ELVIRA MEETS VINCENT PRICE #2 – Review

In ELVIRA MEETS VINCENT PRICE #2, available from Dynamite Comics on September 8th, 2021, Vincent Price reveals the dangers behind the long-lost film, Rise Of The Ram, and the apocalyptic plans of the cult who want it released.

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: September 8, 2021

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Was It Good?

Spooky, charming fun. That’s what you get with this comic, and it’s a joyous follow-up to the first issue.

I generally hate words like ‘joyous’ (or ‘delightful’. Oy!), but it’s the only word that fits when you read a comic that instantly takes you back to a happy place of Saturday Afternon monster movies and drive-in schlock fests that made you laugh and cringe at the same time. For all the melodrama and sincerity of the actors on the screen, you knew their job was to entertain you above all else. All this comic tries to do is entertain its readers, and I couldn’t be happier with the result.

Once again, Avallone captures the spirit of the genre with a mix of “safe” scares, low-brow-yet-playful humor, and witty banter. Elvira and Vincent Price complement each other as well as the best onscreen double acts with Elvira as the “wise guy” and Price as the (mostly) “straight man”. I say ‘mostly’ because it’s a little tough to be too straight when you’re a shape-shifting ghost. You can’t get any more wholesome than that.

As Elvira says in this issue “Make with the exposition, already,” and we get quite a bit. However, the exposition from Price is told through a series of flashbacks and narrations that fits the style and tone of the comic well. Rather than a straight info dump, Price tells a story within the current story, and it winds up as one of the strongest examples of exposition done right that you’ll likely find these days.

As for the art, I was a little down on Samu in the last issue for fence-sitting on the character designs. When adapting real-life people, either go full in with realism or create a caricature that fits the tone. Waffling between the choices is offputting. Here, Samu stuck with realism for Price and caricature for Elvira. It’s not ideal, but I’ll take it as an improvement, and the distraction factor dropped way down in this issue.

Also, kudos to Pereyra on the technicolor palette that adds to the spirit (*heh*) of the material. And double-kudos to Esposito & Sharland for Price’s ghostly lettering.

Again, I can’t praise this book for doing exactly what it’s meant to do — have fun and entertain you.

What’s It About?

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

Before your soul leaves this Earthly realm, read our ELVIRA MEETS VINCENT PRICE #1 review to get caught up.

We catch up with Vincent and Elvira as one of Amun-ra’s henchmen is about to slice Elvira in two with a fiery sword. Vincent saves the day by appearing in the form of Amun-ra and ordering the henchmen to depart while he “deals” with the intruders personally.

Our spirited duo head to the next leg of their adventure — London — while Vincent lays down the exposition smackdown he promised in the last issue. Vincent explains how he was approached back in 1971 by a producer to star in Rise Of The Ram. Little did Vincent know that the screenwriter behind the film used real incantations in the script from scrolls found in Egypt. The scrolls contained two spells; one to save the world from Amun-ra, the other to summon Amun-ra for the world’s destruction.

Through a series of backstage mishaps (including the death of the first director), the film was never released. The film prints were stolen from a studio warehouse, and the warehouse was burned down by a group of hooded figures that looked like they belong to a cult.

We conclude the issue in the last act with Elvira paying a visit to Vincent’s co-star who surprisingly hasn’t aged a day in all these years. The visit takes a regrettable turn.

Final Thoughts

ELVIRA MEETS VINCENT PRICE #2 is everything you love about Saturday Afternoon B-movie horror films. The issue is equal parts spooky scares and cheeky, corny jokes that make you smile. As much as we’re fans of serious, dramatic action & adventure, this title is a breath of fresh, light-hearted air.

Score: 9.5/10