The Goon #39
Created by Eric Powell
Art by Eric Powell
Colors by Dave Stewart
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: April 25, 2011
Cover Price: $3.50

Eric Powell is unhappy with Marvel and DC. In fact, he is so annoyed by mainstream superhero comics that he wrote an entire issue about it. The Goon #39 seems to be the culmination of all of Powell’s frustrations with hero comics and the comics industry in general. This issue is a deconstruction of everything that Powell feels is wrong with mainstream publisher’s marketing techniques. Goon takes a break from cracking zombie skulls for an issue, and instead takes down the The Big Two. Powell attempts to bring every irritating thing about mainstream comics to light in this issue. The problem with this is, when you swing at every slow pitch, you are bound to miss a few.

The Goon #38
Written by Eric Powell
Art by Eric Powell
Colors by Dave Stewart
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: March 21, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

Just when I thought I had Eric Powell pegged as a comic creator who could not tackle serious content, he turns around and puts out The Goon #38. Goon doesn’t make an appearance in this issue, but surprisingly the comic works well without him. Issue 38 is a stand-alone issue that tells the story of Goon’s Aunt Kizzie and her troubled past. Powell sets aside the head cracking and knife in eye jokes for an issue of The Goon with surprising amounts of depth and emotion.

Each and every week “The Undisputed Champion” MK2Fac3 and “The People’s Champ” Henchman21 read a lot of comics. Seriously you guys, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. I mean, it is possible”¦ theoretically. They look forward to some more than others, I mean, who doesn’t? So, let’s take a look into the depths of their pull lists, grab some comics, and we’ll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of February 1, 2012. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

I’m going to just skip the BS and tell you that a lot of great comics are coming out this week, folks. We’ve got all sorts of great single issues and collected editions that are coming out of the woodwork to get you all twisted into a much more awesome and better-looking version that you were before. I don’t know how that’s possible, but I’m pretty sure that it’s what’s going to happen. Anyway, like I said, there are so many good books this week. We’ve got some awesome stuff coming in Dark Horse Presents, hopefully a good starting point for Animal Man, the second part of Superman’s origin in Action Comics, the newest issue of “The Best Comic In The World” Locke and Key, the second issue in what could be the best new comic of the year in Fatale, another strong candidate for comic of the year with Winter Soldier, and even more in single issues, you guys. That’s not even touching the collected editions, but we’ll get to that later. Some of the comics mentioned above will be chosen, but which ones are as yet undetermined, so read forth young geeklings to find what books that we have picked out for you… within The GoD List.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Written by Mark Twain
Illustrations by Eric Powell
Hardback
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 24, 2012

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as adapted by Eric Powell is more than just a newly illustrated accompaniment to Mark Twain‘s classic novel. Recently, new editions of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn have been released replacing the controversial language of the 19th century original. However, publisher IDW and artist Eric Powell made the conscious decision to release this adaptation as it was initially published. This illustrated version represents an independent publisher rejecting the idea of censoring an American classic. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn illustrated by Eric Powell is a wonderful way to revisit this piece of classic American literature.

The Goon #36
Created by Eric Powell
Art by Eric Powell
Colors by Dave Stewart
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: November 2, 2011
Cover Price: $3.50

It feels like The Goon creator Eric Powell is always walking a thin line. Powell is straddling an edge where on one side there are storylines and dialogue that are so insanely ridiculous that no one in their right mind would find them readable. On the other side of this line is harmless, by the book comic writing, there’s action, there’s gags, and there’s beautiful women wearing next to nothing. In The Goon #36 Powell finds himself directly between these two points. With the pure madness and clever writing of The Goon #36, Powell proves he does not need Goon and Franky beating the tar our of some poor soul to make a compelling book, but worry not, there’s still plenty of the rough stuff.