GROO THE WANDERER (Pacific Comics Pub; 1982-1984)

#7 (2/1984; FIRST PRINTING;

FIRST appearance of CHAKAAL cover and story

Groo the Wanderer Meets Chakaal cover and 27 page story;

Wikipedia notes;

** CHAKAAL, a beautiful female warrior, and Groo's equal in swordplay. CHAKAAL is also strong, noble, and wise, and Groo is madly in love with her. CHAKAAL is as well-known as a hero and skilled warrior as Groo is for being a walking disaster, and travels the land seeking people in need of her help. Though CHAKAAL respects Groo's prowess as a warrior, CHAKAAL is all too aware of his incompetence in other areas, as well as his general stupidity and lack of social graces, and finds Groo at best tolerable when she is in need of his sword, and contemptible otherwise. Romantically speaking, CHAKAAL considers his idiotic advances repulsive, and does her best to ignore them, though she is not above using Groo's feelings for her to convince him to help her in her quests, and will often use Groo as a decoy or sacrificial lamb.

** GROO was one of the first widely successful creator-owned comics, one of the few successful humorous comic books in the United States (outside Archie Comics) during its time, and one of the longest-running collaborations in comic book history.

** General Taranto appears;

** Taranto, a corrupt general who has had his plans for glory dashed by Groo several times, and is obsessed with killing the wanderer. Groo can never remember whether he is friends with Taranto, or if Taranto wants to kill him.

** IGN ranked GROO as #100 in the Top 100 Comic Books Heroes of All-Time;

Classic Sergio Aragonés story, cover and art;

Mark Evanier (co-plot and dialogue)

Lettering by Stan Sakai;

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GROO the Wanderer, Eyed for Animation Adaptation (Hollywood Reporter Nov. 19/2021 Exclusive)

     Entrepreneur Josh Jones has acquired the Animated MOVIE and TELEVISION rights to the long-running comedic comic from legendary Spanish cartoonist Sergio Aragonés. GROO the Wanderer, the long-running comedic comic from legendary Spanish cartoonist Sergio Aragonés, is on its way to animation.   Entrepreneur Josh Jones, who counts businesses in venture capitalism, cryptocurrency and airlines among his portfolio, has acquired the Animated MOVIE and TELEVISION rights to Groo, with the intent of producing the character’s first-ever animated adaptation via his film company, Did I Err Productions. Jones and his Did I Err partner Scott Nocas will serve as executive producers on the possible projects along with Aragonés and Groo writer Mark Evanier. Did I Err will seek out creative talent who understand Aragonés’ unique vision and characters. Projects are being packaged for streaming services and global distribution, with Did I Err able to co-finance as needed.

     GROO the Wanderer, now in its 40th year of publication, is the longest currently running independent and creator-owned comic book property, outlasting even many of the companies that have published it. Aragonés was already an established cartoonist who was one of the key jokesters in Mad magazine, where he had begun work after arriving from Mexico in 1962, when he came up with the concept and look for his creation in the late 1970s. With writer Evanier, the onetime assistant to Jack Kirby who was then working in Saturday morning animation, he launched the book via indie publisher Pacific Comics in 1982 only after he was able to make a deal that let him keep the rights. Since then, the title has hopscotched from Marvel’s Epic line to Image Comics to Dark Horse, which has been its home since 1998. And while it doesn’t have the broad appeal and awareness of the superhero set, the character has dedicated fans, including filmmakers Rian Johnson and Joe and Anthony Russo.

     GROO the Wanderer follows the humorous exploits of a barbarian who is a mighty swordsman but also a walking disaster. He wanders an ancient land with his trusty sidekick, a dog named Rufferto. “He’s a nincompoop who ruins everything,” Aragonés tells THR. “He sinks ships, he destroys buildings.” Hollywood has occasionally flirted with the character, but Aragonés says most times, interested parties weren’t willing to back that interest with money. Not so with Jones.

     “I’ve loved Groo the Wanderer since I was eight years old, and to have the honor of bringing the character to on-screen life is, quite literally, a lifelong dream come true,” Jones said in a statement. “Sergio’s style, the characters, the world, and especially the humor have always appealed to me. I just want to help bring what I’ve loved for so long to the next generation!” And it’s that potential reach that tickles Aragonés’ enthusiasm with the deal. “Sadly, comic books have a limited audience,” he says. “Even a good one with the classic heroes sells only a hundred thousand. Imagine 1 million people knowing your character! That would be a dream.”

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** CGC; NM/MT, 9.8, with WHITE Pages = $135.00;