A Different Sort of Elf

Reading Challenge 2017: book involving a mythical creature.  I fell in love with Richard and Wendy Pini's wolfriders in the early 1980's.  ElfQuest was graphic novel that allowed me to fall in love with a different sort of elves than Tolkein's elves.  Through a complex storyline that provided an extensive lore and discovery of the various tribes of elves, I fell in love with the art and characters.  Cutter and Skywise, soul-brothers who shared "recognition" in their youth were the protagonists of the series.  Humans were considered evil and always striving to destroy what they considered to be "demons" as they were misunderstood.  The lore provided such as "sending" and "recognition" added to time travel, interaction with trolls and the fairy-like creatures known as Preservers to create a new mythology around elves.  This world building fascinated me as I followed the adventures of the Wolfriders, Sun Folk, Gliders, and Go-Backs.  


I only had three of the graphic novels, as future publications were not available.  It would be decades before I was able to purchase the collected editions of the comics turned graphic novels.  The thick tomes seem daunting, but are quick reads that rack up pages in my Goodreads collections.  At the written of this entry, I discovered that a fourth collected edition is forthcoming in May of this year.I think what captured my imagination the most was the art supporting the story.  While cartoonesque, there were subtle adult viewpoints of the elves, such as the ripped abs of Cutter, the often nude scenes after recognition, and the adult story line that would not be for younger children.  This is supported through the cult-like following and cosplay at conventions.  I did not discover the series until after high school, which would be a perfect time for a new reader to discover.

During my freshman year of college, there was a costume party during Halloween.  I made my own costume of one of the High Ones, including sword and beard.  I was so proud of the costume, emulating one of the High Ones stepping from the Palace to meet humans for the first time.  Of course, nobody knew what I was as cosplay was not even a thing in the 80's, or at least not that popular yet.  I wish I had been braver and continued with it, as going to a convention dressed as an elf would have been fun.