There are very few comic titles that have never disappointed me, not even once. Regular readers will no doubt guess that a certain viking comic is on that list, but at the top of it sits Sergio Aragonés’ and Mark Evanier’s Groo the Wanderer. I first encountered Groo in a second-hand copy of Destroyer Duck #1, Steve Gerber’s commando version of Howard the Duck (Gerber was waging a legal battle against Marvel at the time), which I bought for the Jack Kirby art. I was instantly smitten with the big lug, and spent the next several years following the dumb barbarian from company to company. I was zealous in my commitment to the book — I have every issue of the Epic Comics run, most of the Pacific run and I came very close to buying the rare “special” Eclipse published while the team was between publishers (stupid “no out-of-state checks” policy), as well as everything Dark Horse has published.

[DISASTER FOLLOWS HIM EVERYWHERE]

Anyway, with close to 200 issues in my hoard, I’ve never finished a new one and thought, “Eh, it’s been better.” Sergio Aragonés’ expressive and baroquely-detailed art is a huge reason for the quality, obviously; you can stare at his splash pages for ten or twenty minutes and still not spot all the details and visual gags he’s drawn — and you have 21 more pages to enjoy after this opener. Mark Evanier’s scripts are equally as rewarding. Groo’s humor is predicated on the stupidity of the title character, but the truth is every character who believes they can outsmart Groo ends up ruined in the end; Evanier’s scripts are beautiful little parables about greed, arrogance, selfishness and how destructive these characteristics are. They are modern fables, with jokes about cheese dip and mulch thrown in at no extra charge.

And so when I read this interview with Aragonés and learned that not only is the long-awaited Groo/Conan crossover probably going to be ready for this year’s Comic-Con, but that a 12-issue Groo maxi-series is also in the pipeline, I couldn’t have been happier. More Groo is better for everyone, particularly me. That maxi-series is a celebration of 30 years of Groo fraying & slaying and erring & caring, and I would expect individual issues are going to show up on future Best Things I Read This Week. I’m sorely tempted to declare that interview the best thing I’ve read since Wednesday, that’s how happy this makes me. You know what? Boom, That Interview Is the Best Thing I’ve Read Since Wednesday.

[GROO IS BELOVED BY ALL]

In the interest of full disclosure I should mention that I met Sergio at the Chicago Comic-Con back in 95 (I think), and he is the nicest man in the world, so I may be favorably biased towards him and his work. The guy in front of me had brought a suitcase full of Aragonés’ work that he wanted signed, and Sergio was too nice to say no. Instead he sat there dutifully signing each piece and adding a unique spot illo to every comic and issue of Mad, all while dropping heavy hints that maybe the guy should graciously leave so someone else could get an autograph. The guy was either too stupid or too selfish to get the hint, so Sergio just kept drawing and signing and hinting. Even as quickly as Sergio works — and after watching him effortlessly draw dragons, dogs, little janitors, exotic birds and other ephemera under his signature for almost an hour, believe me, he’s faster than you can imagine — he wasn’t fast enough to satisfy this guy before time expired. When a con employee came over and announced that Sergio’s time was indeed up, Sergio looked heartbroken, and I was not too happy either, mainly because I brought a friend’s favorite issue of Groo with me to get signed. While Sergio was collecting his stuff, he leaned over the table to tell those of us who remained, “I’ll come back in an hour. Meet me over there — “ he pointed at an out-of-the-way corner — “and I’ll sign until I take care of everybody.” So I met him over there in an hour, and he signed my friend’s comic and gave me an Alfred E. Neuman badge off his shirt for “being a good friend.” I still have the badge, but honestly, having Sergio Aragonés tell me I was a good friend meant much more than the souvenir did. It’s nice knowing that someone whose work I love so much is also a generous and compassionate person — and his moustache is top-notch. I suspect Mark Evanier is equally as decent a human being, because he’s friends with Sergio and Sergio knows good friends, but I can not vouch for his moustache.

-Paul

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