The Complete Elfquest: Book 3: Captives of Blue Mountain

Elfquest #3

by Wendy Pini, Richard Pini, Delfin Barral (Penciller)

In Book Three of The Complete Elfquest, the Quest takes a turn that no one could have foreseen! From the Forbidden Grove, Cutter and Skywise must now make their way to Blue Mountain -- home of the Gliders and the mysterious and evil Winnowill. Surprise follows surprise as the two elves discover that the mistress of Blue Mountain has already captured the other Wolfriders, and holds them enslaved with a deadly secret!

Can the Wolfriders win free, or are they forever Captives of Blue Mountain?

Collects the original B&W issues #11-15 and the Marvel/Epic full-color reprints #17-24.

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Elves, Comic Book

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Wendy 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.

Reviews

[Michael Jandrok · Rating 5 out of 5]

ob·ses·sion
əbˈseSHən/
noun
the state of being obsessed with someone or something.
"she cared for him with a devotion bordering on obsession"
an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind.
plural noun: obsessions
"he was in the grip of an obsession he was powerless to resist”
Synonyms:
fixation, ruling/consuming passion, passion, mania, idée fixe, compulsion, preoccupation, infatuation, addiction, fetish, craze, hobbyhorse

It’s all beginning to become clear to me now, as I continue to wade through the “Elfquest” graphic novels. The word of the day here is, as you might have guessed already, obsession. By now the series had become quite the obsession for everyone involved. Fans couldn’t wait to get their hands on the next issue of the comic book. The Pinis were juggling the twin pressures of fame and the need to maintain the quality of the series as a whole. They had the whole thing mapped out already, now it was a race to the finish line to get the thing OUT THERE.

The key to the enduring popularity of “Elfquest” lies in its ability to draw on common themes that its audience can relate to. The “X-Men” had become the most popular comic book of its day by casting mutants as the ultimate outsiders, never comfortable in a world they were sworn to defend. This leitmotif touched a nerve in the fan community, many of whom felt as if they were on the fringes of “normal” society. “Elfquest” hit upon a different, though similar, proposition. The Wolfriders were a band of heroes cast out of their home and ever on the search for a new place to fit in. Cutter’s “quest” became the main obsession of the series, a focal point for driving the plot forward. Fanboys and fangirls could relate, many of them born into a society where broken homes were common, and the need to find a place that seemed safe and familiar was starting to become a generational….yes, you guessed it…. obsession.

But there is another obsession that is essential to understanding “Elfquest,” and that requires delving into another classic fantasy series: Michael Moorcock’s “Elric of Melnibone” saga. Moorcock basically reimagined and reinvented the sword & sorcery genre when he introduced Elric to the world in 1961. Not content with creating yet another “Conan” ripoff, Moorcock imbued his broken anti-hero with the stuff of myth and legend. Moorcock crafted Elric as a take on “The Eternal Champion,” a hero for the ages who could live on in various aspects in different adventures. Elric was the Emperor of the Kingdom of Melnibone, a dark and decadent race of amoral beings content to revel in a slow decline of their doomed civilization. They were like a mirror universe version of the classic Tolkien elves, possessed of an eldritch magic and prone to consort with patron demons as a matter of daily discourse.

Wendy Pini was a huge fan of the Albino Prince, so much so that she basically devoted her abbreviated college education to the singular obsession of bringing Elric to life in an animated film. Her quest to fulfill this destiny is recounted in a lovely art book titled “Law and Chaos.” The unfinished work would haunt Pini down through the years, but she was able to take elements of this project to the pages of “Elfquest.”

Volume Three picks up where the cliffhanger in Volume Two leaves off. The Wolfriders have been scattered after their quest for the Blue Mountain and the “Bird Spirit” elves who supposedly dwell there goes violently awry. Strongbow has been captured by the masters of the Blue Mountain, who are holding him accountable for the death of one of their avian mounts. Cutter and his band manage to reunite and enter the strange city, where they encounter a race of elves who closely resemble the legends of the “High Ones.” Indeed, this race of larger, darkly elegant elves claim to BE the “High Ones.” Calling themselves the “Gliders,” this group of elves has magical powers that dwarf those of the Wolfriders, but at the cost of physical abilities. They are no match for the Wolfriders in combat, and an uneasy truce settles upon both groups as they feel each other out.

Naturally, there is high intrigue of all sorts going on behind the scenes. Lord Voll, the hereditary leader of the Gliders must contend with a rival faction within his own household led by the cold and calculating Winnowill. Pulled into the conflict, the Wolfriders must struggle to maintain their focus even as they find themselves both enchanted and repulsed by the dark beauty of the Gliders and their dwellings. It is obvious to Cutter and his tribe that the Gliders are closer in physical and mental makeup to the “High Ones” than the Wolfriders are. The deep secret of the Wolfrider Clan is revealed, and it explains how the bond between the wolves and the Elves was fashioned. Will Cutter and his wounded band of warriors be able to ferret out the secrets that seem to hide behind every wall of the Blue City? Is this where the quest ends, or could there be a way to recover the lost palace of the original “High Ones?” The answers are here, though the book once again ends in a cliffhanger.

Book Three amps up the levels of drama and violence substantially. This is where the series takes on a more serious tone, one that would carry through all the way to the end. And it is VERY obvious that Wendy Pini drew upon her experiences with her aborted Elric project to inspire and inform her vision of the Gliders. There are nods to Moorcock all over the place, some subtle, some bordering on outright pastiche. It is interesting to examine the raw sketches and animation cells in “Law and Chaos” and compare and contrast them with the portrayals of the nebulous denizens of the Blue Mountain. The introduction of the Gliders brings a subtle and sophisticated brand of evil to the “Elfquest” universe, and it is a welcome addition indeed. This is where the series begins to take on epic proportions, the story becoming more complex and nuanced. Pini’s artwork is also more advanced by this time, the sheer repetition of drawing these characters lending them more visual depth and range of emotion. And of course there is that ever-present sense of kinetic energy surrounding the book as a whole. Each panel just screams MOTION.

I am impressed by how these characters have grown and developed as the series has progressed. Cutter has gone from a raw and largely untested young chieftain to a bold and capable leader, complete with the requisite set of self-doubts and guilt that give depth to the mantle of Hero. The rest of his Wolfriders have grown up, too. Leetah is no longer soft and timid; indeed, she finds herself capable of great violence when the need arises. There is a death in the Wolfrider family, but you’ll just have to read the book to see for yourself. I’ve given away too much as it is. “Elfquest” has thus far been a joy to discover. I kind of wish that I had read it on its first run back in the day, but it seems fitting that I am taking it all in now. It’s on to Book Four, where the original run of twenty issues ended. I’m curious to see how this all turns out…….

[Jesús · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Comics Canon Review]

The fantasy adventures of the muscular Kewpie dolls continue in this stellar volume. Wendy Pini's art is in top form in this volume, and the story is easily the best in the series. I hope that ElfQuest someday receives its long-overdue recognition alongside the hyper-masculine '80s-era greats of the medium (Watchmen, The Dark Knight Returns, Akira, and so on), but in the meantime, I'm happy to have returned to this comic after so many years away.

[Thomas Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have this philosophy that when it comes to art, books, movies and rock n roll, you should stay loyal to what you loved when you were young, even if you don't care for it now (this doesn't mean I have to keep listening to Rush) So this isn't me giving Elfquest four stars, that's Tommy circa 1989; loving Elfquest completely. Really, he would have given it five stars, so this is a bit of a compromise. I remember meeting Wendy Pini at a convention around the time this book came out. Richard Pini was nowhere around, and I thought she was a stone fox.
Actually, as I'm writing this, I'm realizing I still like Elfquest, and feel like re-reading it. By that I mean the first four story arcs. Elfquest doesn't exist for me beyond the initial 20 issues.

[Freddie Su · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captives of Blue Mountain is the third installment of Elfquest's Original Quest saga. For my money, its the best after Fire and Flight. It has a highly dramatic premise: the Wolfriders are entrapped by their polar opposites, the Gilders, in the hollowed out titular Blue Mountain. This book was published in the 1980s and I find it has a wonderfully 80s vibe, from the Gilders' ornate decadence to the divaesque villain Willowill to the revelation of the Wolfriders' scandalous origins. Social decay dukes it out with the call of the wild. Guess who win?

The drama is thick and multifaceted. Cutter, Skywise et al. invade the Blue Mountain and free the Wolfriders. Much fighting ensues, both with the Gilders and among the tribe. Ultimately, this story is about the perils of insularity, self-absorption and elitism. The Gilders have decayed into physical and mental sterility. They feel no great passions. They are amused, satisfied, irritated, insulted. More than joyless, they are hopeless. After ten thousand years, their great achievements are conspicuous consumption, ennui and extreme careerism (several of them literally become their jobs).

If the Gilders are the dismal cautionary tale, the Wolfriders are once again the heroic ideal. Whereas Lord Voll preached isolation, the Wolfriders founding mother, Timmain, chose to completely adapt to her environment in order to provide for her people; her son, Timmorn, forged a path of permanent integration. Lord Voll's great endeavour worked for a long while, even possibly for millennia, until the Blue Mountain became a gilded stone prison and the immortal Gilders became ghosts. Any of them could leave at any time, but they feel resentment, even hostility towards the treacherous world which brutalised their ancestors. The Wolfriders exist because their ancestors embraced their world that almost destroyed them, because they chose to become a completely different people - and because they died.

The central theme of Captives of Blue Mountain appears to be that new life can only spring from death. Elders must die to allow for a new generation to take the reins. New ways must displace cherished traditions. Frightening and exhilarating new realities must replace the comfortable certainties of the past. People have to shed their past selves to become the people they need to be. The Wolfriders' high mortality rates,from both genetic and environmental causes, appears to be their special sauce - they are the most fully realized and adaptable of the four elf societies. The relatively rapid succession of generations (represented by the Cutter's ten ancestors) has allowed for relatively rapid cultural evolution while their animal instincts propel them to milk the most of each moment. Compare the eleven Wolfrider chiefs - a very mixed batch, including a lunatic, a good natured incel and a baby snatcher - to the one Lord Voll - a bitter, bloodless mummy.

The other strong element of Captives of Blue Mountain is the character development. The story is rift with foils - Cutter versus Lord Voll, Strongbow versus Willowill, Leetah versus Willowill. Cutter becomes a chief without an asterisk - laying down the law, becoming less reactive and balancing his idealism with the pragmatic needs of his tribe, protecting his dreams while embracing the tragic limitations of existence. Leetah also grows. She stops mothering her young husband and becomes his full partner. By the end of the tale, Leetah is ready to fully assume her role as chieftess and adopted Wolfrider.

Strongbow is given a great showcase in this tale. A hyper-aggressive, truculent character who was actually a fan favourite (he's the strong, silent type who's great at his job) Strongbow's an ultra-conservative who rebels against Cutter's uber-liberal governance - and is proven right. His dream of returning to the woods and restoring their former way of life is as ardent as Cutter's desire to find new worlds. He and Willowill are a great match - they have each other's number from the first torture session. Willowill gives him the ultimate compliment: "His gifts would be worthy of the High Ones, were they not governed by his animal side." Strongbow wouldn't have it any other way. His living proof that a hardship can forge tremendous capacity. His unyielding loyalty to his tribe and himself offer the dramatic appeal of a diamond dagger.

In a story focused on the ephemeral nature of life, the tribal elders are all showcased. Moonshade is given more to do than tan hides (though she does tan hides) and snipe life advice. Her devotion to her irascible husband is touching. Stolid background character One Eye bookends the tale. He, Clearbrook and Treestump all become grandparents as Dewshine and Scooter transform from likable adolescent lovers to committed parents. One Eye is a gruff joy. More conciliatory than Strongbow, but no less conservative, One Eye has his core beliefs overturned just days before he dies - he sees human being kind, reverential and essentially loving towards elves. He is reunited with the love of his centuries long life, sees his very young son become a man and is excited to be returning home. His dead body, wreathed in Clearbrook's simple silver braid (he personally undid her intricate hairdo upon their reunion) is the perfect emblem of a life fully lived.

Ultimately, Captives of Blue Mountain is about the calcifying effects of nostalgia. As tempting as it is, the past should never be used as an escape or a justification for the present. Our personal and collective past is the ground beneath our feet; it has formed us and thus lives within us. We can't escape it and should not waste any energy denying it. There is an element of fantasist denial in Lord Voll's obsession with returning to the crystal castle of his parents, as though breathing its air would dissolve his millennia of failure. Cutter, meanwhile, embraces his fate as a mortal and a leader.
The past must be acknowledged if we to fully understand the circumstances of our present or exploit all the possibilities of the future. Lord Voll is ultimately "a prisoner to his dream, rather than the master of it." Cutter acknowledges the ironical nature of the past: the world which imprisoned his ancestors is the home he loves; he stands upon the solid ground of their lives.

[Jessica Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

ElfQuest is a beautiful exploration of people and culture in a fantasy world that started back in the 1970's and still runs to this day. On this world humans are still very much in their barbaric cavemen days while elves are the fierce hunters but also fun loving children of the forest who just want to be left alone. We meet Cutter and his clan of Wolf Riders just as they're escaping a deadly clash with the humans of their area that results in them burning down the whole forest and its through these elves' eyes that we get to explore this lush world and storytelling.

Back when I was introduced to this world in middle school by my cousin, I was immediately taken with the stunning artwork and the way these characters were portrayed. The Wolf Riders and the other elves in the story are very obviously part of the same race, but show a wide variety in every aspect of their design depending on where in the world they settled (much like actual humans in our world). From the beginning we have a large handful of characters to keep track of, elf, troll and human alike, and yet it never felt like a struggle to keep track of them because of their design and how their names just fit them so well...

Read my review on the full series at Well, Are They? A Queer Review blog
https://wellarethey.blogspot.com/2022...

[Jason Waltz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captives of Blue Mountain is the second ElfQuest graphic novel that I’ve read. This collection contains the original series comic books 11-15 (1981-83). I read the black and white paperback, but there is supposed to be a color hardcover version out there. An interesting read with likeable characters and active dialogue, the story was rather ho-hum until the last third, at which point it accelerated nicely and ended with a great cliffhanger. I was unfamiliar with the ElfQuest world and characters until this past week, but I was able to step right in and enjoy myself. A fantasy world in comic format, the husband/wife team of Wendy and Richard Pini do a terrific job of character creation and development in both art and personalities. I enjoyed the Wolfriders, a breed of elf unto itself. Would I recommend ElfQuest Reader’s Collection #3: Captives of Blue Mountain by Wendy and Richard Pini to my friends? Yes.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should have reviewed this before finishing the fourth book...

This series does a really good job at surprising you with the discoveries the wolfriders make, while still having the result fit into the already established world, but while also leaving plenty of questions. I do wish we had been given more answers in this book, as that would have made up for the slower pace; this book kind of felt like a bunch of waiting. Not to say I didn't still enjoy it, and I never once was bored, but looking back at it, not a lot seemed to happen during this portion of the quest. Though, maybe I just feel this way after all of the action in the fourth book.

Even after the fourth book, I still want to know more about the new characters in this third book.

[Elias Helfer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both worldbuilding and plotting take a turn to the weirder in this book, and it mostly suits it. The portrayal of Blue Mountain highlights the weirdness of the powers and psychology of its inhabitants, and are an interesting contrast to both the Wolfriders and the elves of Sorrow's End (not to mention the humans and trolls). Still, the villainess and her motives are a little too cartoonish for my tastes, and the writing is as over the top as ever. Also, I found myself wishing that Pini would rely more on the ability of her art to convey the action, instead of constantly narrating what is happening in the art.

[Yani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ahhh... Blue Mountain, where things go so very wrong, so very quickly.

And where we meet the woman who will be a pain in everybody's ass for essentially the rest of the series in one form or another.

Winnowill never quite gets to the ranks of like, Disney villain for me, and the outfit is giving Cher in Bob Mackie. But she's possibly a slightly more complex villain here than she will end up being much later.

I go back and forth on the colour in these early books. I know that these were originally drawn as black and white comics, so much of the shading is from that, and for the most part the colour is strong, but it also feels a little dated in spots.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collects issues 11-15.

Continuing off of the previous volume's cliffhanger. Cutter and his family are reunited, but most of the Wolfriders are captives of the tall elves of Blue Mountain. Could they be the fabled High Ones?

I read the black and white edition, and Wendy Pini's black and white art is second to none. There's a lot going on in the story, a lot of characters get page time. The Pini's clearly have all of these characters mapped out.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Elfquest volume that I have no way of judging on its merits right in front of me. It just feels too familiar. The art, the writing, the characters. Winnowill as evil, Two Edge as mysterious chaos agent. "Petalwing much vexed". At some point I'll make it to Elfquest volumes that I know less and I will presumably be a much harsher judge.

[Hanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bind nummer 3 tar for seg hefte 11-15 om alvefolket. Jeg leste denne på dansk, men den ligger ikke inne i Goodreads så tager den engelske versjonen. Vil tro den ligger tett opptil den danske. Her følger vi ulverytterene i deres møte med alvestammen flyvefolket.

[Maarit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply amazing

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yep. Absolutely shouldn’t have read this at 10

[Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

💕💕💕💕💕

[~Annaki~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this series over and over again as a young teen and absolutely LOVED it, I got completely lost in the universe. Re-reading these was such at trip down memory lane <3

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading. Still wonderful

[Árdís · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhh this one might be my favourite… this one and number 4… PERFECTIOOOON!!!

[AJ Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books just keep getting better. When I was a kid, Strongbow was my favorite character and now I see more his flaws in his stubbornness and resonate more with Cutter.

[Lisa Feld · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series takes a dark and interesting turn here, pitting elf against elf as the Wolfriders try to puzzle out the true motives of powerful, ancient elves, Gliders, who claim to be the lost High Ones. For the first time, characters are tortured, even killed. And the artwork steps up a level, with Wendy Pini using a more loose, evocative style to depict memories, dreams, and the warping of minds and bodies.

We also get the dark side of recognition here with Dewshine and Tyldak. The first book used the concept of a soul bond, a common fantasy trope to show two characters are meant to be together forever. But here we go deeper than the usual fantasy series: recognition is really about creating the most viable offspring--it's a biological drive that pays no attention to whether the two elves can even tolerate each other, let alone whether their affections lie elsewhere. It can become a source of pain, not just a romantic ideal.

But this darkness isn't gratuitous; you can see each of the characters trying to face that darkness and come out the other side changed and scarred but still whole. That struggle makes the story all the more compelling.

[Conan Tigard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captives of Blue Mountain takes place directly after the The Forbidden Grove. I found it great to have more elves introduced. But unlike the elves at Sorrow's End, these elves are closer to the High Ones in that they are taller and still have more of their powers. But I didn't like that most of the new elves play background rolls while only three are emphasized as being main characters. And a lot of the characters now look exactly the same. No personality. I didn't like that.

Other than those few things, the story is excellently told and drawn. And having it colorized just adds to the story. I did enjoy the continuance of this story. Some of the questions of the past are answered in this book and new mysteries are presented.

Overall, Captives of Blue Mountain is a fun book to read. I had a wonderful time and few through it in no time. Can't wait to see what happens next.

I rated this book a 9½ out of 10.

[Mayank Agarwal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The adventure continues from where we were left off in Book 2, Cutter & the wolf riders meet the mysterious people staying in Blue Mountains. Lots of discoveries are made, the plot thickens and we get a glimpse of elves history. New characteristics and power are discovered, till now we have only seen the elves as very open people who don’t keep any secrets, now we discover evils & secretive ones among them. This particular book is more dark & sinister then the previous ones, full of intrigues, secrets, blackmails, betrayal & violence. The art is excellent as usual, may have gone up a bit if that is possible.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread Feb 2025.
This is a great volume. Cutter has matured so much as a leader and he has hard decisions to make in this book. Blue Mountain is both creepy and interesting, and Winnowill is a great villain. I also love the Tyldak/Dewshine storyline. The end of this volume is very sad and also a huge cliffhanger.

__________________________________________________
I originally borrowed these from a friend, I think in 8th grade, could be 9th.

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shit talk all you want, friends. The elves are where it's at! There are buxom elf ladies in fancy outfits; half-naked Wolf Riders with amazing hair; freaky elves who live in cavernous mountains. Did you want something else? I didn't think so.

Of the series, this one takes the cake for the appearance of the most amazing elf villain ever, Winowill. Laugh now, cry when Winowill locks you in her mountain and tortures you with her MIND POWER.

[Katie Kaste · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this third installment, Cutter and his tribe are reunited. Strongbow shot a bird for meat, and they were captured by the inhabitants of Blue Mountain, claiming to be the fabled High Ones. But there is an evil presence living in the Mountain. The Wolfriders have to decide to go back to the woods or stay and explore. This is quite an amazing story. The cliffhanger at the end of this volume is insane, I am having fun rereading this series.

[Rhiannon Graye · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are a series of graphic novels that I first read in my tweens and hold a special place in my childhood reading. I have since come back to them and re-read them several times, and for me, they continue to stand to the test of time. This series changed drastically in plot and voice after the eighth volume, and increasingly became more and more of the saccharine sweet fantasy fluff that I can't bear to read. The first eight volumes are literary treasures that I continue to cherish.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another gorgeous Donning book in the "original" four book series. The color is stunningly brilliant and the story has unexpected twists. The characters develop more depth, both our heroes and villains. They were never one-dimensional, but they continue to grow in unexpected ways.

You'll need to have read the first books in the series to fully enjoy this one, but if you like well-told fantasy, I urge you to read it.

[Jewels · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorites in this series. The Wolfriders find still more elves, but these are not as kind as the ones in the desert. Strongbow is my favorite Wolfrider, and he tangles with the deliciously evil Winnowill. It was interesting to see the tribe dynamic when they were trying to decide if 'the way' would include change.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Crap! I remember taking this from my brother when I was a kid. It was far beyond my Archie and Jughead comics. Sure, the elves were cute, but there was sex and violence and wolves and I remember thinking, 'wow! This is awesome.'

Good times, good times.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was re-reading the series this year, and I discovered that I've never actually read this installment before. I love the art throughout the series. And I particularly enjoyed this installment, perhaps because it was new for me!