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Elvira # 139-143
01/08/2005 . Source: Paul Skevington 
pub: Claypool Comics. 36 page standard comic. Price: $ 2.50 (US), $ 4.00 (CAN) each. check out website: www.claypoolcomics.com and www.elvira.com
And so the year drags on, bringing with it another few issues of Claypool's flagship title 'Elvira, Mistress Of The Dark'. As previously mentioned, this title is the comic incarnation of a character played by actress Cassandra Peterson. Elvira is a raven-haired B-movie horror hostess, more chesty than a coal-miner and campier than Glastonbury. The comics are jammed with pop-culture references, principally of film and TV characters, sometimes extending to literature. Packed full of puns and visual humour, the comics are a light-hearted alternative to the material currently available in the mainstream comics arena.
This selection of five issues highlights many of the strong points of the series, demonstrating consistently good artwork and occasionally presenting us with some truly promising artists.
Issues 139-143, edited by Richard Howell
Issue 139
'Broadway Sorcery Of 2004': Writer: Richard Howell. Penciller: Anna-Maria Cool. Inker: Bob Wiacek. Letterer: Thom Zahler
'It Takes Two To Tango Tango': Writer: Frank Strom, Penciller: Tod Smith, Inker: Lois Lachance, Letterer: Thom Zahler
Issue 139 showcases a story that has apparently been in production for quite some time, 'Broadway Sorcery Of 2004'. A series of unlikely incidents leads to Elvira casting a spell that enables her to star in her own improvised musical, with lyrics by Richard Howell set to the tune of various well-known songs. Some fantastic pencilling by Anna-Maria Cool, an artist who I would love to see more work from, complements the comic's typically 'Carry On' style humour. A double page spread on pages 10 and 11, depicting the whole of the stage with the musical in full flow, is the highlight of the issue, her illustrations of the actors in their Egyptian costumes and the stunning background work is worth the price of the issue alone.
Frank Strom's story 'It Takes Two To Tango Tango' is an amusing short about Huge Heftee (work it out) attempting to get Elvira to pose for a photo shoot, her resistance to the idea causing him to act like the Big Bad Wolf of 'Three Little Pigs Fame'. Tod Smith's reliable pencilling brings this story to life.
Issue 140
'Read 'Em And Weep': Writer: Frank Strom, Penciller: Ronn Sutton, Inker: Al Vey, Letterer: Thom Zahler
'Pussies Galore': Writer: Richard Howell, Penciller: Eduardo Barreto, Inker: Louis LaChance, Letterer: Kevin Cunningham
Issue 140 is slightly weaker with the fairly non-descript Christmas story 'Read 'Em And Weep' being followed by the slightly more agreeable 'Pussies Galore' following it. The latter story concerns a scientist's attempt to develop a biological weapon out of the noises cats make when they're unhappy, Elvira's intervention quickly brings events to a happy conclusion. For the most part, I like Eduardo Barreto's art for this story. My only concern is his design for Elvira herself, who looks disconcertingly like a Brazilian drag queen with her overly strong jaw line.
Issue 141
'Stop The World I Want To Stay Put': Writer: Frank Strom, Penciller: Eduardo Barreto, Inker: Bruce Patterson, Letterer: Thom Zahler
Barreto also does the honours for issue 141, which is a 'jump in' issue designed to attract new readers to the title. They have done this by creating an issue length story that examines Elvira's back story and re-introduces all of the regular characters. Franks Strom's story 'Stop The World - I Want To Stay Put' involves an evil demon who is taking Elvira through her memories in order to steal them. This device works much better than that used for the 'SoulSearchers And Company' jump in issue (another Claypool title), featuring scenes from previous issues of the comics, the two 'Elvira' films and the unreleased TV pilot. It accurately catches the tone and feel of the series, of which Strom is a regular contributor, making it ideal for comics enthusiasts who might want to try Elvira on for size.
Issue 142
'That's Snowbiz': Writer: Frank Strom, Penciller: Tod Smith, Inker: Louis LaChance, Letterer: Thom Zahler.
'The Bride Wore Black': Writer: Janet Hetherington, Penciller: Anna Maria Cool, Inker: Joe Rubenstein, Letterer: Thom Zahler.
Issue 142 features another story by Strom entitled 'That's Snowbiz' in which Elvira dreams up a new movie monster in an attempt to prove that originality in horror would not be that hard to come by. Inevitably, her creation comes to life and starts wreaking havoc. Smith conjures up some great monster designs, which any low-budget horror fan will enjoy. After this we are treated to 'The Bride Wore Black', a story by Janet Hetherington. Whilst not be overly enamoured with the writing, the art is again provided by the talented Anna-Maria Cool, who shows her adaptability by providing artwork distinctly different from that used in the musical issue, it is clearer, bolder and more stylised.
Issue 143
'The Most Dangerous Game': Writer: Janet Hetherington, Penciller: Tod Smith, Inker: Louis LaChance, Letterer: Thom Zahler.
'Three Weddings And A Funeral (Almost)!': Writer: Janet Hetherington, Penciller: Anna Maria Cool, Inker: Josef Rubenstein, Letterer: Thom Zahler.
Janet Hetherington stories feature twice in issue 143. The writing isn't that much better in either, although the second story does feature more work by Cool. In all of the issues, standards of lettering and inking are quite high.
As a series, 'Elvira' is sticking by its mission statement, providing undemanding lowbrow laughs to a market that no longer supports many decent comedy titles. The writing is generally good, but does vary. The artwork follows a similar pattern. It's a comic that feels like a lot of effort and love has gone into it, and it's obviously an ideal place for developing comedy writers and artists to hone their skills. The covers are a bit dodgy as Elvira's production company chooses them, but the comic's creators have no control over these so we can't give them too hard a time. I hope 'Elvira' keeps providing an alternative to the sometimes too serious front-runners of the comics medium for a long time to come.
Paul Skevington
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