If you believe the old cliché, “All’s well that ends well,” then “The Goon: Noir,” a collection of short stories written by some of the coolest and most crazed minds in comedy and comics including Patton Oswalt and Hilary Barta, doesn’t disappoint.

That’s because the final story, drawn by Goon creator Eric Powell and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” writer Thomas Sniegoski, is a sly tale that keeps you laughing throughout and is the perfect closer to a more than solid collection of short stories inspired by the character. However, if you read the entire trade, you’ll get more than your monies worth and come away feeling even better about the future of the big lug.

Over the past decade, the Goon series has been carefully under the watchful eye of Powell, the series’ creator, artist and writer. And why wouldn’t it be? One of the hottest creator-owned titles in the business, the series has helped carve Powell’s path to success and make him one of the most unique talents in the industry today.

Naturally however, because of this, you’d find it odd to see a book full of short stories, written and drawn by other scribes and artists. With such a distinct flavor artistically, it’s no easy task to draw readers in the same way Powell does, but in the end, that’s exactly what happens here. Each writer and artist finds a way to induce a smile, smirk or snicker from the reader, producing a worthy addition to ever-growing trade paper back collection the series has amassed over the past few years.

While all of the drawings in this book are in black and white and lack the same color as the Dave Stewart-infused color of the other trade paperbacks in the series, they all have more than enough polish to be worthy of the Goon name. As a matter of fact, after seeing over a half dozen different artists play with the character, you understand what the character means to them and that he’s so much more than a bully with a scarred-up face.

The same thing goes for the writing, which not only plays homage to Powell, but takes his antics a step further at times. For instance, the first story in the book, by John Arcudi, essentially puts Goon in the middle of his own roast and in typical Goon fashion, makes him a character that isn’t scared to spoil a good time, even if it’s in his own honor. Despite only being a few pages long, the story, like all the others featured, is hilarious and on its own merits is a worthy companion to the series.

There aren’t many series out there like the Goon and because of that, this is a concept that could have fallen flatter than Peaches Valentine at a spelling bee. However, thanks to a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and plenty of love for this surging character and his friends, “The Goon: Noir” is more than just another book in the series- it’s a must own.

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