On the Dark Horse website, Goon writer and artist Eric Powell claimed that he ran off schedule due to buying a house and other events in life. His departure dismayed fans, but they did not lose heart. Powell’s The Goon is worth the wait.
Back on schedule with a four-part miniseries that will arc into an eight-part story, The Goon #46 begins the chapter of all the enemies joining to take down the titular hero.
The Arab enlists the aid of the Zombie Priest, promising that a new power and curse will help overcome The Goon.
Meanwhile, readers see Fred Paulsey damn himself by suicide and haunt his girlfriend, Sandy Wayne.
As that goes on, The Goon and Franky enjoy a beer and come across a strange dame with jet-black hair. News of the collection of villains converging on the town pulls The Goon and Franky away from their libations. Franky goes off to recruit some help while the Goon sets up a chair in the middle of the street and shows that he’s no coward by waiting for his foes.
Although defeated, the villains will return. And speaking of returning, Paulsey rises from the grave to surprise Sandy.
Make no mistake, Powell is a master storyteller. He must have some magic enchanting his pencils because Powell possesses the uncanny ability to establish mood with only a few panels. The opening image of The Arab standing before the Zombie Priest’s church imparts a haunting feeling in just one scene. The tension rises as we are introduced to the doomed Paulsey. Then, just as quick, the mood changes. Franky’s quips and resistance to pay the bar tab injects a light-hearted mood into what was dead serious only a few illustrations prior.
As the rogue’s gallery of the comic unite to battle the hero, the readers get brilliant storytelling that elevate the villain conglomerate motif above the cliché that it has become. I don’t know how Paulsey’s reanimated corpse will play into the story, but that mystery drives me to find out. Based on past issues, I know the writer has a clever plan involved that will entice me, stupefy me, and entertain me. And elements like that make this book a consistent masterpiece of the medium.
Score: 5/5
Writer/Artist/Creator: Eric Powell Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.50 Release Date: 7/23/14 Format: Ongoing, Print/Digital