With MARVEL ZOMBIES VS. ARMY OF DARKNESS, the title says it all, but prepare for more details anyway. Marvel Comics’ smash-hit zombie alt-universe finds a new character when Ash from Dynamite Entertainment’s ARMY OF DARKNESS series drops in. Hilarity ensues. Well, maybe not hilarity, but it’s funny enough.

The chainsaw-handed, former S-Mart employee Ash is portrayed as the same lovable, pissed-off wisecracker as played by Bruce Campbell in Sam Raimi’s EVIL DEAD trilogy. He’s not just plopped into Marvel’s world, but merged with it, bringing elements of Deadites and the Necronomicon along, making for a true crossover.

Immediately upon being transported from another dimension, Ash meets Daredevil and then heads for Avengers Mansion to warn them of the oncoming Deadite threat. Just as he does, the various members – Captain America, Hawkeye, Spider-Woman, Luke Cage, Ms. Marvel – succumb to the zombie plague and Ash is saved by a swooping-in Spider-Man.

Thus begins a revolving door of momentary team-ups for Ash, including short-lived stints with The Punisher and Dazzler, with threats lurking behind every corner. One of them made me laugh out of its sheer absurdity: Howard the Duck. It all culminates in a trip to Dr. Doom’s Latveria castle fortress.

John Layman’s writing is not as sharp as ZOMBIES creator Robert Kirkman, but it admirably does the trick. Similarly, artist Fabiano Neves is no Sean Phillips, but his work is appropriately gory and/or cartoony when needed, even if he can’t quite overcome his biggest flaw of trying to make Ash look like Campbell. One thing that hasn’t changed, thankfully: Arthur Suydam’s brilliant covers, which both parody and pay homage to iconic Marvel covers of the past via zombie infection. –Rod Lott

Buy it at Amazon.

OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS SERIES:
• MARVEL ZOMBIES by Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips