Two classic cult horror icons from Army of Darkness and Re-Animator are about to take on each other in a massive horror comic mash-up. Ash Williams from the iconic Evil Dead series will be facing off against Herbert West in a summerlong battle that's sure to be one for the ages.
Ash Williams is the antihero best known for Evil Dead and Army of Darkness where he battles undead creatures known as Deadites. Herbert West, however, is a bit more obscure as he comes from an 80s film starring Stuart Gordon based on an H.P. Lovecraft story. He's a scientist who concocts a mysterious substance that raises things from the dead. Seeing how these two have a connection with the undead, it might be surprising to see that they're finally fighting each other. The thing is though, this actually isn't their first encounter. The upcoming comic crossover will actually be a sequel to 2006's Army of Darkness vs. Re-Animator. In this story, Herbert West is much more cynical and eviler than his film and literary counterparts, causing Ash to have to face a more maniacal version of the character. When West uses Evil Dead's incredibly powerful Necronomicon in his experiments and unleashes the Deadites once more, Ash must hunt him down and stop the evil from spreading worldwide. This was a comic crossover that ran for four issues and was published by Dynamite Comics.
Now, the two are about to face off in the rematch of the decade in Dynamite's exciting press release. The Army of Darkness vs. Re-Animator: Necronomicon Rising, from Erik Burnham and Eman Casallos, is going to kick things off this July with an immediate jump into the action. According to Dynamite, the story will begin when "an archaeological dig unexpectedly unveils an important artifact from the world of Army of Darkness." It's currently unknown what the item is--perhaps the Necronomicon again or the Kandarian Dagger--but the bad news is "it ends up in the absolute worst hands possible-the mad, truly mad Dr. Herbert West." This already sets up an interesting conflict as Ash has to take on West again to save humanity from the threat of the Deadites. Knowing West's Lovecraftian roots, however, it's also possible that Ash could be taking his battle to cosmic levels as well. There are not much further plot details for what this crossover sequel has in store, but Dynamite promises it will "feature plenty of excitement, Deadite action, and glowing reanimation serum!"
Fans of both franchises have more than enough reason to celebrate the upcoming comic crossover. The famous Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash embraces Army of Darkness' absurdity, so there is already proof that a wild horror comic crossover like this can work. Additionally, it just makes sense to pit Ash against Herbert West, as the two are diametrically opposed in many ways. Additionally, the Necronomicon was created by H.P. Lovecraft, so making that evil tomb the story's focus in some way makes a lot of sense.
This is certainly going to be a crossover that can't be missed. For fans that haven't had the opportunity to read the original story, no need to worry! Dynamite has announced that a reprint of the original arc is coming right in time for the upcoming comic. Since this looks like the ultimate battle between Ash Williams and Herbert West, it looks like this will be the horror mash-up comic of the decade.
Look for Army of Darkness Vs. Re-Animator when it hits shelves in July!
Source: Dynamite Entertainment