Kevin Green – Author Carlo Carrasco

A Look Back at Elven #3 (1995)

February 16, 2026February 12, 2026carlocarrasco

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

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

*Once again, Elven impulsively uses violence on individuals to help Bruno.*

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

*Elvia with Bruno and their psychiatrist.*

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.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. If you want to support my website, please consider making a donation. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/.

A Look Back at Elven #2 (1995)

February 6, 2026January 30, 2026carlocarrasco

When I grabbed a copy of Elven #1, I did not expect much entertainment and surprise. But as I started reading it and witnessed Elven’s interactions with Prime, the narrative became even more engaging to read. In addition, Len Strazewski’s writing clearly defined the personality of fantasy fanatic and confused girl Elvia Swanson and established Elven as a twisted female parallel to Prime. Along the way, Aaron Lopresti’s art showed a lot of details, emotions and dynamism (on the action).

With those details laid down, here is a look back at Elven #2, published by Malibu Comics in 1995 with a story written by Len Strazewski and illustrated by Aaron Lopresti (Sludge).

Early story

The story begins inside the office of a psychiatrist where Elven encounters a demon which just came out of the teenage boy Bruno. As the two fight each other violently, the psychiatrist watches them obsessively and writes down the notable details for a potential advancement in his career. Bruno, who carried the demon in him some time prior, watches the fight from a distance marveling at Elven while also observing how chaotic the demon is.

Elven fights the demon hard while maintaining a mindset of pride and even being superior. The demon reveals his link with Boneyard (for reference, click here) confirming he came from a distant world.

After getting hit by Elven’s elf-fire, the demon begins to laugh at her. Elven gets triggered and starts hitting the demon more…

Quality

*By giving in to her impulses, Elven commits a very violent move on a man. This also shows her inability to restrain herself.*

While issue #1 established Elvia Swenson personality and her super-powered, fantasy inspired Elven identity who has a genetic connection with Prime, this comic book emphasizes the deeper fantasy aspects of the Ultraverse while expanding the lore within Elven’s part of the shared comic book universe.

Similar to Prime (Kevin Green in disguise), Elven gets triggered emotionally which is the result of the youth and obvious lack of maturity of Elvia. That being said, the moments of Elven getting more violent and shedding a few tears after getting laughed at by the demon deserve any reader’s attention.

Len Strazewski’s writing is pretty rich here and he pulled of some clever moves with the narrative. As the battle between Elven and the demon intensified, there were signs that the conflict would turn into an even bigger and more destructive battle. Instead, there were these deep revelations that happened (note: for relevance, you will have to read Prime #5 which I reviewed some time ago) and even the arrogant boy Bruno has his own share of what has been going on. Even the psychiatrist turned out to be a pretty significant bystander during the battle which suggests a build-up for a sub-plot.

As such, Strazewski wrote the story to be very intriguing and the plot threads are not limited to Elven and the demon. The way I see it, something is being built up and to grasp the relevance, you will have to read some issues of the Prime and Mantra comic book series.

If there is any weakness in the storytelling, it is the fact that the psychiatrist and his office assistant very easily forgot the moments of Bruno turning evil during the late part of issue #1. The way they reacted in this comic book after the end of the battle between Elven and the demon, they did not make any moves to hold Bruno accountable nor did they question Elven’s way of handling matters (which includes the eventual ruining of the office).

Conclusion

*After getting triggered (being laughed at by the demon), Elven acted move violently and impulsively.*

While there were a few weak spots in certain parts of the story, Elven #2 (1995) is another solid read from the Strazewski-Lopresti duo. Elven got developed even more through conflict with the demon, and her own search for the truth about her origin. Aside from that, the fantasy elements implemented in the story expanded the lore of the Ultraverse in a very unique way. Ultimately, I am looking forward to reading the next chapter of this mini-series.

Overall, Elven #2 (1995) is recommended.

+++++

A Look Back at Elven #1 (1995)

January 23, 2026January 16, 2026carlocarrasco

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.

For the newcomers to the Ultraverse, Prime is one of its most definitive heroes and his true identity is the teenager Kevin Green who can transform into an overly muscular caped adult superhero. The Prime monthly series of comic books ran for two years and the title character appeared in many other Ultraverse comic books.

Considering the prominence of Prime, it is not surprising that Malibu Comics proceeded to create comic books featuring a female counterpart to Prime. That counterpart is called Elven who appeared in a few early issues of the Ultraverse Premiere series and eventually Prime interacted with her.

With those details laid down, here is a look back at Elven #1, published by Malibu Comics in 1995 with a story written by Len Strazewski and illustrated by Aaron Lopresti (Sludge).

Early story

The story begins deep within a city when a beautiful blonde woman got hurt by a very angry man named Billy. With the lady down on the floor, the man raises his metallic weapon intending to strike her not realizing that someone is emerging from behind. He turns and sees a scantily clad caped woman who immediately hits him hard. The caped woman is Elven who believes she is helping the blonde woman.

To Elven’s surprise, the blonde woman tells her to stop and not hurt the man who was violent towards her. The man hits Elven on the face with his weapon but ended up getting hit hard again in retaliation. Elven then uses an optic blast at the wall as she tells the blonde woman to leave.

With the violent man down and hurt, Elven decides to kill him but is prevented by Prime from behind. After telling Prime that she told him not to interfere with her, she hits him with an energy blast…

Quality

*Elvia with her hard-working mother. The lack of a loving father affected Elvia deeply.*

Being written by Prime co-creator and series co-author Len Strazewski, this Ultraverse tale about Elven is very good and there is a lot of depth in the plot. You will meet Elven and the true human behind her named Elvia Swenson, a teenage girl who has a painful past, has an obsession with fantasy tales, and was created through the very same secret government fertility research program as Kevin Green/Prime. Elven’s disturbing look (with elvish features) reflects Elvia’s fantasy obsession and personally belief of using violence against men. She and Prime are genetically related due to the top secret project.

This comic book examines Elvia whose life lacks direction and her abusive father really impacted her negatively. With her mother’s love and guidance remaining in her life, Elvia is literally in a quest to find purpose, happiness and friendship. Unfortunately, the young guy Bruno is in the neighborhood and he is actually a demon. Bruno’s presence literally raised the stakes of the story which justifies Elvia’s transformation into Elven for the eventually good-versus-evil conflict. All throughout, there is tension and drama which got balanced with superhero spectacle. The way Elven is portrayed here makes her comparable with the arrogant, man-bashing, rabid feminists of modern society.

When it comes to Prime himself, this comic book features a really mature portrayal of him. I am talking about the early part of the story when Prime did his best to calm Elven down, restrain her and convince her to think first as a way to prevent her recklessness. Long-time Ultraverse readers should now that Prime is actually teenager Kevin Green inside all that muscle and he often has an awkward or a tense way of communicating with others (note: imagine the teenager pretending to think and act like an adult). That said, Prime here really interacts maturely and his attempt to put a lot of sense into the impulsive Elven is very believable. This is clever writing by Strazewski and it is one of the more notable portrayals of Prime.

When it comes to the visual side, artist Aaron Lopresti’s style worked smoothly in this comic book. I have seen his works in the Sludge series and he really excels with facial expressions, spectacle and the monsters looking very creepy. Strangely enough, Lopresti’s take on Elven is noticeable smaller and less muscular when compared to how the character appeared in Elven #0 and Ultraverse Premiere drawn by Greg Luzniak.

Conclusion

*Prime struggles to calm the impulsive and reckless Elven down. Without Prime’s intervention, Elven definitely would have committed murder against a man who harmed a woman moments earlier.*

Elven #1 (1995) is clearly a very solid read and easily one of the best spin-off comic books of the Ultraverse. Strazewski and Lopresti crafted a tale that was intense and dramatic while successfully defining Elven and her true identity as the teenage Elvia. Considering her painful background and current situation, Elvia is sympathetic although things got twisted when she becomes Elven which brings out her violent side, her recklessness and distorted view about helping women by using violence. That being said, Elven at this stage in the Ultraverse is not really a likable lead character and that only makes her more unique when compared to Prime. Will Elven become as terrible as the evil ones? There is more to discover as this comic book is part of the limited series.

The specific portrayals of Elvia and Elven is very tricky to write down and Strazewski succeeded in making it work. Ultimately, this comic book added strong fantasy elements within the Ultraverse.

Overall, Elven #1 (1995) is recommended.

+++++

A Look Back at Prime #20 (1995)

January 19, 2026January 17, 2026carlocarrasco

Welcome back, superhero fans, 1990s arts and culture enthusiasts, Ultraverse fans and comic book collectors! Today we revisit the Ultraverse to take a look at one of the many tales of Prime from the monthly series that first launched in 1993.

In recent times, I’ve been reading and reviewing Prime comic books I missed out before. For my most recent Prime retro reviews, click here, here and here. For the newcomers reading this, Prime is one of the most definitive heroes of the entire Ultraverse and his true identity is the teenager Kevin Green. Prime is also one of three major Ultraverse figures in the team UltraForce.

With those details laid down, here is a look back at Prime #20, published by Malibu Comics in 1995 with a story written by Len Strazewski and Gerard Jones, and illustrated by Greg Luzniak.

Early story

The story begins with a man and a woman on bed. They just made love with each other. As the woman goes to the bathroom to fix herself, the man tells her she will be perfect in a new project and they will be together all the time even though he is already married. He tells her that will be a real ultra-heroine and already a lot of things are being prepared for her such. She will also have a new partner and already they found a way to get him to Washington.

Feeling terrible, the woman lowers herself on the bathroom floor, pulls a piece of hardware very hard, and an explosion suddenly happens.

In New York City, Kevin and his mother attend an opera. Kevin still has trouble adjusting to life in New York and misses his friends and the community of Canoga Park. He still has feelings for Kelly but remains confused as he still struggles with managing his personal life being himself and being Prime…

Quality

*Kevin and Kelly talking to each other via a long distance call.*

I really enjoyed this issue of Prime mainly because the writing done by Len Strazewski and Gerard Jones is really rich with depth. To make things clear, this is another Prime tale made to emphasize the title hero’s personality particularly with his personal life as Kevin Green who at this stage has turned into a really confused teenager. Not only is Kevin so far away from Kelly, he has not seen his father for a long time already, his mother has been working and is about to move to Washington for a new job, and public perception towards Prime has been tense.

As the cover already confirmed, the deadly villain Rafferty is indeed here although the traditional good-versus-evil conflict is not a major part of the story. Rafferty previously encountered Freex and The Strangers (click here, here and here) and it was only right to set him up for conflict with Prime.

When it comes to the art, I enjoyed Greg Luzniak’s style on Prime and the other characters. Luzniak is really good with the dynamic approach on visualizing superhero spectacle and acts. The way he shows facial expressions resulted in a wide range of looks and emotions.

Conclusion

*Kevin in New York with his mother. His father has been away for a long time at this point in the series.*

The character-driven approach done by the Strazewski-Jones duo made Prime #20 (1995) a very solid read. The story has a firm structure designed to open opportunities to emphasize Kevin Green’s development which in turn reflects his struggle with the changes of his life. This comic book also explores Kelly’s speculation that Prime and Kevin are one and the same, and the creators pulled off the right moves to add weight to that. By the time I reached the ending, I am convinced to go on to the next issue.

Overall, Prime #14 (1994) is highly recommended.

+++++

A Look Back at Prime #2

April 28, 2020April 27, 2020carlocarrasco

As seen many times in the history of American comic book publishing, there is the ever-present male superhero with the clean short hair, a muscular build, a tight body suit and a cape. Such a superhero has the so-called classic ability to fly and as well having superhuman strength. To put things in perspective, this is the so-called Superman influence on superhero comics. Superman is undoubtedly an icon of not just American pop culture but also of the United States culture in general.

Considering Superman’s iconic status, it is no surprise that many other publishers imitated the character to add some zest into their own superhero comic book franchise. For the Ultraverse of Malibu Comics, their own parallel to DC Comics’ Superman is none other than Prime (who is also inspired somewhat by Shazam/Captain Marvel).

Cover — *A great looking cover by the late Norm Breyfogle.*

For this retro comic book review, we’ll take a close look at Prime #2, the Ultraverse comic book published by Malibu Comics in 1993 with a story co-written by Gerard Jones and Len Strazewski, and art by the late Norm Breyfogle. Previously, I reviewed Prime #1 which you can right here.

Early story

The story begins with teenager Kevin Green struggling heading home in the suburb at night completely naked. After Kevin falls down just outside the front door, his mother opens it and was shocked to see him naked (with some traces of green slim on his skin). Kevin could not recall what happened to him.

*Imagine yourself being naked walking home in the middle of the night within the local community.*

Shortly after, Kevin is in the hospital with his parents. The doctor could not figure out what’s wrong with Kevin and only stated that his failure to remember could be the result of psychological trauma. Alone in the room, Kevin watches TV news footage of Prime (himself under disguise) and his parents arrive. His mother tells him that he will be okay.

Meanwhile in a discreet location, two men are analyzing the recent appearance of Prime in Somalia. One of them orders the release of Organism 8….

Quality

Prime #2 is clearly a strong follow-up to the launch issue. Co-writers Gerard Jones and Len Strazewski crafted a story that took its time to flesh out Kevin Green/Prime while simultaneously building up suspense and details regarding a sinister force that has links with the government, and they won’t stop until they get their target Prime.

On character development, this comic book takes a deeper look at the private life of Kevin (who only appeared as himself at the end of issue #1) especially at his high school. Here, the school is still recovering from the damage Prime caused (including hurting the school’s coach).

The highlight in this comic book is the exploration of the friendship between Kevin and Kelly. As such, the suspense related to the two really started to build up given the fact that in issue #1, Kevin appeared in front of her not as himself but as his superhero form as Prime. Kelly found it cool that Prime talked to her although she’s disturbed to see him seriously injure their coach. Kevin himself is struggling with the weight of not only keeping his superhero identity secret but also with the consequences of the violence he caused as Prime. Even worse, many students in his school find him a freak but Kelly remains sympathetic to him.

Visually, this is still a very good looking comic book. Norm Breyfogle’s art is very lively whether he draws out the local community that Kevin belongs to, draws the action scenes, draws the monstrous Organism 8, and emphasizing more of Prime. I also love the way Breyfogle drew the facial expressions. For the newcomers reading this, Breyfogle’s style has a cartoonish look but never backs down with comic book-style spectacle.

The spectacle of this comic book, unsurprisingly, looks very good. The action scenes show a lot of power and seeing Prime and Organism 8 hit each other is no less brutal.

Conclusion

*Norm Breyfogle’s great visuals on Kevin Green becoming Prime!*

While Prime #1 was a tremendous creative kick-off for its superhero and its own series, Prime #2 is a very solid progression. This comic book marked the beginning of the build-up of suspense as well as the friendship between Kevin and Kelly, and ultimately it was a fun and compelling reading experience.

If you are seriously planning to buy an existing hard copy of Prime #2, be aware that as of this writing, MileHighComics.com shows that the near-mint copy of the regular edition costs $4 while the near-mint copy of the newsstand edition costs $8.

Overall, Prime #2 is highly recommended.

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