Come on down to a land where zombies roam, de-monic go-rillas join the fight, and the crooked owners get theirs. It is the world of The Goon.
GOON #37
Writer: Eric Powell
Art: Eric Powell
Colors: Dave Stewart
Editor: Scott Allie
Assistant Editor: Daniel Chabon
Publisher: Dark Horse
Price: $3.50
Previously in Goon: The last issue centered around a burlesque dancer coming into town to make a quick buck, stealing a prized knickknack, making Franky fall in love with her, and eventually getting stopped by the Goon. Since that in no way leads into this week’s book, let us fast recap on the major characters in Goon. The Goon and his sidekick Franky protect the citizens of their town, but for a price. Their arch-nemesis is the Zombie Priest, who lives on Lonely Street where he conjures up zombies and other demonic creatures for the Goon to battle.
ONE COMPLETE RIDE
When the title of a comic is the same name as the main character you, on some level, expect that person to be the main focus. However, in this issue the Goon doesn’t appear until over halfway through the story, which worked really well.
This story revolves around a girdle factory, where an accidental fire breaks out and, because of the money-grabbing owner, 142 workers died. After the owner is cleared of all liability in the incident, the surviving ladies decide to form a union, and are subsequently beaten by cops, and then ask Goon for protection. By the time the big brawls start to happen there has been enough story building that you want to see Goon punch them all out for moral reasons instead of the joy of seeing Goon fight a demonic gorilla.
When the last panel read “end” instead of the normal “to be continued” my enjoyment of this issue increased even more. Having the story contained within one issue means I’m not sitting here with a cliffhanger ending, but an ending that allows my imagination to figure out what exactly the living-dead old lady did to the fat-cat owner.
MUST HAVE THE 64 PACK OF CRAYOLAS
So not only does Eric Powell write the scripts, but he also does the initial lines and inks for the issues with Dave Stewart finishing it up with the colors. What Powell draws captures the moment perfectly in each panel, but what I love in this issue are the colors. The background colorings were never busy enough to draw away from the foreground, but also helped create a more expansive world. The way Stewart used one color for a panel to highlight the action had me completely consumed in the story.
BOTTOM LINE: JUMP ON BOARD
This is an easy place for new readers, like me, to jump in to the world of The Goon and not suffer from any back-story confusion. No, you won’t understand the depth to each character, but you will figure out who the main hitters are, and how they function. With the art and colors that complement the story, readers receive a fully rounded reading experience. I’m going to be picking up this title every month without hesitation and you should too. The Goon #37 earns 4.5 out of 5 stars.
