Tarzan swinging on a rope swing as a gorilla looks on in the background.
Summary Beloved 20th century pop culture character Tarzan made a number of appearances on The Far Side, where Gary Larson routinely portrayed a thoroughly goofy version of the man of the jungle. Just as with his comics starring Superman, Larson's Tarzan offers a greater insight into the artist's idiosyncratic perspective on pop culture.
10 The First Far Side Tarzan Panel: "My Folks Are A Little Different" First Published: October 7, 1980 The inaugural appearance of The Far Side's Tarzan doesn't exhibit the full goofiness of the character, as would later iterations, but it does establish the tone that Gary Larson would elaborate on in the future.
8 Gary Larson Hilariously Undermines A Basic Tenet Of Tarzan's Character First Published: October 27, 1982 As an action-adventure character, Tarzan is most iconic for his ability to swing from vine-to-vine through the jungle with swiftness and ease. Gary Larson flips that completely in this Far Side cartoon, to great comedic effect, as a terrified Tarzan clutches a vine and cries "Stop the swing! I'm getting sick! Stop the swing!" as his gorilla friend looks on unconcerned.
Conceptually, this is a solid escalation of Gary Larson's Tarzan jokes, bordering on slapstick, or screwball comedy. What makes it particularly memorable though, is the illustration, as Larson deftly captures the flailing movement of Tarzan as he finds himself snake-bitten, while the snake itself has an expression of disbelief on its face at its good forture, having been in the right place at the right time to score a huge meal.
This is an example of Gary Larson's ability to layer the humor of The Far Side; here, Tarzan is obscuring something from his wife, but is unable to hide it from the audience, and the dissonance between who knows what in this moment is what makes the punchline not only effective, but particularly amusing.
3 Never Leave Your Elephant Unattended In This Part Of The Jungle, Tarzan First Published: September 3, 1984 "Dang!" this version of Tarzan shouts, apparently a common refrain for The Far Side's incarnation of the character. His outburst is prompted this time when he discovers that, "the radio has been ripped off again," from his ride – which, absurdly is an elephant with a rectangular missing from its forehead.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
10 Funniest Far Side Comics That Somehow Found the Funny Side of Broken MarriagesFAR SIDE COW WITH A BRIDE AND GROOM
Read more »
10 Funniest Far Side Comics That Just Turned 30 (Including Gary Larson's Best Wordless Comic)far side face in the foreground and some bees in the background
Read more »
The Far Side Featured By Far the Goofiest Version of This Iconic Pop Culture CharacterFar Side, snake swallows Tarzan&39;s head, as he swings through the trees.
Read more »
Who’s the Funniest Rabbi on the Upper West Side?In a basement standup club, religious leaders compete, and also worry: Are their parking places orthodox? Mark Singer writes.
Read more »
41 Of The Funniest Tweets From July 2024 So Far'Sorry I said your toddler should be in commercials for birth control.'
Read more »
![Explore ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’s Comic Book Influences in New Side-By-Side Images [Exclusive]](https://i.headtopics.com/images/2024/7/28/collider/explore-hellboy-the-crooked-man-s-comic-book-influ-explore-hellboy-the-crooked-man-s-comic-book-influ-B991ACDFEEDE04644EE29D60B6E877C8.webp?w=640)
Explore ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’s Comic Book Influences in New Side-By-Side Images [Exclusive]Jack Kesy as Hellboy in Hellboy: The Crooked Man
Read more »