#IReadsYou Review: ELVIRA IN MONSTERLAND #1

ELVIRA IN MONSTERLAND VOLUME 1 #1

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: David Avallone

ART: Kewber Baal

COLORS: Walter Pereya

LETTERS: Taylor Esposito

EDITOR: Joseph Rybandt

COVER: Dave Acosta with Walter Pereya

32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2023)

Rated Teen+

Chapter One: “It's a Vlad, Vlad, Vlad, Vlad World”

In 1981, actress and model Cassandra Peterson created the “horror hostess character,” known as “Elvira.”  Elvira gradually grew in popularity and eventually became a brand name.  As Elvira, Peterson endorsed many products and became a pitch-woman, appearing in numerous television commercials throughout the 1980s.

Elvira also appeared in comic books, beginning in 1986 with the short-lived series from DC Comics, Elvira's House of Mystery.  In 2018, Elvira returned to comic books via Dynamite Entertainment.  Elvira's latest comic book series is Elvira in Monsterland Volume 1.  The series is written by David Avallone; drawn by Kewber Baal; colored by Walter Pereyra; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.  The series finds Elvira returning to the Multiverse of Movies (a bunch of “pocket dimensions” created by the existence of movies) in order to stop the creation of a monster army.

Elvira in Monsterland Volume 1 #1 (“It's a Vlad, Vlad, Vlad, Vlad World”) opens at Elvira's home on the outskirts of Hollywood.  Inside, Elvira is enjoying a respite from her recent misadventures in the “Multiverse of Movies,” though it turns out to be a brief break.  While watching director Tod Browning's 1931 horror classic, Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi, a strange thing happens.

Vlad the Impaler is back!  He is raiding the Multiverse of Movies in order to build a monster army by plucking up some of cinema and television's greatest, most famous, and most infamous vampires and bloodsuckers.  Of course, it's up to Elvira, the Mistress of the Dark and bane of Vlad's existence, to stop his evil plan.

THE LOWDOWN:  Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Elvira in Monsterland Volume 1 #1, one of many Dynamite/David Avallone Elvira comic books that I have read and enjoyed.

I have lost track of how many times I written in a review how much I enjoy writer David Avallone's Elvira comic books.  Hopefully, Avallone will continue to chronicle Elvira adventures long enough into the future that I will also forget this instance of praise.  Elvira in Monsterland #1 is a delightful, tongue-in-cheek romp, filled with sparkling cameos and pleasing references to both cinematic and real-world people, places, and things.  This first issue is such a joy to read, and I needed that.  Avallone's Elvira comic books are not only some of the best humor comic books published over the last decade, but they are also the consistent cure for the anytime and comic book reading blues.

Artist Kewber Baal's art perfectly captures the spirited chase through this “Multiverse of Movies,” and in his figure drawing, Baal makes it look like the characters are having a blast.  Colorist Walter Pereyra and letterer Taylor Esposito make the story hop around like a maniacal musical comedy, which is just the kind of crazy entertainment we probably all need right now.

I had high hopes for Elvira in Monsterland Volume 1 #1.  I had been waiting for Elvira in Monsterland Volume 1 #1.  It was worth it, and I think you should not deny yourself this fun, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Elvira and of David Avallone's Elvira comic books will want to read Elvira in Monsterland Volume 1.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

The "ELVIRA IN MONSTERLAND" hardcover and trade paperback collections will be available soon, depending upon where you shop. All additions are available at Amazon.

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The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: JEEPERS CREEPERS #1

JEEPERS CREEPERS, VOLUME 1 No. 1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Marc Andreyko
ART: Kewber Baal
COLORS: Jorge Sutil
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
EDITOR: Matt Idelson
COVER: Kelley Jones with Doug Hazlewood
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Kewber Baal with Schimerys Baal
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (April 25, 2018)

Rated “Teen+”

Jeepers Creepers created by Victor Salva

Jeepers Creepers is a 2001 horror film written and directed by Victor Salva.  The film takes its name from the 1938 song "Jeepers Creepers" (which is featured in the film) and tells the story of two siblings who become the targets of a demonic creature in rural Florida.  Salva wrote and directed a sequel, Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003), and a third film, Jeepers Creepers 3 (2017), which is set in a time period between the first and second films.

The adversary in all three films is an ancient creature known as “the Creeper” that awakens every 23rd spring for 23 days.  During this awakening, the Creeper feasts on human body parts, which then form parts of the creature's own body.

Dynamite Entertainment recently obtained the license to produce comic books based on the Jeepers Creepers film, and the result is Jeepers Creepers Volume 1.  This new comic book series is written by Marc Andreyko; drawn by Kewber Baal; colored by Jorge Sutil; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.

Jeepers Creepers, Volume 1 #1 introduces Devon James, an American college graduate student just arriving in Mexico.  He is there to work on his graduate thesis (“The Cross-Cultural Appearances of the Dragon in North American Mythology from the Aztecs to Today”).  When he arrives at the archaeological site, “The Lost Aztec City of Teotihuacan,” Devon decides that he should not act like a regular tourist and follow the tour guide.  Instead, he summons his inner Indiana Jones without realizing the danger in which he is putting himself.

Twenty pages of actual story for a cover price of $3.99 is long-term, slow suicide for the American comic book market.  For instance, Jeepers Creepers #1 offers some effective teasing, and that is what 20 pages of a first issue comic book narrative is today – a cock tease.  The teasing is so good here that I am ready for the second issue, and I imagine fans of the Jeepers Creepers films will also enjoy this comic book.  But 20 pages for $3.99...  I am emphasizing price point and page count because I think that they will negatively effect this new comic book's reception.  But this is a really good comic book.

Marc Andreyko's script diverges from the mythology of the films, but in a way that would still connect it to overall narrative of the franchise.  Kewber Baal, whom I remember from Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies (Approbation Comics), offers imaginative compositions, while Jorge Sutil's colors create the perfect Jeepers Creepers atmosphere and mood.  Taylor Esposito's lettering is all-around effective because he makes the dialogue and first person narration seem like one flowing conversation, although one floats in word balloons while the other sits in caption boxes.

Yes, the creative team of Jeepers Creepers #1 has delivered a first issue will make readers want to come back for more.  I know I want more.  I hope 20 pages/$3.99 does not hold some of us back.

8 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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I Reads You Review: CHAOS CAMPUS: SORORITY GIRLS VS ZOMBIES 11

CHAOS CAMPUS SORORITY GIRLS VS ZOMBIES No. 11

APPROBATION COMICS

WRITER/LETTERS: B. Alex Thompson

ARTIST: Kewber Baal
COLORS: Schimerys Baal
POST-SCRIPTING/POLISH: S.W.O.L. Unlimited
COVER: Quinton Bedwell
28pp, Color, $4.99

“The Learning Curve”

Created by B. Alex Thompson, Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies is a comic book series from Approbation Comics. Chaos Campus is a horror comedy that follows the adventures of three members of the sorority, Epsilon Alpha Zeta Upsilon (EAZY): ass-kickin’ Jaime Schaeffer, brainy Paige Patton, and easy-on-the-eyes Brittany Miller.

On the night of the volleyball tournament between EAZY and its partner, Alpha Zeta Zeta, zombies invade the EAZY sorority house. Jamie, Paige, and Brittany escape only to discover that zombies have taken over The City. This buxom trio is probably humanity’s only hope of ending a zombie apocalypse. Since their escape from the sorority, the girls have been on a series of crazy adventures that strangely resemble classic horror movie scenarios.

After escaping, muscular slasher Kurtis Kasey (created by Phantom Avri) and the feral human/zombie hybrid, Patient X, Chaos Campus: Sorority Girls vs. Zombies #11 reveals that the girls really haven’t escaped them. Now, they are separated, and Paige finds herself in the clutches of Violet Grimm a.k.a. Dogwitch. This Dogwitch may not be an adversary, however, because she has some things to teach Paige.

Referencing lots of pop culture, from The Matrix to The Bangles this time, Chaos Campus #11 is, as usual, a fun read. What makes it a little better are the revelations this issue offers into Paige Helena Patton and her unique powers and history. There is even a funny reference to an old NBC public service ad.

This issue also allows readers the chance to see more of Kewber Baal, whose penciling and inking skills continue to grow. There are some surprisingly, skillful compositions on several pages. The figure drawing, character design, and costumes are drawn at a level that is as good as what is in some Marvel and DC Comics titles.

A-

http://www.approbationcomics.com/

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