No, not with this story and not with this author.
If you don’t know this author’s work, I don’t think it’s fair to reduce everything to a couple of panels. Those of us who have followed her for years know she’s always treated her characters with respect and has consistently been an inclusive author.
Also, this isn’t something new. Across all of her works, she’s always used a wide range of skin tones among her characters without assigning someone’s worth, morality, or role based on their complexion.
And another important point: Taming the Tiger is not trying to depict a real colonial relationship or a real historical event. It’s a fictional story. A darker-skinned character doesn’t automatically make the story a racial allegory.
If we start assuming that every difference in skin tone, social status, or character dynamic is inherently racist without looking at how the story actually develops its characters, then we’re ignoring the context of the work itself.
This is genuinely one of the most beautiful and well-written stories I’ve ever read. If there’s one author I’d trust to handle her characters thoughtfully, it’s her.