Writer: Tony Fleecs
Artist: Pop Mhan
Colorist: Brad Simpson
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Cover Artists: Bjorn Barends, Arthur Suydam, Tony Fleecs & Chris Burnham
Publisher: Dynamite Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: June 26, 2024
Ash’s adventures in 2093 have taken him across the Atlantic and back again. The hologram of Lord Arthur's Wiseman has vanished, and the scattered pages of the Necronomicon Ex Mortis have turned into two copies of the book and a cute demon baby. Can Ash prevent the apocalypse when he travels back to 1993? Let's grab our shotguns and chainsaws, leap into Army Of Darkness Forever #9, and find out!
Story
Ash didn't realize that the magic words were the names of the three copies of the Necronomicon. He nicknames Klaatu “Sucky” as it sucks people into portals. He nicknames Barada “Bitey” as the book bound in Human skin bites people with its blood-stained incisors. Ash still isn’t sure why the baby chants “Nikto." Nor does he know why the final Necronomicon has taken demonic infant form. Still, it seems to regard him as its chainsaw-wielding daddy, so Ash cradles it against his chest like a proud father.
In Army Of Darkness Forever #9, Sucky transports Ash to London in 1993. But before Ash can grab a pint in a pub and a bartender can order him to leave the droids outside, explosions rock London, and the Deadite army rolls in. Ash wields his laser rifle, the robots start blasting the Deadites, and Nikto cleans up with Sucky. If Ash wonders what he has to fight for, his lady love in 1993 faces a similar predicament. Henry The Red killed her brother, Michael. Ash didn't eat a cursed apple or step into a carbon freezer. Still, thanks to Lord Arthur's Wiseman, he won't awaken until 2093. The Necronomicon has pulled Lord Arthur, his Wiseman, and her people under its spell. But her brother still lives as a Deadite. And Ash also walks the land in Deadite form. Perhaps she can beat the Deadites by continuing to fight alongside her sworn enemy. But would she have more to gain by joining the Deadite side?
In Army Of Darkness Forever #9, Ash confronts his evil self in 1993. Aliens often pitted Captain Kirk against an enemy to see if good would overcome evil or assess the worthiness of the combatants’ claims. At his best, Ash might talk his way into Starfleet Academy. But in Tony Fleecs' story, Ash is tired, frustrated, and disillusioned. Can Ash triumph over his evil self? Like Lady Shiela, what does he have to fight for?
Art
In Army Of Darkness Forever #9, Pop Mhan transforms Ash into Action Man as he fires his laser rifle while punching and kicking Deadites. Ash’s robots fight alongside him, while Nikto laughs as Klaatu sucks skeletons into its pages and Barada chomps on Ash’s shoulder. Big Ben topples onto the Palace Of Westminster as tanks roll alongside the Thames. Deadite soldiers report to Evil Ash while an explosion rocks the streets, returning Ash to the vast labyrinth of sewers, train tunnels, and churches.
Brad Simpson paints the evening sky mauve and purple and stipples orange atop the yellow explosions that topple Big Ben. A green haze rises as Deadites fill the brown streets. Ambient light reflects off the blue robots, while shadows turn the green baby brown. Lady Shiela stands on blue ground beneath a turquoise sky. The surrounding green suggests the forest as the stub of her arm drips vivid red.
Large black uppercase letters inhabit white and colored dialogue balloons and narrative boxes in Army Of Darkness Forever #9. Words grow bold for inflection and enlarge to convey volume. Stylish banners introduce eras, and colored shouts escape dialogue balloons as Ash Vs Evil Ash Season One begins. Troy Peteri’s abundant sound effects help us hear screaming demons, gunfire, explosions, chainsaws, and the ground gives way beneath Ash's feet. Thanks to Dynamite Comics & MGM for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
The Deadites Strike Back as Evil Ash rubs Lady Shiela's dirty (and bloody) arm in the woods and duels with Ash amid the destruction of London in Army Of Darkness Forever #9.
Rating 9.6/10
For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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