Army of Darkness fans rejoice! Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the beloved cult horror film Army of Darkness, Dynamite Entertainment (Red Sonja, The Shadow) has announced the upcoming launch of Ash Vs. The Army of Darkness, the next installment in the already successful comic book franchise. With issue #0 boasting a “S-Mart Special Pricing” of $0.99 Dynamite is hoping to appeal to AOD fans new and old who are always susceptible to a good “impulse buy”. The creative genius of Co-Writers Chad Bowers and Chris Sims (X-Men ’92, Awesome Hospital, Swordquest) along with artist Mauro Vargas (Crossed: Badlands, Destiny’s Fate) will lead us into the next phase of the Chosen One’s journey. In Dynamite’s official press release, both publisher and writing duo expressed an almost childlike enthusiasm for the project.
“Army of Darkness, and really Sam Raimi’s entire filmography, is such a major influence on how we approach storytelling,” says co-writer Chad Bowers. “Being turned loose inside that sandbox and having a chance to add to the AOD mythology feels like something we’ve been working toward for years, and hopefully it reads that way, too. And I dare anybody to tell me Ash Williams isn’t the toughest ass-kicker in horror! What he lacks in brains, he more than makes up for by having a chainsaw for a hand. That’ll get you a long way in this world!”
“I saw Army of Darkness when I was nine, and I’ve literally described it as a life-changing experience. It might’ve been the most influential movie I’ve ever watched — in terms of the stories that I like and how much I love smartass everyman heroes that stumble into having to do the right thing — and almost everything I’ve written has had a variation on that idea kicking around in it,” says co-writer Chris Sims. “One of our big goals whenever we sit down to write a new story is to keep things moving fast enough that nobody has a chance to get bored, and with Ash, escalating those situations was so much fun.”
“Chad and Chris bring such vibrant life to their scripts; they translate their own enthusiasm so incredibly to the work, and they are Army of Darkness fans through and through. Teaming them with Mauro Vargas, an exceptional rising star (especially in the realm of hardcore horror), will ensure that longtime fans and curious newcomers are more than satisfied!” says Nick Barrucci, CEO and Publisher of Dynamite Entertainment. “Celebrating AOD’s anniversary with a 99-cent introductory-priced #0 issue is a great way for our retail partners to welcome as many customers as possible to the world of Ash Vs. The Army of Darkness with minimal risk. Put copies on your store shelves and watch as impulse buys ensue — Ash is back, and we couldn’t be happier!”
Ash Vs. The Army of Darkness will hit the shelves in June featuring a cover by artist Nick Bradshaw (Wolverine & The X-Men). Additionally, five variant covers will be available, with artists Pasquale Qualano (Doctor Who), Reilly Brown (Deadpool & Cable, The Amazing Spider-Man) and J. Scott Campbell’s “13th Anniversary Flashback” cover edition, making contributions.