5 out of 5

Collects DH The Goon #1 – 4

Volume 2 continues in the same positive trend as volume 1: continuing previous storylines (the Buzzard, further nods to Chinatowne), adding in new characters who will become ongoing parts of the The Goon world – the Grave family, Dr. Alloy – as in again packaged in the same handsome binding as the previous books, at a comfortable 14.95 pricetag.  We’re mostly veering away from the random one-page filler gags, which is good, and getting issue long tales.  The best new aspects of the issues in volume 2: Eric’s backgrounds and Kyle Hotz.  After Dave Stewart’s masterful color re-dos on volume 0, volume 1 looked rather bland – flat backgrounds, the characters looking rather undetailed and bland.  While the panels certainly maintained the same fluidity at which Powell has excelled, it just wasn’t as grabbing as the first book’s artwork.  By the Dark Horse series, it seemed Powell had refined his approach somewhat, blending a painted look with his pencils to find what I would consider the ‘Goon’ look – painted backgrounds, penciled figures in the foreground.  It’s a slight change that makes a huge difference, giving every moment of book 2 the grimy, back-alley vibe that matches the series.

And in the short ‘The Abominable Boggy,’ we meet penciller Kyle Hotz, who would work the the Billy the Kid series with Powell.  Hotz’s angled, shadowed art screams Kelly Jones, but he has a much better sense of consistency and where to reign in the stylizing and where to go nuts.  His version of The Goon is also the big and blocky version of volume 0, whom I must admit I miss a bit.

‘Childhood’ does have a bit of Goon history with a flashback tale (and the timeline feels funky there – The Buzzard’s origin seemed to be pitched way in the past to me, but apparently it’s timed around when Goon was a kid), but otherwise it’s notably bereft of the surprise heavier moments that popped up in 0 and 1.  However, since the book also doesn’t rely on the random 1-page gags for chuckles and page count, it doesn’t, by any means, feel emptier for the lack of emotional context.  If anything, this was a beginning of a jag of prime Goon, where the story felt light-hearted but continuous; rewarding for return readers but not ignorant of the humorous undercurrent of the series.