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Ash Vs. The Classic Monsters is a four-part storyline published in issues eight through eleven of Dynamite Entertainment's first volume of their ongoing Army of Darkness series. During it's initial release as single issues, the story was referred to as "Ash Vs. Dracula" on the credits page, then later as "Ash Vs. The Monsters" in solicitations for the trade paperback release.

Teased at the end of the previous arc (Old School #7), the story serves as a direct sequel to Dynamite's Monster War miniseries from 2005.

Synopsis[]

Gazing down at the bustling metropolis of New York City, Dracula begins to plot his next attempt at seizing power over this unfamiliar century he now finds himself in. Taking off into the night in the form of a bat, Dracula travels the world and begins to assemble an army of monsters to aid him in his conquest (finding Werewolves in Romania, Frankenstein's Monster in a church, and Evil Ash with a slew of mummies in Egypt).

One week later, Ash Williams and Sugarbaby arrive in the Big Apple to investigate a "Vampire Virus" spreading across the city. After witnessing a swarm of bats attack pedestrians out in the streets, the pair pull up to a restaurant to grab a quick bite before heading off to fight evil. Just as Ash is getting ready to eat his greasy burger, an old man enters the establishment, asking if Ash is indeed "The Chosen One". The stranger introduces himself as Doctor Hieronymus Von Heinrich, an archeologist, demonologist, and fellow monster hunter. Von Heinrich explains that he has searched the world for The Chosen One, and that Ash must find the only weapon that is capable of killing Dracula. Before the doctor can elaborate any further, a gang of vampires break through the restaurant's window looking for Ash.

Gathering his Boomstick and chainsaw, Ash takes several swipes and shots at the gang's leader, only to quickly discover his brute force approach of not effective against them. Von Heinrich tells him that silver, crosses, wooden stakes, and beheading are the only way to dispose of them. One by one, Ash manages to use a variety of improvised weapons (ex. his silver belt buckle, wooden sporks) to take down the bloodsuckers. As Ash finishes off the last of the gang members, he notices their leader behind Sugarbaby, who then proceeds to bit her in the neck and takes off into the night sky. Angered, Ash turns to Von Heinrich, now willing to listen to the old man's explanation on what is going on. Von Heinrich relays the origin of Dracula, who was once the brutal Transylvanian warlord Vlad Tepes. During the 1400s, the wife of Tepes had killed herself during pregnancy, having finally grown tired of her husband's actions. Tepes was enraged by his wife's death, and took his anger out on villages across the land. One night, Tepes had pleaded for God to return the soul of his beloved to him, only for his cry to be answered by a demon posing as an angel. While the demon "gifted" Tepes with immortality and an unquenchable bloodlust (coming at the price of his soul), his wife was not resurrected, which only infuriated the creature now known as Dracula even more.

When the story is finished, Von Heinrich shows Ash a copy of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis in his possession, and states that the two must travel back in time and recover the artifact which has the potential to kill Dracula permanently. After Ash is given a change of clothes (to help him blend into Transylvania circa 1599), the time portal opens and the pair arrive in a forest, only to land right in the middle of a pack of Werewolves. Like his prior battle with vampire gang, Ash tries to use his chainsaw and Boomstick, but once again they have no effect on these creatures. One injured wolf suddenly springs up from the ground, biting Ash on the neck. Before the other Werewolves can attack once more, several arrows fired by an unseen archer fly through the air, killing the beasts almost instantly. In the midst of the chaos, a monk emerges from behind a tree, approaching Ash and Von Heinrich. As the monk (named Brother Finnegan) and Von Heinrich converse about "The Daughter of The Dragon", Ash begins to turn into a werewolf himself. Before the wolf-Ash can do any harm, the woman who disposed of the other werewolves, makes her presence known.

This mysterious woman is Eva, the daughter of Dracula. Brother Finnegan, realizing that Eva is extremely close to killing this last remaining beast, realizes that Ash is The Chosen One, and warns her not to kill him. Using a potion, Eva cures Ash and turns him human once more. Eva is initially angered by Ash's "ungratefulness" for saving him, leaving Brother Finnegan to explain her actions and behavior. Continuing from where Von Heinrich left off on Dracula's origin, Finnegan reveals that the demon that tricked Tepes did hold up it's end of the bargain, reviving Vlad's wife long enough for her to give birth to the child she was pregnant with. This child was Eva, who was found by Brother Miran of the Rosebud Monastery. As Eva continued to grow, she discovered her ability to see the black influences within an individual and destroy it completely. When Finnegan finishes his story, Eva realizes that the weapon Ash is looking for, the Spike of The Crucifixion, has disappeared. Ash realizes that Von Heinrich is missing too, noticing the old man just in time to watch him disappear into the time vortex.

Ash and Eva give chase, arriving 48 hours after Von Heinrich had returned. Ash looks around to find that New York City is now "New Transylvania", and monsters of all manner roam the chaotic streets. After Ash changes back into his "classic" attire, he and Eva fight their way through hoards of vampires, werewolves, and mummies. Sensing Dracula in one of the high-rise penthouses, Eva tells Ash where they need to go as they barrel through mummies in the Oldsmobile. Their journey is brief, as Evil Ash suddenly appears and yanks his goody little two-shoes counterpart through the windshield. As the clone kicks around The Chosen One, Frankenstein's Monster (calling himself "Michael") arrives and punches a hole straight through Evil Ash's chest. Realizing that Eva has disappearance after Evil Ash attacked, Ash is knocked unconscious by Michael and taken straight to Dracula's tower.

Both Dracula and Von Heinrich are quick to see through Michael's scheme, sending their surrounding soldiers to attack. After Ash comes to, he joins the fight, only to become sidetracked upon seeing Sugarbaby (now a vampire "Bride of Dracula" herself). Eva crashes through the penthouse window, grabbing the Spike of The Crucifixion from Ash to attack Dracula head-on. She stabs her father square in the chest, and his monster army begins to burn from the purifying light emitting from the wound. With the spike still wedged deep within Dracula, him and Eva stumble out the window and plummet to the street below. Michael then uses a spell from the Necronomicon that uses a portion of Ash's soul to completely cleanse Sugarbaby of her vampire curse. With Dracula dead the monster army destroyed, Michael warns Ash that now he and Sugarbaby are more susceptible to evil's attacks than ever before, and perhaps it's best that Ash lay low for awhile. Ash agrees as the monster walks away, saying "See you 'round... Michael."

Cover Gallery[]

Virgin Covers[]

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Trivia[]

  • Mr. Hyde (based on his appearance in Monster War) appears on Giuseppe Camuncoli's cover for issue eight, but is not featured at any point in the story itself.
  • Tony Moore's cover for issue eight is a recycled image from a pitch both himself and writer Robert Kirkman were putting together for an Evil Dead comic series in the early 2000s. Anchor Bay Entertainment, who had control over the home video distribution rights of all three Evil Dead films at the time, had misrepresented themselves as the owners of the entire franchise to Kirkman and Moore (who were unaware that each film was owned by a different studio) in order to get free artwork for their DVD promotional material. The comic never materialized and Moore was never compensated for his work until several years later, when Dynamite approached him about using one of his images for the cover of issue eight.
  • When the series was collected in a trade paperback (then later in the Army of Darkness Omnibus Volume 2), pages and dialog which recapped the previous issues were absent.
  • Earl Hickey, the title character of the television series My Name Is Earl (portrayed by actor Jason Lee), appears as one of the civilians attacked by bats in issue eight.
  • Issue ten mistakenly says that Ash and Von Heinrich traveled back in time to 1499, while Von Heinrich states in the previous issue that they were going to 1599.

Continuity Notes[]

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