Criminal Macabre/ The Goon: When Freaks Collide #1

   When a gang war between vampires and werewolves erupts in old Chicago, the two factions call in some big time help. 

   Enter The Goon and his sidekick, Franky.  

   Enter PI Cal McDonald and his ghoul partner, Mo'lock.

   Stuck in a dimension in-between Cal and the Goon's two worlds, our heroes will meet in typical comic book: first they'll battle, then figure out what's really going on, and finally kick some major butt. But this wasn't any typical crossover/ team-up because when you have Steve Niles and Eric Powell put together in the same project, the results are gonna be anything but typical. 

    A really fun story that ended way too soon. I wish this was a 2 or 3-parter- especially with that twist ending!

   Worth Consuming!

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
   

The Goon, Volume 14: Occasion of Revenge

 

    The cadre of Zombie Priests finally arrives in town after months of anticipation. The Goon and Franky have prepared for this and have a few tricks up their sleeves. But nothing will prepare the Goon for the trap the Priests have spent decades setting up.

     Occasion of Revenge is the first miniseries by Goon creator Eric Powell after the cancellation of the regular series. Shipping delays and other obligations lead Powell to focus on Goon universe a few issues at a time as opposed to a monthly series. Thankfully, this isn't the last Goon miniseries.

   What this story is, is dark. It's perhaps the darkest Goon storyline to date. The Goon's gang is put through the wringer here and by volume's end, the Goon and his allies will never be the same.

    Adding to the darkness is a secondary storyline involving a jilted lover who commits suicide. His pain and suffering are so great, the lover returns from the grave to haunt the woman who stole and broke his heart. This pair has an important connection to the zombie priests but just what is that tie that binds is is left for another volume to explore.

    Powell continues to produce quality stories with beautifully crafted artwork. His timeless style that incorporates film noir, pin-ups girls, and 1950s B-movies is unparalleled and it continues to amaze me. However, there's some pretty dark and foreboding stuff going on in this volume that kept it from being my favorite Goon volume. There are quite a few funny moments, mostly involving Franky. Yet, it's not enough for my tastes. 

     I prefer the funny and often zany Goon stories to the most somber ones such as Occasion of Revenge. I have a feeling that volume 15 isn't going to be a picnic either. Hopefully, the conflict with the cabal of zombie priests will conclude soon in order for the master of black comedy to truly return the Goon to his original roots.
   
    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Goon, Volume 13: For Want of Whiskey & Blood

  

I had waited a long time for the next volume of the Goon to pop up at my local library. Too long! But sadly, my wait wasn't quite worth it.

The volume started off really well. The Goon fights some monsters, performs some seedy shenanigans (like rigging a boxing match), and faces off with the Zombie Priest. Then the legendary Billy the Kid (now an old man) comes to town, leading a travelling show of oddities. One of the oddities, a petrified toddler, bears an ancient curse in which if it's not feed a special blend of mother's milk and goat's blood every Halloween, it will spell doom for those involved. Low and behold, it just happens to be All Hallow's Eve and baby hasn't had his bottle.

 But then the book went south. Literally. When the Goon and Franky go down Mexico way, they look to sell some cheap booze hidden in some cheap clocks. But the goods have all been consumed by that pint-sized Godzilla, El Hombre Lagarto.

    Lagarto is funny but in small doses. See he speaks only Spanish and there's nothing wrong with that. It's just that I cannot for the life of me speak or read any Spanish that isn't food related. Lord knows I've tried. Eric Powell never interprets what this lizard has to say. I could sometimes figure out what Lagarto was communicating through Goon and Franky's responses, but it was hit and miss at times.  I'm sure it's hilarious, but it's like an inside joke that everybody but myself knows and I don't like being held in the dark.

   If ever a story needed subtitles this was it. (It's also why I hate the movie 'Stargate.")

Lastly, there's a reprint of a one-shot titled Goon: One For the Road. It was a tribute to the work of Jack Davis of EC Comics and MAD Magazine fame. The story involves a sailor on leave searching for his lost buddy before their passes expire. The Goon knows that the perfect place to find a seaman in at one of the endless bars in town. As Goon, Franky, and the sailor go on an epic bar crawl they are meet with insanity after insanity. There were some really funny moments here, but it just wasn't a classic Goon story to me. I'm all for homages but sometimes less is more.

   Hopefully, volume 14 will be a return to the insanity that is Franky and the Goon. And written in a language I can understand (Note to Mr. Powell- I took French in college!)

Worth Consuming

  Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.