Last Wednesday saw the launch of the first issue of the “Ash Gets Hitched” Army of Darkness mini series. This takes place in the new, retconned Army of Darkness series, written by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre, Simon Dark).
For one, I am going to be upfront; I am wholly against the retcon. It erased from ongoing stories the existence of such tales as the time Ash met Herbert West, fought Dracula, tangled with the Marvel Zombies, and the team up I had demanded for years when he joined forces with Cassie Hack from Hack/Slash (that mini series being the last story ever written for the old ongoing series which ran for almost a decade through three volumes and a score of other mini series and one shots).
But time moves ever forward and I guess the folks over at Dynamite thought it was time for a change. So they rebooted the series and put it in the hands of Niles. That latter part I can at least get behind. The man’s a genius. In this series, Ash never leaves the middle ages. He stays to wipe out the deadites for good… and to stay with Sheila. And that lead up to this mini series, the first mini series of the retcon.
Ash has decided to push things forward and actually marry Sheila. But things are not all well. There is a new danger, something that even terrifies the deadites. A lone creature, 10 ft tall, wades through two joined armies, killing them all and skinning them. It’s up to Ash, Sheila, and the Wiseman to find out what is going on.
The first issue in this mini series is decent. The art is a little bland for my taste, but the writing is solid. The dialogue is pretty true to Ash, I feel. But his actions aren’t. The whole premise seems way off mark. Womanizing Ash getting married? This is the guy who hit on a new girl within 24 hours of killing and burying his demon possessed girlfriend. Ok, yes, we see him take on a more mature attitude as the films go on. He starts taking responsibility for his actions. But he never stops being a bumbling ladies man. I read story with him written that way for the past decade, don’t expect that to just go away, Niles!
All of that said, the action is great. And that aforementioned creature is a sight to behold! I will follow the story to its course, even if it is begrudgingly, casting a glance over my shoulder at better times occasionally.
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