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Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed coloring, nearly amateuristic
Review: After reading all the reviews I got very excited about this edition and ordered it. Now that I've actually seen the book I must say I'm a bit disappointed about it. Compared to the coloring of the original books I own, this version just seems bland. It looks like someone just started learing some tricks with photoshop and doesn't have the right tools to do this comic justice. The final extra story of the book is a little better than the rest of the books but still I'm almost sorry for buying it.
Having said that the story is still fantastic and if you haven't read Elfquest you should definately do something about it.
I may be a bit harsh on the rating considering that it's only based on the coloring, but it serves as a warning for people who know the original hand painted color version.
As far as I'm concerned that leaves me with a few advices:
-If you are new to Elfquest: Get this book, it's great and you will not regret it.
-If you only know the black & white versions of Elfquest: Get this book, Elfquest deserves to be seen in color
-If you own the original color versions of Elfquest: Be very wary of this book. You will probably not really enjoy the original storyline much in this new edition. Which means you only pay for the extra story only which will be an expensive buy.
-If you can understand Dutch you might even consider getting the hardbound books of Elfquest in Dutch because they do contain the original coloring, have (significantly) larger pages at the same quality as these books.
-If you have any way of obtaining the original color edition of Elfquest I would advise that over this version. Then again, on the discount rate of $35,- this book is fairly good value if (and only if) you have no comparison material for Elfquest.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fabulous New Version of an Old Favorite
Review: I've been an ElfQuest fan for years (since I was six years old, in fact), and so I've already come to expect the best from EQ. But this new DC edition of book one far exceeded even my expectations and completely blew me away! The new coloring is so rich and fantastic that when I finally closed it, I was a bit disappointed to see the rather drab colors or real life again. Wendy Pini's artwork is so stunning on its own that simple black-and-white would be beautiful, and so when you add in the new colors you end up with dazzelingly brilliant art. And quite besides the pictures, the story is a strong, meaningful, and enduring one that I have loved for as long as I can remember, and which I find a new reason to admire every time I re-read it. If you're an old ElfQuest fan hesitating to buy material you may already have in another edition, I strongly urge you to go for it. This new edition is worth every penny. If you're new to ElfQuest, you couldn't ask for a better introduction.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't buy this edition
Review: If you are an Elfquest fan, then I have to say that this is one of the worst values for the money and should be avoided. Elfquest is an old comics standard and this must be the fourth re-colored edition out there. It is also the worst. To describe the work as day-glo would be an understatement and at $50 I can not only say I was utterly disappointed in the quality of the coloring, I did not think the book was value for the money, especially considering the prices one can get on used, earlier editions of the same material. The original Donning colored editions are hand painted and subtle and are classics. This edition has all the earmarks of a beginner at photoshop: it is garish, over-rendered and simply ugly. I am extremely disappointed. I am keeping my Donning editions at hand and do not feel compelled to buy any further EQ editions. After the crashing disappointments of multiple comics reprints in different color editions, then the cheap, tawdry black and white reprints with their muddy execution, I have decided to just retain the first four volumes and not continue with this series which is simply not aging well at all.
Rating:
Summary: To Elfquest fans
Review: If you're one of those readers who grew up with Elfquest and madly collected all the original hardbound color editions (er, like me), you might be asking yourself, "Is it worth it to get the new edition when I've already got the old?"The answer is abso-freakin-lutely yes. The colors in this are just phenomenal. If you thought Leetah was goregous before, you're gonna be blown away now! And if you ever admired Skywise's smooth chest, wait until you see him in full, vibrant, practically living color. Roooooowr. Wendy Pini's smooth, professional coloring puts modern day over-coloring, over-glittering to shame. She has the perfect touch, much like an elf who gently molds a tree into a perfect sculpture.
Rating:
Summary: Great stuff.
Review: This brought a tear to my eye as I looked at the first few pages. I loved it as a kid, and now I have it in hardback forever. I plan on reading this to my kids on days off before they go to bed to them.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic Brought Back To Life
Review: This IS the definitive edition of the Elfquest comics. The color is perfect, and this beautiful hardcover book contains many bonus images and interviews/bios with the creators of the comic. A must have for fans and a great way to introduce someone new to the world of Elfquest. I can't wait for volume 2!
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This is the definitive EQ book 1. You probably want to know why the 2 other editions of this book aren't good enough,and for some of you, they might be.
Two considerations:
1. This book contains a georgeous extra chapter exclusively drawn by Wendy that features Skywise! That and all the rest of it is re-colored by Wendy herself, not Chelsea animation or Donning. This is the way she wants us to see the story. And the colors, while bright, are so crystalline clear and add so much depth to the expressions - even leaf dapple patterns on elven faces in some panels- that the other books seem bland and pale in comparison.
2. The production value on this is astounding. Most DC hardcovers, like the Sandman series, are ok but the qulality of paper used is like that in the original throw-away comics, kind of like colored magazines. This book is printed on super lush quality paper like the kind used in large art books, museum quality. This book, barring misfortune, disaster, cigarette smoke- will last for many years, truly archival quality.
The only tiny criticism I have is that the book should have been in the larger format like the Donning and Warp graphic version, but I guess they chose to make it bookshelf sized. It's normal comic book size. However, the clarity of the art is such that it's really no eye strain, just a minor 'oh well' .
So, hope that wrap it up. Enjoy! :)
Rating:
Summary: Elfquest Deluxe: The Roots Refined
Review: Whether you're a longtime reader of this amazing Pan-Ethnic Fantasy, or a curiosity seeker looking for something
a little different, ELFQUEST ARCHIVES v. 1 is something very special. Those who've followed the Wendy & Richard Pini epic of Sword & Sorcery turned inside out will find this edition of the Quest's beginning quite outstanding.
Gone are the earlier coloring jobs of the Donning Press edition, striking for the time, but felt by many to be a bit garish. For this new edition, marking a fresh partnership between WaRP Graphics and DC Comics, Mdme. Pini has brought her intense aesthetic discipline to bear through the use of computer coloring on her now-famous opening chapters of the saga from the late 1970s.
The result is that the visuals are even more dynamic, her renowned cinematic flair and tonal dexterity given full,
breathtaking rein. From explosive, searing tension to a hearty laugh, or the flicker of subtle desires finally shared,
the very chormatic texture of each panel shifts and blends as the mood of her text, and each character, requires. Thus, the great tale of Cutter and Leetah, their chaotic meeting, and the enusing looks into race,
community, tolerance, and romantic impulse become even more compelling than ever before.
Anyone reading this book of personal trial and prevailing truths is experiencing a proven masterwork by one of
the greatest teams to grace the Sequential Arts. Heartily alternative, straight-on to the bone, the Pinis aptly reflect American Culture and, in their saga's enacted questions, delve to the heart of human nature itself. Cultural exchange, a viable topic especially in these times, has rarely been afforded such an attractively dramatic stage.
DC is currently publishing and marketing the complete ELQUEST saga, so anticipate all past books of the Quest to receive the same royal treatment as full-color, hardcover Archive editions. (each featuring an all-new chapter, as this one does). Newcomers also have the choice of inexpensive B&W paperbacks nicely collecting this long-running adventure.
Want more? Read THE SEARCHER AND THE SWORD fresh from DC, the newest chapter in the Quest. Its looks into individual drive, societal need, and ultimate responsibility offer solid evidence that Wendy and Richard Pini still have the narrative groove.
Storytelling spoken here. Come on in.
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