[Comic Execution] 11/1 – ‘ASH AND THE ARMY OF DARKNESS’, ‘THE RAVEN AND THE RED DEATH’, ‘THE FOX’

Well, another Halloween has come and gone, and somehow I’ve survived the night. Huddled within my makeshift fortress, I no longer sense their presence. Their shrill little laughs, the probing bursts of their flashlights, all has gone quiet. But when I close my eyes, I can still see the tiny monsters dressed up like -oh the IRONY- imaginary monsters. But the truth, I see the TRUTH: REAL monsters wearing HUMAN costumes! How innocent they act, pretending as though they’ve come for little nuggets of condensed sugar but I KNOW! But they don’t know that I know, so they keep pretending so they don’t blow their cover and eventually, after an endless twilight of torment at my doorstep, they abandon their efforts. Now, in the silent chill morning of November 1st, I clutch my precious signed and sketched-in copy of EVERYBODY LOVES TANK GIRL to my chest and mutter quietly “You’ll never have it, you prepubescent mutant bastards. Never.”

ASH AND THE ARMY OF DARKNESS #1

Writer: Steve Niles
Artist: Dennis Calero

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Price: $4

Yep. Because there aren’t enough comics with Ash Williams thrown in them for no apparent reason other than suckers like me buy them hoping for a fucking miracle, DAMN YOU DYNAMITE. This one, though, is JUST Ash and appears to be a direct sequel to Army of Darkness. Which, interestingly, is also going to be a film, it seems. Is it going to be like this comic? Possibly; it is written by the reasonably well-known Steve Niles whose 30 Days of Night was adapted into a mildly successful film so… maybe? It’s as good an excuse as any to give this a spin, though Dennis Calero’s art should also be a draw, assuming Niles manages to summon the fading energy he once had.

But he doesn’t. At all. The book picks up immediately after Army of Darkness, even down to the unexplained reappearing Deadite woman. There’s a nice bit of action that I won’t spoil but, as a grocery store clerk, I’ll say Niles really turns on the catharsis factor here and it doesn’t hurt that the dialogue is pretty witty. Turns out the entire S-Mart has been sucked into the Deadite-infested past, along with Ash’s co-workers Ted (obviously of the Raimi clan) and a nameless girl, who together with Ash leave the building to investigate the strange (yet entirely predictable) turn of events. Thereupon we discover *gasp* something went wrong with the Book of the Dead and the guy Ash trusted to keep it safe failed (YOU HAD ONE JOB!) and now he’s evil and yadda-yadda Ted dies, unnamed girl dies, Ash is taken prisoner and we cut to King Arthur discovering Ash’s return, whereupon he hints with astounding vagueness at something foreboding. The writing starts off so well and then just goes limp. Flat dialogue, impossibly predictable plot, and the pacing would be great except right smack in the middle of the book Dynamite slaps us in the face with a two-page advert that has the nerve to be 50% text. So any momentum the story might have had is brick-to-the-faced.

And Calero’s art is about as phoned in as could be possible given that he was likely paid for this stint. He does a fine job with close-ups, nailing the famously expressive and handsome mug of ‘90s era Bruce Campbell as well as the rest of the cast. The panels themselves are actually quite energetic, mimicking with vigor the bombastic camera work of Raimi himself. But there’s no saving this book from the fact that Calero can’t draw gore. I mean, he literally can’t. There’s zero viscera in his mayhem; at one point someone’s eye is punched out its socket and there’s no blood at all, just a very bland looking eyeball being ejected quite lethargically. And what’s worse, the “Army of Darkness” that we know from the movie shows up in the background of two panels total; the full-page spread that features them carrying Ash’s unconscious form is nothing but helmets and a few meagre skulls. And the backgrounds? They look like posterized photographs. Seriously.

This book is fucking awful. DYNAMITE is notorious for taking classic horror movie properties and taking a massive dump on them but I don’t understand how this series in particular, which could potentially be a set-up for the Army of Darkness sequel, is so miserable. The worst part about it is that you get 22 pages of low-budget asshattery for four dollars. With ten pages of advertisements, there is no justification for that price. Fuck you, Dynamite Comics. You ruined this Evil Dead fan’s Halloween with this shitty book and your shitty cynicism. Way to continue holding back the entire comic book industry with your greed and disrespect.

---

THE RAVEN AND THE RED DEATH ONE-SHOT

Writer: Richard Corben
Artist: Richard Corben

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $4

So, I’m doing a review for a one-shot. Which is actually probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever done, because you can’t “execute” a one-shot. But considering what I just had to write a review for, I’m not feeling quite so bad about it, especially as it successfully revived my faith in modern horror comics. Which is interesting, since it’s written and illustrated by one of the most revered artists of horror comics: Richard Corben! Though when I say “written” what I really mean is “adapted” because he’s tackling the classic Edgar Allen Poe stories “The Raven” and “The Masque Of The Red Death”! (Can someone say “public domain”?) When I saw this on the shelf I thought “Why didn’t this happen sooner? It’s like when Roger Corman adapted Poe, it’s a sure bet!” But let’s find out just what Corben does with Poe’s tales, shall we?

Given his history with EC Comics, it’s no surprise Corben immediately couches the whole affair in fourth-wall-breaking territory by having Mag The Hag introduce each tale, though really she just kind stumbles onto them. The tone is immediately goofy, much like Corman, which is a huge relief as trying to out-grim the original stories is just a bad idea overall (I’m looking at you, John Cusack.) As it proceeds, The Raven takes on a more surreal element, with Corben summoning the comely Lenore at the side of her forlorn lover Arnold, who keeps trying to get hot and heavy with his babe only to be intruded upon by the titular beast, who insists on reminding him that Lenore is gone. In a wild twist, Arnold’s fury at the bird brings it down upon him and it gores him quite hideously, revealing itself to be the very visage of Death incarnate. It’s a much gorier, wackier interpretation of the original but Corben saves it by transforming the Raven into something more than just a messenger.

The next story kicks off again with Mag The Mag discovering the ruins of an old palace and the miserable creature that haunts it, who tells her its story. Corben’s adaptation here sticks much closer to the original tale, though the King here is portrayed as an insipid “1 percenter” with no moral compass, drawn in crass strokes that doesn’t quite suit the lurid tale. When the titular Red Death arrives, rather than showing up in a “black” room, it’s a red one, giving the visuals a wonderfully effective color scheme. There’s a great line from the prince that Corben throws in, quite tongue-in-cheek, that reminds you Corben is a pulp artist of the best kind; clever, but not too clever. Overall, each story is given just enough flair to suit Corben’s presentation while maintaining the lyrical beauty.

Corben’s art does a fantastic service to the stories; The Raven evokes Corman quite strongly, utilizing close-ups to moody effect but also opening up panels to bring in shadow and contrast. There are several thrillingly eerie moments, such as the “Raven” peering with menacing red eyes from the windows, foreshadowing its frankly INCREDIBLE transformation later into Death itself, dripping with its victim’s vivid red blood as we see it in skeleton looming over the dying man and eventually coming full circle to reveal Lenore’s grave. Just spectacular. The other story isn’t so constrained and Corben flexes his muscles more, throwing out detailed ruins that transform dreamlike into a stately, lush palace which is contrasted by the genuinely palpable misery of the diseased peasants. Corben makes us watch one of them die in a matter of four panels and it’s quite visceral.

When the festivities within the palace ensue, Corben gets a bit wacky, giving his revelers silly masks and elaborating on how childish the antics are, including nude dancers of both massive and diminutive stature. But he makes sure to give us some gruesome foreshadowing in the form of the red room and I am so impressed that he made it look just how I imagined it would when I read Poe’s story first. His Red Death itself has an incredibly cool design, focused initially on a strange mask that doesn’t seem very scary at all but once it is taken away, we get the full brunt of Corben’s eye for gore. The last few pages see the wonderful crimson hue of the climax give way to ruined ash gray and rust brown. I’m honestly not sure which one’s cooler; the Raven’s final transformation or the Red Death’s true image. Regardless, Corben (as usual) knocks it out of the park visually. AND HE DID EVERYTHING: pencils, inks, colors, backgrounds, etc., though Nate Piekos does a fabulous job of lettering with as much enthusiasm and boldness as such a crazy comic needs.

Overall, at $4, this is a perfect horror comic for the price. It’s huge, the art is incredible, the stories are fun riffs on timeless classics and there’s zero advertisements but for two pages in the back. I seriously can’t recommend this enough as an antidote to the drivel DYNAMITE tries to pass off as art.

---

THE FOX #1

Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Dean Haspiel
Colors: Allen Passalaqua

Publisher: Red Circle Comics
Price: $3

So Archie Comics has this imprint called Red Circle Comics. It’s been around for a while in one form or another and so has The Fox, one of the characters originally created by Red Circle Comics (then known as MLJ Comics) back in the 1940s. So there’s history here. Two generations of history! The current Fox is the son of the original Fox! Fox Jr actually got his start back in 1984 under the Archie banner but didn’t have much of a run. Now they’re giving him a second chance, giving him an adult life with a career as a reporter as well as a wife and daughter. But he’s also still a costume-wearing vigilante who relies strictly on his own athletic ability (and wits) to survive though, unlike most other vigilantes, he’s usually getting to trouble rather than looking for it.

The artist (and acclaimed indie comic book creator) Dean Haspiel wrote the story for this miniseries but asked the wonderful Mark Waid to assist him in bringing the whole tale to the scripted page. And how do they work together? Quite well. As pulp comics are wont to do, we’re introduced to our hero as he’s being worked over by two nameless thugs. His inner monologue immediately tells us we’re dealing with a Peter Parker-type smartass with maybe a bit more noir detective to his voice. This is the magic of Waid, keeping both the spoken dialogue and the interior bits sharp as tacks. It flashbacks to The Fox/Paul Patton settling into his new home in Impact City and expositing a bit too obtusely the persona dilemmas he faces trying to reconcile his job, home life and vigilante tendencies. But the more we see of him, the more we get the impression that he’s not really a hero at all; he’s more interested in just keeping his head above water than fighting the bad guys. Fortunately, he’s also not dumb.

At his job he’s interviewing a charismatic social media entrepreneur named Lucy Fur (come on, SO OBVIOUS) and she seems to have cast a spell on Paul. It’s cool that he’s vulnerable in that way and the fact that he carries a shoot-on-film camera is a neat detail too. When Lucy demands to see the pictures, they end up in a darkroom together and we get to see Lucy Fur’s real ugliness (hashtaguaintgotnoalibi). A fight ensues, The Fox delivers some wonderful snark as he barely manages to escape the clutches of Madame Satan but not before she explains why she’s so hard up for Paul. It makes no sense but then she is a mad villainess so whatever. Just when Paul thinks he’s in the clear (Waid really sells us on his relief) those nameless thugs I mentioned earlier show up. Paul escapes with a rather cliche ruse and knocks the guys silly only to be confronted by yet ANOTHER costumed babe in need of his abilities! Dude is some kind of popular. Waid’s work here is really tightly paced, there’s a lot of fresh wittiness and if you can put up with the kind of laziness found in any pulp superhero title, this is as good as it gets for “indie” superhero comics.

Haspiel’s art is good too, though he might be a bit out of his league here. He’s got a lot of energy and his clean, old-school lines invoke a friendly, playful mood on every page. He’s no slouch when it comes to character designs; The Fox has a simple yet iconic look and his antagonist Madame Satana is a villain you’ll not likely forget any time soon. Haspiel’s backgrounds are detailed where they need to be and present enough to ward off the “floating in space” sensation during dialogue and character development. But when he tries to emulate modern superhero comics by having two-page panels, it kind of highlights how relatively flat his art is. Anyone who’s a fan of old school pulp won’t bat an eye but modern comic book readers will probably cringe at how loose the proportions are throughout. Colorist Allen Passalaqua brings a perfectly balanced range of color to the page and keeps it robust but restrained, evoking classic pulp heaviness with just the right amount of contrast.

That said, it’s also only a $3 book. It includes a backstory that briefly illuminates Paul’s relationship with his father before giving The Fox a workout fighting a sentient house! The art for the backstory is actually quite an improvement but is also much more controlled as well. So overall, this one book provides a lot of well-written, fun superhero comedy adventure for a wonderful price. There’s even an essay in the back explaining how Dean brought the whole thing together. Despite originally thinking it would be another boring “here’s how superheroes SHOULD be done” revamp, THE FOX surprised me with a lot of verve, wackiness and genuine affection for the genre.