A 160 pg graphic novel based on an original screenplay! Like having a brand new Ernest movie in your lap!
This is a preorder store! The book is currently in production and will ship fall 2025 or spring 2026.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
August 2026 Update: Arief's Penciling the Final Page!
about 1 month ago
– Fri, Aug 28, 2026 at 06:59:42 PM
Hey there, Vern!
Remember back when you were in school and learned the lesson of the tortoise and the hare? And they always showed that little tortoise at the end of the race and you wondered, “Just how in the heck did that little rascal ever get across the finish line?”
Well... I hate that this analogy is appropriate here, and we know we're later than we predicted, but we’re finally reaching the finish line.
Ho-ly cow!
It’s been a long journey. I know a lot of you have been waiting, and we are SO grateful for everyone’s love, patience, and support for this project.
Arief has officially sent us his draft of the FINAL PAGE!
Now, we still have quite a few pages left to ink and color, so we’re not completely done. But penciling has by far been the biggest mountain to climb. And there’s a reason for that...
Arief has put an incredible amount of effort into making every page detailed, Ernest-y, and making sure all the characters look true to the franchise you love and remember. I hope when you get the book, you can take the time to admire all the stuff he's drawn into the backgrounds of the panels to make this feel as alive as possible.
So... what happens now?
Arief and Aris are working on finishing the inks. Mariam is working her spooky magic on the colors. Rob is adding the lettering. And throughout the process, Erin Natal -- our fantastic editor -- and I will be going through everything to make sure it all comes out right in the wash.
Then comes FULFILLMENT!
This includes getting the books printed, shipped to our fulfillment partner (which probably takes 6 weeks to get to their door), before her and her Laguna Studios team box all the books and ship them to you Verns out there.
So, we’re still a few months out.
But after this long journey, we are finally clearing the biggest hurdle.
And man, does that feel good.
Thank you again for sticking with us, Vern. The world is waiting. The cameras are rolling. And we cannot WAIT to finally push open those big doors and show you what this team has been building.
Corey Ernest Goes to Comics
Yer July Update: Free Podcast & A Milestone Reached!
3 months ago
– Thu, Jul 16, 2026 at 03:17:41 PM
BOOK UPDATE: We just hit a major milestone!
Before illustrating each page, Arief creates thumbnail layouts -- rough, storyboard-style versions that the team reviews and approves before penciling begins. And he officially finished the last page layout of the book! We're super excited to be THIS close. He's now penciling page 152 of 168!
FREE PODCAST: Recently, we had an amazing conversation with Trantor's first victim -- Joey, from Ernest Scared Stupid.
Well... not really Joey. The actor! Alec Klapper.
I thought I’d release this episode to the public while you’re waiting. Please excuse the poor sound quality caused by some technical difficulties. Enjoy!
Note: The YouTube video is embedded in the Kickstarter Page Update. If you're viewing this through email, you may have to click the blue hyperlink above.
PAGE PREVIEW: Get a load of this...
Gettin' goosebumps over here!
Thanks, Verns! Corey from Ernest Goes to Comics
PODCAST, ERNEST DAY, GRAPHIC NOVEL, JIM VARNEY'S BIRTHDAY -- Lots of June Updates
4 months ago
– Sun, Jun 07, 2026 at 09:10:05 AM
The super-awesome, positivity-inspired, 80s nostalgia podcast, Two-Dollar Late Fee, invited us in on a show. They hosted Ernest IP Owner, writer and director Josh Cherry, Jim Varney's nephew and biographer Justin Lloyd, and Ernest and the Dream Stone author Corey Perkins!
We recommend watching on YouTube because they do a FANTASTIC job of clipping in Ernest commercials, movie trailers and clips, pictures of Jim Varney, Ernest, Jim Varney's biography, the graphic novel, and more!
NOTE: The video is embedded in the Kickstarter page update. But if you're seeing this via email, you'll probably have to click the link above.
Get ready, as Ernest Day 2026 takes place at Montgomery Bell State Park in Tennessee on June 13th! This year's lineup is INCREDIBLE.
The lineup includes:
Daniel Butler - "Eddie" in Ernest Goes To Camp. Daniel was an actor and writer on many of the Ernest projects playing everything from Ernest's tongue to Kenny's dad in Ernest Scared Stupid.
Josh Cherry - Writer, Director, Actor. Josh's dad was John R. Cherry, III who was the co-creator of the Ernest character, director of most of the Ernest movies, commercials and TV show episodes, as well as patron saint of Ernest Day. Josh appeared as a camper in Ernest Goes To Camp, and as "Cpl. Davis" in Ernest In The Army.
Emilie Cherry - John Cherry's daughter, Emilie is part of the namesake of "Emshell Producers Group, Inc." under which many of the Ernest movies were made. A very young Emilie can be spotted in some of the Ernest commercials. She also helped out behind the scenes of some of the Ernest movies.
Cylk Cozart - "Barry Worth" in Slam Dunk Ernest. Cylk went on to appear in Conspiracy Theory, Hot Shots!, and Eraser among other movies.
Mary Jane Harvill - Actress in Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam and Ernest Scared Stupid.
Esther Huston Casstevens - Actress in Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam and Ernest Scared Stupid.
Shane Keister - Composer and songwriter. Shane composed the music for Ernest Goes To Camp as well as co-wrote the songs "Brave Hearts" and "Gee I'm Glad It's Raining".
Sabrina Birdine-Moore - Actress in Ernest Goes To Jail and Ernest Scared Stupid.
Deidre Satterfield & Rhonda Clower - actresses who played trolls in Ernest Scared Stupid.
Reginald Glimps - Actor in Ernest Scared Stupid.
Marc Gullen - Actor in Ernest Scared Stupid
Steven Bradley - Actor in Ernest Scared Stupid.
Justin Lloyd - Jim Varney's nephew and author of his biography "The Importance of Being Ernest: The Life of Actor Jim Varney". You can order a copy here.
Corey Perkins - Author of Ernest's first adventure in over 30 years in the upcoming graphic novel, "Ernest and the Dream Stone".
Alec Klapper - Alec returns for another Ernest Day! He played one of Trantor's early victims, "Joey", in Ernest Scared Stupid.
Chapman Cherry - Chapman's dad was John R. Cherry, III who was the co-creator of the Ernest character, director of most of the Ernest movies, commercials and TV show episodes, as well as patron saint of Ernest Day. Chapman joins the rest of the Cherry family (Josh and Emilie) at his first Ernest Day!
Richard Woolf - Richard played "Matt Murdock", one of the bully sons of Mayor Murdock in Ernest Scared Stupid.
Mark Cabus - "Roupen Dupree" in Existo. Mark has gone on to have a successful acting career appearing in films such as The Client, The Longest Ride, and Selma.
Jenny Littleton - "Penelope" in Existo. Jenny continued to perform with her Existo co-star Bruce Arntson as half of the musical comedy duo "Doyle & Debbie".
Melanie Wheeler - Melanie appeared in both Ernest Scared Stupid and Ernest Goes To Jail, as a crying mother in the flashback prologue of Scared Stupid and as a courtroom prosecutor in Jail.
Lance Bridgesmith - Lance appeared as one of the campers in Ernest Goes To Camp.
Joey Koval - Joey played a young Ernest in a pivotal, Oscar-worthy performance in Ernest Scared Stupid!
As for the graphic novel, the pencils are currently on page 140 of 168! We're getting soooooooooooooo close, Vern!
Finally, Happy Heavenly Birthday to Jim Varney on June 15th! He would've turned 77 years old.
Until Your Next Update, Corey Ernest Goes to Comics
Your April 2026 Update
5 months ago
– Wed, Apr 29, 2026 at 01:47:44 PM
Imagine this...
It's doomsday. The moment of reckoning. On the line? Your town and everyone you know and love.
Metal weapons won't work. Gotta find something else. Everyone goes and gets the most deadly non-metal weapon they can find. They meet at Ernest's house. Waiting to see what weapon he chose...
The door opens. "Here he is!" Will it be a baseball bat? A spear? Something even more brutal?
Then he reveals it...
This, my friends, is the Big Dipper. Yer standard, plastic ladle.
Look at that reaction...
lol. Priceless.
I told you guys our illustrator Arief is good!
As for where we are: pencils are at page 127. The rest is lagging a bit behind that, but that's okay, as the pencils take the longest. We're getting closer and closer!
Thank you for your patience, support, and most of all -- for your love of this franchise!!!!!!!!
Corey Ernest Goes to Comics
That moment when you strut out of this April update feeling like...
Look at all that gorgeous detail Arief is putting into these panels!
Your March 2026 Update
6 months ago
– Wed, Mar 25, 2026 at 08:12:53 AM
Hey Vern!
Quick update -- we’re now on page 117! Chuggin’ right along, one Ernest-y page at a time.
Yep. Vern didn't call me hard headed for nothin'. That's how I know we will get this graphic novel done!
Thank you for your love for this franchise and your patience, Vern.
