One of the most successful and best-loved fantasy comics series comes to life in three new striking busts from Dark Horse!
[ad#longpost]Without question one of the most successful fantasy comic book series of the last thirty years is Elfquest by Wendy and Richard Pini.
A sprawling saga with hundreds of characters and a fully-realized alternate world hosting visionary, magical cultures and creatures, it has sold over three million copies in various editions.
As many readers know, the primary characters of Elfquest are Cutter, Leetah and Skywise, who form a triangular group of protagonists whose interaction forms the foundation of the story. As brought to life by Wendy Pini, these characters have become familiar but remain uniquely her own.
Dark Horse is happy to announce that, with the help of master sculptor Tim Bruckner and significant guidance by Wendy and Richard Pini, a new series of three limited-edition busts of these characters is scheduled for a November on-sale date.
“We feel these busts are some of the best we have done so far,” Dark Horse’s David Scroggy noted, “and are happy to say that the creators agree.”
When asked what led Dark Horse to Elfquest, Scroggy continued, “We were at New York Comic-Con in February, and were quietly in the process of lining up some characters from modern comics for a new group of our 1940s-inspired ‘syroco’-style statuettes. We asked Wendy and Richard if we could do one of Elfquest. Our timing was good, as figure rights, which had been tied up elsewhere, had just reverted to the Pinis. They agreed to let us do Cutter in this style, but in reviewing our display at the Comic-Con, Wendy admired Tim Bruckner’s work on our group of Hellboy Animated busts, and thought that this format, along with Tim’s specific stylistic approach to it, might be the best one for her audience.
“A deal was struck, and work commenced. It was decided to create three stand-alone pieces, but to have them enjoy a special relationship that suggested emotion and interaction when displayed as a set. As Cutter took shape through rough clay and more finished versions, excitement grew at both Dark Horse and at WaRP Graphics. The result was such a realization of her personal vision that upon final approval Wendy told us that ‘you made this Elfmom cry.’ To which Tim Bruckner replied ‘Making creators cry is nothing new to me; it happens all the time. But this is the first time it has ever happened in a good way.’
Each bust in the Elfquest series measures about 5.5 inches, and the body pivots on the base, allowing the owner to set up exact placement and position. Meticulously hand-painted, each limited-edition piece is individually numbered. Edition is set at only 1,500 per character, so allocation may occur. Dark Horse is supervising worldwide sales territory for the busts, which have a suggested retail price of $49.99 per character.
