Bruce Campbell.

Seeing that name, what leaps to mind first?

A heroic, wiseass bounty hunter in a wide brim cowboy hat looking to avenge his murdered U.S. Marshall father in the Old West? Maybe a charming, wiseass thief who pals around with Hercules and Xena in ancient Greece? How about an alcoholic, wiseass ex-military operative who regularly helps out his ex-spy/current P.I. buddy in Miami?

Hell, maybe you simply picture the man himself – a talented, wiseass actor who commands the adoration of genre fans all around the world.

There are no wrong answers here, and yet – given that you’ve found this article on Bloody Disgusting, chances are your mind immediately relates Mr. Campbell to his two most iconic roles – that of Ash Williams, hero of the Evil Dead franchise, and Sebastian Haff/Elvis Presley, from Don Coscarelli’s film adaptation of Joe R. Lansdale’s Bubba Ho-Tep.

Given the popularity that both characters have enjoyed throughout the years, it should have been no surprise to fans that each of them would eventually make their way to the funnybook arena to carry on in further tales of horror and heroism. Ash has seen several follow-up adventures in numerous Army of Darkness comic books which Dynamite Entertainment has been producing since 2004. In 2018, IDW Publishing released Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers, a comic book adaptation of Lansdale’s prequel novella Bubba and the Cosmic Blood-Suckers (it’s worth pointing out that IDW chose to capitalize on the name of the original novella and film with their adaptation, even though the titular mummy makes no appearance).

In February of 2019, the two comic publishers joined forces to create one hell of a crossover for Campbell fans: Army of Darkness / Bubba Ho-Tep. Written by Scott (Heavy Metal) Duvall and featuring art by Vincenzo (Grimm Fairy Tales) Federici, this four issue comic book series boasts a tale which finds Campbell’s two most popular characters being thrown into an unlikely adventure together. With its penultimate issue currently haunting the stands at your local comic book shop and the final installment due out in just a couple of weeks, we here at Bloody Disgusting thought it was high time to shine a light on this four color gem.

The series opens with Deadite-killer/boomstick-slinger/Elvis enthusiast Ash Williams roaring into East Texas, running down a hunch he has after hearing rumors of the Elvis Presley going mano a mano with a soul-sucking Egyptian mummy in a retirement home. This lands us squarely in sequel territory, with the comic acting as a follow-up to both franchises (though notably, the specific year in which this story is set is entirely glossed over – the AOD comics have played fast and loose with continuity throughout the years to keep Ash looking perpetually middle-aged, no matter how modern the tales seem). Ash soon enough finds himself at Mud Creek’s Shady Rest Convalescent Home, and is quickly confronted by the Nurse (played by Ella Joyce in the film). When Ash questions her about the rumored events, she quickly deflects, noting that there never was an “Elvis” at this rest home, and then sends our hero packing. Meanwhile, a demonic creature wearing an Elvis jumpsuit bursts from Sebastian Haff’s grave in a nearby graveyard.

Outside of Shady Rest, Ash is quickly accosted by “Dillinger”, an elderly woman who promises that she knows the location of the real Elvis, and sends Ash in his direction with the secret password “Exactamundo” (Ash: “Look, I’ve got problems when it comes to, uh…words…and saying them right…”). Soon enough, our hero finds himself face-to-face with a very much alive Sebastian Haff/Elvis Presley, who’s been expecting Ash’s visit (“Better believe it, baby. I got eyes and ears everywhere.”) When Ash believes Elvis to be a phony, the two square off – fighting with fists and flung bits of trivia about the King’s heyday.

The battle ends with Ash convinced that this Elvis is the real deal (“You ARE him!” “Damn straight, baby”), just before the demonic Bubba bursts in and attacks them both. Though the newly-formed team of Ash and Elvis fight together well, they are unable to stop Bubba Deadite, who opens up a portal which sucks he and Ash back in time. Along the way, Ash glimpses the events of Bubba Ho-Tep, and what happened just after (the Nurse revived the just-deceased Elvis, who promptly clothed the soul-sucking mummy in his shiny jumpsuit to help fake his own death). Ash eventually lands on the other side of the portal, finding himself stuck in 1970s Las Vegas.

The following two issues track Ash’s progress in the 70s as he teams up with a much younger Elvis to stop the mummy from procuring the “Necronomicon Ho-Tep” – the Ancient Egyptian Book of Souls. Along the way, Ash dresses up as an Elvis impersonator, while the young King can’t help but think that there’s some strange connection between himself and Ash that he can’t quite put his finger on (lots of fun meta-winking for Campbell fans can be found throughout this series). The third issue culminates with a surprise plane crash landing at Graceland, with one whopper of a final confrontation promised between our heroes and the evil mummy.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this crossover comic, aside from its fun story and gorgeous art and color work, is how it captures the unique voices of both of its leads. Ash sounds entirely like his film and television counterpart, without feeling like a second rate knockoff (something the previous AOD comics have struggled with), while Elvis evokes both the actual man and Lansdale’s writing. When the two heroes banter, it’s not at all difficult to hear each Campbell snapping lines at the other. Their scenes together are incredibly fun, and makes one wish that a filmed pairing of this duo was in any way possible.

As for the story, Duvall has crafted a tale which not only justifies the crossover, but honors the individual worlds and characters brought together here. This reads as no mere cash-in, but an earnest extension of the stories that have come before. Federici’s art perfectly complements Duvall’s writing, being just cartoony enough to be fun, without ever tipping over into utter silliness (Michele Monte’s gorgeous color work is to be commended for aiding in this endeavor).

Ultimately, Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep is the best kind of horror property mash-up: beholden to its forebears enough to honor its origins, but smart enough to carve out its own path to tell a story that’s unique to the worlds it’s exploring. If you’ve been missing Ash since his final small screen appearance in “Ash vs. Evil Dead”, this is the best possible fix for you. And if you’re a fan of Bubba Ho-Tep and Joe Lansdale, this is the best possible extension of that franchise one could hope for that isn’t written by the man hisownself. So before that final issue hits stands in a couple of weeks, do yourself a favor – head to your local comic book shop and snag the first three issues ASAP. I’d put money on you not being the least bit disappointed if you do.