jeffj@sfmin.UUCP (J.S.Jonas) (02/01/86)
[nasty bigthing messes up hangey-downs!]
I admit it. I fell in love with Elfquest a few years ago when I
saw Wendy Pini's portfolio at a creation con, and immediately bought
Epic #1 (with the 'Homespun' story, dealing with the preservers way before
the published EQ [Elfquest] story came to that point).
At cons, Wendy didn't do much talking and I don't see her
do anything for the fan mag except an occasional drawing.
As I perceive it, Richard does all the talking.
As to what Wendy has done for the past year, I can't tell.
The Marvel EQ has very little additional art, so that can't be
all time-consuming. The fan club hasn't been a source of information,
much to my disappointment. I had hoped that they would be nice to
their faithful fans (who not only support them emotionally but
financially by buying their products) by giving us some
'inside' information, or at least more detailed than from other
sources. No such luck. WaRP graphics is no longer
a family affair, which is what I found so enjoyable.
I am quite disillusioned. How can someone so imaginative as to create
Cutter and the whole elf-culture (which still gives me that warm
fuzzy feeling) NOT communicate with those who empathize with her?
I sent Richard and Wendy a long and thoughtful letter a long time ago.
I didn't even get an acknowledgement. This really turned me off,
especially with all their 'we love meeting our fans' talk
in the early EQ magazines.
Now, for the news section, I turn to pages 2 & 3 of
_Lodestone #18_ (The fan club publication), written by
Stamplicker (I think that's Richard)
oh, (c) WaRP Graphics.
***** start quotation
...As things stand right now, (12:24 pm, Monday November 25 --
Happy Thanksgiving and all the holidays to follow!) we have a development
deal with CBS Television to turn EQ into a Saturday morning series
for Fall 1986. Now, I know I said last time "not necessarily
Saturday morning" but events have progressed in that direction, and
we're _not_ displeased. Even if you think that Saturday morning is
an animation ghetto we feel that, with the support of some new blood
in the Children's Programming department at CBS, we can start
making a change.
Let me stress right here that having a development deal does not
automatically mean that the show is on. What it does mean is that
we develop the concept of the and and do artwork and stories to
support that concept. Then the network decides if it will take the show
and pay for the production of 13 episodes. As things stand, the stories will
take place at some undetermined time after the Quest ends in EQ #20,
and will use many of the characters you've come to know, but not
in such a way as to interfere with the new EQ chapters that we
want to do for upcoming graphic novels.
About the only piece left to put into place in this animation
project (since we now have a network, a supervising studio,
a negotiating representative, and a licensing company) is the actual
animation studio that will do the bulk of the work.
We know that we -- particularly Wendy -- will be doing the scripts and
storyboards here in New York, but the work of the animation requires
a lot of people. We expect that the work will be done somewhere
in the Far East, probably in Japan. One studio that has gotten high marks
from us is T.M.S. (Tokyo Movie Shinsha -- they did "Mighty Orbots" last
season), although there are other studios that are also interested.
We'll know by the first of the year which way that goes.
[This is appropriate since Wendy's art has an oriental touch, and
she has previously done oriental art J.S.]
What else? _Blood_of_the_Innocent_ is all out and shipped by now --
let me know what you think of our first foray into color. The _WaRP_Annual_
is at the color seperator as I write -- we'll also be very interested in
your reactions to Debbie Hayes' and Paul Abrams' art on the
_Elfquest_ story. Debbie is an animator for the Disney studios, and Paul
is an inker who's worked for a number of the comic publishers. Volume 1
of the _Elfquest_Gatherum_ will be out in February, followed a few
months later by Volume 2, which will complete the EQ saga. There will be
one final set of miniature figures from Ray Partha in the next few weeks;
it'll contain One-Eye, Clearbrook, Rayek and Leetah (in snow outfits),
Ekuar, Guttlekraw, Timmain, a wolfrider in Armor, a Go-Back in armor,
and a troll guard.
***** end of quotation
I wonder if he's *REALLY* interested, and why. Are they considering
Debbie Hayes to take over the art for the comic book, or even the
upcoming animation since she's got the background? You can write to
them at: WaRP Graphics 5 Reno Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
For the latest WaRP news and info, call the WaRP HOTLINE
(914) 462-0599 nights and weekends only. This week, it's a
commercial for Unicorn Isle.
On Compuserve, look at the "Notices" section under the keyword "WARPNEWS".
Jeff 'bit-twiddler' Skot
{ihnp4 | mcnc | allegra} attunix ! jeffj