Analysis of Wendy's Elfquest art

A note on Ice Holt humans vs Djunsland humans. Ice Holt humans have more rugged features, are more robust and darker skinned whilst Djunsland humans are more gracile in build and lighter complexion.
Also, Djunsland humans advance to pseudo Medieval with the more Asian looking Longriders akin to the Huns and Mongols. Ice Holt humans become semi Native American of the Plains, Woodlands, Plateau and Basin cultures with some maritime humans fishing the Vastdeep and having a complex relation with the paranoid Wavedancers.

Being the Troll advocate that I am, one of the problems I have with Elfquest art is the depiction of Elves and Trolls:

(Keep in mind I am years behind, and have not gotten into the current series.)

Elves range from tiny Wolfriders to towering High Ones, but with few exceptions they are drawn like media models.

Wolfrider and Sun Folk women have hourglass figures, even after multiple pregnancies, from which they apparently snap back.

Gliders and Go-Backs have slender figures, despite the arctic conditions from which the Go-Backs originate.

The High Ones are tallest and thinnest of all.  They are idolized by the Wolfriders.

Even the worst Elves, like Winnowill, are drawn with either pin-up proportions or willowy Erte figures.

Some Trolls are eventually shown to have redeeming qualities, but they are generally given negative traits.

Trolls come in different heights, but similar proportions.  They are either stocky or plump.

The impression is that Elves evolved with positive traits and unrealistic proportions.

Trolls evolved with negative traits, and proportions similar to those of a typical Earth human.

That was one of the things I liked about the original Firstcomer trolls. They were short, compact and almost cute....before Wendy retconned their size. With Firstcomer Troll's guards (really Wendy, you couldn't give him a name, it's like calling a random High One just that without a name), they were muscular, burly and looked like those who were into strength training including the women and with Sonny we got the Pretty Trolls who while shapelier still had more meat on their bones than even a full figured elf.  And then we had the mutated Misfit Trolls who were shapeless.  Anyway, another option would be to make gaunt, lurching trolls. One thing I noticed about the first few comics when the original Holt burned down was that Picknose and his fellow guards were leaner, hairier and slightly more gaunt in appearance, then she started bulking them up later on.

Trollbabe wrote:

Trolls evolved with negative traits

I don't know if I recall it correctly but didn't the trolls mention that they think the elves look ugly to them?    And I bet those seemingly negative traits like being  greedy, tricky, treacherous, stubborn, secretive etc. are maybe perceived as something good by the trolls. Oddbit is so full of vanity and materialism! Still Picknose courted her and showered her with gold.

Actually I have always loved this contrast of elves vs. trolls because it always came with humour and funny situations  

I also find trolls to be charming in their own way. A bit like the dwarfs in LOTR. I often shaked my head about their greedy behaviour but still found them very entertaining and kinda charming to be around.

However I have never liked the greenish shades of skin of the trolls in Elfquest.

Plus, the elved sometimes look as if they had plastic surgery? Especially Leetah's high and ultra prominent cheekbones. (I still think she looks pretty tho).

I was also really bothered by that dream sequence (forgot where and when) involving Two-Edge and Leetah. In Two-Edge's dream, Leetah turns him into a full Elf. This piece of artwork really bothered me because it implied that Two-Edge would be happier if he looked prettier.

Trollbabe, I realize this is a subject near and dear to your heart but I don't take away the same impressions. I do agree that some of the treatment of the trolls is a tone-deaf and could be improved.
But to start, your suggestion that the Go-Backs shouldn't be slender because of their arctic origins doesn't make sense to me. For one, their environment is northerly and mountainous but not necessarily arctic. For two, we don't know if they've been there long enough to develop other traits. Three, I always assumed they were underfed due to their environment. (Any place where you're literally eating your enemy for survival doesn't sound like a place good for building stores of fat.) Four, which occurred to me just now: They're right next to the Palace. They deliberately settled where they can feel its pull the strongest. The influence of Palace may be pulling them towards High One proportions, as it did for the elves that lived in it during Final Quest.

Don't forget that the elfin shapes we know were modelled on human stories. In-world, a group of scrawny, cone-headed aliens came by Abode, heard the human stories of other beings with powers like theirs (not LOOKS like theirs but POWERS like theirs) and decided to investigate. The human stories painted these beings as secretive so the aliens decided they'd have a better chance at finding these maybe-cousins if they took the same shapes. Of course they look ridiculously pretty to our eyes - ridiculously pretty was literally the foundation for the shapes they chose. If you were picking a shape based off what's popular on on DeviantArt (for example), you'd probably end up with something similar.

Good points, Manga!  I  like reading  other  perspectives.  Having  never lived n a cold region,  I  was mistaken about  the  Palace being in the Arctic .

Having  seen a few pictures  of  Firstcomer Troll,  and having  read the description  on the Elfquest  website , I  wondered  why he didn't  look like earlier  pictures of  tiny Groundlings.

I wrote  some fan fiction  once , in which the Palace  crashed, and the Troll ancestors  hid  easily because  of  their size.

I honestly think Firstcomer Troll's size is due to Wendy forgetting that they were originally smaller. Unless she means for them to have some shape-changing abilities of their own, there's no other reason Firstcomer (and doesn't the poor guy have an actual name?) would be the size he is. Later generations, sure - they no longer have to be small enough to run through the air ducts or whatever in the Palace.

I saw a picture of the WoTM map the other day. Looks like the Go-Back's lodge COULD be arctic. But I think I remember deciduous trees in the area when Rayek left for Blue Mountain, so I'm inclined to think it's just Very North. Maybe almost arctic.

Wondering when the Groundlings/Burrowers/Trolls turned green.

Been a while. Looking at the 'modern' humans of post KOTBW, they've lost some subtlety. You have the quasi-medieval Djunsland which seems to be an absolute monarchy, with a form of Inquisition. Misogynistic, brutal, on the verge of revolution with advanced weaponry. Which of course according to the elves, humans were incapable of producing. In fact it turns out Two-Edge was responsible for the weapons crafting. Subtle there writers, real subtle as to how stupid humans are. To her credit, Wendy wasn't writing Shards and had shown how humans were progressing just fine without elf or troll help. They also have Renaissance era style sailships and castles, was that with Two-Edges guidance as well Wendy?

Then there are the Longriders. A blend of Central Asian nomads with Southeast Asian aesthetic. For nomads, they're steamrolled pretty quick by the Djunslanders and rapidly enslaved. Side note Central Asian women could be warriors and rode into battle and medieval women ruled the castle when the menfolk went to war and sometimes the women joined them.

Meanwhile in Iceholt, you have two different types of human cultures. The fishermen of the shores and the Insect Tribes. The fishermen seem peaceful enough and were the first overcome. While the Insect Tribes are similar in style of Plains/Woodland Native American people. Most are matriarchal, while the one Shuna married into was patriarchal.

Aand now we get into the conflict between humans from the two continents. Djunslanders have canons, crossbows and early firearms all designed by Two-Edge. Never mind that crossbows have been around since Antiquity and artillery developed before the Late Middle Ages in China and introduced to Europe fairly fast, wasn't a total game changer either since early firearms were unreliable, hence Native Americans held their own in Colonial Times until repeating firearms were developed. At least Wendy acknowledged that there were alliances, since Spider offered up his services. Another tidbit from history, the Inca and Aztec were recent conquerors themselves who were hated by the other tribes, hence why many worked with the Conquistadors. They also wanted the new peoples weaponry and horses to deal with their own ancestral enemies. Brutally. Anyway, the Djunslanders are driven out and the Iceholt humans learn the Way through Shuna.

Sigh, Basically Wendy lost her nuanced viewpoint and her mind during Final Quest. Long gone was the research that she showed in Original Quest. In Original Quest through early Hidden Years, we learned that elves were not always innocent victims and that trolls and humans were not always brutish despoilers. I rarely saw that in Final Quest, instead I saw a deterioration of what had once been among the best comic series I ever read.

Another thing that's been pissing me off. The Go-Backs were the ones who fought hardest for the Palace Had their numbers nearly halved during the Palace War, were driven from it by an insane Rayek (his actions were far from admirable in KOTBW) and had been floundering. Where the Hell were they in Final Quest or Stargazer's Hunt?! Not one Go-Back was a Palace Dweller or on the New World?! Way to disrespect their sacrifice and dedication Wendy and Sonny!