The world of the Avatars is one of the fullest and most vibrant worlds created in the last 20 years. Aang’s journey in the three seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender started out as a show for children and became one of the best television shows of all time (in my humble opinion). The Legend of Korra received a lot of flak for its portrayal of an emotionally difficult Avatar in Korra. That’s specifically why I loved it and her. Unlike The Last Airbender, it didn’t have the traditional three-act structure. Instead, over four seasons, you saw Korra grow into the Avatar we all knew she could be. In this final issue of the first Korra series in comic form, we see Korra take another huge leap forward, and it’s magnificent.

At the end of the fourth season of the Korra series, an entrance to the spirit world was created in the center of Republic City. Korra has spent the last few issues trying to keep the peace between the spirit world and Republic City, all while trying to stop Tokuga – the head of one of the local crime syndicates who was cursed to be half spirit/half human – from taking his revenge. When Korra’s girlfriend, Asami, is kidnapped by Tokuga, and as a major political election approaches, things get a lot more complicated for Korra, team Avatar, and their allies.

One noticeable thing is that DiMartino, as a writer, has become far more adept at letting the voices of the characters speak on the page when someone isn’t there to voice them. With the first Avatar comic, there was a little bit of a disconnect for me. That’s no longer an issue here. Not only do you hear the distinct voices of the characters in the written word, but his ability to craft meaningful dialogue in panel form gives us the fullest emotional experience that we could get from the unfolding story. Also, Irene Koh has done an exceptional job of capturing their essences in the artwork.  

The end of the fourth season of the show also saw Korra and Asami take hands and step into the spirit world together. This three-part story has not shied away from their homosexual relationship, and the final pages of this story arc brought tears to my eyes. The world needs to see more unfiltered LGBTQ heroes. My hats off to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko for continuing to expand this world and embracing diversity of all types while doing so.

Creative Team: Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino (creators), Michael Dante DiMartino (writer), Irene Koh and Paul Reinward (layouts), Irene Koh (art), Vivian Ng (colors), Marissa Louise (color assistance), Nate Piekos of Blambot (letters), Dave Marshall (editor), Rachel Roberts (assistant editor), Sarah Terry (designer)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
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