Staff Picks (August): Art of Elfquest

We are told that we are in a new golden age of comics, with such a diversity of genre and creators available to readers (be it digital or physical copies). Today's variety of titles owes much to the early creators of self-published indie comics, chief among them Dave Sim and Cerebus and Richard and Wendi Pini's Elfquest.

Initially starting in Power Comics Fantasy Quarterly #1, those of us fortunate to have started reading Elfquest from the start knew we had latched on to something special. When the series became self-published under Father Tree Press and distributed by Phil Seuling's Seagate Distribution, it became one of the gold standards for independent comics. The details in the art and story made and makes Elfquest a true must-read for comic lovers, from self-published comics to collected editions from Donning, DC, and, currently, from Dark Horse.

Flesk Publication's The Art of Elfquest provides the perfect companion to those collected comics and stories with the quality one expects from this publisher of fine art books. With almost every piece of Wendi's original art, sketches, notes, and scraps of paper dating back to the conception of Elfquest meticulously catalogued and preserved by her and her husband-collaborator Richard, The Art of Elfquest represents a complete overview of the very best artwork, spanning nearly forty years, that has been made available to their loyal fans and new readers alike.

Like many of the artist editions, each piece has been meticulously scanned directly from the original artwork and approved by the Pinis.

The Art of Elfquest features the very best covers and premium samples of interior pages spanning its historic run. This massive collection continues with sections devoted to Elfquest's continued success in comics and is further accentuated by sections on calendars and portfolios, a coloring book and novel illustrations, art for film and newspaper-strip proposals, a feature on the first concepts, and much more. Fresh interviews with Wendy and Richard Pini also infuse the book with revealing captions to supplement Wendy's art.

Whether you've been with Elfquest from its earliest days or are new to the adventures of Cutter, Leeta, and Skywise, you will enjoy this gorgeous retrospective highlighting the art of a legendary pioneer in the independent comics field.

I'm looking forward to this book, having a special fondness for the Father Tree Press editions, as Richard and Wendi's contact here at Diamond for many of their collected editions.

—Steve Leaf

Publisher: Flesk Publications Item Code: AUG151504 Release Date: 11/11/15 SRP: $50.00