Groo the Wanderer

In almost direct contrast to my other favourite comic-book, Groo The Wanderer is not a serious book. Well, not on the surface at any rate. Now coming out as a semi-irregular mini-series of stories, Groo was the creation of Sergio Arragones, the guy responsible for all those little cartoons in the margins of MAD magazine over the years. With lettering by Stan Sakai (creator of Usagi Yojimbo), colouring by Tom Luth, and...well, *something* by Mark Evanier (just kidding - Mark was actually the writer of all the Groo stories, although since he and Sergio would discuss and argue out said stories together it could be said they wrote them together), Groo was, for me, the ultimate antidote for the compulsive-obsessive silliness that was becoming the superhero genre. Coming at a time when there didn't seem to *be* any more *funny* comic books, Groo filled a much needed niche with its comic tales of the wanderings of Groo; an almost indestructible barbarian whose increadible fighting skills were only matched by his increadible lack of brains. As a result, he often found himself in the most bizarre of situations, being manipulated, attacked, or even ignored by a motley supporting cast, some of whom were actually on Groo's side (in particular, his loyal dog Rufferto, who made an appearance after about 20 or so episodes, and who Groo at first thought was something good to eat).

Despite its apparent lack of subtlty or smarts, Groo was actually a very clever comic. Through the vehichle of Groo and his experiences, Mark and Sergio managed to follow in that grand old American tradition of stories with morals, telling tales that were peppered with wit and timing straight out of the old days of vaudeville. Although not quite as thought-provoking as Sandman, Groo the Wanderer was always entertaining and usually surprisingly smart, managing on several ocassions to satirise aspects of American culture very neatly indeed, with stories such as 'The Puppet Show' (an allegory for television) and the one about firecracker powder being used to invent guns. That is, when they weren't busy defining 'mulching'.

What also made Groo so enjoyable was the insights and humour that Mark Evanier brought to more than just the stories, most especially in the letter pages. Here we got to see everything from more indulging in running jokes (Niagra Falls!) to Mark's description of what it was like dealing with the big LA earthquake of the late 80s or sitting several blocks away from the Rodney King riots watching bits of the city he knew go up in flames. In fact, it surprises me that Mark hasn't done more - for all my searchings (OK, I emailed him once and asked him) the only other thing he seems to have worked on apart from Groo is writing scripts for cartoon shows including Dungeons and Dragons, Felix the Cat, and Garfield and Friends. Still, he and Sergio still work together, putting out a few other things apart from Groo, and the ocasional new Groo, and that keeps me happy.

(Please note, all pictures displayed here are copyright Sergio Aragones and are used without permission because I'm recommending that you go out and buy more of his work. However, should he disapprove, please can he mail me and I'll remove them.)