Army of Darkness: Halloween Special

Army of Darkness is about the limit of horror involving demons that I can tolerate. Ironically, I've never seen Evil Dead or Evil Dead 2. But I think Army of Darkness is one of the best horror comedies ever made. It's all because of living legend Bruce Campbell who stars as ego maniac Ash, our planet's last line of defense against the Deadite legions that seek to usher literal Hell on Earth.

Actually, Campbell stars in all incarnations of the Evil Dead films. So what is it that makes Army of Darkness okay for me to watch but not the first two films on the series. I think it is the level of seriousness of the movies. The first two movies were so shocking, let alone terrifying, with the first film being rated X. Army of Darkness with it's main character with his 1973 Oldsmobile and gas powered chain saw time, being stranded in medieval times is so tongue in cheek, that it turned the franchise into a bit of a farce instead of a soul stealing tale of terror. 

Plus, Bruce Campbell is such a definitive comedic actor. He's too restrained in the first movies.

The main story of this 2018 Halloween special from Dynamite has 2 stories. The opener sees Ash in Charleston seeking the his online match from a dating app. Instead of romance, Ash finds himself face-to-face with perhaps the most famous Deadite ever: the notorious Blackbeard the Pirate! Then on an eerie Halloween night, a group of meddling kids break into a graveyard. Armed with beer and a spell book, these horny teens seek to unleash some harmless fun but end up awakening a gaggle of Deadites instead!

Written by Chad Bowers, Chris Sims and Benito Cerano, my copy is autographed by Sims. That being said, I loved both stories, regardless of one of the creators being nice enough to put their John Hancock on the cover. Both captures the swagger and bravado of Ash, which is in very large part due to Bruce Campbell. 

As for the art, both stories were good. But I am going to give the title of best in show to Eion Marron who penciled and inked the opener. It's more dynamic. Ash looks amazingly like actor Campbell, whereas Sam Lofti's Ash appears more like a caricature. Plus Marron's Deadites, including Blackbeard, looked so freaking awesome.

Not sure why it took me so long to read this. Also not sure why I had it sitting in my 'to review ' pile despite actually having not read this. I must have misplaced it. But it was worth the wait!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.