ELVIRA MEETS VINCENT PRICE #1 – Review

In ELVIRA MEETS VINCENT PRICE #1, available from Dynamite Comics on August 4th, 2021, the Mistress of the Dark receives a mission from the ghost of Vincent Price to recover the only surviving print of a long-lost film or risk the end of the world!

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The Details

• Written By: David Avallone
• Art By: Juan Samu
• Colors By: Walter Pereyra
• Letters By: Taylor Esposito, Elizabeth Sharland
• Cover Art By: Dave Acosta (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: August 4, 2021

Was It Good?

I am smiling.

I am smiling because this comic is chock full of B-Movie references and horror humor from the Silver Age of cinema. I feel like a kid in a candy store after reading this first issue, and I can’t wait for more. It’s impossible to convey in this brief review how much fun I had reading this comic, but let’s give it a go.

Let’s start with the art first since that’s where you have the only, very small down point.

Whenever you’re dealing with comic depictions of real-life people, you have to choose. You either go all-in on the accuracy or you create a comic “variant” that represents the actor. The least good option is to waffle between real-life on some pages and variant on others. Unfortunatley, this comic has some waffling. Sometimes Price and Elvira look pitch-perfect, other times not so much. It’s a minor quibble but it’s the one persistent distraction throughout the issue.

Otherwise, the costumes look great. The scenery is spot-on for Hollywood and adjacent locations. And Elvira and Price’s body designs and postures feel authentic.

How about the story? Well, it’s a plot straight out of an Elvira film, so if you’re a fan of her skits and films, you’re going to love this. The best part of the writing is the way Avallone captured the specific voice of each actor in the dialog. Price’s cultured politeness punctuates every scene, and Elvira’s smart-and-sassy speech hits with quips that land every single time.

This first issue does what so few comics achieve these days. It tells a fun story, and I’m happy to come along for the ride.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

Elvira is working her way through different film studios trying to land a film or new show. Despite her best ideas, nobody bites, and she heads home to drink her cares away.

When Elvira falls asleep, she has a dream about being trapped in a Pit with a Pendulum (get it?!?). Before she’s cut to pieces, she’s saved by Vincent Price who tells her he has a world-saving mission for her.

The dream is interrupted by a call from Elvira’s agent with bad news about some competition for the Hostess with the Mostest spot. Stewing over the bad news, Elvira tries to unwind by watching a Vincent Price. Suddenly Vincent emerges from her screen as a ghost and finishes telling her about the mission.

A rare print of a long-lost film that was never released must be recovered or the world will end. Elvira wastes no time accepting the mission. Our Mistress of the Dark and Gentleman Ghost then heads off on some adventures to find the film. When they get close to the keeper of the only print and monstrous character arrives to stop them.

Final Thoughts

ELVIRA MEETS VINCENT PRICE #1 embodies everything you love about Silver-Age Hollywood, B-movie horror. The art is great, the jokes are better, and I had a devil of a good time reading this comic.

Score: 9.5/10