Halloween 2K26 - Archie X The Army of Darkness

In recent years, Archive and the Riverdale gang have crossed paths with The Punisher, Predator, Jay and Silent Bob, and now Ashley J. Williams and the Necronomicon. I just finished reading Archie vs. The Army of Darkness, an unexpected crossover that ended up being a lot of fun.

Last year, I was a little disappointed in the Archie Meets Jay and Silent Bob one shot. It ust didn't have enough space to tell a memorable story, so I'm glad Archie x The Army of Darkness was a six issue arc. It gives the story room to establish how the Necronomicon comes into play and how Ash finds himself in Riverdale.

to the other crossovers, everything takes place in the Archie universe, which means sticking to that iconic cartoon style. For the most part, it works really well. There's something especially fun about seeing genuinely horrific events unfold in such an otherwise innocent, minimalistic, utopian setting. Ash's normally goofy characterization works here, even if he occasionally feels a little out of place next to the usual Archie cast.

The story goes pretty much how you'd expect. Archie and the gang end up at a party at Reggie's new lake house. Inside, they discover a hidden room with the Necronomicon. Archie, of course, reads from it out loud, and that's all it takes for the Deadites to show up.

At the same time, Archie has recently taken a job at the new S Mart in Riverdale. His mentor turns out to be Ash, who transferred there and is enjoying what he thinks is a break from constant Deadite attacks. He tries to warn Archie about everything he's been through, but Archie mostly tunes him out until the Deadites actually appear and suddenly he needs Ash more than ever.

I'm not big on spoilers, and there are plenty of full recaps out there if you want every detail. What I will say is I enjoyed this more than I expected. The artwork stays consistent throughout, and it's a lot of fun watching the world of Evil Dead crash into Riverdale. As usual, there are also some great covers across the series.

Archie x The Army of Darkness was written by Erik Burnham, drawn by Bill Galvan, and colored by Ellie Wright. I had a really good time with it, and I think Evil Dead fans should absolutely check it out. If you're not familiar with Ash or the films, I'm not sure it'll land the same way since it leans pretty heavily on that background.