Army Of Darkness:
Furious Road #6
Written by Nancy A. Collins
Art by Kewber Baal
Lettered by Schimerys Baal
Colored by Simon Bowland
Ash,
Michael (Frankenstein’s Monster), and Eva (Daughter of Dracula) hold fast in a
Buddhist temple, attempting to prepare a ritual from the Necronomicon Ex Mortis
to end the Deadite threat on Earth for good. There are two slight problems,
though. First, Dracula has arrived, though badly injured from stepping onto the
temple’s sacred ground. Second, Evil Ash’s army of deadites has surrounded the
temple and outnumber our heroes by a vast margin, despite having their own army
of highly trained monks. The final battle’s about to get groovy.
I
admit, I was a little disappointed when I realized this was more of a Mad Max
pastiche featuring Army of Darkness than an actual crossover. The logistics of
such an event would boggle the mind by itself. However, I commend Nancy A.
Collins for pulling off perhaps the closest approximation of the premise that
one could conceive. It is Mad Max-ish in style, if nothing else. The heroes
drive around in souped up cars and even Ash’s battle wagon makes an appearance.
It’s also post-apocalyptic in nature, with society breaking down not because of
gas shortages or unrest but by demons basically running amok because of some
big-chinned doofus.
This
final issue brings a rip-roaring blood-soaked adventure to a thrill-ride
conclusion. The artwork from Kewber Baal breathes life into this battle of the
dead with each hit and shove given weight. Each expression showcasing emotions
appropriately, from Eva’s determination tainted with uncertainty, to Dracula’s
disgust at the possibility of Michael and Eve being together, to even Ash
practically shipping them right in her father’s face. The action is intense and
gory like any Army of Darkness story should be. But there’s also something
humorous about Dracula giving a “King of The Vampires” speech while poking out
a deadite’s eyes.
The
interactions with the characters stays consistent and tight throughout the
story. Dracula’s consternation and outrage at Evil Ash’s slaying of his brides
and Ash’s impudence when they fight over who gets to kill their common foe is a
nice treat in itself. He is a serious threat, but he’s never so serious as to
make the story one-sided, seeing as he’s been on Holy ground the entire issue
and smoldering to near death as a result. By the time of the climax, Dracula
does his best to do right by his daughter and Ash once again finds his fate
tied to the Necronomicon in a manner that leaves many things, to coin a phrase,
up in the air.
Perhaps,
throughout this whole story, the one interaction I found myself drawn to the
most was Michael and Eva. It’s clear they care about each other and have a
shared passion for monster slaying. On top of that, they just look so damned
cute together. I’d have gladly followed a series with just those two trying to
save the last vestiges of humanity in a monster-ridden world. If there is such
a series and I don’t know about it, I’d love to be pointed in its direction.
Despite
the Necronomicon being a plot point as well as Evil Ash being the main villain
of the story, Ash, himself, is mostly here as a body to spout one-liners and
because it’s the Necronomicon Ex Mortis involved in more bloody shenanigans. He
is The Chosen One and it shows through clearly with his aptitude for killing
screwheads and battling Evil Ash. It’s a decent continuation of the story, for
certain, and I am curious as to where Ash goes from here, but overall he seems
like an add-on even though the story features him prominently.
Army of
Darkness: Furious Road #6 is a fun and enjoyable entry into the Evil Dead/Army
of Darkness franchise of stories with good, solid art and an action-packed
story with interesting side characters and Ash being the groovy god of
blundering badassery that we all know and love.
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