The Goon 20
Writer/Artist/Creator: Eric Powell
Oh man, the new issue of Goon, ""insert Beatles-Mania style scream"" Technically it has been a while since we last saw Goon and Franky tear through another adventure, but you have remember the awesomtastic (that’s right I made up a new word) Chinatown Hardcover that pretty much delivered all your hopes and dreams. Even if you don’t take into concideration Chinatown this book was still written and drawn so awesometastically that it pulled off the rare “so good it was worth the wait” feelings when you reach the back cover.
We’re back to the funny style Goon we all know and love with issue #20, right off the bat we’re introduced to Ralph the poo brushing idiot that instigates this issues plot. We get a good number of nods to the Chinatown HC for any fans going straight from that to this issue, you can see the Goon is still as wrapped up as ever over Bella. And Franky is still trying to pull him out of his funk. The considerable amount of mentioning Bella and the reveal of how she left in Chinatown makes me think that Bella will be making an appearance soon. Maybe that’s just me dreaming though.
The art was, dare I say it, better than it has been in the last couple of issues. It’s tough for me to say that because it’s always been awesometastic, but this issue was like mondoawesometastic. I could have used more burlesque girls gyrating, but who couldn’t? Powell seems to be doing more with colors in this issue then I’ve seen in some previous ones, and it is considerably different from Chinatown, which was mostly gray and tan wash. One of the reasons I like the Goon so much is the various types of art styles used in every issue. Powell is never one to get settled into one art form, while other artists may change up their style once they get bored with it, Powell never lets himself, or the reader, get bored.
The story is great and seems at first to be self-contained. But then you get the “to be continued…” at the very bottom. I love the one issue stories that have an overarching story to them, and I hope the Goon goes back to that soon. With the priest out of the picture for a while, I hope Frenchy, or heck even Spider, plot against Goon but end up foiled time and time again. I also miss Buzzard, who is an awesome character, the reverse zombie who can only eat the dead who eat the living, and I would love to see a Buzzard spin off or one shot. All in all, I gotta give it up again A, if your not reading this book, your doing yourself a disservice.
