Ash and the Army of Darkness #8
Written by Steve Niles
Art by Nacho Tenorio
Colors by Kelly Fitzpatrick
Letters by Marshall Dylan
Cover by Justin Erickson
Published by Dynamite
Ashley J. Williams is one of the few characters to successfully make the transition from movies to comics. Besides the obligatory movie adaptations Ash has crossed paths with Marvel ‘ s zombieverse, and both Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. Dynamite’s recent series Ash And The Army Of Darkness picks up right where Army Of Darkness left off and continues Ash’s medieval adventures. Ash And The Army Of Darkness Issue #8 starts of with Ash in the hands of the Deadites lead by Sheila the possessed maiden that holds Ash’s heart – when she’s not trying to cut it out. Ash’s famous mix and match arm now sports a sword (one can only assume that it’s hard to find gas for a chainsaw in the Dark Ages) but his clockwork hand and chainsaw make appearances later on.
Ash manages to get away from The Deadites by holding Sheila at gunpoint – or more accurately “boomstick” point but is foiled by his evil severed hand. This leads to a chainsaw/sword duel between Ash and Sheila that ends with the Sun coming out and Sheila reverting back to her human form. The issue culminates in Ash popping the question to Sheila and setting up the “Ash Gets Hitched” event coming in July.
The art by Nacho Tenorio suits the story and captures the world of Army Of Darkness nicely. Steve Niles is no stranger to horror having written the acclaimed series 30 Days Of Night and he does a great job with the character. Ash seems like an easy character to write but the temptation to fill his speech with all catch phrases and no substance proves too great for some writers. Granted, Ash as written by Sam Raimi and acted by Bruce Campbell is quite a clown but he never feels one dimensional. Luckily in Niles hands he never does either.
The Evil Dead films and the character of Ash are beloved by a certain audience. Those that consider themselves part of that audience should consider picking up Ash And The Army Of Darkness #8.