When the FREDDY VS. JASON movie became such a huge hit, a sequel was inevitable, and one idea floated would pit those two titans of terror against Ash, the hero of the EVIL DEAD trilogy, as played by Bruce Campbell. The idea eventually stalled, but Jeff Katz’s story for it wasn’t for naught — WildStorm and Dynamite Entertainment joined forces to turn it into a six-issue comic miniseries: FREDDY VS. JASON VS. ASH.
Perhaps it’s for the best the concept was shelved, because if the movie would’ve resembled this book, it would’ve been a disappointment. Too bad, because it starts out strong, if implausible, with the two surviving FvJ characters returning to Crystal Lake “just to see” if the boogeymen are truly dead. Bad idea, kids! Because, of course, they’re not. The kids, however, soon are.
Freddy gets inside Jason’s head and commands him to return to Crystal Lake to retrieve the Necronomicon — which is buried somewhere in the fruit cellar of the old Voorhees house — so that the facially scarred child molester can rise and rule supreme.
Enter Ash, brought in by the nearby Crystal Lake S-Mart to shape up the retail displays — too convenient of a stretch. And this is where the grand parade starts to wind down and lose interest. All of the characters’ quirks are here — from Freddy’s puns to Ash’s wisecracks — but they don’t go all that well together. Is this horror? Comedy? Both? FvJvA can’t seem to figure it out, either.
What it does do a lot is rip people apart in particularly gruesome methods, under the pens of Jason Craig. More red is used as the pages progress. It’s more gratuitous than it really needs to be (and, at times, borders on misogynistic), although the scene in which Jason lays waste to the customers of S-Mart is inspired. The third act is just boring.
And while I’m all for the comic trying to adhere to the cinematic creations as much as possible, printing “CH-CH-CH-AH-AH-AH” every time Jason shows up is a bit much. —Rod Lott
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS SERIES:
• CRYSTAL LAKE MEMORIES: THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF FRIDAY THE 13TH by Peter Bracke
• FRIDAY THE 13TH: BOOK ONE by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Adam Archer
• FRIDAY THE 13TH: CARNIVAL OF MANIACS by Stephen Hand
• JASON X: TO THE THIRD POWER by Nancy Kilpatrick
• MAKING FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE LEGEND OF CAMP BLOOD by David Grove
• A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET: BOOK ONE by Chuck Dixon and Kevin West
• A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET: THE DREAM DEALERS by Jeffrey Thomas
• A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET: PERCHANCE TO DREAM by Natasha Rhodes
• NIGHTMARES ON ELM STREET: FREDDY KRUGER’S SEVEN SWEETEST DREAMS edited by Martin H. Greenberg
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But Ash kicks ass!