Re: Rufferto

[Ruben Arellano <ruben@oanet.com>]

While I did enjoy the BR (before Rufferto) stories, perhaps even more
than the newer ones (but whether for nostalgic or other reasons, I'm not
sure), I think the WR (with Rufferto) stories add a needed dimension. 
I'm not sure how well Groo would have done (or IF it would have done)
for 120+ stories by himself.  My guess is that it would have become an
even more of a 1 joke story line than it is now.  Same goes for Groo
getting smarter.  I think it was best that they added Rufferto and
eventually some brains before things got stale at all.  Makes the
nostalgia a good memory rather than creating debates about how many
stories were stale before Rufferto stepped up to the plate.....

Nuhuzzah,
Ruben.

Finn Smith wrote:
> 
> Hello everyone.  Since the groop has been a little quiet lately, I have
> decided to bring up a topic that has concerned me for quite some time.
> Perhaps this issue will develop into a Groop discussion and provide
> temporary fodder for the mailing list.
> I would like to know if there are any long-time Groo fans who liked the
> comic better before the regular appearance of Rufferto.  I have always loved
> the Groo comics and will continue to purchase and read them but I am a Groo
> purist and I do not care much for his loyal spotted companion. I wouldn't
> mind Rufferto as an occasional character (like the minstrel, for example)
> but I understand he could not exist believably in that role.  My friends and
> family enjoy the Pacific issues best and really like everything prior to
> Rufferto's first appearance.  (I like the issues depicting the origins of
> Groo and Rufferto but I feel that more often than not, he weakens Groo's
> role in a given tale).
> According to the December 1984 issue of "Amazing Heroes", Sergio once felt
> this way as well.  The following is a direct excerpt from this article:
> 
>      Aragones feels he has strong reasons for avoiding regular supporting
> characters.  "When you have a hero," he points out, "it's very easy to have
> a sidekick because then the hero doesn't have to do anything but solve their
> problems.  Groo is humor, though.  A hero like Groo is so stupid that
> whatever sidekick he'd have would eventually become the leading character
> while Groo would become the second banana.  even if Groo had a pet, the pet
> would have to be brighter than him, so automatically that pet would become
> the leading character.  A sidekick could never be that dumb, so characters
> have to come in and out.
>      "Groo has to be a loner.  If you're bright, you need a character who's
> dopier than you are to show you're the hero.  You rescue them, save them
> constantly.  If you're the dopey one, though, your sidekick is in trouble."
> 
> --Amazing Heroes #61 (December 15, 1984)
> 
> I am aware of Sergio's relationship with his dog the reasons he introduced
> Rufferto into the life of Groo and ultimately, I accept anything he and Mark
> do with the comic.  I am a supporter of the Groo comic now and forever but
> did anyone else cringe when the last 4-issue series featured Rufferto's name
> in the title . . .?
> 
> finn
> 
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