ELVIRA: MISTRESS OF THE DARK #1
Written by David Avallone
Art by Dave Acosta, Andrew Covalt, Taylor Esposito
Edited by Kevin Ketner
Published by Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: July 4, 2018
It’s finally here! Elvira is back in her brand new comic after what felt like an eternity without her on the stands. In part one of this four part mini series, our heroine of Halloween has found herself more up close and personal with horror history than she ever expected. More than likely, way more than she ever desired. This is a non-stop whirlwind of action, wit and nostalgia that leaves you delighted and desperate for more. It may be a long time since we’ve seen Elvira in print, but if this is what we get? It was almost worth the wait.
Suddenly, the original horror hostess is at the center of our story. No, not that one- we’re talking much much older than that. Two hundred years, to be exact. All the way back to Mary Wollstonecraft (soon to be known as Mary Shelley) just before the inception of her masterpiece “Frankenstein.” There is never a dull moment, pulling off that rare feat of perfectly balancing horror, humor and adventure. David Avallone ( Bettie Page, Twilight Zone ) does a seamless job of adopting Elvira’s humor and witty remarks. This is what truly carries the story so well, and allows the reader to hear each joke in Elvira’s voice. Cassandra Peterson, Elvira herself, must be very proud of the seemingly effortless way in which her spirit is invoked in this story, only adding to her already monumental legacy.
The art, brought to us by Dave Acosta and Andrew Covalt, is bright, expressive and captivating. Where horror stories are usually somewhat drab in the color department to keep things edgy, the use of color here keeps things light – never taking itself too seriously, allowing us to stay in that zone of comedy over terror. The attention to detail is definitely something to note, from the shine of Elvira’s iconic black beehive hairdo to the intricate wrinkles in Mary’s dress. It is the marriage of pencils, to colors here that makes the art so magical. A symphony of artistic expression that needs to be seen to believed, this is not something to be missed.
It is without a doubt that the right team has been chosen for this miniseries, and if the rest of them are as incredible as this first issue it will be talked about for years to come. It’s official, Elvira is back and this title will leave us all, dying for more.
The Verdict: 9.0/10
