ELVIRA IN HORRORLAND #3, from Dynamite Comics on August 10th, 2022, takes the Mistress of the Dark to SSPPAAAACCCEE in a wild adventure with the crew of the Nostromo and one pesky Alien.
The Details
- Written by: David Avallone
- Art by: Silvia Califano
- Colors by: Walter Pereyra
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Dave Acosta (cover A)
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: August 10, 2022
Is It Good?
ELVIRA IN HORRORLAND #3 is a breath of fresh air. We review a lot of comics (a LOT of comics), and it’s not out of bounds to say the vast majority of comics that cross our plate tend to be gritty, grim, grounded, and occasionally grueling. Not so with Avallone’s latest entry in the successful Elvira series as the Mistress of the Dark takes a trip into Alien (1979), and the results are thoroughly amusing.
If you’re an Elvira fan, an Alien (1979) fan, a horror fan, and have a sense of humor, there’s nothing not to like in this issue. (side note: that cross-section of likes would make one heck of a Venn diagram). Avallone’s snappy banter, side-jokes, in-jokes, and regular old jokes land on every level. From the playful renaming of cast and characters (e.g. Cinder instead of Ash, Houston instead of Dallas) to the fourth-wall-breaking quips, this issue ranks up with the best of MAD magazine’s film parodies.
His humor is sharp, the pacing and joke timing is excellent, and the scene alterations are clever. There’s even a laugh-out-loud moment that’s more effective than you’d suspect when the Alien chooses not to interrupt a tense scene.
Likewise, the art from Califano and Pereyra is spot-on. It helps to get the caricatures of the real-life actors down pat, so the art team succeeds on that count beautifully. The colors pop, the scenery feels authentic to the film, and the panel compositions play into the claustrophobic setting of the Nostromo perfectly.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
If you want to know more about Elvira’s previous adventure, check out our ELVIRA IN HORRORLAND #2 review.
We begin with Elvira arriving in the entry hatch on the Nostromo just after one of the crew receives the galaxy’s worst French kiss from a facehugger. Elvira’s been through enough of these pocket universe jumps to know the remote that will get her closer to home is somewhere on the ship, so all she has to do is survive long enough to find it.
Elvira talks Ripley through enough of the plot of Alien (1979) to help her prepare for what comes next as the facehugger plants its egg, the alien “pops” out, and the crew is picked off one by one. As the film’s plot progresses, Elvira figure out the remote is in the only place it could be – the location that gave birth to all the trouble.
We conclude the issue with a change of plans, a parting of ways, and an interruption of a bad dream.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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ELVIRA IN HORRORLAND #3 does exactly what it sets out to do – show you a good time with an entertaining mix of nostalgia and laughs. The jokes and banter are snappy, the pacing and timing are nearly perfect, and the art team nails the Alien (1979) aesthetic.
Related Information
Who is Elvira in mythology?
Elvira does not exist in any approved mythology beyond some imaginative fan fiction. Elvira’s persona, however, is that of a supernatural being who can communicate with the spirit world.
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