Eric Powell's comic The Goon, renowned for combining 1930s noir with wacky horror hijinks, will soon be returning to Dark Horse Comics.
Powell is bringing his creator-owned imprint, Albatross Funnybooks, to Dark Horse in 2023. The move enables Dark Horse to not only begin republishing The Goon, but also Powell's other series Big Man Plans and Hillbilly. Titles from other creators, such as Brendon Small's Galaktikon and Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar's Pug Davis, will also be included in the imprint.
“I couldn’t be happier to be returning to Dark Horse and bringing Albatross over as an imprint,” Powell said of the announcement. “This partnership will allow me to focus more on what I want to be doing, making books. I’m very excited for what the future holds and the new opportunities to be found.”
Powell's first project to be released under Albatross at Dark Horse will be a graphic novel team-up with true crime writer Harold Schechter. The duo worked on the 2021 graphic novel Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?, which featured an in-depth look at serial killer Ed Gein. “Eric and The Goon are old friends of Dark Horse,” Dark Horse President Mike Richardson said. “Bringing The Goon here along with his Albatross imprint feels like a homecoming for all of us. Eric is one of comics’ premier creators, and we can’t wait to show you what he's been cooking up.”
What Is The Goon?
The Goon debuted in 1999 at Avatar Press, but Powell quickly moved to self-publishing and eventually released the book under Dark Horse in 2003. Detailing the adventures of its brutish main character -- an enforcer in Lonely Street, a vision of America right out of the Great Depression -- The Goon became renowned for combining pulpy tales with slapstick comedy. Its titular character often battled the supernatural threats of his main enemy, the Zombie Priest, and worked alongside Franky, his smooth-talking sidekick.
An animated movie based on The Goon has been stuck in development since 2008. In 2012, a Kickstarter for the film was successfully funded, and the movie was intended to be released under 20th Century Fox. Following Disney's merger with Fox, however, the film was dropped. It was resurrected via Netflix earlier this year, with a release date still undetermined. The Goon has had better luck in the world of tabletop roleplaying games, as it was converted into a setting for Pinnacle Entertainment's Savage Worlds system in 2018.
Source: Dark Horse Comics