Chaos! Comics was a

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

publisher that operated from 1993 until 2002, mostly focusing on

horror comics Horror comics are comic books, graphic novels, black-and-white comics magazines, and manga focusing on horror fiction. In the US market, horror comic books reached a peak in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, when concern over content and the ...

. Their titles included ''

Lady Death Lady Death is a fictional goddess appearing in American comic books published by Coffin Comics. Created by Brian Pulido, Lady Death first appeared in Eternity Comics' '' Evil Ernie'' #1 in December 1991. Lady Death then reappeared in the '' ...

'', ''

Purgatori Purgatori is a fictional comic book character, created by writer Brian Pulido and artist Steven Hughes. A crimson-skinned, winged vampire goddess, she first appeared in ''Evil Ernie: Revenge'' #1 (October 1994), published by Chaos! Comics. She ...

'', ''

Evil Ernie Evil Ernie, an undead psychotic killer, is a fictional supervillain created by writer Brian Pulido and artist Steven Hughes in 1991 and originally published by Eternity Comics. The imprint shifted hands in 1993 to Chaos! Comics and then Devil's ...

'', ''

Chastity Chastity, also known as purity, is a virtue related to temperance. Someone who is ''chaste'' refrains from sexual activity that is considered immoral or from any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for exampl ...

'', ''Jade'', '' Bad Kitty'', and ''Lady Demon''. Chaos! creators included

Brian Pulido Brian Pulido (born November 30, 1961) is an American creator, writer and producer of comic books and films. Early life Growing up in Long Branch, New Jersey, Pulido first developed an interest in the horror genre after the release of ''Night of ...

, Steven Hughes,

Al Rio Álvaro Araújo Lourenço do Rio (19 May 1962 – 31 January 2012) – known professionally as Al Rio – was a Brazilian comic book artist, best known for his " good girl" illustration work, particularly on the American comic book se ...

, Mike Flippin,

Justiniano Justiniano (born Josue Rivera) is an American comic book artist. His work includes the ''Doctor Fate'' feature in the 8-issue ''Countdown (comic book), Countdown'' spin-off ''Countdown to Mystery'' miniseries (with the late writer Steve Gerber) ...

, and Hart D. Fisher. Chaos also published licensed comics for the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

(WWF, now WWE) and several bands. It was revived by Dynamite Entertainment as their imprint as Chaos! Dynamite. Dynamite owns the rights to the characters except Lady Death who was replaced by Lady Hel.

History

Chaos was founded in 1993 in

Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in eastern Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott (chaplain), Winfield Scott, a retired Chaplain Corps (United States ...

, and published its first title that same year. Writer

was the company's president. The company dealt with a copyright infringement accusation in 1997, when horror writer Nancy A. Collins claimed they'd based the Chastity character and storyline on her character Sonja Blue. Chaos Comics filed bankruptcy in late 2002, with all characters (save ''

'') being sold off to comic retailer Tales of Wonder, who sold the rights to

Devil's Due Publishing Devil's Due Publishing (often abbreviated as DDP) is an independent comic book publisher in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned proper ...

. After the demise of Devil's Due Publishing, the rights to the Chaos! Comics characters went to

Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded in 2004 by Nick Barrucci in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, known for publishing comic book adaptations of licensed feature film properties, such as ''Army of Darkness'', '' Terminator ...

. Prior to the bankruptcy, rights to ''Lady Death'' were sold to CrossGen Entertainment, and prior to CrossGen's bankruptcy, those rights were sold to

and

Avatar Press Avatar Press is an independent American comic book publisher founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois. It was originally known for publishing bad girl comics, such as ''Pandora'', ''Hellina'', ''Lookers'', ''The ...

, who founded the imprint ''Boundless Comics'' solely for ''Lady Death''-comics. Due to Lady Death not being part of the sell, Dynamite created Lady Hel to replace Lady Death. Lady Hel received own comic series in 2022.

List of Chaos! Comics titles

A

* ''Aftermath'' #1 (Feb 2000) * ''Armageddon!'' #1–4 (Oct 1999 – Jan 2000)

B

* '' Bad Kitty'' #1–3 (Feb – Mar 2001) * ''Bad Kitty: Mischief Night'' #1 (Nov 2001) * ''Bad Kitty: Reloaded'' #1–4 (Oct 2001 – Feb 2002) * ''Bedlam'' #1 (Sep 2000) * ''Brinke of Eternity'' #1 (Apr 1994)

C

* ''Chaos! Bible'' #1 (Nov 1995) * ''Chaos! Chronicles'' (Feb 2000) * ''Chaos! Gallery'' #1 (Aug 1997) * ''Chaos! Quarterly'' #1–3 (Oct 1995 – May 1996) * ''

'' #½ (Jan 2001) * ''Chastity: Crazytown'' #1–3 (Apr 2002 – Jun 2002) * ''Chastity: Heartbreaker'' #1 (Mar 2002) * ''Chastity: Love Bites'' #1 (Mar 2001) * ''Chastity: Lust for Life'' #1–3 (May – Jul 1999) * ''Chastity: Re-Imagined'' #1 (Jul 2002) * ''Chastity: Reign of Terror'' #1 (Oct 2000) * ''Chastity: Rocked'' #1–4 (Nov 1998 – Feb 1999) * ''Chastity: Shattered'' #1–3 (Jun – Sep 2001) * ''Chastity: Special Sketchbook Edition '' (May 1997) * ''Chastity: Theatre of Pain'' #1–3 (Feb – Jun 1997) * ''

Chyna Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016), also known as Joanie Laurer, was an American professional wrestler, fitness model, bodybuilder, actress, adult actress, and television personality. Chyna first rose to pr ...

'' #1 (Sep 2000) ** ''Chyna II'' #1 (Jul 2001) * ''Cremator'' #1–5 (Dec 1998 – May 1999) * ''Cryptic Writings of

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

'' #1–4 (Sep 1997 – Jun 1998)

D

* ''Dead King'' #1–4 (May – Aug 1998) * ''Deep Black'' #1 (1997) * ''Detonator'' #1–2 (Dec 1994 – Jan 1995)

E

* ''

'' #1–10 (Jul 1998 – Apr 1999); #½ (Oct 1997) * ''Evil Ernie: Baddest Battles (That Never Happened!)'' #1 (Jan 1997) * ''Evil Ernie: Depraved'' #1–3 (Jul – Sep 1999) * ''Evil Ernie: Destroyer'' #1–9 (Oct 1997 – Jun 1998) * ''Evil Ernie: Pieces of Me'' #1 (Nov 2000) * ''Evil Ernie: Relentless'' #1 (May 2002) * ''Evil Ernie: Revenge!'' #1–4 (Oct 1994 – Feb 1995) * ''Evil Ernie: Straight to Hell'' #1–5 (Oct 1995 – May 1996) * ''Evil Ernie: The Resurrection'' #1–4 (Jul – Oct 1993) * ''Evil Ernie: Youth Gone Wild! – Director's Cut'' #1 (Oct 1995) * ''Evil Ernie: Youth Gone Wild – Encore Presentation'' #1 (Nov 1996 – Mar 1997) * ''Evil Ernie Returns'' #1 (Oct 2001) * ''Evil Ernie vs. The Movie Monsters!'' #1 (Mar 1997) * ''Evil Ernie vs. The Superheroes'' #1 (Aug 1995) * ''Evil Ernie vs. The Superheroes 2'' (Sep 1998) * ''Evil Ernie: War of the Dead'' #1–3 (Nov 1999 – Jan 2000)

H

* ''

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

'' #1 (Nov 2000) ** ''Halloween II: The Blackest Eyes'' #1 (Apr 2001) ** ''Halloween III: The Devil's Eyes'' #1 (Nov 2001) * ''The Haunted'' #1–4 (Jan – Apr 2002) * ''The Haunted: Gray Matters'' #1 (Jul 2002) * ''Homicide: Tears of the Dead'' #1 (Apr 1997)

I

* ''

Insane Clown Posse Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989, ICP's best-known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsler). Insan ...

: Hallowicked'' #1 (Nov 2001) * ''Insane Clown Posse: Halls of Illusion'' #1 (Jun 2002) * ''Insane Clown Posse: Raze the Desertz of Glass'' #1 (Nov 1999) * ''Insane Clown Posse: The Amazing Jeckel Brothers'' #1 (Sep 1999) * '' Insane Clown Posse: The Pendulum'' (Jan 2000 – Dec 2001) * ''Insane Clown Posse: The Upz & Downz of the Wicked Clownz'' #1 (Jun 1999)

J

* ''Jade'' #1–4 (May – Aug 2001) * ''Jade: Redemption'' #1–4 (Dec 2001 – Mar 2002)

L

* ''

'' vol. 1, #1–3 (Jan – Mar 1994); #½ (Dec 1994) ** ''Lady Death'' vol. 2, #0–16 (Nov 1997 – May 1999) * ''Lady Death: Alive'' #1–4 (May – Aug 2001) * ''Lady Death: Between Heaven and Hell'' #1–4 (Mar – Jun 1995) * ''Lady Death: Dark Alliance'' #1–3 (Jul – Aug 2002) * ''Lady Death: Dark Millennium'' #1–3 (Feb – Apr2000) * ''Lady Death: Dragon Wars'' #1 (Apr 1998) * ''Lady Death: Goddess Returns'' #1–2 (Jun – Aug 2002) * ''Lady Death: Heartbreaker'' #1 (Mar 2002) * ''Lady Death: In Lingerie'' #1 (Aug 1995) * ''Lady Death: Judgment War'' #1–3 (Nov 1999 – Jan 2000) * ''Lady Death: Judgment War Prelude'' (Oct 1999) * ''Lady Death: Last Rites'' #1–4 (Oct 2001 – Feb 2002) * ''Lady Death: Love Bites'' #1 (Mar 2001) * ''Lady Death: Mischief Night'' #1 (Nov 2001) * ''Lady Death: Re-Imagined'' #1 (Jul 2002) * ''Lady Death: Retribution'' #1 (Aug 1998) * ''Lady Death: River of Fear'' #1 (Apr 2001) * ''Lady Death: Sketch Cards All Stars – Surprise Edition'' #1 (Aug 2001) * ''Lady Death: Swimsuit 2001'' #1 (Feb 2001) * ''Lady Death: Swimsuit Special'' #1 (May 1994) * ''Lady Death: The Crucible'' #½ (Jul 1996); #1–6 (Nov 1996 – Oct 1997) * ''Lady Death: The Gauntlet'' #1–2 (Apr – May 2002) * ''Lady Death: The Odyssey'' #1–4 (Apr – Aug 1996) * ''Lady Death: The Rapture'' #1–4 (Jun – Sep 1999) * ''Lady Death: Tribulation'' #1–4 (Dec 2000 – Mar 2001 * ''Lady Death & Bad Kitty'' #1 (Sep 2001) * ''Lady Death & Jade'' #1 (Apr 2002) * ''Lady Death and the Women of Chaos! Gallery'' #1 (Nov 1996) * ''Lady Death/Bedlam'' #1 (Jun 2002) * ''Lady Death/Chastity'' #1 (Jan 2002) * ''Lady Death/Chastity/Bad Kitty: United'' #1 (May2002) * ''Lady Death/ Medieval Witchblade'' #1 (August 2001; co-published with

Top Cow Productions Top Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, an imprint of Image Comics. It was founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992. The company is known for publishing titles such as '' Cyberforce'', '' The Darkness'', ''Sunstone, Wanted,'' and '' Witch ...

) * ''Lady Death vs. Purgatori'' #1 (Dec 1999) * ''Lady Death vs.

Vampirella Vampirella () is a vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of '' Creepy'' and ''E ...

'' #1 (Mar 1999; co-published with Harris Comics) ** ''Lady Death vs. Vampirella II'' #1 (Mar 2000; co-published with Harris Comics) * ''Lady Demon'' #1–3 (Mar – May 2000) * ''Legend of the Sage'' #1–4 (Aug – Dec 2001) * ''Lost'' #1–3 (Dec 1997 – Feb 1998) * ''Lynch Mob'' #1–4 (Jun 1994 – Sep 1994)

M

* '' Mankind'' #1 (Sep 1999) * ''Monster Matinee'' #1–3 (Oct 1997) * '' The Mummy: Valley of the Gods'' #1 (May 2001)

N

* ''Nightmare Theater'' #1–4 (Nov 1997)

O

* ''The Omen'' #1–5 (May – Sep 1998) * ''The Omen: Vexed'' #1 (Oct 1998)

P

* ''Pandemonium'' #1 (Sep 1998) * ''

'' #1–7 (Oct 1998 – Mar 1999); #½ (Dec 2000); #0 (Feb 2001) * ''Purgatori: Darkest Hour'' #1–2 (Sep – Oct 2001) * ''Purgatori: Empire'' #1–3 (May – Jul 2000) * ''Purgatori: God Hunter'' #1–2 (Apr – May 2002) * ''Purgatori: God Killer'' #1–2 (Jun – Jul 2002) * ''Purgatori: Goddess Rising'' #1–4 (Jul – Oct 1999) * ''Purgatori: Heartbreaker'' #1 (Mar 2002) * ''Purgatori: Love Bites'' #1 (Mar 2001) * ''Purgatori: Mischief Night'' #1 (Nov 2001) * ''Purgatori: Prelude'' (May 1996) * ''Purgatori: Re-Imagined'' #1 (Jul 2002) * ''Purgatori: The Dracula Gambit'' #1 (Aug 1997) * ''Purgatori: The Hunted'' #1–2 (Jun – Aug 2001) * ''Purgatori: The Vampire's Myth'' #1–3 (Aug – Dec 1996) * ''Purgatori Versus Chastity'' (Jul 2000) * ''Purgatori vs. Lady Death'' #1 (Jan 2001) * ''Purgatori vs. Vampirella'' #1 (Apr 2000; co-published with Harris Comics)

R

* ''Rack and Pain: Killers'' #1–4 (Sep 1996 – Jan 1997) * '' The Rock'' #1 (Jun 2001)

S

* ''Smiley: The Psychotic Button'' #1 (Jul 1998) * ''Smiley: The Psychotic Button Anti-Holiday Special'' #1 (Jan 1999) * ''Smiley: The Psychotic Button Spring Break Special'' #1 (Apr 1999) * ''Smiley: The Psychotic Button Whacky Wrestling Special'' #1 (May 1999) * ''

Static-X Static-X is an American industrial metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1994. The line-up has fluctuated over the years, but was long-held constant with band founder, frontman, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Wayne Static until his d ...

: Machine'' #1 (Aug 2002) * ''

Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...

'' #1–4 (Nov 1999 – Feb 2000) * ''Suspira'' #1–4 (Apr – Sep 1997)

T

* ''A Tribute to Steven Hughes'' (Sep 2000)

U

* ''The Undead!'' #1 (Feb 2002) * ''

Undertaker A funeral director, also known as an undertaker or mortician (American English), is a professional who has licenses in funeral arranging and embalming (or preparation of the deceased) involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks o ...

'' #1–10 (Apr 1999 – Jan 2000); #0 (1999); #1/2 (Oct 1999) * ''Undertaker Halloween Special'' #1 (Oct 1999) * ''Untold Tales of Chastity'' #1 (Nov 2000) * ''Untold Tales of Lady Death'' #1 (Nov 2000) * ''Untold Tales of Purgatori'' #1 (Nov 2000)

V

* ''Vampirella/Lady Death'' #1 (Feb 1999; co-published with Harris Comics) * ''Vandala'' #1 (Aug 2000) ** ''Vandala II'' #1 (Sep 2001) * '' Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense'' #1 (Dec 1999)

''Doomsday''

''Doomsday'' was a one-off

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

album released in 1995 by the company. The album features a trio, originally from

Van Nuys, California Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Van Nuys City Hall, Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley ...

but who, at some time between 1995 and 1997, moved to

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, playing energetic bass heavy thrash. The CD was released in limited quantity to help promote the Lady Death and Evil Ernie comic franchises. The album cover features Evil Ernie beneath the Doomsday logo. The trio played at

DragonCon Dragon Con (previously Dragon*Con and sometimes DragonCon) is a North American List of multigenre conventions, multigenre convention, founded in 1987, which takes place annually over the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

'97,Welcome to Dragon*Con! - Welcome to Dragon*Con!
but had little or no commercial success beyond this. Doomsday also played At ChillerCon, NJ in 1997 with Scream Queen Tiffany Shepis co-starring on the stage performance as the maiden victim.

Track listing

#"Inceptive Psychosis" 1:12 #"Beyond Death" 5:19 #"Cyborg Killing Machine" 3:38 #"Who Am I" 4:46 #"Black Sorrow" 4:21 #"Resurrection" 4:02 #"Chaos! Rules" 3:40 #"Lost Insanity" 5:15 #"I Dream" 3:54 #"I Am Dead" 1:52 #"Take A Shot" 1:58 #"No Pickles" 0:21

Members

* Mike Flippin

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

s and

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

* Dave Chaney

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

* Johhny Ogle

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chaos! Comics 1993 establishments in Arizona Publishing companies established in 1993 Companies based in Scottsdale, Arizona Comic book publishing companies of the United States Companies disestablished in 2002 Defunct comics and manga publishing companies