Sergio Aragonés Groo the Wanderer #29
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeIssue #29 of Sergio Aragonés Groo the Wanderer delivers the first appearance of Rufferto, the canine companion who would become inseparable from Groo for the remainder of the series across multiple publishers — making it the single most consequential character-introduction issue of the entire Epic/Marvel run. Rufferto's arrival transformed Groo's dynamic from that of a purely solitary, chaos-dealing wanderer into a two-creature duo, adding an emotional anchor to the comedy that deepened the storytelling palette. The dog proved so popular that he eventually anchored his own recurring wordless backup strips (starting with issue #87 and running for 93 total installments), a dedicated four-issue Dark Horse miniseries, and repeatedly gave writers Aragonés and Evanier a narrative device — Rufferto's presence uniquely suppresses Groo's ability to sink ships — that enriched the series' running-gag mythology for decades.
In "Rufferto," Groo stumbles into an odd quest when a king offers a reward for the return of his missing dog—only to discover the loyal hound has taken a shine to him. Without knowing the dog’s true worth, Groo takes it home, only to realize he’s accidentally become a dognapper when he sets out to return it and claim the prize. With Sergio Aragonés’ signature absurd humor and visual gags, and Tom Luth’s vibrant colors bringing the chaos to life, this 1987 issue is a delightfully silly adventure from the legendary creator team behind Groo the Wanderer.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was written (co-plotted and dialogued) by Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier, penciled and inked by Aragonés, colored by Tom Luth, and lettered by Stan Sakai — the same core team that sustained the title throughout its entire 120-issue Epic/Marvel run. It was released on March 31, 1987 (July 1987 cover date), approximately two years into the Marvel/Epic run that Aragonés and Evanier had negotiated specifically to preserve full creator ownership of the property. Notably, Rufferto was drawn directly from life: Aragonés based the character on his own real dog of the same name. The Grand Comics Database further records that the precise division of writing credit between Aragonés and Evanier on this issue was clarified by Evanier himself via the GCD corrections list in September 2009.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Rufferto, Groo's dog and most enduring supporting character — the defining key of the Marvel/Epic run.
- Story titled 'Rufferto': a king loses his prized dog, which then takes a liking to Groo; Groo, unaware of the reward at first, eventually 'dognaps' it back to claim the prize — setting up the multi-issue relationship arc.
- Rufferto became a permanent cast member starting with issue #36, according to multiple sources including TV Tropes and Wikipedia.
- Rufferto was modeled on Aragonés's own real-life dog of the same name.
- Full creative team: Sergio Aragonés (co-writer, penciler, inker, cover), Mark Evanier (co-writer/dialoguer), Tom Luth (colorist), Stan Sakai (letterer).
- Released March 31, 1987; cover-dated July 1987; published under Marvel's Epic Comics imprint as part of a 120-issue creator-owned run.
- Reprinted in The Groo Houndbook TPB (Dark Horse, May 1999), a 96-page full-color trade paperback collecting Marvel issues #29–32 — Rufferto's entire introductory story arc.
- Rufferto's narrative importance extended beyond this issue: starting with Marvel issue #87, Rufferto starred in wordless one-page gag strips that ran for 93 consecutive installments across Marvel, Image, and Dark Horse; Rufferto also received his own dedicated four-issue Dark Horse miniseries (December 1998–March 1999).
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Groo #2/1990 (1990), Sergio Aragonés: The Groo Houndbook #[nn] (1999)
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