Like his nose, Groo’s reputation precedes him… even in the heavens! Your Major Spoilers review of Groo: Gods Against Groo #1 from Dark Horse Comics awaits!

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GROO: GODS AGAINST GROO #1

Writer: Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier
Artist: Sergio Aragonés
Colorist: Carrie Strachan
Letterer: Stan Sakai
Editor: Phillip R. Simon
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 21, 2022

Previously in Groo: Gods Against Groo: The bumbling barbarian Groo has made quite a name for himself, traveling the land leaving a path of destruction and cheese dip. He is either greatly feared or favored wherever he goes, Groo’s earthly reputation causes a Groo deity to arise in the heavens!

While Earthbound Groo hungers, his Divine Groo alter ego unleashes chaos!

WORSHIP IS A FICKLE THING

At the end of the previous miniseries, Groo: Fray Of The Gods, The Wanderer and his faithful hound Rufferto set off on a ship for new lands. As we open, we find Groo’s friends The Sage and The Minstrel (along with The Minstrel’s daughter) in the land of Iberza, following in his enormous footsteps, but Groo is nowhere to be found. He has, once again, sunk the ship that carried him and has been left adrift in the ocean. Fortunately, he catches a few flying fish and knows how to light a fire… in a wooden lifeboat. That… goes how you expect. The Minstrel discovers that Iberza is aware of Groo, going so far as to make it illegal to speak his name and doubly so to sing it. The Sage approaches the Queen of the land to offer his services as advisor, which will clearly lead to disaster. Speaking of disaster, thanks to his actions in the last two minis, Groo is being worshipped as a powerful deity, causing a Groo-God to appear in the heavens, trying to cook and eat the sacrificial lambs, leading the gods to take an unexpected tack and unite against him!

THIS IS GOING TO GO BADLY

The joy of Groo is how, for thirty years, it has transcended plot to somehow become one of the most complex narratives in comics, while keeping the timing of a gag strip. All the usual suspects are here, including Taranto (who will find a harsh welcome in the new land), cheese dip, and the various gods (who do NOT have the taste for the spices in God-Groo’s cheese dip). Aragonés’ art is almost a genre unto itself, making God-Groo’s antics hilarious and all the background god-business engaging as well. After four decades, Mark and Sergio work like a well-oiled machine, so the story and dialogue of the issue are expertly handled, even though the main character spends most of it floating in the sea. The promise of war on Earth AND in the heavens makes the cliffhanger ending doubly impressive, but I’m afraid that the various deities are about to find out what hundreds of cities on Earth already know: Groo is the best he is at what he does.

BOTTOM LINE: LIKE PIZZA, GROO IS NEVER A BAD THING

In short, Groo: Gods Against Groo #1 is nigh-impossible to effectively review, because you either know the drill by now, and are thus already on board, or you’re stepping into a 30-year-old narrative for the first time and are likely to be drawn into the goofy fun, all of which breaks down to 4.5 out of 5 stars overall. My only real question is whether or not God-Groo is going to stick around or not, which makes the next three comics must-buy for me.

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