EVIL ERNIE (VOL. 4) #2 – Review

EVIL ERNIE (VOL. 4) #2, from Dynamite Comics on January 5th, 2022, continues the origin story of the latest “bearer of the Smiley pin” as Ernest Glickman searches for the culprits behind his death and learns his new power has unexpected perks.

The Details

• Written By: Scott Lobdell
• Art By: Ariel Medel
• Colors By: Candice Han
• Letters By: Dave Sharpe
• Cover Art By: Arthur Suydam (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: January 5, 2022

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Was It Good?

Traditionally, Evil Ernie isn’t anything close to what you might call a hero. However, EVIL ERNIE (VOL. 4) #2 gives the latest incarnation of the bombastic biker from beyond an origin story that’s as close to Spider-Man as you can get (without risking copyright infringement).

Some bones have been made (no pun intended… maybe) in recent years about taking established characters and replacing them with the justification that the character’s name is a “mantle”. For some characters, that rationale works (e.g. Black Panther, Iron Fist, Green Lantern). For others, not as well (Spider-Man, Thor, Superman). Regardless of where your opinions fall on the “mantle” conversation, it’s always a pleasant surprise when the “mantle” concept is done in a way that makes sense, stays true to the heart of what makes that character successful, and gives readers a fresh take all at the same time.

Here, Lobdell gives readers all three. The most fun in this issue comes by way of Ernest Glickman’s transformation from a too-square, straight-as-an-arrow college student into a nice guy with an alpha edge. The success of the transformation is due in part to the writing and the art combined.

Glickman is an underdog, and who doesn’t love an underdog story. After his resurrection, he carries himself with more confidence, his girlfriend notices something different about him, and the local jock/bully can sense it, too. That’s the net positive of this issue. Glickman doesn’t suddenly sprout giant muscles or shoot lasers from his eyes. It’s a subtle shift of demeanor that turns him from a wimp into a stud with nothing more than the tone of language, body posture, and facial expressions. In short, the greatest achievement of this issue is the main character’s acting achieved through the writing and art combined.

The art by Ariel Medel and the team is quite good in this issue. Again, the art plays a heavy part in how well the story is acted. Plus, we get a fair bit of gory violence once a gang of bikers shows up to give Glickman a second beat down. The one minor down point is the detail work between the inks and the coloring. On close-up panels, the lines are not clean and it looks like the colorist struggled to make the lines look cleaner by staying in the crooked lines as best as possible. On the wide panel shots, it’s not noticeable enough to make a difference. On the close-ups (e.g. the very first page) it’s hard not to notice.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

If Ernest Glickman is a new name for you, first read our EVIL ERNIE (VOL. 4) #1 review.

We begin with a scene midway through the timeline of Ernest Glickman’s origin story. His dead body is being examined in the morgue and a police detective is fairly certain his injuries exceed what’s possible with a simple scooter accident. When the coroner and detective leave, Evil Ernie comes to life and makes a hasty exit.

When the detective arrives at Glickman’s door room to start her investigation, she’s surprised to find Ernest is alive and well. When she leaves Ernest changes and leaves the dorms to find out who Ronique is, why she gave him the Smiley pin, and what’s happened to his life. Along the way, Ernest runs into his girlfriend who’s being accosted by a pushy jock. The chance reunion doesn’t go well for the jock. Ernest also finds a gift waiting for him outside his dorm, a new set of wheels courtesy of Ronique.

When Ernest arrives back at the karaoke bar where it all started, he’s surprised to find the place condemned and long-abandoned. We conclude the mystery-building issue with a second encounter with the biker gang that killed Ernest the first time and the return of Ronique.

Final Thoughts

EVIL ERNIE (VOL. 4) #2 gives the new Evil Ernie a proper and compelling origin story with an underdog story combined with a fair bit of mystery surrounding Ernest Glickman’s transformation. The dialog and art combined to sell the subtle transformation of Glickman from wimp to alpha with a surprising array of nuanced changes. That said, the inks and coloring are not clean on the close-up panels, making for a mild distraction in an otherwise stellar issue.

Score: 8/10

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