Creator Profile: Ernie Chan

Ernesto "Ernie" Chan (born 1940) is a noted Filipino comic book artist. For several years, he was forced to work under the name "Ernie Chua" as that name had been mistakenly entered on his immigration documents, but he was later credited under his actual given name. Chan is particularly known for his classic work on the Marvel Comics version of Conan the Barbarian, although he has also worked for other publishers such as DC Comics. Chan studied with the great John Buscema, and often worked with him as the inker on Conan during the 1970s. He also inked the art of Buscema's younger brother Sal on The Incredible Hulk.

Later, Ernie himself pencilled several issues of Conan, and also for Marvel Comics he worked on Doctor Strange, Kull the Destroyer in 1977 and Power Man in the 1980s. For DC Comics, he later drew the sword & sorcery series Claw the Unconquered. Chan was also a regular cover artist.

Ernie Chan was a reliable artistic presence, whose work often appeared in one-shots or fill-in issues in lieu of the regular art team, or during transitions of creative personnel on select titles. He dutifully applied the lessons that he had learned from "Big John" Buscema, yet he channeled his own unique twist on the characters on which he worked. As one of several Filipino artists who successfully broke into the American comics market in the 70's, Chan made a name for himself that stands out from many of of his peers. He's been retired since 2002.