[Groop] Wow! (etc.)

Iain Bryan mrbisco@pacbell.net
Thu, 25 May 2000 21:55:26 -0700


Hear hear!!

iain

Gary Grossmann wrote:

> Hi Folks!
>
> Groo is a VERY skilled swordsman.  Groo is THE MOST skilled swordsman-maybe
> in a tie with Chakaal-on the planet.  It is not all luck and stupidity.  It
> is skill and stupidity.  There was one episode where Groo demostrates his
> skill with a sword by tossing a fish up in the air and preparing it for
> cooking and fancy display with his swords before it hits platter.  Also, in
> the Eclipse Special, Groo IS trained in the course of being schooled to take
> Saskima's place and his already considerable skills are refined.  If he
> accidently kills people-in addition to all those he kills on purpose-it's
> because he is stupid and does not properly control his skill, not because he
> doesn't have it.
>
> Look.  Groo is like a savant.  Only instead of being able to play a piano
> like Mozart or remember what the weather was on every date of his life while
> not being able to count his toes or find the door, Groo is a fabulously
> skilled swordman while being a complete idiot.  Remember that in The Life of
> Groo we found out that Groo is stupid because of a curse on his father.  So
> he was stupid from the word go.  But he also attacked the doctor who
> delivered him with a scapel moments after birth.  So perhaps being a skilled
> swordman was an unintended result of the curse.  A sort of balancing effect.
> Groo is as skilled a swordman as he is an idiot.  Anywho, that's my two
> kopins.
>
> Re: Jackie Chan (aka Greatest Action Hero (and stunt man) on the Planet)
> Read his biography.  "I Am Jackie Chan"  One of the things he discusses is
> the differences between real fighting, what he learned in the Chinese Opera,
> and how he applied it all to the fighting style he invented for the screen.
> Great stuff from the man with the fastest hands in show business.
>
> Re: Chakaal & Arcadio miniseries:  Hey ReallyBigChin guy, There is a small
> Chakaal & Arcadio element to the second Groo Round-Robin if you are
> interested.  It's not real Groo, but it's fun.  I forget the web site it's
> on.  Somebody?
>
> OK  SPOILER TIME  DO NOT READ BELOW IF YOU HAVEN"T READ "Mightier Than the
> Sword" #4!  You have been warned!  To those who haven't read #4 yet, take
> care!  To the rest of you:
>
> S
> E
> E
>
> B
> E
> L
> O
> W
>
> Keep going.
>
> OK  Larry and I were talking about this earlier and these are my thoughts on
> the end and the series as a whole:
>
> It is my favorite of the three mini-series I loved it!!!!  Lots of
> interesting and unexpected plot twists, while at the same time also giving
> us the stuff we expect and want. Did you also notice how they had Groo do
> something really smart to escape, but his reasoning and dialogue made it so
> that his stupidity and general character were not compromised.  Imagine a
> really smart hero-like Indiana Jones-consciously doing the same thing,
> risking a firey death on the thin chance of escape!  We'd say, "Whew! What a
> brave, clever and daring
> guy!"  But they way they handled it with Groo, we say "Gee, what a moron!"
>
> As to the surprise, I had to think about a bit, which is hard (and also not
> surprising) since I am a Groo fan, but I'm sure the "surprise" is that Pipal
> Khan died from the realization that his loathed
> and feared enemy, the being that had single-handedly thwarted so many of his
> plans, turned out to be just an ugly, stupid wetch!  I mean Wretch!  It's
> one thing to be defeated by a titanic monster, but to be defeated by the
> likes of the real Groo would indeed be too much for the great Pipal Khan's
> mighty ego to deal with!!
>
> Anywho, that's my two kopins on that!  Take care all -Gary G.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <RABuswell@dstsystems.com>
> To: "Iain Bryan" <mrbisco@pacbell.net>; "groo" <groop@groo.com>
> Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2000 3:33 PM
> Subject: Re: [Groop] Wow!
>
> >
> > 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
> > > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
>
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