One of those books that I've heard a lot about but never read is Groo. So even though Death & Taxes was the first Groo I've read, I felt very familiar and comfortable with the characters and the one-joke nature of the book, having heard all about it from various quarters. Indeed, at first I thought maybe that Groo was a bit over-rated, as the jokes made me smile but never laugh out loud, and the whole affair seemed more than a little predictable. However, the consistency of the characterization and the over-the-top attitudes of violence-craving Rufferto, mentally-challenged Groo or the three warlords who decide to take on Groo grew on me over the course of the series and I found myself laughing quite a bit by the end.
Death & Taxes is a particularly timely book as it is a commentary on the folly of war and how governments manipulate the facts to turn the enemy into a faceless obstacle to be defeated. Evanier has a particularly cynical take on the force behind this war, a greedy undertaker with plenty of smarts but little to no morals, and though this is a gross exaggeration of the kind of third party factors that can affect a war effort, that allows it to be funny rather than overly tragic or sad.
Equally funny is the personal growth that Groo goes through in this series. Again, I'm new to the book, but my impression is that Groo is a remarkably simple (and simple-minded) man who never really changes his stripes, and I loved how Evanier and Aragones took him through a phase of personal development and still believably dropped him right back into his old status quo, much to the delight of his dog.
Though Groo is the title character of this book, he doesn't really have the depth to be the lead. He's actually more the driving force of the plot, and the personality comes through in the other, smarter characters. Whether it's the greek chorus of those familiar with him, such as Rufferto, the Bard and the Sage or new characters like the Undertaker or the three warlords, we learn more about Groo from how he is perceived than from any thoughts he has about himself. I have to admit that I was particularly taken with Rufferto's viewpoint, as he displayed a fierce loyalty as well as an almost pathetic need for his master to pick up his old ways, which sometimes bordered on being sad but usually came off instead as funny thanks to Rufferto's absolute need for violence.
Of course, it's the artwork that has made Groo such a beloved and well-known character, and Aragones has earned his reputation as a master of the form. Subtle little touches like the exchange of glances or the frustration evident in all those trying to comprehend Groo's actions are evident in the artwork, and his flair for exaggerated anatomy helps bring the comedy out. What really got my attention, though, is Aragones's skill with a crowd scene. The double-page spreads are gorgeous, full of background detail and gags, and he makes the world come to life on these pages, with help from Tom Luth's colors.
