FORMAT: TRADE PAPERBACK | RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 20TH
The Shape of Elvira, writer David Avallone’s follow-up to his 2019 series, Mistress of the Dark, is replete with wordplay, sexual innuendo, and more than a few gags that a ’50s Borscht Belt comic would find hacky. That is to say, it is 100% Elvira, through and through. For those who grew up watching the Mistress of the Dark intro cheesy horror or star in her own titular (pun intended) horror comedy, this is right up their alley.
Granted, the four-issue series from Dynamite is 100% a knock-off of Gullermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water, but in the same way that Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein is a Universal Pictures lift – it’s entirely a silly parody meant to poke fun at any number of genre tropes, with a heaping helping of eye-winking and breaking of the fourth wall. Elvira herself will turn out of the panel to address the reader directly, fully aware that this story of making a movie about a creature named Gill is silly.
If all of that sounds fun, The Shape of Elvira is going to be a breezy, fun little read. Using two agents of The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a great touch which elevates this above yet another story about the craziness of the world of showbiz, and Elvira’s one-liners are so spot-on, the reader can hear Cassandra Peterson’s Valley Girl accent speaking each and every one.
As per usual with Dynamite’s licensed properties, the artists all seem more interested in making sure the lead looks like her real-world counterpart than creating solid art, but it’s fine enough. While The Shape of Elvira isn’t breaking any new ground, for fans of the character, the series is a fun way to kill a lunch break.
