Review by Svetlana Fedotov
Ah, The Goon. Everyone’s favorite tough-talking, hard-drinking, hobo-slapping, pair of thugs for hire, Goon and Frankie, have been delighting fans for ages with their hilarious hi-jinks and low-brow humor. A clever mix of noir, humor, and horror, Dark Horses premier bad-asses are once again back in the spotlight with another one shot of pure ridiculousness. Though perhaps not a shooting off point for newer readers, older readers will delight in this strange read that starts and ends in cacophony of madness only found in the Goons strange little town.
The one-shot kicks off with our boys running into a sailor getting kicked out of a moving truck in the middle of the road. Dusting himself off, he begins cursing up a storm about losing his buddy somewhere in town and fearing the wrath of his Captain when they show up late to the ship. Well, being the good, wholesome boys that the Goon and Frankie are, they volunteer to help him find his friend and immediately start hitting up every bar in town. Little does the sailor know that his two saviors are about to take him on a journey through the dark underbelly of the streets (as if there are any other.) From drunks to bums to shifty-eyed kids, he gets a whirlwind tour of the monstrous hovel, cumulating in the strangest collection of characters to ever appear in a publication together.
The creator, Eric Powell, has had his plate more than full with not only the Goon but also penning Big Trouble in Little China for BOOM! Studios. Though he’s not on drawing duties for that particular title, he has been killing it with his hilarious adaptation of the movie sequel. This new Goon one-shot marks his return to the character after a six month hiatus, perhaps in part to his dedication to Big Trouble, but it’s a promising start to what will soon be a larger story arc titled Occasions of Revenge in July. That particular series will not only return to the over-arching story of the Goon but will continue on a monthly basis for eight straight months. Guys, this is a pretty big deal!
The short itself is a fun little read but tends to kind of get away from itself somewhere around the end. I mean, it still works in respect to a Goon title, but it feels like it’s just a quick reminder of its existence to the fans than a serious work. That’s not to say that it undermines any of the work that Powell put into it. The art and writing is still top notch, with that classic cartoony anatomy that works so well with his writing. Honestly, while it’s exciting to see the Goon back on the stands, I’m way more excited for the new series which promises a turf war between the Goon, a newly arrived cluster of witches, and zombies. I am there!