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Welcome back, superhero fans, 1990s arts and culture enthusiasts, Ultraverse fans and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the mid-1990s to examine one of the many tales of the Ultraverse through the Elven mini-series.
Having read the first two issues (click here and here), I can say that there is indeed progressive development of the personality of Elvia and her fantasy inspired identity as Elven. At the same time, the fantasy elements of the Ultraverse itself were portrayed in lively fashion. Clearly, Elven’s own corner of the Ultraverse has been established and there is some excitement to find out what would happen next and how it could affect others within the UV.
With those details laid down, here is a look back at Elven #3, published by Malibu Comics in 1995 with a story written by Len Strazewski and illustrated by Aaron Lopresti (Sludge).

Early story
The story begins on top of the building with Elven and Prime meeting again. Tensions are high as Elven accuses him of lying. By this time, she learned a lot of details about her origin from the demon she fought with which convinced her that Prime lied to her about their genetic connections with each other (note: Doctor Vincent Gross was involved as he wanted to create ultras).
Elven rejects the science as she is strong convinced she is of magical origin from a mystical world and happens to be trapped on Earth. As Prime tries to put sense into her, Elven strikes him with a blast of energy to push him back. The blast turned to be of biological energy instead of magic.
As Elven reveals that she learned crucial information from the demon she fought with, Prime realizes it is none other than the one enemy he fought with some time ago…
Quality

Following the events of issue #2, Elven here remains confused and even lost as she has a lot of trouble figuring out the facts. Of course, being a fanatic of fantasy and Elfquest, Elven clings on to the belief that the fantasy realm is real and that she is of magical origin (which conflicts with the biology and science of her abilities and physical transformation). This is evident in the early part of the comic book when she has a tense reunion with Prime who did his best to explain details and help her understand.
When it comes to the very conflict of the story itself, the stakes were raised when Strazewski has Prime-Evil and elements of unethical science present during the later stage. Apart from abducting Elven, Prime-Evil has his own agenda pursuing Mantra (who in turn has an evil version called Necro Mantra) and a lot of arrogance within. Literally, Prime-Evil’s presence added intrigue to the plot and only made Elven’s struggle to realize the truth of her origin – both the scientific and fantasy aspects – even more complicated.
Bruno, who was a significant and surprising factor behind the conflict in issue #2, gets his nice share of the spotlight. Without spoiling the plot, I can say that he is a lot more than what he seems and has more to add to the conflict.
Considering the intensity of the conflict in issue #2, I find it very weird that Bruno and Elvia were not even reported to the local authorities for questioning and accountability. Perhaps the psychiatrist did not bother to do what is right since he was so fascinated with the fantastic conflict and unexplained moments that happened in his office (note: his own office assistant even became naked suddenly), and he has ambitions to become America’s next big name with his knowledge.
Conclusion

At this particular stage of the mini-series, Elven #3 (1995) had an even more intriguing story to tell while gradually moving forward with Elven’s quest for the truth of her origin and her own purpose. The Strazewski-Lopresti duo did fine work in this comic book for the most part and ultimately the story convinced me to look forward to the next issue. I can say that the ending of this comic book is more suspenseful than that of issue #2.
Overall, Elven #3 (1995) is recommended.
+++++
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