Groo: Minstrel Melodies #2 Review

 

Writers: Sergio Aragonés & Mark Evanier

Illustrator & Cover Artist: Sergio Aragonés

Colorist: Carrie Strachan

Letterer: Stan Sakai

Cover Artist: Sergio Aragonés

Editors: Philip R Simon & Rose Weitz

Designer: May Hijikuro

Digital Art Technician: Adam Pruett

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: $4.99

Release Date: October 9, 2024

 

When the minstrel and his daughter arrive in Boyce, the customers in an inn welcome their return. As her father regales them with another musical tale of his favorite hero, a servant offers Kayli something to eat. The patrons are eager to hear the minstrel's instrumental epic. How will he bless their lives with his latest ode to the bumbling barbarian? Let's tune up our lutes, leap into Groo: Minstrel Melodies #2, and find out!

 

Story

Groo and his loyal companion Rufferto hear a sobbing wail as they wander through the forest. His dog believes the cry came from a child. Groo’s keen ears detect the cry of a baby goat, a delicious piglet, or perhaps even a goat. When they meet a hungry boy, Groo offers to feed him. Then, he discovers that the orphan has many friends. That evening, as the group roasts the fruits of Groo’s hunt, the children rejoice in the feast. Afterward, they cluster around Groo and Rufferto as they sleep. But Groo remains awake. Like Beorn, Groo knows he cannot support a house full of little people. But then, he doesn't even have a hut!

 

The next day, Groo tries to find parents for the orphans. As in the parable of the Good Samaritan, the third time proves the charm. But Groo is unsure those who offer to care for the children would give them the best life possible. Thankfully, an idea comes to the wandering barbarian’s rescue. So what if one of the children suggested it? As Groo proclaims in Groo: Minstrel Melodies #2, he can defeat armies, destroy villages, conquer ships, and sink dragons. If he can do all that, surely he can take someone else’s idea and make it his own!

 

In Sergio Aragonés & Mark Evanier’s story, Groo assesses his abilities and lifestyle and realizes he is unfit to raise a child. Groo may be partially responsible for their predicament. Still, when confronted with their need, Groo tries to find people who will adopt them. Like a credentialed social worker, Groo returns to ensure the orphans receive the care and attention he believes they deserve. Perhaps Groo is correct, and he is unfit to care for children. Still, the wandering barbarian doesn’t have to be bribed with barrels of cheese dip to help Jane Eyre and Oliver Twist’s friends in Groo: Minstrel Melodies #2.

 

Art

Unlike the walled town the minstrel visited in the previous story and the crumbling village Groo reduced to ash in the minstrel's song, Boyce evokes an English hamlet. Its whitewashed cottages with thatched roofs line the wide dirt road and climb a verdant fell. Customers pack tables inside the inn, drinking frothy tankards of ale, eating meat cooked on the grill, or even enjoying a slice of watermelon. Perhaps the bats flying from the head of the minstrel's instrument should warn the diners that even listening to a song about Groo can be dangerous. But as the instrument continually conjures images of erupting volcanos, fire-breathing dragons, and even leaping dolphins, who would suspect the smiling minstrel with his belled jester hat of endangering them?

 

While Sergio Aragonés fills in for the regular artist who has yet to work on the series, Carrie Strachan lavishes a loaded palette on Groo: Minstrel Melodies #2. The green and yellow-clad minstrel blends harmoniously with Groo’s yellow tunic. Kayli’s pink dress and the scarlet stripes on her stockings link with the gleaming red gems on Groo’s gold bracelets, while Strachan helps Cecil B Demille's costume designers array the bit players and extras in colorful garments.

 

Stan Sakai fills white balloons with uppercase black dialogue and adorns the minstrel’s lowercase lyrics with red music notes. Townspeople and Rufferto’s thoughts appear in cloudy balloons, while the cry that Groo thinks could be from an infant salmon appears in red letters. After all of Sakai's generously sized contributions, a silent one-page Rufferto story suggests that behaviors learned in childhood can determine an adult’s suitability to be a responsible parent in Groo: Minstrel Melodies #2. Thanks to Dark Horse Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

When Groo befriends displaced orphans, the wandering barbarian discovers that finding responsible and loving parents may be the biggest challenge of his wandering career in Groo: Minstrel Melodies #2.

 

Rating 10/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.