Katara and Sokka try to hold their home tribe together as it faces divisive changes.
Created by Brian Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartinoCover by Gurihiru
Written by Gene Luen Yang
Illustrated by Gurihiru
Lettered by Michael HeislerAfter attempting to kidnap Katara and Sokka, Southerner Gilak leaves a haunting note for Hakoda: “Soon you will see the truth, Chieftain.” The vow leaves everyone on edge—including Katara, who remains wary of the two tribes’ integration. As Northerner Malina announces a partnership with the company owned by Toph Beifong’s father, her own brother comes forward with a revelation that shocks everyone. Have Katara’s worst fears been confirmed?
Mark Tweedale: It’s a funny thing to say about a comic called “Avatar,” but I’ve really enjoyed not having the Avatar around. That’s not to say I don’t like Aang—quite the opposite in fact—but I like when the series takes some time out to explore other characters. In this case, it’s primarily Katara, which is especially important because it’s interesting to see what she’s like when Aang isn’t around now that they’re a couple.
The thing is, as warm as Katara appears on the surface or first impression, she’s actually rather guarded. Katara is often in a state of conflict with herself, which I find makes for more layered interactions with the central conflict. I like the fire that simmers in her.
This is just my convoluted way of saying I’ve really missed Katara-focused stories, so “North and South” is very welcome. It makes this arc extra enjoyable for me.
Paul Lai: I have to admit I’m looking for reasons to dislike this arc, only for the stupid reason that no critic worth his salt can like every installment of a series, especially one that is a comics extension of a license like this one. If I were to conjure up such a reason, it might be that Aang is the crux of the series’ appeal for me, and his absence for too long leaves me wanting. But Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru grasp how a good ensemble cast requires a revolving spotlight along with routine maintenance of character progressions. Call me a broken record: this is working well for me, and I’m gripped by the story again.
Katara has always seemed more dignified than demure to me. That guardedness you point out, I read as a mark of her maturity. In this case, being mature means seeing many sides of increasingly partisan conflicts, getting in touch with what makes her feel uncomfortable and questioning it. I agree: I’ve always liked the character, and she just grows on me more with time. Her development as she takes center stage in “North and South,” with Aang tucked away, does give those qualities time to shine. Without spoiling too much, though, fans who might be lukewarm on a Katara-Sokka story needn’t stay away, as Avatar’s creators continue to reliably reintroduce our other heroes at the right time.
Another feat in my eyes is how credibly Yang and Gurihiru build from the world of “Avatar” to the future we will meet in “The Legend of Korra.” Various elements of that social and technological progression are pivotal to the plot here—industrial technology and machinery, modern political hierarchies (and their organized dissenters), and cultural changes among multiple people groups. An unexpected joy of reading this series continues to be how smartly it world-builds between “Avatar” and “Korra” eras.
Mark: The technology was one of those things that I bristled at in the last issue. I mean, the Southern Water Tribe is far from a hub of advancement, and even the Northern Water Tribe isn’t all that technologically advanced, but there was a very good reason for it. It’s nice to know these sort of details are being thought about.
Going back to the characters, while I enjoyed Katara, I wish I was getting a little more out of Sokka. We see a lot of the wisecracking, meat-loving Sokka that everyone remembers from the show, but there’s more to him than that, and I feel like this is one of those stories that needs to explore other sides of him. Given the turn this issue takes, I’m hoping the next issue will bring out the problem-solving and protective sides of his character.
Continued belowPaul: You’re right. Sokka serves only as jokey-jokey, fighty-fighty fixture here. Have Yang and Gurihiru really explored those layers in one of their four previous trilogies?
Mark: You can see a bit of it in “The Search,” especially as Sokka talks about his relationship with Katara. It’s actually one of my favourite moments Yang has written for Sokka.
Paul: I remember that, yes! That was another example of how I felt like Yang really caught on to the different elements that made the original animated series so perfect. And somehow didn’t just repeat them, but re-infused them in an authentic-feeling way.
I do enjoy the ways “North and South” continues making Sokka and Katara’s individual characteristics and the nature of the Water Tribe generally more complex. The main conflict of the story, one where a simple, rooted-in-nature culture encounters the contradictions and betrayals of the forces of “advancement” or “development” feels like it brings a great ambivalence to the Water Tribe, its values and character. It seems like a deep well of possibilities for the characters we care about. So I agree, there’s a real opportunity here for Sokka in the third act to reach levels we aren’t really seeing here yet, in how he deals with the Northern Water Tribe’s apparent aggression, how he handles his father’s romantic relationship, and maybe most importantly, how he interacts with the various internal tensions Katara must deal with.
Mark: I’ve actually really enjoyed the way he handles his father’s romance. It’s one of those areas where Sokka is actually more mature than Katara.
OK, we’re going to delve into spoilers now…
The latter half of this issue was a bit strange for me. It wasn’t bad, but there was a sense that story was pulling its punches. I’m talking in particular about Hakoda’s injury. It was a scene that was good, but after I finished reading the book, I couldn’t help feel like I wish he’d died there.
I know, I know. That’s a terrible thing to wish upon the characters, but the way things were playing out leading up to it, with Katara’s arms being chi blocked and unable to bend, it seemed like that’s where it was going.
Thinking about it later, the reason I wanted Hakoda to die was that death has always been a part of the TV series. They’ve always handled it in a very mature way. And I think it would’ve been a powerful way to push Sokka and Katara emotionally, especially since Aang came back. He has a way of grounding Katara, but I don’t think he’d be able to help her deal with this as easily if Hakoda had died.
I may be wrong, but I don’t think there’s yet been a death in the comics.
Paul: Such good points, Mark. Indisputably, the series has always managed remarkable sophistication without seeming “adult” in the typical senses, including how death is a real specter and darkness a real possibility. I feel like having Maliq take on the malevolent intentions of the North while Malina gets to embody an “innocent” colonizing impulse is another way that the comics pull their punches, as you say. Have a near-death, but don’t cross that bridge. Have an insidious betrayal, but have one evil face of it and another innocent one. I agree that it would give the readers a lot of credit to trust them to handle a Hakoda death or a more ambiguous morality.
Mark: That’s a good point about the colonization of the South. I think Malina could still have been played innocent-ish, while exhibiting colonial paternalism—’The South is ignorant, they can’t take care of themselves, this is for their own good.’
But, this story isn’t over. The pieces are definitely still in motion. I could easily see Sokka losing his cool in the third issue. After all, Sokka’s always been very protective of his friends and family. I could easily see his rage at the attempt on his father’s life drowning out his reason.
Paul: Yes, you’re right. I’m not prepared to render any judgments yet, as pieces are being laid for the last third (compellingly, I might add). In the meantime, can I just say, I love that what makes our heroes heroic in this story is that, while North and South divide, they stand in between? It’s not comfortable, but they can be torn and attempt reconciliation while the people around them become jingoistically factional and antagonizing.
Continued belowWe have yet to see how turns out, what can kind of rapprochement the tribes wrangle out of this dispute with many thorny and perpetual analogues in real life. And we have yet to see how the various characters, who Yang and Gurihiru have successfully made both archetypes and really likable and human characters, end up reacting to all of it.
But once again, I’m taken by how cleverly and entertainingly the team continues to mine the Avatar myth for great stories that are interesting, relevant, and fun. They’ve made the series too good to wait for those fancy hardcovers for me, and I’m afraid I’ll continue to “double-dip” with the trade volumes and collected editions too.
Mark: Ha! Yeah, me too. Actually, I’m really looking forward to reading the commentary in the hardcover. Yang always draws from history for his political conflicts in the Avatar books, and he always has so much more to say. Those hardcovers are really great for that.
Also, I’m interested to see how Aang figures into this conflict. There’s this that they used to do in the show, where there would be a town with some problem, then Team Avatar would come along, get involved and fix everything. This time though, Aang’s friends are deeply involved in the conflict before he even shows up. It’s going to be a lot harder for Aang to remain impartial this time around.
Oh, and this is completely off-topic, but I can’t believe I’m this far into the review and I haven’t mention Toph. It’s so great to have her back. She’s my favorite character, so, y’know, I was very pleased to see her.
Paul: We had to hold her back for the spoilers section, because that’s a very nice reveal. Part of that smart interweaving trick for ensembles I mentioned earlier. We should’ve not been surprised when one of the five or so main characters reappears as a central reveal, and yet I wasn’t only surprised, but delighted.
Mark: It made sense for the plot too. It wasn’t just a fan-service-y ‘LOOK! IT’S TOPH’
Paul: Haha, yes! Let’s just not have Iroh show up pouring tea to solve the North–South conflict, okay? But back to Toph, she’s a nicely sprinkled-in familiar voice in a sea of new characters we’re supposed to care about, so her presence goes a long way in making the whole oil-extracting enterprise feel organic to the progressions of societies between the Avatar Era and the Korra Era I mentioned.
Spoilers over.
Mark: I wanted to mention something about the art. I don’t about you, but I found the characters seem older than I remember them. It’s weird. Like the size of Sokka’s body in proportion to his head feels like it’s moving more towards adult proportions than it was in the show. This isn’t a bad thing, quite the opposite, but it was something that jumped out at me a few times.
Paul: I wouldn’t put it past artist-pair Gurihiru to introduce those shifts, but so subtly it’d be like watching our nephews and nieces growing up. Sometimes imperceptibly, but you look back and think what they look like in your memory, and it’s the most non-shocking shocker: people get older as time advances! I know exactly what you mean, and it adds to this subtle sense that we really are watching the march of time and change through these series. It makes me awed at how much territory Yang and Gurihiru have to work with, and excited that these “Avatar” stories could really go on for as long as they want them to.
Mark: Yeah, that’s true. Actually, it kind of had me thinking about the future of the series, because there’s a subtle shift of style between Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra shows, and with “The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars” coming in June, I think this sort of adjustment feels quite natural.
Or it could just be Gurihiru settling into drawing the characters in the style that fits them best. Either way, I like it, but after watching an episode of the show it’s very noticeable.
Paul: Thanks for bringing up the art of Gurihiru, and also for reminding us of the anticipation whetted for “Turf Wars” to come. In the book you one day write about “Avatar,” Mark, I can’t wait for a chapter about how the East–West hybrid influences of the story AND the art came together to make Avatar such a watershed. Now that Gurihiru’s sensibilities are popping up in all manner of American comics art (see: Gwenpool), what you and I enjoy in this work feels less and less niche, right?
Continued belowMark: This is one of those things that I really appreciate about the way Dark Horse, Bryan Konietzko, and Michael Dante DiMartino have handled the Avatar-verse’s transition to comics. It would have been very easy to get more people like Bryan and Michael on the books—comics are full of straight, white men after all—but they seem to gravitate towards collaborators that will challenge them or bring their own culture to the work. I think you definitely get that from Gurihiru. They bring a level of authenticity to the comics in terms of the design.
The same is true of Yang. He has such a passion for Asian cultures and histories.
Paul: Hear, hear. Wholeheartedly agree! Just one of those great things that I love Avatar for, and that I enjoy reading about in those marginalia you mentioned in those hardcovers. Artistic and representational hybridity, stories that honor various roots while maintaining a cosmopolitan flavor, and heroes who are real and likable for their humility as well as their strength. Avatar’s just what our times need.
Mark: Yeah, it is. So, I guess we have to put a score on this one. I’m giving it an 8. It was a solid book all round, one that I enjoyed immensely, but I felt the story was pulling its punches on a few occasions. This didn’t hurt my enjoyment at all, but it was something I thought about after I finished reading. I think it’s a mark of the quality of the book that I was still thinking about it after I read it too. It sort of sat with me for a half hour or so afterward.
Paul: I like 8. It couldn’t be any higher without concluding and while leaving so many cards unturned. It also keeps being good, when it would be so easy to drop in quality level, which I don’t detect at all. Yes, our message to its creators might be that in our modest opinion, higher stakes shouldn’t be feared. But at the same time, I respect how the story does more than world-building in the wide Avatar-verse. It’s world-complicating, and that’s how I like my narratives.
Mark: And now we begin the three-month wait for part three…
Final Verdict: 8.0 – A very enjoyable, though somewhat restrained entry.
