(I originally read these comics in mid/late December 2016)
1997 seems late in the day to attempt a revival of the 1960s spooky sitcom family, but that's what TV Comics! attempted with this four-issue series. And against the odds, it works. All stories are by C.J. Henderson with a total roster of four different pencilers. George Broderick's broad yet accomplished cartooning in issue 1, which somewhat resembles that of Neil Vokes, is my favourite. However, the art style takes a downturn for the "more realistic" in issue 3, seemingly prompted by the reaction of one nobody on the letters page.
The stories are much what you'd expect, but with more action. A would-be vampire slayer arrives from "the Old Country" in issue 1 to complete his long-held objective. (In this story, it's clearly implied Grandpa is the Dracula. Was this the case in the show?) In issue # 2, the Munsters take a trip to New York and their 'ugly' niece Marilyn (the joke being, of course, that she is actually gorgeous by normal, human standards, ho ho) gets a goth makeover. Issue 3 features a multi-chapter tale with Herman and Eddie attending the latter's school father/son day and Lily going to unusual lengths to prepare dinner for Herman's boss. The fourth and final issue has the Munsters bumbling into an FBI sting at a funfair where they're mistaken for the members of a criminal gang. All issues are padded out with cast photos and interviews and a prose story in issue 1, though I skipped that.
An oddity, worth seeking out for fans.
Still in the mood for spooky silliiness, I read this adaptation of 'Elvira, Mistress of the Dark', a comedy for which I've had a soft spot since renting it on VHS back in about 1989 (though, discovering Elvira's gown-busting norks at the age of thirteen, it was less a "soft spot," more a...).
I guess the film was considered pretty risque at the time as Sid Jacobson removes the naughtier jokes and the remaining few, such as my fave, "Here's to my big opening!", seem entirely innocuous without Elvira/Cassandra Peterson's nod and wink. Ernie Colon and Romeo Tanghal provide the art but Tanghal seems to me to have overpowered Colon's pencils, which is a shame.
For those not familiar with the movie, TV horror host and frustrated Las Vegas showgirl Elvira, a beehived valley girl with attitude and a goth fashion sense, inherits a house, recipe book and pet poodle from her deceased Aunt Morgana. However, the 'recipe book' is actually her aunt's spell book and Elvira's uncle, an evil warlock, will stop at nothing to gain its power. Horrified at first by Elvira's looks and perceived 'loose ways', the puritanical citizens of sleepy Falwell, Massachusetts are eventually won over when Elvira saves the day, but only after trying to burn her at the stake. The film takes its cues from the then-ongoing battle between the US religious Right and heavy metal culture and provides much more sexy and irreverent fun than the comic.
Elvira's ongoing comic, starting in 1993, is a mixed bag eight issues in. Editor Richard Howell enlists the talents of Paul Dini, Kurt Busiek, Jo Duffy and others to write, with James Fry, Neil Vokes, Jim Mooney and Dave Cockrum among the contributing artists. However, it's Dan Spiegle illustrating Duffy's back-up story in issues 1-6 which is the real eye candy, both in terms of his lush black and white art and his rendition of our heroine, which is definitely the sexiest thus far. A recurring theme is the clashes between Elvira and her station manager at K-WHA, Rosalind Wyck, but there's room for other matters as Elvira helps a teenage werewolf with relationship troubles and attends a class reunion (an idea supposedly contributed by Cassandra Peterson, herself). Paul Dini's stories in issues 1 and 8 were the most amusing to me, but really nothing seems to reach the comedic standard the creators are striving for. Howell's own back-up tale in issue 8 provides a nice, obscure Easter egg for comics fans, though, in that it's an unofficial sequel to Stan Lee's and Steve Ditko's 'Goodbye to Linda Brown', from the pages of Strange Tales # 97, which foreshadows both Spider-Man and the X-Men.
I'll return to this title as I find humour comics are best read in small doses.
As extras, here are Joe Jusko's unadorned front cover art and back cover for Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988) # 1
Stories from Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1993) # 1-8 are collected in:
Softcover:
