Red Sonja color illo by Ernie Chan

Artist: Ernie Chan (All)

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Red Sonja color illo by Ernie Chan Comic Art

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Artwork Details

Title:	Red Sonja color illo by Ernie Chan
Artist:	Ernie Chan (All)
Media Type:	Mixed Media
Art Type:	Pin Up
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	120
Likes on CAF:	12 13
Comments:	18
Added to Site:	12/9/2025
Comic Art Archive:

Description

When I first established my gallery for Philippine comic artists, for some reason in my silly, feeble, old mind, I thought that an Ernie Chan example would be the easiest one to acquire. After all, I�ve known Ernie�s name almost since I began collecting comics. And while there are probably no official page counts for all of the great Filipino comic legends, I don�t know if anyone would argue that Ernie may have been the most prolific of the bunch. Certainly the great names like DeZuniga, Alacala, Nebres, and Chan were all capable of producing quality work at an unbelievable rate. These incredible pros never whined about deadlines. They just put their heads down and drew and drew and drew. Unlike so many primadonna artists who can�t be expected to do even one single issue a month (or think that doing so is an unreasonable expectation, OMG). But yeah, I thought, an Ernie Chan piece? Sure, no problem. That was three years ago.

Due to a typo on his birth certificate, Ernie was born Ernesto "Chua" on July 27, 1940 in the Philippines. When he immigrated to the U.S. in 1970, he was thirty years old and had already been working as a comic artist in the Philippines for ten years. Starting his American comics career in 1972, Ernie worked for both DC and Marvel. Sometimes simultaneously, but usually with longer exclusive stints. His early work for DC consisted mostly of non-super-hero titles. But that changed within just a few years. By the mid 70�s, Ernie�s status within the company was significantly elevated and there was about a 3-year period when he was DC�s primary cover artist. However, toward the end of the decade, Ernie began his second stint at Marvel and worked there almost exclusively until his retirement in 2002. Luckily for all of us, his love of the art form did not end with his retirement, and he continued to produce wonderful drawings for the next decade until his passing in 2012.

I think most people recognize and acknowledge Ernie as one of the greatest comic inkers of all time. But of course he was just as capable a penciller. The most common knock on Ernie�s work is that it simply apes John Buscema. While that could certainly be attributed to their epic run on Conan, it�s important to note that Ernie also studied under John before they worked together. Anyway, if looking like Buscema is a knock, I would gladly take it. I mean, would you be insulted if someone told you that your art reminded them of Frank Frazetta? Anyway, I�m sure that if I had just �settled� for a piece with Ernie just doing inks over someone else, I probably could have added a Chan example to my gallery years ago. But I really wanted him to be represented as a full illustrator. So it took a little longer. Okay, a lot longer.

One of the things that surprised me was how much his work had appreciated over the years since his retirement and subsequent passing. I mean, it�s not like he had any high-profile gigs on top tier books like X-Men, or Spider-man, or Daredevil. But a lot of his early cover work now fetches a pretty penny. Luckily, I�ve never given a rat�s behind about published vs. unpublished. So when this Red Sonja piece popped up, I thought it might be the perfect chance to finally cross Ernie off my want list. What I also liked was that since it wasn�t a Conan piece, it didn�t have that strong visual association with Buscema. At the same time, it�s still within the REH/Conan universe, which of course Ernie is very much associated with. I love that it�s both drawn and painted by Ernie, so it�s him through and through. Maybe the one thing I�m not so crazy about is the fact that it was done the year I graduated High School. I feel so old all of a sudden. Sigh!

Anyway, thanks for stopping by to read and stare. Appreciate your time.

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About the Owner

	E DLS ( 3 ) Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	March 2005
Last Login:	January 2026
Country:	UNITED STATES
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Comments on this Artwork

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Rick W
Member Since 2017

Posted on 12/9/2025

Love Ernie's late '70s color pin-ups, and this is no exception!~

Danny Kiihnl
Member Since 2022

Posted on 12/9/2025

what a stunning example of his work!

Kavi H
Member Since 2018

Posted on 12/9/2025

Pure talent and all Ernie, beauty of a Red Sonja piece and a lesson in patience for us ancy collectors (sometimes!) - congrats :)

Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

Posted on 12/9/2025

'76 - '80 were some prime years for these Chan color commissions. But he was so local that many took him for ganted when he appeared at conventions through the 90's. I like the golden tint and patina on her "armor".

E DLS
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 12/9/2025

Marcus Wai wrote:

'76 - '80 were some prime years for these Chan color commissions.� But he was�so local that many took him for ganted when he appeared at conventions through the 90's.� I like the golden tint and patina on her "armor".�

Guilty as charged. If I kicked myself for every time I just walked past his table at a show, I'd be too sore to sit. Never have the words "taken for granted" stung so much for me.

Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

Posted on 12/9/2025

E DLS wrote:

Guilty as charged.� If I kicked myself for every time I just walked past his table at a show, I'd be too sore to sit.� Never have the words "taken for granted" stung so much for me.

Can you support the living artists from the Phillipines? There's Yu, Manapul, Amor, etc.

E DLS
Member Since 2005

Posted on 12/9/2025

Marcus Wai wrote:

Can you support the living artists from the Phillipines? �There's Yu, Manapul, Amor, etc. �

I totally get where you're coming from Marcus. I know you're a big supporter of Jiggy's crew and I think that's great. For me, it's primarily a generational thing. The familiarity of those names from when I was reading and collecting comics also means that there's a stronger personal connection for all the guys from that era. On a lesser note, there's also the international issue. I've never been big on doing international art deals, as I've probably only done it less than a handful of times in the 40 years I've been collecting. I know that's a wimpy excuse, but it is what it is. By the way, I should point out that both Francis Manapul (who is actually based in Canada) and Lenil Yu's work is available through Kwan here in the U.S. So at some point I do expect to add examples by these two great talents.

Dave W
Member Since 2006

1 - Posted on 12/9/2025

Ernie's pinups from this era are always stunning, and this is no exception - just a great piece! I am surprised more artists weren't doing these back then. Congrats!

Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

Posted on 12/9/2025

Dave W wrote:

Ernie's pinups from this era are always stunning, and this is no exception - just a great piece! I am surprised more artists weren't doing these back then. Congrats!

Commissions were a new thing like fandom. The retired golden age guys got big money for them, but very few working artists would do them because the money wasn't as good and the published art was plentiful. $5-$15 a published page and you're also competing against yourself.

Paul Roach
Member Since 2014

Posted on 12/9/2025

A wonderful piece. Great pose. I love the colour highlights on her hair. It's just so nicely done.

E DLS
Member Since 2005

Posted on 12/9/2025

Paul Roach wrote:

A wonderful piece. Great pose. I love the colour highlights on her hair. It's just so nicely done.

Thank you Paul. But while I truly appreciate your post, every time I read a comment like yours, it makes me even angrier at myself for not fully realizing how incredibly talented all these Filipino artists were in their heyday. Yes, back then I was probably distracted by the likes of superstars like Byrne, Perez, and Miller. But that's just not a good enough excuse to dismiss or ignore the talents of these under appreciated legends. I wish so much that they could have been made to feel as special and as adored as those big name guys. They all certainly deserved it.

James S
Member Since 2017

Posted on 12/9/2025

Warrior Red is looking good!

Lee Harmon
Member Since 2020

Posted on 12/9/2025

Great example of Ernie's work. Can not beat these pieces he created for fans in the late 1970s. Agree with you that Chan does not receive enough credit. A real talent.

Thanks for sharing this with us!

Eric L
Member Since 2016

Posted on 12/9/2025

fantastic color Chan piece! I also have a soft spot for 80s Filipino fantasy artists. ;D

F M
Member Since 2005

Posted on 12/10/2025

Very nice indeed.

(Though I must confess, on the subject of Filipino artists, that I much prefer the elegant fluider line of an Alex Nino or Rudy Nebres).

As regards your comment on raising prices for that kind of material, all that Conan-ish stuff is extremely popular in Europe as well as I'm sure you know ;)

Toni S
Member Since 2019

Posted on 12/10/2025

That's so beautiful, as she is!

Jason Hussa
Member Since 2017

Posted on 12/10/2025

Great write-up, Eric, and your patience has absolutely paid off. Just as you say, a great example of him as illustrator, plus a beautiful color piece, PLUS a Red Sonja color piece... The hunt was worth it! I also love unpublished sketches because they offer the collector an opportunity to get an example of an artist's "work signature" on a piece that isn't a cover. :) A really sweet example, Eric! Congrats!

Paul Brzegowy
Member Since 2010

Posted on 12/10/2025

I was a youngster when I got Ernie to paint a piece for me of Conan. I could hardly believe he could paint at the show while I watched. It is still hanging on the wall many years later. Great example of Red Sonja, congrats.

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