Review: Elvira #12
Elvira #12 wraps up this outstanding story arc by David Avallone, bringing Elvira full circle with her usual combination of wit, sex appeal and humor.
As I’ve admitted before, I’ve been a huge fan of Elvira, Mistress of The Dark, since the 1980’s. However, instead of automatically endearing me to this title I was weary at first; worried that my memories of her would be tarnished by a title trading on the persona made famous by Cassandra Peterson. My fears were unfounded and David Avallone, with some help from Elvira herself I’ve been told, delivers issue after issue with authentic Elvira action that has me anticipating each issue before its release. Avallone and Acosta’s work on this title has so impressed me that they made my top 10 series list for 2019. Continuing their tradition of excellence, Elvira #12 does not disappoint.
In this issue, Avallone wraps up this arc with Elvira regaining her dark mojo, controlling the besom between her legs and dealing with the various antagonists that have bedeviled her over these 12 issues. He also puts an exclamation mark on Ivan St. Croix, the hunky super-hero who aided Elvira in previous issues and who, I hope, will return in future books. Suave, unflappable and sophisticated, St. Croix’s brand of good in the face of Elvira’s never stopping flirtatiousness makes St. Croix presents an intriguing and compelling dynamic. Paired with each other; the sexual tension is palpable and their differences could be the stuff of comedy gold. What makes this issue, and indeed the series, so special though is the self-referential humor and no holds barred approach to comedic situations. Avallone is not afraid to take chances and go places with his humor that other writers and titles are unwilling to go. If you’ll excuse some outside reference for the moment; Avallone’s Elvira provides action, humor and sexiness that puts Harley Quinn to shame and stands up to Deadpool on his best day.
Dave Acosta’s artwork has a classic comic feel with a modern twist. While Elvira does not have the exact appearance of her live-action counterpart, the likeness is more than acceptable. Additionally, while Acosta conveys the innate sex appeal of Elvira (a necessity), it never lapses into lewd territory and follows the adage that showing just a little bit can be sexier than baring it all. Where Acosta really shines is in his ability to convey facial expressions on the various characters throughout the book. Acosta is very talented in this regard and is able to set the tone for panels and pages throughout the book with a simple facial expression on Elvira or others. The color by Walter Pereyra is saturated and brings a larger than life feel to Acosta’s artwork. Pereyra does a good job shading this book and his color palette is always complimentary even when dealing with characters on the same panel who are vastly different in look and tenor.
I’ll freely admit that I love this series and I’m looking forward to more from this team in the future. If you are a fan of comedy, Elvira, sexual innuendo, horror or just plain fun then I can’t recommend this series and this issue highly enough.
Writing – 5 of 5 Stars
Art – 4.5 of 5 Stars
Color = 4.5 of 5 Stars
Overall Score – 4.7 of 5 Stars
Writer – David Avallone
Art – Dave Acosta
Color – Walter Pereyra
Letters – Taylor Esposito, Rienna Bates
Published by Dynamite Comics
Author Profile
- Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.
He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.
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