ARMY OF DARKNESS VS. REANIMATOR: NECRONOMICON RISING #3, from Dynamite Comics on September 14th, 2022, takes a trip Back to the Future as Ash and Dr. West learn what happens when the deadites win and whose responsible for the Earth’s destruction.
The Details
- Written by: Erik Burnham
- Art by: Eman Cassallos
- Colors by: Jorge Sutil
- Letters by: Troy Peteri
- Cover art by: Tony Fleecs (cover A)
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: September 14, 2022
Is It Good?
Well, this is an unexpected turn. Ash and the Necronomicon are no strangers to time travel, but this is the first time we’ve seen the Chosen One venture into full post-apocalyptic sci-fi mode. Does that mean ARMY OF DARKNESS VS. REANIMATOR: NECRONOMICON RISING #3 has gone off the rails? No, not at all. This is still a banger of an issue that ventures more into sci-fi than horror, and the results are intriguing.
Burnham brings Ashy, Wyrdie, Dr. West, and lil’ Evil Ash to a distant future where deadite devastation has ravaged the world. What’s left is controlled by an enigmatic master keenly aware of the group’s arrival. Tonally, the story takes some getting used to because it takes Ash and Dr. West out of their traditional horror element. The plot structure is reminiscent of H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine, with a warning about a future created by choices in the past. If you’re looking for over-the-top gore and monstrosities associated with the titular characters, this issue goes in a different direction.
However, the issue works because Burnham gets the characters right. Ash is as snarky as ever. Dr. West is insufferably selfish to the point of risking the lives of people around him. And the groups’ actions, when faced with danger, fit exactly according to their respective personality type. In short, this issue works because you’re still getting Ash and West as they were meant to be.
Cassallos’s art does the titular characters justice with spot-on actor renderings, plenty of lethal action – some shocking, and great set pieces depicting a devastated Earth.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our ARMY OF DARKNESS VS. REANIMATOR: NECRONOMICON RISING #2 review to find out where the time hopping portals came from.
We begin with Ash, Wyrdie, Dr. West, and lil’ Evil Ash falling out of the sky, courtesy of a supernatural portal that sucked them away in the last issue. The sights and sounds look like Arkham, but Ash quickly deduces they’re in another time. As soon as Ash realizes whose with them, he attacks lil’ Evil Ash only to force the malicious imp to escape into the city streets.
Suddenly, deadites begin breaking through the asphalt and charging the group. They run for it, but quickly find themselves cornered down a dead-end alley. Out of ammo and options, Ash and the rest prepare for the worst.
Just as the deadites leap to attack, they’re gunned down with energy weapons wielded by armored soldiers. The soldiers claim to be sent by the Master to escort the team to their headquarters. The Master has been expecting the group, and we soon find out how and why. We conclude the issue with a possible future, a tempting offer, and a splinter in time.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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ARMY OF DARKNESS VS. REANIMATOR: NECRONOMICON RISING #3 is a genre-bending take on Ash and Dr. West that leans into sci-fi more than horror for the latest leg of this adventure. The characters’ voices and actions remain intact, so there’s an intriguing novelty to this chapter.
Related Information
Is Army of Darkness scary?
That depends. If you’re scared by an army of skeletons, disfigured demons, and gruesome violence, regardless of the level of humor involved, it’s scary. For everyone else, Army of Darkness is more comedic than the two preceding films combined.
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