Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Jim Terry
Colorist: Carlos Badilla
Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Editor: Joe Rybandt
Cover Artists: Bjorn Barends, Tim Seeley, Tom Raney & Nikkol Jelenic,
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Price: $4.99
Release Date: August 6, 2025
Ash Williams traveled back in time to reunite with his beloved Sheila. Instead, he awakened in the Hyborian Age. Once again, the Necronomicon Ex Mortis created an Army Of Darkness. General Lanses hired Red Sonja to slay the Deadites infesting the land. Can Ash and Sonja reclaim the Necronomicon before Kulan Gath leads the Nemedian Deadite army in a recruitment drive across the Hyborian world? Let’s grab our swords and chainsaws, leap into Red Sonja Vs The Army Of Darkness #4, and see!
Story
Ash Williams is a haunted man. He lost his girlfriend Linda to the Necronomicon. Ash failed to return to Shiela in 1300 AD. But despite his confidence and swagger, he has slept through too many centuries in confined spaces. So, as he fights to prevent anyone else from falling prey to the Deadite curse, Ash battles claustrophobia in Red Sonja Vs The Army Of Darkness #4.
Red Sonja is a haunted woman. She pledged her life to defending the innocent and weak after villains slew her family. Yet when Kulan Gath turned children into Deadites, she had to kill them instead of protecting them. In Tim Seeley’s story, Red Sonja hides her blackening arm beneath a long leather glove. Her bond with the goddess Scathach has helped her fight off the Deadite transformation up to now. But Red Sonja knows that eventually, the evil flowing through her veins will transform her into what she abhors.
After completing his Army Of Darkness Forever run, Tony Fleecs hands his Kandarian quill to his former Local Man cowriter. Tim Seeley divides the point of view between Ash, Red Sonja, and Kulan Gath. Along with all the action, Tim Seeley increases the drama with a deeply flawed villain. By hinting at Kulan Gath's earlier trauma, readers understand the sorcerer’s desperation for omnipotence, even if they cannot condone Gath’s actions.
Art
Carlos Badilla shows Ash holding his beloved Sheila surrounded by yellow and orange. He marries memories of Ash attacking Deadites against a blue background with Red Sonja leaping into the fray beneath a blue night sky. Greenery surrounds the heroes as they journey toward Kulan Gath’s castle. But like Saruman, brown land without a trace of green foliage surrounds his fortress. Clutching the Necronomicon, Kulan Gath his forces from his throne in a high tower in Red Sonja Vs The Army Of Darkness #4.
Jim Terry delivers a folksy art style that, like Ash’s humor, softens the tone of Red Sonja Vs The Army Of Darkness #4. Scenes evoke the 1992 movie as Kulan Gath clutches the Necronomicon surrounded by burning torches. Red Sonja’s strategy draws on another fantasy icon while showing her concern for her unwilling helper. Another nod to Sam Raimi’s classic shows Ash using his superior knowledge to aid their cause. Yet when Red Sonja’s resistance to the Deadite infection weakens, Jim Terry switches to a glamorous, pinup style to peek inside the She-Devil’s mind.
Jeff Eckleberry casts uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. The letters swell for volume, grow bold for intonation, and shrink for lowered voices. Each letter O carries a period at its center among elegant words intended for Red Sonja’s ears alone. Sound effects help us hear slashing swords, death cries, roaring chainsaws, and explosions that rock the Hyborian Age. Thanks to Dynamite Entertainment for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
As Ash strives to put his past behind him, he wonders if he can trust his bikini-clad Hyrkanian teammate. Red Sonja must bear the weight of the world to save the weak and defenseless in Red Sonja Vs The Army Of Darkness #4. And Kulan Gath admits to a character flaw that makes him a powerful man with a weak soul.
Rating 9.2/10
For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
