The Goon's past is explored in this book focusing on his first love, Isabella, and how it changed him. In the present, he's sorting out his relationship with a nightclub singer, Mirna, while battling a mysterious new enemy called "Mr Wicker". The book seeks to add depth to the character of the Goon and give him a more fleshed-out personality to explain his emotional distance. Powell not only handles Goon's relationship with Isabella perfectly with just the right amount of subtlety but also adds

I was really not expecting what I got when I read this, which was a story that resonated with me on a really personal/emotional level. Violence and monsters and weird characters sure, but more than that, the story of the sacrifices we make for the people we love and how sometimes all the love in the world isn't enough to make things work out the way you want them to.

This was the story that needed to happen. It wasn't funny, but dark pasts rarely are.

The Goon is a very compelling noir(ish) comic series, starting as dark comedy and morphing over the run of several dozen issues into a far grittier and grimmer style. Initially featuring parodies of White Wolf's vampires, talking chainsaws and a psychic seal who cannot keep his big mouth shut, later stories get darker and darker, with fewer and fewer flashes of comedy. It begins with near cartoonish violence and evolves to more realistic and, sometimes, even disturbing images.This particular sto...

This book was sometimes marketed as one you can try if you want just to taste the series, and don't need to know anything about it. But i think it's a mistake. When you read Goon from the start, you get this little teasers about Chinatown now and there, but now you are finally able to see whole picture. It works just great, whole tone of the book is more serious. Present events reminds Goon his past and slowly unravels sad noir story, but also story about Goon's and Frank's friendship. Hope this...

Flips back and forth between past and present as we explore the conflicts of The Goon's life - his tenderness and viciousness, and ability to be completely undone by a dame.

This was probably my least favorite of the Goon comics. It wasn't funny, just kinda dreary and that made the brutality different somehow. In Mr. Powell's' defense the first page says in huge letters "This Ain't Funny"

A damsel in distress causes the Goon to reflect on his past, at the same time, the Goon faces an enemy capable of transforming himself into a dragon.This is probably the best Goon volume so far, with strong character development and an intriguing plot, a must read for the long time fans.

So these past few hours I've looked at the comics I got from the Kickstarter Bundle and this collection was one of them.As an initial exposure to the "On The Waterfront" Noir world of The Goon this (along with about 4 selected issues) was amazing. Some are crazy funny, some are deadly serious. Despite the differences in tone, though, they all mesh together surprisingly well.Enough about how I came to this book (the last of the bundle that I read) ... let's talk about Chinatown and the Mystery of...

Finally Powell gives the reader a peak into the Goon's mysterious past with a woman who ruined him for love. Using juxtaposition of the past with the present, the reader sees history repeat itself, leaving the Goon just as bewildered the second time as the first. At least he can still count on Franky to stand by him in times like these.

One of the best goon stories by far. Great artwork as always, story pace is extremely fluid and adds depth to the character. Must read for any fans of the series.

I had never read a Goon book but I had heard so many great things about this series over the year I felt I should give it a try. Let me start by saying I was blown away by the art. Powell's style is so perfect for the tone of this book. I am still not 100% clear on what the Goon is or who his friend with the Orphan Annie pupil-less eyes is all about (are they super-humans? or just brutishly strong and nasty? I do understand that is because I am jumping in on the 6th volume) but even with these g...

Splitting the difference on the rating, which seems to be the thing to do for graphic novels: Powell's artwork is amazing. He draws comics that are at times goofy and cartoonish and obviously going for the gag; then he'll bust out a painted panel or page or cover that ranks with some of the best work in sf/fantasy. He even makes Goon's sidekick, Franky, seem serious at times, and Franky looks like Little Orphan Annie's homicidal barnyard-animal-molesting cousin. Five stars all the way.*MINOR SPO...

Read for the Book Riot "Read Harder 2018" challenge: a comic book (graphic novel) not published by DC, Marvel or Image. (Would also count towards "Read a comic written and drawn by the same author", but am reading "Sweet Tooth, vol. 1 Deluxe Edition" by Jeff Lemire for that next).

If there is one volume of The Goon worth reading, it is this one.

This is the first “Goon”-comic which I’ve read, and I have to admit that I feel pretty bad about that fact.It’s not so much that I came to this party late; I came when the light had already been turned on, the people had already left and the only person I found in the room was the barkeep, pushing empty bottles ahead with a broom, asking me what the hell it was that I wanted.Luckily with books, this doesn’t matter. It’s never too late to discover a good book, and I’m glad I’ve discovered the Goo...

Powell continues to surprise me. It bears repeating that when I read the first volume of The Goon, I didn’t think very much of it. It seemed a thing of tough guys and bravado--and while that can be great in its own right, I pegged it as an entertaining but shallow tale of a sorta nice thug and his diminutive sidekick. Then came the story of the Buzzard and I began to change my tune. I admired the level of despair conveyed through well-chosen words, poignant flashbacks and somber character reacti...

The last time I reviewed a volume of “The Goon,” I noted that Eric Powell’s storytelling was taking a darker turn. In “Chinatown,” he goes full-on black, jettisoning the standard pie-in-the-zombie’s-face humor to delve into the Goon’s past and the experiences that helped make him the scarred, murderous brute he is today. Aside from a monster or two and the odd bit of black magic, "Chinatown" is pretty much a straight-ahead gangster noir with all the attendant violence, betrayal and fatalism. The...

I don't read the Goon comics. I don't know anything about the existing story line, or the world that the Goon inhabits in general. But someone recommended this graphic novel, and I had it written down on a list of things to take a look at.I found it at our local comic store, flipped about 4 pages into it, and decided to get it.Here's the things about graphic novels. You're going to end up spending at least $20 - $30 dollars on one.For me, they've got to appeal on two levels to justify spending t...

People who have followed Eric Powell's "The Goon" have seen the character and his world develop in complexity. The title character started out as a zombie fighting mob enforcer in a darkly humorous and weirdly genre-blended world. From there, the stories have developed in interesting directions-- and yes, there is still humor, that's one of the great strengths. And yes, Peaches Valentine plays with his own poop. I guess Powell's making fun of what he sees as his own pretensions is a strength, to...