Army of Darkness: Convention Invasion (One-Shot) Review

Is this Convention based one-shot something that fans should buy? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

Ash Williams has been to hell and back, lost the woman he loved, and battled his evil clone – but despite all these trials, nothing can prepare him for… The Terror of the Comic Con! When a cosplay sorcerer takes his role-playing a little too far, Ash has to team up with a trio of comic readers to save the con – and New York City – from a Deadite invasion!

New York Comic Con is just around the corner, and what better way for attendee’s to get in the mood than with an Army of Darkness based comic set around the Con. Having a very charming tone that fits naturally around the world of the Evil Dead, this extra-sized one-shot is something that existing fans will enjoy, also being the perfect way for new fans to get an insight into this amazing franchise.

Michael Moreci gives us a wonderful self contained story that is thoroughly enjoyable throughout, giving us a rather unique take on the chainsaw wielding fan favourite. It is however the way Moreci manages to merge the world of the Evil Dead with the fan base it’s generated that really captured my interest, with this subtle breakage of the fourth wall being used in a very effective way. Despite this I did feel the issue tried a little too hard to achieve this goal, and though ultimately it does, there are a couple of weird moments along the way.

The artwork alone makes this comic worth buying, with Brent Peeples‘ visuals being astonishing throughout. Despite some panels being a little underwhelming, the detail throughout this issue is generally to a very high standard, with the energetic layouts giving a fluid flow to the events. Peeples also manages to capture the likeness of Bruce Campbell’s Ash in a way that isn’t overly uncanny, allowing for a unique and universal look to the story. Rounding things off we also get sleek colours from Alex Guimarães, with his textured style giving a gritty overtone to Peeples art.

Army of Darkness: Convention Invasion is the perfect one-shot for Evil Dead and Ash fans, with the charming tale merging the world of fiction and reality together brilliantly. It also manages to give a wonderful convention vibe that will have NYCC attendee’s more excited for the Convention. Highly recommended.