Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Writer: Nancy A. Collins
Artist: Kewber Baal
Release Date: 2nd March 2016

---

Army of Darkness: Furious Road is a furiously fun return to the world of Ash and the Deadites. Following on from the backlog of Army of Darkness comics from Dark Horse and Dynamite Entertainment, this latest series presents a familiar convoy of characters on the road, as they search for Ash and the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, or Book of the Dead. Set in a world plagued by Deadites, 20 years from the present, human vigilantes and supernatural creatures – from werewolves to more classical figures such as Dracula’s daughter and Frankenstein’s monster – have united to fight the hordes of Kandarian demons that have brought about the ruin of civilisation.

Elements of exploitation cinema – there’s a nun with a big gun – are fused with high octane action that borrows heavily from the recent return to the Mad Max franchise, particularly in the titular homage to Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). Similarly, this latest comic relies heavily on the recent resurrection of Ash in the highly anticipated Ash Vs Evil Dead television series.

As such, acting as an extended build-up to the celebrated return of our beloved big-chinned protagonist, there is isn’t much in the way of dialogue. This lack of words works to imbue Kewber Baal’s artwork with an almost cinematic spectacle. The style retains the 80s punk / grunge style of the previous comics; heavy lines and copious amounts of detailed gore pops in acidic splashes of pinks, yellows and blood reds.

All in all, this is an exhilarating ride for horror fans, with a welcome reappearance from an iconic, chainsaw wielding horror staple. Nancy A. Collins has created a simple yet effective opening issue full of anticipation for the adventure ahead. In a word: groovy.

Rating: 3.5/5

---

The writer of this piece was: Rebecca Booth
Rebecca Tweets from @rebeccalbooth

---