Even the Undead Fear Him

the-goonCreated in 1999, Eric Powell’s “The Goon” is an amalgamation of ’30s and ’40s crime-noir and paranormal worlds made famous in films like “The Night of the Living Dead” and “Evil Dead.” In your face, gritty, hilarious and at times, out right silly, “The Goon: Nothin’ But Misery,” which is the first volume of the series available in trade form, is a tribute to B-movies, old time America and a medium that often takes itself too seriously.

Despite the fact that there’s nothing truly monumental about the stories presented in this collection, you won’t be able to erase the smile off your face while reading it.

Our main character is a nameless thug at first glance with an equally as quirky sidekick, but after a few pages, you see a Jackie Gleason and Art Carney combination develop, only with Gleason being able to back up his talk by any means possible and Carney being even more out there than any episode of “The Honeymooners.” Add in a villain in the zombie priest that is pure evil and is able to keep his forces strong and in ample supply and you have a battle that has the potential to go on for a long time.

However, there’s more than just a battle between good and evil and the undead here. Other characters introduced like the Buzzard, The Psychic Seal [Arf, Arf], Merle the werewolf and even Santa Claus flesh out the story and give it a sense of unpredictability. Already a wild read, seeing this intriguing and different cast of characters in the later issues gives the story even more appeal.

With all of these positives already on the series’ side, Powell’s writing is fantastic. Channeling his inner pop-culture geek, Powell is able to create a world that comic book fans will want to travel back to. Feeling like “Sin City” meets “Mad Magazine,” “The Goon” is also armed with several “phony” advertisements [making fun of everything from nostalgic comics to the spirit-channeling John Edwards] in-between the action, effectively giving the series a laid-back and energetic feel. Add in excellent art by Powell, which is showcased in several beautiful splash pages, an obvious ode to the old “Tales From the Crypt” series, and you have a everything needed to make this collection a memorable one.

Only someone with a true love for the medium and story-telling in general can create something that draws inspiration from so many outlets and that is why “The Goon” ultimately shines. Even more a testament to the quality of this collection, there is nothing stolen or “knock-off” here. While these familiar elements are one of the main reasons why you’ll feel so connected to these characters and their story, Powell’s imagination and ability with a pencil are the deal breakers.

The dead may fear “The Goon,” but you won’t be able to hide your love for him and his antics.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14260 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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