Ernie Chua

Ernesto Chan, who also worked under the name Ernie Chua, was a Filipino-American comics artist born on July 27, 1940. He is best remembered for his long association with Marvel Comics’ *Conan the Barbarian*, where he penciled and inked many issues, and for his substantial runs on DC Comics’ *Batman* and *Detective Comics*. Chan’s career, spanning from 1972 to 2010, saw him credited on over 130 issues, though he largely avoided superhero work in favor of horror, war, and sword-and-sorcery genres. After starting in the Philippines, he emigrated to the United States and became a steady presence in American comics, collaborating frequently with writers like Roy Thomas on *Conan* and with various Batman creative teams. His style blended dynamic figure work with a gritty, atmospheric line that suited both barbarian adventures and Gotham’s shadows. Chan passed away on May 16, 2012. While he did not receive major lifetime awards, his contributions remain valued by fans of classic genre comics and his work on the Cimmerian and the Dark Knight continues to be collected.