Darkman Vs Army of Darkness Comic Shop News Article (2006)

The following is a transcription of an article originally written by Cliff Biggers appearing in Comic Shop News #991 from June, 2006. It is presented here for easier online access and historical preservation. Minor spelling mistakes from the original print article have been corrected here.

Darkman/Army of Darkness Brights Dynamite's Summer Schedule

    You gotta give the guys at Dynamite Entertainment credit--they are the champs when it comes to surprising crossover lineups. Ash and Re-Animator... Red Sonja and Claw... and now, the most surprising of all: Darkman Vs. The Army of Darkness, a crossover that involves two licensed properties--one of which is making its Dynamite premiere with this crossover limited series!

    And the stars of this crossover aren't the only newsworthy aspect of Darkman Vs. Army of Darkness; Dynamite has enlisted some top talent for the project, including acclaimed writer Kurt Busiek, co-writer Roger Stern, and artist James Fry.

    What inspired Dynamite to add Darkman to their growing stable of licensed properties? "We have many projects coming together with our friends at Universal," Dynamite's J. Allen said, "and Darkman may very well be among the most exciting. It's definitely different. The Darkman is one of the most tragic when it comes to tragic heroes. Having your assistant killed in front of you and your entire lab blown up with you in it. Woah! The first movie was intense."

Co-writer Kurt Busiek became involved with the project "from the other side, actually, through the Evil De--uh, Army of Darkness."

    "Dynamite gave me a call and asked me if I had any interest in writing an Army of Darkness mini-series, and I told him I had one idea I'd love to do, but it was probably impossible, since it was a crossover. He asked for details, so I told him the Darkman Vs. The Evil Dead idea that James Fry and I have been hoping to do for years. And he went out and got the rights to Darkman!

"Probably not just for me, but what the hell!"

    "Kurt had stated he wanted to do a cross-over with Darkman and The Army of Darkness for years," J. Allen added, "and it seemed like the perfect way to launch the title. That pushed us harder to go after the rights. Along the way, as stated, the whole notion of a cross-over with Darkman and the Army of Darkness came into play. Now, Kurt and Roger have put Darkman and Ash together in a way that serves as a great team-up/cross-over--as well as re-establishing Darkman back into comics and giving us a good starting point for his own series."

    The germ of this story idea dates back to Busiek's earlier involvement with the character. "The seeds of this particular project go back to when I was writing Darkman for Marvel, and James Fry and I, both big Sam Raimi fans, were joking about how Raimi's two great nutboy heroes, Ash and Darkman, were the perfect demented World's Finest--the heroic, muscled-up strong-jawed Ash and the skulking, shadowy Darkman," Busiek said. "The story just kind of fell into place from there, and ever since we've been looking for a place to do it, but nobody ever had the rights to both Darkman and Ash at the same time. Until now."

    For Dynamite, the crossover--and its high-profile creative team--was a perfect launching point for Darkman. "The most important part was that Kurt had a story that he wanted to tell, so we knew it had to be good," J. Allen said. "Once we discussed, we figured it's a natural fit, both movie franchises having the same 'father' in Sam Raimi and a great use of Ash outside his own series and a great launching point for Darkman."

    How did Roger Stern come to join the creative team? "Actually, this is about the sixth or seventh time that Kurt and I have worked together," Stern said. "We've been collaborating off and on for the better part of a decade, starting in 1997 with a crossover between the Untold Tales of Spider-Man Annual and the Amazing Spider-Man Annual. Then I helped plot a couple of issues of Thunderbolts and what turned out to be the final issue of Untold Tales. And of course, we worked together on Avengers Forever and Iron Man."

    "Those projects were all great fun, and they were all a little different. We mostly plotted them together. Some Kurt scripted, some I scripted. And those were just the stories that saw print. Remind me to tell you sometime about the projects still gathering cobwebs on editors' desks.

    "Anyway, when Kurt suggested that I join in on Darkman Vs. The Army of Darkness and that James Fry would be drawing it, I just had to say yes. I mean, come on! Darkman and Ash fighting Deadites in the city? What's not to like? We really ought to call this book World's Weirdest! 'Your two favorite Sam Raimi heroes in one adventure--together!'"

    Who's doing what in this collaboration? "Kurt already had an overall plot in mind; he'd been thinking about this story for years. Once I was on-board, we hashed out the broad strokes of the story over the phone and via email. Then, once the studios approved the overview, I started fleshing out the plots. And now, as James finishes penciling each story, I script it," Stern explained.

    What's the premise of the crossover? "Well, Darkman's all about the city and about watching over Julie, and Ash is all about killing Deadites. So what brings them together is that the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis gets read in Darkman's city, and now there's Deadites all over the place and Julie's in deep trouble. So bam!, they're both on the case," Busiek said. "Trouble is, Ash just wants to kill all the bad guys, and Darkman just wants to save Julie, so there's a certain clash of interests that will lead to trouble."

    "Of course, Darkman is already pretty conflicted," Stern added. "He'd gotten used to being the weirdest guy in town. And now there are whacked-out demons wherever he turns."

    "Will they fight and then team up? What do you think?" Busiek joked.

    So what' the tone of the series--will it have the pulp-meets superheroes feel of Darkman, or will it have the horror-adventure feel of Army of Darkness? "Both, I hope," Busiek said. "To my mind, they're very similar in tone--the Army of Darkness movies are pulpy over-the-top horror, and Darkman is pulpy, over-the-top superhero action. They've both got that Sam Raimi Ram-o-Cam sensibility, wildly kinetic, with lots of humor and grossouts. So bring 'em together, and you get pulpy, over-the-top superhero horror, which sounds just swell to me. And it's perfect for James, who's doing a knockout job on the book."

    Will this crossover pave the way for a solo Darkman series? "That's the plan!" J. Allen said. "We've got our fingers crossed."

    And should such a series be added to the lineup, will the writers come back for a return engagement? "Not me, alas," Busiek said. "I always have a blast writing Darkman, but I'm exclusive to DC and busy with that Man of Steel, that undersea warrior, and with Astro City. But I'm thrilled to have had a chance to finally make this story a reality, and to work with Nick, James, Roger, and George (cover artist George Pérez) on it. It's one of those projects I figured would never happen, but hey, never say never, right?"

    As for Stern--"I never say never!" he replied.

    Darkman Vs. the Army of Darkness #1, the kickoff book in a four-part limited series featuring variant covers by George Pérez and Army of Darkness fave Nick Bradshaw, is scheduled for August release.

BONUS: Dynamite's Cancelled Darkman Series

As mentioned in the Comic Shop News article, there were plans for Darkman to go into a solo comic following the Army of Darkness crossover series. This solo title was far enough in development for a creative team and plot synopsis to be released (included below), as well as cover artwork for the first two issues (though a solicitation for a third issue was also released by Dynamic Forces). As of 2026, the reason for scrapping the series remains unknown.

Full dress artwork for the canceled Darkman #1 by Fabiano Neves.

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT presents an all-new Darkman comic book event, inspired by the original Sam Raimi film and featuring the classic cast of Darkman (yes, we've found a way to bring back Robert Durant!) Peyton Westlake had fled town in his attempts to distance himself from Julie, all while continuing his research; his obsession with his lost love was greater than his obsession with perfecting his synthetic skin, and he found himself unable to stay away. Now, he's returned to a find world quite different than the one he left behind.... Producer Ford Lytle Gilmore is joined by artist Tommy Smith and cover artist Tomm Coker and Fabiano (Army of Darkness) Neves for this all new comic book event! Taking place five years after the events of the first film, our series promises to remain faithful as well as standing on its own to entice and intrigue new readers!

Black and white artwork for the canceled Darkman #1 by Fabiano Neves.

Black and white artwork for the canceled Darkman #2 by Fabiano Neves.

ARMY OF DARKNESS: SHOP 'TILL YOU DROP DEAD: Comic Shop News Article (2005)

The following is a transcription of an article originally written by Cliff Biggers appearing in Comic Shop News #920 from January, 2005. It is presented here for easier online access and historical preservation. Minor spelling mistakes from the original print article have been corrected here.

ARMY OF DARKNESS: ASH YOU LIKE IT

    Sam Raimi and comics seem like a natural fit; after all, Raimi made two of the finest comic book films of all time in Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. So it seems only fair that comics should return the favor and bring one of Raimi's best film concepts to comic books, right?

    Army of Darkness (the general name given to Raimi's series that began in 1981 with Evil Dead and continued in 1987's Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn before culminating in 1993's Army of Darkness) has been absent from the big screen for more than a decade--but the concept found an eager audience last summer when Dynamite Entertainment and Devil's Due launched Army of Darkness: Ashes 2 Ashes, a four-issue limited series that continued the misadventures of the reluctant hero Ash. Now Ash is back in action with a new writer and a new series that reveals that shopping can be even more distressing than you might have imagined!

    Army of Darkness: Shop 'Till You Drop Dead writer James Kuhoric is no stranger to licensed projects. "I first broke into comics in 1988 with Realm Press' Battlestar Galactica (it was one of my favorite shows as a kid, and getting to know everyone involved with it was a blast!). Since then I've worked on several Sci-Fi Channel licensed projects including First Wave, Lexx, and Stargate SG-1. I also had a page in 9-11 Emergency Relief and a handful of other small creator-owned spots here and there. With any luck I'll be working on a few more horror books and maybe re-visiting an old sci-fi favorite of mine in the near future."

    For readers who aren't sure exactly what is the allure of Raimi's zombie-horror-adventure spoof, Kuhoric offered a summary. "The Evil Dead/Army of Darkness films follow the bumbling heroics of an average Joe--or an average Ash, in this case--as he unwittingly releases and battles demonic souls from an ancient dark dimension. Whoa!... that actually makes it sound semi-serious!

    "What separates the films and comics from a thousand other schlock flicks is the cinematic vision of Sam Raimi and the elastic charisma of Bruce Campbell. They made a small budget horror film into a cult classic that has endured twenty-plus years of fandom."

    "Army of Darkness definitely isn't your standard zombie film. Sure, you have some of the standard horror elements of the genre, but it combines a sharp wit and biting--quite literally in Ash's case, at some points--sarcasm with some of the most innovative camera angles and over-the-top character acting ever caught on film," Kuhoric explained. "It took the genius of Sam Raimi to match up Bruce Campbell with this project and the result is a trilogy that has transcended the mire of B-horror movies and become a cult classic."

    At a time when most film-makers took their horror quite seriously, it was the refreshingly light-hearted tone that made Raimi's Ash films stand out from the other zombie-horror-splatter films that they satirized. So it's only natural that the same qualities should distinguish the comic book. The comic shop racks are currently filled with zombie books, but most of them approach the concept seriously. Dynamite Entertainment's Army of Darkness follows in the footsteps of the film, and that gives the comics a distinctive feel.

    "The tone in the Army of Darkness comics is essential to making the book loyal to the film," Kuhoric said. "When I set out to write the story arc, my intent was to create something that you could look at and imagine rolling across the big screen. It's essentially an Army of Darkness movie on paper, and I tried really hard to capture the things that made the movie so special. There is plenty of horror mixed with moments of absolute absurdity; through it all, Ash takes a beating and keeps on wise-cracking.

    "The biggest asset that the comics have are the artists, though. Nick Bradshaw and Sanford Greene have taken the softball I lobbed and knocked it out of the park. These guys know Army of Darkness. They nailed the tone and look in this book."

    Kuhoric's series, Army of Darkness: Shop 'Till You Drop Dead, brings Ash face-to-face with a horror even more disturbing than the evil dead themselves: unemployment! It seems that there's a limit to even the most liberal employer's tolerance of the absenteeism and destruction that goes along with combating the zombie hoards. The situation gets even worse, though, when Ash discovers that the evil spirit from the woods now inhabits the aisles of S-Mart. As a full-blown Deadite invasion manifests, Ash must fight his way through possessed shoppers and find the Necronomicon before the Army of Darkness is reborn in downtown Detroit.

    How'd Kuhoric become involved with the Army of Darkness comic book project to begin with? "I've been one of the biggest Evil Dead/Army of Darkness fans you will find since the first films came out. I was in high school back in 1987 when I first saw Evil Dead at friend's house on VHS. Here was this little indie film tagged the 'Ultimate Experience in Grueling Terror,' and I ended up loving every second of it. We went to see Evil Dead 2 just a few weeks later and the magic continued. Needless to say, when Army of Darkness hit theaters, I was first in line--and I ended up going back several times for encore showings. I'm eagerly awaiting Sam Raimi's decision on remaking the franchise, as has been rumored in the horror circuit these past few months." Kuhoric brings his enthusiasm for the concept to play in the comic book, capturing the feel of the films without simply recycling their storylines.

    Since Army of Darkness is a licensed property, there must be some constraints on what Kuhoric and Dynamite are allowed to do with the concept. Just how much leeway is there? "Any time you have a licensed property, there is a certain amount of restraint you have to use to get approval from the licensor," Kuhoric said. "Most of my work in the comics field has been with licensed properties, so I'm fairly familiar with the general restrictions that are in place. I don't think I'm letting the cat out of the bag when I say that it's generally against the rules to kill off the main character of a show or franchise unless you have a very clear way to bring him or her back."

    "With Army of Darkness, there is actually a lot more leeway for doing things that are usually against the rules. Let's face it, you wouldn't find characters from a police drama doing the insane things that happen to Ash from issue to issue!"

    Kuhoric offered a brief rundown of the process involved in producing an issue of Army of Darkness. "The scripts are submitted to MGM--who hold the license for the AOD film--for approval at virtually every stage of production. They approve the plot, story outline, script, art, and final lettered pages before the books see print. Usually their changes are minor and caught at the earliest stages of production. I've had a few bits/jokes re-written because of approval concerns, but other than that they've been very open with allowing us to tell the stories we wanted to tell."

    What's the most entertaining aspect of the project for Kuhoric? "Just getting a chance to play in the Army of Darkness playground has been the best part of the experience for me. The character of Ash is like an old friend; you can't wait to see him again, and after you visit you end up reminiscing on the best parts of your time together."

    When we first started working on the project I had the pleasure of a few email exchanges with Bruce Campbell. He is the genuine article and really does seem like the kind of guy you could hang around and shoot the breeze with at the local bar."

    Obviously, with the long-time cult success of Evil Dead/Army of Darkness, and the more recent success of Shaun of the Dead, it's clear that zombies and humor are "two great tastes that taste great together." What makes the combination work so well? "Zombies and humor-filled horror films have had a bit of a renaissance lately, haven't they? Shaun of the Dead is without a doubt one of the best recent flicks to really nail the mix (if you haven't seen it, don't waste any more time--get out and watch it now!)."

    "There is something about the entire genre that, while horrifying on the surface, is simply so basely funny that most of us who get films like Army of Darkness can laugh through just about any zombie flick. I have some other theories on the overall degradation of social morals and the lack of compassion that our current culture has developed, but that's quite frankly a little boring and highbrow for me. Let's just say, if you can't watch a film and laugh at the poor schmo being assaulted by a graveyard full of skeletal warriors doing their best Three Stooges routine, then you likely wouldn't get Army of Darkness."

    Are there other Army of Darkness series in the works to follow on the heels of Shop 'Till You Drop Dead? "There are plans for more Army of Darkness comics coming in the future--and from what I've seen fans are going to be blown away! The artists lined up for the covers and interiors are first rate and Dynamite has some really aggressive plans for Ash's future. It looks like I will be getting another chance to get into Ash's head and slap him around some more with some horrifically outrageous challenges at some point. I can't wait; it's the perfect excuse for me to break out my Evil Dead/Army of Darkness DVDs and my copy of the Necronomicon for an all-night gore fest!"

    Army of Darkness: Shop 'Till You Drop Dead #1, a $2.99 comic, should be in comic shops at about the same time as this issue of CSN.

Covering The Army of Darkness

    Finding cover artist eager to try their hands at Army of Darkness is no problem. In fact, the real problem is narrowing the field down to a single artist--which is why Dynamite Entertainment publisher Nick Barrucci refused to do so. Instead, he enlisted five talented illustrators to supply the covers for the first issue. Writer James Kuhoric explained what makes each cover artist's work so distinctive.

Nick Bradshaw - "Nick is a man who knows Army of Darkness. All of his covers to the Army of Darkness: Shop 'Till You Drop Dead series are not only fantastic but they also capture the core story of each issue in one brilliantly executed image!

Jae Lee - "When I was told there would be a Jae Lee cover to the first issue, I almost fell over. Jae is a class act and one of my personal all-time favorite artists! When you think of big names in the comics industry, Jae is on the short list of stars heading for the hall of fame."

Eric Ebas - "Eric lit up the comic world with Magdalena for Top Cow, and his cover image for Army of Darkenss is amazing! I love the little details in the shot as Ash fights the flying female Deadite you see the window cleaner and employee nametag on his shirt. Great stuff!"

Richard Isanove - "I knew Richard Isanove was a major talent from his coloring work on Marvel 1602 and Origin but the Army of Darkness cover he drew is incredible! It reminds me of a cel taken right out of one of the Evil Dead or Army of Darkness movies. He really nailed the lighting and mood of the show!"

Paolo Rivera - "Paolo's cover actually inspired a small scene re-write in issue #2. When I first saw the rough piece, I just knew it had to be worked in! Every time I look at the cover I crack up--from the S-Mart zombie greeter to the Deadite skeleton with the party hat, it's a great piece!"