Dynamite Entertainment has been in the business of publishing comic books inspired by Sam Raimi’s horror comedy classic Army of Darkness (a sequel to The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II) for over twenty years now, and along the way they have had Army of Darkness hero Ash Williams meet up with a whole lot of other previously established characters in crossover stories. That includes the Marvel Zombies, Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, the Re-Animator Herbert West, Darkman, Xena: Warrior Princess, Danger Girl, Vampirella, the characters from the comic book Hack/Slash, the band KISS, and even Elvis Presley, as played by Bruce Campbell (who also plays Ash in the Evil Dead franchise) in Bubba Ho-Tep. Now, it has been announced that another crossover is in the works: Archie and the Army of Darkness!
This crossover is part of a new multi-title deal for a slate of blockbuster pop culture collaborations between Dynamite Entertainment and Archie Comics, companies that previously worked together on Red Sonja and Vampirella Meet Betty and Veronica. Here’s the set-up: The idyllic town of Riverdale has faced all manner of unexpected guests and multiversal threats, but never quite like this. In the forthcoming comic book series, Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and the rest of the gang will battle the source of all evil as the Army of Darkness and the Necronomicon lay siege to the Town with Pep. Lucky for them, the one and only Ash Williams, equipped with his trademark wit and boomstick, is along for the ride as they beat back the monstrous hordes . . . or die trying.
Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante provided the following statement: “Ash Williams has seen it all: demonic forces, time travel, monstrous doppelgängers. But Ash might be in for his toughest battle yet: fighting a horde of deadites alongside a group of teenagers! Thankfully, Archie and his friends are no strangers to the undead. And we couldn’t be more excited for everyone to see what madness will ensue when these two horror icons collide!” Dynamite CEO and Publisher Nick Barrucci added, “It’s always a blast to collaborate with other titans of the industry. We’re excited to be back in business with Archie and the whole Riverdale crew, cooking up some exciting stories and more for fans. Leading off with the franchise that started it all for us at Dynamite was the perfect choice.“
What do you think of the idea of this crossover? Will you be reading Archie and the Army of Darkness? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
