Thursday, November 13, 2014

Groovy Barbarians!





I've eagerly awaited Groo Vs. Conan from Dark Horse since I first read of it several years ago. I am not a regular follower of Groo, but this twisted crossover really speaks to the insanity of the character. Tom Yeates is brought aboard to offer up some really crisp Conan artwork as we are invited into three distinct worlds.

There is of course the world of Robert E. Howard's Conan, the world of Groo, and also the modern world occupied by creators Mark Evanier and Sergio Argaones themselves who have adventures which parallel the shenanigans of Groo and the Hyborian. It's a totally weird mixture which works sometimes and sometimes less so. But there's no denying the insane energy and spirit that Aragones brings to all of his storytelling.

Conan seems to get a bit out of character by the end, as his encounter with Groo mostly confuses him. It's not a common characteristic of the Hyborian to be at a loss for what to do. Dithering is not in his nature. 

Reading all four issues, I got a little bored with it before the end. I think this one would have made a much tighter story at three issues, but that's small complaint for a story which has been long in the planning stages and which is a worthy addition to the oddball crossovers of the last few decades.

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2 comments:

  1. I was a bit disappointed in this mini series probably as I have been looking forward to it for so long and I always expect 10/10 from anything with Aragones (not saying it was bad but more an 8/10) Like yourself I felt it could have been cut to 3 issues, not sure Tom Yates ( a fantastic artist imho) was the best artist for the Conan segments as to me at least his style looked a bit stilted against Aragones' fluid manic cartoon style - still it ws one of the better books in 2014,

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    1. I think that's a fair way to say it. It's not bad, merely a tad bit of a letdown given the high expectations of the talent involved. I liked the Yeates stuff, but it wasn't as integrated I'd have preferred. Groo in Conan's world I thought was upcoming but they stayed in the Groo-world the whole time together.

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