Groo: Hell on Earth

February 9, 2009
Aragones's dimwitted barbarian, Groo, has been comically messing up for nearly 30 years, and he hasn't learned a thing in all that time. This new adventure finds Groo and his loyal dog, Rufferto, facing war, global warming and the general ineptness of politicians. Aragones molds these serious themes into a sardonic commentary. The setting is an undefined time resembling the Middle Ages, and pollution from weapons' factories leads to the threat of climate change as well as imminent war. Groo falls through a factory ceiling, creating a makeshift chimney that releases the pollution, which eventually drifts to the neighboring kingdom, alerting them to the increase in weapons production, setting off an even larger war. The story switches between Groo, haphazardly commanding an army in search of the enemy, and the Sage, Groo's intellectual friend, traversing the world to persuade people of the dangers of climate change. Similar setups lead to some repetitiveness and a flagging story, but Aragones's distorted, comical character designs and signature background details keep the tale engaging.

March 1, 2009
Aragon's beloved creation, the haphazard warrior Groo, returns to terrify friends and enemies alike as he tries to help solve the worlds ills at the points of his mighty-mighty swords. Even to Grooclueless, as usual, about whats happening around himits obvious the kingdoms of the world are having problems. King Buco has been pushing his factories to make more weapons. The factories create pollution, and Bucos solution, thanks to Groo (of course), of building higher chimneys just passes the problem over to the next kingdom, spreading a bad situation. While a bit preachy at times about the ecological issues it tackles, Hell on Earth is still funny. Groos ineffective idiocy is hard not to appreciate as Three Stoogeslevel comedy. Aragon's is a legend for good reason, and his skills as humorist and illustrator remain solid. The art is packed with little gems of expression and sight gags in the background, making for rewarding rereading.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)