Dynamite celebrates 30 years of Chaos! this December with an exciting new take on Evil Ernie courtesy of writer Scott Lobdell (Uncanny X-Men, Red Hood) and artist Ariel Medel (Xena)!
Ernest Gleckman is a good kid, coming up on his college graduation. The only asterisk is the rock band he leads each weekend. He may have a bit of a bad boy streak, but nothing like where life is about to take him! One night Ernest is mortally wounded, but barely scrapes by alive. Only now he must pay back his new “lease” on life as an avatar for a mysterious death cult. He must assume the role of… Evil Ernie!
“What happens when you take the most evil entity in all of creation….and bond him with the nicest guy in the world?,” Scott Lobdell wanted to know. “I saw this EVIL ERNIE series as a way to explore not only the effect of Ernie’s unadulterated evil on an innocent college student… but would Ernie react to having to reside in a vessel of pure innocence in order to achieve his goal. We’ve all come to accept that power corrupts and absolutely power corrupts absolutely. Is it possible absolute goodness can eradicate evil once and for all?”
“Also, I have to say, I am so excited about working with Ariel on EVIL ERNIE. I’ve gotten to work with a lot of superstars over the years… and I’m telling you he’s destined to become one!”
Ernest and Ernie are polar opposites, as the young man learns as his new alter ego leans into cruelty and sadism as he tortures and murders his targets. As he balances the already complicated life of college with the darkness now inside him, will Ernest be able to hold onto his tenuous grip on humanity? Or will The Evil One fully take over and enact his nihilistic goals of megadeath?
Originally appearing in a shocking self-titled first issue, Evil Ernie goes back to 1991. Created by upstart comic book visionaries Brian Pulido and Steven Hughes, the antihero became a sensation and birthed the wider Chaos! mythos alongside the likes of Purgatori – starring in her own series right now by writer Ray Fawkes.
Lobdell and Medel are joined by colorist Candice Han for this rollercoaster ride into insanity. Brett Booth, Lobdell’s frequent collaborator from projects like Teen Titans and Flash Forward, joins for an exhilarating lead cover. He’s paired with a cover by Arthur Suydam, capturing the undead psychotic killer in all his glory.
EVIL ERNIE #1 is slated for release in December 2021. It will be available at comic book shops and through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Kindle, iBooks, Google Play, Dynamite Digital, ComicsPlus, and more.