One of more unusual characters in the Chaos! Comics line is Smiley the Psychotic Button, a button that’s a bit more than a clothing accessory for Evil Ernie. It’s also a demonic sidekick. In January, Dynamite will be releasing a one-shot to give the button’s origin in the new Chaos! universe. The special is written by Mike Raicht who’s written a bit of everything from Marvel Age Spider-Man to The Stuff of Legend to Dark Shadows and drawn by Juanan Antonio who’s worked on Dungeons & Dragons.
Official PR follows:
THE ORIGIN OF EVIL ERNIE‘S FIENDISH FRIENDAND MORE SECRETS OF CHAOS! COMICS ARE REVEALED INUPCOMING CHAOS: SMILEY THE PSYCHOTIC BUTTON SPECIALOctober 9, 2014, Mt. Laurel, NJ: Dynamite Entertainment is proud to announce the latest spine-chilling installment in its ongoing Chaos! Comics line, Chaos: Smiley the Psychotic Button. Written by Mike Raicht (Dark Shadows) and featuring artwork by Juanan Antonio (Dungeons & Dragons), this 48-page one-shot special explores the origin of Smiley — the demonic entity affixed to the chest of the comic industry’s reigning malcontent, Evil Ernie. Featuring cover artwork by Chaos! artist Mirka Andolfo, Chaos: Smiley the Psychotic Button is scheduled for release in January 2015.The Smiley one-shot answers the question: Just how terrifying could the origin of Evil Ernie’s peculiar decorative accessory be? When the answer involves Lucifer, mass murder, the struggle for control over Hell, and the tastiest meat patties that your hard-earned 99 cents can afford, the term “terrifying” may not actually be descriptive enough. In addition to the fear-fraught core story, this special double-sized comic includes a back-up story wherein Heaven attempts to counter Smiley’s blasphemous existence on Earth with the creation of its own powerful trinket: the Holy Pizazzinator.“In my mind, Smiley is one of the most unique and important characters in the Chaos! Universe,” says Mike Raicht. “Not only does he pal around with one of my favorite characters, Evil Ernie, but he also holds some pretty intriguing secrets about the universe inside that demented mind of his. Researching his origins and speaking with Tim Seeley (the writer of the line-defining Chaos! and Evil Ernie series) about possible directions for the most powerful plastic trinket around has been a blast. I really hope I can provide just the right amount of outrageous evil and twisted fun for Chaos! fans old and new .”Chaos: Smiley the Psychotic Button is the latest release in Dynamite Entertainment’s revival of Chaos! Comics, the horror franchise that achieved monumental popularity and financial success in the 1990s. Beginning with an Evil Ernie series in 2012 (wherein Smiley the Psychotic Button made his first modern appearance), Dynamite expanded upon its success with the epic Chaos! event, individual series for resident “bad girl” characters Chastity, Purgatori, and Lady Demon, one-shot specials dedicated to The Chosen and Bad Kitty, and even a tongue-in-cheek children’s comic called Li’l Ernie.Chaos: Smiley the Psychotic Button will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ November Previews catalog, the premiere source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in January 2015. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies of Smiley with their local comic book retailers. Chaos: Smiley the Psychotic Button will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.