In the graphic novel, the Goon experiences romantic complications that suck him back to that earlier time in his life when he went through similar circumstances. Of course, the earlier life had him matched up with Chinese gangsters trying to muscle in on “Labrazio’s” territory. Their leader turns out to be a shape-shifting, fire-breathing dragon.

The present story involves the Goon’s love for a nightclub singer who spurns what he has to offer. There’s also a new threat on the streets: a mysterious being that seems to be made of wicker. He calls himself Mr. Wicker, and he’s out to unite the underworld against the Goon and take over. Mr. Wicker has a secret that rips the Goon’s world apart again.

As I read the book, I couldn’t help being reminded of Popeye the Sailor. I mean the Popeye Elzie Crisler Segar created that strode defiantly through the panels of Thimble Theater, not the spinach-swilling near-superhero he became in the cartoons. Popeye didn’t even show up in the original strip until it had been going strong for ten years. But the Goon has the same earthiness and vulnerability of those long-ago strips, and there are the supernatural elements.

The Goon: Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker is an amazing read that I finished in a single sitting, then found myself immediately wandering back through the pages to study the art and the interpersonal relationships that Powell builds and renders so gracefully. Everything in the book is tight. It constantly pushes toward the two resolutions that hammer the Goon mercilessly.

The Goon is an ugly brute of a man. He’s got scars all over the left side of his face and his left eye is dead. In this graphic novel, you get to find out where all those scars came from. More than that, though, you get a peek at all the scars on his heart and understand more about why he’s so hardcore about running “Labrazio’s” business.

As a side note, you also get to see a lot of his relationship with Franky, the guy who watches the Goon’s back. This friendship between these two men is done so well and so muscular that you can’t help but root them on. These are men that Ernest Hemingway or John Steinbeck would have known and understood completely.

Powell’s art is simple at first glance, but not to look more deeply is an injustice to his craft. He draws it to look simple, to be easily absorbed, but if you take time to realize that he had to plan each panel and to work hard to keep it that simply, I think you’ll be blown away as well. The sepia tones of the story set in the past contrast to the present-day story, but the color even in the present-day story is subdued and never overpowers the action.

If you’ve never read The Goon, this graphic novel is a fine place to jump on. And if you’ve been a longtime reader, this is the story that you’ve been waiting years to read. Now I’ve got to go back and read the previous volumes.