REVIEW – Army of Darkness Bubba Ho-Tep #1

Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep #1 - Dynamite/IDW

Written by Scott Duvall

Art by Vincenzo Federici

Colors by Michele Monte

Letters by Taylor Esposito

Cover by Carlos Gomez & Salvatore Aiala

Comic book crossovers can make the biggest dreams of fandom come true.  There have certainly been plenty of good ones recently, but you can't just throw anyone together.  This one makes so much sense, I can't believe it has never been done before.  Ash finally gets to meet The King, and maybe his maker, in the Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep crossover from Dynamite and IDW.

People who respected Elvis, and thought that he was alive, have tried to track him down before.  I'm guessing none of those ventures had to do with the undead.  Ash heads to Texas to see if The King truly is alive.  Not much of a spoiler here, since we know that he is.  Once Ash sees him for the first time, like anyone it's hard to take that at face value.  The authentication process is quite hilarious, but does get interrupted by our earlier mentioned bad guy.  You know that Bubba takes pride in his clothes, so you can imagine his reaction when one of his favorites is put in jeopardy.  Not losing focus on the task at hand, Ash makes a bold move to save the day.  Problem is, that move has literally landed him in what could be a heap of trouble.

There's not much to say other than this book is exactly what you are expecting.  A lot of attitude and a lot of fun.  If you're a fan of either of these books solo, you will not be disappointed when these worlds collide.  It's a tag team that you probably never knew that you always wanted.  The introduction of the villain is a bit abrupt, but it's clear from the end of this issue that there will be far more to this story than just one baddie.  It's pretty clear that Duvall had fun with this one, and was able to throw in catchphrases here and there without it feeling forced.  There is no fan service overload here, but still gives fans exactly what they would want from this meeting of two cult heroes.  The art team certainly matches up to the task as well, with incredible detail work, very clean inks and colors that make each panel really pop right off of the page.  This book comes right at you, and keeps you entertained.  Count me in.

RATING:  PULL / BUY