Wrasslin' with the Goon
Anyone who tells you that there is nothing new, fresh or fun to read in
comics has never seen The Goon! This fantastic series by Eric
Powell is one of the most entertaining and enjoyable comics to come
down the pike in a long, long time. The basic plot is simple. The
Goon is a huge, hulk of a man who is the hired muscle for a local
gangster named Labrazio. But there is some question, here as no one has
actually SEEN Labrazio for quite some time, and there are rumors that
he is already dead. It's the Goon's job to maintain order and
obedience among the residents and to fight off an attempted power coup
by the Zombie Priest. This is where it starts to get a little strange,
and wonderful. The Goon is a nearly indestructible force that is
called on to fight some of the strangest, weirdest creatures imaginable
but always comes out the winner. In many ways, the Goon is similar to
the Marv character from Frank Miller's first Sin City series: he
is unstoppable, speaks little, is loyal to his friends and brutal to
his enemies.
The series is set in an unnamed city which looks like any other urban
city in the last forty years or so. The characters themselves appear
as if they've just walked out of an old James Cagney gangster movie and
talk like strange, warped characters from a James M. Cain novel. One
of the great things about creator Eric Powell is that he takes
different influences, which in some instances are diametrically opposed
to each other, blends them all together, and comes up with something
completely new and unique. It is a great homage to the old pulp heroes
who leap into danger with both guns (or fists) blazing against
impossible odds and still survive. Added to this is a good dash of
humor and just plain, good-natured fun.
Eric Powell has developed something new here and it deserves to be read
and devoured over and over again. His art mirrors the tone of the
stories perfectly (reminiscent of early MAD comics, and also a
mixture of different styles and influences) and captures some of the
madcap lunacy that occurs on nearly every page. In the second issue,
the Goon and his friend Franky are lured to a trap by the promise of a
truck filled with Mexican porn. The truck door opens to reveal a mob
of zombies sent by the Zombie Priest to wipe out the Goon. He receives
some unexpected help from a weird, not quite dead, zombified sheriff
with his own grudge against the Zombie Priest. After killing the
zombies, the sheriff begins to eat them, much to the puzzlement and
disgust of Franky and the Goon. "I ain't seen nuthin' that nasty
since... since... I AIN'T NEVER SEEN NUTHIN' THAT NASTY!" The
sheriff proceeds to tell his own tale of woe involving the Zombie
Priest and asks where to find him. Leaving, Franky asks the Goon if he
thinks the sheriff will survive but the Goon is practical. "If it were
that easy to walk down Lonely Street and kill the guy, I'd of done it
by now." In an excellently drawn final page, the sheriff is overrun by
zombies but, is he dead? Only time will tell.
Obviously, this is not the type of comic for everyone. If you do not
have a tendency towards somewhat sick humor, the zombies will put you
off. But the blend of the humor, horror, pulpish action and excellent
art are difficult to just dismiss. This is not a thinking man's comic.
It's not going to change the world or the way that people think and
treat each other. What it will do is entertain you and help you forget
about the outside world with all of the myriad threats and problems
that cannot be overcome. Perhaps that is one of the biggest draws of
the Goon series in that it shows one man who is able to leap in
and change his world. The Goon can right wrongs (when he feels like
it), protect the innocent (if it's in his best interest), and change
his world. In many ways, this was the appeal of superhero comics in
the early 30's and 40's; these characters had the powers to strike
against the ills of the world and let the average reader vicariously
enjoy that feeling of empowerment. In these difficult times, it is
enjoyable to see a character that doesn't over-think a situation and
literally beats it into submission. The characters of Franky and the
Goon are not particularly pleasant ones and certainly not the type of
people one would invite over for Sunday dinner, but they are
entertaining, loyal to one another, and just this side of shady.
But what makes this comic a "must read" is the sheer enthusiasm and fun
that leaps off the page. Whether he's fighting zombies, fish-men, or
Santa's evil elves, The Goon is a delightful romp through a pseudo-Depression Era world. While it may not be politically correct
or the type of book that everyone would enjoy, it certainly made for
hours of delightful reading for this reviewer and renewed my faith that
there are still undiscovered treasures in the piles of dreck currently
floating through comic stores.
— 19 March 2003
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