Will Sergio be eaten by a lion? Will Mark get paid? Will Tarzan find the slavers? Will Groo find some cheese dip? Find out in Groo Meets Tarzan #2 from Dark Horse Comics!

GROO MEETS TARZAN #2

Writer: Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier
Artist: Sergio Aragonés and Thomas Yeates
Colorist: Tom Luth
Letterer: Stan Sakai and Adam Pruett
Editor: Philip R. Simon
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 1, 2021

Previously in Groo Meets Tarzan: Mark Evanier and Sergio Aragonés are at a Comic-Con to promote their new, big Groo-Tarzan project. Sergio is super-excited and talks about his plan to visit Chula Vista Jungle Safari to study the animals there. That night he dreams of Tarzan, and the Tarzan plot has him trying to track down slavers who are operating outside of the local police jurisdiction. Meanwhile, Groo and Rufferto stumble into town, hungry and looking for anything to eat. The townspeople know of Groo and how he causes destruction wherever he goes, so they lure him away with promises of cheese dip…in another village. Tarzan tracks the slavers to the strange land of Pal-Ul-Don. And Mark takes Sergio to Chula Vista where, after promising not to do anything crazy, Sergio runs out of the car to get closer to the animals and is chased by a lion.

THEY CALL HIM THE WANDERER

One does not read Groo Meets Tarzan #2 for profound thoughts about the current state of the universe. One reads it because it is goofy and fun. Groo has a lot of schticks, and part of the fun is seeing how they all come into play. The humor in an extraordinarily oblivious, but expert sword-wielding, barbarian may not be to everyone’s taste, but for those who don’t mind a bite, it can be entertaining.

Exeunt Sergio, pursued by a lion. The BB gun he brought along is no help. As he runs off into the safari park, Mark drives back to the gate. The only employee remaining is the guard, who is headed home for the night. Mark calls the police; they are all at Comic-Con. Fortunately for Sergio, the lion chasing him is a friendly one. As night falls, Sergio climbs a tree to find a place to sleep, and dreams again of Tarzan.

Tarzan makes his way deeper into the jungle. A gunshot barely misses him, and he dodges into hiding. He has found the slavers. But they also spotted him and are sure they hit him. When there is no blood trail to be found, they decide to tell their camp that they scared him off. Tarzan follows them back to camp and finds a huge group of slavers, more than he can take on alone. However, he does manage to steal many of their weapons.

Meanwhile, another village scrambles madly as Groo approaches. They hide the food – and all the noxious concoctions for cleaning ox nostrils and chasing away vermin. Groo is always hungry and while he is eternally looking for cheese dip, he will eat pretty much anything. Sure enough, he arrives and settles down to enjoy some ox-nostril cleaner. A couple of the village’s bravest warriors approach, and Groo cuts their shields to pieces while eating. After lunch, Groo gets into a fray, because Groo always finds a fray. Then he leaves, in search of the elusive cheese dip.

Mark returns to Comic-Con, where Stan Sakai admonishes him for abandoning Sergio. Mark intends to go back, after he has hosted all the panels he is hosting. At the Safari Park, Sergio wakes up, refreshed, and looks for a place he can get cell phone reception. Hi-jinks ensue as he drops his phone which is swallowed by a hippo.

Eventually, Groo finds his way to a place that looks strange and different. He catches a beast and cooks and eats it. The scent of his fire attracts the attention of Tarzan!

MORE CONTRASTS THAN YOU COULD SHAKE A STICK AT

Another schtick of Groo Meets Tarzan #2 is the use of the wildly different, although super-appropriate for the characters, art styles. The normal world and of course Groo’s world are drawn by Sergio Aragonés. The style is vibrant, comical, and ridiculously full of little details, not to mention well-suited for slapstick humor. The Comic-Con scenes are amazing.

The Tarzan scenes, drawn by Thomas Yeates, are amazing. The style is entirely different, highly realistic in a dramatic, pulp style. The scenes are full of shadow and depth, while Groo’s world is brightly colored and with a flatter light. Yeates’ style fits the seriousness of the plot and presents us with a world full of depth and full of wild spaces. And yet, when we get to the last sequence in the issue, the worlds collide, and it all works out. Groo looks like Groo and brings with him just enough surround of light that he fits in without changing his look at all, and somehow even when the very three-dimensional Tarzan meets him, it works.

BOTTOM LINE: A LITTLE CRAZY JOY FOR A DARK WORLD

Groo Meets Tarzan #2 delivers on drama and fun, held together by the very meta plot about whether the book we are reading will ever be made. It’s a nostalgia trip for Groo lovers and even though there are beats we know we’ll see, the joy in reading is seeing how we get there.

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