Tarzan was huge when I was growing up. The Joe Kubert editions were all over, easily accessible in stores and libraries. I read several Tarzan comics before I started reading the source material, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ pulp novels from the thirties.
The idea of a jungle man, brought up by apes would seem cool and adventurous for someone young. But the material does not hold up well as we age. Setting aside the obviously racist “white saviour” angle, the irony of the situation is stark. White folk struggled to survive in the tropical climes of Africa and died in droves of diseases such as malaria. Add to that the story of a boy, brought up by apes, still teaches himself to read and write by observing books in his parents’ cabin. To top it off, he invents rope, and the idea of using traps, with no prior knowledge or training, entirely by himself.
Incredulity apart, Tarzan comes across as needlessly cruel to the animal world. He routinely puts himself in situations where he would be attacked by bigger animals seeking prey, and then proceeds to kill them with his dagger. Every book reads like a moral fable about how the “civilized” world is actually more ruthless because of man’s greed and avarice, and the “wild” jungle is preferable.
It was ok when we were kids, but it does NOT hold up now.