Sam Raimi’s ARMY OF DARKNESS is getting a sequel comic with ARMY OF DARKNESS: FOREVER

Holy crap! Sam Raimi’S Army of Darkness it’s actually getting a sequel! It is entitled Army of Darkness: Foreverand yes, it’s in comic book form, but I’m just happy that this amazing story will continue!

The story will pick up from both the original ending of Army of Darkness and the series finale of Ash vs. Evil Dead. The story takes place along three timelines.

The comic was announced by AIPT Comics and is produced by Dynamite Entertainment, who state: “Dynamite is proud to present a new series of Tony Fleec (Stray dogs) AND Justin Greenwood (Stumptown) which is a direct sequel to how many fans believe the film should have ended. This October, Army of Darkness Forever #1 begins to explore what might have 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 corridors of 1993 and the medieval chaos of Castle Kandar, all three are in the spotlight in this series. Creator of superstar Tony Fleecs, the best-selling Stray Dogs series and contributions to other franchises such as My Little Pony and Gargoyles, returns to the franchise after his covers for Army of Darkness vs. Reanimator: Necronomicon Rising. It’s about to give Ash Williams fans the ultimate story they’ve always wanted!

Ten years ago, Raimi and Bruce Campbell were actually trying to make a Army of Darkness sequel to the movie. Campbell said at the time, “I would think post-apocalyptic because it offers great possibilities for an Omega Man movie and who he might be fighting against. It would be a very interesting world. But I’m fine either way. I’m sure Sam will come up with a ridiculous story and an outrageous journey, so he doesn’t really care where it starts and ends. The fun thing is working with Sam Raimi again. That’s the only reason to make these incredibly difficult movies than to work for a guy you really enjoy working with and respect. Unfortunately the film was never made.

Screenwriter Tony Fleecs explains the film’s original ending: “It’s one of the best alternate takes of all time. Instead of Ash ending up 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 this on DVD, my mind exploding with the possibilities. Ash versus the post-apocalypse?! But then the theatrical finale has that iconic action scene and last line: “Hail to the King, baby.” So, you don’t want to miss that either.

Fleecs opened up about collaborating with artist Justin Greenwood, saying, “Justin is one of my best friends in comics. We’ve always wanted to find something to work on together and this came at just the right time. He’s a great storyteller, that’s obvious to anyone who’s read Stumptown or Crone or any of his books by him. But the thing that really works for this particular book is that he has a great attitude. He’s one of the funniest guys in person. A true storyteller. And this shows in the way he draws Ash. They both feel like blue collar workers with interesting jobs to do.

In addition to writing the series, Fleecs will also provide cover art alongside talented artists including Francis Matthias, Arthur Suydam AND Nicholas Dragotta. There will also be a Blank Authentix cover for fans to have their favorite artists Ash Williams and some Deadites draw.

To accompany the new series, they are releasing an Army of Darkness Movie Adaptation 30th Anniversary Edition and Army of Darkness 30th Anniversary Trading Cards.

The film adaptation was originally released in 1992, written by Sam and Ivan Raimi, with stunning painted interiors by John Bolton (X-Men). The award-winning story is over 80 glorious Ash-ction pages, and the book also features a special interview with Bruce Campbell conducted by comics legend Kurt Busiek.

The trading card set showcases the best artwork and photos from the Army of Darkness comics, across a core set of 18 cards, chase cards including 6 signature cards, 9 movie photo cards, 9 line art cards, a 9-card puzzle set and a special pack of 3 special cards. Hundreds of exclusive, hand-drawn, one-of-a-kind sketch papers are also included in the packs, with a stacked list of top artists.

Army of Darkness: Forever #1 hardcover film adaptation and trading cards are in demand in the September 2023 preview catalog of Diamond Comic Distributors, the leading source of merchandise for the specialty comic book market, and release is anticipated for October 2023.