Poison Elves, Volume Six: Guild War [Paperback]

Drew Hayes (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2003 | Series: Poison Elves (Book 6)

When a three-way gang war erupts, Lusiphur finds himself targeted not only by enemies innumerable, but also by his own employers! The leaders of the Sanctuary Guild have begun to rethink the rogue's membership in their organization. Unfortunately, the only way to retire from Sanctuary is to be killed! Featuring the return of Luse's ex-wife Hyena, the undying monster known only as Widowmaker, and the single most shocking event in POISON ELVES history!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Drew Hayes entered the comic book field in 1991 by self-publishing his cult-hit series, I, LUSIPHUR. Over the next four years he published 20 issues, changed the series’ title to POISON ELVES, and became known as one of the most singular and respected voices in the "self-publishing" movement. Then, in a bold transition, Drew brought POISON ELVES under the Sirius Entertainment banner, where his creative freedom has remained wholly intact. Meanwhile, POISON ELVES continues to be one of the most popular monthly independent comics in existence. Drew recently made it to issue #70 (bringing his total output to over 90 issues, many of which are collected in the seven POISON ELVES trade paperbacks) and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He currently lives in the Seattle area and attends as many rockabilly concerts as is inhumanly possible.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Sirius Entertainment (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579890555
• ISBN-13: 978-1579890551
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,985,392 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the Sanctuary Saga Continues, July 15, 2006

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Poison Elves, Volume Six: Guild War (Paperback)

Poison Elves Volume 6: Guild War collects issues 13-25 of the Sirius-published Poison Elves series, and continues the long running Sanctuary storyline.

For those of you unfamiliar with this excellent (and criminally underrated) series, Poison Elves is the story of an elf named Lusiphur. Now, before you get visions in your head of pretty-boy elves like Legolas or those Elfquest characters, you should know that Lusiphur (Luse, as he's known to the few people he likes well enough not to have killed) is not that kind of elf. He's a street fighting, hard drinking, mercenary/assassin described by his creator as (and I'm paraphrasing here) "having the temperament of a rattlesnake and the ability to deliver sarcasm faster than lightning hits the ground." Sound intriguing? Drew Hayes is a master storyteller, and besides getting a great non-traditional fantasy story, there is plenty of social commentary and very relevant, very cutting observations. Drew was doing this kind of thing long before Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, et al made it commonplace. And his artwork is terrific too.

Guild War is very much the Empire Strikes Back chapter in the Sanctuary saga. In Poison Elves, Volume Five: Sanctuary (Poison Elves), Luse joins Sanctuary, a secret guild of assassins and thieves, and finds true love. You know how rare that is for someone like Lusiphur, so you can tell this means something. At the same time, Luse's pal Jace joins the Blood Guard, an elite police task force assigned to bring down Sanctuary. Guild War finds Luse captured by a rival guild, and the subsequent war between guilds. Not to mention the first conflict between Sanctuary and the Blood Guard. This volume also sees the involvement of the Elven High Wizard known as Tenth, Luse's ex-wife (and a powerful sorceress in her own right) Hyena, and the return of Widowmaker. Like Empire Strikes Back, Guild War is the middle chapter in the Sanctuary saga. As such, it really doesn't leave you with a satisfying ending, but trust me; it is an ending that you will never forget.

I can't recommend this series highly enough. When you're ready to take a break from "comics as usual", you owe it to yourself to check this series out. My recommendation is to pick up volume 5 first, as it provides an excellent introduction to the series. When you finish that one, you'll no doubt be torn between wanting to go back and read volumes 1-4, or going directly to this book to see what happens next!