Army of Darkness #4 Review

Will Ash’s continuous dance with the Necronomicon ever end? Or is his fate to rinse and repeat this endless battle? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

Trapped on a space station 200 miles above Earth, Ash is once again hounded by the demons of the Army of Darkness. This time, the forces of darkness have set their sights on a complete takeover of the planet Earth. But Ash has other ideas – ideas that involve a little heavy metal robotic mayhem of his own!

The latest Army of Darkness series reaches what appears to be it’s penultimate issue, and though I’ve given mixed opinions surrounding “Ash in Space,” I have to admit that I’m rather disappointed to see the series end completely. This also leads to the question of the franchises future at Dynamite, as with no solicits following next months final chapter, there may no longer be a home for Ash. Putting that to one side, the events in this issue manage to generate great atmosphere, leading nicely into the final chapter of “Ash in Space.”

Cullen Bunn may have left me in two minds when it comes to the choice of moving the saga of Ash and the Army of Darkness into space, but that hasn’t stopped him from capturing the sheer essence of this beloved character. That’s no different in this latest chapter, as though I have to side with Evil Ash when it comes to differentiating between heavy metal and glam rock, the tone in which Ash handles this exchange feels natural at all times. Despite this, I did feel that the narrative of this issue was a huge set-up to next months finale, as though the comical dialogue was appealing, there was very little in the way of moving this story forward.

Larry Watts‘ fascinating artwork always seems to allure, as though the rough edging on the facial expressions can be a little jarring, the energetic layout captivates at every panel. He also continues to capture the likeness of Bruce Campbell‘s Ash Williams brilliantly, as though the aforementioned facial expressions take away slightly from this, there’s enough to distinguish this cult icon. The colours of Aikau Oliva also enhanced the gritty tone of this tale, with the dark textures and vivid explosions standing out.

Army of Darkness continues to be a great continuation to this fantastic franchise, as though the concept is one that still divides me, the character depth and comic timing proves extremely entertaining. The battle between Ash and his evil counterpart, and the dialogue shared also adds to the humorous tone, as though there is little progression plot wise, the issue is certainly fun.