Groo the Wanderer

AUTHOR: Aragonés, Sergio; Evanier, Mark

ARTIST: Sergio Aragonés (illustrator); Gordon Kent (colorist); Tom Luth (colorist); Stan Sakai (letterer)

PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics; Eclipse Comics; Image Comics; Marvel Comics; Pacific Comics

FIRST SERIAL PUBLICATION: 1982-1984

FIRST BOOK PUBLICATION: 1984

Publication History

Prior to the publication of Groo the Wanderer, Sergio Aragonés was already well known as a contributor to MAD magazine, particularly for his famous doodle-like margin drawings, or “marginals,” packed onto the pages of every issue. He first devised the character of Groo, a parody of barbarian adventurers such as Robert E. Howard’s Conan, in the 1970’s during a surge in sword-and-sorcery storytelling in comics. However, he had no intention of giving up his creation to any publisher that would not allow him to retain ownership. When Eclipse Comics assembled a benefit anthology comic to raise money for Steve Gerber, who was embroiled in a legal battle with Marvel Comics over the ownership of his character Howard the Duck, Aragonés contributed a short Groo story and the barbarian at last saw print.

The benefit comic, Destroyer Duck, issue 1, was released in 1982, and Groo quickly made a second appearance as a back-up feature in Pacific Comics’ Starslayer, issue 5, a few months later. Pacific then published the first ongoing Groo the Wanderer series, although it only lasted for eight issues. During this time, Aragonés served as plotter and illustrator, Mark Evanier as scriptwriter, Stan Sakai as letterer, and Gordon Kent as colorist. Kent then departed, and Tom Luth took his place, completing the Groo creative team that would remain intact as of 2011.

One additional special featuring Groo was planned for Pacific but was published by Eclipse when the former publisher went out of business. Next, Aragonés arranged for a Groo series to be published by Marvel Comics’ Epic imprint. Groo embarked on his most extensive journey with one publisher, spanning 120 issues, and settled into the idiotic persona typically associated with the character.

Aragonés next moved the series to Image Comics, which published twelve more issues beginning in 1994. Dark Horse Comics has published the Groo stories since 1998. However, rather than publish an ongoing series, Dark Horse has offered periodic miniseries and reprints of past Groo adventures.

Plot

Groo the Wanderer is not strictly a continuous linear narrative; rather, it is an anthological collection of adventures in which Groo visits countless towns and lands that vaguely resemble those from the medieval period, meets myriad characters, and repeatedly causes chaos only to withdraw, leaving destruction in his wake. The series also contains fantasy elements, such as dragons and other odd creatures as well as characters with magical powers and artifacts. In early appearances, Groo is portrayed as a slightly buffoonish parody of the Conan archetype but is smarter than in his later portrayals. In the comics of the mid-1980’s, however, he becomes the complete moron with which many readers are familiar.

Although Groo stories are usually self-contained within a single issue or graphic novel, there are some multipart adventures; in their later incarnations, Groo stories consist of four-part miniseries with continuing story lines. Aragonés and his team use the repetitive nature of Groo’s escapades to build a series of running gags about cheese dip, “mulching,” and Groo’s various misconceptions. They also thread recurring lines of dialogue such as “Did I err?” and “I can plainly see that!” throughout the series. Some such running jokes are unique to the Marvel Comics run, but many of them stretch as far back as Groo’s earliest adventures. Every story also comments in some way on various aspects of the real world, from simple statements about friendship or family to more sweeping allegorical tales about charged sociopolitical issues.

In Groo’s first two appearances, he manages to bungle the traditional heroic activities of saving a maiden from a dragon and slaying a monster for a desperate village. His heroics do not improve in his subsequent travels. Through all of his adventures, and despite his singular lack of intelligence, Groo perseveres simply by doing “what Groo does best.”

Volumes

•The Death of Groo (1987). A graphic novel. Reports of Groo’s death are greatly exaggerated, and Groo gets to overhear what others think of him when they believe he has finally departed.

•The Groo Chronicles (1990). Collects all of the Eclipse and Pacific Groo adventures as well as two Marvel tales. Groo goes on various ill-fated adventures.

•The Groo Adventurer (1990). Collects issues 1-4 of the Marvel series. The Minstrel begins to chronicle Groo’s adventures through intricately crafted songs.

•The Groo Bazaar (1991). Collects issues 5-8 of the Marvel series. Groo confronts the issue of slavery in one of his many allegorical adventures.

•The Groo Carnival (1992). Collects issues 9-12 of the Marvel series. Groo first encounters Arcadio, the living legend who is his dashing but devious opposite.

•The Groo Dynasty (1992). Collects issues 13-16 of the Marvel series. Groo manages to ruin the Sage’s short-lived reign as king.

•The Life of Groo (1993). A graphic novel. Groo’s formative years are explored.

•The Groo Exposé (1993). Collects issues 17-20 of the Marvel series. Groo’s sister, Grooella, enlists his incompetent aid against an oncoming siege.

•The Groo Festival (1993). Collects issues 21-24 of the Marvel series. Groo deals with two devilish duos, the witches Arba and Dakarba and two con artists named Pal and Drumm.

•The Groo Garden (1993). Collects issues 25-28 of the Marvel series. Groo first encounters a magic amulet that will cause him future trouble.

•Groo: The Most Intelligent Man in the World (1998). Collects issues 1-4 of the eponymous Dark Horse miniseries. Groo’s associates are startled when the least intelligent man they know begins to speak intelligently.

•The Groo Houndbook (1999). Collects issues 29-32 of the Marvel series. A dog named Rufferto runs away from palace life and becomes Groo’s devoted companion in adventure.

•The Groo Inferno (1999). Collects issues 33-36 of the Marvel series. Groo obtains magical powers from the aforementioned amulet, and mayhem ensues.

•The Groo Jamboree (2000). Collects issues 37-40 of the Marvel series. In a two-part story, Groo mistakenly believes that he has accidentally eaten Rufferto.

•The Groo Kingdom (2000). Collects issues 41-43 and 46 of the Marvel series. Groo gets married and has to deal with his gypsy grandmother.

•Groo and Rufferto (2000). Collects issues 1-4 of the eponymous Dark Horse miniseries. The loyal companions are separated after an encounter with a wizard and struggle to reunite.

•The Groo Library (2001). Collects issues 44, 45, 47, and 49 of the Marvel series. The psyche of Groo’s canine companion is explored in the story “Rufferto Reverie.”

•The Groo Odyssey (2001). Collects issues 57-60 of the Marvel series. One of the most celebrated stories in the history of the title, “One Fine Day,” features a Groo-less adventure.

•Groo: Death and Taxes (2002). Collects issues 1-4 of the eponymous Dark Horse miniseries. Groo is the hapless pawn of a warmongering machine in a sharp satirical commentary on modern media-driven warfare.

•The Groo Maiden (2002). Collects issues 50-53 of the Marvel series. Groo finds himself falling hopelessly in love with a statuesque and lethal warrior woman known as Chakaal.

•Groo: Mightier than the Sword (2002). Collects issues 1-4 of the eponymous Dark Horse miniseries. Pipil Khan charges his sons to annihilate Groo for their right to inherit his throne.

•The Groo Nursery (2002). Collects issues 48 and 54-56 of the Marvel series. Among other misadventures, Groo sinks entire fleets of warships while destroying an idyllic tropical island.

•Groo: Hell on Earth (2009). Collects issues 1-4 of the eponymous Dark Horse miniseries. Groo inadvertently spreads pollution and devastation in a story that explores topics such as political incompetence and global warming.

•Groo: The Hogs of Horder (2010). Collects issues 1-4 of the eponymous Dark Horse miniseries. The story tackles the worldwide financial collapse and tension in the Middle East as Groo faces the avaricious King Hordes.

Characters

•Groo, the protagonist, is a squat barbarian adventurer with long, stringy brown hair and a prominent, crooked nose. He carries two katana swords and uses them with exceptional skill. Although he is an amazing warrior, he is also incredibly stupid and incapable of understanding just about everything. He has an uncanny ability to sink ships, and his very presence is considered a good reason to flee, for chaos follows in his wake. Despite this, he is honest and possesses a good heart, a desire to work, a love of cheese dip, and a willingness to enter any situation without an ounce of thought.

•Rufferto is Groo’s loyal dog. He is orange with black spots. He abandoned a life of privilege as a royal pet to see the world. Although Groo first thinks of Rufferto more as food than as a friend, the two quickly bond. He admires Groo unreservedly and believes him to be an unparalleled genius. When Rufferto is with him, strangely enough, Groo can board a ship and not sink it.

•The Sage is a pleasant and wise old man with a long white beard and hair tied into a topknot. He has a dog named Mulch, whose name is a long-running gag during Groo’s Marvel/Epic years. He is a lifelong friend of Groo and always tries to guide the foolish hero with his insight.

•Taranto is a scheming military leader and criminal who has frequently found his hopes for victory dashed by the intervention of Groo. Although he is a sworn enemy of the barbarian and wants Groo dead, Groo himself is often confused about whether Taranto is actually his friend. Taranto takes advantage of this as often as possible.

•Captain Ahax is a seafarer who long ago learned of Groo’s ability to sink every ship he boards. Ahax has lost many ships to the barbarian’s distinctive ability, and over the years, he has also lost his sanity. He continues to build new vessels only to encounter Groo again.

•Chakaal is a statuesque, platinum-haired female warrior with a serious aversion to Groo. Despite her dislike for Groo’s romantic attentions, the two adventurers often find themselves working together, although Chakaal is then required to compensate for Groo’s utter stupidity.

•The Minstrel is a traveling bard and storyteller who wears a jester’s hat and carries a stringed instrument that resembles a banjo. He chronicles many of Groo’s adventures. He only communicates in rhyme, and since his tales are accurate retellings of Groo’s inept escapades, the hero is not too pleased with the Minstrel’s work.

•Arcadio is a renowned warrior with long, flowing blond hair and a huge chin. He is everything that Groo is not: handsome, respected, a living legend, and dishonest. Many of his supposed achievements have actually been built upon the work of his frequent, unwitting lackey, Groo.

•Grooella is Groo’s long-suffering sister and is identical to her brother except for a huge mane of frizzy dark hair. Groo caused her hair to transform from its original blond color when they were children. She is a queen and often must rely on her brother, even though she hates him.

•Granny Groo is Groo’s underhanded, money-hungry gypsy grandmother. She has white hair styled in a bun, large golden earrings, and the Groo family nose. Like most of the other characters, she tries to take advantage of Groo for her own benefit and gets caught up in his predictable cloud of chaos.

•Arba and Dakarba are two witches. Arba is short and fat with traditional witch features and clothing, while Dakarba is tall, attractive, and well-built and wears a revealing gown and a winged headdress. They constantly try to use Groo in their schemes only to have everything backfire.

Artistic Style

Aragonés honed his distinctive style with countless “marginals” in the pages of MAD magazine. His free-flowing, melodic, hyperdetailed line work is simultaneously chaotic and orderly. Every character, panel, and page is a mass of dense curves that look as random as doodles yet instantly form their own reality, depicting people, vast landscapes, castles, ships at sea, and an endless array of sight gags.

Aragonés’s style is informed by his early experience with pantomime, which may also explain how easily his artwork transcends the language barrier with or without the addition of Evanier’s English scripting. Groo the Wanderer also benefits from a close collaboration between Aragonés, Evanier, Sakai, and Luth. The final version of the artwork is only completed after Evanier has reshaped the plot, often in a back-and-forth process with Aragonés, after which Sakai letters the pages and Aragonés finishes the art. The last step in creating a Groo story is the addition of color by Luth, which not only adds another layer of rich detail to an already meticulous piece of work but also poses a creative challenge for Luth, given Aragonés’s penchant for packing pages with numerous characters and objects. Capturing the breathless action and joy of the medium with pen and ink, Aragonés may have one of the most recognizable and respected styles in the world of comics, and Groo the Wanderer represents the most extensive chronicle of his work in print.

Themes

It would be easy to dismiss a long-running series such as Groo the Wanderer as merely a platform for fantasy genre humor, sight gags, and bumbling slapstick, but as readers of the series know, the creative team behind the barbarian uses the strip to tell many meaningful stories that resonate with real-world issues. In some of the stories published by Dark Horse Comics, for example, the creators deliberately target the world financial collapse, American foreign policy, climate change, and many other hot-button issues of the day through allegorical tales that put Groo in the center of the controversies and examine them through a comedic lens.

At the beginning of the series, Groo is a relatively intelligent character capable of tactical planning, not necessarily the blank slate upon which many of these morality tales could be played. In the series’ Marvel Comics run, however, Groo becomes a childlike figure perfectly suited for placing in the midst of a medieval world gone mad. His purity clashes instantly with the corruption that surrounds him, coming even from those within his own family, and yet his very innocence enables him to walk away triumphant, or at least alive. While accessible for readers of all ages, Groo the Wanderer is a surprisingly mature and biting satire of the real world, using whimsical characters and settings to cloak serious commentary about all kinds of social, cultural, and political subjects.

Impact

The character of Groo has resonated through pop culture, with references turning up in the television series Angel (1999-2004) and elsewhere, but its greatest impact has been within the comics industry. Refusing to relinquish ownership of his creation to any publisher, Aragonés helped to forge a new path in the 1980’s by producing a creator-owned comic book that also proved to be a long-term critical success. At that time, independent publishers offered comics creators the chance to own their material; in the years to come, even the biggest publishers experimented with creator-owned imprints, such as Epic, Groo’s future home at Marvel Comics.

Although Groo was successful in and of itself, it had to survive a succession of publisher failures that seemed to follow the title from one company to another in a disturbing echo of the character’s fictional ability to cause chaos wherever he went. This became such an obvious trend that the phrase “Groo’s curse” was coined by industry insiders. However, as of 2011, this “curse” has not affected the series’ latest publisher, Dark Horse Comics.

Groo the Wanderer also became known for directly engaging with its fans in a dynamic way through its energetic letters page, personally handled by Evanier. Many of the series’ running gags were discussed or even perpetuated there, including the recurring definition of the word “mulch.”

Further Reading

Aragonés, Sergio. Sergio Aragonés: Five Decades of His Finest Works (2010).

Aragonés, Sergio, and Mark Evanier. Boogeyman (1999).

Sakai, Stan. Usagi Yojimbo (1987- ).

Bibliography

Aragonés, Sergio. Sergio Aragonés: Five Decades of His Finest Works. New York: Running Press, 2010.

Evanier, Mark. Comic Books and Other Necessities of Life. Raleigh, N.C.: TwoMorrows, 2002.

Thomas, Roy. Conan: The Ultimate Guide to the World’s Most Savage Barbarian. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2006.