How To Start Reading The Goon [Guide]

For over 20 years, cartoonist Eric Powell has been writing and drawing The Goon. The different incarnations of the series follow the musclebound title character as he protects his cursed town from various supernatural threats. While that might not sound too original, where it excels is in its creativity, combining weird ideas and crude humour with deeply devastating drama that punches you in the gut. The result is a comic that has won five Eisner Awards and has a strong cult following.

You’ve come to the right place if you’re curious about reading The Goon. This guide will help you get started with this much-loved comic series. It will answer your questions, explain publication history, and detail the different editions it has been published in. You’ll soon be able to start reading and discover why so many people love this series.

Is The Goon finished?

Eric Powell is still making The Goon comics. However, the series is published more sporadically. Instead of an ongoing series, it is currently being published in miniseries, which allows the creator to go at a pace that suits them and work on other projects – such as the collaborations with Harold Schechter.

Who publishes The Goon?

The Goon is primarily published by Dark Horse Comics. However, the comic has been published elsewhere for short periods, such as Avatar Press and Eric Powell’s own publisher, Albatross Funnybooks.

Avatar Press published three issues of the 1998 series. However, Powell wasn’t happy with the quality of the series. He then self-published the series for a time before it was picked up by Dark Horse Comics. The series was self-published again between 2019 and 2023 under the Albatross Funnybooks label.

Albatross Funnybooks has now become an imprint of Dark Horse Comics. As a result, the more recent self-published material and any new material will be published under the wider Dark Horse Comics umbrella.

What is a good starting point for The Goon?

There are many good starting points for The Goon. 

Readers who prefer to read from the beginning will want to check out the material in The Goon Volume 1: Nothin’ But Misery. It includes the early self-published material and is where the series begins to find it’s feet creatively.

Alternatively, if you want to start with an origin story, check out The Goon: Chinatownand the Mystery of Mr. Wicker graphic novel. This can also be found in The Goon Volume 6: Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker.

While the series has an overarching story, many issues are accessible due to self-contained elements within them. as a rsult, you can pick up most issues from the early and middle period and get a self-contained story as the A-plot, with the larger story of the series building in the background as part of subplots.

The first issue I read was The Goon (2003 series) #14. I could figure out what was happening and enjoy the self-contianed elements.

There is a volume 0, but it’s not the best place to start reading if you want to get acquainted with the The Goon. The collection, called “Rough Stuff”, is aptly named, with early material that Eric Powell was unhappy with from a production standpoint. It’s not essential reading and best to read as a curiosity instead of a starting point.

Content warning

It’s best to give a bit of a content warning for those who are uninitiated with The Goon. The comic is made for mature audiences, reflected in elements of the material. This includes a number of things, including:

• Sometimes graphic violence. Much of this is presented in a fantasy/horror/humour context but can be bloody at times.
• Sexual references. Mostly in the form of scantily clad women, sexual innuendo, and some intentionally sleezy characters
• Swearing. 99% of the swearing is censored, apart from one instance that’s uncensored for dramatic effect.
• Crude humour.

Your mileage is going to vary depending on what your interest or tolerance for these elements are.

The other thing worth mentioning is some of the humour present in The Goon, which hasn’t aged well. Working alongside the silly or crude humour is a branch of “edgy” 2000s humour that comes off like watching an episode of Family Guy from the same era. There’s language that wouldn’t be acceptable today and some punching down towards certain groups. Much of it is included more for shock value than any form of satire, which makes it less palatable through today’s lens.

Eric Powell tends to lean towards the silly and crude humour more, making the previously mentioned humour more of a sporadic thing. However, I thought it was worth mentioning so it didn’t come as a complete surprise.

Collected editions

The Goon has been collected in a variety of different editions both at Dark Horse Comics and when Albatross Funnybooks was an independent publisher. Each of these are contain different amounts of comic material and will appeal to different kinds of readers because of that. Learn more about each format below.

You can treat this section as a reading order.

Trade paperbacks

The trade paperbacks are the format that The Goon has been most widely collected in throughout its publication history. These collection approximately five issues each and the occasional short story.

The Goon Volume 0: Rough Stuff
Collects: The Goon (1998 series) #1-3

The Goon Volume 1: Nothin’ But Misery
Collects: The Goon Color Special, The Goon (2002 series) #1-4, and ‘Die, Fish, Die!’ short story

The Goon Volume 2: My Murderous Childhood (and Other Grievous Yarns)
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #1-4 and The Goon Meets the Brothers Mud short story

The Goon Volume 3: Heaps of Ruination
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #5-8

The Goon Volume 4: Virtue and the Grim Consequences Thereof
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #9-13

The Goon Volume 5: Wicked Inclinations
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #14-18

The Goon Volume 6: Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker
Collects: Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker original graphic novel

The Goon Volume 7: A Place of Heartache and Grief
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #19-23

The Goon Volume 8: Those That is Damned
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #24-27

The Goon Volume 9: Calamity of Conscience
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #28-31

The Goon Volume 10: Death’s Greedy Comeuppance
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #32-33 and The Buzzard #1-3

The Goon Volume 11: The Deformed of Body and Devious of Mind
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #34-37, ‘An Irish Wake’ short story, and ‘The Goon’s on Vacation’ short story

The Goon Volume 12: Them That Raised Us Lament
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #38-41

The Goon Volume 13: For Want of Whiskey and Blood
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #42-45

The Goon Volume 14: Occasion of Revenge
Collects: The Goon: The Occasion of Revenge #1-4

The Goon Volume 15: Once Upon a Hard Time
Collects: The Goon: Once Upon a Hard Time #1-4

The Goon Noir
Collects: Dwight T. Albatross’s The Goon: Noir #1–3

Note: This is where it moves to Eric Powell’s own publisher, Albatross Funnybooks, in 2019. In 2023, it was announced that Albatross Funnybooks would become an imprint of Dark Horse Comics.

The Lords of Misery OGN

Note: The Lords of Misery is a graphic novella that bridges the gap between the end of The Goon: Once Upon a Hard Time and The Goon (2019 series).

The Goon Volume 1: A Ragged Return To Lonely Street
Collects: The Goon (2019 series) #1-4 and ‘Maltese Bunny’ short story.

The Goon Volume 2: The Deceit of a Cro-Magnon Dandy
Collects: The Goon (2019 series) #5-8

Note: The comics in The Goon Volume 2: The Deceit of a Cro-Magnon Dandy are written by Eric Powel and Tom Sniegoski, with art by Brett Parson.

The Goon Volume 3: Fishy Men, Witchy Women & Bitter Beer
Collects: The Goon (2019 series) #9-12

Note: The comics in The Goon Volume 3: Fishy Men, Witchy Women & Bitter Beer are written by Rodger Landridge, with art by Mike Norton and Marissa Louise.

The Goon: Them That Don’t Stay Dead #1-4

Note: The Goon: Them That Don’t Stay Dead is a four-part series that will be published by Dark Horse Comics under the Albatross Funnybooks imprint. The first issues will be published on 20th March, 2024.

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Fancy Pants editions

Fancy Pants editions are nice hardcovers that collect more material than trade paperback collections. The entire series was next completed in this edition, with Dark Horse Comics favouring to publish The Goon in the superior Library editions instead.

The Goon Fancy Pants Edition Volume 1
Collects: The Goon (2002 series) #1-2, The Goon (2003 series) #1, 3, 5, 9, and 3-page Buzzard story

The Goon Fancy Pants Edition Volume 2: The Rise and Fall of the Diabolical Dr. Alloy
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #2, 6, 11-13

The Goon Fancy Pants Edition Volume 3: The Return of Labrazio
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #20-31 (main stories only)

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Library editions

Libraary editions are over-sized hardcovers that collect the equivelant of three trade paperback collections. These look really nice on the shelf.

So far, the original run of The Goon has been collected in five volumes.

The Goon Library Edition Volume 1
Collects: The Goon (1998 series) #1-3, The Goon Color Special, The Goon (2002 series) #1-4, Die, Fish, Die! short story, The Goon (2003 series) #1-8, and The Goon Meets the Brothers Mud short story

The Goon Library Edition Volume 2
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #9-18 and Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker original graphic novel

The Goon Library Edition Volume 3
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #19-31

The Goon Library Edition Volume 4
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #32-41, The Buzzard #1-3, ‘An Irish Wake’ short story, and ‘The Goon’s on Vacation’ short story

The Goon Library Edition Volume 5
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #42-45, The Goon: The Occasion of Revenge #1-4, The Goon: Once Upon a Hard Time #1-4, and The Goon Noir

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Omnibus editions

The Omnibus editions, referred to as “Bunch of Old Crap“, collect similar material to the Library editions but in a more affordable softcover edition. These were first published by Albatross Funnybooks, but can be gotten through Dark Horse Comics since the series returned the publisher.

There are five volumes at the moment.

The Goon: Bunch Of Old Crap Volume 1: An Omnibus
Collects: The Goon (1998 series) #1-3, The Goon Color Special, The Goon (2002 series) #1-4, ‘Die, Fish, Die!’ short story, The Goon (2003 series) #1-8, and ‘The Goon Meets the Brothers Mud’ short story

The Goon: Bunch Of Old Crap Volume 2: An Omnibus
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #9-18 and Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker original graphic novel

The Goon: Bunch Of Old Crap Volume 3: An Omnibus
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #19-31

The Goon: Bunch Of Old Crap Volume 4: An Omnibus
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #32-41, The Buzzard #1-3, ‘An Irish Wake’ short story, and ‘The Goon’s on Vacation’ short story

The Goon: Bunch Of Old Crap Volume 5: An Omnibus
Collects: The Goon (2003 series) #42-45, The Goon: The Occasion of Revenge #1-4, The Goon: Once Upon a Hard Time #1-4, and The Goon Noir

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