The Importance of Being Ernest: Murfreesboro Man Continues Ernest P. Worrell Franchise and Legacy With Graphic Novel Project

[UPDATE: In celebration of its successful Kickstarter campaign and everyone who’s helped make the project a reality, those behind the Ernest & the Dream Stone graphic novel will hold a celebration and a screening of Ernest Scared Stupid on Sunday, Nov. 3, at The Palace Theater in Gallatin. Join graphic novel writer Corey Perkins, Jim Varney’s nephew and biographer Justin Lloyd, owner of the Ernest franchise Josh Cherry, and other Ernest fans and supporters. The movie screening will begin at 2 p.m., followed by a meet-and-greet with the team. Tickets will not be sold at the door. All tickets must be purchased online (for only $5.50 per ticket) here. For more information on the forthcoming graphic novel, visit ernestgoestocomics.com.]

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Ernest P. Worrell, the goofy titular character from the film franchise that started in 1987 with Ernest Goes to Camp, is back for the first time in 25 years. Murfreesboro native Corey Perkins and his team of artists have worked together to bring back the joy that is Ernest in his very own full-color graphic novel featuring over 150 pages of pure story.

“There’s a lot of negativity out there in the world. You turn on the television, and everyone’s yelling at each other, and so, I think the world could use Ernest right now, you know? He accepts everybody. He’s forgiving, he’s empathetic. He tries to do the right thing. He makes mistakes, but he tries to do the right thing. He puts himself on the line to help others,” Perkins said.

“He forgives people when they shouldn’t be forgiven. He believes in people when they shouldn’t be believed in. He’s very authentic, and his authenticity is something that I love. And he’s big-hearted. He’s always telling the truth, even if he can get on your nerves. So, yeah, I wish more people in the world were like Ernest. Honestly, if everybody was more like Ernest, it would be a better place.”

While things are different now since the loss of Jim Varney in 2000, Corey has spent the past year poring over the script repeatedly to ensure that the script feels like a classic Ernest movie, containing an equivalent helping of humor. As longtime Ernest fans, Corey and the team wanted to replicate all of the original slapstick comedy and goofy personality traits that made Ernest who he is, even incorporating a writing style that imitates Ernest’s vocal inflections.

However, there are also some emotional aspects in the graphic novel similar to those in Ernest Goes to Camp. The main character arc in the comic draws inspiration from a brief but memorable scene in which Ernest sings “Gee, I’m glad it’s raining.”

“Jim Varney sings a song, just this one song. It’s the only time he ever does that, it just goes into a musical for a second, and it’s really awesome. It’s really magical how he can get people to emote and get people to empathize and so all that to say, [the comic] is going to have the spooky fun and crazy jokes and stuff, but I also wanted to tap into a little bit of the pathos of Ernest Goes to Camp. So, it’s close to Ernest Scared Stupid, but I wanted to also add in a little of the pathos,” Perkins said.

Overall, the comic is meant to be somewhat of a love letter to Ernest Scared Stupid with its spooky atmosphere and darker undertone. Ernest will be going on a wacky adventure to defeat the graphic novel’s main villain, Dr. Otto. This refers back to Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam, created by John Cherry and Coke Sams, the duo responsible for creating Ernest’s character. Dr. Otto was notably played by Jim Varney, who also played our beloved Ernest in his first film appearance.

Many of the Ernest movies and Dr. Otto were filmed in Middle Tennessee; in fact, Montgomery Bell State Park, the setting for Ernest Goes to Camp, holds an Ernest Day celebration every summer (with the next Ernest Day set for June 14, 2025). Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam was mostly filmed in Fall Creek Falls State Park, while Ernest Goes to Jail was shot at the Tennessee State Penitentiary, among other Nashville sites.

To access the comic, titled Ernest & the Dream Stone, and for more information on the project, visit ernestgoestocomics.com. A Kickstarter campaign will launch on Sept. 17, currently the only way to purchase this comic. The Kickstarter algorithm rewards creators who see purchases on the first day, so if you want more Ernest content in the future, it’s important to make a purchase on day one.

Dedicated Ernest fans can find more than just the graphic novel.

“I’ve also been recording a podcast that’s exclusive to Kickstarter, and it’s only available to the people who buy it,” Perkins said. “I’m interviewing the owner of the franchise, Jim Varney’s nephew, who wrote Jim Varney’s biography. His niece will be interviewed as well. She is very supportive of the project. There’ll be interviews with me as well as the artistic team. We’re going to go through all the movies and watch them and talk about them. It’ll be fun!”