photoshop and I think Wendy uses the technology well, a lot of the panels reminded me of her work in the Hidden Years. She's top notch again with the facial expressions of the elves. The best panels don't have any dialogue. Those people who do not like the new art just need to calm down and accept her choices!
I would advise anyone to READ this story, just because it is a nice addition to the Elfquest archive, but I wouldn't buy it. If you want to spend money on a truly worthwhile piece by the Pini's get your hands on the first Hidden Years anthology. It has the best artwork the series has to offer and includes five different stories spanning three generations.
AT LAST! A breath of fresh air! Though this story was no where near the original elfquest series (graphic novels 1-8) it held that old flair that has been truely lost in the newer novels. The art was still missing whatever made the originals so monumental, but it was closely akin to their old ways. Though on a smaller scale than previous books, the storyline was well formed, telling the tale of the sole human member of the Wolfriders, Shuna, and her struggles with finding her place in the tribe. It follows her journey to unit the worlds of both man and elf. It also delves into Treestump's quest to master the elusive art of metal work for the good of the tribe. One of the reasons I enjoyed this so much was that it focused a bit more on some of my favorite characters, Dart and Kimo, who've been poorly represented the whole way through, Their joint friendship with Shuna is endearing and a highpoint for me.
Though this book is still of a lower class than that of the mighty originals, I'm giving it four stars because it seems to be the begining of Elfquest's long overdue trek back to greatness. YAY!
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
