Poison Elves

We've blogged a lot about Cerebus and Elfquest, two series that did much to kickstart indie comics in the late 1970s. One an SF epic with pretty leads and high drama, the other a black-humored and misanthropic sprawl, they couldn't be more different. And yet Drew Hayes blended elements of the two perfectly to create I, Lusiphur/Poison Elves, a spirited classic in its own right that never quite got the attention it deserved.

His life cut short, dying in 2007 at only 37 years of age, Hayes left his saga of lovable gangster Lusiphur Malache unfinished.

The art was a black-and-white gothic scratchboard, and Poison Elves' mix of choppy dream sequences, drug issues, serial killers, strippers and supernatural weirdness looks rough and adolescent at first blush. But here was an energy and humor that was only just getting started: Hayes self-published his way to success (just like the Pinis and Dave Sim before him) in the early 1990s and should have had all the time in the world to refine his work and provide more comfortable attire for his characters.

Alas, it was not to be.

Hayes also worked on Overstreet price guide, Strange Attractors, Necromancer, Elfquest and others. Collections are available at Amazon, and his publisher also produced a collection of Hayes' columns and personal notes, Deathreats: The Life and Times of a Comic Book Rock Star in 2009. Harder to find is original artwork by Hayes; sketches seem to go for hundreds of dollars, and a a few are in circulation on eBay. Also: toys.

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• [BT Murtagh]

  Dave Sim never did send me my comic though. Mendacious scum!

• [Purrnuu]

  Poison Elves was, and still is one of my all time favorite comics. While the art was interesting, it was far from the brilliant level of writing and epic oddness that Drew brought to his creations. The adventures of Luciphur, Parintachin and Jace were pure magnificence, not to mention the ever so memorable Purple Marauder! “NYAR”

  I am still saddened that the series never got the ending it deserved.

• [cindileper]

  A quality comic book indeed. Sexier and elfier than Cerebus if I remember right, but just as saucy.

• [CH]

  Poison Elves is one of my favorite comics. I picked up an album, a long time ago, just because of the art (I hadn’t heard previously about it) and was instantly hooked. The story was dark and amazing, and there was just “something” that felt very open and raw about Lusiphur. As an adoptive parent and as one who had lost my father when I was very young, I saw a theme of abandonment and attachment issues. I don’t know how Hayes came up on those themes, but it left me wondering if there was an autobiographical part in there.

• [FRANKIE]

  I just dug through a bunch of my old comics a couple of weeks ago. I hadn’t looked through them in years, and was surprised to find a pile of Poison Elves in there. I loved this series back around the mid-nineties. I need to look into those trades.

• [Anonymous]

  I’m glad to see this has found its way here.

• [kromekoran]

  wow, I had no idea Hayes had passed. I bought Poison Elves #1 when he relaunched with Sirius because of the Linsner cover, but I kept buying it for a long time because I liked the story and attitude.

• [Anonymous]

  my boyfriend got me into Poison Elves in high school. i had a nice big stack and they were funny and naughty. i grew out of them, but i guessed drew hayes would just be doing the comic forever. thanks for the remind. sad he had to go at such a young age.

• [Anonymous]

  Tommy Wiseau?

• [cymk]

  I used to buy the poison elves religiously when I was still collecting comics. Its sad to hear Hayes died. Loved the art and story.

• [evilpyrate]

  This was a favorite of mine in high school. A friend introduced me to it when Hayes was still completely self-publishing.

  It’s a shame to find out that he passed.

• [Ted E Wookie]

  The art above is by Jason Alexander, not Drew. I love me some Poison Elves but honestly, the guest artist ones were the best. Deeply weird story written by Drew but drawn by someone else.

• [Crashproof]

  Loved Poison Elves.

• [Avram / Moderator]

  I remember seeing this on the stands, but I don’t think I ever bought a copy.

  Self-publishing in 1991 doesn’t seem like as big a deal as doing it in the 1970s, like Sim and the Pinis did. There was a glorious period in the 1980s when it seemed like everyone was self-publishing a black-and-white comic — it was like a precursor of the modern webcomics scene.