Hakuna Matata (comic)

Hakuna Matata is a Lion King comic.

Plot
In the beginning of the comic, Rafiki explains that the story takes place before Simba is king and is still living with Timon and Pumbaa in the jungle. The three friends are racing, with Timon riding astride Pumbaa. Timon keeps pushing Pumbaa faster until they pull ahead of Simba. Timon starts to gloat over their victory, but suddenly stops and yells at Pumbaa to stop. Too late, Pumbaa ducks beneath a tree root and Timon is knocked flat on his back. As Timon falls to the ground, Simba screeches to a halt and stops beside his winded friend. Pumbaa, who's still running, asks Timon if he'd said something. When he realizes that Timon is gone, he stops as well and hurries back to his friend.

Simba asks Timon if anything's broken and Timon dizzily replies that he didn't think so. He then asks for Pumbaa, and Pumbaa tells Timon to be more careful when stepping off the road. Timon sidles up to Pumbaa and tells him that he hadn't stepped off the road. Pumbaa is surprised, and Timon explains that he had fallen. He then asks Pumbaa if he could watch where he's going next time, and Pumbaa slowly agrees. Timon then jumps up and yells at him that he was going to kick Pumbaa's butt every morning when he woke up for the rest of the year. Timon then wipes himself off and comments that he felt better now. Simba watches silently and comments that Timon was amazing; he had screamed so loud, he bet people on the moon had heard him. Timon is unconcerned and comments that the only animals he could hear where the insects that would soon be his dinner.

But Timon is unaware that those weren't the only animals who had heard him. Unbeknownst to the three friends, a pair of curious eyes are watching them from the bushes. The unknown creature says to itself that it had seen enough and hurries off to "tell the others." Later, deeper in the jungle, the unknown creature, which turns out to be a monkey, approaches a pair of gorillas. The gorillas ask what the yelling monster was and the monkey informs them that it wasn't a monster, just a strange animal. He then goes on to tell them that it had been with a boar and a lion, which were much more dangerous. But one of the gorillas is particularly interested in the lion and explains to his friends that if they disabled the others, the lion would be easy. They then set off after Timon and his friends.

Later, during the night, Pumbaa, Simba, and Timon are watching the stars. Pumbaa sighs that he's happy with his life and wants to keep it the way it is. Timon agrees and Simba says, "Hakuna Matata!" He then gets up and says that he's thirsty and could go for a drink. Timon, slightly annoyed, asks Simba if this is the famous time when all lions go to drink, and Simba responds with, "Exactly!" But as he nears the waterfall, the monkey is seen hiding in the trees, thinking to himself that Simba is walking straight into the trap. Then, as Simba steps on a rope, the monkey shouts for his companions to pull, and Simba is hoisted up by a pair of ropes.

One of the gorillas shouts victoriously to his team, then ties the other end of the rope to a stump. Simba, still hanging from the tree, asks what's going on and who they were. The gorilla gloatingly tells Simba that they're the new leaders of the jungle now and Simba argues that if they wanted their spot, they'd have to fight for it. The gorillas cover their eyes and ears and say that they hadn't seen or heard anything. But suddenly, Timon appears from behind a rock and says that that didn't surprise him, for the gorillas couldn't even count they were such losers. Pumbaa comes out of hiding and adds that they're big suckers. One of the gorillas asks who said that and another points to Pumbaa and calls him an ugly beast. Pumbaa sticks out his tongue and says, "Says you!"

The gorillas charge and Pumbaa darts away, with the gorillas yelling in frustration behind him. Meanwhile, the monkey strides up to Simba and gloats that he had him now. Simba asks is he really thought so, and the monkey said that Pumbaa may have lured the gorillas away, but Simba was still trapped. He open his mouth to say more, but is suddenly struck from behind with a rock. Timon grins and Simba asks his friend to untie him.

Meanwhile, Pumbaa is still running. He can see two chasing him, but wonders where the third is. No sooner does he think this, when the missing gorilla looms up in front of him. The three gorillas surround Pumbaa and the frightened warthog cries for help. One of the gorillas says that he's going to teach "that big-snout" a lesson, but another gorilla asks why it would be him who'd teach Pumbaa a lesson. The first gorilla says that it was because he was the strongest and the second gorilla argues that he was the strongest, to which the third gorilla quickly chimes in that he's the strongest. Soon, the gorillas get into a huge physical brawl. Finally, one of the gorillas emerges victorious and announces that he's the real king of the jungle.

Simba leaps off a rock and says, "Not while I live here!" He leaps at the gorilla and the two get into the fiercest fight yet. Timon, who's running after Simba, comes to a halt as he sees the vicious fight. He then starts yelling encouragement at Simba until the battle is over and Simba is the rightful winner. Timon announces that Simba wins by a knockout and Simba perches atop the gorilla and roars. He lets the three gorillas up and tells them to leave, warning them that if he ever saw them here again....Timon happily tells them to march! Life in the jungle returns to normal again. Rafiki explains that Simba would later become king of Pride Rock, but that was another story!