Sergio Aragones' Groo and Rufferto

Rufferto has a legitimate grievance about not being named as the senior partner, in this title! If you are talking about intelligence, he certainly does, and here he comes into his own. However, he still does not have hands to hold those swords. Hilarious stuff.

Groo is Aragonés's wandering swordsman, mighty of sinew but not the greatest of heroes in the brains department. In fact, his dog Rufferto is a good bit smarter than him. This book follows Groo into the land of King Ravenus. Much to Groo's delight, his first experience of that kingdom is a good brawl, an uprising of peasants against the king's soldiery. Ever defender of the underdog, Groo launches himself against the well-equipped army -- then the soldiers state that they are officers of the law fighting against thieves, so Groo turns and fights with the soldiers instead of against them, -- then the peasants explain that the tax burden is heavy and unfair, so Groo turns again, -- then the soldiers counter that King Ravenus is their lawful ruler, and Groo turns again, -- then the peasants respond that the kings taxes have taken the food from their children's plates, -- then Groo decides that a good fight shouldn't be spoiled by little things like picking one cause or the other, so he'll alternate killing one fighter from each side. Both bands, of course, vanish at the propsect of having to face his implacable swordsmanship and impenetrable stupidity. Groo is a kid-safe, silly adventure from one of Mad Magazine's best-remembered alumni, and of interest for that reason alone. The Groo character has had surprising longevity, having long outlived at least one of the many publishers that hosted him. As much as I enjoy Groo occasionally, it's not epic artwork and the stories tend toward the silly. It's probably good for grade-schoolers, or for late-night moments when you're too tired for anything more demanding. //wiredweird

Groo is a barbarian's barbarian: muscular, an expert swordsman, and incredibly *less* intelligent that his faithful canine companion, Rufferto. When Groo wanders into the land of King Ravenus, a greedy tyrant who is taxing his people into oblivion, confusion follows in his wake. To make matters worse, King Ravenus' wizard, Anakrony, uses Rufferto for his time-travel experiment, transporting him to a horribly dehumanized future (our own). Groo wants Rufferto back, and is willing to destroy just about everything to get him.This is a very funny graphic novel. The artwork, which reminded me a lot of the old Mad Magazine issues, caught my eye, and the story kept me reading. If you want a funny, light-hearted (and light-headed) read, then this book is for you!

the master of running jokes, mark evanier and sergio aragones are here once again with tdumb, dumb groo tales. you're gonna love them.