The Goon, Volume 7: A Place of Heartache and Grief

The Goon #7

by Eric Powell, Dave Stewart (Colorist)

An ancient curse spreads hatred, fear, and violence, drawing the most powerful and vile creatures to a town with only one hope for protection - the Goon. And, even the Goon's lifelong deadly foe, the zombie priest, is running scared. But he has to remain, forced into submission by a power greater than his own, to keep an eye on Goon and his violent sidekick, Franky. Meanwhile, the death of one of the Goon's closest allies reveals an enemy thought long gone, returned to wreak havoc and destruction upon the Goon and those who stand by him. There's some funny stuff, too!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Humor, Graphic Novels Comics, Fantasy, Zombies

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 2005

About the author

Eric Powell has contributed work on such comics titles as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Hellboy: Weird Tales, Star Wars Tales, The Incredible Hulk, Black Panther, The Avengers, The Hood, MAD Magazine, Devil Dinosaur, Swamp Thing, the Avengers, She-Hulk, the Simpsons, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell and Action Comics.

Although eking out a meager living in the comics field since 1995, Eric didn't find true success until he launched his critically acclaimed dark comedy series The Goon. The Goon was subsequently picked up by Dark Horse Comics and boasts a diehard cult following.

Reviews

[Oscar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series!

[Sam Quixote · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I've read "The Goon" except for a couple of short stories in collections and the stories were a good indication of what to expect from a full length graphic novel. The Goon is a sort of Marv/Hellboy character whom Batman used to beat up in early comics (usually down the harbour in a warehouse with lots of crates) and his sidekick is a short, mouthy character called Franky (think Slaine's Ukko crossed with Danny DeVito) and their adventures in a strange town where zombies and monsters are considered everyday.

In this book The Goon fights some burlesque dancers who are really flying monsters but gets sidetracked with swamp monster shapeshifters, kids who steal dynamite, cross dressing giants, and a mysterious old enemy back from the dead. This is Vol 7 in the series so I've obviously missed a lot as I wasn't sure what was happening, where it was going, but it's a very well illustrated and interesting book in a series I'll look into more.

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the plotting to be very messy here. It's not immediately clear what's going on - it feels like a lot of randomness. Maybe it's a mood thing but the Goon stories are sometimes serious sometimes silly, and here it's a bit of a jumbled mess.

Lots of conflicts get introduced without wrapping up previous storylines.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story - hilarious interplay between Goon and Frankie, and a fun way to end the book this time around. I'm enjoying Powell's mastery of his universe more and more - the perfect way all these disparate elements just gel is impressive and makes me want to apply for citizenship in this weird, scary burg.

[Václav · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4 of 5 for Goon doing his best but slowly falling into a stereotype)
Chinatown was great, but with this book, I got back to the feeling which slowly started to rise with Goon series. And that feeling is a stereotype. It is nothing major, but it is present. With this issue, the story raised antes with a new thread, but the previous one wasn't even closed. I still enjoy it, but I started to get a bit weary. So I'm looking forward to where it will go.

[David Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much weaker than Chinatown and raising the stakes a bit too high without even properly closing the previous conflicts, this is a problematic book.
However, we get some character development, so that is good. The book also did not age super well - the casual trans zombie joke feels
a bit stale (badum tss) and the epilogue on Oprah is super obsolete today. Still, will totally follow up on the next ones.

[Orrin Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one more than Volume 8, though that may just be because this one was more of the Eric Powell Goon than backup stories and filler. That said, the current run of the Goon, while fine, still isn't really grabbing me too tightly. I'll look forward to seeing if Volume 9 turns that around or not.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a carnival side show in a Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, like a Tom Waits "Swordfishtrombones" comic book. Eric Powell's best compilation featuring rampaging transvestites, killer strippers and the return of Mister Wicker. And don't eat cocoanut cakes made by eyeless zombies or you'll pay for it in the morning.

[Dax · Rating 4 out of 5]

"There's your problem. You think happiness can be found in a giant round butt." "I want you to think about what you just said! THINK ABOUT IT!! If I can't find happiness in a lady's perfectly sculpted posterior....well, I just don't see the point of going on!" "Hmm, maybe in yer own simpl-minded roundabout pervish way you got a point."

Life lessons with Goon and Franky for the win.

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

The priest is screwed by his own side, magical beings with great power that cause a stir on Lonely Street. They also move in on Goon and his friends. The Goon will not let that stand.

The prologue was among the most hilarious things I've ever read. I'm not being a dinglepiper about it, either.

[Szymon Dudziński · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so good, it's absurd. My "cool quotes" note on my phone has grown by about 5 positions. The cherry on top is the Oprah skit at the end. Fucking genius man.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot off the heels of the drama of Chinatown i expected a bit of the levity to come back, but this volume is still pretty drama serious. Characters die and villains shift and its all a big change out of the normal. We're definitely in the thick of it now.

[Joseph Azzurro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parlare di Eric Powell non è facile, perché non è un fumettista facile da descrivere. Si potrebbe dire che sia demenziale, ma sarebbe troppo riduttivo: è un vero maestro. Riesce a destreggiarsi tra svariati temi (demenziale, horror, pulp, drammatico) con una facilità impressionante, con stacchi netti e decisi ma mai troppo bruschi. Se in una pagina a momenti scendono le lacrime per il passato turbolento di Goon, in quella dopo ci ritroveremo a ridere come dei ritardati alle battute a sfondo sessuale di Franky totalmente fuori luogo e volgari.
Ma scendiamo più nel dettaglio: Quel Luogo di Pena e Tristezza, a discapito del titolo angosciante che prevede qualcosa di duro, è probabilmente uno dei volumi più divertenti che abbia letto finora di The Goon, anche se mantiene sempre la sua dose di dramma (e non spoilero, andatevelo a leggere).
La lettura fila liscia liscia, ti ritrovi a metà volume letto senza neanche accorgertene, le battute sono sempre, sempre, sempre divertenti, la demenzialità non manca, le cose totalmente a caso neanche, il dramma c'è (ti vien da dire "purtroppo", ma poi ti ricordi che è comunque un fumetto serio e quindi va tutto bene, asciugati le lacrime) ma soprattutto ci sono le meravigliose tavole di Powell, con dei colori tristi, spenti, che si alternano a tavole accese, quasi splendenti. Il tratto di Powell è polimorfico, e chi è abituato a The Goon lo ben sa.
La trama continua ad infittirsi, in un escalation di follia ed orrore, ma non mi piace parlar troppo della trama, è una cosa che va vissuta leggendola. I dialoghi sono taglienti ed altalenanti, si passa da botta-e-risposta con battutine volgari a vignette totalmente silenziose, dove si nota palesemente l'infinita abilità di storyteller di Eric Powell.
Che The Goon sia uno dei migliori fumetti sulla piazza è innegabile, e non posso far altro che consigliarvelo con tutto il cuore.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the Goon Vol. 7: A Place of Heartache and grief Eric Powell has the Goon moving in a new direction. Since the bar the Goon loved was burned down, he raises money to rebuild it by having people gamble on fights between one of the changeling baby from last volume and a club footed ape with broken bottles tied to his hands. Powell then has the Goon fight a giant Transvestite and start hallucinating when he sees old dead enemies. The status quo is changed with a new villain and tweaks to past characters. The Goon is still one of the best comics out there due to it never taking itself too seriously. The writing is just as funny if not better and the artwork is beautiful to look at.

[Gabriel Wallis · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Goon: A Place of Heartache and Grief" (volume 7) was an awesome graphic novel. I have to say that Eric Powell, creator of The Goon series, does an excellent job telling a story and illustrating it. One of the characters dies in this graphic novel, characters from past stories reemerge, and new characters are introduced. The story picks up after volume 5, since volume 6 was a short hiatus from the ongoing storyline. Overall, it was a great read. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.

[Dingle (Joker) McShimwad · Rating 3 out of 5]

parts of this were just kind of overtly offensive in that early South Park ungraceful punching-down satire way. and those parts suck, but they're pretty few and far between and the art and main story still go mega hard. goon gets a soft pass for being from the mid-2000s, it's just crazy that so many people in 2022 still think the pinnacle of comedy is pretending trans people aren't human beings thank you Dave Chappelle thank you Ricky Gervais I want to fucking die

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, heavy, funny, gross, sad. Other than an unfortunate scene including a hulking, monstrous transvestite that would have been better left out, I enjoyed this. This is part 1 of 3 and it looks like we're in a for a gloomy, brutal ride that may permanently change our perceptions of the Goon.

[Đenis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tento diel mal celkom pekný rozjazd a nadväzuje na predošlé diely, ale chýbal mi tu akýsi koniec knižky.

[Hanussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goon pokračuje v temnější části svého příběhu. Objevují se noví hráči, horší než ti staří. Prostě Goon jak má být. Kresba klasicky super.

[Terrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review is for 15 volumes binged over three days

I don't know how I missed this during it's initial run, but - small favors - now I got to enjoy it with no waiting.
For such a long run there is surprisingly little difference in quality, occasionally dipping to excellent from exceptional and dragging - as most tales do - when it moves away from the episodic and into an ongoing tale.

[Seb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loses a star for some ugly transphobia :/

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new threat has even the zombie priest scared. These five issues are mainly groundwork for the future. Still, great fun fighting monsters and collecting ill-gotten gains and The Goon and Franky aren't the good guys either, just the less bad guys that take care of their friends in the neighborhood.

[Jarlos]

enriching backstories. engrossing story that takes beloved characters in bold new directions. no longer just funny side characters, this is now a full and rich cast of heroes and villains. still retains some of the old humor in just the right places, but with the death of a beloved character and the return of some classic villains, this feels like a fully formed masterpiece that is leading to something great.

[Vleegoodfellow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read! Great art as usual. It just falls a bit short from the creative highs of past books, with Goon and Franky mashing their way around town, trying to latch on/jump start a new story arc here. This, as the start of that arc, looks promising however. The Oprah commentary at the end is enjoyable, but feels like more a tacked on afterthought. Now get reading, and cry and laugh your guts out!

[Ryan Haupt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was worried it may have lost the funny but then it had me laughing out loud and reading passages aloud to friends.

At the end he even makes fun of Oprah, which is nice in a story with some much nonsensical action to find out the creator eschews such silliness when applied to the real world.

[Harry Connolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

My God, but The Goon has been a fantastic series. The dated bit of social satire at the end of this volume squelches the fun a little bit, but the incredibly dark humor (very, very dark and very raw), the characterizations, the incredible artwork... These are fantastic books.

[Hillingdon Libraries]

Find this book at Hillingdon Libraries

[Seizure Romero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two quotes stand out:

"Figures! How come I'm always the one left standing here to fight the transvestite?!"

"Back off, youse mugs! I swiped this here salmon and I'm gettin' the squeezin's!"

[Rosa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be a zombie graphic novel and I didn't realize it was the middle of a series. IT kind of just grossed me out.