ELVIRA MEETS VINCENT PRICE #5 – Review

ELVIRA MEETS VINCENT PRICE #5, from Dynamite Comics on March 9th, 2022, puts a cap on the current arc with a mini-mystery involving a kidnapped starlet and the power of movie magic.

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 Price: $3.99
• Release Date: March 9, 2022

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Was It Good?

Honestly, seeing ELVIRA MEETS VINCENT PRICE #5 on Dynamite’s publishing list was a surprise. We thought the arc ended quite nicely with issue #4. But hey, we’re not complaining, and Avallone took a moment to poke a little fun at the surprise extra issue on the credits page, so at least we’re not totally off our rockers.

Despite not having any attachment to the first four issues beyond the presence of the titular characters, this was an enjoyable read. Avallone gets these characters to their core and his understanding of what makes them special is evident in every panel. The jokes are lovably corny, the mannerisms and speech represent the real-life actors perfectly, and the mini-mystery presented suits the tone and spirit these actors would have gleefully participated in.

Avallone’s understanding of these actors, their personas, and the niche of entertainment they occupy is astounding. Does it make sense to tack on this issue at the end of the arc? Not really. However, it’s so much fun that you don’t mind the disconnect, and the issue serves as a perfect transition epilogue into the next arc coming soon.

The plot of the mini-mystery (details in the next section) helps dispel the vagaries of how Vincent came to be in the physical world and how that ability could be used by villains to travel into the “movie world”. There’s no point in nitpicking the mechanics of how it all works, but just know that Avallone explains it reasonably and then uses that explanation to explore how traversing between the real world and movie world could be used for evil as well as good. It’s a remarkably good way to set up future supernatural shenanigans in a fun and creative way.

Of course, half the battle with translating globally recognizable characters to comics relies on the strength of the art team. Samu and Pereyra nail the actors’ characterizations, mannerisms, and body language right down to simple hand gestures. It’s hard not to imagine the art team had just as much fun drawing this comic as readers will have reading it.

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]

We begin with Vincent Price and Elvira enjoying a quiet evening of board games when Elvira receives a call from her agent. Darlanne Wing (for those in the know, aka famous actress Darlanne Fluegel) disappeared after having some trouble with a slimy producer named Stanley Saliva.

The supernatural super sleuths head out to Stanley Silva’s North Hollywood home to investigate. Along the way, Vincent explains in more detail the mechanics of how he came to be in the real world. Movies are like mini pocket universes, and just as it’s possible for actors can breach the barrier to come out of a film as he did, live people can breach the barrier and enter a film. Victor suspects Saliva may have breached the barrier after kidnapping Wing for his selfish ends.

We conclude the issue with slashers, witch hunter generals, and a plot device that’s an actual device.

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