Dynamite Entertainment and Coffin Comics Partner to Bring Evil Ernie and Chaos! Back from the Dead
There was a time in the 1990s when the comic book medium actually lived to be dangerous. Before the industry became a sanitized assembly line of corporate-approved IP, it was a wild west of blood, leather, and beautiful, unadulterated madness. At the center of that storm was the Chaos! Comics universe – a realm that defined “attitude” for an entire generation of readers.
Now, after twenty years of being relegated to overpriced back-issue bins and fading memories, the undead icon is finally coming home. In a landmark co-publishing agreement that has sent shockwaves through the industry, Dynamite Entertainment and Brian Pulido’s Coffin Comics have officially joined forces to bring the original Chaos! library back to the masses.
The partnership didn’t just kick off with a whimper; it exploded into life this month with a Kickstarter campaign for the Evil Ernie Classic Omnibus Editions that hit its funding goal in a staggering 66 seconds. Suppose there was ever a doubt that fans were hungry for a bit of chaos, that minute-long feeding frenzy put those questions to rest. This isn’t just a simple reprint; it is a massive restoration project.
The reissue is projected as a massive three-volume set spanning over 1,500 pages, representing the first time in over two decades that these trailblazing stories have been truly accessible. As the campaign itself notes under its “A Campaign Built on Chaos” section, this effort is about more than just a book – it is about “reigniting a brand” and reconnecting a displaced fanbase with the “missing” piece of their collection.
The collection aims to be the definitive archive of the character, including every solo Evil Ernie and Smiley: The Psychotic Button story published between 1991 and 2002; classic, genre-defining storylines Youth Gone Wild, The Resurrection, Revenge, Straight to Hell, and Destroyer; plus essential appearances by Chaos! superstars like Lady Death, Purgatori, and Chastity.
The campaign correctly notes that Ernie doesn’t exist in a vacuum; his world is populated by unforgettable characters who “amplify the madness” and push the narrative into the most unpredictable territory imaginable.
For the discerning collector, the options are as varied as they are luxurious. Formats range from standard oversized hardcovers to “Super Deluxe” editions that feature page gilding, ribbon bookmarks, and the personal signature of creator Brian Pulido.
But perhaps the most exciting news is that this is merely the opening salvo in a much larger war to reclaim the Chaos! library. Follow-up collections for the legendary Lady Death are already scheduled for Fall 2026, with Purgatori and Chastity sets expected to follow in early 2027.
As the campaign page bluntly puts it, when addressing “Why Here, Why Now?”: This isn’t nostalgia. This isn’t some safe, polished reinterpretation for a modern, sensitive audience. This is Evil Ernie as he was meant to be experienced – restored, unleashed, and finally standing on the stage he was denied for twenty years. The dead have risen, and they’ve never looked better.
