ElfQuest: The Original Quest: Book 3--Wolf Blood Caged

by Wendy Pini, Richard Pini

In full color for the first time, Dark Horse presents the original ElfQuest by Eisner Award Hall of Famers Wendy and Richard Pini.

In the third book of the original ElfQuest saga, the Wolfriders encounter the Gliders of Blue Mountain!

“Blue Mountain, lair of the Bird Spirits.”

With these words Cutter and Skywise imagine their quest to find other elfin allies may be close to completion. The companions have no idea their hopes will be upended. For imperious Lord Voll rules Blue Mountain and the hawk-riding elves who dwell within, and he wishes no intrusion upon his Gliders’ isolated way of life. Yet even Voll’s resistance pales before the hostility of the true power in Blue Mountain—treacherous, seductive Winnowill. Shape-shifter, pain-giver, she will stop at nothing to prevent the Wolfriders from threatening her invisible hold on the Gliders.

Genres: Fantasy, Comics

192 pages, Hardcover

Published August 19, 2025

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

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

This still remains one of the best graphic novel compilations out there - and despite having been started in the 1970s, has not dated one bit since then. The story is as wonderful as ever and it is great to see a full color version in print again.

Story: Cutter had found another tribe of elves in his desperate flight from the forest. But now, having discovered a third 'tribe' very different from the Sun Folk, has he run into a situation beyond his control and endangered his friends in the process? This new group of Elves still retain the looks and magic of Cutter's ancestors but behave strangely. Has he indeed found the High Ones of legend or has he found a snake hiding in plain sight?

The Pinis had really hit their stride by this third volume, introducing one of cutter's greatest antagonists as well as a lot of history and lore of the Elves. But there are also excellent emotive and action scenes in the beautiful panel work that make this a must-have in the collection. The art continues to be stunning.

The colors are a bit muted but I appreciated the border coloring instead of just white page backgrounds at the edges. And while I did not notice any new scenes (perhaps other will find some), it is still always a treat to be able to go back and read the story again.

This really is a classic and each volume makes a wonderful gift. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

The great part of this volume is that it opens up yet another elf society, the gliders, and explores some of the great magics that these elves have. It also introduces the greatest villain of the ElfQuest series: Winnowil.

The downside is that it's much slower than the previous volumes. Four+ issues take place in Blue Mountain over a relatively small amount of time. It drags at times and doesn't feel like it has the scope of the earlier issues.

But the last issue (#15) makes up for it all. The Pinis apparently realized that they needed to keep their story back into high gear, and it's absolutely amazing and heartwrenching in several ways.

(It surely brings the volume back up to 4.5 stars.)

[Ángel Javier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente. Este cómic es una maravilla: imaginativo, hermoso, lleno de amor y cariño por los personajes y de respeto por los lectores. Los Pini dan lo mejor de sí mismos en cada página, y la historia nos acongoja, sufrimos realmente por los personajes, y nos alivia cuando logran sobrevivir a las más terribles pruebas. Esta parte de la saga es más oscura, cierto, pero los lápices de Wendy nunca han sido más hermosos. Las cuevas de los elfos aéreos son un prodigio de diseño, y las propias criaturas están fantásticamente plasmadas. Ni una sola pega se le puede poner a esta historieta ejemplar que combina humor, tragedia, romance y aventura de manera inmejorable.

Una obra intemporal capaz de llegar al corazón de cualquier lector.

[Jacob Clifton · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book in the world, ages 7-16. Leetah is the star of the show here, and perfectly matched to Winnowill's spooky charisma. The Wolfriders learn to roll with the punches in a way that speaks so highly of them — and of their young Chief.

[Wenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoying deep nostalgia with this series, it holds up well :)

[Siri Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review with Book 4.