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

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!Publishers WeeklyTaking place in a 1930s slum that's a cross between H.P. Lovecraft and Little Orphan Annie-where homicidal refugees from the Little Rascals fight over fish guts, zombies are almost commonplace, but the appearance of a colossal transvestite is a matter worthy of interrupting a mission to dynamite a haunted evil burlesque house-the crazy, wonderful and macabre adventures of the Goon continue in this new collection that gets only one criticism: it is much too short, even at 128 pages. It's a dense package, a masterful blending of story and art, but newcomers to the series may find themselves adrift. The Goon, a hulking giant, is still dealing with the Zombie Priest, but other, more powerful and evil villains are working behind-the-scenes, and the return of the Bird Girls is a portent: old foes are out of the grave, especially one very angry nemesis. It seems Labrazio, the Goon's original archenemy, is on the streets, spreading mayhem and murder-or is he? Creator Powell uses humor and his offbeat imagination to take what could be a grim story-the bad guys always seem to have the upper hand-into a colorful, breathless page-turner. (June)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.