Behind the Scenes

THE GOON SQUAD

Eric Powell's original creation, The Goon

It's no big secret drawing big, monstrous characters is Powell's passion. "I always wanted to do something of my own. I love drawing big, clunky-looking characters like Frankenstein and always wanted to do something off the wall with them," Powell confesses. The Goon is his pride and joy. He's a huge, blue-collar, thuggish-looking guy with hairy shoulders, corded arms, a tight muscle shirt, and a bowler hat obscuring his eyes and some scars on his face, who speaks in a tough-talkin' Bronx accent. Powell draws him very blocky, giving him a hard-bodied physique. Think Hellboy, Boris Karloff's rendition of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Kirby's monster comics in the 1950s, his early Hulk (when he was gray and not green) and The Thing of the Fantastic Four, and Robert Louis Stevenson's Mr. Hyde all rolled into one. There's also a twist of Loony Tunes tossed into the mix, giving the book a very cartoony feel. The Goon is assisted by his sidekick Frankie, a pint-sized hardboiled detective who is best described as "Humprey Bogart meets Lil' Orphan Annie." Frankie's eyes are these large white circles with no pupils and irises.

The creator/chronicler explains the basic concept of the Goon is that he's a tough guy who fights monsters alongside Frankie. Plain and simple. There is no set format. One issue he's fighting aliens, another he's fighting a giant demonic octopus (huh?), another he's juggling goats (what?). It's a hodge-podge of horror, sci-fi, comedy, drama, slapstick, 50s B-movies, and downright weirdness. "The crazier, the better," Powell explains. "Anything goes." Even though it's considered a horror book, there are plenty of comedic elements thrown in. A difference between the humor between Angel and The Goon is that Angel's is more straight up, while The Goon's is more zany. "While Angel has humor, it's more of a straight-played drama with humorous elements. The Goon is not. It's more cartoonish; I wanted to give it a Loony Tunes feel. It's very off the wall and irreverent. There's no boundaries. There's no town like Sunnydale. There's no time period. I can do anything. I can be free as possible, and put in any kind of insanity I want." For instance in the Color Special, while the Goon is battling the zombie tenants of a haunted house, the only way Frankie can stop a demonically possessed sandwich that is "seriously pissed off" is by eating it. At the end of the book, Frankie is attending a celebrity undergarment auction, where he buys Frank Sinatra's ruby-studded undies for $8 million.

"There's no town like Sunnydale. There's no time period. I can do anything. I can be free as possible, and put in any kind of insanity I want."

Finding The Goon a home has been a rocky road for the artist. Although Dark Horse Presents, an anthology series, published a Goon story, a monthly series never came to fruition. "A couple of editors at Dark Horse (including Scott Allie) couldn't make it go through because of one thing or another," Powell says, grateful that his creation managed to see the light of day in a Dark Horse comic, even if it was a short story for one issue in an anthology series. He then approached Image Comics, which specializes in publishing creator-owned material, after it was shot down by a long line of lesser-known companies. Many of his peers told him that Image would take it. Powell, too, believed it. Image publisher Jim Valentino turned it down.

"That was a shock. It really put me in a bad mindset," Powell recalls. "I'm very humble about my work. I'm no great shakes at anything, but I know The Goon had a sufficient quality to be published by Image. I wondered if I had an Ed Wood complex where everything I did I thought was great but everyone else thought it was crap. That rejection insulted me. It annoyed me. It also lit a fire under me to go out and get my own company with its own backing and get it out." Collaborating with Dwight T. Albatross, who provides the majority of the funding, the two new formed Albatross Exploding Funny Books, a name Powell calls a tribute to Monty Python's Flying Circus. Through Albatross, Powell published the aforementioned Color Special. However, Powell states that even Albatross Exploding Funny Books almost stopped before it started, all for the want of a taco salad. Legend has it that in the early planning stages of the company, Albatross tried to kill Powell with a porcelain toilet seat for eating his taco salad. "Yeah, it was shaky. Fortunately, he was drunk at the time, so I was able to convince him the whole thing never happened. The hardest thing was hiding the gash in my head I got from the broken toilet seat. I told him it was from peeling an orange," he says on his Web site.

Eric Powell, on the edge of the artistic pen

Powell plans on collecting three issues of The Goon, published under the Avatar flag by January 2003. Bonus materials will include a sketchbook with commentary on his prized creation and how it came about 5-6 years ago. The current series is on schedule for a monthly release, the first issue debuting in October. Every 3rd month he plans on collecting his previous work into a trade paperback (TPB) and releasing it, so there will be no new issue. Powell is confident that he will have his book out on a monthly basis. He has plenty of the art completed in advance. He also has his wife of eight years, Robin, helping out with the color assistance and the production. "Robin has been a tremendous support. I wouldn't even attempt this if it wasn't for her. She was the one who told me it was good enough to be published, and told me to go forward and put it out myself," Powell praises his significant other. Powell is also quick to note that The Goon has received good reviews across the board, particularly from from Ain't It Cool News and the Comics Buyers Guide. He has yet to see a bad review. In fact, Wizard: The Guide to Comics will be reviewing his work in their November issue. "That's definitely boosted my confidence and kept me going."

LOOKING FORWARD

While his chief priority is on The Goon, Powell recently finished inking The Hood, a 6-issue mini-series released by Marvel MAX (Marvel's mature readers line of comics). He says he's open to working again with his friend and Hood collaborator, penciller Kyle Hotz, whom he worked with on fill-in issues on Marvel's Black Panther and the Hulk. He goes on to say that he'd like to pencil the Hulk and give the world his unique rendition of the green goliath because inking him is just not the same. He's also open to working with Golden and Sniegoski once again. "That all depends on what comes up. We're all friends. As far as Buffy and Angel stuff, that's up to Dark Horse. As far as other projects, I'm sure at some point there'll be a comic book by Golden, Sniegoski, and Powell. Under what publisher and title, I'm not sure." One thing he's sure about is that there will be , crossovers between Angel and The Goon. "I doubt it very much," he laughs. "That would be a sign of the apocalypse! I don't know how to go about it. I think Joss Whedon would slit his wrists before he allowed that to happen!"

To all fans of Powell's work on the Angel comic, comic fans in general, and fans of irreverent humor like The Simpsons, I cannot encourage you enough to check out The Goon. It's definitely worth your time and your money. Let's give this artist his due. With support from his fellow friends and collaborators Powell has great support and encouragement. The fact that he is an exceptional artist with a sense of humor to boot will take his talent even further. And as fans discover his unique flare, whether it's The Goon or in back-issues of Angel, this is an artistic creator to be appreciated, enjoyed and shared for generations to come.

Written by CoA Staff Writer, Kurt Anthony Krug

CityofAngel would like to Graciously Thank Eric Powell for being so generous with his time.

For more info on Eric, visit his web site at: TheGoon.com

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