Azula is arguably one of the most engaging and well-written characters in the Avatar: The Last Airbender series. A sociopathic princess, she posed one of the greatest threats to Aang and Zuko, before she inevitably became the cause of her own defeat. But viewers have often argued whether or not she was a victim of her upbringing, and if there was any hope of redeeming her. So writer Faith Erin Hicks is taking on the challenge and seeing what happens when Azula gets a moment for true introspection, and if redemption is truly a possibility.
Which means there will be spoilers.
Written by Faith Erin Hicks
Illustrated by Peter Wartman
Colored by Adele Matera
Lettered by Richard Starkings & Comicraft’s Jimmy BetancourtA brand new stand-alone comics story from the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender!
Azula continues her destabilizing campaign against the Fire Nation and her brother, Fire Lord Zuko.
But after a failed attack on her latest target, Azula finds herself in a mysterious forest temple inhabited by a solitary monk…or is it something more mysterious? Azula must confront her past, and finally face her chance at redemption.
Written in consultation with Avatar Studios, the veteran team of Faith Erin Hicks, Peter Wartman and Adele Matera is back with a new story in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
While the Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series ended with a satisfying conclusion, the comics continued the story to close as many loose ends as possible while setting the stage for the eventual setting of Legend of Korra. Comics set after the show have included the search for Zuko’s mother, the struggles of rebuilding nations after a 100 year-long war, and events that will eventually lead to Republic City—so of course this includes Azula and her attempts to dethrone her brother.
While Azula is, by all accounts, an antagonist of the Avatar series, “Azula in the Spirit Temple” is primarily from her point of view. This puts us, as readers, in a position to see things from her perspective, yet in doing so reminds us of all the ways she’s flawed as a person (although great as a villain).
Story-wise, what we get is simple but neat. Azula is on the run, but constantly attempting to destabilize the Fire Nation, and pursued by Ty Lee. After driving away her followers through her callous disregard for their lives, she finds her way to a mysterious temple in the woods. There, she’s presented with dreams designed to bring her peace, but her hatred and loathing (both for herself and others) make that easier said than done. From there, it’s a conflict as much internal as it is against the spirit haunting the temple, as it’s never clear what’s real and what is an illusion designed to test her.
Writer Faith Erin Hicks does a great job capturing Azula’s character, from her threats to her flaws. From early on, we see many of her key personality traits coming through, including her tendency to use and discard people once they’re no longer useful to her, and the chilling threats she can make (and back up) to those around her.
In fact, this graphic novel serves as a great character study, showing Azula’s drives and fatal flaws. It explores what she truly wants, and how she sees the events of the story around her It puts her in a situation where she has to confront her past and her behavior, and gives her a chance for some serious retrospection. Then it provides an answer that is still very true to Azula’s character.
Now this is the part where we’re going to delve into spoilers, because it’s an important part of the character exploration, so read on at your own risk. If you want to skip the spoilers, skip the next three paragraphs.
Azula does not believe she needs redemption or forgiveness. She doesn’t seek or want it. Throughout it all, she is steadfast in her belief that the only one wronged and betrayed was her, making her the only victim, and that she was right and justified in everything. It doesn’t say that she’s beyond redemption, but rather that she actively rejects it.
Continued belowAnd that is great for her character.
It breaks from the usual mold of turning a character good or being too evil to change, in a way that is not only true to everything we know about her, but shockingly familiar to anyone who’s dealt with a narcissistic sociopath. It answers an age-old fan debate about whether a character can or should be redeemed in a way that stays true to all we’ve seen of Azula throughout the animated series, without falling into tired tropes.
Okay, we’re done with the spoilers.
Now let’s talk about the artwork. Peter Wartman and Adele Matera do their best to copy the look and feel of Avatar: The Last Airbender in terms of the general art and color style, and for the most part, they do a good job at it.
While the line work is a little thin, lacking the crisp boldness of the cartoon, Waterman’s illustrations still capture the overall anime-esque look and style nicely. The character designs are all very clean and instantly recognizable, and new characters have equally unique and distinctive designs that are filled with personality. Azula and Ty Lee get the most focus, of course, and they’re particularly expressive, which helps their personalities come through whether they’re given any dialogue or not. In fact, Azula gets some great looks of rage and self-righteous fury, which really help her voice come through.
The scenery, clothing, and set pieces all feel completely at home in the Avatar world as well. The eponymous spirit temple, for instance, has a great Fire Nation design to it, filled with detail both on the outside and inside that make it feel like a real place. In fact, the temple is in many ways as much alive as the characters themselves, and the scenery and shadows within help make it feel that way.
The colors from Adele Matera also match nicely with the cartoon, using bright and solid shades with a bit of volumetric shading to help add depth to the characters and settings. The Fire Nation reds and the blue flame of Azula’s firebending pop nicely, and the way fire and lightning light up the panels adds to the power of her attacks. Like the illustrations, the color work in “Azula in the Spirit Temple” really helps the comic feel like a proper part of the Avatar setting.
If I have one nitpick for the artwork, it would be for the fight scenes. That’s not to say the action is bad, far from it—each individual panel looks like a fine example of the bending or chi blocking techniques we’ve seen from the characters, they’re framed nicely, and they’re properly dramatic. The only issue comes from when they’re placed together, and the action doesn’t flow from panel to panel so much as it cuts from each moment to moment. We see a firebending punch at its start and finish, but we don’t feel the motion of the technique behind it, and for a series with bending techniques so strongly built upon martial arts, the lack is noticeable. Perhaps a few more action lines or afterimages of the moves would have helped, but overall, it’s a minor issue.
Nitpicks aside, “Azula in the Spirit Temple” is still a great one-off story to explore Azula’s character and whether or not she deserves or needs forgiveness and redemption. It stays true to the character, matches the Avatar art style, and is a great look at who Azula is and what makes her tick. For fans of the character, it’s well-worth reading.
