The Complete ElfQuest Volume 5

This large tome collects the remainder of the Hidden Years series, numbers 16 through 29, plus the Metamorphosis one-shot, and The Wild Hunt storyline from Elfquest volume 2, all of which were first published in the mid to late 1990s, when the Elfquest creators turned their indie comic into a franchise, creating at least a dozen titles (mostly limited series) dealing with the Wolfriders and their kin. Now that they’re collecting those stories which they consider cannon, a lot of those titles have been left in the trash. The only way to experience them is to pick up some back issues. Still, this volume is close to 800 hundred pages, so it should fill your Elfquest itch for a while.Volume five focuses on Ember, Cutter’s daughter, and her trials in leading a separate tribe from the main Wolfriders pack. The Hidden Years stories take place at the same time as the Shards storyline - where Cutter leads an attack against a warlord to gather the remains of the broken castle. These stories deal with Ember’s inexperience at being chief and her growing pains, as the new tribe look for a place to call their own in a world that is rapidly shrinking and filling up with their natural enemies, humans.The Wild Hunt stories take place after Shards, and focus on a more experienced Ember dealing with the final few monsters created by Winnowill. They then become embroiled in a series of back and forth raids with the remaining humans warriors, which eventually force the Wolfriders to become more nomadic than they like. This causes stress amongst the group, challenges to Ember’s leadership, and introduces a new antagonist - a ranger type who knows the ways of elves and knows how best to hunt them.Like certain portions of the previous two volumes, none of the issues here were drawn by Wendy Pini, and most of the stories were written by others as well, with the Pini’s acting in an editorial capacity. This is not to say the stories are bad, but they are different stylistically than early Elfquest volumes where they were only two people working on them. In fact I like the stories quite a bit.Out of necessity, Elfquest had to switch venues to where the human would pose a greater threat. They were always sort of menacing in the past, but not much more than a passing problem. In these stories, they represent a monumental threat. Which leads to the basic philosophy behind all of these stories, how much will the Wolfriders have to change in order to fit into the new world? Will their “way” be compromised or abandoned completely? Well worth a look.

This is a massive 790 page collection which follows Ember's small tribe of Wolfriders which split up from Cutter's band in the previous volume and introduces Teir as a major member of our cast. The first 14 chapters (370 pages) finish the "Hidden Years" story line while rest of the book contains Ember's further "Wildhunt" adventures originally published in short monthly segments along with other stories taking place in the World of Two Moons in Elfquest II (1996-1999).So the question is, how good is Elfquest without much of Wendi Pini's direct involvement? The answer is completely dependent upon if you can accept the new artwork. All but 4 of the 39 chapters were illustrated by Steve Blevins and Lorraine Reyes with inking done by many others. In particular Lorraine who worked on most of the second half of the book has a unique unfinished manga-like style which has a has been criticized harshly in the past. When I first heard about this book I was surprised that they included that portion because I didn't care for it either --though I never read the stories. Now I've done a 180 and think the second half is better than the first. Even Lorraine’s drawings are lovely and convey emotions especially well.So in a nutshell, if you liked Elfquest Vol. IV which included the "Shards" storyline then this one is a no-brainer! This one has less action and more heart, which the original Elfquest was all about. If you didn’t like the previous volume then this will be a tough sell and you might just want to skip to the Final Quest which has Wendi Pini’s penmanship. There’s also “Searcher and the Sword” and “The Discovery” by Wendy which take place immediately before the separate and much more recent "Final Quest". The first two will be included in the next (last?) giant collection along with other stories primarily about Bearclaw and then Cutter+Skywise's early brotherhood years.--For those who have read these stories before the "Wildhunt" portion does not include the incomplete "Mender's Tale" saga which went into some fairly controversial territory. I'll leave it at that.

The quality of the art in this volume is not good, to the point where I often had to stop to figure out who a (typically highly recognizable) character was.The real issue is that it now feels like the story has gone way past its natural end. The melancholy note that has been introduced by the elves beginning to realize that there are few spaces left on earth where they will be able to live without human persecution may be realistic, but . . . it's a new tone for the series and not one that I'm enjoying. Lacks the magic, delight, and optimism that I associate with the series at its best.

Being a lifelong fan of Elfquest, I am ashamed to admit, I did not know this existed! I am taking my time, reading a chapter a night and enjoying Wendy Pini's amazing work... not just the style but the feel and mood she brings to each page. If you are even a little bit of a fan of this series, this is a absolute must buy! You will be thanking me later.

Starting with the split up of the wolf riders in the shards ark we follow ember as she leads a small band of wolf riders as they struggle to find a new Holt to live out there days

I know the main story ended in 2018 but these are timeless tales on par with Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Ursula Le Guin, and any great author you can name. Get into this series it's a 40 year old tale that made me feel young again.

I loved the book! It's amazing!!!😍😍😍I recommend reading the others in the series😁😁😁😗😍😍😍 The book is fun, adventures, kinda romance😍😍, Andddddddddd...A SUPER GREAT BOOK

I liked the Story, placement of the order of the "Magazines" is out of Synk.

Amazing story.

I liked how this novel wraps up the whole Shards arc with the story of Ember's struggles and tribulations as leader of her own tribe. The only downside is after this one is just a compilation of stories. There's no Evergreen story even tho it's mentioned.All in all it's a great read and still a good part of Elfquest.

I was excited to receive this book in the mail. It arrived on time and was in great condition!

Came quickly and very happy with my order, thanks!

Still loving this series. Can't wait to get Volume 6.