There Are Snakes In the Grass
Marvel and DC should take a page out of Dark Horse's notebook, because quite honestly this 4 issue mini-series is better than anything they have produced in a very long time. I don't like being negative, nor do I like needlessly tearing into thing, but dammit I both DC and Marvel should really get a grip on things because I'm honestly getting tired of the rehashed, unoriginal attempts at false diversity. The Goon is arguably one of the best comic book i've read in a very long time. Eric Powell is a genius and I really wish more people would give this series a shot.
One of the main advantages of the Goon series is that because Eric both illustrates and writes the stories himself, there is a completely sound and smooth form of storytelling, which gives us some truly tragic and beautiful scenes. He knows exactly what he wants to show and tell us without having to cram it down our throats. An that's another thing, by focusing on diversity, the big two companies have taken up this very ham-fisted form of writing and drawing. There's nothing wrong with wanting to convey a larger social or political point in one's story but there's no need to beat it over out heads with a frigging hammer. I get it, with the larger audience some caution is definitely needed, and not every series can be as gruesome as the Goon, but the readers aren't dumb. It's much more satisfying to interpret, speculate and to come to a conclusion on your own, than to have it jammed down your throat.
"The Goon' is a gritty series about a man who has been dragged through the mud his whole life, and despite his best efforts, the forces that are beyond his control simply won't allow for him to be a Good man. See this is an idea I came upon on my own, and it may not even be conclusive. All I know for sure is that the Goon wants to be a good man, but isn't. What's important is that Eric Powell writes the series in a manner that makes me sympathise with the characters. Despite the fact that there are numerous funny and comedic moments, despite the fact that the Goon goes up against supernatural monsters, the characterisation is so realistic and believable that I had to stare at a wall after finish reading. You know what that means? It means I care for what happens to these characters without the author having to resort to cheap tricks.
I can also safely say that Powell is pretty good at planning things out. Now obviously I have no idea whether he comes up with these as he goes on or not, but despite all the bizarreness that goes around within the Goon's universe, the plot has a overwhelmingly orderly and well thought out structure. Almost every character has some purpose. They exist either for Goon's character development or/and in order to move the overall story forward.
The only disadvantage here is that without reading Chinatown and the mystery of Mr.Wicker and the other 44# issues of the Goon, you may have trouble understand just what the hell is going on. And even then, Powell gives you a perfect understating of the Goon's universe even within the first issue by tying it to the central plot, which mean's he doesn't waste anyone's time.
Anyways, this was just perfect. Can't wait for Once Upon A Hard Time.