A color art collection of exquisitely-illustrated, standalone short stories from the world of ElfQuest.ElfQuest premiered in 1978 as a black-and-white independent comic—with an engaging tale, diverse cast of characters, and alluring art by Wendy Pini—and the title quickly took fandom by storm.In 1990, co-creators Wendy and Richard Pini made a leap into full-color publishing, with the series ElfQuest: Hidden Years. The first five issues contained standalone stories that could be enjoyed by anyone. Wendy Pini created those iconic pages in vibrant watercolor, with each brush stroke, line, and tint now presented in a unique gallery edition hardcover to present the full effect of her original art pages, which are now permanently housed at Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library for preservation and study.Each of the five color issues within the ElfQuest: Hidden Years Gallery Edition hardcover are standalone stories, unlettered to offer an unprecedented look at Wendy Pini’s lush artwork, complete with her margin notes, color tests, and behind-the-scenes material. This volume is a powerful example of the incredible world-building and visual storytelling in ElfQuest that has set the standard in fantasy comics for decades. Wendy Pini was born Wendy Fletcher in San Francisco. Growing up on an isolated ranch in Gilroy, California, Wendy's imagination was fueled by all forms of fantasy and mythology. At an early age she began spinning her own tales of elves, monkey-gods, aliens and sorcerers. While her artistic talents were influenced by of turn-of-the-century illustrators, film and TV animation, her storytelling abilities evolved from a love of Shakespeare, Japanese history and legend, modern fantasy and the epic poetry of the Ramayana. In 1977, a deeply personal project called ELFQUEST was born. As the first continuing fantasy/adventure graphic novel series in America to be co-created, written and illustrated by a woman, ELFQUEST became a phenomenon in the comics industry. Appealing to comics and sci-fi/fantasy fans alike, it attracted a unique and unprecedented audience, an equal mix of male and female readers. Over three million copies of the collected graphic novel volumes have been sold to date.Richard Pini was born in 1950, in New Haven, Connecticut. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), receiving a degree in astronomy and astrophysics. Always fan of science fiction, at college he found new diversion in comic books, and it was in the letters pages of “The Silver Surfer” in 1969 that he chanced upon a letter written by one Wendy Fletcher. A correspondence began, spanning a period of four years. The two eventually married in 1972, and Wendy embarked upon a career as an illustrator for sci-fi magazines. Richard’s degree in astronomy from MIT led Richard to a position at Boston’s Hayden Planetarium as lecturer, photographer, script writer, and special effects technician. In 2019, both Wendy and Richard were inducted into the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame for their lifetime achievements.
