Elfquest is my favorite fantasy series (previously, previously, previously at BB) and there's a kickstarter ending today for a lavish "audio movie" — like a radio play, but not on the radio — with an absolutely stellar cast. Starring are Cree Summer (A Different World), Tim Russ and Robert Picardo of Star Trek: Voyager fame, singer/songwriter Divinity Roxx, Amber Benson (Supernatural), actress and trans rights activist Nicole Maines, and Alejandro Saab (My Hero Academia) and Osric Chau (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency) as elf adventurers Cutter and Skywise.
Elfquest was pioneering in 1978, both as a groundbreaking fantasy tale and an indie publishing phenomenon, and still draws a big audience thanks to its mix of high fantasy, low SF and rich drama. And other things besides:
The story was embraced by a vast community of readers for its visionary stance on interracial love, pan-sexuality, and reckoning with societal violence. Originally self-published by the Pinis, the comic's success led to licensed publication first by Marvel Comics, then by DC Comics, and currently by Dark Horse Comics. Co-created by Eisner Hall of Fame inductees Wendy and Richard Pini, with art and writing by Wendy Pini, ElfQuest stood in stark contrast to fantasy comics of its time, which were dominated by brooding barbarians, Tolkien-derived stylings, and standard elvish tropes.
Pledges begin at a dollar; $10 gets early access to the radioplay upon completion.