Comic Review: Elvira: Mistress of the Dark #1

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark #1

Dynamite Entertainment

Writer: David Avallone

Artist: Dave Acosta

Any horror fan that has been around in the last 40 years knows who Elvira is. Her name is synonymous with midnight horror features and delicious B-movie schlock. Elvira has become a brand and she is no stranger to the comic book world, but now she is being brought to us by Dynamite. Let’s see if her new outing is worth your time.

In Issue #1, Elvira is introduced as an actor on a movie set. Between a take, she goes into her trailer and discovers a coffin that acts as a portal to times of both fiction and non-fiction. A good example of this would be how Dracula and Mery Shelley and Lord Byron exist on the same plane in this comic. This off the wall premise mixed with the comedy of Elvira makes for a very good first issue.

Avallone is quite gifted at this type of writing. The humor is on-point and I REALLY enjoy the blend of historical figures and horror icons together. Elvira talks to the reader a couple of times in this issue and it’s all fun and used for comedy. A lot of the jokes come in PG-13 form. Elvira has always used her looks as a sort of punchline. Here she is using her quips about sex as a wink to the reader. It feels akin to how Pixar and Disney put jokes into their films that only the adults understand. It’s that nod to the reader and viewer that is almost including them in the story. These little moments are what make Elvira: Mistress of the Dark #1 work so well.

Acosta’s art is on display in this issue and he does a very good job in every panel, but I think it is colorist Andrew Covalt, that gives the issue it’s “feel”. From the skin tones in the opening scene to the lightning effects representing the portal, he sets the tone and gets it right. Knowing where we are going next, I’m very eager to see what Acosta and Covalt bring to the table.

These panels show a small portion of the humor that is littered throughout this comic. The finale of Issue #1 already sets up the next issue and I’m excited to see where Avallone takes us in the future issues. Elvira might have started up in the 80’s, but she is still just as relatable in 2018.  It is nice to see Elvira still has her bite after all this time.