Review by Sam O'beirn
Oh, what a wonderful time to be a horror fan, and a comic book geek. Gone are the days of having to hunt down independent press comics that slid under the Comics Code. Gone are the days of having to pay hundreds of dollars for original prints or collections of “Weird Tales”, “Tales form the Crypt”, or “Shock Suspenstories”(even though I still do that anyway…). With the success of the DC Vertigo Line of comics, as well as Dark Horse Comics, huge waves of new writers, artists and publishers have brought horror back to comics with a blood-drenched cry of revenge. At the forefront of this resurgence of grue, is Dark Horse Comics, a company that’s making some of the greatest comics by “drawing on your nightmares”. I thought I’d share one of my favorite comics with you, in the hopes of spreading its fame.
The Goon. Just the word alone conjures images of a man wearing a white muscle shirt, and dress slacks. Maybe he’s got a gun in one hand, or maybe a length of pipe. But he’s huge and built like a gorilla. This is someone that Sam Spade, or Dick Tracy, or The Spirit would take down. He doesn’t seem to be a hero, or someone you’d associate with horror. Written and colored by Eric Powell, however, The Goon is both of those things, and more. Set in a city that you’re never sure what it’s called, or where it is, the Goon is a crime story focusing on The Goon, and his associate Frankie. While working for the Labrazio Crime Syndicate, they run the smuggling, gambling and extortion rackets out of their headquarters, “Norton’s Pub”. All is not safe in the city, however, since the nameless priest came to town and set up shop on lonely street, determined to take the city from the grasp of Labrazio. With his army of zombies, he seems unstoppable. But The City is Labrazio’s. And no one tries to muscle in on his turf, cause then he sends The Goon.
Eric Powell’s writing and his artwork are amazing in this series. With a Darkly black sense of humor, and rich watercolor artwork, the series is a seeming contradiction. When you read the goon, you find yourself laughing at the sheer absurdity of it all. Read the third story in the first collection (“Rough Stuff”) and you ask yourself how does one play “the now famous winter sport of Manitoba Spam Ball”? As you read, it draws you in. You find yourself actually feeling for the characters, as you laugh, cry, and grow with them. Eric Powell hasn’t just created a silly little comic about Zombies, he’s actually created a world that makes you laugh and cry with it. Just don’t ask about Chinatown.
Why not? Maybe I’ll tell you in another review…
(Ongoing comic book series)
8/10