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Goon, The: Theater Bizarre
Released by: Dark Horse Comics
Released on: October 14th, 2015.
Written & Illustrated by: Eric Powell and John Dunivant
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Where do monsters come from? We're going to find out when this latest installment in Eric Powell's The Goon takes us to a carnival of sorts hosted by Zombo, the latest name taken by a malevolent spirit - a demon, we're told, for which All Hallow's Eve was made! Indeed, Zombo's Halloween celebrations would appear to be quite the spectacle, legendary even amongst the denizens of Hell itself. It's on this night that Zombo takes on the appearance of a clown sporting a Death's Head mask.
On one such Halloween night, The Goon and his pals are driving a truck through the midnight fog. The kid wants to go trick or treating but is told he's got to wait until they get to Detroit. Franky tells him to hurry up, they don't want to get separated from the caravan, but the fog is thick. They spot a Ferris Wheel in the distance, an orange hue bathing it in light, but The Goon realizes quickly something is up. This isn't their caravan, that's for sure - they're greeted by a strange clown, the Kid wants to go in for candy while Franky spots a 'girls girls girls' sign not too far off. When the clown tells The Goon they've got beer, well, they figure since it's so foggy that they can't drive anyway, why not check it out?
Meanwhile a woman named Roxi D'Lite (based on the real life Canadian born burlesque beauty of the same name!) wanting to leave the carnival is told that the only way she can do this is to find a soul to take her place. Enter Franky, on the hunt for chicks - but a man named D.D. tells her she signed a contract in blood, a contract Zombo doesn't want her to break. She splits to try and find her patsy, while Franky throws a fight because the girly show has a height limit. An ominous cloaked being tells him if he wants depravity to hit up The Devil's Dirty Peepshow and just like that, he's off like a rocket. The Goon leaves the kid on his own - he can handle himself - and heads after Franky only to wind up at The Fistitorium XXX! As they start to explore the carnival they eventually find the peepshow with Roxi herself onstage.
No one escapes the temple of Zombo!!!!
This 'Lords Of Misery Prelude' from Powell and Dunivant is a gorgeously illustrated self contained story and a fun read for sure, just in time for Halloween itself! It works more as an exploration of the carnival itself, the plot is pretty light but then, it doesn't need to be too heavy. It's really just a fun short story wherein Franky, with his uncontrollable lust for the female behind, once again lands himself in some hot water with only his big ol' lunkheaded friend there to save his skin. But it works… quite well, actually.
The artwork is phenomenal. The characters are rendered in Powell's usual style, which is a good thing indeed, while the backgrounds and carnival characters are a bit more realistic. The opening pages, featuring no word balloons but instead just simple text, that alert us to the backstory of Zombo are jaw droppingly awesome looking as are many of the panels that show off the carnival itself. If this really is the last of The Goon stories that Powell wants to tell, well, we'll see what he does with The Lords Of Misery - all signs points to all sorts of awesome in the not too distant future.