It’s hard to pass by a comic named Tiger Lawyer. No, it isn’t a play on words – this independent comic is exactly what it claims to be, the story of a tiger that left the jungle to become a lawyer. Released through the small print house Challenger Comics, Tiger Lawyer’s protagonist is a fierce feline dedicated to justice. Interestingly, the individual issues are flipbooks. One side has goofy, silly cartoonish stories of Tiger Lawyer, the other delves more into crime noir.
Writer Ryan Ferrier has basically split his brain in half. There’s a side that sees an intrinsic hilarity and nudge-nudge wink-wink vibe to something called Tiger Lawyer, and a side that wants to tell serious crime stories. It’s actually a smart move. Inherently, you want to snicker at this series, which would take away from the more serious work. So you read the cartoon side first, and have a hearty laugh. Tiger Lawyer sitting in a hot tub with two girls saying that life is “grrrreaaattt.” Yep, get it all out. Laugh as Tiger Lawyer takes acid, finds the girl he likes making out with the school mascot (she’s on acid too) and shaves the mascot down, tying him to a statue. That’s what this side is for.
Then flip to the other side, and you get a story that’s actually quite compelling. Tiger Lawyer is only three issues into its run, and already our furry barrister has run afoul of a crooked judge, gone on the lam, battled a mafia tiger named White Tiger, and been disbarred. All of this happens under the dim lights of an urban setting. Ryan Ferrier does a first rate job of making you forget the whole Tiger Lawyer angle and just focusing on the characters. To be honest, by issue #3, the jokey side of Tiger Lawyer is unnecessary. I’d rather those pages be filled with more of the darker work.
Two artists handle the pencils. Vic Malhotra is on the noir side, and Matt McCray handles the more cartoonish work. Both are strong artists, if a bit unpolished. McCray work is bright, with heavy inks and solid colors. His work is reminiscent of Mad Magazine, or modern newspaper strips.
Malhotra’s work is more realistic, with heavy shadowing and an almost stoic nature. If I had one critique, it would be that Malhotra’s lines can get shaky, and he needs to ramp up the movement. When Tiger Lawyer attacks or jumps, it should be more visceral than what comes across. Don’t get me wrong, Malhotra is good, he just needs to push the action a little more.
DC, Marvel, Image, Boom, Dynamite – all of them flood the market weekly with dozens of books. Sometimes it’s hard to find some independent comics that could use the exposure. Tiger Lawyer is a solid series, one I will continue to buy and recommend highly.
Cartoon Side
(2 Story, 4 Art)
Noir Side
(4.5 Story, 3.5 Art)
