Everyone knows Tarzan. Either by movies or cartoons. But do you know the original work? Screenwriter Christophe Bec and cartoonist Stevan Subic propose to return to the roots of the myth in this faithful adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' book at Soleil.
Tarzan amid the silent cries of the jungle
The atmosphere is set from the beginning. After the theft of an English baby by gorillas and the murder of its parents, the text disappears. Indeed, Tarzan's childhood among the gorilla pack logically unfolds without words. Everything goes through the drawing and its anatomical precision of the expressions of the monkeys who manage to transmit a wide variety of emotions. The greatest strength of this first volume is the splendid work of Stevan Subic. His realistic drawing allows the reader to be a spy in the jungle among the gorillas. The movement of gorilla bodies is very well rendered. We believe we are in a wildlife documentary and therefore the adoption is credible. The very subtle inking in Indian ink further reinforces this precision as does the work of colorist Facio. 
Nature is beautiful but also violent on every page. The reader feels the female's love for the human baby. He fears that the jealousy of the pack leader threatens the fragile child. He shares the teenager's shame at his lack of strength and, seeing his human face in a lake, we understand why Tarzan covers himself in mud. It hurts for him when he is violently beaten by a co-religionist. However , as a man, Tarzan gains strength and intelligence, saving a gorilla through his swimming skills.
And in the midst of human words
The text returns when Tarzan returns to the place of his abduction and acquires consciousness. By listening to music, he learns to speak, the images of the books teach him his difference: he is human and not gorilla. Very intelligent, he deciphers certain words alone and discovers modesty. He gains the respect of the group by saving it from an incomprehensible danger to the monkeys. His cry appears following his first victory in a fight. He even becomes the king of the monkeys and still fights against his humanity. All this pushes him to gradually detach himself from the group to make his own education. His senses are also refined. This more talkative part is not cold. We feel the sadness of the mother to see her child become adult move away from her. 
The dialogues return with the arrival in the region of a British, Belgian and French expedition. Their goal is scientific exploration. They are looking for the missing link between man and animal. But their heavy arrogance will turn Tarzan's life upside down. Not all are Europeans hungry for adventure and heroism. This arrival marks the clash between savagery and civilization but the most moral is not the one we believe. Indeed, the narrative avoids Manichaeism because Tarzan's enemies and allies are on both sides. One young woman in particular, Jane, sees Africa as a hope for scientific discovery and a space of freedom to escape the misogynistic English society. Remarks on the importance of preserving the balance of nature echo our modernity but also we also feel the emergence of racist theories of social Darwinism. Tarzan, son of an aristocrat had the genes to dominate animals but also Africans. Despite its traces of the past, the story is full of action and what a pleasure to find the famous dialogue: " Me Jane, you Tarzan". Tarzan Jungle Lord is a dark and violent story because it is faithful to the novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Stevan Subic's drawings succeed with immense talent in making this story believable and touching both in the first animal part and in the second part in the midst of humans. Christophe Bec's script has the courage to start with a long game without any dialogue. As the words return, Tarzan reveals himself to be a man broken between two worlds: the brutal life of the jungle and the strict codes of the English aristocracy. If you like expeditions, we advise you to read our review on Amen. But if you are looking for a more modern vision of colonization you might be seduced by The Savages Shores.
