An Interview With Eric Powell

By Jeremy Clifft

I few months ago I recommended to a friend that he give The Goon a try. When he asked what it was about I replied, "It's about this big Goon guy and his scrawny sidekick who go around beating up zombies and monsters". And while that's an accurate description of the book, there's much more to it. Largely a one man work by creator Eric Powell who supplies the story, art, and covers, The Goon is an offbeat book with generous amounts of black comedy. It's hilarious, irreverent, and filled with everything from random apes who burst into flame to fake ads hawking "junior Goon kits" with switchblades and poison to kids. Premised around The Goon and his loudmouthed sidekick Franky protecting their neighborhood from evil things lurking about, The Goon is set in a moody depression-era city. The unique atmosphere of the book is due in equal parts to Powell's clean artistic style as well as the language his character's use. Powell's tough-guy dialogue is witty and sharp yet still manages to deliver a comedic punch. It may not be Shakespeare but who cares: It's way more fun.

JC: You've moved The Goon from Avatar Press to self publishing to Dark Horse.  Besides the obvious distribution and advertising matters that a publisher oversees, do you prefer working under a publisher rather than self publishing?

EP: I enjoyed self publishing but the work load was overwhelming. Moving to Dark Horse was extremely beneficial and they have been a great company to work with. They've been super supportive and have kept the production quality of the book a priority.

JC: The Goon has some fantastic dark humor in it but it also has a distinct horror element as well.  Do you see The Goon as more of a comedic book or a horror book?

EP: It's just The Goon to me. I just do what ever I want. I just tell people it's a black comedy.

JC: Do you plan on doing any story arcs for The Goon that span several issues as opposed to single issue stories?

EP: The series will continue to be self contained, but I plan on doing some graphic novels with larger stories in the future.

JC: Since you not only write the books but do the art and covers as well, how long does an issue take to complete once you have the ideas for a  story ready?

EP: It varies. Hopefully a month and a half.

JC: One of the great things about The Goon is the book's unique atmosphere, almost a cross between On the Waterfront and a 1950's B horror film.  Did you have a specific reason that you decided to place The Goon in an older time period?

EP: I don't like drawing modern things.

JC: The Goon #7 is slated to be a Goon/Hellboy crossover. Did you have to do a lot of arm twisting to get Mike Mignola to say yes to this?

EP: No, he actually made the final decision. I was getting deluged with mail from people asking when a Goon/Hellboy crossover would happen. We were all kind of against it because the books, while having similar action elements, had very different sensibility's and environments. But Mignola came up with an idea and decided he'd like to do it. I was thrilled.

JC: How did you structure this collaboration?

EP: Well, you'll have to wait and see.

JC: The Goon has gotten critical acclaim from both Wizard and Entertainment Weekly.  Were you surprised at the sudden attention the book received?

EP: Yes, I was floored. I couldn't get arrested a year earlier.

JC: The Rough Stuff trade paperback comes out in February and reprints the first Goon works from when it was published by Avatar Press.  Would you say the book has changed in any ways since the original series?

EP: It's not even the same book to me. Those issues, while still fun, are not my best work. I was still feeling my way. I think it's pretty obvious how much the book has evolved.

JC: At some point would you like to see an animated or live action Goon work?

EP: Both.

JC: If Hollywood approached you what kind of creative control would you want to have over any adaptations?

EP: I would take as much creative control as they would give me and I'm sure that would be little.

JC: What upcoming projects do you have that fans should watch out for?

EP: I'm just staying focused on the The Goon for right now. I may be painting some covers for some Dark Horse titles though.

Thanks to Eric Powell for taking time out of his busy schedule to respond to my questions. The Goon was also nominated last week for an award for best Illustrated Narrative by the International Horror Guild. Be sure and check out The Goon #5 and The Goon: Rough Stuff this month as well as www.thegoon.com

REVIEWS FOR 2/11

A Sort Of Homecoming #2 - Alternative Comics - 10/10 Book of the Week

It's been several months since the first issue of A Sort Of Homecoming was released and I've anticipated the second issue more than any other release in the past few months. With this series Damon Hurd has created a poignant story exploring the boundaries of friendship and forgiveness. This is comic writing on an emotional level that hits the reader exactly as the writer intends it to without straying into effusive emotionalism. In this issue Hurd continues his story of Owen's return home for the funeral of his off and on again friend David. His reliance solely upon several flashbacks in this issue to further develop the complex relationship that Owen and David shared give the story a very personal feeling. Hurd has an acute sense in recreating not only the language and subjects which teenagers talk about, but also the mannerisms of their conversations. Owen and David take good natured verbal jabs at each other, debate their favorite films, and reminisce about their past; all of this is done in what is some of the most naturally flowing dialogue I've ever seen in a comic. Pedro Camello's cover for the issue is excellent, but the art in this issue almost seemed rushed. But while I preferred his art in the first issue, he still does an excellent job of keeping the tone of Hurd's story intact. A Sort of Homecoming is a very sophisticated and somber work and one that deserves to be read and appreciated.

Deep Sleeper #1 - Oni Press - 7/10

Deep Sleeper is a difficult comic to get into. This issue introduces Gibson, a struggling writer who has a reoccurring nightmare. In the course of the issue Gibson writes a story and later on meets persons in real life who appears to be the same as the ones in his story. Phil Hester writes the issue so that we have Gibson's inner monologue about his dreams, a story Gibson is writing, and a spiritual advisor's "self discovery" session making up the main parts of the issue. Hester uses these three to create a interesting story, blurring the line for Gibson as to what is fiction and reality or dream and reality. The dialogue is terse and the narrative is well written and MIke Huddleston's art has a gritty appeal to it buy seems inconsistent throughout the issue. While there are some fantastic panels in the book, several times some of the art becomes too heavy due to some larger lines. Overall this book presents and interesting concept but is flawed by two points. First, Gibson narrates his dream and describes how it reoccurs in the opening sequence, and then almost immediately claims that he never remembers his dreams. There are also two characters who appear and who we presume Gibson knows, but ourselves have no idea who they are. While Hester may have intended to leave the reader with the unanswered question as to who the two unnamed people are, it makes for a confusing sequence in the story.

Herein we discuss ... all the things you watch read and play