The Good

As I mentioned in my review for issue #1, I was never the biggest Evil Ernie fan. I didn't know much about him aside from a connection to Lady Death. Jesse Blaze Snider has the task to retell his origin for both new and old readers. With Dynamite Entertainment providing the avenue, Snider is given the opportunity to simply cut loose.

This is a violent book. It's not something for the little kids. And that's a good thing. Based on who Evil Ernie is and what he does, you don't want the violence or vibe to be toned down. As we see Ernie's transformation continue, we also get a glimpse into his past and why his foster father is a pretty scuzzy guy. Ernie's powers allows him to see the evil that others have committed. So if he kills them in an extremely violent fashion, does that make him a bad guy?

It's an interesting angle to think about. There is also more to it than it seems as Smiley, Ernie's talking skull shaped pin, tries filling him in on the details, little by little.

There are some nice scenes with varied deaths and the way Ernie 'sees' the evil that others do is pretty cool.

The Bad

I'm torn over the art. There are times the art looks cool but other times it feels like it falls apart a little. There were some inconsistent panel to panel transitions where characters lost some consistency in their appearance. They could be overlooked but something about it started bothering me as the issue progressed.

There were also a couple moments the dialogue felt a little odd. With so many different characters in the comic reacting to the chaos, it's expected to hear different types of 'talk' or choice of words and insults. There was a time I felt like it was coming from a movie from the 80s.

The Veridct

Evil Ernie is back and getting pretty comfortable with his new abilities. This book contains the amount of violence you would hope for and expect with the character. The killings are varied and you don't feel like you're seeing the same things over and over. Jesse Blaze Snider is crafting a new origin for Ernie and, as a new reader, I'm enjoying seeing how it all unfolds. My main concern with this issue was some moments with inconsistency in the art. Part look pretty good and other panels felt a little lazy. I'm still hooked into the story. The issue ends with a cliffhanger and it'll be interesting to see what happens in the next issue.