(++++) A QUESTION OF IDENTITY

Tig and Lily 1: Tiger Trouble. By Dan Thompson. RH Graphic. $10.99.

     What makes you you? Not a bad philosophical question, that – but not one commonly posed to early readers. Until now, that is. Dan Thompson’s first Tig and Lily graphic novel – the start of a planned series – is all about what makes you you, or more specifically, what makes a tiger a tiger.

     This is not a scientific argument, although science does get into it at one point. This is a who-do-you-think-you-are dose of amusement and confusion, with Lily the tiger being confronted at the zoo one day by Tig the house cat, who is 100% totally absolutely sure that he is a tiger. And since Lily is not much like Tig – Lily is much larger, colored differently, cannot purr, is unable to hold her tail aloft, and so forth – that must mean Lily is not a tiger, for all her protestations to the contrary (and all her memories of growing up with a tiger mommy and tiger daddy).

     The absurdity of the premise will be a lot of fun for young graphic-novel readers to explore, although there really is a serious underlying question about what makes you you. What Thompson does here is let Tig determine what behaviors prove tiger-ness (purring, tail mechanics, etc.) and then inform Lily that she does not measure up to tigerdom by Tig’s definition. Of course she doesn’t – Tig is not a tiger, as any child reading the book will immediately know. But is there a way to prove that Tig is a house cat rather than a tiger? That is a good question, and one that remains unanswered even by the end of the book.

     Tiger Trouble is also, unsurprisingly for a series starter, the story of the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Having managed to confuse Lily thoroughly, Tig wanders off to explore his new home at the zoo – and then Lily discovers the little bit of science in the book, in the form of a sign explaining just what tigers are. Naturally, the sign describes Lily perfectly and Tig not at all. So that settles everything – or, well, no. It could settle things if there were no budding friendship between the book’s two title characters. But there is. And so, when Tig encounters two other tigers at the zoo – it turns out that Lily is not the only one there – and those other tigers tell Tig that he is not a tiger, Tig is sad to the point of being heartbroken (Thompson shows him from the back, sitting in a gloomy pose, with a sort of broken-heart emoji over his head). Tig’s sadness inspires Lily’s friendship and protective instincts, so Lily confronts the other two tigers and uses Tig’s definitions of tiger things to convince them that they must not be tigers – and should apologize to Tig, who is one.

     The whole setup is deliciously absurd and ridiculous, and certainly works as the start of a series in which two unlikely friends are sure to have all sorts of mild but enjoyable adventures together – no matter who assumes which identity under what circumstances. Tig and Lily certainly make an odd couple, but that sort of mismatched friendship is at the heart of many books for young readers, including graphic novels. Thompson has no real interest in resolving the question of what makes a tiger a tiger, but simply posing the question and letting Tig and Lily wrestle with the answer – or avoid it as much as possible – makes a neat foundation for a pleasantly silly, simply but nicely drawn, amusingly plotted tale of tiger territory and terminology.