Army of Darkness: 1979 was a five-issue miniseries written by Rodney Barnes, and published monthly by Dynamite Entertainment from September, 2021 to January, 2022.
Plot synopsis[]
The South Bronx, 1979: In the heyday of the street gangs of New York City arrive a new organization calling themselves The Warlocks, a relatively small crew led by a man named Bishop, who just so happens to have in his possession a copy of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis. Using the supernatural powers gifted to him by the Book of The Dead, Bishop launches his war against the various tribes across the city.
In 2021, Ash Williams is whisked away from his new profession as a lumberjack and dumped back in time to the Bronx, where he meets a gang known as The Half-Deads. After saving what members he could from an ambush by Deadites, Ash is made the new leader of the Half-Deads, and leads the group through the dangerous city streets as they seek out The Warlocks.
After fighting their way through gang after gang, Ash and The Half-Deads come face-to-face with The Warlocks, which leads to a massive bloody brawl between every crew in the city against a swarm of flying Deadites. In the midst of the chaos, The Warlocks get away, only for Ash to find them in at their safehouse. With the swipe of his chainsaw's blade, Ash destroys the Necronomicon and renders The Warlocks powerless. With the gang defeated, Ash enjoys a game at Yankees Stadium before getting teleported back to his proper time.
Cover gallery[]
Main covers[]
Variant covers[]
Virgin covers[]
Trivia[]
- Ken Haser's cover for issue three is an homage to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (1984).
- Jamie Biggs' cover for issue four is an homage to The Amazing Spider-Man #300. It was one of four Dynamite titles released in November and December of 2021 that paid homage to the same issue (the other titles being Evil Ernie, Red Sonja, and Nyx).
- Ken Haser's cover for issue five is an homage to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 (1984).
Continuity errors[]
- Issue 4 depicts flashbacks to the events of previous Army of Darkness comics, including Montezuma's Revenge, Ash Vs. The Classic Monsters, Ash Saves Obama, and Ash In Space. While Montezuma's Revenge and Ash vs. The Classic Monsters take place in the Earth-818793 continuity, Ash In Space took place in the Ash And The Army of Darkness continuity, and Ash Saves Obama was it's own self-contained story.
- The solicitation for the first issue of this series also implied that this was a follow-up to the Die!Namite Lives event, though no such connection is ever acknowledged within the 1979 story or the Die!Namite Never Dies series.