This graphic novel reads like a horrific fever dream. I know that sounds awful, but I mean it as the highest of compliments.

A visually stunning, mythic narrative that’s quite unlike anything else you’ll read this year or maybe ever.

Saying it’s a retelling of the Prometheus myth is too trite to do justice to this fascinating story. While it does draw inspiration from the ancient Greek tale, Tongues is completely one of a kind and tells a story that is at once recognizable and unfamiliar. Seamlessly connected narratives coalesce in a story that you can’t help but want more of. Also Astrid is perhaps one of the best and most likable protagonists, especially child protagonists, I've read in a long time.

Eagerly awaiting the continuation of this story!

Tongues Volume 1 leaves me in awe of the comic as a boundary-pushing art form and in awe of Anders Nilsen's individual talent in the genre. While there will be more to the story than what is presented in this one volume, what IS here is captivating, adventurous, and just beautiful to look at.

The panels are organized not in rows and columns but in unique arrangements that compliment the plot they contain. Geometric shapes reminiscent of crystals or organic flowing organs encased in animal silhouettes house a multi-layered story that combines greek myth and contemporary political upheaval.

I feel this quote from page 84 captures something about the work as a whole: "The world's chaos can look remarkably like pattern to event the most careful observer. It's one of the hazards of that mind [God] has given you. But even real pattern is often punctuated by surprise." The story feels chaotic as it follows a large cast of characters whose backstory and motives are barely revealed. Yet there is something surprising happening visually on each page that kept me reading and invested in the work as a whole.

This story is in no way finished, yet feels masterful in its emotional and artistic scope already. Looking forward to owning this gorgeous work in the future and to follow Nilsen's career from this point forward!