Groo continues to blur the lines of who should be his friend and who should be his foe in this fifth issue. This time he crosses paths with his sister Grooella who happens to have her own self-proclaimed “queendom.” Surely this should be a friendly encounter, right? Well, if you’ve been following the loveable idiot that is Groo thus far, you know logic does not apply to situations like these. The issue starts out with a minstrel singing a song explaining how Grooella has regretted being Groo’s sister since she was two. Turns out Groo thought his parents told him to “slay” when they were really telling him to “play.” Meanwhile, Grooella and her enemy King Comino have been exchanging furious letters back and forth, preparing for war. They both offer up some comical insults to each other (King Comino addresses one letter “Dear woman with a nose like a melon”), but the insult that sends Grooella over the edge is a simple one: “Dear relative of Groo.” So, a war is started between the two kingdoms (sorry, the kingdom and the queendom). Turns out during Groo’s aimless wandering he stumbles on Grooella’s army. They immediately tense up and realize he’s actually attacking them. Finally someone builds up the courage to tell Groo who they are. Groo finally stops attacking them and decides to join the cause.
King Comino has a plan to lead Grooella’s army to where his soldiers used to train, leaving his army to attack the defenseless castle of Grooella. It looks like that plan could work, when one of Grooella’s minions comes up with a plan: dress her up like Groo. She’s offended that anyone would dare think that she looks like her hideous, idiotic brother and has the minion beaten up badly. However, the reader knows that she looks exactly like Groo and he’s unanimously feared so this plan might work out after all.
Even five issues in, I still find myself finding humor in this series and enjoying the issues throughout. There isn’t a ton that happens this issue which makes it easier to breeze through, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment. The art is great and vibrant as usual. I really liked the facial expressions this issue, it was especially funny to see Grooella’s army frantically trying to tell Groo who they are in a terrified state. Overall, this is another solid entry in the series and I’m looking forward to next month’s adventures and left wondering will Kayli ever find her dad?
Score: 4/5
Groo: Friends and Foes #5 Writer: Mark Evanier Artist: Sergio Aragones Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.50 Release Date: 5/20/15 Format: Mini-Series, Print/Digital