Frank Hannah, Barnaby Bagenda, Oscar Bazuldua ‘Evil Dead 2: Beyond Dead by Dawn’ (Review)

Space Goat Publishing uncorks a serious heavy hitter with Evil Dead 2: Beyond Dead by Dawn. Having read an enormous amount of Evil Dead books, it takes a bit to impress me. Dynamite has published a few strong story arcs, but Space Goats Beyond Dead by Dawn might be the best I’ve read in the last few years.

The entire story is narrated by Annie Knowby, who we met in Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead II. That approach alone – as opposed to a narration provided by an unknown, or Ash himself – immediately sets this one apart from the bulk of franchise books out there. It doesn’t alter the narrative much in any way, but it does prove refreshing.

Annie basically resurrects, or summons Ash from an entirely different dimension. The two enter Hell in order to set the souls of her parents free. But that won’t be easy, as a demon overlord known as Rabisu has those souls tucked away for not-so safe keeping. Along the way we see Ash possessed by a demon, all sorts of supernatural insanity and a showdown with a monstrous creature that may or may not lead to the liberation of Annie’s parents’ souls.

Beyond Dead by Dawn is beautifully illustrated by Barnaby Bagenda and Oscar Bazuldua, while Frank Hannah dishes out an infectious tale. The three together make for a superb trio destined to gift fans a magnetic story that rings faithful to the source material while expanding upon the story. It’s rewarding, and then some.

If you’re big on graphic novels, Space Goat has one that you really, really want to pick up. Easily one of the 10 greatest story arcs in the Evil Dead comic realm (for the record, there are a ton of different arcs out there, pumped out by different publishers, written and illustrated by a myriad of top notch talents), Beyond Dead by Dawn is a must-own.

You can order an awesome autographed copy of the first issue of this genius run, right here.

Rating: 4.5/5