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Elfquest: The Discovery
The Wolfrider chief's son Sunstream finds romance with a lovely sea elf named Brill and all of the Wolfriders are excited about meeing the WaveDancers, but the WaveDancer's chief's fear for his people may put an end to both love and a long-awaited reunion.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
Wendy Pini
617 books399 followersWendy Pini is one-half of a husband and wife team with Richard Pini that created, most notably, the Elfquest series.
Wendy was born in California and adopted into the Fletcher Family in Santa Clara County. Early on, she developed as an artist and was the illustrator of her high school year book. She submitted samples of her artwork to Marvel Comics at 17 that were rejected.
Pini attended Pitzer College and received her B.A. in the Arts and joined the Los Angeles Science Fiction Society.
In 1972, she married Richard Pini and began illustrating science fiction magazines, including Galaxy, Galileo, and Worlds of If. In 1977, Richard and Wendy established a publishing company called Warp Graphics to publish their first Elfquest comic. Elfquest was self-published for 25 years and in 2003, licensed to DC Comics. The comic series has won several awards, including the Ed Aprill Award for Best Independent Comic, two Alley Awards, the Fantasy Festival Comic Book Awards for Best Alternative Comic, and the Golden Pen Award.
Wendy has illustrated other works, including Jonny Quest in 1986, Law and Chaos in 1987, and in 1989, two graphic novels of Beauty and the Beast. Recently in 2007, she completed a graphic novel entitled The Masque of Red Death.
Wendy has received several awards over the last four decades, including the San Diego Comic Convention Inkpot Award, the New York State Jaycees Distinguished Service Award, the Balrog Award for Best Artist, and was inducted into the Friends of Lulu Women Cartoonists Hall of Fame in 2002.
Wendy and her husband currently reside in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Wendy was born in California and adopted into the Fletcher Family in Santa Clara County. Early on, she developed as an artist and was the illustrator of her high school year book. She submitted samples of her artwork to Marvel Comics at 17 that were rejected.
Pini attended Pitzer College and received her B.A. in the Arts and joined the Los Angeles Science Fiction Society.
In 1972, she married Richard Pini and began illustrating science fiction magazines, including Galaxy, Galileo, and Worlds of If. In 1977, Richard and Wendy established a publishing company called Warp Graphics to publish their first Elfquest comic. Elfquest was self-published for 25 years and in 2003, licensed to DC Comics. The comic series has won several awards, including the Ed Aprill Award for Best Independent Comic, two Alley Awards, the Fantasy Festival Comic Book Awards for Best Alternative Comic, and the Golden Pen Award.
Wendy has illustrated other works, including Jonny Quest in 1986, Law and Chaos in 1987, and in 1989, two graphic novels of Beauty and the Beast. Recently in 2007, she completed a graphic novel entitled The Masque of Red Death.
Wendy has received several awards over the last four decades, including the San Diego Comic Convention Inkpot Award, the New York State Jaycees Distinguished Service Award, the Balrog Award for Best Artist, and was inducted into the Friends of Lulu Women Cartoonists Hall of Fame in 2002.
Wendy and her husband currently reside in Poughkeepsie, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 24, 2009
I took another look at this one today, and decided to get rid of it. Not kidding, the most disappointing Elfquest graphic novel yet. The writing's just not up to the standards they set in all their other books, and the artwork...bleh. You can pick out all the places where she drew a certain character, and then went in and pasted it down in a different background later on, scaled down or blown up as needed. It's REALLY obvious, and jarring. Ditto drawing a cover illustration, and then using it as a panel in the comic later. I never knew before know how cheap that ends up looking, because I've never seen anyone try to get away with it before. The entire thing feels "cranked out," like they were pressed for time and wanted to put something out there quick.
I've always complained about the Pini's turning Elfquest over to other, not quite as talented sometimes, artists and writers, but if THIS book is a sign of what's to come, I'd rather someone who actually cared a teeny bit more to take over. It's pretty awful.
I've always complained about the Pini's turning Elfquest over to other, not quite as talented sometimes, artists and writers, but if THIS book is a sign of what's to come, I'd rather someone who actually cared a teeny bit more to take over. It's pretty awful.
June 30, 2014
It's been years since I last read this book, and while I thought I remembered most of it, it was a pleasant surprise to rediscover its messages.
I especially appreciated the ''drinking the same wine from two cups''-love representation, considering I recently went through something similar myself. You don't have to live together to love each other, after all.
Interesting and intense story on many levels, and art is gorgeous as always from the Pinis.
Reg the LGBTQ-shelving: While there's no clear LGBTQ-couple in this book, if you know what recognition means and have read the rest of the series, it is just part of it. That's a thing I very much respect about this series and its authors: They don't make a big deal out of the different kinds of love. Sure, maybe representation in the LGBTQ-corner could have been a little clearer, but it is there if you look for it.
I especially appreciated the ''drinking the same wine from two cups''-love representation, considering I recently went through something similar myself. You don't have to live together to love each other, after all.
Interesting and intense story on many levels, and art is gorgeous as always from the Pinis.
Reg the LGBTQ-shelving: While there's no clear LGBTQ-couple in this book, if you know what recognition means and have read the rest of the series, it is just part of it. That's a thing I very much respect about this series and its authors: They don't make a big deal out of the different kinds of love. Sure, maybe representation in the LGBTQ-corner could have been a little clearer, but it is there if you look for it.
January 1, 2026
Much bigger picture than its predecessor, this felt like a worthy successor to the Original Quest, since the Wolf Riders are once more seeking new elves, and it turns out to be the Wave Dancers (courtesy of Suntop [Sunstream!?] going out once more, just like he did when he found the Gliders so many years ago).
It's good to see them finally pulled fully into canon since their original story was decanonized, then their second one was caught up in the ElfQuest II implosion.
As for the story itself: it's OK. Perhaps that's the deficit of returning to the plot of the original quest, as we know there's going to be a new tribe and some conflicts, and eventually they'll be united. But somehow this story just doesn't have the impact of when the Wolf Riders originally met the Sun Folk or the Gliders or the Go Backs. Still, worth reading!
It's good to see them finally pulled fully into canon since their original story was decanonized, then their second one was caught up in the ElfQuest II implosion.
As for the story itself: it's OK. Perhaps that's the deficit of returning to the plot of the original quest, as we know there's going to be a new tribe and some conflicts, and eventually they'll be united. But somehow this story just doesn't have the impact of when the Wolf Riders originally met the Sun Folk or the Gliders or the Go Backs. Still, worth reading!
March 2, 2026
Sunstream (previously called Suntop) finds a lifemate with Brill, a Wavedancer elf.
This was a gorgeous little four issue miniseries written and drawn by Wendy Pini. There wasn't a whole lot to the story and I'd like to see more of this couple. I enjoyed seeing the Wolfriders meet and join with the group of aquatic elves.
This was a gorgeous little four issue miniseries written and drawn by Wendy Pini. There wasn't a whole lot to the story and I'd like to see more of this couple. I enjoyed seeing the Wolfriders meet and join with the group of aquatic elves.
February 17, 2017
You know what? I think I remember now why I was mostly done with the Elfquest series. Yes, I have invested a large chunk of my life and oh so many dollars in following the series, but there comes a point where even great series just jump the damn shark.
The majority of this book concerns the replacement sea-elves (I dislike calling them Wavedancers, because to me that really refers to the original Wavedancers, who have been stricken from the canon after the legal wrangling between the Pinis and the people who came up with those original set of characters), who I've never been all that fond of. There are just too many of them and none of them are especially memorable or interesting, and they were usually just the story you had to wade through during the "omnibus/split story" comic books.
As such, I have no real interest in the water elves, plus their chief is kind of a dick.
The story does suffer a little from the same problem as the previous one... I feel like this is something that should have been the same length as, say, The Cry From Beyond or Kings of the Broken Wheel. It needs time to breathe. Both above and below the water. It does also feel like a lot of this ground has been travelled before... it feels very Blue Moutain-y to be honest. Yes, some details are different, but it's still similar ground.
And the fact that we're introducing even more characters into a world already stuffed to the gills (no pun intended) with characters. So old favourites don't get any story time at all, while plot service is played to Shuna and her storyline, as well as the introduction of the sea elves.
The art is more of a return to prime Wendy, with only a couple of small overuses of the star brush which marred the previous book. There are also a few instances where she's clearly worked on the image at quite a large size, almost as though it was going to be a full page, or half a page, but then it's been reduced down to less than a quarter of a page. So on the same page you can go from various quality or style (black linework vs coloured linework) of individual panels which just throws me out of the moment.
That's not to say that there's not incredibly lovely art... almost all of chapter four is absolutely stunning, especially everything with Cutter and Surge. And Reef, I'm a little bit in love with Reef in the couple of panels he appears.
But then you get Sunstream transformed into a damn tropical fish for less than four pages, which is ridiculous, both in his design (what? why?) and the time frame (he should have just stayed with the sea elves) which reinforces that the story doesn't have room to breathe.
The majority of this book concerns the replacement sea-elves (I dislike calling them Wavedancers, because to me that really refers to the original Wavedancers, who have been stricken from the canon after the legal wrangling between the Pinis and the people who came up with those original set of characters), who I've never been all that fond of. There are just too many of them and none of them are especially memorable or interesting, and they were usually just the story you had to wade through during the "omnibus/split story" comic books.
As such, I have no real interest in the water elves, plus their chief is kind of a dick.
The story does suffer a little from the same problem as the previous one... I feel like this is something that should have been the same length as, say, The Cry From Beyond or Kings of the Broken Wheel. It needs time to breathe. Both above and below the water. It does also feel like a lot of this ground has been travelled before... it feels very Blue Moutain-y to be honest. Yes, some details are different, but it's still similar ground.
And the fact that we're introducing even more characters into a world already stuffed to the gills (no pun intended) with characters. So old favourites don't get any story time at all, while plot service is played to Shuna and her storyline, as well as the introduction of the sea elves.
The art is more of a return to prime Wendy, with only a couple of small overuses of the star brush which marred the previous book. There are also a few instances where she's clearly worked on the image at quite a large size, almost as though it was going to be a full page, or half a page, but then it's been reduced down to less than a quarter of a page. So on the same page you can go from various quality or style (black linework vs coloured linework) of individual panels which just throws me out of the moment.
That's not to say that there's not incredibly lovely art... almost all of chapter four is absolutely stunning, especially everything with Cutter and Surge. And Reef, I'm a little bit in love with Reef in the couple of panels he appears.
But then you get Sunstream transformed into a damn tropical fish for less than four pages, which is ridiculous, both in his design (what? why?) and the time frame (he should have just stayed with the sea elves) which reinforces that the story doesn't have room to breathe.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2008
Very interesting that the Pinis made a new ElfQuest story! I really, really enjoyed it!!
____________
Second review: Aug. 4, 2025.
Reread this as part of my Great ElfQuest Read of 2025.
I don't remember if I managed to read all the Wavedancers chapters from the anthology series when I originally read this book, but this time I'd read all of those AND the four unpublished issues available on ElfQuest.com, so I felt like I really knew all the characters.
The artwork in this is just stellar. So, so beautiful. And the story is excellent as well - love seeing Cutter and Leetah and all our familiar faces, but it was also wonderful to see all the Wavedancers in Pini style AND IN COLOR. And Reef! They fixed Reef! Hooray!
The only thing I don't really care for is Sunstream's transformation (it's temporary so it's not like it's a big deal). The one panel where he is looking over his shoulder when we first see him is just.... goofy.
I love Shuna's wrap-up here. Just very satisfied all around with this story (and artwork).
____________
Second review: Aug. 4, 2025.
Reread this as part of my Great ElfQuest Read of 2025.
I don't remember if I managed to read all the Wavedancers chapters from the anthology series when I originally read this book, but this time I'd read all of those AND the four unpublished issues available on ElfQuest.com, so I felt like I really knew all the characters.
The artwork in this is just stellar. So, so beautiful. And the story is excellent as well - love seeing Cutter and Leetah and all our familiar faces, but it was also wonderful to see all the Wavedancers in Pini style AND IN COLOR. And Reef! They fixed Reef! Hooray!
The only thing I don't really care for is Sunstream's transformation (it's temporary so it's not like it's a big deal). The one panel where he is looking over his shoulder when we first see him is just.... goofy.
I love Shuna's wrap-up here. Just very satisfied all around with this story (and artwork).
February 19, 2012
ElfQuest anno 2006 is certainly not to be shunned. Having recently caught up with the Pinis' 2004 outing
The Searcher and the Sword
, I decided to move on to this volume (originally a four-issue mini series).
If Shuna's (and Treestump's) tale was somewhat more intimate in scale, The Discovery brings back a more expansive view of the ElfQuest universe, as Sunbeam (formerly Suntop) recognises a Wavedancer and a meeting of tribes is once again set in motion.
All in all, an enjoyable read, and Wendy Pini is really in good form, visually speaking. I am so looking forward to the upcoming Final Quest that the Pinis have announced online.
If Shuna's (and Treestump's) tale was somewhat more intimate in scale, The Discovery brings back a more expansive view of the ElfQuest universe, as Sunbeam (formerly Suntop) recognises a Wavedancer and a meeting of tribes is once again set in motion.
All in all, an enjoyable read, and Wendy Pini is really in good form, visually speaking. I am so looking forward to the upcoming Final Quest that the Pinis have announced online.
October 15, 2016
I've had this mini-series sitting in my "to be read" pile since 2006. I was a big fan of the original Elfquest series, long ago, and read a lot of the stuff that came after that. But I dropped out of the Elfquest world at some point, when the Pinis were letting other people handle too much of the story and art, and the original vision was (IMHO) getting diluted too much.
This story is entirely by Wendy & Richard, and it's a classic Elfquest story, with great Wendy Pini artwork. I liked it a lot, though I did roll my eyes a bit at some stuff. I guess I'm getting too old and jaded to really enjoy a story like this without snickering at it a bit. But if you're not as bitter and cantankerous as I am, you might really enjoy this.
This story is entirely by Wendy & Richard, and it's a classic Elfquest story, with great Wendy Pini artwork. I liked it a lot, though I did roll my eyes a bit at some stuff. I guess I'm getting too old and jaded to really enjoy a story like this without snickering at it a bit. But if you're not as bitter and cantankerous as I am, you might really enjoy this.
December 21, 2011
It's amazing how this comic series never fails to grab hold of me and drag me into it and I lose all track of there being some other world until the story is told and I can come up for air. This was no different. Gods, the artwork is phenomenal as always and the story tight. It seems I've missed some stuff between the last stuff I read and this so I need to go hunt it down because Suntop and Ember are now all grown and there are new cubs and OMG, Strongbow speaks! When the heck did that happen?!
In all, a lovely installment to this most incredible of all comics. Now to go see about tracking down some back stuff...
In all, a lovely installment to this most incredible of all comics. Now to go see about tracking down some back stuff...
January 5, 2015
So nostalgic to return to these lovely elves!
Absolutely wonderful to get reunited, if but short, with Cutter and Skywise.. and so weird to see Suntop all grown up. (and there's even "leftovers" from Winnowill!)
The only poor thing about the comic, is the art.. it's so incredible that when Wendy started out, the drawings were super detailed and above all very, very beautiful..
In this comic they are crude, and seem to have been done in a hurry - and the colouring is also quite poor..
..regardless of the art-quality, it's always a pleasure to read elfquest and to continue reading about the ever expanding universe!
Absolutely wonderful to get reunited, if but short, with Cutter and Skywise.. and so weird to see Suntop all grown up. (and there's even "leftovers" from Winnowill!)
The only poor thing about the comic, is the art.. it's so incredible that when Wendy started out, the drawings were super detailed and above all very, very beautiful..
In this comic they are crude, and seem to have been done in a hurry - and the colouring is also quite poor..
..regardless of the art-quality, it's always a pleasure to read elfquest and to continue reading about the ever expanding universe!
February 7, 2008
As usual, the artwork was crazy beautiful, and it was interesting to see how Wendy is using Photoshop to enhance her already gorgeous work...but this wasn't one of my favorite EQ stories. I guess I've never really been that interested in the Wavedancers...but I had to read it to see how the story affected the Wolfriders. I hope, even though the series is sort of on hiatus, that the Pinis will continue to develop the character of Sunstream, who doesn't seem as three dimensional as his sister, Ember.
December 27, 2012
All I can say is I really liked it. The art was different but still beautiful and the original plot still continues. I was glad that there was a actual full on meeting of the two tribes (wolfriders and weavedancers) and that the Pini's are incorporating their tales together now. I eagerly await a fallow up and look forward to what the world of two moons holds in the future.
Read
October 2, 2012Very fun interlude between Sunwise and the WaveDancer that he is recognized with.
May 5, 2015
Yup. Another re-read
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews