Tai Freligh chats with Wendy and Richard Pini at San Diego Comic-Con 2018…
On February 28th, 2018, the fantasy graphic novel series ElfQuest came to its grand conclusion, ending a four-decade run with the publication of issue 24 of the comic series “The Final Quest.” America’s longest-running fantasy comic book series, with tens of millions of copies of comics and graphic novels in print worldwide, ElfQuest came to an end on the same day it first appeared 40 years ago, February 28th, 1978.
To celebrate, creators Wendy and Richard Pini have embarked on the “Forty Years of Pointed Ears” tour, a year-long victory-lap of appearances that will take the Pinis across the country and even to Europe. Flickering Myth’s Tai Freligh caught up with them at San Diego Comic-Con for this exclusive interview…
Still owned and shepherded by solely by the Pinis, ElfQuest can claim a number of superlatives. It is the longest-running American fantasy comic series. It has been called “the first American manga” in recognition of Wendy Pini’s art, a unique blend of Eastern and Western styles. It was voted the “Most Life-Changing Graphic Novel” by Buzzfeed, selected as one of NPR’s “100 Favorite Comics and Graphic Novels,” and is a New York Times Best Seller. It is the only independent title to have also been published (under license) by the three largest US comic book publishers: Marvel, DC Comics, and Dark Horse Comics.
ElfQuest follows the adventures of a forest-dwelling tribe of feral elves who have allied with wolves. Their leader — Cutter, Blood of Ten Chiefs — must complete his own “hero’s journey” as the elves roam their earth-like but fantastic world seeking both a safe haven to live as well as answers to the riddle of their very existence.
Tai Freligh is a Los Angeles-based writer and can be found on Twitter.