Review: The Goon #33

The Goon by Eric Powell is one of those well kept comic book secrets that really needs a lot more attention than it has been given over the last couple of years.  Issue #33 is one of those issues that attempts to do something different by keeping the words to a minimum.

The Goon #33
Writer: Eric Powell
Artist: Eric Powell

This may very well be one of our shortest reviews – unless of course you count the Exclusive Major Spoilers One Word Reviews found over on our Twitter feed.  The reasoning is quite simple – Eric Powell uses no words at all in this issue.  Instead all the thoughts and emotions are conveyed  in a series of illustrated thought balloons.  If the reader wants to know what The Goon thinks of the femme fatale of the issue, a steaming pile of dog poop in his thought balloon speaks volumes.

The story reads rather quickly, as a dangerous woman uses her wiles to con Franky into taking the fall for a stolen diamond necklace that the issue’s big bad is hell bent on getting back.  This of course leads to a grand fight involving fists, knives, and two pair of cement shoes that returns The Goon and Franky back to their favorite bar, no better off than when they started.  There is, however, a nice big smile moment that ends the issue that shows the title character isn’t someone who wallows in his own self misery all of the time.

The art is fantastic.  The art is wonderful. The art is incredible.  In case you haven’t figured it out, without words, the reader must focus more on the art to get any meaning from the story.  Here, Powell keeps everything grayscale, with only touches of color smattered throughout the thought balloons.  The issue looks like it has been done in watercolors, or at least a very wet wash to give everything a dreamy look.

If you are on the fence about picking up an issue of The Goon, then this issue is a great place to jump on board, as it is a done in one story.  Even though there are no words, the story is a great introduction into The Goon’s life.  The art is fantastic and my guess is this issue will be nominated for many awards before 2010 is out.  Do yourself a favor and drop the money for the issue, as you’ll find a 5 out of 5 Star tale within.