'The Lords of Misery' – Eric Powell (Albatross Funnybooks)


I've been meaning to post about more comic books and where better to jump back on the saddle than with 'The Goon'...? I'll be honest, I haven't been too sure about the direction that the last two books have taken (or even if there is a direction at the moment) but 'The Goon' is still a 'must read' for me and a title that I will always make time for. If you like your comics a little pulpy and weird (with a hint of toilet humour, okay... more than a hint) then you need to be making time for 'The Goon' as well. But you knew that already... ;o)

I'd been meaning to grab a copy of 'The Lords of Misery' for a while but a number of things meant that I had to wait until a few days ago before finally getting my hands on it. I finally read it over the weekend and...

The Lords of Misery… a mysterious organization made up (unwillingly) by history’s most notorious dregs. Through the ages they have battled an enigmatic and unstoppable force. A being whose evil makes the Lord’s crimes look downright petty in comparison. Always it returns after a long hibernation. And always the Lords have died trying to thwart it. But if generations of Lords haven’t been able to stop it, what chance does the Goon and this current incarnation have?

'The Lords of Misery' sits right in between the 'Labrazio' books and the Goon's return to Lonely Street in the new series. With that in mind then, it helps if you've already read the 'Labrazio' storyline as it gives you a bit of context on just why the Goon is travelling with a carnival. The actual plot itself is standalone though so, erm... do what you want really ;o) A passing familiarity with 'The Goon' is going to help you out but if you don't have that then it's not the end of the world.

Moving onto the plot then... 'The Lords of Misery' is so slim that a stiff wind will have it out of your hands so don't expect something that you can get your teeth into. What we have here is a book that does it's job and that's pretty much that. Having said that though, it does that job really well. We're given a glimpse of the world outside Lonely Street, a world that is just as weird and dangerous. And not only that, we're also given a powerful villain to fight and a rag-tag group of dregs to do the fighting. If you thought that Powell's vampires were just dramatic and frilly, you might just need to revisit that thought and think again. Prince Grigore is the kind of vampire that really raises the stakes (no pun intended etc...) and makes you want to keep reading, just to see how it's dealt with. And that's the beauty of this tale, the ending may not be in doubt but the way it's all handled is superb. The 'Goon Fanboy' in me cheered when I saw just who would be accompanying the team on their mission; if you're like me then you will too.

And all the while this 'potentially world shattering' stuff is happening, we've got the Goon and Frankie looking for the profit and it's just great to see these two doing what they do best, being the unlikeliest of heroes while looking to make some quick cash. The dialogue between these two is superb, especially when the Goon is the happiest he has ever been but slowly realises that it all has to end. And then you have Frankie who just wants a steady supply of girlie magazines but is the most loyal friend anyone could want (apart from the hankering after porn but no-one is perfect).

All of this is wrapped up in the best artwork I've seen, in a 'Goon' book, for what seems like forever. Powell just gets everything spot on, the muted dreamlike feel to his world and the burdens borne by the people who wander through it (and I shouldn't forget Andrea Smith's contribution to the colours either, it's all just brilliant). When Powell is on song like this, it's so easy to just sit there for a while and just stare into the world he has brought you.

'The Lords of Misery' is 'The Goon' at it's most fun to read and yet tragic at the same time; just like all the best 'Goon' books are. I'll keep reading them anyway but am hoping for more books like this in the future.

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