New Army of Darkness Comic to Continue From Film's Original Ending

By Russ Burlingame - July 19, 2023 07:14 am EDT

Ahead of Comic Con International in San Diego, Dynamite Entertainment revealed that they were bringing Stray Dogs and Time Shopper creator Tony Fleecs on board to write a new series set in the world of Sam Raimi's iconic cult classic Army of Darkness. Well...in a world from Army Darkness. The original film had an alternate ending -- one that represented the filmmaker's pure vision, but which was scrubbed becuase the studio thought it seemed "too pessimistic." Thirty years on, Dynamite's new comic from Tony Fleecs (Stray Dogs) and Justin Greenwood (Stumptown) is a direct sequel to how many fans believe the film should have ended.

Army of Darkness was Dynamite's first comic in 2004, and has remained a staple of their licensed lineup since. Along the way, the publisher brought another unmade movie to life with Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash, based on a screenplay by comics and film writer Jeff Katz.

"It's one of the great, all-time alternate takes," Fleecs said of the original Army of Darkness ending. "Instead of Ash ending up back in 1990s Michigan, fighting deadites at S-Mart, he wakes up 100 years after the end of the world in 2093. I remember the first time I saw it on DVD, my mind just exploding at the possibilities. Ash vs. the post-apocalypse?! But then the theatrical ending has that iconic action scene and last line: 'Hail to the King, baby.' So, you don't want to lose that either."

Besides writing the series Fleecs, will be providing covers, along with artists including Francesco Mattina, Arthur Suydam and Nick Dragotta. Dynamite is also planning a Blank Authentix cover to allow fans to get their own covers made. You can see some of the covers, along with interior pages by Greenwood, below.

"Justin's one of my best friends in comics. We always wanted to find a thing to work on together and this came along at the perfect time," Fleecs said. "He's a great storyteller, that's obvious to anyone who's read Stumptown or Crone or any of his books. But the thing that he does that really works for this book in particular is, he's great at attitude. He's one of the funniest guys in person. A real raconteur. And that comes through in the way he draws Ash. They both feel like blue-collar guys with interesting jobs to do."

In addition to Army of Darkness Forever, Dynamite has also announced that they will release an Army of Darkness 30h Anniversary trading card set, and a hardcover adaptation of the Army of Darkness film. Originally released in 1992, the adaptation was written by Sam and Ivan Raimi, with painted interiors from John Bolton (X-Men). The book also features a special interview with Bruce Campbell conducted by comics legend Kurt Busiek.

Here's how they describe Army of Darkness Forever: Starting this October, Army of Darkness Forever #1 begins to explore what could've been. The story picks up immediately after the events of the beloved film, jumping between three fun timelines. The Techno Army of Darkness of 2093, the S-Mart aisles of 1993, and the middle ages chaos of Castle Kandar, all three get the spotlight in this series. Superstar creator Tony Fleecs, from the best-selling series Stray Dogs and contributions to other franchises like My Little Pony, Gargoyles, returns to the franchise following covers for Army of Darkness vs. Reanimator: Necronomicon Rising. He's setting out to give fans of Ash Williams the ultimate story they've always wanted!