2 out of 5

I maybe started Goon at the wrong time.  My first ish was ‘Satan’s Sodomy Baby,’ which would’ve come out right around or before the time of this original GN.  Though that particular issue was outlandish, it was also a clear signal of the strict divide Powell was going to begin employing with his character: some serious books, some funny books.  This didn’t seem too off the mark from what came before, and it seemed, well, like a fine idea, as gobbling up the initial trades introduced me to the sweet insanity of the book.  If keeping the straight face separate from the silly ones meant Powell could develop those light touches of sadness and mystery he’d injected, all the better.  …Except those touches worked so well because of how they were blanketed by ridiculousness.  ‘Chinatown’ isn’t a horrible story, if rather derivative; it could be read as an homage to all sorts of classic grind or pulp flicks and literature, depending on how generous you want to be in regard to Powell’s writing chops.  But by tossing us into the world of Franky and Goon – even though there’s the “This ain’t funny” warning up front – the tale must come bundled with memories and expectations of what’s come before.  The book, in fact, relies on them so that we know the general setup of zombies and Mirna and etc.  Perhaps calling it an Elseworlds take on Goon would’ve worked, except we’ve been teased with ‘don’t talk about Chinatown’ for almost 20 issues up until this point.  It’s very, very clearly cannon, and it very, very clearly wants to be taken very, very seriously.  You’ve told jokes every day for years; are you really surprised when people are a bit puzzled when you arrive with your Gothic revenge tale in tow, telling it with a frown and furrowed brow?  I let ‘Chinatown’ pass on my first readthrough as a ‘genius’ extension of what Powell was doing, but as my views on his work have sobered over the years, I really feel it’s all just been staged poorly.  This story does not belong to The Goon, though it may feature the character, and concepts from that book.  Had this been Goon from the start, I would not have been reading it: it’s awful heavy-handed.

Anyhow, Powell chooses a present day / flashback story split to give us two tales linked by themes of heartbreak.  In present day, Goon’s control of the town is challenged by new heavy Mr. Wicker, who, whoops, drops a magic book that gives Goon the idea that this is somehow tied to Mirna, the sassy singin’ dame whose advances Goon has spurned, convinced she can’t possible be truly interested in an ugly mug like himself.  In the past, Goon – much to the frustration of Franky, who spirals into a drunken depression – plans to give up the criminal life to hang out with hottie Isabella.  Only when she rejects him, he goes all-out revenge against her former bosses, which shows us the confrontation that gave Goon the scars that were, at one point, just a defining attribute of the lovable lug, but now have to be slathered in dreary explanation.

‘Chinatown’ is done completely in Powell’s watercolor style, which he has saved for those serious moments, and, yeah, the whole book is serious.  This grim showing of an important point in Goon’s past unfortunately rubs the wrong way: the tale could pass as tribute, but it gets bungled up by being paired with a character who’s generally been a source of comedy.  Instead of giving Goon more depth, as the brief moments of seriousness in the past have, it somewhat cheapens and subverts what Powell had done up to this point.  (Thankfully, rereading the early volumes brings back the joy, but it’s easy to cast it all aside while you’re reading this OGN.)  Trying to view the book as its own entity, Powell’s artwork is still admirably gorgeous or appreciably gross, and he does communicate his desired tone at every point, even when looking at ridiculous things like bearded Franky or dragon-men.  But it does expose his weaknesses as a writer: forced machinations to move the plot along and dreadful talking head pages to do the same.  And I have to say that the big “reveal” of Goon’s scars is about as disappointing as it comes.  He got in a fight.

An interesting idea, but not a book that I imagine would’ve gained much traction without its star.