Eric Powell's lovable thug gets a tenth anniversary issue with this latest issue of The Goon. The Goon's been down in the dumps lately so his best pal Franky throws him a birthday party, which really isn't what he's looking for right now, so he leaves, still despondent. Too bad for The Goon though, he totally misses out on the singing telegram from The Rape Gorilla that someone sent. The Little, Unholy Bastards (a hilarious gang of orphan miscreants) abscond with the birthday cake and proceed to prank a poor hobo with it out in the swamp. Swearing revenge, the hobo summons the zombie-like Hobo God from the waters of the swamp to get the Unholy Bastards back. Back at The McGreg Home For Illegitimate Wayward And Potentially Homicidal Youth, the Bastards are trying to enjoy the rest of the cake when The Hobo God finds them. Using their radio wristwatch, they frantically call The Goon for help. This seems to be exactly what he needs to maybe snap out of his depression and the fists start flying in the fight between the two.
Cover art for The Goon #32 by Eric Powell
© Dark Horse Entertainment
Eric Powell is hilarious and just bizarre enough to keep surprising you with how insane a story he can tell. The Rape Gorilla? Awesome. The appearance of such a ridiculous character even cues up two more great jokes with a Planet Of The Apes bondage scene and another that features the appearance of filmmaker Frank Darabont. Powell always cracks me up and his art is (as usual) gorgeous. I have never read a bad issue of this series and this one certainly continues his flawless record. The Goon is a great book and has a depth to it that goes past the surface jokes. You fall in love with the cast and this is just one of the most consistently well done books on the market.
Not much bad here. Maybe the fact that it could have served as a better jumping on point for new readers, but I'm still not really going to come down too hard on it for that. The trades are available and if you're interested, you should just start picking them up and get going with this title.
Mike Mignola isn't the only gem in Dark Horse's stable of talent. Eric Powell matches any of the best books on the market with his talent at telling a story that's non-pretentious and low-brow, but still has a charm and style to it that I think any would-be writer out there would be insane not to envy. His artwork is always flawless and will definitely suck you in, but the story work and the characters are what's going to keep you coming back. This one gets an A from me. When it's entertaining, the story is well told and the art is this solid, that's the only grade you can really go with, I highly recommend this book.
With Frank Miller never releasing anything over there anymore, Mignola is definitely the top dog in the talent pool at Dark Horse. Bringing his extended family of artists like Guy Davis and Duncan Fegredo, the Hellboy books are the benchmark for Dark Horse's line as far as I'm concerned though not necessarily my favorite. I just mean that if you haven't read The Goon then you should stop wasting your time.
We're on the same page baby. Just bustin' yer balls over the word "only"... really I'm just bustin' yer balls. It's how I say I love you.
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Mike Mignola is far from Dark Horse's only gem, but I get what you're saying. I've been meaning to check this book out for a long time, having heard nothing but positive reviews. I think I hear those trades a'callin my name...