WaRP Graphics

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WaRP Graphics, later Warp Graphics, was an alternative comics publisher best known for being the original publisher of the Elfquest comic books. It was created in 1977 by Wendy and Richard Pini. The company title is an acronym formed from the founding couple's name: Wendy and Richard Pini.

In addition to Elfquest, WaRP also published a few other comic book series including the original version of A Distant Soil by Colleen Doran, until Doran left in acrimonious circumstances. WaRP also published MythAdventures and related titles by Robert Asprin. Thunder Bunny, created by Martin Greim, was another of WaRP's titles.

For a time during the 1980s Richard Pini turned all publishing and marketing duties over to Michael Catron's Apple Comics so that WaRP could concentrate on editing comics. Titles packaged by the newly-uncapitalized Warp for Apple included the anthology series FantaSci, Vietnam Journal, and Unicorn Isle by Lee Marrs, which only ran to 5 of a projected 12 issues.

Eventually all of the Apple Comics titles were dropped and WaRP concentrated solely on publishing Elfquest titles, for the first time inviting other writers and artists to join in. In the late 1990s it also published some Elflord comics by Barry Blair and Colin Chan, who had also written for Elfquest.

WaRP also launched a book publishing imprint, Father Tree Press, named after the Wolfriders' original tree-home in Elfquest. Not surprisingly, most FTP titles were reprints of Elfquest stories.

Warp and Father Tree Press still exist but are not currently publishing new books. In 2003 the Pinis signed the worldwide publication rights for Elfquest to DC Comics. As of January, 2006, DC has put out two series of "manga-style" digest reprints, the first three volumes of an archive reprint series, one new graphic novel, and the first 40-page comic of a four-part series entitled "Discovery," the other three parts to come out at two-month intervals.