‘The Goon Volume 2: My Murderous Childhood’ – Eric Powell (Dark Horse)

I’ve had one of those days today and there’s not an awful lot of today left… With that in mind then, we’re looking at (a) a shorter post than normal and (b) another stop by Lonely Street to catch up on the adventures of the Goon.

As much as I love these books (and I really do), I’m going to try and pace myself a little better reading through the series. Three ‘Goon’ posts here, in just under a week might be a little excessive and the other thing is that you read ‘The Goon’ because you have a particular sense of humour and you enjoy pulp weirdness. ‘The Goon’ delivers on both fronts in every book but it doesn’t leave me with a lot that’s new to say and that isn’t a good look in a blog post. I’m going to hold off at least a week then, until the next ‘Goon’ post, but for now… Work has been intense and I’ve needed a few laughs, ‘My Murderous Childhood’ certainly helped out on that score.

The Goon and Franky have been best friends ever since childhood. This is the story of how these two ankle-biters became friends, taking on a guy with a gold head and his killer robot, a pie-crazed skunk ape and a whole lot of other things that smell just as bad.

Things are still building up in terms of where the war between the Goon and the Zombie Priest is headed. I like that about this narrative, Powell isn’t afraid to take his time getting where he needs to be and it’s not like he doesn’t have plenty of other tales to tell in the meantime. Tales that give us a little ‘character back story’ and tales that do nothing more than show us that even sea monsters have, erm… needs. ‘My Murderous Childhood’ is full of this and it’s a little bit of a treat to watch the overarching plot continue to grow while smaller tales scurry around the edges. Having read the whole series several times now, it’s fun here to read through those smaller tales and almost see Powell think, ‘he works, I’ll have him back in the future’ (I’m looking at you Dr. Hieronymous Alloy, you poor misguided mad scientist) or ‘that makes me laugh but it’s definitely a one-off’. The pulp stylings are as welcomingly loud as ever but the weird horror is really starting to bleed into the setting now and that’s a delight as well, especially when you get little moments like the Goon rescuing a little old lady from a monster (grudgingly!)

The highlight for me is the tale of the Goon meeting Franky for the first time and then just carrying on like they’d always known each other. Goon shows Franky that clothes don’t make the man, he’s always been a violent little bastard (and there’s nothing like a cellar full of zombies to bring that out). And Franky shows Goon some kindness at a time when he is all by himself, that’s all Goon has ever needed. It’s violent as anything (Powell doesn’t hold back in showing Goon’s rise to power) but a little bit heartfelt at the same time.

If anything then, ‘My Murderous Child’ is Powell finding his groove and sticking with it (I told you, at the top, that this would be a difficult post to write…) And that is great. The only bit that jarred was the brief introduction of Peaches Valentine, which just wasn’t funny, but you can’t win em’ all. Any other ‘Goon’ fans here?