Groo: The Hogs of Horder
The once-great land of Horder is facing rough times. King Hordes is greedy and blind to the plight of his people, who suffer while their economy languishes under unemployment and inflation. In fact, things seem to be rough everywhere Groo goes, and even though he doesn’t quite understand what the problem is, Groo tries to help. This, of course, leads to the usual levels of destruction; things get so bad Groo isn’t even sure what to make of the local “frays,” but he throws himself into them anyway. Sardonic and slapstick, the story tackles all measure of the world’s problems from the economy to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and while the political satire is thinly veiled, this wink-and-grin lampooning tells a joke that everyone is in on. Aragonés’ art maintains its usual flair for chaotic detail without tripping up the flow of the story, and this standout volume shows why he is such a legend in comics circles. --Tina Coleman