Jonny Quest - The Comico Comics!

I do not know why after so many years that Jonny Quest finally at long last got a comic book series, but thanks to the little company Comico he did. And it's a cracker too. Doug Wildey was involved deeply with the early days of the strip, drawing amazing covers and even giving Quest fans three lush and beautiful adaptations of vintage Quest episodes in Jonny Quest Classics. Oh that he had been able to do a comic adaptation for all of the original twenty-six, but I'll enjoy what I have in all its beauty and be thankful.

The main comic book was handled by a who's who of comic book talent from the era with covers by Dave Stevens, Ken Steacy, Dan Spiegle, Ernie Colon, Wendy Pini, Carmine Infantino and others gracing the comic. The interiors were done for the most part by the team of Marc Hempel and Mark Wheatley. I'll confess that at the time their offbeat and kinetic style was not my ideal of how to present the Quest universe, but over time I have more and more appreciated the light and fresh approach they brought to the book. They managed to tap into the luster of Wildey's world without mimicking it in a mawkish or constrictive way. The series ran for several years, thirty-one regular issues with two special editions. All of it had at least a mote of the classic Quest magic and it opened the Quest universe up in a number of creative ways. It's astounding that these comics have never been reprinted in any way, especially in a world in which nearly all comics have been reprinted. They certainly deserve to find a new audience. For now, we have only the back issue bins. Me, I was lucky enough to be there when they arrived on the stands and I was savvy enough never to let them leave. They are worth the quest.

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A Quest Of Elves!

Elfquest was and is an important comic from the Independent era of comics which erupted with the development of the direct sales market. Wendy and Richard Pini have been able over the years to largely control the destiny of their creations at a host of publishers including Marvel and Dark Horse. But it all began in the late 70's in a rough and tumble comic titled Fantasy Quarterly.

That story was later represented as Elfquest #1 from the owner-operated WaRP Graphics (Wendi and Richard Pini). The saga of Wolfriders has proven to be a potent and viable fantasy yarn. Wendy Pini's artwork is attractive and the storytelling is exquisite. And the story itself was a charming addition to an era which was brimming with quality fantasy adventure. I once upon a time winced at the somewhat cute characters, but the passage of time has made me regard with more affection.

I long ago traded away my original comics, so it was with some anticipation that I got hold of the recent Dark Horse reprint of the original saga which ran from 1978 through 1984. The original was in glorious black and white and this presentation is too. I was both surprised and very pleased by the high quality of the paper stock on this volume which offers up an ideal way to read this fascinating tale of adventure. It will go along nicely with the outstanding one-volume black and white volume of Bone.

Here are the covers of the comic magazines contained in this nicely priced volume.

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