Goon Squad Series by Jonathan L. Howard

THE THREAT: There are villainous monsters, mutants, freaks, and warped masterminds in the world, beyond the ability of conventional police forces to deal with. THE SOLUTION: Recruit your own monsters, mutants, freaks, and warped masterminds, and give them warrant cards. Every large urban centre has its own Special Talents Response Team, a small cadre of… unusual personalities with unusual abilities... moreTHE THREAT: There are villainous monsters, mutants, freaks, and warped masterminds in the world, beyond the ability of conventional police forces to deal with. THE SOLUTION: Recruit your own monsters, mutants, freaks, and warped masterminds, and give them warrant cards. Every large urban centre has its own Special Talents Response Team, a small cadre of… unusual personalities with unusual abilities. Manchester’s is the infamous GOON SQUAD, a team that has been operating continuously since the 1940s. Based in the heart of the city, their brief is to deal with threats ranging from the slightly odd to the very strange indeed. Join the GOON SQUAD as they bring law and a degree of order to a city under siege from the forces of weirdness. GOON SQUAD Issue #1: "The New Girl." Nadiya Kysla has made mistakes in her past; large-scale, very public mistakes that ended with her losing her liberty. She's not like that now, though. Now she just wants a quiet life. When trouble comes to her, however, it starts a chain of events that mean she will once more adopt a persona she thought she would never again assume -- the infamous Puppet Girl. But can the notorious art terrorist ever leave her past behind to become a hero of today? less

Puppet Girl has been inducted into the Goon Squad -- Manchester's Special Talents Response Team -- but is very much on probation. When her first time in the field goes badly wrong, it looks like her new career might be over before it has even started. But she has one champion who will stand up for her and who suggests a new course of inquiry that might just save the investigation. Plus, as a bonus, it involves hitting the nightclubs. Find out what happens in GOON SQUAD #2 "Nightclubbing."

The GOON SQUAD finally close the net on the vicious career gangster Des Garbo and the arms deal he has set up. What they discover, however, is not at all what they were expecting. PUPPET GIRL will prove vital in the fight, but at the cost of revealing truths about herself that frighten even her. But not every threat the GOON SQUAD must deal with is as simple as gangsters. In the surroundings of a municipal cemetery, an act of petty vandalism will provoke horrific consequences... moreThe GOON SQUAD finally close the net on the vicious career gangster Des Garbo and the arms deal he has set up. What they discover, however, is not at all what they were expecting. PUPPET GIRL will prove vital in the fight, but at the cost of revealing truths about herself that frighten even her. But not every threat the GOON SQUAD must deal with is as simple as gangsters. In the surroundings of a municipal cemetery, an act of petty vandalism will provoke horrific consequences. Soon, the Squad will face a terror unlike any they have encountered before. Discover what mysteries and nightmares the GOON SQUAD will encounter "By the Water, By the Grave." less

It starts quietly, with an incredible murder committed in broad daylight, but without a single witness. Soon the unseen killer progresses to a macabre mass killing, but why does the sole survivor blame the victims for their own deaths?Unpredictable and unstoppable, the killer strikes across the city, acting with impunity, always one step ahead of the pursuing GOON SQUAD... moreIt starts quietly, with an incredible murder committed in broad daylight, but without a single witness. Soon the unseen killer progresses to a macabre mass killing, but why does the sole survivor blame the victims for their own deaths?Unpredictable and unstoppable, the killer strikes across the city, acting with impunity, always one step ahead of the pursuing GOON SQUAD. But even when they do find their quarry at the site of a new and awful massacre, what chance do they have against the terrible power of the "Exterminating Angel"?GOON SQUAD is a "prose comic," an ongoing episodic story that unfolds in handy monthly issues. The story of the EXTERMINATING ANGEL begins in #3. less

It is a city of fear. The entity known as the Exterminating Angel roams freely, spreading fear wherever it goes. Even the police Special Talents Unit known as the GOON SQUAD has proved helpless in the face of the supernatural terror. Bloodied but unbowed, the Squad plan their next move and try to penetrate the mystery of the entity's origin. Meanwhile, they are not alone in wishing the city to be freed from the Exterminating Angel... moreIt is a city of fear. The entity known as the Exterminating Angel roams freely, spreading fear wherever it goes. Even the police Special Talents Unit known as the GOON SQUAD has proved helpless in the face of the supernatural terror. Bloodied but unbowed, the Squad plan their next move and try to penetrate the mystery of the entity's origin. Meanwhile, they are not alone in wishing the city to be freed from the Exterminating Angel. An old adversary is making his own plans, but where they and the Squad's intersect, will only the Angel rise triumphant? GOON SQUAD is a "prose comic," an ongoing episodic story that unfolds in handy monthly issues. The story of the EXTERMINATING ANGEL began in GOON SQUAD #3. less

Just what do superheroes get up to when they're not fighting the forces of evil? If they're the GOON SQUAD, they patrol the city, chat, train, and chat some more. The Goon Squad 2014 Summer Special contains an introduction to the Squad, and four short stories: "Red Wolf, Red Wolf, Does Whatever a Red Wolf Can," "Changes," "No-No Dojo," and "Tale of Terror... moreJust what do superheroes get up to when they're not fighting the forces of evil? If they're the GOON SQUAD, they patrol the city, chat, train, and chat some more. The Goon Squad 2014 Summer Special contains an introduction to the Squad, and four short stories: "Red Wolf, Red Wolf, Does Whatever a Red Wolf Can," "Changes," "No-No Dojo," and "Tale of Terror." Join Puppet Girl, the Revenant, Red Wolf, and Talos as they protect the fairly innocent, are sharply critical about modern newspapers, talk to a door in Salford, and recount the day the city nearly blew up. less

The Exterminating Angel has struck once more, the body count is climbing, and the GOON SQUAD are on their way to face the entity. If only they had a plan. The one thing they're sure of is, if they fail to defeat or contain the murderous Angel, the only possible result is the deaths of many more people, guilty and innocent alike. With Talos damaged and missing and the Revenant damaged and indignant about it, only Puppet Girl and Red Wolf are left to face an apparently unbeatable foe... moreThe Exterminating Angel has struck once more, the body count is climbing, and the GOON SQUAD are on their way to face the entity. If only they had a plan. The one thing they're sure of is, if they fail to defeat or contain the murderous Angel, the only possible result is the deaths of many more people, guilty and innocent alike. With Talos damaged and missing and the Revenant damaged and indignant about it, only Puppet Girl and Red Wolf are left to face an apparently unbeatable foe. But there is another player in the game of whom they know nothing. What is the secret of the Holy Fool? less

Listen to the tale the dead man tells.Ian Mears is the longest continuously serving member of Manchester's GOON SQUAD. As the Revenant he has fought crime, confronted supervillains, and had more limbs severed than he cares to think about. Whilst regenerating his most recently lost right arm, Ian lapses into a recuperative coma, hoping that he will not dream.It is a vain hope. He dreams of the man he used to be when he was merely mortal and all the happier for it... moreListen to the tale the dead man tells.Ian Mears is the longest continuously serving member of Manchester's GOON SQUAD. As the Revenant he has fought crime, confronted supervillains, and had more limbs severed than he cares to think about. Whilst regenerating his most recently lost right arm, Ian lapses into a recuperative coma, hoping that he will not dream.It is a vain hope. He dreams of the man he used to be when he was merely mortal and all the happier for it. It is a disjointed dream, and parts of it may not be the truth, but he must listen and watch through his own unreliable narrative the events leading up to his death and rebirth as a cynical, embittered zombie. less

Manchester is an old city with many shadows in its history. Most lie quiet, but now and then, one is stirred from its rest by the actions of foolish men. Pomona Island is a curiosity -- a backwater of the city left to nature for generations. Development reveals an old secret from which a fool tries to profit, unleashing a horror unseen in seventy years. Still reeling from the effects of the Exterminating Angel, the last thing the city needs is another killer on the loose... moreManchester is an old city with many shadows in its history. Most lie quiet, but now and then, one is stirred from its rest by the actions of foolish men. Pomona Island is a curiosity -- a backwater of the city left to nature for generations. Development reveals an old secret from which a fool tries to profit, unleashing a horror unseen in seventy years. Still reeling from the effects of the Exterminating Angel, the last thing the city needs is another killer on the loose. But there's something more personal to the GOON SQUAD about this new terror -- can it really be that the Squad's first ever case has come back to haunt them? less

During World War II, the major cities of Britain were protected against spies, saboteurs, and unusual threats by secret teams made up of superhuman Talents. Manchester's was codenamed STOAT/6, the forerunner of the modern day GOON SQUAD. Comprised of three Talents -- the inhumanely strong BULLDOG, the pyrokinetic CORPORAL CROCODILE, and the acerbic GRANNY SPEAKE -- the team was ordered in 1944 to investigate a strange series of murders in the city... moreDuring World War II, the major cities of Britain were protected against spies, saboteurs, and unusual threats by secret teams made up of superhuman Talents. Manchester's was codenamed STOAT/6, the forerunner of the modern day GOON SQUAD. Comprised of three Talents -- the inhumanely strong BULLDOG, the pyrokinetic CORPORAL CROCODILE, and the acerbic GRANNY SPEAKE -- the team was ordered in 1944 to investigate a strange series of murders in the city. What they found was the work of a depraved and monstrous mind, a killer who experimented on his victims, and whose plans seemed to be approaching their unknowable climax. Now there has been a new killing that bears all the same hallmarks. Ian Mears, the REVENANT, interviews the last surviving member of STOAT/6. Has the dread VIVISECTOR truly returned? The secret may just lurk in the memories of one who experienced LIFE DURING WARTIME. less

The police and the GOON SQUAD comb the city looking for the Vivisector, a monstrous serial killer apparently risen after 70 years to continue his reign of terror. It seems impossible, however, and some members of the Squad wonder if they are actually up against a copycat. Then RED WOLF encounters the Vivisector and, in a no-holds barred battle, and all doubts are extinguished.RED WOLF is fast, strong, and trained for combat, but can even he hope to defeat a killer who even defies time?

At last the GOON SQUAD may have the break in the VIVISECTOR case they have so desperately been seeking. A man from Switzerland claims to know exactly who the killer is, but is he telling the truth, or does he have a dark agenda of his own? He certainly seems to know a great deal about the legendary serial killer, and the Squad -- undermanned and overstretched -- has little choice but to take his claims at face value.Then there is a new killing... moreAt last the GOON SQUAD may have the break in the VIVISECTOR case they have so desperately been seeking. A man from Switzerland claims to know exactly who the killer is, but is he telling the truth, or does he have a dark agenda of his own? He certainly seems to know a great deal about the legendary serial killer, and the Squad -- undermanned and overstretched -- has little choice but to take his claims at face value.Then there is a new killing. Their visitor has a perfect alibi -- how then does he know where to look for the body?As events in the city reach a climax, will the shadow of the VIVISECTOR finally be lifted forever? less

Nadiya Kysla aka PUPPET GIRL approaches the end of her first year with the GOON SQUAD. In that time she has fought organised crime, nearly died at the hands of an angel, faced off against an ancient serial killer, and found real friends, even if one’s a corpse, one’s a werewolf, and one’s a robot... moreNadiya Kysla aka PUPPET GIRL approaches the end of her first year with the GOON SQUAD. In that time she has fought organised crime, nearly died at the hands of an angel, faced off against an ancient serial killer, and found real friends, even if one’s a corpse, one’s a werewolf, and one’s a robot. Now, as that year draws to a close, we follow her and her colleagues as she comes to comprehend the scope of her amazing abilities better, but also as she begins to understand the reasons behind tensions within the Squad. There is unfinished business to attend to, and dark times are approaching. Join the GOON SQUAD as there are revelations, dangers and wonders, plus the threat of a mass human sacrifice ruining their evening viewing in THE END OF THE YEAR SHOW. Cover by David Ziggy Greene. less