'Hillbilly: Volume 1' – Eric Powell (Albatross Funnybooks)

It's going to be a short post as I've got a whole load of stuff to get done today. Thinking about it... If you're reading this on Christms Eve then I tip my cap to a person who is clearly so organised that Christmas preparations are all done and sorted. Or you're just procastinating so in which case, a tip of the cap to you for being honest ;o)

When 'The Goon' wound down to its original ending I thought that would be pretty much it for me seeing anything more from Eric Powell. Not that he's a one trick pony, his sketchbook work (which can be found in the back of various 'Goon' trades) says otherwise. I just couldn't see him topping all that was good about 'The Goon' ; I didn't think it would be possible.

So news of a new series called 'Hillbilly'absolutely piqued my interest in all the ways that a new series will have you asking questions of the output of a favourite author. Basically, these all boil down to one question, 'can they do all that good stuff they did, in the last series, all over again?' The answer here is, 'yes, of course he can.'

From Eric Powell, Eisner Award winning creator of 'The Goon', comes an Appalachian fantasy epic that tells the story of Rondel. A lonely figure who wanders the wooded hills among witches and magical creatures as a folktale hero to those who dwell in this gritty fairytale world...

Reading that blurb could easily have you wondering whether Powell is revisiting the scene of his greatest success a little too closely. A disfigured hero walks through a realm of dream, kicking the stuffing out of those who threaten regular folk? Yep, we've see him before and his name is Goon. The similarities are a little too close for comfort but there's still plenty there for the reader who is prepared to go looking for it.

First up, as ever, is Eric Powell's amazing artwork which he is in full control of if the writing credts are anything to go buy. I'm not going to lie, any Powell comic which doesn't have Dave Stewart on colouring duties will always feel like a bit of a missed opportunity and there is an element of that here. What you get though is Powell's approach of 'almost real but not quite and it's actually unnerving on some level' which helps to ground the reader in a disturbingly beautiful world where the feeling of soft focus, around the edges will have you stopping to admire the scenery but keeping half an eye open for whatever you think is following you.

This is a healthy fear to have in general but especially in a book like 'Hillbilly' where the undergrowth (and pretty much everywhere else) is shelter for a witch or monster. The plot may be familiar but Rondel is very much a character in his own rght and will tackle problems in his own way. I suspect that, right now, Rondel is the victim of a plot that needs to be constantly introducing him and what he can do with the 'Devil's Cleaver'... I wonder what he would be like in say four volume's time when he's had a chance to grow a little.

And that's the thing. Despite all my misgivings, I will be following te adventures of Rondel. Powell's stories have always had the power to move me and I can tell that the seeds have been planted for more of the same here, just a bit further down the line. Powell is a natural storyteller (in the same way that Neil Gaiman is) and once you're part of the audience then that's it (but you won't mind at all bevause the story is just so engaging. The only slight downer is that the format of these first issues drags the story into the rut of 'defeat the monster of the week' but based on past work, I'm giving Powell the benefit of the doubt for now. I think the next step for 'Hillbilly' will be to see an overarching plot develop. We do get to see Buzzard though so that will keep me ticking over for a while.

So there's definitely a lot going on here but the good outweighs the bad, even if you feel like you've seen all of it before. I'm sticking around to see how the series develops so I'll let you know how it all goes.