Final Quest #16 cover revealed (spoilers)

Shadowpath wrote:

howler monkey wrote:

Guys. What do you think Doors role in this will be? I'm thinking he'll fuck up the healing of Winnowill somehow. If Rogues Curse is considered canon, there is no way she will get redemption during FQ.

Generic 'I'm taking over this thing'-motive and likely also there to kill Chot off in that rockslide Pini wanted him to die in.

Nooooo! I don't want Chot to die!
If she kills Chot off, I'll kill Cutter off in one of my comics!

Miss Gillespie wrote:

@kathleen: didn't make sense in which aspect? The actions of the characters or the story per se

The characters were a little confusing, but I also just didn't GET most of it. I've had a bad cold, so I'm on meds, but it was just so odd.

I liked that issue overall. The art was mostly new, great facial expressions from Korafay

My first thoughts on reading it:

The Go-Back who "doesn't show respect" is called Mirff in the preview and in the issue Murff?! And I think somewhere before in FQ his name was dropped also as Mirff... (a have to search it...) Edit: Found it: FQ10 on the second page! He is also mentioned under "Other Characters" on the EQ Website.

I like the pacing. The issue focused just mainly on two instances: Rayek and the action around him; and Cutter (page 4 with the palace is really short interlude). And it somehow contrasted each other.

I liked the scene where Cutter gets his memories back and hugs Leetah and Skywise <3

The "solution" to the Savah+Funguselves was to obvious to me. But I guess they have this in the story to really show that every thing is connected... (Weren't the Rootless Ones also connected to the Gliders?)

I also like the scene with Winnowill and Reef, and later Rayek. But somehow it's unsatisfying if RC is cannon (what I hope, because I liked the storyline) and takes place after FQ. Or is RC now to be supposed before FQ? (and than why isn't Rayek tall? Wendy Pini also drawn this. Isn't everything she has drawn supposed to be cannon aka this "thread of color"?)

And I'm really curious about the Key/Star Home connection.

My thought about the issue:

1. Korafay is definitely taking after her grandfather too.

2. Rayek's soft spot for Sunstream seems to be extended to his daughter.

3. The forgiveness scene = ❤

4. Seems the Wavedancers - and Rayek - will be willing to speak Daboi's case in front of Ember.

5. Is that Go-Back dude named Mirff, or Murff? (Or maybe it's actually a pair of brothers...)

6. Looks like David and Ryan was right with their theory about the Scary Ones.

7. Who else loved Nightfall l's facial expression when Redlance confirmed the 'They eat dead skin' theory?

8. 'The Rootless Ones' were they called that because they were the ones who didn't 'take root' so to speak?

9. Korafay's indignant anger towards Rayek, as well as her shock and sadness whenever she sees cruelty. Come to think of it, she has probably been a bit spoilt what with her being the youngest in her tribe and the other 'pips' actually being older than her dad. Not to mention that the last pip born was lost.

10. Probably a good thing for Two-Edge that Cutter decided to go look for him, because Leetah will very likely be following, and Two-Edge looks like he could need some help...

I don't know. Im not really sure what the point was of connecting Savah to the fungus elves. It's like making Kahvi Two Spear's  direct daughter-- unnecessary, and why? I guess it may play out later as a plot point-- but if not, like.. eh. I still feel like I'm waiting for the story to get going. I'm confused as to why I don't feel much emotional connection at this point with the events or characters.

My favorite events so far have been either the page where Skywise confesses his feelings to Timmain-- I did also like the Cutter Timmain moment at the end of that issue in which she reveals herself as him, Ember sitting on her Dad's lap after he came to rescue her-- and otherwise, the Prologue. But I don't find myself caring about Cutter wander through the woods, his catatonia, Strongbow and Moonshade, Dart and Mender, Skywise and Timmain's relationship, Rayek and Winnowil, the Wavedancers, the Holt or Two Edge and Venka. It's not grabbing me. Which iis odd- because Elfquest has always grabbed me in the past.

Maybe it's because it doesn't feel like there's the same kind of direction to events as what we've seen in other story arcs. The Ember-napping part of the story had a strong push-- but right now I'm sort of confused and it feels like stuff is just kind of happening. I guess the push is that they are getting ready to leave the planet? But why the rush? And why haven't they still found hardly any other elves? I mean-- I realize they haven't gotten any new characters answering the call (besides DrDre and two wrap stuffed characters) in ten/twenty plus years now-- but I think I'm still somehow expecting that, with all the build up to Sunstream's call-- there should be more of a turnout. Like-- did everyone die on the way? If they really are going to leave the planet-- shouldn't Timmain let Skywise take a pod and got make sure everyone else knows it and really understands that and doesn't want to go with them?

Lunacat I feel the same way. It's very weird, to not care about Elfquest now. I stick with it because I've loved it for so long and I want to know how it end.
Everything feels so pointless, characters seem to have lost their personality and the art is just not as good as it used to be.
I did care when FQ started. I guess I still had hope it would get better at some point. Now, I'm just waiting for it to end. I don't expect much anymore.

In some way Final Quest feels like the Star Wars Prequel films to me: It wants to looks all shiny but the CGI (for Star Wars)/Photoshop (for Elfquest) kills hurts the aesthetics instead of improving it. The characters are somehow "reduced" and stale, even old beloved ones. A lot of expositional talk. Some fundamental ideas got explained and made them worse in the end because of the explanation (midi-chlorians / Timtam)...
I read/watch it because I love the old stories and the creator(s) original ideas and characters; I want to find out how it ends (or how it started).
There is also some good things in die Star Wars Prequels (especially the third) and after a second watch I don't despise them so much than when i saw them the first time in the cinemas. We have still 8 issues to go. Its the middle of the third "chapter" and we don't know what the fourth will be about (issues 18-24). I have the FQ Volume 1+2 and found the second read better, because it felt "wholer" to read it in a row (?). So I still hope FQ can turn it.

Edit: I might put the second sentence stronger than I meant it.

I was expecting the worst, but I didn't mind this one and it restored some of my faith in the whole EQ thing. Art is still very hit and miss, but it shows brilliance in places. The day-glo colors really let it down though. I would like to see just the uncolored inks...or better still, just the digital sketches...

We may also have reached peak Rayek here. All he does here makes sense in his specific way of thinking and doing things. I still find it hard to dislike him. He was in the right for trying to stop the humans- even is the narrative of the story is such that his attempt will backfire. He still is courageous and he still abandons everything he is doing to protect a life. And he is still delightfully well intended but tragically misguided. He is coming closer to his Rogue's Curse persona- an elf who is frequently protective towards peaceful humans.
it's good to have newly-enlightened Cutter back.
Anyway, quite a good issue story-wise I think, lots of things were finally cleared up.

I don't think it's PhotoShop killing the aesthetics. It's literally just that Sonny has a terrible sense of color. I mean-- I understand intellectually what he's trying to do-- but he's really not good at it. He chooses (i'm sorry, but) ugly colors-- and he has no sense of what do to do with value or saturation. And he neglects the whole basic concept of differentiating between foreground, middle ground and background. i think the panel with Timmain floating in front of the Go Backs was nicely done. And I think the last panel of Ekuar sitting with Two Edge was nicely done. But in general, I don't understand the praise he's getting for his color choices. They are.. geez, I know he's trying to put a lot of thought into the symbolism of it all, but from a design/color theory perspective... unthinking.

If this every comes out as just black and white line art-- I think you would find most of the drawings solid.

Also Nightfall's face when she realizes that the Funguys are feeding off her dead skin cells is worth the price of admission, heh!

And yes- the old EQs printed in black and white. They held up really well. they showed the elegance of the drawing best. I often preferred them over the colored issues.

I don't mind the colors so much. I really dislike the copy-pasting of some "base puppets" (I don't know what I should call them), for example Moonshade, Savah and Sunstream are often just copy-pasted with their limbs readjusted and there faces exchanged.
I didn't wanted to blame Photoshop (or what ever program is used) per se, but without it every panel would be a whole new original drawing. That's what I miss.

I'm not surprised to see Timmain flying; she tried once before to help Petalwing, but failed. Looks as though more of her power is coming back.

What I am surprised by is Cutter's sense of self continuing to fray. It's like he's dying, and soon he'll be completely overwritten by Timmain. I wonder what Wendy's thinking, destroying her heart-elf like this.

I think Wendy is thinking Timmain is her higher self, and by kiling Cutter (who would in that case be her lower self) she is ascending. I have been talking to New Age people. Ascention is kind of a thing with them.

Cutter dying - been "overwritten" by Timmain ... that would be a way to have him going full circle - and living on. In a way.

In the beginning I've always thought Cutter would go full circle (like Kimba). And I hate it when the hero dies.
Later I got other ideas ... that Skywise and/or Leetah, his immortal soulmates, would die and mortal Cutter would live on.

Either of this would be preferable to a "Zombie TAM" for me. *sigh* I still hope that WP will come up with another unexpected satisfying solution. Time will show where this actually goes ...

I don't know if this feels like full circle for a character if he dies - this process of death as its being written now is like a character dying by degrees, it's as though he's being bleached or whited out. There's no redeeming qualities to it, story wise to me.

Sifra wrote:

I think Wendy is thinking Timmain is her higher self, and by kiling Cutter (who would in that case be her lower self) she is ascending. I have been talking to New Age people. Ascention is kind of a thing with them.

lol Sifra this is so true probably... it is so weirdly abstract, I just can't connect to that kind of thinking at all.

Sifra wrote:

Shadowpath wrote:

howler monkey wrote:

Guys. What do you think Doors role in this will be? I'm thinking he'll fuck up the healing of Winnowill somehow. If Rogues Curse is considered canon, there is no way she will get redemption during FQ.

Generic 'I'm taking over this thing'-motive and likely also there to kill Chot off in that rockslide Pini wanted him to die in.

Nooooo! I don't want Chot to die!
If she kills Chot off, I'll kill Cutter off in one of my comics!

*Whispers* Do it anyway.

Well, I am still waiting for my exemplar of FQ (oversea shipment) but from reading here it does sound, uh, well, interesting? Weird? I'll hopefully see in the next days.

Sifra wrote:

I think Wendy is thinking Timmain is her higher self, and by kiling Cutter (who would in that case be her lower self) she is ascending.

If Wendy wants ascension, she can do it herself and leave Cutter alone. It's really hard to think of a fictional protagonist with as many good qualities as he.

If he truly does fade into Timmain, I'm going to miss him a lot. And I bet Wendy will too. She said in that off-topic "Dreamtime" comic of speaking with Cutter and Skywise that "ElfQuest" is the legacy she'll leave behind, since she doesn't have any kids, and she won't be satisfied until she's written their story across the sky with thunder and lightning.

If Cutter is part of that legacy, what happens to it if he's destroyed?

Multi-Facets wrote:

If Wendy wants ascension, she can do it herself and leave Cutter alone.

XD
Hard to tell a good story with an ascensioned (?) character. Too boring.

Sifra wrote:

Lunacat I feel the same way. It's very weird, to not care about Elfquest now. I stick with it because I've loved it for so long and I want to know how it end.

Same here. Because of this I read it much too fast. But I think I liked the art in this one, and maybe the pace too.

Lunakat wrote:

I think the ancient wrong is the troll elf conflict

Which would be why Cutter want Two-edge, a troll-elf. But why the key?

Sifra wrote:

If she kills Chot off, I'll kill Cutter off in one of my comics!

Shadowpath wrote:

Whispers* Do it anyway.

Yesyesyes, kill Cutter! I do like him, I don't want Wendy to kill him, but you can Sifra, I want to read this :p

Erh, it's always been about two people exploring their sex life/identity. Problem for me is it become such a main point now.
I mean, they turned the comic into basically being all about Skywise waiting for Timmain, so they could shag.

All about Skywise wanting to get Cutter preggers, maybe

I...need some bleach for that mental image I just got.

Am I the only one who's thinking Timmain might die rather than Cutter? That the death of the higher self is what all this "What does Timmorn know" business is indicating? Timmorn chose to be a wolf and die rather than embrace his elf side, and to me Cutter seems to be reaching for him while at the same time trying to pull away from everything that has to do with Timmain.

There's this teaser image, I can't remember where it's from, where Cutter and Timmain is holding hands or somehting, and New Moon is unsheathed and Skywise is all sad in the background... maybe the key isn't in the sword, but the swords function of killing, because yeah Cutter is kinda disappearing right now, and I just can't imagine either Cutter or Timmain ever chosing to be Timmain rather than Cutter so the only way to save Cutter before he fades away for good is that Timmain dies while Cutter lives on. Which totally would explain why Wendy wont include Jink because Cutter would totally be the one to give birth then, interesting for sure but also big wtf

Timmain dying makes sense to me. 'Kings' really made me think she would much rather stay as wolf, stay on WoTM and likely die at some point.

Nope, I think Timmain will die also, and have thought so for some time. I think she'll die while giving birth to Jink or something like that.
Of course, it would make sense to the story, and there's not particularly been a recent history with things making sense story-wise, so you never know.