KISS/Army of Darkness was a five-issue crossover comic published by Dynamite Entertainment in 2018 featuring a fictionalized version of the rock band KISS encountering characters and elements from the 1993 film Army of Darkness. Written by Chad Bowers and Chris Sims, the series features artwork by Ruairi Coleman.
Plot Synopsis[]
The natural order of the time-stream begins to change when a cult known as The Disciples of The Destroyer get their hands on the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, starting with the disappearance of the super-powered rock band KISS in 1979. Because of the band's sudden departure from history, the life of Ash Williams is also affected, which leads him down a path of completely avoiding the supernatural forces he was destined to fight.
A woman named Julie Weiser, aware of the changes to history occurring around her, seeks out Williams and brings with her artifacts from the Middle Ages, where he aided her ancestor in a great battle against an army of the dead. Of course, Ash has no recollection of such events ever happening, but soon discovers perhaps there may be some truth to Weiser's story, as The Disciples of The Destroyer have tracked him down and (accidentally) send him to 1300 AD.
In the Middle Ages, Ash finds Julie's ancestor, a scarred old sage known simply as "The Wise Man", the last human occupant of Castle Kandar. The Wise Man says Ash was prophesied to arrive months ago, but his tardiness has led to the armies of Lord Arthur and Henry The Red joining the undead legion. Subjected to "death" by The Pit, Ash is turned into a Deadite himself, but is soon captured by KISS, who are in the midst of a rescue mission to save The Wise Man.
The time-lost band and the old sage escape the castle and return to their camp in the haunted graveyard, where Ash's Deadite possession is suppressed using the magic make-up bearing the sigil of The Destroyer. KISS explains to Williams that their presence in this time has disrupted an ancient prophecy regarding "The Promised One", who was said to have been the only one capable of defeating the evil forces which roam these lands, and their attempts at fighting back have only made these dark powers stronger. Realizing that time must be trying to fix itself if The Promised One is here now (albeit later than intended) KISS, Ash, The Wise Man, and Sheila (who had attempted to search for the Necronomicon on her own) devise a plan to get KISS their powers back and make one final attack on the army of the dead.
As KISS "powers-up" from the energy of the crowd at their impromptu concert, Bad Sheila and her Deadite army arrive. KISS and the refugee human residents of Castle Kandar take up arms against the undead around them, only for the evil spirits to leave their hosts and possess Ash once more, transforming into a "one-man army of darkness" who splits himself into four separate clones to take on all the members of KISS at the same time. As the band is on the verge of defeat, The Wise Man uses a spell to merge the four rockers into a single giant demonic entity, swiftly slaying the Ash clones with an enormous sword. From across the battlefield, Bad Sheila uses an incantation from the Necronomicon to imbued the Deadite Ash with the absorbed power of The Destroyer, and the two giants begin one last battle. Whilst her clone is distracted, the human Sheila attacks and disrupts the spell, causing the souls of Ash (now human once more) and KISS (separated back into their individual forms) to be pulled into the Necronomicon itself, bringing an end to evil's reign in 1300 AD.
Centuries pass, and the Necronomicon sits on a desk inside a secluded cabin in the woods, only to be found by Blackwell and the Disciples of The Destroyer. Upon activating the book's power with a sample of blood, KISS and Ash emerge from the ancient tome's pages, ready to take on the cultists. Blackwell uses the book to transform himself into a super-powered Deadite, only for Ash to sneak up behind him and blow the foe's head off with a shotgun. With the timeline now corrected, KISS begins to fade from existence, leaving Ash alone at the cabin until the arrival of Julie Weiser, whom Ash quickly brings up to speed on what has transpired. Not knowing how much time he has left before fading himself, Ash and Julie head to Kentucky to catch the next KISS concert. Watching his younger self leave the show with a cutie blonde, the alternate Ash heads inside to enjoy one last song before fading from existence with a smile on his face.
Cover Gallery[]
Main Covers[]
Variant Covers[]
Virgin Covers[]
Other[]
Trivia[]
- One of the "get well" cards seen in Ash's hospital room in issue one is from "Sam", presumably a reference to Sam Raimi.
- The design of Castle Kandar's exterior seen at the end of issue one uses the design seen in the Evil Dead II film.
- The special guest mentioned on the flyer announcing the KISS concert in the cemetery in issue three is "Robert The Seger".