Groo: Minstrel Melodies #3 Review

 

Writers: Sergio Aragonés & Mark Evanier

Illustrator: 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

Prepress: Darby McCann

Publisher: Dark Horse

Price: $4.99

Release Date: November 13, 2024

 

The minstrel regaled customers in the inn with tales of Groo’s kindness to orphans. As they left Boyce, his daughter requested he tell his ode about the teachers next. So, when he and Kayli discover people seated in an Amphitheater, the minstrel offers to entertain them until the scheduled guest arrives. Will the audience welcome a song about the minstrel's favorite wandering barbarian? Let's tune up our lutes, leap into Groo: Minstrel Melodies #3, and find out!

 

Story

The crowd tells the minstrel that they await a great teacher. Yet when the minstrel tells them about Groo’s adventures in teaching, they jeer. Undaunted, he mentions a teacher once tried to teach Groo how to read and write. Like the minstrel, Abecedario doesn’t give up when Groo fails to progress. But then, Groo is so amiable. What could be more pleasant than devoting his final years to helping the wandering barbarian?

 

In Groo: Minstrel Melodies #3, our hero recognizes a word on a sign and misinterprets the writer’s intent. Still, Groo is grateful for Abecedario’s teaching. He wants to repay Abecedario’s kindness by passing on his skills. First, Groo shows people how he does things. But they can't replicate what comes naturally to him. So, Groo decides to teach people how to fight. He’s good at that, right?

 

Most generals know that an army wins more battles by working together and following strategies. Groo’s response to conflict injures friends and foes alike. So, Groo teaches townspeople a skill that will protect their livelihoods. Strangely, they don’t ask him for another lesson either.

 

Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier’s story reminds us that mastering skills doesn't mean you can impart them to others. It also reveals some interesting responses to education. Adults readily assume they know enough to get by. Even when someone demonstrates skills that could improve their lives, they prefer doing things like they’re used to. Yet all too often, they will empty their leather pouches of Kopins to hear a speaker with credentials and a reputation for excellence, even if they learn nothing of value.

 

Art

The minstrel sits on a broken stone pillar, evoking the ruins that impressed Groo in Restos. Birds flutter down upon the arbor to watch. Sergio Aragonés uses puffy cloud dividers to showcase the Minstrel and Groo in the same panels. Adults respond to Groo with dumbfounded expressions or run away in terror. An exception is a woman with Princess Leia hair and a similarly fiery temperament. Children return Groo’s smiles. Were they orphans, they would likely welcome him as a parent. The minstrel’s magical song conjures a dragon, a volcano, an octopus, a character close to a certain letterer’s heart, and other delights to dance upon the neck of his lute.

 

Carrie Strachan lavishes a loaded palette on Groo: Minstrel Melodies #3. The minstrel's hat and collar match Groo’s toga, while the coins spilling out of his treasure chest match Rufferto’s coat and the minstrel's lute. While Groo sports yellow and small amounts of red, he trains an army clad in red with small amounts of yellow. A school teacher’s lavender dress matches the distant hills and the top of the great teacher's wagon. Yet the blue banners in the Amphitheater are a perfect match for Abecedario’s headband and robe.

 

Stan Sakai fills white balloons with generously sized uppercase black dialogue and adorns the minstrel’s lowercase lyrics with red music notes. Rufferto and people's thoughts appear in cloudy balloons, and raised voices appear in stars and tan. After banners bookend Groo’s adventures in instructing, a silent one-page Rufferto story reminds us that people may not always appreciate our help (even if we don’t burn down their village to make them rich). Thanks to Dark Horse Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

In Groo: Minstrel Melodies #3, Groo learns that because you excel at something doesn’t mean adults will want to learn from you. Still, if you embrace life with a positive attitude, children may welcome you as their mentor.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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

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.

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!

 

Rating: 8/10

 

To view preview art for Groo: Gods Against Groo #4 see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Groo: Gods Against Groo #3 Review

 

Groo: Gods Against Groo #3 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: February 22, 2023

 

In Heaven, the gods try to escape an eternity with Divine Groo. On Earth, the priests of Diothos plot to convert Groo's believers and end his heavenly reign. Can Divine Groo and Earthly Groo survive the fray? Let's leap into Groo: Gods Against Groo #3 and find out!

 

Story

So opens the third issue of this four-issue story arc, which concludes an epic storyline that began in Groo: Fray of the Gods and continues in Groo: Play of the Gods. Writer Mark Evanier throws you into the midst of this multi-faceted story without much introduction. Here’s the situation. Groo: Gods Against Groo #3 involves three countries: Mexahuapan, Iberza, and Tlaxpan. Mexahuapan has gold, and Iberza and Tlaxpan want it. The story mirrors the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Evanier's light, engaging style mixes different peoples, periods, and regions into a fun gooey mess of comic humor.

 

Groo’s ascension to godhood reminds me of Terry Pratchett’s novel Small Gods, in which the strength of worshippers' beliefs sparked a god's birth, determined One's importance within the pantheon, or consigned that particular Almighty to oblivion. (Does anyone still mourn for Adonais, Star Trek fans?) Aside from all the fun and games involving a selfish Queen, intriguing priests, an imprisoned court jester, and much more, this issue speaks to how our beliefs determine our reality and empower others.

 

Art

Sergio Aragonés crams more art into each panel than most artists put in a page. With his pencils and pens, he creates epic scenes involving old-world ships and architecture, populated by a cast of thousands. Groo: Gods Against Groo #3 may not compare with Cecil B. Demille’s The Ten Commandments or David Lean's Lawrence Of Arabia, but it's a MAD epic pitting the clergy against the laity and even their deities. Wise Men quote philosophy amid political scheming. As nations war against nations, even the gods leap into the fray. Their lives in the clouds might not be fit to adorn the Sistine Chapel. But then, if Sergio had lived during the High Renaissance period, who knows?

 

What’s so wonderful about this is that Groo remains untroubled by it all. Although everything revolves around him, he's not interested in any of it. While he likes the statues they've erected and will readily accept their gifts, he's just interested in living life on his terms, the free and easy way I think we'd all like to live. And then, of course, there's his delightful dog Rufferto who truly is a god’s best friend.

 

Long-time colorist Tom Luth may have retired, but Carrie Strachan does an admirable job in this issue. Her extensive color palette breathes life into all the people and animals. The tones are soft and pleasing to the eye, and nothing ever looks muddy or unclear. There's not much light sourcing aside from the dungeon scenes. Perhaps more shadowing would increase each scene's overall depth and better convey the reality, but her light touch fits the art's cartoony appearance.

 

Given his success with Usagi Yojimbo, it may surprise new readers that Stan Sakai still letters Mark and Sergio’s Groo stories. His upper-case letters may not have exactly even spacing between letters, words, and lines of text. Nor do variances in darkness readily indicate sound level or intonation. Still, the fact that he hand-letters each issue strengthens Groo: Gods Against Groo #3’s classic vibe. Narrative boxes unfurl like banners to set scenes, and Rufferto’s thought balloons resemble puffy clouds. While a few sound effects could have enhanced the story, colored musical notes accompany anyone singing.

 

Final Thoughts

While it will take the first-time reader a few pages to get up to speed with all the intricately woven subplots, there's so much going on here that you won't mind being a little lost as you follow along. The densely packed, multi-faceted story invites laughs and contemplation. Each panel of art invites serious study. Those seeking a five-minute-read or more mature fare should look elsewhere. I don't usually recommend reading a comic or book when you're feeling angry or down. But without hesitation, I can prescribe the high-spirited farce of Groo: Gods Against Groo #3 to chase even your deepest and darkest blues away.

 

Plus, there’s a one-page silent story focusing on Groo’s dog Rufferto and a letter column! Comic Book fans: does anyone mourn letter columns?

 

Rating 9.5/10

To see preview pages see my review at The Comic Book Dispatch