- Evil Ernie: Youth Gone Wild
- Writer: Brian Pulido
- Artist: Steven Hughes
- Originally Published by Chaos Comics, 1997
In the years following, Chaos went from being a tiny publisher to being one of the biggest indie houses on the planet. As Pulido made a grab for the comic book industry's 'dark dollar', it was a quick climb to the stratosphere and then a downward plummet into bankruptcy.
However, despite the fact that the company was ill fated, it introduced a great many memorable characters into the comic book market. From Lady Death to Purgatori to Chastity, the dark ladies of Chaos endure in other formats, being moved from one comic book publisher to the next, keeping the Chaos legacy alive.
Though Lady Death is by far the company's most enduring, most recognizable face (she's still currently in print through Avatar), the one that started it all shouldn't be forgotten just because he's caught in her shadow. Evil Ernie: Youth Gone Wild introduces Pulido's headlining character, Ernest 'Evil Ernie' Fairchild, a psychopathic, teenaged mass murderer.
Who is Evil Ernie?
In the beginning, Ernest Fairchild was a normal kid. He had a relatively happy life right up until his father, a lumber mill worker, became the town pariah after being forced to lay off many employees. His father's descent into alcoholism and abuse caused Ernest's telepathic powers to manifest themselves (he can draw scenes which then come true--a talent which is directly responsible for his mother's miscarriage of his unborn sibling) and after many years of abuse, Ernest went on a rampage, wiping out his entire neighborhood in a fit of homicidal mania.
Before he went crazy, though, his parents had him committed to a local insane asylum, where his overzealous psychiatrist forced him into bizarre therapy that warped his mind and led to his eventual psychotic break. Evil Ernie: Youth Gone Wild tells the story of Ernest's fall into madness, his death, resurrection and eventually, his mission to rid the planet of all life at the behest of the beautiful but maniacal Lady Death.
Tech Specs and Final Verdict
Writer Brian Pulido is far from being a literary genius, but with a book like Evil Ernie, that's really not a requirement. Chaos Comics are not meant for people who turn to titles such as Watchmen for their comic book fix. Evil Ernie is geared more towards the horror fiends who get their kicks watching the likes of Freddy Krueger or Jason Vorhees set to work. Youth Gone Wild is a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am gore-fest that makes no apologies for what it is.
Steven Hughes, the artist for Evil Ernie: Youth Gone Wild made a name for himself through his cheesecake work on Chaos Comics' myriad of Lady Death titles, but his pencils here are shoddy at best. Still, considering that Youth Gone Wild was a very early work, this amateurishness can be forgiven, especially when taking into account what his artwork would eventually become after years with the company.
As a whole package, Evil Ernie: Youth Gone Wild is far from being a modern classic, but when it comes to good old fashioned pulp storytelling, it has a lot in common with the horrific penny dread fulls of yesteryear. It’s a guilty pleasure for those with an interest in the macabre and horror fans definitely shouldn’t skip it.
Lydia Ballard - A writer who got her start in the perilous world of fan fiction, Lydia Ballard is an aspiring comic book writer and self proclaimed lover ...
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