Making his first official appearance in 1998 in the pages of Avatar Illustrated, The Goon has since moved to other publishers (going back and forth between Albatross Funnybooks and Dark Horse Comics), completed a full run, had a few one-shots, a graphic novel, and eventually came back for a new run. It certainly is a tumultuous adventure in comics publishing, but it’s nothing compared to the craziness of The Goon and Franky’s daily life!
We first meet The Goon when he is working as an enforcer for a gangster named Labrazio. He is a hulking, rough-edged enforcer with a tragic past who runs his operation by collecting money, killing deadbeats and generally being violent, with the help of his best friend and foul-mouthed, wisecracking (and equally violent) sidekick, Franky.
We are in Lonely Street, a crumbling American town filled with zombies, mutant creatures, ghostly priests, fishmen, mad scientists, hobos, and monstrous babies, a grotesque caricature of 1930s-50s pulp Americana, with everything from dingy alleys to dilapidated carnivals.
The Goon and Franky must deal with any sort of craziness, taking us on a journey going from absurd comedy one day to grim tragedy the other. It’s a very violent life and, even drawn in a gorgeously painted and cartoonish manner, it’s a gory one, a dark comedy with a sad heart and an affinity for anarchy, mixing noir-style crime fiction, horror, slapstick humor, and supernatural. Definitely, it’s for a mature audience.
The Goon Reading Order
Collecting The Goon over the recent years has been a bit chaotic with the series leaving Dark Horse Comics just after the publication of the Library collection to reemerge with a new omnibus collection by Eric Powell’s Albatross Funnybooks, and a new series, then a new contract with Dark Horse Comics bring a new editions of the omnibuses and new comics.
The following guide focuses on what’s new and available.
The Goon Volume 1: The Original Run
“The Goon: Bunch of Old Crap” is a chronological reprint series that collects Series 1 of The Goon comics in paperback editions, first published by Albatross Funnybooks and now reprinted by Dark Horse Comics.
- The Goon Vol. 1: Bunch of Old Crap, an Omnibus
Collects The Goon books 0-3 (The Goon: Rough Stuff, The Goon: Nothing But Misery, The Goon: My Murderous Childhood, and The Goon: Heaps of Ruination. - The Goon Vol. 2: Bunch of Old Crap, an Omnibus
Collects volumes 4-6. Including The Goon: Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker. - The Goon Vol. 3: Bunch of Old Crap, an Omnibus
Collects The Goon Volumes 7-9 with bonus material. - The Goon Vol. 4: Bunch of Old Crap, an Omnibus
Collects The Goon Volumes 10-12. - The Goon Vol. 5: Bunch of Old Crap, an Omnibus
Collects The Goon Volumes 13-15 and The Goon Noir.
The Goon Volume 2
In time to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the book, and after a multi-year hiatus following the conclusion of Once Upon a Hard Time (2015), Eric Powell returned with a new lighter direction. The Goon and Franky return from self-imposed exile and find that a new criminal element has taken over, led by corrupt politicians, twisted cultists, and meddling gangsters. Naturally, they start cracking skulls to reclaim control.
But first, if you want to follow chronologically the adventure, The Goon: Lords of Misery is a standalone graphic novella published in 2023. The story is set during a gap between series 1 and 2, specifically after Goon and Franky leave their cursed town.
Volume 2 of The Goon is mostly comprised of one-shots or short arcs, not all have been written by Eric Powell this time.
- The Goon Vol. 1: A Ragged Return to Lonely Street by Eric Powell
Collects The Goon (2019) #1-4. - The Goon Vol. 2: The Deceit of a Cro-Magnon Dandy by writers Powell and Tom Sniegoski, and artist Brett Parson
Collects The Goon (2019) #5-8. - The Goon Vol. 3: Fishy Men, Witchy Women & Bitter Beer by writer Roger Langridge and artist Mike Norton
Collects The Goon (2019) #9-12. - Unholy Bastards vs. The Future, a one-shot spin-off by writer Thomas Sniegoski and artists Scott Brown and Steve Mannion
Smitty, Specs, Pee Wee, Charlene, Roscoe, and Kid Gargantuan in an all-new standalone adventure! - The Goon: Them That Don’t Stay Dead (25th Anniversary of The Goon!) by Eric Powell new!
Collects The Goon: Them That Don’t Stay Dead! #1-4.
The Goon: The Old Stuff!
There are a lot of comics starring The Goon out there. From the original issues, collected editions, and Library collections. What follows is a guide to the trade paperbacks collecting The Goon Volume 1. I’d recommend picking up the omnibus collection if you are a new reader, but if you put your hands on those oldies, here is the correct order to read them:
- The Goon: Rough Stuff
Collects The Goon #1–3 (originally published by Avatar Press). - The Goon: Nothin’ But Misery
Collects The Goon Color Special & The Goon #1–4 (self-published). - The Goon: My Murderous Childhood (and Other Grievous Yarns)
Collects The Goon #1–4 & The Goon Meets the Brothers Mud. - The Goon: Heaps of Ruination
Collects The Goon #5–8. - The Goon: Virtue and the Grim Consequences Thereof
Collects The Goon #9–13. - The Goon: Wicked Inclinations
Collects The Goon #14–18. - The Goon: Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker
Collects the original graphic novel. - The Goon: A Place of Heartache and Grief
Collects The Goon #19–23. - The Goon: Those That is Damned
Collects The Goon #24–27. - The Goon: Calamity of Conscience
Collects The Goon #28–31. - The Goon: Death’s Greedy Comeuppance
Collects The Goon #32–33 & The Buzzard miniseries. - The Goon: The Deformed of Body and Devious of Mind
Collects the stories ‘An Irish Wake’, ‘The Goon’s on Vacation’ (from Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Ghastly Fiend of London #1–4) & The Goon #34–37. - The Goon: Them That Raised Us Lament
Collects The Goon #38–41. - The Goon: For Want of Whiskey and Blood
Collects The Goon #41–45. - The Goon: Occasion of Revenge
Collects The Goon #46–49. - The Goon: Once Upon a Hard Time
Collects The Goon #50–53. - Bonus. Dwight T. Albatross’s The Goon: Noir
Collects Dwight T. Albatross’s The Goon: Noir #1–3.
The Goon Library Editions
The Goon Library Editions are oversized (8” x 12”) hardcover collections published by Dark Horse Comics, designed to present The Goon in its most deluxe, high-quality format. Each volume includes sketches, behind-the-scenes notes, cover galleries, and Powell’s commentary. Those books are the deluxe version of “The Goon: Bunch of Old Crap” collection. They are now hard to find, and the cost is only rising.
- The Goon Library Volume 1
Collects ‘Rough Stuff’, ‘Nothin’ But Misery’, ‘My Murderous Childhood (and Other Grievous Yarns)’ & ‘Heaps of Ruination’ - The Goon Library Volume 2
Collects ‘Virtue and the Grim Consequences Thereof’, ‘Wicked Inclinations’ & ‘Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker’ - The Goon Library Volume 3
Collects ‘A Place of Heartache and Grief’, ‘Those That is Damned’ & ‘Calamity of Conscience’ - The Goon Library Volume 4
Collects ‘Death’s Greedy Comeuppance’, ‘The Deformed of Body and Devious of Mind’ & ‘Them That Raised Us Lament’ - The Goon Library Volume 5
Collects ‘For Want of Whiskey and Blood’, ‘Occasion of Revenge’, ‘Once Upon a Hard Time’ & ‘The Goon Noir’
Note: An earlier version of this guide appeared on our site in 2021. It has been updated with the new editions!