[Groop] Wow!

[Iain Bryan]

i totally disagree with this.  in fact, i am gonna go thru my comix and find
examples.

iain

RABuswell@dstsystems.com wrote:

> Do we have any references of Groo being trained with a sword.  I don't
> remember any.  Frequently, when he is asked to train others, he simply hits
> the trainees over the head and tells them to block the hit.  Since we can
> probably assume that we train others the way we are ourselves trained, that
> Groo learned to fight with swords by blocking incoming swords and cutting
> at open targets.
>
> He simply has a knack for using a sword, but there is still no technique
> behind it.  There is no fear.  There is simply mindlessness, and an uncanny
> knack for not cutting himself.
>
> Another reason I would think he hits by accident is the fact that he
> frequently decimates his own side in a battle.  He isn't looking at what he
> is hitting, he is just hitting it.
>
> He is very good with his swords, I agree.  I just can't call it skill.
>
> Richard Buswell
> http://www.kcstage.com
> http://www.naughtynobles.com
> http://www.geocities.com/rabuswell
>
> Iain Bryan <mrbisco@pacbell.net> on 05/25/2000 05:07:50 PM
>
> To:   Richard A. Buswell/MF Support/DST/US@DST
> cc:
> Subject:  Re: [Groop] Wow!
>
> if you've read all of the issues, and think back..there are many many many
> times where groo is displayed as knowing what he is doing w/ the swords.
> and
> it's not always when he is fighting.  remember life of groo?  as a child he
> was
> superb w/ the blade.
>
> he was born, grabs a knife and slices w/ it.
>
> iain
>
> RABuswell@dstsystems.com wrote:
>
> > Ah, but he is also described by his opponents as mindless in his attacks.
> > His methods would be attributed to innate natural talent, and not to
> > training or technique.  He uses no strategy, doesn't know what strategy
> is,
> > and couldn't care less.
> >
> > Like many of the Berserkers of old, the real edge he has is that he shows
> > no fear in battle.  What sane, rational, thinking person is going to
> engage
> > in combat with someone who has absolutely no regard for his own personal
> > safety?  That person is going to win.
> >
> > Groo does what Groo does best, which is the mindless destruction of
> > everything around him.  Those windmilling blades make a formidable
> barrier
> > to all his opponents.  Many times he is lost without his swords, and is
> > usually easily defeated.  This is not a man of fighting skill.  This is a
> > man who waves his swords around to lethal effect.
> >
> > There is an old Japanese tale of a peasant who offended a Samurai.  The
> > Samurai told the peasant that he would return in a month's time, and
> fight
> > the peasant in a duel.  The peasant went to hermit master and asked the
> > master to teach him enough swordplay so as to put forth a decent effort
> > before dying.  The master refused, saying there was not enough time.
> > However, there was one move he could teach the peasant that, if properly
> > executed, would defeat (kill) the Samurai.  The peasant practiced this
> > particular move, day after day, and mastered its technique.  Eventually,
> > the Samurai returned, and the two took up their stance for the duel.  The
> > Samurai looked at his opponent, and saw the stance the peasant took.  He
> > knew that if the peasant performed the move he set up for, he would kill
> > the Samurai, but the peasant would be killed in the process.  (The old
> > master neglected to tell the peasant this.)  The Samurai looked in the
> > peasant's eyes and saw no fear of death in them, and called off the
> match,
> > knowing that the duel would end in the death of both.
> >
> > The lesson in that story is that those who face death without fear can
> > defeat death.  The peasant won his life out of ignorance.  Groo wins for
> > much the same reason.  Neither one realizes that what they are doing is
> > supposed to kill them, and so their opponents back down.
> >
> > Plus, there is the added protection of his body odor.  It's hard to fight
> > when you are gagging from the smell.
> >
> > (This is all a moot point if Mark and Sergio say otherwise.)
> > Richard Buswell
> > http://www.kcstage.com
> > http://www.naughtynobles.com
> > http://www.geocities.com/rabuswell
> >
> > Iain Bryan <mrbisco@pacbell.net> on 05/25/2000 03:50:16 PM
> >
> > Um...Groo is an excellent fighter..that's what he does best.  It's not
> all
> > an
> > accident.
> >
> > iain
> >
> > > > Stylistically, Groo should have no form or technique whatsoever,
> > > > but should
> > > > blindly and stupidly fight, parrying as much by accident as by
> design,
> > > > killing people on a backswing without even knowing he hit them.  Both
> > > > "Blade" and "Gladiator" showed hits that were intentional.  Groo does
> > not
> > > > plan that far in advance.  Usually the goal of fight choreography is
> to
> > > > look cool.  For Groo, the goal should be to look stupid.  Fast,
> > > > but stupid.
> > > > Strong, but stupid.  His skill is only an accident of birth.
> > > >
> > > > Richard Buswell
> > > > http://www.kcstage.com
> > > > http://www.naughtynobles.com
> > > > http://www.geocities.com/rabuswell
> > >