Advanced Review: The Goon #41
Image via Dark Horse
It’s no secret that I’m a massive fan of Eric Powell’s The Goon out of Dark Horse.
And I know that I cover every couple issues of The Goon, so any regulars here should be pretty familiar with Powell’s work on the comic.
But with The Goon #41 we have something very special.
Starting with The Goon #40, Powell has been doubling his workload to bring us a fresh, crisp issue every month. And two months in, The Goon is definitely keeping true to form (sure, he gets a helping hand here in the form of a black and white back -up story drawn by Mark Buckingham from Fables fame).
Image via Dark Horse
The Goon #41 stood out to me for a couple reasons.
The first reason is that as funny and satirical as The Goon can get, occasionally Powell pulls out a story with an incredibly serious or heart-breaking tone. Well, the entire issue of The Goon #41 carries with it an ominous cloud. This isn’t one of the issues where you can get a giggle out of Franky’s boob obsession or laugh out loud as Goon dispatches some one in a comical way. Nope. The Goon #41 is a dark and serious tale that feels like it’s about to kick off something big.
Image via Dark Horse
Secondly, The Goon #41 sees the return of The Zombie Priest, one of the first – and debatably most evil of – Goon villains. Over the last of couple years, The Zombie Priest has had a rough run but, as mentioned above, this issue feels like shit is about to get real.
The Zombie Priest, demonic witch doctor and former mob boss of the undead, has resorted to witchcraft for hire to keep himself from dying of starvation in the street. Now using the name Mr. Corpus, he explains where he’s been and what he’s been doing and sets his sights back on Goon, Franky, and Lonely Street.
Image courtesy of Dark Horse
The solo Powell portion is worth the cover price alone, but just wait until you get into the Buckingham portion, titled The Bog Lurk That Lurked Like A Thing! A Bad Thing!
Sammy Wilmer, a mild mannered electric can opener salesman, finds himself taking a long walk off a short pier thanks to some rough, gangster types. This kicks off events that are bound to become a headache for Goon.
The Goon #41 is a great comic by any measure. Powell’s art is always beautiful to drink in, no matter the grotesque nature of the subject. And as much as I love the redneck humor that made me first notice The Goon, I think Powell does some of his best work when he goes dark.
I cannot recommend The Goon #41 highly enough. I know I say that about every issue, but #41 is such a good story and great jumping on point, that I really hope you take a gamble and pick it up.
