Stargazer's Hunt #4 is out

Yeee wrote:

as explanation I suggest: Leetah also has a pale-skin gene next to a dark-skin gene to pass on. If she didn't, each of her children would be at least light brown. The inheritance of skin colors can lead to interesting mixtures. For example, a light-skinned couple had a dark-skinned child (without the woman cheating), so there were dark-skinned genes in at least one of the parents that showed up in the child. Parents who have parents with one light-skinned and one dark-skinned partner get a colorful mix of children. Mostly there is the typical distribution that we know from genetics, i.e. 1: 2: 1 (1x dark-skinned, 2x light brown skin (mix), 1x light-skinned.
Leetah has 2 deep brown-skinned parents but somewhere in the ancestral line (and not too far away) they were quite fair-skinned.
Well, and as a bad-tempered traditionalist, Chad naturally attaches himself to "the way" which dictates that a true Wolfrider should only be awake at night and not during the day, Which doesn't exactly help to get a nice brown complexion either.

Oh, for sure hereditary genes can pass down - light over dark. For example, both Suntop and Ember were born with Leetah's complexion, but only Ember has the darker hair while Suntop has the blond hair, similar to his father (Cutter).

But - other than tracing it back to the High Ones (who could take any shape - including animals - or any skin tone) - where would the "white" gene been in Leetah's bloodline? Because her parents aren't as old as Savah - who also bares the darker complexion. And she mentions in OQ #3, that she's the only one familiar with the "woods" - and that the "woods" are legend to the others. So one of them who was with Savah, who came to Sorrow's End, could be in Leetah's bloodline and passed before we ever got to see them, I suppose (because I don't recall Leetah's family tree tracing further back than her parents... But there's so much I've not read).

But...

I think it's absolutely lazy art/story telling to have "Cutter" back.

Just an infinitely worse, hollow, and shallow, I-couldn't-care-less version of Cutter knock off without any of the things that make any character interesting.

And mind you, I love a well written jerk. Strongbow was a well written jerk in contrast to Cutter, back in the original Quest. And I absolutely loved Strongbow.

Cutterclone is a piece of cardboard. Zero personality. Zero depth.

well, who of the newer characters has depth anyway?

Although, many of the old established characters aren't fleshed out either. I mean, I like Clearbrook, but she isn't exactly a deep character. She's a type ("the wise one") and she had her 15 min in the spotlight*, but we don't really know who she is. Supposedly she's "more fun than Strongbow and Moonshade" but we firstly don't know what that means and secondly we never see that in action.

Most elves either fall on the "extrovert, promiscuous" spectrum or the "calm and conservative" one.


*and that were 15 min story-driven, not character driven

Miss Gillespie wrote:

well, who of the newer characters has depth anyway?
Although, many of the old established characters aren't fleshed out either. I mean, I like Clearbrook, but she isn't exactly a deep character. She's a type ("the wise one") and she had her 15 min in the spotlight*, but we don't really know who she is. Supposedly she's "more fun than Strongbow and Moonshade" but we firstly don't know what that means and secondly we never see that in action.

Character development doesn't even need to be in words. In can be conveyed in expression and action.
I picked up ElfQuest back when it was in the B&W Magazine format. I think issue #2 or #3 was my first issue.
It didn't take long at all for me to become attached to Cutter and Skywise. Clearly the main characters.
Redlance was my favorite by appearance. Nightfall staying with him gave so much detail to her.
Their expressions - Redlance's pained face, Nightfall's concerned look. Clearly they were in love.
http://elfquest.com/read/index.php?s=OQ/OQ02&p=8

This is something I've not seen for a long time. Everyone looks like a cardboard. They all just stand around. No one does anything that stands out - say like when Cutter got in the ol' King's face.
http://elfquest.com/read/index.php?s=OQ/OQ01&p=26

All of these expressions - and dynamic shots - simply don't exist.

Everyone stands around, or sits, in simple, uninteresting poses, giving them all the same flat personality.

And, I am the first to admit. I do hold ElfQuest to a standard. Wendy's art is unparalleled. Or was.

When I read ElfQuest - I am expecting the best. Anything less, and it's going to be disappointing.

But that's just me. I'm old. Yelling at kids to get off my lawn. Yelling at passing clouds.

You know, when I happened to pick up the collected four issues in one of Stargazer’s Hunt, I didn’t expect that Trinket was going to be revealed to be sapphic (interested in women for those who don’t know the term.)

But I am very very happy about it.

I also found the implication about the gossip that she has never taken a steady mate curious too. I mean, that gossip in addition to Oddbit’s comment that Jink and Yun should focus on finding suitable matches, continues the idea that trolls do have a different way of seeing relationships. It is possible that same gender relationships are at best not seen as legitimate as straight ones in troll society and that Trinket may be a lesbian in addition to interested in elves.