Evil Ernie is back! Dynamite has brought out one of their most criminally underused characters for a new story by Justin Jordan and Colton Worley. However, is this issue going to win over new fans or just appeal to the undead troublemaker’s devotees? We assess this as we take a good look at ‘Evil Ernie Godeater” #1 in our review.
Written by Justin Jordan
Illustrated by Colton WorleySomething bad is coming. Something that could kill Heaven and Hell and the Earth itself: The Godeater. And the only thing standing its way is… Evil Ernie? We’re probably all screwed. Dynamite Entertainment proudly welcomes Justin Jordan, the Harvey Award-winning writer of such horror hits as The Strange Talent of Luther Strode and Shadowman, as he debuts the all-new ‘Godeater’ storyline, an event so epic in scope, it promises to shake the very foundations of the Chaos! universe! EVIL ERNIE #1 comes jam-packed with additional content! As if one potential doomsday wasn’t enough, Dynamite delves into the Chaos mythology in ‘Last Ditch Bitch,’ a serialized back-up feature that introduces Liv Halvorsen, lead singer of a Scandinavian Death Metal band… and an unwitting pawn in Ragnarok! Plus, this issue will include an in-depth interview with Justin Jordan about Evil Ernie, the Chaos! Comics universe, and more!
When you review weekly comic books, you tend to find yourself looking out for something a little more fun and interesting, something that is going to excite and surprise you. I mean, I read a lot of the books being released right now regardless of my job here, so it is a good opportunity to pick up something I’d otherwise miss. In the case of “Evil Ernie Godeater”, I must admit, the title alone was enough to make me want to dig a little deeper and from there on, everything I subsequently discovered grabbed my intention even more. The premise sounded intriguingly weird, it features Evil Ernie, a character with a bizarre and fascinating history, and that cover looked pretty bonkers in a Iron Maiden kinda way. Though best of all, it is written by Justin Jordan, the same creative wizard behind the brilliant ‘Luther Strode’ series. So all that remained was whether the issue itself was going to live up to my expectations.
Well, ultimately, no, I’m afraid it didn’t. You see Evil Ernie has existed for quite a while now, since 1991 in fact. He’s characteristically drifted from publisher to publisher and has been given over to quite a number of creative teams. I first came experienced him during a brief crossover in Tim Seeley’s “HACK/Slash” for instance. Now, if you’re picking up this issue as an Evil Ernie first timer, or like me you just have a casual and passing knowledge about him, then I’m afraid “Godeater” #1 is going to leave you feeling a little lost. There is no attempt to introduce you to whom Evil Ernie is or what he can do. You could say that Jordan has been pretty brave to let Evil Ernie just dive head first into the story, without spending too much time retelling a backstory that probably a lot of readers already know Jordan can focus on building the plot, yet even long term fans might feel confused after finishing this issue. What we can work out is that Evil Ernie, and his best friend and pin badge Smiley, have unwittingly become involved in some greater scheme between angels and demons. The major crux of the issue sees Evil Ernie defending himself in a graveyard. The events in this are vague at best, Jordan introduces concepts and characters, yet never fleshes them out nor follows through. A new series would have been an excellent chance for publishers Dynamite to promote a character with tons of potential for good stories and popularity.
What Justin Jordan does tap into however is Evil Ernie’s zaniness and proclivity for the madcap. Evil Ernie and Smiley’s interactions is the book’s best feature. Something we learnt from his work on ‘Luther Strode’ is he knows how to craft a spectacle for his artist to render and I do believe there is evidence of that here too. Unfortunately, illustrator Colton Worley is not the right artist for such massive spectacle. Moments of action and even simple movement is blurred and out of focus, I found myself straining to figure out what was happening in more than one panel. This becomes even more odd when you take into account his very simple and rudimentary panel structure. I don’t understand why Worley’s art is so obscure and seemingly half-finished when he hasn’t taken anytime planning or laying out the book as whole either. When it comes to the visuals there just isn’t a lot more to say other than that Worley is a much better colourist than he is an artist. He employs colours very well; first to set the tone of the book with a grungy, dark pallet and then he starts to insert more and more of Evil Ernie’s ethereal, voodoo glow. While I don’t think Worley has any ability as a storyteller through his art, he certainly has some idea when it comes to colours.
The issue ends with a short story featuring more of the Chaos! Imprint characters. Written by Keith Davidson and illustrated by Cezar Razek, ‘Last Ditch Bitch’ is as fun as it is dumb. Seemingly straight from the mind of a teenager from the 90’s, it sees a heavy metal band frontwoman attacked by a gang of dirtbag demons. The humour is definitely a throwback with the jokes as trashy as the design of all the women. Yet, it is kind of charming in a post-ironic, nostalgic way, though you didn’t hear that from me. Think of it as junk food, not good for your health, but oddly enjoyable. Especially after the unsatisfying main course from ‘Evil Ernie Godeater’, it feels good to have something to sink my teeth into.
Final Verdict: 4.8 – I would say one for the fans, but unfortunately I think even they will be hard done by.
