When Evil Dead 2: Beyond Dead By
Dawn was announced by independent comic distributor Space Goat Productions,
many fans were confused. Evil Dead 2
has, after all, slowly been subsumed into the conclusion of Army of Darkness. Ash definitively gets sucks into the past in
both versions of the story – ergo how could it continue without trampling on
familiar territory?
The answer’s a surprising one.
Taking place in a world where Annie Knowby didn’t die of a Kandarian Dagger to
the back, the comic focuses on her quest of family redemption as she tries to
save her father’s reputation from the self-imposed ashpile. Speaking of Ashes,
Annie realizes she can’t conquer the forces of darkness alone, so when he
disappears through the porthole into the past she contrives to use Ash’s
Deadite-possessed hand to clone a full-sized version of him. That means she has to use a blood ritual to
resurrect him and it also means he lapses into uncontrollable Deadite
rages. Together they trot through time
and space to undo the evil magic that’s beset their lives.
Annie has always been Raimi’s best
heroine, and her legacy has always been frustrated by her death. If this comic succeeds in undoing her ignominious
end then it can only be a boon. The
plotline, too, is rather unique, using an Ash that’s not from the movie’s
linear continuity yet also from the same universe. It’ll all be up the writers; can they give us
the right combination of splatter and humor we’ve come to expect from this
franchise? Hopefully this July I’ll be
able to report back in the affirmative that they did.
No comments:
Post a Comment