Saturday, March 25, 2023

Groo: Gods Against Groo #4 Review

Writer: Mark Evanier

Artist: Sergio Aragonés

Colorist: Carrie Strachan

Letterer: Stan Sakai

Cover Artist: Sergio Aragonés

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: 3.99

Release Date: March 22, 2023

When soldiers from Iberza and Tlaxpan invade Mexahuapan, Groo leaps into the fray. But a three-way battle is too confusing! If he just kills everyone, he’ll kill everyone he’s supposed to kill, right? How will anyone worship Groo if he kills everyone? Let’s leap into Groo: Gods Against Groo #4 and find out!

Story

Mark Evanier makes clear right away that Groo is a simple soul. He's a warrior who lives for the fray and good cheese dip. When Groo wonders how to react to radically changing circumstances, his loyal dog Rufferto encourages him. Thankfully, his battle lust makes everyone work together to confound him until he leaves the fray to find some decent cheese dip. Ah, cheese dip!

With the battle over, none of the survivors are satisfied with Groo. What good is a god if he doesn't bring you victory over your enemies? Such dissatisfying results help the priests of all three countries redirect worship back to their desired deities, which makes everyone in heaven happy, apart from those pesky newcomers. Who mourns for the divine Groo and his divine companion Rufferto?

Art

I love how Sergio Aragonés makes all the soldiers look alike in Groo: Gods Against Groo #4. Although they fight for different countries, differences in rank and attire mean nothing when they battle the almighty Groo! Their solution leaves a bewildered Groo standing amid a pile of corpses in a dramatic one-page scene. Even birds lie down and die in his presence. It also reveals that while everyone fights with clubs and spears, Groo fights with swords. No wonder he’s such a fearsome fighter!

Carrie Strachan lavishes rich coloring on these classic battle scenes. She shades the soldiers' attire and the ground beneath them. Purple banners stream from the masts of a ship waiting to take the Iberzans home. It rocks on an ocean that moves from dark to light blue and shows froth as waves reach the shore, threatening to pull a red crab back into its clutches. As in Ray Harryhausen's Jason And The Argonauts and Clash Of The Titans, heaven seems more vibrant than Earth. The gods' colorful skin, extravagant attire, and tiny floating attendants impress. Even the clouds take on multicolored hues when the divine Groo begins to fade.

Banners unfurl to locate us on the heavenly or earthly planes in Groo: Gods Against Groo #4. Stan Sakai relates conversations in dialogue balloons and thoughts in puffy clouds. Occasionally, letters grow bold to emphasize important words like cheese dip. Even more rarely, the words swell in size, and the balloon turns spiky to express jubilation. Sadly, Stan Sakai's services prove unnecessary in the one-page Rufferto story, which reminds us how stories grow in the telling.

Final Thoughts

Groo: Gods Against Groo #4 is a gentle, relaxing read. It deals with matters of faith and politics in a delightfully fun way. Moreover, it shows how alike we all are, despite all our differences. Devour it with a bowl of your favorite cheese dip. Ah, cheese dip!