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Scott Duvall's Writer's Commentary on Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep #2

Scott Duvall's Writer's Commentary on Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep #, out now from Dynamite.

Welcome to the second groovy installment of this ridiculously Bruce Campbell-inspired crossover madness!
In case you're in need of a quick refresher, our man Ash was road trippin' through East Texas in search of his hero Elvis Presley, who according to legend (or y'know a cheap tabloid) retired in a nursing home and took out a soul-sucking mummy. Well Ash found Elvis alright, but he got more than he bargained for when Bubba Ho-Tep, the mummy in question, shows up, steals a special Elvis jumpsuit, and escapes with it through a time portal, but not before Ash can dive in after. Now he finds himself surrounded by the bright lights of 70's Vegas and he's gotta track down the Necronomicon Ho-Tep before Bubba does unspeakable evil with it!

PAGE ONE
Scott Duvall's Writer's Commentary on Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep #2
Vegas, baby, VEGAS! That's right, we may have begun our story in Texas, but now we're onto the Vegas strip during one of Elvis' residencies in nineteen-seventy-something. Ash is no stranger to traveling through time, so the idea of sending him to this point in Elvis' timeline only seemed fitting. Can you dig it?

PAGE TWO
Scott Duvall's Writer's Commentary on Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep #2
Ash's troubles with the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis are the stuff of legend, and so the idea of introducing another Egyptian-style Necronomicon for him to contend with was too fun not to explore. I love the look on Ash's face here when he discovers this fact but then a panel later he's back in hero-mode and off to do what Ash does best! In Ash we trust.

PAGE THREE
Scott Duvall's Writer's Commentary on Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep #2
The style of the hotel that houses the Necronomicon Ho-Tep is based on the Sahara, a famous landmark of the Vegas strip until it was torn down. As you can see, Ash isn't great at making friends with figures of authority, but his nicknames are always on point!

PAGE FOUR
Scott Duvall's Writer's Commentary on Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep #2
When trying to intimidate a security guard fails, Ash can always rely on his charms and whatever money he's got in his pocket to get where he needs to go! Plus who wouldn't buy him as a jumpsuit stylist?

PAGE FIVE
Scott Duvall's Writer's Commentary on Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep #2
I knew at some point we needed to get Ash into one of Elvis' classic jumpsuits. This one is the blue Owl Suit, and Ash fills it out nicely! Elvis' line here is a lyric from one of his songs, which coincidentally also appears on the talented Robert Hack's cover for this issue. Robert hadn't seen the script when the cover was created so a nice happy accident that just worked out that way!

PAGE SIX
We tried to insert as many Easter Eggs in here as we could for the hardcore Elvis fans. The John Burrows reference was one such bit of trivia, which I was not even aware of before I began writing this series, but my friend Stefan clued me in to this fun fact, so I hope fans appreciate it.

PAGE SEVEN & EIGHT
Whether he's old and gray or in his prime, Ash can't seem to stop pissing his hero off! Reminds me of some awkward pro/fan encounters over the years, most of which didn't result in a headlock.

PAGE NINE
Had to get a cat joke in there somewhere. And I'm a cat person (go ahead, ask me their names)!

PAGE TEN & ELEVEN
I got so lucky with the art team on this series. Artist Vincenzo Federici makes every action scene better, colorist Michele Monte elevates it with his vibrant palette, and Taylor Esposito is the glue that holds it all together with his stellar letters. I'm marveling at their talent always, but take a moment on these two pages to really watch the art team shine!

PAGE TWELVE
A little backstory on the Necronomicon Ho-Tep seemed appropriate, so here you have that in all its bloody glory. Occasionally we hit pause on the humor to show you something truly horrific and embrace the franchise's roots. But then we cap it off with one of Ash's snarky lines and we're back.

PAGE THIRTEEN
One of the most fun pages to write in the entire series, and it looks great! The team really helped sell the humor in the moment (did I mention how super fortunate I got with them?)!

PAGE FOURTEEN
Once again, the art team took what was written, and made it so much cooler! Plus how often do you see a mummy get unraveled by a roulette table?

PAGE FIFTEEN
Similar to the movie, where Bubba hurls insults at his opponents using what Bubba creator Joe R. Lansdale dubbed "East Texas Egyptian Hieroglyphics," we had some fun coming up with some of our own where it felt appropriate for Bubba to get in some fightin' words. Man, I love playing in Joe's world!

PAGE SIXTEEN
Action scenes are a whole lot of fun, but my personal feeling is that the book truly shines when Ash and Elvis have a moment to themselves when they can trade lines and we get to witness these two Campbell characters interact. That is the reason this whole thing exists is for these moments.

PAGE SEVENTEEN
In doing my research, once I discovered that Elvis owned a private jet, it was only a matter of figuring out how to get them airborne so we could switch up locations for the next issue. But if you thought Ash was taking flight minus his trusty chainsaw, think again!

PAGE EIGHTEEN
The pill Ash pops will play a bigger role in the following issue (hint hint)…. But for those who read Bubba Ho-Tep and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers, you know it's gonna be a wild ride!

PAGE NINETEEN
Give yourself a point if you know what Elvis is talking about in the first panel here (Hint: Look up Bubba Nosferatu). I had to drop in as many Bubba Easter Eggs as possible for the fan in me.

PAGE TWENTY
Bubba just can't help himself when it comes to graffiti and bathroom walls! He's like the Riddler with his riddles, it's just a compulsion to get his thoughts down after he's done sucking down a soul I s'pose.

Thanks for reading and hope you'll join us next month for issue three – "I Can't Help Falling in Middair at 20,000 Feet!" (Yes, I had way too much fun coming up with issue titles inspired by Elvis songs for this series.)
Scott Duvall's Writer's Commentary on Army of Darkness/Bubba Ho-Tep #2


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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
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