Written By: Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club), Eric Powell (The Goon), David Lapham (The Strain)
Art By: Cameron Stewart (Fight Club), Eric Powell (The Goon), and Mike Huddleston (The Strain)
I’m just going to cut to the chase. The majority of people trying to snag this issue are going to be here for Fight Club. Ever since it was revealed that the original author of the Fight Club novel would be working on a sequel, in comic book form, fans of the novel and the movie have been curious to discover what’s in store for our nameless narrator.
The pages that we get here for Free Comic Book Day serve a bridge between the novel and the upcoming series and essentially is here to catch people up if they never read the novel. While the movie ends with our narrator shooting himself and getting up to hold hands with Marla while numerous buildings blew up, the book ends with him shooting himself and waking up in a white room in which people were still calling him Tyler.
The comic begins with our narrator seemingly back to his old self. He’s blowing up buildings again, he’s still having an affair with Marla, and he’s still running the fight clubs. Tyler also still seems to exist. But while there are some pretty juicy details in here that will reveal themselves further in the actual series, it isn’t until the end that we get some really great plot points.
To the fans who may be worrying about this as a series, Chuck Palahniuk has basically nailed the same style that the novel and movie had. The narrator is still nameless, there are still monologues using the “I know this because Tyler knows this” line, and there’s even an appearance by the penguin telling him to slide. There’s much more that needs to be shown here but it’s at least off to a good start.
Cameron Stewart creates some great art and I’m happy to see that they got someone who appears to be a great fit for the title. What sells me is the use of small details as well as his commitment to showcasing various Fight Club themes. For example, there’s a scene in which the narrator and Marla get into a fight at one of the support meetings. When Marla calls him out on his lying to everyone, Stewart gives us a line of frames of showing the narrator wearing various name tags of different names. It’s by no means necessary but it’s a great visual throwback to the film and the novel. Stewart is also going to instrumental in giving us the Tyler Durden moments and he was very successful in the few appearances found here.
While Fight Club is certainly the draw, Dark Horse gives us two additional teasers for two of their best titles. Eric Powell’s The Goon has been one of the most unique and absurd titles for awhile but it’s also a tremendous amount of fun. The teaser here showcases the perfect blend of horror, action, and humor that The Goon is known for.
The story we get follows the titular character as he travels with his companions to a town called Redwitch. Once there he realizes that things aren’t what they seem and that the town holds some very dangerous citizens. It’s quickly paced and a fun read and there’s some great moments of humor.
Eric Powell does the art for the series as well and it’s one of the more interesting looking comics out there. The majority of it is uncolored but washed in a sepia tone and when Powell does decide to use color it’s often to make certain actions of words stand out. It’s extremely effective and gorgeous to look at and his character and creature designs are astounding. The Goon hovers somewhere between retro cartoons and classic horror in appearance and it’s a great look.
Rounding out the issue is a tease for The Strain which has recently grown in popularity due to the TV show. Basically all you really need to know about the series is that it’s about vampires. They luckily give us an action packed few pages to showcase the series and it also introduces readers to one of the villains. All in all it’s a great story with some great art and the selection may be enough to get people into the series, especially if they’ve been watching the show. We previously reviewed Volume 1 of the series which will gives readers a good place to start if they are interested in picking it up.
Free Comic Book Day takes place Saturday May 2nd at participating stores. For more information about Free Comic Book Day and a list of stores participating in events, go to FreeComicBookDay.com.
