The Goon # 10

By Eric Powell
Reviewed by Aaron
Published December 2004
Dark Horse Comics
32 pages, no ads
$ 2.99 USA / $ 4.99 CAN

In his annual Christmas issue, Eric Powell takes on Charles Dickens, casting the characters of The Goon in Dickens's immortal tale of holiday spirit and redemption; however, under Powell's guidance, the tale becomes more about the time honored tradition of Christmas Carol parody: usually funny but somewhat overplayed. As a special holiday bonus, this issue also contains no ads in order to feature "Jimmy Turtle and the Legendary Boxcar of Well-Made Ladies Shoes", an entertaining short story by Thomas Lennon, who you might recognize as Deputy/Lt. Dangle from the hilarious comedy show Reno 911. This story, with illustrations by Powell, marks the first prose story set in the world and characters of The Goon.

In the main feature, "A Christmas Carol: A Complete Bastardization of a Piece of Classic Literature", the Nameless Man (the Zombie Priest) plays Ebenezer Scrooge and, as we all know, is visited by three ghosts that show him the error of his miserly ways in time for Christmas. Of course, in this case, these spirits include Franky and Goon, who have no time for Dickensian dialogue and instead dispense with a series of beatings on Scrooge as he is pulled through time. The writing in this issue initially reflects the flavor of Dickensian/Victorian dialogue, but with purposeful twists added to increase the violence quotient and reflect the characters in the roles. For example, The Brothers Mud play the collectors for the poor, but still retain their love for breaking legs, while the Nameless Priest is far nastier than Scrooge ever was regarding how to deal with the city's poor. Also, Merle plays the part of Bob Cratchit, and the character comes off as an ornery drunk. It is clear that there is no morality tale in store for us here. After several pages of mostly straight Dickens-like dialogue, which lull one into a false sense of sanity, Goon and Franky suddenly make the scene and the rest of the issue consists of Scrooge being thoroughly pummeled into kindness.

This issue is an enjoyable read, but not very satisfying. It's fun to see Powell pervert a classic, but beyond that he employs very few unique twists on this often-parodied story. There are also few laughs save for when Peaches Valentine, as Tiny Tim, repeatedly and mercilessly butchers, in his moronic charm, the most famous line of the story. Most of the humour comes from Scrooge getting slapped around, and I felt these sight gags ran out of steam far too early. In terms of artwork, the penciling is right up to standards, but because Powell chose to use no inks in favour of more sepia-toned, pencil shade work, with dull muted colours, to convey and old-time / dream-like quality, I found the art became rather monotonous as I read it. Powell has some great pencils here, with more than one nicely executed and detailed facial close-up, but I was bored of the murky details, shading, and colours by the end. Both the writing and the art seemed to lack a richness and imagination I am used to in The Goon.

Oddly enough, I enjoyed the prose story at the end of the comic better than the "Christmas Carol" spoof itself. In Thomas Lennon's "Jimmy Turtle and the Legendary Boxcar of Well-Made Ladies Shoes", Franky relates the tale of how he and Jimmy Turtle struck out on an attempt to make their fortune with the most unlikely kind of hidden treasure. Lennon's narrative flow captures the random supernatural insanity and violence of The Goon, the 1930ish atmosphere, and the narrative voice of Franky. You can tell Lennon is a fan. The story is funny, brisk, weird, and a perfect little present to cap off the end of the issue. I think the short story, in comic form, would have made a more entertaining issue than the "Christmas Carol" parody, however.

The Goon #10 is by no means a throw away issue or a wasted effort. It has its moments, but for the most part the issue feels a bit slow and commonplace. I still recommend this issue based on its art, the novelty of a "Christmas Carol" spoof, and the surprisingly enjoyable short story, but if you are not a fan of The Goon, I would not fault you for skipping out on this one because chances are if you are not familiar with the material then you are less likely to find the key to the issue's likeability - the use of Goon characters in "A Christmas Carol" - very compelling or funny.