Writer: Tony Fleecs
Artist: Justin Greenwood
Colorist: Brad Simpson
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Cover Artists: Francesco Mattina, Arthur Suydam, Tony Fleecs & Nick Dragotta
Publisher: Dynamite Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 27, 2023
Lady Sheila discovers Ash Williams didn’t banish the Evil Dead in 1300 A.D. Evil Ash replaced him at S-Mart in 1993. Ash battles evil robots in 2093! How did all this happen, and what links the three time periods? Let's leap into Army Of Darkness Forever #3 and find out!
Story
In 1300, Ash united warring factions to drive away the Deadites. But he didn’t destroy them all. When Lady Sheila senses their presence, she rides into the haunted forest to investigate. She discovers the Army Of Darkness rebuilding its strength. But can she escape and warn her people?
Sure, Ash recited the incantation like Lord Arthur's wizard taught him. Okay, maybe he didn't say every tiny syllable. Still, it was close enough, right? Wrong! Now Evil Ash works in Housewares at S-Mart. If a few customers go missing, who’s going to complain?
In the Army Of Darkness Director’s Cut, Ash drank a potion. He was supposed to awaken in 1993. Instead, Ash overslept. Hey, what's an extra century, right? Unfortunately, his dead ringer at S-Mart found a way to spread his evil worldwide. Thus, Ash awoke to a Robot Apocalypse!
In Army Of Darkness Forever #3, Sheila escapes the Deadites thanks to Henry The Red. But the old divisions remain. Without Ash to lead the Humans, who will unite the rival factions? In 1993, Evil Ash fights his urges to slay everyone who ventures into the store. Evil Ash has a plan but needs time to complete his preparations. A century later, tiny robots surround Ash. Via a hologram, Lord Arthur's wise man says the Necronomicon is Ash's only hope to return to his own time. But before he can recite the time-travel incantation, Ash must retrieve the book. That may prove more difficult than last time.
Army Of Darkness Forever #3 speaks to the realities of life in the Middle Ages. It reminds readers of the age when Big Hair Bands ruled the airwaves and digital comics came on compact discs. It thrives on fears about artificial intelligence that seem more probable now than thirty years ago. Most importantly, Tony Fleecs's exhilarating story channels the wacky fun of the cult classic film.
Art
Justin Greenwood imbues characters with verve and personality. Their zany appearance matches the insane humor of Sam Raimi's movie. Deadites fly after Lady Shiela on batwings. Armored knights slash through skulls. Evil Ash waits on customers returning unwanted items while daydreaming of slaughtering them. Bearded Ash watches a hand-sized six-limbed droid project the wizard’s face in a stream of light until an enemy emerges from a sea of destruction.
Brad Simpson applies a full palette of bright, appealing colors to pages in Army Of Darkness Forever #3. Blues and purples fill night skies, and red backgrounds energize closeups. Gray shades Ash's ruined future as a burnt orange sky contrasts with a turquoise hologram. Light blue dominates S-Mart scenes, with Evil Ash’s shirt matching backgrounds. Red plays a secondary role until Bad Ash's daydreams begin!
Troy Peteri conjures large black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons. The wizard speaks via blue dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Bug Droid announcements appear as red uppercase words in yellow boxes. Sound effects enliven the action, whether a character slaps someone’s face or a chainsaw sunders flesh and bone.
Final Thoughts
One-time allies don’t make long-term friends, the accessibility of the home computer makes apocalypse possible, and an antihero must do something he hates to save the world in Army Of Darkness Forever #3.
Rating 9.4/10
To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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