Poison Elves is a black-and-white

Black-and-white

Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...

 comic book

Comic book

A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

 by the late artist/writer Drew Hayes

Drew Hayes

Drew Hayes was a writer and graphic artist who is best known as the creator of the long-running independent comic book series Poison Elves ....

, concerning the life and times of an elf

Elf

An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...

 named Lusiphur. Hayes originally self-published the series during the early 90's under his company Mulehide Graphics under the title of I, Lusiphur for the first seven issues before switching over to Poison Elves. The first ten issues of the Mulehide series were published in a larger magazine size format. In 1995, he signed on with Sirius Entertainment

Sirius Entertainment

Sirius Entertainment is an American comic book company which celebrated 15 years of publishing in 2009. Sirius has published popular titles such as Dawn, Poison Elves, Akiko, and Mark Smylie's epic fantasy Artesia series during its first years....

, a move that increased his exposure, fan base, and publishing rate. Poison Elves has contained explicit content for mature readers. To date, ten trade paperbacks have been released, but the last issue of the main series published by Sirius was #79. A commemorative issue #80 was released to give fans a look at sketches and plans Drew Hayes had for the future of the series before his death.

Early name change

Drew Hayes is rumored to have renamed I, Lusiphur to Poison Elves because the similarity of Lusiphur to Lucifer

Lucifer

Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...

 led to him constantly being asked if the series was about Satan

Satan

Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...

ic themes. Sales were reported to have increased significantly after the name change. Drew claimed in one of his Starting Notes that the name change was prompted by a letter from a teen-aged fan whose mother had thrown out his comics after finding I, Lusiphur comics amongst his collection.

Origins and influences

Drew Hayes' work was influenced by Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...

, Elfquest

Elfquest

Elfquest is a cult hit comic book property created by Wendy and Richard Pini in 1978. It is a fantasy story about a community of elves and other fictional species who struggle to survive and coexist on a primitive Earth-like planet with two moons. Several published volumes of prose fiction also...

, and Cerebus. Lusiphur was originally one of Hayes' Dungeons & Dragons characters. The book version of the character was based on Lux Interior of The Cramps

The Cramps

The Cramps were an American rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members...

, Glenn Danzig

Glenn Danzig

Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone; June 23, 1955 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is a founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig...

 of The Misfits, and Nivek Ogre

Nivek Ogre

Nivek Ogre is a Canadian musician, performance artist and actor best known as a founding member of the industrial band Skinny Puppy. Since that band featured another Kevin and was produced by another Ogilvie Nivek Ogre (born Kevin Graham Ogilvie December 5, 1962) is a Canadian musician,...

 of Skinny Puppy

Skinny Puppy

Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial musical group, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The group is widely considered to be the founders of the electro-industrial genre....

.

Characters

• Lusiphur

Lusiphur, originally named Luis Amerillis Malaché, was found by a married Elvin couple in the Carpathian forest in 1380. He grew up in their inn in Port Sarnwog. However, his childhood was an unhappy one after a drunken patron set fire to their establishment leaving his adoptive parents desperate for money. His father sank into depression and was later killed in one of the city's violent class wars. With nowhere left to turn, his mother was forced to enter into the only profession she could, prostitution.

In 1390, things took a turn for the worse when an abusive client battered Luse's mother. She escaped without being beaten to death, but in her hurry, she stepped on a nail. The wound became infected and gangrene soon spread, crippling her and leaving her bedridden indefinitely. Her Elvin immune system prevented her from dying, prolonging her suffering until she begged a young Luse to end her suffering. With no money for a doctor or medicine, the young Elf had little choice. He slit her wrists with a razor blade to set her free from the suffering. The image of her death would haunt Luse for the rest of his life.

The orphaned Luse learned to survive on the streets alone where he adopted a new identity which he uses today, Lusiphur Malaché. He spent his younger years working for a crime lord called The Nick, where he was involved in risky heists. During this tumultuous time in his life, he met and fell in love with the beautiful priestess Elf, Lirilith. However, he was unable to leave the gang and the continuing life of crime drove the young lovers apart. (This part of Lusiphur's life is chronicled in the mini series, Lusiphur and Lirilith written by Drew Hayes and illustrated by Jason Shawn Alexander).

• Jace san Lanargaith

Lusiphur's companion

• Parintachin

the Imp that lives in Lusiphur's head, whose name no-one can pronounce

• Cassandra

Lusiphur's third serious love who kills herself rather than be captured by Jace

• Morachi

head of Sanctuary together with Talon

• Talon

head of Sanctuary together with Morachi

• Vido

Head of the blood guard of mandratha, archnemesis of Sanctuary

• Hyena

Lusiphur's sorceress ex-wife

• Tenth

the second-greatest Sorcerer in Ammrahl'ynn

• Fleece

Lusiphur's friend from Sanctuary

• Cleah

Friend to Lusiphur and jace

• Wisp

Psychokinetic boy

• Mogre'Ur

head of the Elvin High council and most powerful sorcerer in Ammrahl'ynn

Quotes regarding character creation

"(...), the first Elfquest

Elfquest

Elfquest is a cult hit comic book property created by Wendy and Richard Pini in 1978. It is a fantasy story about a community of elves and other fictional species who struggle to survive and coexist on a primitive Earth-like planet with two moons. Several published volumes of prose fiction also...

series is one of the most amazing comic book runs ever. Period. You can blame the length of my Elves' ears on Wendy Pini."

"Dave Sim

Dave Sim

David Victor Sim is an award-winning Canadian comic book writer and artist.A pioneer of self-published comics and creators' rights, Sim is best known as the creator of Cerebus the Aardvark, a comic book published from 1977 to 2004, which chronicles its main character in a 6,000-page self-contained...

 and Cerebus

Cerebus the Aardvark

Cerebus the Aardvark, or simply Cerebus , is an independent comic book, written and illustrated by Canadian artist Dave Sim, with backgrounds by fellow Canadian Gerhard. Cerebus ran for 300 issues from December 1977 to 2004, and was over 6000 pages long, the longest-running original...

influenced me in every other way."

"No one impedes us...no one denies us....and if need be....no one survives us...," said Dominion. "My hands, my hands," says the man with no hands...

The World of Poison Elves

Amrahly'nn, the world of Poison Elves, is one where magic and technology meet. An example of this is Lusiphur's magical semi-automatic handgun that never runs out of bullets. Hayes had described the world as "...a mix of Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...

's Middle Earth

Middle-earth

Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....

 and the Neo-Romantic world seen in the Adam and the Ants

Adam and the Ants

Adam and the Ants were a British rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original group, which existed from 1977 to 1980, became notable as a cult band marking the transition from the late-1970s punk rock era to the post-punk and New Wave era...

 video for 'Stand and Deliver

Stand and Deliver (song)

"Stand and Deliver" was Adam and the Ants' most successful single. It entered the UK Top 40 at Number One and stayed there for five weeks. It was featured on their Prince Charming album...

'".

Desert Of the Third Sin

The beginning sees Lusiphur left to die in a desert. He stumbles upon a lamp, with the subsequent genie. After a failed attempt to ask for a million wishes, he settles on three: A powerful Elven sword named Cinlach, super speed to get out of the desert, and the “well of souls,” an assassin tool.

Genie gives him the wishes. But to give them, she has to take them from somewhere. Cinlach comes from an Elven Warduke named Ailwon Sann Fenlach, who quickly notices it missing. He is a veteran of many long-ago wars against the Orcs even if age and time have worn down his fighting acumen. Sann Fenlach has his mage transport him to Lusiphur’s location in the desert where he challenges the elf to a duel for stealing his property. At first the Fenlach is winning, due in part to his mage immediately fixing any wounds Lusiphur can inflict.

The turning point comes when a magician named Tenth steps in. Tenth was quietly reading in his study when he felt a temporary shock. The genie drained his power to accommodate Lusiphur’s request for super speed. Tenth also pinpoints where Lusiphur is located and sees that he is currently fighting Sann Fenlach. He also sees the disparity in the fight. Lusiphur is a young but experienced assassin, having to fight for everything he ever had. The High Lord is sedentary, fighting his last significant battle hundreds of years ago. In the meantime he has been sitting on his throne recounting past battles. Tenth sees that he is relying too much on the magical connection and severs it.

After Lushiphur defeats the High Lord when the odds are more even, he starts burying the body. Tenth then arrives to take back the small sliver of power that Lusiphur took from him. Tenth wants it to be a fair contest however. Lusiphur could best Tenth in a physical contest and Tenth could destroy Lusiphur quickly if he chose. The wizard has not had a challenge in a while, and so decides to make a sport of it.

In “Tenth’s Game,” the Elf is given a fighting chance: Make it across 50 meters through an arch. If he does he will survive. His only weapon is a temporary power of shape-changing into animals given to him by Tenth. The wizard promises to only use his shape-changing powers in return.

The two play a cat-and-mouse game, both at one point turning into panther-like creatures. Lusiphur gets his teeth on Tenth’s throat. Up to this point in his existence Tenth has thoroughly beaten any competitor. Lusiphur has made the wizard fear for his life for the first time in many years. In desperation Tenth morphs into a dragon. Lusiphur follows suit. The dragon battle drags on, until Lusiphur disappears. Tenth assumes he is dead and scans the ground for his body. A cockroach passes through the arch unseen.

Collections

• Volume 1: Requiem For An Elf (published June 1, 1996) (I, Lusiphur 1-6)
• Volume 2: Traumatic Dogs (published June 1, 1996) (I, Lusiphur 7, Poison Elves Volume 1 8-12)
• Volume 3: Desert of the Third Sin (published March 1, 1997) (Poison Elves V. 1 13-18)
• Volume 4: Patrons (published January 1, 1998) (Poison Elves V. 1 19-20)
  • The Mulehide Years ISBN 1-57989-044-X (September 26, 2001) (I, Lusiphur 1-7, Poison Elves V. 1 8-20)
  • This volume is a collection of the first four trade paperbacks. "The Mulehide Years" contains full reprints of issues 1 and 2, whereas Volume 1 had only a text recap of those issues.
• Volume 5: Sanctuary ISBN 1-57989-054-7 (published November 1, 1998) (Poison Elves V. 2 1-12)
  • Sanctuary Book 1: Deathmonks
  • Sanctuary Book 2: Vivisection
• Volume 6: Guild War ISBN 1-57989-055-5 (published June 27, 2000) (Poison Elves V. 2 13-25)
  • Sanctuary Book 3: Guild War
  • Sanctuary Book 4: Strange Days
• Volume 7: Salvation ISBN 1-57989-041-5 (published August 13, 2001) (Poison Elves V. 2 26-39)
  • Sanctuary Book 5: The Wolf
  • Sanctuary Book 6: Cat and Mouse
  • Sanctuary Book 7: End
• Volume 8: Rogues ISBN 1-57989-051-2 (published July 26, 2002) (Poison Elves V. 2 40-47)
• Volume 9: Baptism By Fire ISBN 1-57989-058-X (published August 15, 2003) (Poison Elves V. 2 48-59)
• Volume 10: Dark Wars ISBN 1-57989-074-1 (published March 30, 2005) (Poison Elves V. 2 60-68)
  • Dark Wars Volume One: Heaven's Devils
• Volume 11: Alliances ISBN 1-57989-089-X (published September 12, 2007) (Poison Elves V. 2 69-80)
  • Dark Wars Volume Two: Alliances

Spin-offs

There have been a number of miniseries and ongoing title spin-offs

Spin-off (media)

In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...

 from the core Poison Elves book, and they have generally been written by other creative teams. The two currently ongoing series are Poison Elves: Dominion, about Lusiphur's adventures prior to the Poison Elves series, and Poison Elves: Lost Tales, which are self-contained stories about various characters from the Poison Elves universe.