Elvira haunts Comic-Con in first look at Dynamite's new 'The Wrath of Con' one-shot comic

With All Hallow's Eve inching ever closer as we enter the dog days of summer, that macabre Mistress of the Dark is leading the charge to October with a special Comic-Con-themed issue from Dynamite Entertainment titled Elvira: The Wrath of Con — and SYFY WIRE is unleashing an exclusive peek into all its spooky fun.

Available for pre-order now on Kickstarter with an expected release this fall, Elvira: The Wrath of Con is written by David Avallone (Bettie Page, Drawing Blood) and adorned with illustrations from artist Dave Acosta (Dragon). The limited-edition offering is an overstuffed 48-page comic book delivered in premium format, showcasing the artistic contributions of Elvira, Avallone, Acosta, ace colorist Walter Pereyra, and letterer Taylor Esposito. 

We might have missed the summer madness of an in-person San Diego Comic-Con erupting this summer, but an alternate live edition is hopefully headed to Southern California in November. Elvira: The Wrath of Con is the ideal way to stir up all your Con fantasies and get you in the proper mood as the iconic temptress brings the annual geeky event home to you.

In her upcoming story, Elvira is honored as the Guest of Horror at the "San Diego Popculturama" convention. Only one major problem arises in the form of an army of angry maniacs that wants her well-coiffed head on a platter! It's a terrifying tale featuring wild cosplay, celebrity, fandom, rabid back issue hunting, and your typical ritual cult murder all told with a fearful flair. 

Cassandra Peterson (AKA Elvira) admits it's been great working with the Dynamite team, especially her big "Double D's" - David Avallone and Dave Acosta!

"These fright-filled special edition comics we've brought to Kickstarter are a fantastic way to connect directly with my fans," Peterson tells SYFY WIRE. "It's an awesome new avenue, as retail stores and conventions have been “complicated" lately, to say the least! I've been attending conventions for years as Elvira and they're always very special to me. I love meeting my fans and talking about my latest ventures, as well as geeking out over all things spooky!

"Our last special story was metaphorical, but pretty obviously inspired by the pandemic and all the "crazy” that goes with it. In it, I woke up from a hairspray-induced coma in a post-apocalyptic LA, crawling with zombies. Now as some of those same struggles continue, and we endure another year without San Diego Comic Con - the gold standard in conventions - I’m trying my own spin. What would happen if a convention went “rogue”?"

Avallone has been a regular at San Diego Comic Con since 1989 and it's always been a huge part of his summer.

"For this project, we had a bunch of targets we were aiming at: a solid sequel to last year’s Kickstarter hit The Omega Ma'am, a tribute to fans and cons in general, and San Diego Comic-Con specifically, and, as always, a funny adventure for the Mistress of the Dark," Avallone tells SYFY WIRE. "I’ve been writing Elvira since July 2018, and it’s always a joy to start off a new project with her. For this one, we’ve got the whole band back together: Dave Acosta, artist from issues 1-12 of Elvira: Mistress of the Dark and The Omega Ma'am, colorist Walter Pereyra, who colored most of those, and letterer Taylor Esposito, who’s done every Elvira comic with me."

"I first worked with Dave Acosta way back in 2015: he was great then, and he gets better every time I work with him," Avallone adds. "The art on this special is amazing: it reminds me of late seventies/early eighties Michael Golden. Really beautiful stuff. Readers who’ve been following the series since I took it up will find a lot of their favorite characters returning, plus my usual pop culture Easter eggs everywhere I can plant them. The story begins with Elvira watching dailies for the film version of The Omega Ma'am, by 'visionary' director Hanover Utz. I don’t know if anyone who isn’t an East Coast pretzel fan will get that joke… but we shall see!"

Now check out our exclusive first look at Dynamite's Elvira: The Wrath of Con in the full gallery below.