Wendy and Richard Pini, co-creators of American fantasy classic Elfquest, donated $500,000 to Columbia University to endow its library's growing collection of comics, graphic novels and related prose works.
The money will go for acquisitions and stewardship for circulating and archival collections," said Karen Green, the curator for comics and cartoons within Columbia's Rare Book & Manuscript Library. "Stewardship is a really all-embracing and umbrella term, covering digitization, preservation, anything to make sure things are accessible safely. There was a big 'et cetera' to the grant."
It's an outgrowth of the Pinis donation more than a decade ago of ElfQuest materials. Wendy Pini said in an interview that she's been drawing since she was 2, but grew up "in a family that didn't value my work.
A striking quote from Wendy Pini: "It might be hard to understand – but perhaps not – that my fingers hold the memory of creating fifty years' worth of artwork as though it all happened yesterday," said Wendy Pini. "To know that the art of ElfQuest is – and will be – preserved, looking as fresh and vibrant as the day the paint was barely dry, fills my heart with peace and a kind of quiet joy. My children are safe."
And wouldn't you know it, Dark Horse just released fantastic new color hardcover collections of Elfquest that you should go and buy immediately.
Chief Cutter and the Wolfriders are driven from their forest home by fearful humans bent on their destruction. As they wander the ever-changing landscape of their harsh primeval world, the elves discover hidden danger, odd creatures…and to their surprise, other elfin tribes. Follow the Wolfriders as they forge new alliances, take on hidden enemies, and discover truths about themselves and their origins they never imagined.
ElfQuest Creators Donate $500,000 To Columbia University Comics Archive [Forbes]
Previously:
• New full-color hardcover Elfquest collection coming from Dark Horse Comics
• Classic Elfquest pen-and-paper RPG gets deluxe box-set edition
• ElfQuest and the secret history
• Elfquest animated series in the works
