Getting a little tired of the same ole superhero scene month to month, the same boring clashes with the same old boring baddies? Well kiddies...pull up a seat while I tell you a little story about a fella called "THE GOON". "The Goon" is the creation of talented newcomer artist /writer; Eric Powell , actually he's not all that new, he's done work as diverse as "Star Wars" to "Hellboy", but the "Goon" is his baby, one he gave birth to in 1997. Of course like all new fathers he went around showing his new pride and joy to the comics community in hopes that a publisher would pick him up....but reality , such as it is, dealt him a cruel hand at first....his answer...self publishing!

"The Goon" first appeared in 1999 under the Exploding Albatross comics banner but now calls Dark Horse home. "The Goon" is the story of a street toughened, wayward youth who is simply trying to survive in a hardened world full of criminals, thugs, thieves, and oh yeah...the occasional run in with the undead. Goon (real name hasn't been revealed as yet) with the help of his diminutive friend Franky go about, struggling to make ends meet by stealing from the local mobsters but also have taken on the role of Guardian Angels, looking after the old neighborhood and it's residents, protecting them from a very unique looking array of villians human and inhuman alike...this book isn't Shakespeare and it's not trying to be, it's just good old fashioned american violent humor at it's most entertaining. The book is similar to Mignola's "Hellboy" in concept, but not as sophisticated, instead of a demon turned monster basher you have an average Joe doing the deed, and doing it well.

Eric Powell's art is captivating, his style is clean and sharp not only does he do the pencils but he inks as well, and also provides the fully painted covers on each issue. This is an enjoyable read and the art is pleasing to the eye-and you don't have to start with the first issue to know what is going on...But for those curious about the Goon's origins all you need do is track down and get "Rough Stuff", the trade paperback which collects the first three issues of Goon's adventures with "Exploding Albatross" comics. Other than that, just go to the horse's mouth, Dark Horse that is, and start collecting them. The original Goon run was in black & white but since saddling with Dark Horse his adventures have been presented in full four color splendor, so take a little vacation from spandex land and go kick some Zombie ass with Eric Powell's "The Goon", each month from Dark Horse comics...For additional info check out the Dark Horse website or at The Goon.com