Groo: Friends and Foes Volume 1

Groo: Friends and Foes #1

by Sergio Aragonés, Mark Evanier

As the bird-brained wanderer Groo and his loyal mutt Rufferto crisscross the countryside, they encounter various acquaintances from years past--the hapless seaman Captain Ahax; the sinister witches Arba and Dakarba; the pompous Arcadio the Hero; and Groo's own sweet Granny Groo, who raised from a tot and would never try to profit from him! What will ensue from all these chance meetings? With Groo, the only possible result is chaos! The award-winning team of Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier are joined by Tom Luth on colors and Stan Sakai on letters! This volume collects issues #1 - #4 of the Dark Horse Friends and Foes series.

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Humor, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Adventure

112 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2015

About the author

Sergio Aragonés Domenech is a cartoonist and writer best known for his contributions to Mad Magazine and creator of the comic book Groo the Wanderer.

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

[Baal Of · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple things about Sergio Aragonés that are kind of amazing.
1) How he is able to keep producing funny material with endless variations on the same basic theme.
2) How much detail he crams into every single panel, and especially the full page scenes.

Groo comics are a warm, comforting blanket for when I need a break from all the seriousness, and from the horror, both fictional and real life.

[Rhys · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never know if I should include comics among the books I have read in any given year. I should have formed a clear policy on this question when I first joined Goodreads many years ago. Ah well! All I will say about this particular comic book is that Groo is my favourite character in comics. The stories are delightful. I plan one day to collect all his adventures.

[Robin K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid Groo. Just what you would expect. Each episode features either a friend or a foe who we've met in the past interacting with Groo in the same old ways. Also a new character arrives: a little girl looking for her father.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Groo was my favorite comic for years and a warm and well remembered part of my childhood. I hadn't read him in more than 20 years and got nostalgic reading this. It's good Groo, but I think that sometimes you can't go back.

He was the same Groo and I enjoyed seeing some of his supporting characters. Granny Groo was never one of my favorites. I did always like the hapless captain Ahax.

[Harry Jahnke · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been too long since I've read Groo! I used to read Groo as a kid and I loved it. If you're looking for a funny, light, Discworld-esque comic then this is for you.

[Shawne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to plunder my dad's comics collection for reading material, which included far older copies of GROO. Something about Sergio Aragones' cartoony artwork, Mark Evanier's witty and very literate words, and the titular sword-wielding buffoon spoke to me, I guess.

So I felt the need to pick up the first volume in this new year-long series. I'm glad I did - Groo is back, as resolutely stupid and oddly charming as ever, wandering through the land seeking his friends (few) and foes (many). For newcomers to GROO, this is an excellent taster, providing a perfect introduction to his merry incompetence and the sad lives of the people who try to escape his destructive aura.

For long-time readers, however, there's a strong sense of deja vu threaded throughout this volume - I can't be certain, but the stories feel like they've been recycled, particularly Captain Ahax's attempts to profit off Groo's ship-sinking ways. It's a good refresher course, but this is classic GROO rather than revitalised, brand-new GROO - a fun read, but not particularly fresh.

3.5 stars

[Sverre · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first of three volumes, a compilation of issues one to four of twelve. Each issue stands on its own. This Sergio Aragones collaboration with writer Mark Evanier surpasses anything Aragones has produced before--both in quantity and quality. The paper is glossy, the colors are brilliant and the plots inventive. The bewildered but always fearless Groo and his loyal canine companion, Rufferto, take the reader along on their hilarious adventures. Wherever they venture the people are besotted with or become plagued by 'Groo-o-phobia' [my name for the mental derangement brought on by contact with Groo]. Aragones takes the time to include an incredible amount of detail in the double-spread pages. Funny, silly and delightfully irrelevant humor suitable for young and old (with some parental guidance).

[Jeff Lewonczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always loved Sergio Aragones, but I've never read Groo, so when I saw this on the library shelves I figured I'd go for it. And it's fun! The stories (with text by Mark Evanier) are straight-up comic-book humor, wholesome and delightful and not especially deep - and the star of course is Aragones' packed panels, with all of their gleefully silly details. This particular collection was a good introduction to the characters and world - while I don't know that I'll be breathlessly pursuing the entire Groo mythos at this point, this was a fun, diverting way to wind down over the past few evenings.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

You talk about side splitting comedic graphic novels anything about Groo The Wanderer moves to the top of the list.Impossible not to love Groo.The mischief he gets up to in his adventures is hilarious.Throw in his loyal mutt Rufferto and boy do you have a recipe for fun.Rufferto is worth the price of admission alone.Note to all readers of this series dont refer to Rufferto as a puppy he lets you know at least 8 different times in this one he is not a puppy.

[mike andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Groo is hilarious. I laughed reading them as a kid and laugh just as much reading them as an adult. Friends and Foes brings in some classic secondary characters and of course he has his best friend always next to him, the brains of the bunch. Rufferto. Cant wait to read the next one.

[Timothy Hinkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant enough retreading of old ground. Hopefully, the girl looking for her father is leading up to something interesting in a subsequent volume.

[Nicholas Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half stars.

I grew up with Groo, living Groo, wishing there were cartoons of Groo. I have been revisiting child favorites recently after having a heart attack and just wanting to recover happier times I guess? And it has been fun revisiting Groo--though this is a newer mini series that I hadn't read before.

In this volume, Groo has a series of very loosely connected stories in which he encounters classic characters from the previous comics--Captain Ahax in issue one, Granny Groo in issue two, Arba and Dakarba in issue three, and Arcadio in issue four. My overall impression was that the series had lost steam to be honest, as the stories here felt kind of underdone to me. My favorite, though, was the one with Arcadio and his ego and a bunch of dragons--it was fun seeing Arcadio act the buffoon and get his comeuppance in the end.

Others felt off to me, perhaps the biggest offender being Arba and Dakarba and Granny Groo. While I liked the idea of having a giant Groo, it seemed beyond the pale to believe that the two witches would willingly use up their magical powers to create lots of duplicates of their hated enemy. Granny Groo's story depended on Granny being able to sell Groo to people who knew how destructive he could be. These stories just didn't work for me.

There is also a traveling girl who looks like she is from another time based on her clothing who ties the stories together. She is looking for her father, so I keep wondering if it is going to turn out to be Groo.

But the art is fantastic and detailed and funny, the poems at the beginning of each tale are great, and I still enjoyed myself. Looking forward to the next issue.

[Michael Emond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this AFTER Fray of the Gods (even though it is obvious it was written before that) and I must say this is MUCH better than that other volume. Why this works so much better (and why I didn't like Fray of the Gods) is because Sergio was smart enough to break the ongoing stories into episodes. We get four episodes - each with a different character form Groo's awesome stable of supporting characters.

The art - as always - is unsurpassed. If you know Sergio's work, it is safe to say what he lacks in classic art he makes up for in details. He is a pure cartoonist in the best sense of that word. He has a unique style and wonderful story telling ability. Add to that amazing art and story the clever dialogue of Mark Evanier and you understand why I am such a fan of Groo.

I have not read new stories of Groo since I stopped collecting comics in the 90's and the Fray of the Gods made me think they had lost their touch. But this volume brought me back to when I loved Groo. We get captain Ahax, the two witches (whose names I always forget), Arcadio, and Granny Groo. This storyline continues in another volume and I cannot wait to read it. A lot of fun.

[Rex Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a retrospective of Groo the Wanderer's stories from the Epic comic series from the 1980s. In each issue our barbarian swordsman and his faithful dog run across an old character from their past. This collects only the first four issues of the series (I believe there are eight). In these we are reintroduced to Captain Ahax, a ship's captain whom Groo always manages to destroy his vessel. Granny Groo, our hero's grandmother who is a thieving wanderer running a gang of child pickpockets. Arba and Dakarba, two witches whose plans Groo's constantly foils in an accidental manner. And Arcadio, another sword-swinging hero with a big chin and handsome face, who is arrogant and takes credit for everyone else's work.

Groo is the same. That is God's perfect idiot. A Don Quixote on God Mode. He is incapable of being harmed and a master of the killing stroke. He blunders from situation to situation with stupid ease, learning nothing and causing disasters everywhere he steps. I always find it amazing how the author and artist constantly make this formula work. It never feels tired. I never get bored with it. The original series ran for over a hundred issues and I loved each of them.

[StrictlySequential · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely enjoy Groo -and basically anything by Aragonés/Evanier- for the whimsical silliness.

YET, the art is just so bad that I cannot give more than three stars. It didn't bother me so much in the past but my taste has become much less "cartoony" and his scribbly hands and feet -of which nobody draws worse- I grimace at now. Who cares if he's "the fastest in the world" when it's gross looking.

[Ryk Stanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although some of the Grooisms are running thin, this book bringing Groo back into contact with so many former characters was a real pleasure to read. I like the throughline that runs through the story as well.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun comic by Sergio Aragones

I enjoyed reading Groo: Friends and Foes. I liked they stories and the art work. I will be reading more about Groo.

[The_J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't this used to be funnier?

[Komuniststar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Groo luta i sije strah i paniku. Samo njegovo ime i pojava dovoljni su da donesu uništenje. I zato bili prijatelji ili neprijatelji svi koji se najdu na Goovu putu na kraju odlaze na isti način, suprotno i što dalje od Grooa. Groo je i dalje zabavan i duhovit.

[Secret Stacks]

This comic was discussed on Secret Stacks Episode 3.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Groo is well meaning, but ends up causing a lot of trouble.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and ridiculous, Groo will definitely make you laugh. Art style is classic cartoon comedy. I'm very curious about what is going on with the little girl. Rufferto's dry humor is the best.

[Timo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sergio is one of the best artists working in comics. His detailed art and great splash pages are always a pleasure.
And Groo.... Groo is alway pleasant gentle art.

[Otto Hahaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing remarkable happens, but we revisit old friends and foes. Sergio's art is always fun to look at.

[Natulcien_reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Pturingan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories are good but the art is what I really like about Groo. I really enjoy looking at Aragones' detailed panels and backgrounds.

[Neville Ridley-smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing special story-wise. Incredible amounts of detail in some of the panels.

[Jason]

A great introduction to Groo if this is your first time meeting him.