#tamberlanecritical

(SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 5)

Okay, now that you've read my spoiler sign, you may proceed at your own risk.

So it seems like MAYBE we are going to actually get some Abroad lore out of this scene! (Basically, the thign that is like one of the biggest mysteries of the entire story and a central point of the myth arc or main story. Its been all mysterious yet its shadow looms over the plot.)

About time.

I am just making this post as a prediction to come back to, so I have recorded my thoughts.

So let's just put two predictions here and see which one will be right:

Option 1 is that Kira does end up dropping some Abroad lore and the info we get foreshadows stuff to come. Maybe it reveals further hints to the greater nature of Abroad or something really damning about the setting.

Option 2: nothing happens and it's just another mystery box that will go unaddressed for an enormous length of time.

I really hope I am wrong and this comic does something interesting

Regardless, even if this scene IS important and gives some huge lore, its reidlcuso we had to slog through dozens of pages of a worthless, obnoxious character like Cur agnsting and hijacking screen time. He is not even the one giving the info here so what's the point of him?

My opinion still would stand anyway about chapter 5 being bad(bad pacing, it sidelines the main characters, scenes go on way too long and don't amount to anything, Cur is an insufferable, shallow character, etc)

But idk, maybe this is the point the story finally gets moving again? Like, if we get some huge information out of this arc, great. (wish it got to that just a tad faster, but eh)

Once this comic does away with the Cur subplot and actually gets back to the main characters and story (hopefully in chapter 6) I will gladly keep shilling for it.

Its start was solid enough to hook me, and its art is great, plus I love Tamberlane and Belfry plus their family.

Here's to hoping this is the part where the comic gets itself back on track.

Yes thr artist is amazing at drawing. Yes the authors did a great job earlier online. It’s won awards for a reason. It was my favorite comic back in the earlier 2020s.

But it has since fallen. Greatly. For many reasons but because they had to pointlessly drag out chapter 5!

Just do a better freaking job and stop dragging out the most tedious, frustrating part of the story and get back to the good stuff! Get to the point already: there is zero reason it takes nearly 4 years and 165 pages just to meander and do nothing with the main plot, cliffhangers from 4, or main characters.

Legit could have advanced the story multiple chapters by this point of it were not so caught up in trying to be “ensemble” and shoe horn in dozens of Glup Shittos.

And can it with the Cur bullshit. Like, what is the comic even about? Is Tamberlane no longer going to involve Tamberlane and belfry because someone paid to shoehorn in an obnoxious bully who adds nothing to the plot?

Until they can this Cur subplot and all the Glup Shitto and wrap up their subplots, the comic is dead in the water. This Cur plot lines feels like the exact thing you cut and shove into a side story at best.

(consider this not an insult or slander post so much as a contratrian viewpoint about this comic. Sorry I don't have better stuff to say, but this comic's prime is buried in the 2010s. Honestly, just skip chpater 5 and wait until 6 is well underway is my best suggestion)

( and just to be clear: this is not some petty attempt at trolling or trying to provoke mass discourse on this comic of obsession as some so would spin it. It’s just blunt disappointment as a reader)

Hey guys, I thought since I have talked alot about this comic, I should post a proper review. To stay up to date, lets check in on chapter 5-WHAT IN THE NAME OF?

Okay, never mind.

Let's talk about tonal dissonance and whiplash, shall we?

Seriously, instead of an essay, how about I just give you a few pictures:

How the fuck does the comic that was "Clumsy bat finds and adopts human kid" go from this::

I think you get the earlier tone.

How does this go to this:

This scene perfectly sums up chapter 5 in a nutshell: random side characters or annoying cameos who have overstayed their welcome bitching and angsting and arguing over whatever(or just nothing really important) in a needlessly melodramatic, overly dragged out drama.

What the fuck does any of this actually have to do with Tamberlane's flashback, the mysterious proector who saved her, her argument with Belfry on the field trip, Oakwood discovering she is a human, or the trial of the teaching aid, the mystery of Abroad, the government or whatever group that spawned Tamberlane or even Tamberlane and Belfry themselves?!

Nothing. The word "Tamberlane" is rarely spoken across dozens of pages.

And the rest of this travesty of a chapter is just side characters I hardly or don't care about talking in crises about nothing or this insufferable yellow guy angsting and being an asshole to everyone. (What a compelling, likable character! Gee, I asure am glad he stole the show from the actual likable PROTOGANIST. That was sarcasm. Are they trying to gaslight me into feeling sorry for his stupid ass after he relentlessly bullied and hospitlzied a toddler?

Do the authors really expect us to feel bad for this asshole?

Oh wait, wrong post, We are talking about tonal whipslash, whoops (but seriously, all these pacing and filler issues are just the main course where this tonal whipslash

But that's not the point, the point here is the huge tonal whiplash of this entire freaking chapter; not enough people talk about this.

Things just go so incredibly dark and emo and melodramatic like what the fuck? The strength of this comic lied in its endearing cartoony art style and its balance of hurt/ comfort. Key word "BALANCE."

Meanwhile, throwing away the entire story of this comic aside, all chapter 5 seems to be is endless brooding.

Here is the most dramatic the comic had to offer before chapter 4 made things go all Cur on itself.

(forshadowing of a heavy choice to come)

They yell for like 2-3 pages in a somewhat comedic way, then Briar finally shuts them up and they talk it out.

And Piper scares a toddler with a mean prank once. ( she was pushed off a cliff off screen but was fine, thats where belfry found Tamberlane)

I mean you can kind of say pushing Tamberlane off a cliff (when seh did not know what she was in first chapter) earlier in the comic but that was offscreen and had no lasting adverse effects

And of course:

A mean old fart threatens a child.

Like, okay there is drama and such (again go read the whole thing to confirm, I am not just cherry picking things here) but like: its not to chapter 5 levels of dragged out or so melodramatic.

Its balanced. A blend of wholesome/ cute and drama.

THAT IS JUST FINE. It is perfectly fine, dare I say great, that the comic leans into the wholesome and heartwarming vibes of the characters, setting, premise and art style.

The balance is where the freaking charm of the whole things lies, as well as its strengths! It's like Pixar used to be where it's a cartoon thing and never gets too dark, but it has tons of depth and nuance to it that makes it engaging.

Like Belfry's arc, her talk with Tess, the hints to the greater lore of the setting relating to Tamberlane's origins, etc. All of that worked in tandem with the more wholesome adoption premise and story about family going on combined with the cute cartoon art style to make the story strong and enjoyable to read.

None of the stuff above is that bad. Yes, tehre is drama and implications of dark stuff to come, including the whole Abroad stuff but not so overboard. I am sure there was a less melodramatic way to tackle abroad.

I think it also had a little something called SUBTLY

Instead of just banging us over the head with "uh he has angst, look at his sad backstory!" or Cur fucking exploding every 5 seconds he is onscreen or literally everyone just bitching and angsting about everything constantly like WTF?

Meanwhile in chapter 5 is like:

Endless drama(it trails on), a kid lost a leg, the above Cur stuff and more and neither hide nor hare of that mother-daughter dynamics between Tam and Belfry.

For fucks sake: its a comic a bout a cartoon bat raising a toddler! How the fuck is it that in the comic where the protagonist does this:

(forgetting ovenmits and trapping herself in a tent like something from SpongeBob)

Totally the kind of person to be in a dark and gritty totalitarian story about angst and shit. (yes she has depth but come on the clumsiness and whole stuff is where the charm is)

Now we mostly just have this:

For dozens of fucking pages its just angst and brooding/

Should have leaned into the comedy/drama angle, I know that stories are versatile but there is a balance. Frankly, even the presentation of the drama in chapter 5 has lost any of that slight comedic age and is just exaggerated, and needleslsy dragged out it gets tedious.

Really go read chapter 5 again:

And then go read up to chapter 1-3

For added introspection, go read 4 right after that, but I suggest reading 5 first, then you really feel the tonal dissonance.

Need I go on? I might even add that the earlier chapter actually manages to handle their conflict with way more maturity and subtlety without being so overboard (and not even in a comedic tone overboard, I mean melodramatic and just borderline Grimdark feeling)

Its like most of the comedy and heartwarming stuff is just gone.

Probably because it threw Belfry, Tamberlane, and Oakwood out the window for large swaths of the fucking chapter so that someone's onbouxs cameo can get an ENTIRE FUCKING GRAPHIC NOVEL DEDICATED TO HIM.

This "ensemble" cast approach sucks; the real story is with Tamberlane and Belfry and theri family. Why the fuck do they feel the need to shove in a million subplots and pointless side characters? They add little; it be better if their parts were short(again, not an entire spin off graphic novel shoved into an already bloated chapter)

Seriously, go count the page count of the Cur scenes alone, including the parts that are still foucsing on him (like the characters serarching for him)

Chatper 5 of Tamberlane does not feel like a chapter of Tamberlane at all; it does not match the tone, the balance of comedy/ drama, the execution. Heck, it barely features any of Tamberlane at all, its gonne be over 160 pages and yet Tamberlane is barely even in 20-something of those. WTF

So yeah... I could not avoid bringing up the pacing again, but good grief, this entire execution of chapter 5 is just so jarringly at odds with what came before, even in terms of tone. Even considering the near-tragedy of chapter 4's pond incident (which Cur caused) the tone is so melodramatic and tediously dragged out like good grief.

It's like a perfect summary on everything not to do when making a graphic novel.

Trying too hard to be 'dark and gritty'.

Fuck it, i am gonna just take this moment to make a point:

The authors of Tamberlane are clearly skilled artists and did great with the comic in the early parts; thats why I was so obsessed with it)

But I am saying Chapter 5 is really, really bad. Not just that, but also the comic has been heading the wrong direction for years now. All these pacing and tonal issues, plus Cur's existence in the story?

Its all started in chapter 4.

So yeah, no, I don't wanna copy this:

That's right. Cur. Just Cur. His entire existence, his entire presence in the plot. Everything about him.

All this angst, pacing and tonal issues? Its him. Its his fault (and the authors for, you know, letting him into the freaking story)

The endless angst, bitching, drama, and his obnoxious "snide remarks" and bullying of others has done nothing but bog down the plot and ruin an engaging story about a mother-daughter duo and their family navigating their family dynamics and the child's mysterious origins. And what that means for their family and the greater community.

Like, good grief: I talked to death about all the other issues on other posts and don't wanna bring them up too much here but the tonal whipslash.

Its all Cur. Its all caused by him. He is not the only actor and there were darker hints of stuff to come and drama before but good grief, did he just rerail this entire comic's direction?

Even his facial expressions are annoying; he just a generic bully with a generic sad backstory that acts like the most obnoxious person ever then suddenly it's a huge u-turn into "feel bad for him uwu"

He caused the 180. Go look at every scene that involved him.

Okay, seriously, what is even going on in this Tamberlane scene?

I DO NOT want people just massing review bombing or bothering the authors or shit, but good grief...

I talk to death about it but the more I think the weirder this all gets(and not in a good way)

There is already the issues of pacing, Cur and side characters hijacking the plot, Belfry, Tamberlane being apart for so long and all main characters getting sidelined in chapter 5, to say nothing of the tonal whiplash from the previous chapters to 5

But lets talk about how weird this latest sequence is

From this page onward, its like a Cur spinoff novel like wtf.

But so much weird crap is going on like first off: Piper in this scene is ranting about how much she hates Cur (understanably so) yet 5 minutes later (a few pages after this) she is suddenly doing a 180 on her entire perosnality and being the voice of reason?

Like.... wtf? I am beyond happy someone finally got Cur to shut the fuck and listen for a second, but like... when was the last time Piper was the calm reasonsble one?

Her entire thing is being aggressive, impetus , more than a bit mean ,rambunctious, etc (yet hihgly protective of her friends)

Piper whose track record is stuff like:

Scaring a baby in a diaper (after shoving her off a cliff the preivous day not knowing what she was)

Punching out a bully and tackling his stupid ass to the ground (again, justifiably) in defense of her friend after Cur's stupid as bullied Tamberlane the whole class, escalating to calling her racial slurs and the yelling an insult into a toddler's face while hitting her(this is like a year later after meeting Tam, they are now friends)

And throwing a water balloon at Cur for what he did earlier and sort of in defense of (so she thought) of Parsley and Marie then yelling at her friends for trying to be nice at him after what he did (see more of her antics here)

So when was the last time Piper was the voice of reason sort of person?

Read that whole scene again. Did she just forget how much she hates him? You would think she would be happy seeing him fight with his friend to the point of drawing blood, like what the hell is happening?

Did the authors just forget Piper's entire perosnality? Calmly sitting people down (espcially ones she hates as much as Cur) and getting people to take turns talking is just... not her think.

Kind of feels like something one of the adults or older teens/kids like Parsely the fox kid might, since he was always the calmer, level headed one out of the kid cast. Or even Penny.?

But wait, there is more to this sequence:

Did Cur's dad colonize himself in real time here?????? (I saw someone on Tumblr once ask that and frankly its the funniest thing I have heard. And the most accurate way to sum this up)

Like.... what happened? His accent and entire dialect just changed almost mid-sentence??????

And the finally this entire flashback sequence...

First off, literally none of this scene syncs up with the pre-established tone from other chapters....at all! Like, what the fuck happened to that heart-warming vibe from before? How is getting rid of that a good thing? This shit is a bit too melodramatic. Like what the fuck?

So she went to basically a labor camp or totalitarian black site and then something changed about her parents, and she sees them die as a toddler??

Yeah, sure, that fits into this cartoony comic about a clumsy bat raising a child. I mean we got hints to darker stuff before, but good grief are they going overboard.

But the other thing is this like the second flashback sequence in this entire scene. What's next, is Piper going ot have a flashback to when she was younger during one of the many times her deadbeat dad was gone and maybe her mom took to drinking????

Oh but how can I forget the really goofy bit: the fucking front page of the website

This is the current thing from today of making this post May 14th, 2026

Okay and now here is the old front page as from May 1st of 2026, this year (at time of posting)

What the hell is going on? (upheaval of status quo, hopelessness, totalitarianism? Gee, I really miss it just being "clumsy bat tries to raise kid, its biting off more than it can chew here. It really should have reigned in the mystery just a bit instead of just going from slice of life found family comedy drama to.... this) It headed this direction for years, sure, but still.

So it went from "Tamberlane is a webcomic about a clumsy bat and her very human baby" to (yes, a similar but still slightly different summary as well), but now its "an ensemble story." As in focus on multiple people.

Like... okay, that would be fine. We always had 3 main characters and other characters exist. But here is the kicker:

Tamberlane herself has been in barely 20-something pages out of chapter 5 (chapter 5 is currently clocking in at over 160 pages and more)

Belfry in like... half-ish or less of that? Oakwood, even less than Tamberlane.

THEY were always the main focus and central foundation of this story, as well as the Baker family. It was not quite this big and with so many moving parts compared to chapter 4 and 5.

So forgive me, conspiracy theory, but this shit scares me... because Cur and certain other side characters (some who barely even had like 5 pages of screentime before) and so on have all but hijacked the plot. I talked to death on my other rant posts that all the plot points from chapter 4's ending are still unaddressed later.

So now Tamberlane is just no longer about Tamberlane. It no longer involves Tamberlane. She and Belfry were literally the central focus the entire time and now their story and plotlines are just no longer important, and it doubtful if they are even going to have much screentime at this rate?!?!?

Fuck that. Good grief, like what the fuck kind of a 180 is this bullshit? Its like a complete 180 on the entire former story premise; who the fuck gives a shit about Cur of all people, someone so obnoxious and grating, they decided to let a paid cameo get an entire subplot spanning the length of a graphic novel!!

Need more proof about the one 180? Here is some still taken from the Wayback machine, at March 2019 (notice the "Primary Cast" and the Support Cast bits partially blocked by a tree branch because of Wayback's formatting issues)

And then note the "secondary cast" bit. Cur was not yet added on there but my point:

The comic was very clearly framed around Tamberlane and Belfry at first. They are literally the primary focus the entire time in 1-3 and the ones who are on the cover and shit.

Here, let go back further: June 3rd 2017. Here is what the comic said (again on Wayback Machine)

Notice the claim: "A comic about a clumsy bat attempting to take care of a human child"

Notiece what the old core of the story was about?

YES YES YES, comics change over time and so do stories. It's been almost like what, a decade of this comic running? Sure I get bored with a simplistic premise and wanting to expand things...

But good grief they threw their entire core cast and main characters out the window:

Go re-read chapters 1-3, then note Cur's inclusion to 4. Then finally, pay attention reading the current chapter 5.

Notice how the drastic change in pacing, tone, and even a sharp decrease in screentime from Tamberlane, Belfry, and Oakwood?

And who steals it?

Why am I so god damn pissed I made this? I liked the comic and hate the change but this scene sending the middle figure to people like me:

Like just trying to straw man people who hate Cur... and all this over a paid cameo whom has stolen the entire narrive focus from even the author's own main characters????

(This is literally still on the release materials and site by the way, do not harass anyone who cameod.)

As is Kira, as is Jonas(cameos) and yet whoopee do, they hijacked the plot.

Fuck. Like, people insult people like me for harping and just go "just move on" but it still kind of sucks seeing something I was once completely enthralled by just go this route.

And i might call out the questionable "creative decisions" being made.

So yeah, I am a bit scared at how they changed their front page to be less overt about whom is the main stars and calling it an "esemble" That word should normalyl be good thing but....

In the context of a chapter where the comic just 180ed itself to be about a bunch of side characters and cameos with little prior screentime while throwing the entire premise and story and main characters out the window just to include the unrelated subplot.... yeah.

Tamberlane is no longer Tamberlane. It does not at all feel like an attempt at a dedicated story anymore; it feels more like just a cameo and art fight fest.

Looks pretty, but its lost like its entire initial charm and primse.

Where the fuck is any of this going? How do we still not have any idea after like 160 pages and counting of 5 and how is all those other plot threads I mentioned on other posts are still at large(unaddressed, not followed up on,etc)

So yeah.... I don't buy into glazing this story anymore. The Cayltin is certainly a talented artist, and this once was a good story, but it's gone down the toliet its just... wow

Its been a bit and I was wishing to move on from this but good grief. Tamberlane just took up too much headspace back in the day for me(ya know, when it was actually good)

And this latest scene reminds me why I feel this way

Welp, I just had to crap on this latest scene because frankly, this is just insulting by this point, as long time reader.

I mean, once upon a time, their comic was infinitely better. And was like the most prestigious among webcomics. It was just that good and did everything right from the art, to the story, tone, characters, etc.

Now its just stuck with its own Jar Jar and a million redundant characters and too many subplots (too many cooks in the kitchen basically)

All the more interesting and likable characters in the comic, including the actual main characters of the whole thing, are getting the shaft for this?!

Uwu, his parents walked out on him. Then he is left in an entire community that can relate to him, given endless sympathy and patience by the adults, a professional therapist, is given to loving families( like his current foster one with the nicest and most t patience woman EVER whom he still acts like a gigantic ass towards ), and all he does is this:

Racial slurs at a toddler and insults into her face while hitting her right after he bullied her in class and blamed her for something she did not do (the teacher's aide drama)

Who the fuck likes characters like this? What is it because his backstory is this:

Uwu, his dad walked out and that makes all his asshole behavior okay I guess. Or at least means I should somehow feel bad for him.

Nope.

I hated people I knew like this in real life too, just as I hate fictional characters like this. “Redemption arc?” More like redemption fart: he is about as compelling to read as a block of wood. There is nothing actually interesting or likable about him; even pure evil villains can be likable to read in a sense of have something interesting to them but not this guy. Except at least the block of wood doesn’t yell and be an ass to everyone constantly.

Like people hated Jar Jar left and right back in the day in Phantom Meance but all he was is just annoying at worse. (very annoying yes) He was still nice and could get laughs out of the kids and remained a side character at best. Plus his role was reduced later.

Not Cur; Cur is grating from day one and only gets more focus while sidelining the main characters, all because someone paid for him to be in the fucking story and the authors are obligated to include him. Or they just go obessed with him for some reason, they shafted main characters/ plot and made the comic do a 180 to include Cur.

Casual reminder: chapter 4 of Tamberlane ended on more interesting shit like her being hospitalized(by Cur), still needing to talk to Belfry about their conflict from that chapter., a few more hints to her past (like a memory of her being taught stuff on a computer as a baby) and Oakwood finding out she is human.

NONE OF THAT HAS GONE ANYWHERE BECAUSE OF CUR! His stealing screentime just makes me hate him more.

I have a whole ass rant post about him, it barely even covers all the reasons he sucks.

Forespoken Lady is immediately worse than Cur since she just has all of his traits up to 11 and is the main character the whole time so she can't be shoved to the wayside.

I just can't get over how Tamberlane has fallen. The authors really just destroyed their entire comic for one annoying character to the point they throw out the entire main story for a character like this!?!

Such a shame, Tamberlane really was my jam and my favorite comic just ever several years back (before 2022, I found it in like 2020 or 2021 when chapter 4 was ongoing)

Edit April 15th 2026 : So I realized I had not gone far enough in-depth about Cur.

He is toxic: in his comics universe and on a meta real life level.

He is a social predator that preys on younger kids by bullying them and basically using the world and everyone else as his punching bag… especially Tamberlane.

He is a bad influence on one of his friends, Jonas, and shoots down and sabotages ALL attempts people ever make to help him or get close to him. Or reacts to kindness with yelling and hitting.

Fuck him. He shoot’s down and burns any further reason to feel bad for him as a result. “looking a gift horse in the mouth” and “biting the hand that feeds “ is what he does.

But on a meta level: it’s beyond jarring that he bullied Tamberlane and her friend Piper through chapter 4( relentlessly at that), starts and escalated each conflict. It culminated in him riling up tamberlane, and provoking her to lash out ( which she did but failed to even push him back) making her have a mental breakdown and SHOVED HER , which inadvertently made her fall into an icy pond and hospitalize Tamberlane.

But then instead of focusing on Tamberlanes recover and all that more interesting conflicts/ plot points I noted earlier…

The chapter just puts way more focus on Cur and tries desperately to make you feel bad for him. They are just one step shirt of outright saying his actions justify him.

Not that it’s stopped people from trying to justify or rationalize his actions as “ snide remarks” or shoving Tam because “ he just wants space”. Or head canoning has this gigantic victim and acting like he is a “goober”

Screw that. I hate characters like this even more because certain people in the audience keep trying desperately to rationalize them. Characters like Cur are like magnets for toxic victim-hood arguments. Sometimes she story itself outright uses these arguments.

Toxic all around.

And yet better: he is enabled by the adults. He did what he did to Tamberlane at start of chapter 4 ( picking on her in class, then yelling insults into her face while hitting her) and they still let him on the field trip.

He bullied other children on the trip and put two kids in hospital ( he confessed) and still he has not been grounded nor punished properly. At worse his friends parents refused to let him see them.

There is literally a scene where characters like Piper and her mom outright call this stuff out.

Then Pipers brother basically just acts like Piper is sprouting nonsense and more or less is like “ it’s just the way it is” if going off the way he acts. One square shy of outright defending Cur.