JANUARY: The Birth of Skywise
Let's get the ball rolling with a real tear-jerker. This is, IMO, one of the most moving scenes in all ElfQuest. Eyes High, despairing over her lifemate's death, dying herself, gives birth to Skywise on the raft her human captors have stolen. Within a few minutes, Skywise will be cast adrift on the river, and Eyes High will die of a massive hemorrhage, to join Shale's spirit. I am so glad Wendy chose to make this story one of the five first Hidden Years comics, which are so beautifully coloured.
 
 
 
 

FEBRUARY: Vigil in the Desert
Rather than the usual group picture of the elves in the Burning Waste, my favorite desert scene is the mournful picture of Nightfall embracing Redlance as they lie in the desert, waiting to die. Somehow, the Burning Waste at night seems even larger, more lifeless. If you've read the novelization, you know that a moment later Nightfall will draw her knife to put Redlance out of his misery (thank the High Ones that Cutter has a good sense of timing!)
 
 
 

MARCH: Tyldak and Dewshine
The Recognition scene I would kill to see. I always imagine Tyldak is looking over the captives just after they've been dropped inside the aerie, and Dewshine's collapsed on the floor. He's probably making some cracks about the little savages, and then Dewshine looks up, eyes meet eyes, and their worlds turn upside-down! A wonderful archetype Beauty and the Beast (though which one is the beauty and which one is the beast depends on who you ask!) Why couldn't this scene have popped up in the novelization of Book Three?
 
 

APRIL: He's Baaa-aack
Rayek didn't even show up in the 2000 calendar, save for a little guest spot of the cover. Well, I've fixed that! How many readers weren't cheering (even if under their breaths) when Rayek threw off that hood and revealed he was the one who pulled Cutter's fat out of the fire? As if the death of One-Eye and the near-death of Cutter hadn't shaken everyone up already, Rayek's sudden appearance taught us all to expect absolutely anything!
 
 
 

MAY: The Death of Vaya
As much as I hate to see any cool chick die, Vaya's had to be the bravest and most defiant death scene I've ever read. Even as she contemplating a gruesome death by torture, she has the guts to pull that final attack on Guttlekraw. She even managed to smirk up at old Guttlekraw's ugly face before she died a much gentler death than the one he had in mind for her. I only hope her spirit managed to talk to Kahvi and Pike (not necessarily in that order) when they got to the Palace.
 
 

JUNE: Father and Daughter
Now here's a recognition of a different sort. In a scene straight out a classical tragedy, Rayek suddenly finds himself face to face with the daughter he thought had died as a newborn, the daughter he had unknowingly abandoned and almost erased from history! His amazed expression is a forerunner of the great personal discoveries he will make with Venka's help in the later series. And for purely aesthetic reasons, I love the juxtaposition of Rayek and Venka's features - she's Daddy's girl, all right!
 
 
 
 
 

JULY: Hidden Years 9.5!
Kill him, kill him, kill him! Both Cutter-fans and Rayek-fans got a great show with this Holiday Slug-fest. The psychological implications for protagonist and antogonist after their catharsis are all well and good, but really we just want to see them try to murder each other in the most sadistic ways. My personal favorite - bashing each other against stalagmites! How they survived long enough to be healed is beyond me.
 
 
 
 
 

AUGUST: The Shards War
There's no real one way to sum up all the great moments of the Shards War, and certainly no way to choose, so I'm taking the coward's way out and posting a cover shot. Here we see Skot's matyrdom, Cutter's grief (good boy, cry for Skot), Shuna's role as leader of an army juxtaposed with her hatred and fear of her father during a pivotal battle. In many ways, the Shards War is just one long greatest moment stretched out over an entire series. The pace never slows, the horrors never stop (my personal favorites: the pits hounds devouring their kennel master, the prisoner being torn apart on Grohmul's "Birds", and Skot and Zhantee's traumatic deaths.) No one comes out of reading Shards without a few shudders.
 
 
 

SEPTEMBER: Door and Dodia
A delightfully disturbing scene from New Blood. Door beams at his "lovely mate" after their consummated their Recognition, savoring the idea of their having a son, a glider heir, while Dodia quietly cries, pretending to be asleep. The scene shows Dodia's warring emotions really well - she's completely enthralled by Door, yet she's terrified for herself and her unborn child. No wonder she goes insane.
 
 
 

OCTOBER: Family Reunion
A wonderfully bittersweet way to wrap up the Shards War, a lot easier to take than Ember's irrational banishment of Teir. Skot is dead, but by no means gone, and in this gorgeous panel his spirit embraces his lifemates. As a die-hard supporter of Pike and Skot as the sweetest couple in all ElfQuest, this picture always gets to me - it's the next best thing to bringing Skot back to life, and compelling proof that Skot's spirit probably visits Pike (oh yes, and Krim) on a regular basis. Who knows, he might even have enough latent wolfblood to stay with them all the time. And given Sust's general attitude, I have a feeling Daddy Skot is whispering in his ear 24/7 :)
 
 

NOVEMBER: Teir and Ember
Aside from the sweetest couple's shot in all ElfQuest, this scene marks a turning point for Ember. Cast out of the tribe by Scouter, she was ready to die when Teir rescued her, and she can't fathom that he would give up the tribe for her. But when he confesses the depths of his love for her, she realizes how much she loves him. With Teir she breaks out of the despair and shame that almost destroyed her. From this point on, Ember is a revitalized chieftess, much humbler and wiser. And she and Teir are absolutely inseparable up to this very day.
 
 
 
 

DECEMBER: Father Tree Regrown
Yes, this actually did take place before the previous moment, but it seemed best to round out the entire calendar as the December plate. I would have loved to scan the entire spread, but that would have meant breaking the spine of my Book 8B. I decided to use the side of the spread with Timmain (looking prettier than I've ever seen) Kimo, Strongbow, and the howling wolves. A wonderful piece of rebirth, made even better by Suntop getting his new name on the next page!

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