The Wasp — 1878 — page 91: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a 12-panel satirical comic strip depicting an elephant repeatedly attacking and tormenting a native person at Ujiji (in present-day Tanzania). The narrative shows the native shooting the elephant with an arrow, the elephant pursuing and capturing him, then various scenes of the elephant depositing the man in water, squeezing him, and ultimately killing him—culminating in the final panel's dark punchline: "Guilt punished and virtue triumphant. 'Who will care for Mungo now?'" The satire appears to mock colonial attitudes toward African peoples and revenge narratives. The reference to "Mungo" (likely Mungo Park, an 18th-century Scottish explorer) and the cynical final caption suggest commentary on European colonial presence in Africa and the romanticization of exploration and "justice" in colonial discourse.