Brace yourselves, because two of Bruce Campbell‘s most-iconic characters are about to meet in the upcoming Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep series from Dynamite Entertainment.
You read that correctly. Thanks to the creative team of Scott Duvall and Vincenzo Federici, Ash Williams and Elvis Presley are going to serve as tag team partners against the dead!
By chance you are one of the unfortunate souls that has yet to partake in the awesome that is a Campbell flick, here’s a brief synopsis of each of his films. Army of Darkness is the third installment in the Evil Dead franchise and, again, tells the story of Ash, a grocery store employee and part-time undead slayer, that is transported back to 1300 A.D., where he must lead the charge against an army of the dead and retrieve the Necronomicon (Book of the Dead), so he can return home to his own time. In Bubba Ho-Tep, the ‘true’ story of what really happened to Elvis Presley is told as an elderly resident who resides in Texas, who switched identities with an imposter. He had the intention of switching back his identity, but missed the chance. He teams up with a neighbor, who thinks that he is actually President John F. Kennedy, to take on an evil Egyptian entity, which has chosen their care facility as its hunting ground.
That is where Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep picks up. Ash embarks on a soul-searching road trip to Texas under the assumption that Elvis is alive (and supposedly also vanquished a mummy). What ensues is a series of universe-spanning events that include an Elvis jumpsuit with time-traveling capabilities, a trip to Vegas in the 1970s and an all-new Book of the Dead, called, The Necronomicon Ho-Tep!
“Often viewing them in close succession, I knew the Ash and Elvis team-up would go together like peanut butter and banana,” Said Duvall. “These two worlds already fit so well together in tone, it made it totally plausible that they could co-exist on the same plane. Wanting to see what it would be like if Ash and Elvis interact is a big part of what sparked this, and so I’m thrilled we’ll get to finally see that in these pages.”
Dynamite first published Army of Darkness back in 2004 and has continued its canon for over 14 years. Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic-Blood Suckers was released this year, in May, via IDW Publishing, from the mind of the creator of the character, Joe R. Lansdale.
“This crossover is definitely a no-brainer, especially with Ash involved, Dynamite CEO and Publisher Nick Barrucci said. “Seriously though, when this idea was discussed with our friends at IDW, we all agreed that this would be one of the grooviest crossovers that we could do together! This is a cult classic comic in the making and fans of both franchises are going to love where this story goes.”
Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep #1 will deliver a bevy of variant covers, giving fans and retailers the opportunity to collect an entire set. The series is set to debut in February of 2019, but look for the first issue to be solicited in the December 2018 previews catalog by Diamond Comic Distributors.
Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ December 2018 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in February 2019. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies of Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep with their local comic book retailers in advance of release, so they can be sure to get one.
You might have also heard that Army of Darkness is also getting a tabletop board game. If not, more information about that HERE.
Do you hate the fact that there won’t be an Ash vs Evil Dead Season 4? Are you excited to see these two legendary Campbell characters collide in the comic pages? Let us know in the comments section below.
