• The Army of Darkness vs Reanimator #1 cover
    The Army of Darkness vs Reanimator: Necronomicon Rising #1
    Writer:
    Erik Burnham
    Artist:
    Eman Cassallos
    Letterer:
    Troy Peteri
    Cover Artist:
    Tony Fleecs
    Publisher:
    Dynamite
    Price:
    $3.99
    Release Date:
    2022-07-13
    Colorist:
    Jorge Sutil

The 1980s were a ghoulishly glorious time for horror comedy, especially with the releases of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead and Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator. Decades later, Dynamite is bringing back Ash Williams and Dr. Herbert West as well as all their undead friends in a grisly new series. The Army of Darkness Vs. Reanimator: Necronomicon Rising #1 by writer Erik Burnham, artist Eman Cassallos, colorist Jorge Sutil, and letterer Troy Peteri fires up the chainsaw and lets the good times (and heads) roll.

The first issue of this miniseries kicks off with an archeological discovery. A human head is found in Scotland and sent to Miskatonic University, where a certain Dr. West resides. Considering his desire to play Dr. Frankenstein with anything that could be classified as maggot food, this is bad news. Elsewhere, a young woman meets with Ash at a diner and tries to recruit him for a mission, telling him all about the return of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis. Ash is reluctant since he's had more than his fair share of misadventures with pesky Deadites.

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reanimator with a syringe

Burnham leans into the comedic side of this story. It carries much of the same tone as the recent Ash vs Evil Dead television series, never being afraid to pull the camera back to show that things aren't as scary as its premise might suggest. A reanimated severed head isn't exactly something that we stumble upon every day, but a sense of humor sure does make it more palatable. The strongest parts of the issue are the scenes that focus on Ash, who never fails to be entertaining in his typical abrasive way. On paper, Dr. West should be Ash's worst nightmare, so it should be curious to see how these two fare when they finally come face to face.

Cassallos brings a playful style to the illustrations of The Army of Darkness Vs. Reanimator: Necronomicon Rising #1. Even though the undead lumber into the panels and there's a tiny bit of gore, the artist manages to stray away from turning this into the sort of book that'll give children nightmares. Instead, the art matches the tone of the story, leaning more into comedy rather than horror.

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Ash learns about the necronomicon

Sutil follows suit with bold and vibrant color choices. The undead and its infinite armies of darkness are normally renowned for being opaque and grimy, but the colorist avoids this gloomy aesthetic altogether. Sutil brings out a lively color scheme for the action here. Peteri brings the same flair to the lettering. There's a playfulness to the sound effects and dialog that brings these pages alive in much the same way that Dr. West revives the dead.

The Army of Darkness Vs. Reanimator: Necronomicon Rising #1 isn't the first time that Ash and Dr. West have crossed paths in the comic book world; however, it feels like it. There's a distinctive '80s feel to the story that should tickle the horror-comedy sensibilities of fans of both franchises. To quote Ash: it's groovy.