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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Through the future, darkly: Rayek's long journey,
By A Customer
This review is from: Elfquest Reader's Collection #9 Rogue's Curse (Paperback)
Rayek, long the most pivotal - and controversial - character in the world of Elfquest, was made the focus of his own EQ series, "Rogue's Curse", between 1996 and 1998. Book 9 collects most of the episodes from the series (except those from issues 28-30 of the EQ magazine, which largely covered earlier plot material) and adds the considerable bonus of a RC short story that previously appeared only once, in the magazine _Frank Frazetta Fantasy Illustrated_.The present volume actually contains not one story but several shorter ones; all, however, deal with the travels of Rayek - now the "jailer" of the deceased Winnowill's malevolent spirit - and his friend Ekuar, as they make their way into a future increasingly dominated by humans. The stage is set by the opening chapter, one of two drawn by Wendy Pini, which explains the numerous torments Rayek must undergo to keep his ex-lover in check, and to prevent her from lashing out at the outer world. This is followed by three single-chapter stories taking place a few decades later; these are drawn by Delfin Barral, artist for the "Rebels" series (Books 13 and 13a), and are executed in a heavily inked, "contrast-y" style far from the classic Pini technique, but quite appropriate to the moody tone of these tales. Following these, however, come the greater part of the book: three mini-series both written and drawn by Brandon McKinney, principal artist for the "Shards" series (Books 12 and 12a). Set in various cities fully four centuries after the earlier chapters, this trio of tales presents the elfin protagonists in an entirely new - and attractive - light. Rayek's often heroic efforts, both to control Winnowill and to save his friends from her wrath, are accompanied by the transformation of the character of Ekuar: still gentle and humorous, but also quick-witted, resourceful and prepared to do anything to protect his friend. Not for nothing, indeed, does Rayek remark that his aged mentor has, in his way, grown younger with time! McKinney's accompanying artwork is rendered in the same naturalistic style seen in his earlier work - a far cry from the hyper-realism of the preceding stories. The inking does lose some of its impact for being in black-and-white (here the fine coloring work of Suzanne Dechnik in "Shards" is missed) but remains technically proficient and, very importantly, consistent. The last chapter, really a postscript, is entirely the work of Wendy Pini and was originally presented in color. This is a much darker and more frightening tale than the others, particularly as it demonstrates the limits on which an elf like Rayek can be accepted and understood in what has become a human-dominated world. Not surprisingly, Wendy's graphics here are the best by far in the series. "Rogue's Curse" is among the last Elfquest stories to be created, and might not be considered by some to be a "classic" example of its genre. Yet it marries interesting art to excellent, often moving storytelling; the interested reader will be rewarded.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not to shabby,
By Loreena Shern (Thornton, CO USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Elfquest Reader's Collection #9 Rogue's Curse (Paperback)
For the numerous years I've been reading Elfquest, Rayek has been one of my least favorite characters. But being the EQ fanatic I am I had to get it. When they first brought it out in this graphic novel version I thought that it was the same as the hardback Rogue's Challenge that was released a few years back due to the same cover. To my happiness it wasn't. It was a totally different novel and compilations of stories. By the time I finished reading this I had a totally different view on Rayek and not only LIKED his character but felt sorry for him in a lot of ways. A definate need to read if the Elfquest characters have made it into your life.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A good graphic novel, but only peripherally Elfquest,
By
This review is from: Elfquest Reader's Collection #9 Rogue's Curse (Paperback)
This is an enjoyable graphic novel. The art is beautiful, as opposed to the horrible scribbles in some of the other non-Pini EQ books, and the plot is engaging, if occasionally somewhat undeveloped. However, EQ fans should be warned that this book has far more humans in it than it does elves. The Wolfriders do not appear, and the time period is comparatively modern -- pistols and steam power have been invented. Winnowill is now a sort of sadistic "soul vampire", which is not how I interpreted her character in the original books; she has lost some subtlety. Since the connection with nature that the Wolfriders and Go-Backs have is my favorite thing about EQ, I found Rogue's Curse slightly disappointing. Still, it's worth a read.
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