by Michael Dante DiMartino, Irene Koh, Vivian Ng, Marissa Louise & Nate Piekos Avatar: The Last Airbender reviews: one | two The Legend of Korra reviews: one | two | three
The conclusion of Turf Wars pulls itself together and delivers an exciting ending, but it can’t fully make up for the story’s weaknesses.
Listen, if you’re here for Korrasami (Korra and Asami’s relationship) and only Korrasami, you’re going to love this – and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s wonderful and gratifying to see them actually have a relationship even if it’s outside the official series. The downsides of the story certainly don’t cancel that out…
…but because so much of the story doesn’t have room to breathe, Korra and Asami’s relationship feels similarly cramped. So much in Turf Wars deserved more – Tokuga’s half-baked development (along with all the other new characters), the rushed ending, the implications of a new spirit portal; not to mention the huge cast, most of whom spends a majority of time in the background. And yes, Korrasami deserved more too: while we get a lovely scene with them at the end, they spend most of this volume apart. The ending scene is convincing because of the three seasons of the show, not this last arc – so in a sense, it falls flat.
There’s still a whole lot of good here – Zhu Li takes center stage as candidate for president, and she demonstrates an innate political ability to do the right thing, but also ham it up for the cameras. (I hope she doesn’t retreat into the background next time.) Also, Bolin shows some promise as he leaves the force; Mako finally overcomes the weirdness of his exes dating each other; and there’s some great banter between Tenzin and Korra.
Koh, Ng and Louise’s art remains hit or miss. Some panels look like they’ve been taken straight from the series – and the colors also really help with that. But others look disproportionate or rushed. I complained about Varrick last time, and here his design is completely different. (Also, the cover is so busy and at the same time uninspired.)
So far, Korra’s comic book adaptation is like a raindrop in a desert. It’s doing so much good and trying to do so much in very few pages. Whether or not I keep reading really depends on how much I’m willing to put up with that.
by Michael Dante DiMartino, Irene Koh, Vivian Ng, & Nate Piekos Avatar: The Last Airbender reviews: one | two The Legend of Korra reviews: one | two | three
The second installment of Turf Wars feels like a classic in between volume – and that isn’t a compliment. The original Avatar series was a master at episodes that took their time, focused on character development, and slowly wove into the bigger picture (episodes that introduced Jet and Bumi come to mind) – but still stood up well on their own as singular episodes.
Unfortunately, this book jammed a whole bunch of table setting into a too-short volume that barely has time to breathe. Korra has triple the cast as Avatar, and the story bowed under its weight; while the dialogue and characters remain strong, there’s very little development apart from Korra and Asami – and unfortunately even that is slight – and Zhu Li, who has a very interesting new direction.
Korra’s villains always had trouble in the three-dimensionality department, but they all had some philosophical grounding, usually a radical redistribution of power. Tokuga is a new low – his plans for Republic City domination have no rhyme or reason, and while his corrupted body makes for an interesting visual, it hasn’t made him any more interesting.
Two other characters (and I miiight get skewered by this) who seem directionless are Bolin and Mako. They’re now police officers and partners, and their banter is always their strongest dialogue. But I don’t see any meaningful direction for these characters. While there are some third-string folks like Ikki who I don’t expect it from, these two deserve better. (I was also hoping for more Kya.)
Irene Koh is a great match for Korra, but some panels felt rushed and unfinished. This felt doubly strange since the volume was too short. Varrick especially looked strange, like his head was too big for his body. Because the story is rushed, it also feels like the art doesn’t give us the time to stop and enjoy living in Korra’s world. (Also, why can’t she illustrate the covers? This one is so uninspired.)
There’s no reason why this volume couldn’t have been twice as long. While I have issues with both series’ comics, Korra’s issues are far more frustrating – but Korrasami is what will keep me coming back…for now.
by Michael Dante DiMartino, Irene Koh, Vivian Ng, & Nate Piekos Avatar: The Last Airbender reviews: one | two The Legend of Korra reviews: one | two | three
*series spoilers for Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra*
After rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender and finally seeing Legend of Korra this summer, I was thrilled that her story continues in comic book form. This is a must read for anyone who was a fan of the series.
Korra was a more modern mature sequel series to Avatar, and regardless of which one you prefer overall, Korra took more chances on darker themes like trauma, complicated villains, and more romantic relationships. Korra and Asami’s relationship deepened throughout the entire series, but romantic feelings between the two were almost but not certainly confirmed when they held hands entering the spirit portal in the show’s closing seconds. (The creators since confirmed it was meant to signify a romantic relationship.) For 2014, this was still a big deal – and it helped pave the way for queer representation in animated shows like Adventure Time, Steven Universe, and most significantly, the She-Ra reboot.
Thankfully, volume one picks up moments after series finale…and I really wish we had another season to actually see Korra and Asami’s vacation and officially, finally, becoming a couple! It’s an adorable and genuine moment, and as they share how their feelings progressed, and now decide when and how to tell their community, feels very true to the characters. As a couple, they challenge and complement each other beautifully. And it’s so powerful to see them celebrated and accepted by mentors and friends, while also navigating the real possibility that the wider world might not be as accepting. (A mix of optimism and reality for today’s LGBTQ+ kids and teens.) And it’s important that Korra and Asami are central protagonists, not minor characters simply included for diversity’s sake.
It’s a shame that we couldn’t see this in the official series, but it’s also so, so wonderful to still see this next chapter – and not just in fanfiction, but as an official part of Legend of Korra.
spoilers this paragraph. We also learn that another character has been queer all along – Tenzin’s sister (and Aang and Katara’s daughter), Kya! YAY! Of course she figures it out right away; she congratulates Korra and Asami and even shares with them (and the reader) a short LGBTQ history in the Four Nations. (Also, Avatar Kyoshi was bi or pan? I believe it.) I can’t wait to see Kya take a greater role in the comics as a mentor to Korra and Asami – and maybe she has a partner and family we’ve never met too!
There is SO much to celebrate, even though there’s some bitterness that we’ll never see this in animation. At the very least, the first volume is written by one of Korra’s co-creators, Michael Dante DiMartino, so Korra/Asami as well as the wider story (more on that in a moment) is fully in line with the show. The dialogue, pacing and story is a pure distillation of the series – if you’re a fan, you’ll find everything you miss from Korra here. (And if you haven’t seen Korra yet, you have to watch the show before reading this.)
Irene Koh’s pencils are a little bit rougher than the very polished art on the show, but she still stays true to the show’s style and especially characters’ expressions. Frightened passersby, surprised gang members and others have reactions and expressions drawn right from the show, and Koh also utilizes multiple frames to show the movement of bending (there’s a cool one for Bolin’s lava bending). Koh also goes into new territory with Korra and Asami – and their tender looks towards each other are beautiful and almost delicate. Vivian Ng’s color palette is also spot on with the show, together the art feels like storyboards pulled directly from production.
While most of the volume establishes Korra and Asami as a couple, it’s remarkable how much DiMartino and Koh fit into 76 pages. In avbout the same pages as two issues, the team sets up a lot of issues, storylines, and new characters, including:
– New gangs and their leader Tokuga (who looks a lot like Sokka) – Desperate evacuees from Kuvira’s destruction in Republic City (Zhu Li ftw!) – Businessman Wonyong owns the land around the spirit portal wants to turn it into an amusement park, setting off angry spirits, some of whom are already unhappy with a new portal – Bolin is now a cop and Mako’s partner! – President Raiko is only focused on re-election instead of the issues going on in Republic City
This is a lot, and we’re reunited with most of Korra’s sprawling cast at the same time. DiMartino fits it all in admirably, and it’s nice to see that corrupt businessmen and politicians are still just as important to the world’s landscape as fun bending and villains. But overall, it may have been too many things packed into less than 100 pages – we don’t spend more than a few pages on a scene or new character.
If Korra’s graphic novels remain this length, it seems likely that many characters will get the short end of the stick, and it might also be difficult to really get to know the villains. Mako, Bolin, and Tenzin had very minor roles, and there are plenty more who only appeared in the background or had a few lines.
This concerns me a little bit because there’s so much the show didn’t deal with that could be explored in the comics. So many places to revisit outside of Republic City, including the spirit world. Too many relationships weren’t explored enough – we needed more of Tenzin, Kya and Bumi talking through their parent issues. Many characters stayed in the background including Tenzin’s wife Pema, General Iroh and Zuko’s daughter, Fire Lord Izumi. Plus, we never see if Kya and Bumi had families, and what about Sokka (and potentially Suki)’s kids? And there are so many unanswered questions about Korea’s connection to spirit world, and if she’ll ever regain access to her past lives.
Regardless, DiMartino and Koh promise a lot of character and action in this first volume, at the same (or better!) level as the TV series and that’s exactly what I’m looking for – it’s a high bar the two set in very few pages. This isn’t an empty money grab – instead, it’s a fully-fledged season in comic book form, and a labor of love from a creator who clearly loves his characters as much as the fans do. A comic true to the spirit of Korra – that’s more than enough.
Reading Art 