Groo the Wanderer #18 - Video Review by 80s Comics

Groo the Wanderer — one of the greatest comic book series of the 1980s, and somehow nobody talks about it today. Groo isn’t Conan. He’s the opposite of Conan. He’s a disaster. He’s bad luck. He’s a walking catastrophe. And that’s what makes these comics so good. Sergio Aragonés fills every page with detail, jokes, background weirdos, and visual gags. You can stare at a single panel for five minutes and still find something new. It’s clever, it’s funny, and it’s beautifully drawn.

Groo comics are clever and funny, and this issue digs into Groo’s family history — specifically his sister, Gruella. Groo was a moron as a kid, and Gruella wasn’t much better. In this 1986 issue, Gruella’s castle is under siege. Groo joins the invading army, but they convince him to leave and defend the castle instead. Naturally, this shifts the bad luck to her side. Everything goes wrong. Everything always goes wrong. That’s the magic of Groo.

Sergio’s artwork is incredible — the detail, the expressions, the chaos. I picked this one up for a dollar in Pittsburgh. Dollar comic bins are filled with treasures like Groo, Alpha Flight, and Micronauts. You never know what you’ll find.

And there are some sweet ads in here — M&M’s, Thundercats, karate lessons, Yamaha synthesizers, MASK toys. Groo #18 is a fabulous read. Definitely worth 100 pennies. It’s even worth 75 pennies in 1986 pennies. And I prefer 1986 pennies because 1986 pennies rock out to hair metal in a non‑ironic way, and that’s awesome.

And you know who else rocks out to hair metal in a non‑ironic way You. Because those are the only people who listen to this. People with good taste. In white sneaks.