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Released by: Dynamite Entertainment
Released on: February 19th, 2020.
Written by: David Avallone
Illustrated by: Dave Acosta
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When we last left the Mistress Of The Dark, the Deucalionids, the cultists who kidnapped her, used her dark energy to summon a demon to Earth in the form of Vlad The Impaler (in Demon Lord form, of course), who readers will remember had a bit of a tiff with her in the first story arc. She and her new friend, The Soul Survivor, to put a stop to this before it's too late!
The Deucalionids are actually surprised that they were able to pull this off at all, but regardless, Vlad is here and he wants answers as to why he's been summoned. The Deucalionids want him to lead them to world domination, while Elvira suggests he simply go have some fun at Disneyworld before going back to where he came from. After a bit of back and forth, Vlad commands The Deucalionids to get some warriors together for him to use, while Elvira clues in The Soul Survivor as to the details of who Vlad really is.
When Vlad recognizes Elvira, she uses her feminine wiles to convince him that she didn't really kill him last time they met, it was all Faust's fault. When she touches Vlad, parts of her dress turn back to black, indicating that there just might be a slight glimmer of hope she'll come out of this ahead. Vlad, meanwhile, continues to piss off The Soul Survivor by referring to him as a 'moor' and is rightly unimpressed with the group of 'warriors' that The Deucalionids have assembled to serve under him. Will Elvira and The Soul Survivor make it through the final battle with Vlad or is everyone going to wind up 'vampire Mcnuggets?'
If you dug the eleven issues prior, it's a pretty safe bet that you'll dig this twelfth and final issue of the series. Avallone's story wraps things up quite neatly but, of course, leaves things open for more adventures (the last page does tell us to 'look for a new Elvira series coming soon from Dynamite so we're hardly done with her), like a good comic book should. Again, the sense of humor that has been key to this series' seriously high enjoyment factor is once again a bit part of what makes this latest chapter such a fun read. Riffs on plenty of pop culture phenomena, from Harry Potter to nineties superheroes, keep the laughs coming and of course, Elvira's quick wit, double-entendres and bad puns are a near constant in this and every issue. Without spoiling the finish, things get even more meta this time around than they've been in the past - but it's all in the spirit of fun and humor.
Dave Acosta's artwork is as good here as it's ever been. He draws Vlad really well here, giving him a genuinely ominous and demonic look that works quite well under the circumstances. Again, he nails Cassandra Peterson's likeness as well, which is obviously key to making an Elvira series an Elvira series. The layouts are nice, the pencils are pretty tight and there's good detail here to appreciate. The coloring work from Walter Pereyra is also appreciated, he does fine work. Oh, A rad cover from the mighty Tom Mandrake doesn't hurt things in the least either.
This series was a kick from the first issue and it managed to maintain the laughs and the fun at a very high pace right up until this finale. Great stuff from Avallone and Acosta - here's hoping they return to Elvira's world sooner rather than later.