The Goon This article is about the comic book , for the former WWF wrestler see Barney Irwin . The Goon as published by Dark Horse Comics The Goon is a comic book series by Eric Powell . It was originally published by Albatross Comics before Powell switched to Dark Horse Comics . The story is about the adventures of the Goon , a muscle-bound brawler who claims to be the primary enforcer for the feared mobster Labrazio . The Goon ( and his sidekick Franky ) often get tied up in other machinations , often in relation to the evil zombie gangs under the command of the Nameless Zombie Priest . The Goon takes place in an unspecified time during the classic noir era ( 1940-1958 ) or even the pre-noir ( M 1931 ) era , with all the hallmarks of the gangster period but also with some more modern conveniences , such as television and giant robots . The series has a distinctly paranormal slant , with the average story concerning ghosts , ghouls or skunk-apes with an unnatural hunger for pie . However , there have been issues that concern extradimensional aliens and mad scientists . Though the story is set in America , it is not set in a named locale and rarely references any real-world people or events . The Goon won two Eisner Awards in 2005 , for Best Humor Publication and Best Continuing Series . Main characters Spoiler warning : Plot and/or ending details follow . The Goon : An orphan raised by his Aunt Kizzie , a strong-woman for a carnival . When wanted gangster Labrazio made the carnival his hiding place , Goon snuck into his trailer after hearing about the man 's viciousness . Labrazio showed the young Goon a book containing the names of his enemies , people who had done him favors , and people who owed him money . Finally the police came to take him in . In the resulting shoot-out , Goon 's Aunt Kizzie , while trying to protect the Goon , was gunned down by stray bullets from Labrazio 's firearm . When Labrazio dismissed Kizzie as a `` stupid broad '' for doing so , Goon killed Labrazio in a rage . Figuring the late gangster owed him something , Goon took Labrazio 's book ( and the man 's hat ) and took over the entire operation , collecting money and offing deadbeats , all the while insisting that Labrazio was still alive and the Goon was merely his `` enforcer . `` The Goon is a hulking figure , normally wearing brown pants , a white shirt , and the hat he removed from Labrazio . Occasionally he wears a faded blue shirt with green stripes on the sleeves -- the uniform from his football days . The left side of his face is horribly scarred by mysterious circumstances ( often hinted at as having occurred in an incident -- refered to as Chinatown -- that haunts the Goon ) . His eyes are blue , with the scarring on the left side of his face rendering his left eye blind . He has brown hair . Franky : After killing Labrazio , the Goon met Franky , a cowardly kid who was continually picked on by bullies . They became fast friends after the Goon beat up a kid who tormented him . The Goon involved Franky in his criminal business , setting out to burn down a barbershop which refused to pay protection to the Goon . During the arson attempt , they were attacked by zombies . Franky , not believing he could , killed a zombie in self-defense , at which time he underwent a change in personality , adopting a haughty `` tough-guy '' persona similar to the Goon 's and taking up the position of the Goon 's right-hand man . Franky normally wears brown pants with suspenders , a white shirt , and a brown fedora on his bald head . The Zombie Priest : Arch-nemesis of the Goon , the priest is a mysterious man who dwells on Lonely Street , protected on all sides by his undead hordes . The Zombie Priest ( also called The Nameless Priest and other variations ) is steeped in the occult , and seems bent on building up his rotting army , perhaps to one day conquer humankind . He is grizzled and almost zombie-like in appearance himself , sporting a top hat decorated by the flayed skin of a face . The priest 's chief creations are the greenish animated corpses that occupy much of Lonely Street , but he has also succeeded in reanimating an enormous chimp more than once . He also has the allied support of giant bats and hags and sometimes consorts with a huge , irate goat-god . The Zombie Priest was recently revealed to be a demon creature loosely based on the folk tale `` Rumpelstiltskin , `` who spent a thousand years in hell after a princess discovered his name . Buzzard : Former sheriff of an old West town that the Zombie Priest came to . As Buzzard was the only doubter of the Priest 's unholy wisdom , he was shunned and became an alcoholic . Meanwhile , the town was stricken by a strange plague that killed people and brought them back to life . After being mocked by the Zombie Priest , the sheriff became consumed by vengeance and rode through the town , slaughtering zombies and ending up at the Priest 's tent with a knife in his hands , threatening to kill him for destroying the town . The terrified Priest attempted to use his necromancy on the sheriff , but rather than turning him into a zombie , it had a reverse effect . He developed an insatiable hunger for the flesh of the dead , which garnered him the name , `` Buzzard. '' He continued his journey to destroy the Priest once and for all . Dr. Hieronymous Alloy : A brilliant scientist whose attempts to help the public have nearly all back-fired , one of them landing him in debt to the Goon after wrongfully sending one of his murderous robots after him . Alloy turned his attentions to more virtuous pursuits such as destroying zombies on Lonely Street and defeating a giant Spanish-speaking lizard poised to destroy the city . Alloy has golden , metallic skin -- an apparent effect of extensive alchemical research that he conducted . Recent campaigns ( caused by the molecular break-down of his body , and ensuing insanity ) to annihilate everyone with his robot army have landed him back in prison . Minor characters Legarto Hombre : Formerly a Godzilla -like monster , after being defeated by the Goon he has been reduced to acting as a man-servant to Dr. Alloy . Though his behavior has been curbed by drugs , the second incarceration of Alloy has led to a lapse in his medication and led to a rampage through the more quaint parts of Goon 's turf . Legarto speaks Spanish ( with little regard to grammar or coherency ) . Spider : A giant talking spider who wears a bowler hat . Spider has the rare distinction of being a criminal that the Goon dislikes but has n't killed . He can be seen skipping out on child support , cheating at cards or hustling others at Norton 's Bar . He 's also the victim of violence from the Goon and others , having been beaten mercilessly simply for being a talking spider or owing the Goon five bucks . Momma Norton : The seemingly crazy gypsy mother of pub owner Norton . Though her advice has often aided Goon , it usually comes in the form of eccentric behavior . Lazlo : Lazlo is the green-skinned zombie assistant of the Zombie Priest . He differs from most other zombies in that he can form complete sentences . The Mudds : The Mudds are a pair of brothers that work as enforcers for the Goon ( and Franky for a short time while Goon was in prison ) . They have a penchant for breaking legs for not meeting debt payments ( often regardless of when the payment is made ) . They are rightfully regarded as moronic but brutal , so they have their uses in the world of the Goon . The Unholy Bastards : The Unholy Bastards are a group of juvenile delinquints who first made their appearance with the intention of breaking the Goon out of prison . They live at the McGreg Home For Illegitamate , Wayward and Possibly Homicidal Youth . Though they aided Goon in his prison break , they have proven to be little more than a nuisance , the Goon having no need for kids in his operation . The Graves : A family of three sickly men ( a father and two sons ) . Each of the three men is afflicted with leprosy , the price the eldest Grave paid for making a pact with the Zombie Priest . They often get beaten or blown up by the Goon on their body-snatching raids for the Zombie Priest . Despite being unable to communicate normally , the twins are capable of speaking Hobo , thus saving them from the wrath of the Hobo Jungle 's many cannibals . Willie Nagel : Besides Lazlo , he is the only other zombie in the Goon 's world to speak English . Willie has more than a passing similiarity to Spider since they both wear bowler hats , are scam artists , and hang around the Goon despite being constantly abused by him . Unlike Spider , he has actually proven himself useful to the Goon , even if it was for a price . Mother Corpse : Due to Buzzard 's and the Goon 's efforts , the Zombie Priest 's corpse fueled army has almost completely been destroyed . As a result , he was forced to turn to magic -- namely Mother Corpse -- who is capable of birthing hordes of miniature demons that can combine themselves into a larger monster . At this point in the Goon 's story arc , it is unclear whether or not `` Satan 's Sodomy Baby '' is an offspring of Mother Corpse . Creatures The world of The Goon is inhabited by more than a few odd and interesting creatures . Below lies a few of them . Skunk Ape : The Skunk Ape is a large , sasquatch -like monster with a hideous odor . The Skunk Ape is driven to homicidal enthusiasm by the scent of pies ( especially blueberry ) . Zombies : Zombies are the primary servants of the Zombie Priest . Very few seem to be capable of speaking or other sophisticated procedures . Raised by necromancy they are capable of following orders , though only from the Zombie Priest himself . Referred to by Franky and the Goon as `` slackjaws . `` Hobos : Hobos are the cannibal overlords of the dark forrested region known as the `` Hobo Jungle. '' The culture of the Hobo is apparently completely separate from the rest of the world , so far as they have their own language and resemble cavemen more than humans . They are led by a man that has a conspicuous resemblance to Bob Dylan . Chug-Heads : The Chug-Heads have replaced zombies as the bulk of the Zombie Priest 's army . Products of Mother Corpse , they are small , dwarf-like creatures with large , potato-shaped heads . Unlike zombies , they are capable of merging into one another to create a larger , more deadly monster . Miscellaneous characters Dwight T. Albatross : Dwight T. Albatross is the irate , often intoxicated friend of Eric Powell who has made many appearances in the comic 's letter comics , as well as in person at the 2006 Comic Con . Albatross is never afraid to speak his mind and often keeps the Machiavellian madness of Eric Powell in check . Dwight had been arrested for destroying issues of The Goon in retribution for his unjust termination at the hands of Powell . Margaret Snodgrass : Aided in the delay of the issue # 18 's original story `` Satan 's Sodomy Baby. '' At the 2006 Comic Con , Powell 's booth carried fan-made buttons declaring `` Screw Snodgrass ! Demand Satan 's Sodomy Baby ! `` which were given out as a gift to fans of The Goon . References Frank from Blue Velvet can often be seen in the background of bars , usually with his nitrous oxide mask on . Collections The Goon : Fancy Pants Edition The Goon Vol. 0 : Rough Stuff ( The artwork is from when The Goon was with Albatross ) The Goon Vol. 1 : Nothin ' but Misery The Goon Vol. 2 : My Murderous Childhood ( And Other Grievous Yarns ) The Goon Vol. 3 : Heaps of Ruination The Goon Vol. 4 : Virtue and the Grim Consequences Thereof The Goon Vol. 5 : Wicked Inclinations ( available December 2006 ) External links The Goon Official Site The Goon Zone at Dark Horse Comics NEWSARAMA Interview with Eric Powell July 2005 Categories : Fictional criminals | Dark Horse titles | Fictional vigilantes | Zombies and revenants in fiction In other languages : Français | Polski 