ElfQuest.

To say ElfQuest was a huge, huge, HUGE influence on me when I was growing up would be an understatement that would shatter worlds. ElfQuest was the first comic I read where it was REALLY all about the characters. Not about what bad villain the team of mutant born heroes would face. No, this was about characters trying to survive, trying to find their place in the world, and growing up through difficult times and difficult choices. It was about characters learning to overcome hatred. It was about characters… being alive. And at that age, when I was reading ElfQuest – I was a young teen who – much like the characters – was looking for my place in the world, growing up, enduring difficult choices, living with life and loss. The comic ElfQuest seemed to be written to me specifically! (Or so I would have thought back then!) There seemed to be a character for everyone – whether you were rough and tough (Cutter), a sky gazer (Skywise), a gentle spirit (Redlance), a fun, outlandish, and crazy person (Pike) – it was all there.

Unfortunately, the original ElfQuest was published by Wendy and Richard Pini (WaRP Publication) – so it was fairly hard to find.

Thankfully, Marvel Comics later reprinted the comics. DC Comics would much, much, much later actually pick up WaRP (but that didn’t last too long – but got them some additional exposure).

I have rattled on and on about ElfQuest to friends, family, strangers! But telling them about it – getting them interested – and when they asked, “Well, where can I find it?” The answer was always, “Well, I am not sure. Fairly hard to find in back issues… the Starblaze Editions are hard to find… And, um…”

Well now, Richard Pini is releasing the issues in digital format – for free.

What? Free? Yes. Free.

Is there a catch? A gimmick? Some trick?

One. And it’s cruel.

New issues are released every Friday on ElfQuest.com!

So the first original Quest is almost done so I wanted to do something special –

Issue #1 ? Issue #2 ? Issue #3 ? Issue #4 ? Issue #5 ? Issue #6 ? Issue #7 ? Issue #8 ? Issue #9 ? Issue #10 ? Issue #11 ? Issue #12 ? Issue #13 ? Issue #14 ? Issue #15 ? Issue #16 ? Issue #17 ? Issue #18

So please – give those a look. Take the journey. And by all means, if you enjoyed it or if you know or even think someone you know might enjoy it – please pass it on!

PS: And for those of you wondering about the new episode of Neverending Nights – a few things have come up to cause a small, unexpected delay. But it’s in the works. I promise.