TWO SUPERSTAR CREATORS TAKE ON TWO SUPERSTAR CHARACTERS IN HARLEY QUINN X ELVIRA!

Jimmy and Amanda, Dynamite fans are going to be thrilled to see you writing another book following your epic Invincible Red Sonja (available now in a beautiful single-volume hardcover!). And you’re returning for one of the most exciting crossover projects we’ve ever been involved with.

Let’s start with Elvira: What history do you have with her shows, movies, and character (created and portrayed by the wondrous Cassandra Peterson)?

JIMMY: I first discovered Elvira many years ago; my buddy Joey Delfini had a poster of her on the wall, and he explained who she was and then we watched her movie and I was hooked on her look and great sense of humor. Since then she has become an icon, and as I read more about who Cassandra really is as a person, I became a bigger fan of her and her story and her perspective on the world around her.

AMANDA: What I remember about first discovering Elvira is wanting to be like her. She’s got that sense of humor, that love of horror and comedy, and that hair and boobs and gorgeousness, all dialed up to eleven. I think she was (and still is) a great role model for all us weird girls.

I was lucky enough to be on a panel with Cassandra at San Diego Comic-Con yeeeeaaarrs ago, and she was such a smart, kind, and funny person. If I remember correctly, she may have mentioned something about giving up the Elvira mantle (NOOOOO!!!), but I am so glad she chose to keep being her!

Turning to our other key cast member: Harley Quinn is one of the characters in comics on whom you both left an indelible impact across a tenure of multiple years and countless contributions. You’ve reunited with her a few times after the conclusion of your core run, but what is it like to pick her back up again?

JIMMY: I think everyone got the wrong idea about why we stopped writing the Harley books. We eventually were writing the equivalent of three issues a month for many years, and we needed a break and time to have a life. It wasn’t that we never wanted to write her again, we just needed an overall mental break from the amount of work we were doing. Since then, every offer we have had to write Harley — and those have been few and far between — we have taken.

We see Harley’s story as ongoing and write her in her own continuity; this includes her supporting cast and where she lives and so on. When we were offered this crossover with Elvira, it was the easiest thing in the world to make it work for us. Diehard fans of our work will feel like we never left Harley, while at the same time we can take her on a new adventure with her new friend Elvira. This series is so much fun.

AMANDA: What Jimmy said. We began the Harley Quinn series as a monthly title, and we were told that it might not do so well and could end by issue six. Nobody realized that the series would take off the way it did, and when a comic becomes that beloved, the powers that be understandably want more of it. We tried to accommodate that, but towards the end of our run we were on two issues per month, plus specials… I was running on three hours of sleep a night, and Jimmy was grumpy. That said, we LOVE working with that character, and whenever we get an opportunity to do that, we grab it.

She is one of my favorite characters to work with, because I love a story and character with humor (even if it is dark humor). I’ve worked with characters who are dark, or who are angst-ridden, and I’ve found that the characters who fit me best are the ones with lots of humor, and lots of human foibles. That might explain my relationship with Jimmy.

In many ways, though perhaps not initially obvious, these two wisecracking women have some personality and attitudes in common (though they also certainly have their differences). How do the two of you see their dynamics, and how does that come through when you’re writing their joint adventures?

JIMMY: Their goals are different, but how they reach them is the fun part. They each have a very instinctive way of creating chaos for those around them and themselves. They have two very distinctive voices, and it’s so much fun watching them process each other.

AMANDA: It is so much fun putting these two characters together. We’re almost approaching it as a buddy flick. It’s much easier to write and draw Harley, because we’ve been doing that for so many years. Even though we have loved the Elvira character for years, we are not as familiar with writing her, and are still getting a feel for how to approach her. Cassandra has been majorly helpful with that, and we are definitely getting a better feel for writing Elvira. Nobody knows Elvira like Cassandra does!

We’re hearing the central story for the series is a big, riotous Halloween party like no other. From either side of the equation, can fans expect any surprise guests to show up?

JIMMY: We are very loyal to Harley’s established supporting cast and friends, and we will be dropping them in and out of the series in a way that makes sense to the story and characters. You can expect some super-people and other regulars along the way, but in the end it’s up to the two main characters to deliver the goods. Why Harley worked so well during our run was about keeping the focus on her and her world, and with Elvira in the mix, we will continue that and bring Elvira’s world into it as the series goes on.

AMANDA: Yeah, a giant Halloween bash seemed like a really excellent way to introduce Elvira into the world of Harley. And nothing Harley does is ever small and restrained, so it made sense for her to laser-focus on Elvira to make the Halloween party the most fantabulous event of the year. And yes, we’ll definitely be seeing some characters who we love working with, because that’s what we do!

Artist Juan Samu is joining the party too, as the primary illustrator for the series, following his work on Elvira Meets Vincent Price. But in addition to illustrating covers for the series, Amanda, you are also providing select interiors on this book, which is incredibly exciting. As you’re both artists as well as writers, how is it working with a collaborator like Juan, and additionally working your own pages into the mix?

JIMMY: Honestly, we are having a blast, and having both Juan and Amanda drawing it just makes it better. We are trying to give the people what they want from these two characters, and I feel that both artists are doing the same. It’s really shaping up as it goes on, and Juan and Amanda are making a great team.

AMANDA: We’ve seen the first batch of pages, and I’m loving what Juan is doing! His work is really fun, and it has so much life in it. It lends itself really well to Elvira and Harley.

Admittedly, I was also a little bit envious of him being able to draw this book, so I figured out a way to get to be able to do a bit of drawing in it myself. I’m really hoping that Juan doesn’t mind too much!

Harley Quinn © & ™ DC. (s25)

Elvira © 2025 Queen “B” Productions. All Rights Reserved.

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