Sergio Aragonés

Like all the titles in the DC horror renaissance of the late 1960s and 1970s, House of Secrets has its individuality drained out of it by the slow diminishing of its frames; what were once multi-page stories are now panels (or rarely a whole page) in an issue. It's disappointing, especially as the reason I am reading this is the presence of Abel, our stuttering, terrified host.

What are particularly charming are the recurrent "Cain & Abel" pages, single pages of three panels by Sergio show more Aragonés, each panel showing Abel and his murderous brother doing something different together. Sometimes these are simply Cain belittling or pranking Abel, but others give us something more-- Abel getting something good because he is good, Cain causing his own comeuppance, or at their best, a brief glimpse of the true affection the brothers share. In one, they stroll through a crowd of people horrified by a triple-bill of horror films they have just scene, the only ones smiling; I love the idea that they spend their time popping from the Dreaming over to Earth to see horror films. My favorite is one where they are playing what looks like "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots," only their two boxers are hugging, embarrassing them. It's all a warped but endearing depiction of brotherly love.

Individual stories still manage to do some good work, though. There's some child creepiness at work in "Goodbye, Nancy" (written by John Albano, art by Vic Catan, Frank Redondo, and Abe Ocampo), about a kid's odd new playmate.  "Small Invasion" (written by Sheldon Mayer, art by Alex Niño), about an alien who means to conquer the Earth but ends up working in a logging camp, is oddly charming, and has some amazingly grotesque art. "A Lonely Monstrosity" (written by John Albano, art by Nestor Redondo) is a cruel tale about a couple who scheme to deprive a grotesque-looking man of his own fortune. I really liked "Skin Deep" (written by Jack Oleck, art by Alfredo Alcala), about an ugly man who commits murder and disguises himself to marry an attractive woman under false pretenses, as well as "Act III Eternity" (written by George Kashdan, art by Jess Jodloman).

There are many more-- despite its lack of the frames I enjoy so much, this is probably one of the better Showcase Presents volumes of vintage DC horror. Much of that is due to the dual artistic talents of Alex Niño and (especially) Alfredo Alcala, whose luscious, grotesque, beautiful art enlivens even the most stale of narratives. Even their lettering is a cut above the rest!

The Houses of Mystery and Secrets: « Previous in sequence | Next in sequence » show less

A hilarious send-up of DC and its heroes. After DC Comics refuses to buy anything from Aragones (because he does Groo the Wanderer), Sergio storms back to his studio, coercing Mark Evanier ('You write words, or I tell everyone you wrote for Bay City Rollers.') to write for the comic book that will prove that Sergio is 'George Perez all rolled into one'. What follows is a MAD-like parody of superhero origins, leading to an epic confrontation with... Well, you'll have to buy it and find out. show more Almost a must buy for any comic book fan. show less

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot, & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: World Without Women
Series: Groo the Wanderer #4
Author: Sergio Aragones
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Comics
Pages: 26
Words: 2K

Synopsis:

Many village women are kidnapped by air pirates and Groo is show more hired to rescue them. He “trains” the villagers by eating all their food and then bashing them on the head. Groo gets tangled up in the airship, rescues the women and then finds out they never wanted to be rescued as they were being treated like princesses. That'll teach Groo to try to be nice!

My Thoughts:

When Groo first meets the men of the villages and they recite a litany of why they need their wives back, it was obvious what was going to happen at the end. It really felt like a bad joke that you tell just so you can say the horrible punchline and make everyone groan.

I have to admit, I envy those people who can read something like this and then write 1000 words about the color palette, shading and artwork and how it all affects the entire tone of the issue. They'll describe in detail some tiny part and then syllogistically tie the end page to the beginning page and seem to actually make sense. While at times envious, I am also convinced those people are full of horse pucky.

So have no fear, you need not fear deep and pretentious twaddle from me. I stick to the shallow end of the pool, just like Groo.

(This message is approved by Groo)

★★★✬☆ show less

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot, & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: The Medallion
Series: Groo the Wanderer #3
Author: Sergio Aragones
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Comics
Pages: 26
Words: 2K

Synopsis:

Groo is starving and looking for someone to rescue and be rewarded. show more He hears a distress call and saves a caravan from some soldiers. The leader of the caravan gives Groo a medallion and tells him he is now one of the Chosen Ones. Turns out it is a Hetitian medallion and Hetitians are deadly enemies of the Melenites, who don't wear medallions. Groo uses and discards the medallion at the worst possible moments and ends up destroying a peace treaty that one town had forged between the Hetitians and the Melenites.

The comic ends with Groo rescuing another caravan and his reward is a ring, a symbol that he is, once again(!), one of the chosen ones. The last page depicts him chasing down the caravan leader.

My Thoughts:

This was a nice little amusing read to wile away a few minutes one evening. This comic series is not one that is deeply thought provoking or steeped in hidden moral teachings that will suddenly transform your life. If it does that, you should be seriously worried about how bad things must be for you.

Given the one shot nature of each story and the comedic tone, reading one of these a month seems to be just about the right amount. I am amused. I chuckle. I look closely at the drawings. Then I am done and moving onward to some heavier fare.

I regularly eat candied ginger cubes and one of the benefits of ginger is as a digestive aid. It works for me. If I have made the mistake of over-eating, I'll eat 2 ginger cubes and while not being miraculously transformed into a muscle bound pro-athlete or even become hungry again, my stomach does settle down. I am finding that Groo is sliding into that niche for my book reading habits. I'll read it in 10 or 15 minutes and be done for the evening. That is just what the mind needs sometimes after reading a tome that has occupied my mind for the better part of a week.

Groo is an essential part, just like breakfast cereal, of a complete and balanced literary meal. How else do you expect to get your fruit if you're not eating Froot Loops after all?

★★★✬☆ show less