THE TIGER’S TONGUE #1, from Mad Cave Studios on July 6th, 2022, spins an ancient fable of two sisters born into a kingdom grown strong through magic and the gift of the Tiger’s Tongue. However, prophecy has its price when it comes time to crown a new Queen.
The Details
- Written by: Olivia Stephens
- Art by: Diansakhu Banton-Perry, Bex Glendining
- Colors by: Bex Glendining
- Letters by: Joamette Gil
- Cover art by: Odera Igbokwe
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: July 6, 2022
Was It Good?
THE TIGER’S TONGUE #1 is a well-written, well-paced, intriguing fable about a kingdom elevated to great heights with the help of magic. That’s the superficial description, but the deeper meaning of the story centers around twin sisters suddenly faced with a challenge that forces them to confront their weaknesses, their assumptive expectations, and their privilege.
The big surprise coming out of this first issue is the complex character development crafted by Stephens. The twins, Kelindi and Aridani, have strengths and flaws that would make either an acceptable queen. As different as night and day, Aridani is the kind and submissive sister who doesn’t realize how her actions aggravate an already tense situation between her tribe and the River People. Kelindi is the proud, fierce warrior whose lack of humility may be her downfall. Neither sister is necessarily good or evil, but their differences could easily compensate for each other’s weaknesses or just as easily make them dangerous enemies.
When the sisters are confronted with a “secret” law, you can see how their weaknesses are brought to the fore. Tension escalates exponentially when they both realize the challenge ahead of them. However, the twins’ father knew about the law, and it doesn’t make sense why he would hide such an important challenge from his daughters, springing it on them in front of a waiting crowd. The last-minute reveal comes across as if their father engineered an outcome to the detriment of one sister. The validity of the challenge and the premise of the story is thrown into question. We shall see in the following issues how it plays out.
The art is serviceable to average. The linework gets the job done. The colors rely heavily on earth tones, so the overall visual presentation is very muted. However, Gil’s lettering is excellent and contributes the most amount of pop to this issue.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a brief retelling of the origins of The Tiger’s People and how they gained the magic of prophecy and control over elemental power when one of their warriors selflessly helped a special tiger. The Tiger’s People gained strength and power, flourishing in numbers over the land. Eventually, their growth led the Tiger’s People to hold a position of power over the River’s People.
Years later, a prophecy came to pass that if twin girls were born to the King, they would eventually compete in a challenge to see which one would be declared Queen of the Tiger’s People when they came of age. Now, those twins, Aridani and Kelindi, live as princesses among the Tiger’s People.
The River’s People live in subjugation, and whispers begin of a planned rebellion. Proud warrior Kelindi assumes she will be crowned Queen and intends to squash any rebellion through strength. Aridani assumes her sister will be made Queen, unaware that unrest among the River’s People exists.
We conclude the issue with secret meetings, a ceremony, and outrage.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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THE TIGER’S TONGUE #1 is a surprisingly complex fable about twin sisters confronted with a massive challenge on the most important day of their life. The sisters are neither good nor evil, but they have polar opposite strengths and weaknesses to each other such that they could be perfect partners or bitter enemies, making for an intriguing drama to come. The serviceable art gets the job done, however, there’s not much visual excitement when the lettering is the most appealing aspect of the art.
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