To celebrate the Mistress of the Dark’s 40th anniversary, Dynamite Entertainment has launched an Indiegogo campaign to fund an original comic book story called Death of Elvira. Just as DC Comics killed Superman, Dynamite is killing off the iconic horror hostess Elvira. The limited-edition comic will reveal the events leading up to her demise, ultimately posing the question: Who killed Elvira?
Cassandra Peterson a.k.a. Elvira is considered by many to be the best horror movie host in the history of television. She began by hosting Elvira’s Movie Macabre starting in 1981, introducing some of the best (and worst) B-horror films with comedic bits that had horror fans falling in love with her across the globe. Forty years later and she’s still making headlines, having been cast in Rob Zombie’s remake of The Munsters and coming out with her very own autobiography, Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark.
The official Dynamite Entertainment Indiegogo page for Death of Elvira allows fans to purchase a 40-page original comic book story about the murder of Elvira for as low as $20. This special anniversary issue is written by expert Elvira writer David Avallone, who wrote the horror icon in the Dynamite comic series Elvira Mistress of the Dark, which ran for 12 issues. He also teamed up with Elvira herself to write the 48-page issue story Elvira, Mistress of the Dark: The Omega Ma’am. X-Files artist Silvia Califano will be illustrating the issue, and she will also be joining Avallone for the upcoming mini-series Elvira in Horrorland. The plot of Death of Elvira centers around Elvira’s wake with every monster, director, actor, and stalker readers can think of showing up to share their favorite stories about the Mistress of the Dark. Readers are treated to these memories via flashbacks that may also reveal who killed Elvira.
Elvira herself promotes this monstrous killing: “I’ve done a lot of wild things as the Mistress of the Dark,” said Elvira. “Everything from film to television, music to comics – even wearing wired headphones and yoga pants! But there was one huge item left on my bucket list – DYING! Don’t panic horror hounds, there’s more to this spine-tingling tale than meets the eye!” Backers of the Indiegogo campaign will have three different covers to choose from with virgin options limited to those who purchase all six covers. The main cover is by Dave Acosta, whose art has graced the pages of many Dynamite comics, including Elvira Mistress of the Dark and covers for DIE!namite Lives!. There is also a photo variant featuring Elvira herself along with a variant cover by John Royale (G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero). Exclusive 40th anniversary Elvira trading cards in both old school and modern versions can also be purchased through the campaign.
Dynamite has worked with Elvira before, previously running two Indiegogos with works featuring the horror hostess. One collected (for the very first time) Elvira’s Classic Adventures Collection Vol. 1, which boasted 1,156 backers pledging $97,302 by the end of the campaign. There was also a limited edition cover released for Elvira Meets Vincent Price, a team-up mini-series from Dynamite. The current Indiegogo campaign for Death of Elvira has already raised over $50,000 with the help of more than 600 backers. So be sure to celebrate Halloween early and pick up your goodies before the campaign ends on April 15, 2022.
