ElfQuest: The Original Quest Gallery Edition

ElfQuest continues to capture the imaginations of readers of all ages, as Chief Cutter and the Wolfriders battle savage humans, forge lasting alliances, and discover strange new lands in this ultimate fantasy adventure! This oversized gallery edition collects the first five issues of The Original Quest, “Fire and Flight.” Each page is carefully scanned from Wendy’s original art to capture every stroke and detail.

 Among all the great books that I have the pleasure of reviewing, it’s not too often I run into one I can ever label as a hidden treasure.  It takes a certain piece of work to attain that level of honor, and another has happened to present itself to me.  With a very long history behind it, ElfQuest is a really special creation, and one I’ve sadly missed until now.  For those who have known it, I am glad to now be a part of that group.  Those who don’t yet, you will absolutely want to join in.

This Original Quest Gallery Edition groups together the first five issues in all their early glory.  It introduces (or reminds some of) the epic journey of the elvish Chief Cutter and his Wolfrider clan.  Forced out of their home in the woods by savage humans, they find themselves making the perilous trek across the desert after being betrayed by trolls.  Barely surviving, they are saved when they stumble upon a village of other elves they never knew existed.  Though tense at first, relationships grow and life long bonds are made.

The book does what most titles don’t, and gives us direct scan reproductions from the original artwork.  This amazing collection of art is about as close as one can get without being able to see them in person.  Every little nuance, every tiny bit of the meticulous line strokes are captured in all the pages inside.  It was such a wonderful experience seeing these pages given life again after so many years.

Never having read any of ElfQuest before, it really did send me back, imagining myself reading it as a child.  There was such a wonderful story that was told here, with unique artwork that you don’t usually get to see.  Whether or not you’ve read this before, regardless of your age and no matter your particular fancies, this is seriously a book everyone needs to check out.

ElfQuest: The Original Quest Gallery Edition will be available 10/8.

For more on ElfQuest: The Original Quest Gallery Edition or other Dark Horse books, check out Dark Horse Comics.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.