Tarzan is one of the greatest characters ever created. He has appeared in comics, novels, movies, video games and tv shows. Then there’s Groo. You’d have been crazy or a complete idiot to think putting these two together would be smart. Comic creators Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier were either stupid enough or crazy enough to do so in “Groo Meets Tarzan†with fellow illustrator Thomas Yeates.
Aragones and Evanier do a panel at a Comic-Con “that never happened†to talk about their “Groo-Tarzan†project. After the con, Aragones has a dream about what the comic would look like. It’s about as silly as you’d expect. The non-Tarzan segments are like an issue of “Mad Magazine.†They are as crazy and balls to the balls funny as you’d expect. There is even a joke in the comic where some con con-goers say that “Groo†only has one joke and it’s about cheese dip. Not only that, Groo’s part is about him looking for the “world’s greatest cheese dip. Tarzan’s part shows how much Aragones loves the “Tarzan†comics because it reads and looks like an actual “Tarzan†comic. It feels like whiplash, but in a weird way it works.Â
These two different styles are also obvious in the artwork. “Tarzan†looks like a traditional “Tarzan†comic that people who grew up reading would instantly recognize. “Groo†keeps with the “Mad Magazine†style to the point where the con is full of people and has that classic “let’s see if you can find this weird thing†“Mad “Magazine†is known for. There are even background characters saying random funny things. “Groo Meets Tarzan†should not exist.
There is no logical reason as to why it should exist. It does and Aragones and Evanier find a way to make it seemingly work. Either these two are geniuses or are crazy enough to come up with something so brilliant that it’s inconceivable to any sane person. Give it a read and bask in the madness that is “Groo Meets Tarzan.â€
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