Ash and the Army of Darkness is an eight-issue maxiseries published by Dynamite Entertainment from October, 2013 to June, 2014. Written by Steve Niles and featuring art by Dennis Calero and Nacho Tenorio, the series was explicitly advertised by Dynamite as a reboot of their Army of Darkness line in order to attract new readers. Over the next two years, it received two sequel miniseries: Ash Gets Hitched and Ash In Space.
Plot Synopsis[]
Fresh from his adventure in 1300 AD, Ash Williams is back to work at S-Mart, regaling his co-workers with the tale of his triumph over an army of the dead. Just when it seems that things are back to normal, Deadite shoppers begin to emerge from the aisles, and to make matters worse, the building itself has been teleported through time to the Middle Ages. Outside the store stands a much larger undead battalion than the one Ash had previously defeated, now under the command of Lord Arthur's Wise Man (who is now a Deadite himself). The possessed old sage reveals that he has orchestrated Ash's return to their time, as he is in need of his aid to find the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis. Ash refuses, only to be swiftly captured by the Deadites and imprisoned in their castle.
Stories of Ash's return spread rapidly through the countryside, making it's way to the ears of Lord Arthur and his finest knight: Sheila. The medieval maiden recruits the Cult of The Chosen One to aid in a siege on the undead stronghold, which results in a successful rescue. Sheila brings Ash up to speed on what has transpired since his departure seven months prior, that the Wise Man had been seduced by the Necronomicon's dark power and resurrected the army they had previously fought so hard to destroy. Knowing that they haven't got much time before The Wise Man's legion will come looking for them, Ash and Sheila ride through the Dark Forest and arrive at the haunted graveyard where Ash originally found the Book of The Dead the first time.
After finding the true book through trial and error, the two go to leave the cemetery, only for Ash to forget the words once again and create a much bigger problem. A giant Deadite doppelganger of Ash gives chase to the two humans as they race back to Castle Kandar, right into to the middle of a battle between The Wise Man's army and Lord Arthur and Henry The Red's remaining soldiers. Ash tosses the Necronomicon to The Wise Man, who soon learns the hard way that the giant clone is after the book as well. The Wise Man is released of his possession, and the giant Ash is slain by his normal-sized counterpart. Just as it seems like the forces of evil are on the verge of defeat, Sheila is turned into a Deadite once more, taking off into the night and assuming control over what was formerly The Wise Man's undead legion.
Following a night of resting and recovering from the siege at the castle, Ash goes alone to find Sheila and her army. As he rides through the Dark Forest, he stumbles across a magical hidden garden called "The Grove", protected by a young witch named Sulevia. With the aid of a hallucinogenic soup, Sulevia helps Ash unlock a long-repressed memory from his childhood, one where he encountered an evil old hag who claimed to know the sent of his soul. Sulevia explains that the Deadite spirit which possessed the old woman in the future is the same spirit which possesses Sheila now, and Ash's actions tonight have affected his "true life" and memories in the future. Before Ash departs, the sorceress warns Ash of The Faceless Man, a monster that could bring with him a permanent darkness if his name is spoken three times, and allow the Deadites to roam 24/7.
It isn't long until Sheila, the resurrected Giant Ash, and her army find The Grove. The human Ash fights his larger double and slices him in half, and manages to take Sheila hostage. After a one-on-one fight with her, Ash drags the Deadite Sheila into the purifying rays of the morning sun, exorcising the spirit from her body.
With the army of Deadites retreating back into the woods, Ash and Sheila wash off the blood and guts they've accumulated from their battle. Ash then confesses his feelings for Sheila have grown stronger since his last visit, which prompts him to proposes to her, promising to stay here in the Middle Ages now that he's been knighted by Arthur and Henry. Sheila responds with an enthusiastic yes, and as they ride back to the castle, Ash accidentally speaks the cursed name of The Faceless Man for the third and final time, and a rotting hand emerges from the ground on the trail behind them...
Cover Gallery[]
Main Covers[]
Variant Covers[]
Virgin Covers[]
Trivia[]
- On the first page of issue one, posters for Evil Dead II and The Evil Dead can be seen behind Ash's shoulder.
Continuity Errors[]
- In issue one, Ash says that his car is outside in the S-Mart parking lot. Although it is possible that Ash was referring to a rental car or a newly purchased vehicle, this book's sequel series (Ash Gets Hitched) would reveal that Ash's car had actually been left in 1300 AD.