From: [d m hartma] at [students.wisc.edu] (Dorinda Hartmann)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.elfquest,alt.comics.elfquest,rec.arts.comics.info
Subject: The Elfquest FAQ (01/02)
Date: Sun, 08 Sep 96 22:37:01 GMT
(Last updated: 6 September 1996. Questions marked with a * have new
material added.)
Welcome to the Elfquest FAQ! Below, we cover some of the most Frequently
Asked Questions about Wendy and Richard Pini and their creation called
Elfquest. This FAQ is maintained and distributed by Dorinda Hartmann
<[d m hartma] at [students.wisc.edu]>. Comments, corrections, and suggestions are
welcome.
DISCLAIMER AND COPYRIGHT NOTICE:
This FAQ and its keeper are not officially affiliated with Warp Graphics.
Any direct quotes are cited as such; anything not directly quoted was
written or paraphrased by Dorinda Hartmann, and she is responsible for any
errors in content.
Some material in this FAQ is directly quoted from Warp Graphics' web site,
Elfquest.com (http://www.elfquest.com/). This copyrighted material is used
by permission.
Part 1 of 2:
BASICS
01. What is Elfquest?
02. What does that abbreviation mean?
* 03. Does Warp have e-mail?
* 04. How many EQ books/comics are there, and who writes/draws them?
* 05. I'm new to EQ/I've been away for years-- how can I catch up?
06. Where can I buy EQ stuff?
07. Where can I get submission guidelines for Warp Graphics?
08. Is the switch to black-and-white temporary?
09. I heard a rumor Warp was bankrupt/going out of business. Is
this true?
CHARACTERS & PLOT POINTS
10. What is Recognition?
11. Are there any elf-human hybrids in Elfquest?
12. Are there any gay elves in Elfquest?
13. Did Richard really say that electricity doesn't work in the EQ
universe?
14. Why does Jink have 5 fingers? And is "jinking" teleportation?
15. How do you pronounce "Teir"?
16. Why does Suntop in New Blood look younger than Ember in Hidden
Years?
* 17. How can Suntop be immortal, while Ember is mortal?
Part 2 of 2:
PROJECTS & SCHEDULING
18. Will there be more Graphic Novel collections coming out soon?
19. Which issues have centerspreads?
* 20. What's this about a movie?
21. Can I do one of the voices in the movie? Even just a background
"extra"?
22. What's this about a video?
23. Is there an Elfquest CD/tape?
NET.STUFF
* 24. Are there FTP and WWW sites?
* 25. Are there MUSHes?
26. What about IRC?
* 27. What is EQUEST-L?
* 28. What are alt.comics.elfquest and rec.arts.comics.elfquest?
29. Can I reach www.elfquest.com even if I don't have WWW access?
GENEROUS THANKS TO: Yngvar Foelling, Marty Kuhn, Jay "Whip" Grizzard,
Wrenwater, LightBearer, Mike Knauer, Hamilton Slye, Rand Stamm, Crone,
Harri Samuli K{rkk{inen, Loyce "Hawke" Ciano, Christi "Acorn" Hayes, Jaye,
Layla Voll, Milton Ngan, Elizabeth McCoy, Sh'k'anna and R'ykandar
Korra'ti, KSM, Clarissa Hoover, Mythical Mystical Monica, Mark "Scunge"
Wann, Graham Dombkins, Theresa Robeson, *and* (of course) Wendy and
Richard Pini and all the folks at Warp Graphics & Elfquest.com.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
BASICS
01. What is Elfquest?
Elfquest began as a series of comics (many of which have subsequently been
collected into graphic novels), first published in 1978 under the aegis of
Wendy and Richard Pini, and their company Warp Graphics. It was originally
scripted by Wendy & Richard and drawn by Wendy. Since then, the EQ
universe has diversified, giving rise to a number of EQ storylines (with
different artistic teams) and a handful of prose books set in the EQ
universe.
02. What does that abbreviation mean?
GENERAL ABBREVIATIONS SEEN ONLINE
a.c.eq Alt.comics.elfquest, an EQ-related Usenet newsgroup (See FAQ
question 28).
AGOHO A Gift of Her Own, an Elfquest book for the children's market,
written and illustrated by Wendy Pini.
BEG Big Elfquest Gatherum, a large "scrapbook" of articles, art, and
information about Elfquest. (See FAQ question 04).
BMP Black Mermaid Productions, the creative team of Julie Ditrich, Bruce
Love, and Jozef Szekeres. See also JuBruJo.
BoTC Blood of Ten Chiefs
EQ Elfquest
FTP File Transfer Protocol (a way of accessing information online)
or Father Tree Press (a division of Warp Graphics), take your pick.
FQ Fantasy Quarterly, site of Elfquest's first appearance (in what has
been nicknamed "little number one," due to its small size).
GN Graphic Novel (bound color volumes, usually of previously published
comics, although sometimes with new art or new stories)
HY Hidden Years
JtSE "Journey to Sorrow's End," the prose novel of GN 1.
JuBruJo The collective name for the Australian team behind Wavedancers #1-6:
Julie Ditrich, Bruce Love, and Jozef Szekeres. See also BMP.
KotBW Kings of the Broken Wheel
NB New Blood
r.a.c.e. Rec.arts.comics.elfquest, an EQ-related Usenet newsgroup (See FAQ
question 28).
SaBM Siege at Blue Mountain
SAS Strongbow Appreciation Society. A group of folks on the EQUEST-L
mailing list (See FAQ question 27) who love the taciturn archer. No
dues, no official roll-call. All in fun.
TM "Two Moons," a MUSH devoted to EQ (See FAQ question 25).
WaRP Wendy and Richard Pini, or Warp Graphics. The official name of the
company is now "Warp Graphics", not "WaRP Graphics".
WD Wavedancers
WoTM World of Two Moons (will be called "Abode" in the world's future)
WWW World Wide Web, a way of accessing information online.
CURRENT NET.SPEAK
BTW By The Way
<eg> Evil grin
FAQ Frequently Asked Question
FWIW For What It's Worth
<g> Grin
<g,d,rlh> Grin, duck, run like hell
IMHO In My Humble/Honest Opinion
IMNSHO In My Not So Humble Opinion
LOL Laughing Out Loud
OTOH On The Other Hand
ROTFL Rolling On The Floor Laughing
YMMV Your Mileage May Vary (your opinion/experience may vary)
...and assorted smilies.
*03. Does Warp have e-mail?
Yes indeed.
The best one to use is [e--qu--t] at [elfquest.com] (pretty easy, hmm?).
For Warp*Store questions or orders, use [w--s--e] at [elfquest.com.]
For Elfquest.com web site questions/concerns, use [w--a--r] at [elfquest.com.]
Richard Pini is at [r--i--i] at [elfquest.com.] This is his personal email
address; it's best to use one of the other addresses if possible.
According to Elfquest.com: "Richard notes that though Wendy doesn't use a
computer for anything but script writing, email sent for her will be
forwarded. (Just send it to Richard)."
*04. How many EQ books/comics are there, and who writes/draws them?
Elfquest used to have only one series of comics running at a time.
Beginning in 1992, however, we saw an explosion of simultaneous ongoing
titles set in the EQ universe, with many different writers and artists.
In the spring of 1996, all of the simultaneous titles came to a transition
or conclusion, culminating in the issue "Elfquest: Metamorphosis."
Metamorphosis gave a rundown of the EQ universe to date, and briefly
introduced the various storylines that would be appearing in the new,
thick-sized, single-issue-format series simply called "Elfquest."
To quickly answer people who ask "Which current storylines are the Pinis
directly creatively involved in?": Wendy has mostly been working on
various aspects of the proposed EQ movie (see FAQ question 20). But she is
drawing (and co-writing, with Richard) one of the storylines in the
monthly EQ series: "Dreamtime."
For the purposes of this FAQ, here is a list of EQ comics titles and
Graphic Novels (collections of comics in bound color volumes), as well as
prose books and nonfiction books.
EQ COMICS
1. Original series (1978-1985) 20 issues plus an extra one at
the end, #21 (full of reader response, extra
artwork, reviews, and photos).
2. Siege at Blue Mountain (1986-1988) 8 issues.
3. Kings of the Broken Wheel (1990-1992) 9 issues.
4. Hidden Years (1992-1996) 29 issues.
5. New Blood (1992-1996) 35 issues.
6. Shards (1994-1996) 16 issues.
7. Blood of Ten Chiefs (1993-1995) 20 issues. Adaptations of
short stories from the BoTC prose anthologies,
plus some new ones.
8. Wavedancers (1993-1994) 6 issues. Not to be confused with
the later "WaveDancers Special #1".
9. Jink (1994-1996) 12 issues.
10. The Rebels (1994-1996) 12 issues.
11. Kahvi miniseries (1995-1996) 6 issues.
12. Two-Spear miniseries (1995-1996) 5 issues.
13. WaveDancers Special #1 (1996) 1 issue. Intro to new
WaveDancers series, which will be included in
the new single-issue format Elfquest. This WD
introduces a different sea-elf concept harking
back to the tribe originally created for the EQ
roleplaying game.
14. Elfquest: Metamorphosis (1996) 1 issue. A single issue
summarizing the EQ universe to date, and
introducing the various storylines that will be
included in the new single-issue format
Elfquest series.
15. Elfquest (1996-present) Thick single-issue format,
with a few
different ongoing storylines inside. Including
these storyline titles: Wild Hunt, Fire-Eye,
Rogue's Curse, WaveDancers, FutureQuest,
Worldpool, Dreamtime. (For explanations of the
different storylines, see FAQ question #05.)
16. Elfquest: Wolfrider (forthcoming) 1 issue. A single issue
all about the history and development of the
prospective EQ movie. (For more info on the
movie, see FAQ question #20.)
GRAPHIC NOVELS
Book 1: Fire and Flight (original comics series #1-5)
Book 2: The Forbidden Grove (original comics series #6-10)
Book 3: Captives of Blue Mountain (original comics series #11-15)
Book 4: Quest's End (original comics series #16-21)
Book 5: Siege at Blue Mountain (SaBM issues #1-4)
Book 6: The Secret of Two-Edge (SaBM issues #5-8)
Book 7: The Cry From Beyond (KotBW issues #1-4)
Book 8: Kings of the Broken Wheel (KotBW issues #5-9)
Book 9: Rogue's Challenge (Hidden Years issues #8, 6, 7, 9, 9.5 in that
order, plus a bit of new art by Wendy Pini to "bridge"
between the stories)
The Hidden Years (HY issues #1-5)
New Blood (NB issues #1-5)
Bedtime Stories (Parts of NB issues #1, 7, and 10, plus 2 new stories,
aimed at a younger children's audience.)
PROSE BOOKS
1. Journey to Sorrow's End (novelization of GN 1, by Wendy &
Richard)
2. The Quest Begins (novelization of GN 2, by Wendy & Richard)
3. A Gift of Her Own (EQ picture book for the children's
market,
by Wendy)
4. Blood of Ten Chiefs anthologies (listed by subtitle): short
stories set in the Wolfriders' past, by famous
fantasy/science-fiction authors.
a. #1 (no subtitle)
b. #2 "Wolfsong"
c. #3 "Winds of Change"
d. #4 "Against the Wind"
e. #5 "Dark Hours"
f. #6 "Hunter's Dawn" (forthcoming, no release date set)
THE GATHERUMS (nonfiction "scrapbooks" of articles, art, character
information, a glossary/pronunciation guide, etc. A MUST for
EQ fans!)
1. First Elfquest Gatherum (1981)
2. Second Elfquest Gatherum (1988)
3. The Big Elfquest Gatherum (1994): Most of the First and
Second Gatherums, plus new material. HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED. The character profiles in the back are
worth the purchase price alone. Marty Kuhn's detailed
cross-index of what's in the Big Gatherum is available
from [d m hartma] at [students.wisc.edu.]
*05. I'm new to EQ/I've been away for years-- how can I catch up?
The consensus seems to be that you should start with graphic novels 1-8,
in order. Get 'em any way you can-- buy them, borrow them, check your
local library. This will give you a very solid grounding.
After that, the EQ universe temporarily split into a number of
simultaneous series, ranging from the Wolfriders' past chiefs, to the main
characters' current struggles, to the planetary future.
All of the simultaneous series reached some sort of conclusion or
transition point in the spring of 1996. A special issue called _Elfquest:
Metamorphosis_ came out at that point-- this is a good jumping-on point
for newcomers or folks returning to EQ. It covers the basics of the entire
EQ saga, plus previews for the series to be contained in the new monthly
single-issue-format Elfquest. Each thick issue of the new Elfquest carries
a few different continuing storylines.
Quick rundowns of various storylines in the new
single-issue-format Elfquest, with their primary artists & writers (though
the artists & writers can shift a bit from issue to issue):
THE WILD HUNT: Follows chieftess Ember and her tribe in their struggle to
find and destroy various magical monstrosities originally created by
Winnowill. (Joellyn Auklandus, Steve Blevins, Daniel Shelton.)
ROGUE'S CURSE: Follows Rayek in his self-imposed exile, carrying a heavy
spiritual burden. He is the dungeon-keeper, and he is the dungeon. (Bern
Harkins, Delfin Barral, Jerry Braccia.)
FIRE-EYE: A human ruler is plagued by a mysterious elfin "forest spirit"
who protects the human city's children. (Barry Blair)
WAVEDANCERS: A tribe of sea-elves conflict with seafaring humans. (Steve
Blevins, Daniel Shelton.)
FUTUREQUEST: Follows the Elfin shapechanger Jink, and a motley assortment
of Rebels, in the planet's future... including a look at what the
spacefaring denizens of the Palace of the High Ones are up to. (Bern
Harkins, Delfin Barral, Jerry Braccia.)
WORLDPOOL: "What-if" pieces, telling stories that might or might not have
"really" happened. (Various writers & artists.)
DREAMTIME: Most of the elves slept, cocooned, for ten thousand years. This
series will let us into some of their dreams during that span of time.
(Wendy and Richard Pini.)
Quick rundowns of the various simultaneous series before _Elfquest:
Metamorphosis_, all of which came to a conclusion or transition in
1996.
(Helpful for anyone tracing their way through back issues):
HIDDEN YEARS: HY began without one central narrative focus, first
concentrating on one-off stories from the past (the recent past as well as
long ago). There are a few scattered issues that focus on the present
(2,4,8), until issue 9.5 (yes, that's nine-and-a-half), which marks the
beginning of a continuous present storyline. Issue #15 marks the spot
where the Wolfriders split and the "Shards" title spins off; from then on
HY follows Ember's tribe as she learns to be a chieftess, leading her
group to new territory in an effort to stay hidden. After the series ends,
many of the characters move on to THE WILD HUNT.
NEW BLOOD: From issues #1-10, this series ran with the concept of
the "Worldpool": Lots of different artists and writers created short
pieces set in something that bore some resemblance-- small or large,
dramatic or comical-- to the Elfquest universe. These first "what-if"
stories are not considered "canon". However, starting with issue #11, the
series was placed under the purview of Barry Blair, and became a
continuous, official storyline. The continuous storyline first focuses on
Sorrow's End, eventually following the journey of Dart, Suntop, Windkin,
and others to a mysterious place far south of the desert called the
"Forevergreen." After the series ends, some of the characters move on to
FIRE-EYE.
SHARDS: This series "spun off" from Hidden Years right after HY
#15. Shards follows Cutter and his handpicked group of warriors and
magic-users, in their quest to defeat a megalomaniacal human warlord and
the scheming Winnowill. After the series ends, some of the characters move
on to ROGUE'S CURSE.
JINK: This series is one of a pair set in the future of the EQ
universe (approximately 1000 years after Shards). Jink is an elfin
shapechanger, who might or might not be the last elf on Abode. She and the
hapless human Kullyn Kenn are caught up in the mystery surrounding the
relations between human society and a strange alien race called the
Neverending, as well as the mystery of what happened to the Sojourners
(those half-mythical beings some call "elves," who left traces of
themselves on the planet but can no longer be found). After the series
ends, the characters move on to FUTUREQUEST.
THE REBELS: This series is one of a pair set in the future of the
EQ universe (approximately 1000 years after Shards). The Rebels-- Cosmo,
Scorch, and Chandra (humans), Rosie (Preserver/human hybrid clone), and
Shimmer (mysterious mixture of Abodean technology and Neverending
tinkering)-- have swiped a spaceship and are eluding everyone who wants to
catch them for one reason or another. During their adventures, the Rebels
keep running into tantalizing pieces of elfin history and hints of their
presence. After the series ends, the characters move on to FUTUREQUEST.
BLOOD OF TEN CHIEFS: This series began as adaptations of
pre-existing short stories from the BoTC anthologies, but some new stories
were also introduced. BoTC stuff, whether from the anthologies or the
comics, shouldn't necessarily be taken as 100% "canon," since the authors
and artists are allowed some imaginative license. The stories come from
the Wolfriders' past, from as far back as Timmorn to as recently as
Cutter's youth.
06. Where can I buy EQ stuff?
Try to order EQ comics, graphic novels, and other merchandise through your
local comics shop. As it says on the inside of every EQ cover (in the
fine print): "Support your local retailer and insist that they carry
Elfquest books and comics. Nothing grows without nurturing." If you're not
sure which shops in your area carry EQ, one place to look is Warp's comic
shop database <http://www.elfquest.com/ComicShops.html>.
There are other options. First, subscriptions are being offered to all
current titles. Ads are in the back of most EQ comics. If you can't find
an order blank, you can call (512) 329-0699 for more information or to
order by phone.
Also, there is Warp Graphics' own mail-order outlet, the Warp*Store. They
carry a huge variety of stuff: graphic novels, prose books, the Big
Elfquest Gatherum, music, clothes, and comics (shifting list, depending on
availability). To get a catalog of current offerings, call 914-473-9277
extension 7, or write: Warp Graphics Order, 43 Haight Ave., Poughkeepsie
NY 12603. Or, you can look at and purchase Warp*Store merchandise online
at Elfquest.com <http://www.elfquest.com/WarpStore.html>.
If you're looking for items that are obscure and out of print, one place
to go is the Elfquest Trading Post
<http://www.discordia.org/~keeper/eqtrade.html>, a fan-run Web page where
people can post EQ want lists or lists of EQ-related things they'd like to
sell. Please note that the administrator of the Trading Post would like
its users to deal only in things that aren't available from the
Warp*Store.
07. Where can I get submission guidelines for Warp Graphics?
You can get the latest version online at www.elfquest.com. If you don't
have WWW access, you can send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Warp
Graphics, or you can send an email request for guidelines to the
FAQ-Keeper at [d m hartma] at [students.wisc.edu.] The guidelines are also carried
on some of the FTP and WWW sites with the rest of the EQ stuff (see FAQ
question 24).
08. Is the switch to black-and-white temporary?
According to Richard Pini, Elfquest will be in black-and-white "for the
foreseeable future, aside from specials and one-shots". However, depending
on fluctuations in the market,"even the status of B&W versus color could
change".
Richard writes: "The word from the industry is that paper prices will be
going up *again* very soon. We're taking it on the chin, as are all other
companies. The key, bluntly, is sales. If a publisher sells sufficient
copies to cover costs of color, then he/she will have much more incentive
to produce color comics. Elfquest's sales are sufficient for black and
white at this stage of the game. If sales go up - and at least in the
direct market as it is currently defined, that's far from a good bet -
then we have reason to rethink. Until then..."
09. I heard a rumor Warp was bankrupt/going out of business. Is this true?
No. This is false.
Richard Pini writes:
"Warp is not bankrupt. Warp is not going bankrupt. We are going
through a tough time, as is just about every other comics publisher -
particularly smaller ones like us. We are not yelling and screaming as
others may be doing, but going about the business of improving our lot."
------------------------------
CHARACTERS & PLOT POINTS
10. What is Recognition?
Richard Pini writes:
"Recognition is a blind force of elfin nature to create offspring. Period.
Everything else - love, like, understanding - is gravy."
There is an excellent article on Recognition, written by Richard, called
"Recognition: How Loud is YOUR Reptile?" It can be found in both the
Second Elfquest Gatherum and the Big Elfquest Gatherum.
11. Are there any elf-human hybrids in Elfquest?
Absolutely not.
Richard Pini writes, in the letter column of Jink #2:
"Repeat after me, there are no elf-human hybrids, there never have been,
there never will be."
12. Are there any gay elves in Elfquest?
The elves don't categorize and label their sexuality in the same way we
Earth-1 humans do. Many terms and modes of thought common to us are not
applicable to the elfin world view. So, while there are no "gay" elves as
such, neither are there "straight" elves. All elves are potentially
"omnisexual," sharing pleasure with others without any cultural taboos
about gender.
Richard Pini writes:
"The plain fact is that all elves are potentially omnisexual. They practice
complete freedom of choice, and complete freedom from prejudice. It's a
large concept to swallow, even larger to accept. But some here have done
so, as have Wendy and I."
Other references to this topic can be found in The Big Elfquest Gatherum's
character sketches, especially the ones about Skot, Dart, and Zhantee.
(And if you're curious... yes, Cutter and Skywise have had their share of
rolling in the furs together. This has been asked a lot, and is confirmed
by Richard every time.)
13. Did Richard really say that electricity doesn't work in the EQ
universe?
Short answer: No.
Richard Pini writes:
"In the first Elfquest Gatherum (published, remember, in 1981, when we
were only halfway through the original quest), there's an interview
wherein we speculate about the future of the World of Two Moons, and
neither Wendy nor I wanted to take the conversation there. So I, in the
immediacy of the interview situation, said, "This is one of those worlds
where electricity doesn't work..." Which off-the-cuff expression has
spawned all sorts of discussion about how anything could exist in a world
with no electricity. Well, Elfquest is an allegory, a fairy-tale, and I
don't have a lot of patience with literal interpretations of such. I tend
to speak metaphorically myself, so I would have hoped that the sense of my
statement came through, which was "Here's a world that's in a primitive
period, and we're not going to allow electrical devices to be invented,
discovered or imported." Wendy and I were not at all thinking about future
stories and did not want to go past a certain level of
civilization/invention. So electricity doesn't work. I would also have
hoped that, it being generally known that I did donate four years of my
life to a fairly decent science-oriented college, I might have been given
a little slack with the assumption that of course I know electricity
exists, even in a made-up world. I do speak colloquially from time to
time. Literalism is one of the reasons (aside from its fun value) I try to
lead people astray with what I say, but then, no one can be certain just
when I'm doing that... Elfquest is a ride. Enjoy the scenery. Don't try to
count the flowers."
14. Why does Jink have five fingers? And is "jinking" teleportation?
Jink's five-fingered hands are not a mistake. Jink is a shapechanger, and
she has altered herself so that she will fit in among humans.
Whatever else "jinking" may be, it is definitely not teleportation. See
the last page of Jink #2, where Richard writes: "It's true-- she moves
really fast but doesn't teleport."
15. How do you pronounce "Teir"?
According to Steve Blevins, one of the EQ artists, Teir's name is
pronounced "Tee-er".
16. Why does Suntop in New Blood look younger than Ember in Hidden Years?
Yes, Suntop and Ember are twins, and yes, he looks younger than she does.
This is not some sort of goof-up; there are a number of legitimate
reasons. Mix and match your favorites, they're all part of the deal.
Artistic reasons: NB and HY have different artists, and these artists have
different styles. Steve Blevins' Ember is based very closely on Wendy's
version, while Barry Blair's Suntop has a little more stylistic variation.
And Suntop has been visibly maturing from issue to issue-- slowly but
surely. If you want to see how Barry's Suntop will look when he's a little
bit older, check out the portrait on the very last page of New Blood #22.
Temporal reasons: New Blood takes place at least a year earlier than
Hidden Years. So Suntop actually is a little younger.
Character reasons: While Suntop and Ember are twins, they aren't
identical. For one thing, girls often mature much faster than boys (yes,
even on Abode). Also, Ember has much more of the wolfblood than Suntop
does (see FAQ question #17). This has produced different rates of growth.
And finally, their different physiognomies help reflect their different
inner selves: Ember is having to grow up fast and take responsibility,
while Suntop is still a dreamer and a follower. As Richard wrote on the
last page of NB #18: "The differences-- physical, psychological-- provide
us a wonderful opportunity to contrast the two personalities."
*17. How can Suntop be immortal, while Ember is mortal?
In the character profiles in the back of the Big Elfquest Gatherum, it
says that Suntop is immortal, while his twin sister Ember is mortal. This
is not a mistake or an oversight; it's an important facet of the twins'
characters. Leetah mentions it herself in GN #7. When Scouter complains
about Winnowill's forced "purification" of Windkin's blood, Leetah
replies, "When the twins were in my womb, Scouter, it was Ember who called
the wolfblood to her. Suntop called for something else."
Richard Pini writes:
"When Suntop and Ember were in Leetah's womb, somehow (and it's not been
explained nor will it be; it's part of the wonderful mystery of Elfquest)
whatever components of the "wolf blood" (and hey, folks, that's as much a
metaphorical term as a physiological one) that lead to mortality in
Wolfriders got filtered away from Suntop and to Ember. Thus, he is
immortal and she is not. However, that doesn't make him not-Wolfrider,
because 'Wolfrider' is attitude as well as blood."