Tweet
Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark #7 (Dynamite Entertainment) Comic Review
Released by: Dynamite Entertainment
Released on: July 17th, 2019.
Written by: David Avallone
Illustrated by: Dave Acosta
Purchase From Amazon
Things went from weird to weirder in the last issue of Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark. A strange man named Glenn did what he could to help her out of the inferno, which only led to a confrontation with the minotaur - which is where this issue picks up.
The minotaur, who assumes Elvira is a gift to him, warns Glenn and Elvira that no one shall pass and they shall, instead, suffer for eternity in the 'traffic jam of the damned.' Elvira, being from L.A., understands, and the fact that these damned souls are all staring at their cell phones only serves to make things worse.
When the minotaur gets distracted by an angry geek, Elvira and Glenn hop in a car and escape off the freeway only to get chased by weird centaur biker cop things wielding swords. When the cops are defeated they don't seem to care, knowing full well that Dis will handle things from here on out. Our pair make their way past the demon guards, Obi Wan style, and through the gates into the city of Dis. After a kindly and very familiar looking Civil War general gives them a parking tip, they ditch the car and wind up in a cubical farm where, without spoiling things, the script gets subtly political and makes some well-aimed jabs at those who are content to do nothing. After that, well, there are a few more miles of Hell to contend with on their way to level nine
With references to A Clockwork Orange, The Last Jedi/Mary Sue controversy, Harryhausen movies, vintage sit coms, Bruce Campbell movies and even Elvira's Haunted Hills this one, like the issues prior, doesn't lack in funny, clever pop culture references. At the same time, Avallone's penchant for working in literary references still shines, resulting in a comic that is delightfully lowbrow and, simultaneously, born of higher culture. It's an interesting mix and a really fun read, just like the six issues that came before it. Again, Avallone has a knack for writing Elvira's dialogue so that when you read it you can almost hear Cassandra Peterson's voice in your head. The quips, the sarcasm, the occasional flirtation and the more than occasional innuendos that the Mistress Of The Dark is known for are all here and the book is all the better for it. His take on Divine… err… Glenn, is also good and definitely an interesting addition to this issue and the last. Great stuff.
Acosta's artwork continues to impress. He draws Elvira very well, bringing the perfect likeness to an ever so slightly cartoonish take on her that fits the story perfectly. Again, he does a really nice job bringing the horrors of the inferno to life, and he makes sure that 'Glenn' looks like 'Glenn' as well. There's good detail here, nice layouts, interesting character design and the coloring work from Ellie Wright helps bring it all to life quite nicely.
This has been one of the most consistently funny and entertaining books on the racks since it started and seven issues in, it shows no signs of slipping. These guys are consistent and really do a great job of offering up a fun read month after month. Great stuff.