Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writers: Wendy Pini, Richard Pini
Artist: Wendy Pini
Release Date: 22nd January 2014
‘The Final Quest’ certainly sets itself apart from most other comics you’ll read nowadays, both in looks and in feel. On most comics, creators come and go, but Richard and Wendy Pini have lovingly crafted this story and these characters over many years, and the artwork and dialogue maintain ElfQuest’s familiar, slightly old-fashioned feel without feeling corny or dated. It’s hard to explain, but ‘The Final Quest’ has a sort of ‘vintage charm’ to it. It looks and feels like something you read as a kid, but it doesn’t have the ropey dialogue you might associate with comic books of the late 70s/early 80s. As ‘kiddie’ as the book may look, it’s surprisingly deceptive.
As a jumping-on point, this book may not necessarily grab new readers straight away. As much as it tries to fill you in on what you need to know going forward, ElfQuest’s history and characters are pretty extensive, and a prelude to this story has already been published by Dark Horse, but that being said, the historical events of note in this story are touched upon, so you will get the gist f you’re paying attention.
It’s obviously not for everyone, and it will always struggle to shed its ‘cutesy’ reputation, but ElfQuest really isn’t like any other comics currently hitting the shelves. Although it’s not this reviewer’s usual cup of tea, it’s a nice change from the familiar superheroes and gritty indie comics I’m used to. I’m admittedly a noob to the series, but I will happily take a look at future issues. Dark Horse may well have picked a winner here.
Rating: 7.5/10.
The writer of this piece was:
Alan Shields aka (Al)
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