EVIL ERNIE (VOL. 4) #4 – Review

EVIL ERNIE (VOL. 4) #4 – Review, from Dynamite Comics on March 9th, 2022, pushes Ernie over the edge (of a dam) when a confrontation with Glickman’s girlfriend goes haywire as a pack of party crashers shows up.

The Details

• Written By: Scott Lobdell
• Art By: Ariel Medel
• Colors By: Candice Han
• Letters By: Dave Sharpe
• Cover Art By: Arthur Suydam
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: March 9th, 2022

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Was It Good?

EVIL ERNIE (VOL. 4) #4 is a surprising mess of an entry in an otherwise intriguing series. Why? Because I have no idea what’s going on. Who are all these people? Where did they come from? When did all this story development happen? Did I miss an issue? What is happening?

Up to now, Lobdell has done an exceptional job laying out how the latest host of Smiley, Ernest Glickman, became Evil Ernie, who Evil Ernie has been through the centuries, and what role Ronique plays in Evil Ernie’s repeated resurrections. Solid storytelling forms a solid foundation for the character moving forward.

And then this issue happened. In all seriousness, it feels like there’s a missing issue between this one and issue #3. When last we left Evil Ernie, Ernest’s girlfriend showed up to find out what was wrong and Evil Ernie emerged to threaten her life. That’s fine. That tracks. But suddenly there are confrontations with an evil corporation, zombie bikers, a plot to blow up a dam, and more… all coming to a head out of nowhere.

To be clear, this all feels like the ending to a potentially intriguing story, but the problem is you’re seeing the ending of an intriguing story without the benefit of middle or beginning. It’s bizarre.

On the plus side of things, Medel and Han turn in fantastic art in this issue. You may not understand what’s going on, but at least it looks great. The pencils are better than the inks, but it comes together nicely. Han’s colors punch up the drawings exponentially to give the entire issue bold textures punctuated with supernatural glow in just the right spots. Visually, this is an exciting issue.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.

What’s It About?

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

Go read the review for EVIL ERNIE (VOL. 4) #3 to understand why we’re so confused.

We begin where the last issue left off with Evil Ernie holding Candice by the throat. As Candice struggles to stay alive Ernest fights his way back to the surface to free her (or does he?).

Suddenly, a small fleet of SUVs drives up to the top of the dam. The lead SUV has a passenger in the back who appears to be a malicious businessman. Suddenly, a cop comes out of nowhere pointing a shotgun at the businessman. Suddenly, a small army of businessmen get out of the other SUVs and point guns at the cop ordering her to drop her weapon. Suddenly, the businessman orders his “executives” to blow up the dam. Who are these people? No idea. Where did they come from? No idea. What do they want? No idea. Why does the businessman want to blow up the dam? No idea.

We conclude the issue with Evil Ernie taking a break from Candice to intervene, more sudden arrivals, and Ronique yanking some strings.

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