The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars Part One

Bought from the book sale shelf at the Wilbraham Public Library in Wilbraham MA USA. This was originally a library book in that library.

Title: The Legend of Korra: Turf War
Issue: Book One
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Date: 2017
Writer: Michael Dante DiMartino
Artist: Irene Koh
Colorist: Vivian Ng
Letterer: Nate Piekos of Blambot
Cover: Heather Campbell, Jane Bak

This is the official sequel to the Legend of Korra animated series. I haven't watched the show, but this was relatively easy to get into. Apparently, the show ended with Korra and Asami walking together into the sunset. Well, the Spirit World, actually. We get a montage of them having a bit of respite there before an angry spirit gives them the boot back to the world of mortals and mortal troubles.

Also, they're now officially a couple, so this story is really mostly a bunch of coming out scenes, almost all of which are sweet and adorable. We get an overview of how same-sex relationships are viewed by the various nations of the Avatar world. The level of acceptance varies quite a bit, and there is some tension about how delicately they want be about telling people, although it's pretty clear most of their friends already knew.

There is also a new villain introduced here, an ambitious gang leader named Tokuga who quickly rises in power while different political factions, corporations, and criminal enterprises vie for control in Republic City, and Korra tries to keep peace between mortals and spirits while also helping with the city's ongoing refugee crisis.

Tokuga is an effective villain, and the political challenges have the potential for interesting plot developments, but the celebration of Korra and Asami is really the heart of this book, and it's handled nicely.

Rating: 8/10

Avatar: The Last Airbender Volume 1

From the shelf of unread books.

Title: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Issue: Volume 1
Date: 2006
Publisher: Tokyopop
Writer: Bryan Kanietzko, Michael Dante Dimartino
Artist: Anna Kernbaum, John Lo, Louis Csontos, Monalisa J. de Asis
Letterer: Thomas Montalvo-Lagos
Editor: Zachary Rau

Full-color adaptation of the opening episode of the animated series. Katara and Sokk,a of the south-pole Water Tribe discover Aang, the last of the Air Nomads, who has been frozen in ice for more than a century.

While this sticks closely to the story from the animated show, that story is excellent, and these opening moments do a nice job of capturing the mix of humor and tenderness that makes this story so special. This is a nice introduction to the major characters, with the possible exception of Sokka, who is stuck mostly in the comic relief role. I loved seeing the beginnings of the connection between Aang and Katara, and the worldbuilding flows nicely with the story.

Rating: 8.5/10