Sunday, 9 September 2018
September 2018 Update
Quite a lot will be happening in the next week or so, and I'm not sure if I'll have enough time to read. Reading novels and comics, watching diverse films, and real, personal life (including learning to drive at last); I feel overwhelmed sometimes. But I'll try my best, as always. The future's the future, and I have control over mine. I make the decisions. I'll stay positive, no matter what. Love to everyone here :)
I just saw 'The Miseducation of Cameron Post' on a complete whim, unsure if I was going to just be spontaneous today. I'm so glad I did. It's like a less-comedic 'But I'm a Cheerleader', and done much better. 'Cameron Post' is a lovely and important film; beautiful and near perfect, except that it really should have been set in the present day instead of the early '90s. As the horror that is gay conversion therapy is still happening. It's dehumanizing, disgusting, and appalling. It kills queer children. I'll have more to say about the film in the future. For now I'll say: Just see it. It is worth your time and money.
Saturday, 8 September 2018
Scribble #80
Schools, playgrounds, clubs, cliques, fanbases, parties, etc. - inevitably, more than not, are full of kids and entitled, overemotional man-and-women-children being cruel to anyone who is not of their often-elitist group. If they are not ignoring "the Other", they impose on them, take advantage of them, make a show of breathing down their necks in order to incite fear and therefore control over them, make them feel small and weak and powerless. Scared. Silenced. To keep the social power to themselves. A lot of higher-ups - or to be apt, attention seekers always wanting more - achieve this through fear-mongering, lies, making nasty, ignorant, childish comments and threats, playing mind games, and even physical pushing and beating. They have one leader, a single representing "personality", who thrives on making others, including those in his circle, appear weak and ineffectual in order to make himself appear big, strong and powerful; all-knowing, always right, and almost godlike, so his ego is kept over-inflated. Yet he will never be satisfied; his thirst for power and wealth for the sake of it is insatiable. It risks destroying his humanity and decency along the way. So in his utterly selfish and entitled mind, being big and powerful means that he can do whatever he wants without consequence, because no one will challenge him; no one will call him out, overcompensating giant that he is. No one "popular", anyway, or too influential. "Leader" - or "dictator" or "tyrant" - is synonymous with "invincible" to him. Dividing people, separating them, segregating them, making them feel beaten down, worthless, useless, and less than human, putting himself before others, only thinking about himself, demanding "respect" (meaning: fear of him), desperately wanting to make himself appear immortal or like a god among his trembling peers, his underlings - that is how a poor, delusional, lonely coward thinks. It is near instability. Even insanity. Because he in fact fears his inferiors and what they are truly capable of more than anything else (other than his mortality), he will always try to justify his words and actions, make excuses; in order to keep himself in power. Unchallenged, normalized, it remains that way. Privilege is power, and a leader of that privilege - the only real virtue to him - will try absolutely anything to grasp it for himself, like his life depends on it (it doesn't; privilege, like everything else in social progress, can be shared widely, equally, and no harm will come of it whatsoever). Because to this "leader", might is right, not might for right. Keep the rich richer, and the poor poorer.
In children, this is called bullying. In adults, it's called politics.
In children, this is called bullying. In adults, it's called politics.
Scribble #79
In our current political crises, here are quotes to remember:
"Art dismantles power otherwise it's propaganda" - Cameron Esposito
"Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." - William Shakespeare
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” - J.K Rowling
"Art dismantles power otherwise it's propaganda" - Cameron Esposito
"Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." - William Shakespeare
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” - J.K Rowling
Saturday, 1 September 2018
Graphic Novel Review - 'Speak' by Laurie Halse Anderson (Writer), Emily Carroll (Artist)
Beautiful.
Adapting this classic and vitally important story to graphic novel form was perfect. The art by Emily Carroll - the blacks and whites and greys and sketches - is touching, haunting and symbolic. Symbols include rabbits, scared and frozen in headlights. A predator in its path. On its tail. A nightmare. That hurts.
And then there are the trees, every one of them with roots, that change with each season, that wither and break. But through hell and ice, they grow. They carry on. They live.
You feel freshman Melinda Sordino's pain and suffering on every page. She is an artist at heart, who thinks that no one will want to hear her speak, that no one will want to hear her story. She can't tell anyone what happened to her on that night at the party. She is too afraid and traumatized.
But her inner thoughts and words are honest, sardonic, and as sharp as a rusted knife. She may be fictional, but her experiences, her sickness, are not.
And yeah, being a teenager in school is a lonely, soul-crushing, unforgiving hell, whoever you are.
I've read the novel, and seen the film starring Kristen Stewart (that needs much more attention, by the way; I had to buy the German import of that DVD online because it barely appears to exist as it is). Now I've read the graphic novel version of 'Speak'. It continues to surprise me, and gut me. To make me see, and want to shout its message across rooftops until my throat is burned out.
'Speak' by Laurie Halse Anderson is a story about rape culture. The first in the mainstream to really expose it, all the way back in 1999. It is more relevant than ever.
More YA books are discussing rape culture now, thankfully. But how many of them are being adapted into films? How many have huge followings outside of the literature sphere? 'All the Rage', 'The Nowhere Girls', 'Asking For It', and many others; all succeeded 'Speak'. Yet not enough people - in high, privileged places, as is the tragic state of our failing society - care about them and their message that they will try to give them the widespread attention they deserve. To spread them around, because of what they are saying - speaking - and that is: the truth. A side of reality that everyone so desperately needs to hear.
No, instead let us have another YA romance set in a dystopian future (the nextfad trend after paranormal romances, which perpetuate rape culture) to bomb at the box office. That works.
At least important, life changing and saving stories such as 'The Hate U Give' are becoming top bestsellers with film rights.
'Speak' the graphic novel includes updated, contemporary details, such as teenagers using mobile phones, the internet, Instagram, and widescreen televisions. Attention spans are shorter than they were in 1999. There is a further endeavour to spread the message that rape and sexual assault are never, EVER the victim's fault.
That last page is wonderful; an artist's triumph. Even if I would have liked to have seen Melinda's issues with her parents receive some resolution, or the making of one. What about her self-harming? Still, she'll have friends, female and male, and support, and justice on her behalf (hopefully). I wish I could give out kindness and support to Melinda and every girl and woman like her, which is disgustingly, criminally too many.
'Speak' - by women, for women. Read it, hear it, see it, consume it how ever. Just know it, and other stories like it. That are like every girl's story, which she should be given the choice to tell. Given the encouragement, the support. The suffragettes didn't suffer imprisonment, torture, and even death for this. Treating girls as if there is something shameful about them - as if there is something inherently wrong about them - for merely existing, is inexcusable and despicable. They are human, not things to be used, abused, harassed, ignored, and disposed of whenever anyone likes. This is why sex and consent education needs to have top priority on school boards.
If stories similar to 'Speak' keep getting told, over and over again, then maybe, just maybe, they will be listened to and accepted more widely. The first step could be to renew and distribute the film adaptation of 'Speak' on DVD and Blu-ray, then make other films like it for a new generation.
Maybe some day, the feelings and experiences of women and girls will be taken seriously, on an international scale and beyond, and never exploited, to the point where it doesn't come up in conversations and the public consciousness to say, "But what if--?" and "Why would she--?" and "If she hadn't--" and "She should have known better" and "What did she expect to happen?" and "Maybe she asked for it".
Maybe, just maybe, we can defeat rape culture once and for all.
Thank you, and have a nice day.
Final Score: 5/5
Adapting this classic and vitally important story to graphic novel form was perfect. The art by Emily Carroll - the blacks and whites and greys and sketches - is touching, haunting and symbolic. Symbols include rabbits, scared and frozen in headlights. A predator in its path. On its tail. A nightmare. That hurts.
And then there are the trees, every one of them with roots, that change with each season, that wither and break. But through hell and ice, they grow. They carry on. They live.
You feel freshman Melinda Sordino's pain and suffering on every page. She is an artist at heart, who thinks that no one will want to hear her speak, that no one will want to hear her story. She can't tell anyone what happened to her on that night at the party. She is too afraid and traumatized.
But her inner thoughts and words are honest, sardonic, and as sharp as a rusted knife. She may be fictional, but her experiences, her sickness, are not.
And yeah, being a teenager in school is a lonely, soul-crushing, unforgiving hell, whoever you are.
I've read the novel, and seen the film starring Kristen Stewart (that needs much more attention, by the way; I had to buy the German import of that DVD online because it barely appears to exist as it is). Now I've read the graphic novel version of 'Speak'. It continues to surprise me, and gut me. To make me see, and want to shout its message across rooftops until my throat is burned out.
'Speak' by Laurie Halse Anderson is a story about rape culture. The first in the mainstream to really expose it, all the way back in 1999. It is more relevant than ever.
More YA books are discussing rape culture now, thankfully. But how many of them are being adapted into films? How many have huge followings outside of the literature sphere? 'All the Rage', 'The Nowhere Girls', 'Asking For It', and many others; all succeeded 'Speak'. Yet not enough people - in high, privileged places, as is the tragic state of our failing society - care about them and their message that they will try to give them the widespread attention they deserve. To spread them around, because of what they are saying - speaking - and that is: the truth. A side of reality that everyone so desperately needs to hear.
No, instead let us have another YA romance set in a dystopian future (the next
At least important, life changing and saving stories such as 'The Hate U Give' are becoming top bestsellers with film rights.
'Speak' the graphic novel includes updated, contemporary details, such as teenagers using mobile phones, the internet, Instagram, and widescreen televisions. Attention spans are shorter than they were in 1999. There is a further endeavour to spread the message that rape and sexual assault are never, EVER the victim's fault.
That last page is wonderful; an artist's triumph. Even if I would have liked to have seen Melinda's issues with her parents receive some resolution, or the making of one. What about her self-harming? Still, she'll have friends, female and male, and support, and justice on her behalf (hopefully). I wish I could give out kindness and support to Melinda and every girl and woman like her, which is disgustingly, criminally too many.
'Speak' - by women, for women. Read it, hear it, see it, consume it how ever. Just know it, and other stories like it. That are like every girl's story, which she should be given the choice to tell. Given the encouragement, the support. The suffragettes didn't suffer imprisonment, torture, and even death for this. Treating girls as if there is something shameful about them - as if there is something inherently wrong about them - for merely existing, is inexcusable and despicable. They are human, not things to be used, abused, harassed, ignored, and disposed of whenever anyone likes. This is why sex and consent education needs to have top priority on school boards.
If stories similar to 'Speak' keep getting told, over and over again, then maybe, just maybe, they will be listened to and accepted more widely. The first step could be to renew and distribute the film adaptation of 'Speak' on DVD and Blu-ray, then make other films like it for a new generation.
Maybe some day, the feelings and experiences of women and girls will be taken seriously, on an international scale and beyond, and never exploited, to the point where it doesn't come up in conversations and the public consciousness to say, "But what if--?" and "Why would she--?" and "If she hadn't--" and "She should have known better" and "What did she expect to happen?" and "Maybe she asked for it".
Maybe, just maybe, we can defeat rape culture once and for all.
Thank you, and have a nice day.
Final Score: 5/5
Graphic Novel Review - 'Angela: Queen of Hel: Journey to the Funderworld' by Marguerite Bennett (Writer), Kim Jacinto (Artist), Stephanie Hans (Artist)
...
...
Well...
...
I barely know what the Hel happened. And why.
But whether you know all about Marvel comics and its frustrating tie-ins, and Angela and her story, or not, or not very well, 'Angela: Queen of Hel: Journey to the Funderworld' is fucking epic.
The first comic I read to feature Angela of Asgard is 'Angela: Asgard's Assassin, Volume 1: Priceless'. I didn't like it. It certainly didn't entice me to read any other titles starring Angela, who I thought was so wooden, careless, and soulless a character that I couldn't see any romance for her, with another woman or otherwise. To me she seemed like a generic, scantily-clad warrior woman archetype, an edgelord product from the nineties, like the comic book medium doesn't have enough of those. (I was also quite surprised, in doing a little research, to find out that she was originally created by Neil Gaiman, and was an antagonist in the 'Spawn' comics).
But upon reading about the praise 'Angela: Queen of Hel: Journey to the Funderworld' was receiving, as the latest and currently final title in Angela's storyline, it sounded interesting to me. Interesting enough that I would be willing to give her another chance. Maybe the writing will be better, the characters more relatable and charismatic, and it would overall make sense.
The "sense" in this context is subjective, mind you. But what a roller coaster ride from Hel!
The action and set-pieces in this book keep going, keep changing, and the character interactions are consistent while remaining fresh and unpredictable. The artwork is fantastic. The Hel-ish monster designs are amazing, like Lovecraftian terror. There thankfully isn't too much dialogue and exposition-dumping littering the pages, in this fantasy action comic with an angels-vs-Norse mythology backdrop that pays homage to Orpheus and Eurydice. With a lesbian twist.
Really, that setup alone should entice you to read 'Angela: Queen of Hel', with not much worry for background information and collector's issues.
Just enjoy the ride. That's what I learned to do whilst reading.
There are many storytelling themes in 'Angela: Queen of Hel'. It's a treasure, a furnace even, for pop culture, literary and mythology nerds. As well as Orpheus, there is Shakespeare, and references to heavy metal bands, 'Game of Thrones', 'Scarborough Fair', and 'Final Fantasy' (they make sense in context... kinda, it's a weird comic), and Faust; where our main heroine, Angela, in an alternate reality is twisted into a demonic dragon lady and Faerie Queen named Faustia who also appears in a Shakespearean play, as magically penned by an alternate shadow version of her lover Sera (told you it was a weird comic, and that's not even scratching the surface).
I've never been a fan of Marguerite Bennett before, but her writing here is immensely clever, and covers and ties together a lot of intricate, subtle threads, in what should have been a pretentious, convoluted mess of a story.
The whole comic book is like a heavy metal album on speed, or a ballad on ecstasy, with a bloody, beating lesbian heart, as shown through the two leads, Angela and Sera.
Angela is an Asgardian and Odinson's sister, stolen from birth and raised by angels in Heven. She is a god and a princess, but speaking for herself she is an angel through and through. She is also known as the Hunter Queen, and Angela of Nowhere. Angela the dark warrior woman with the ribbons, who lives and dies by one rule: A deal is a deal, nothing is for nothing, everything has a price, and every debt must be paid. She is so fierce and fiery she would be intimidating if not for Sera to balance things out, in more ways than one. Angela is searching for the angel handmaiden who raised her, Loriel, who may not be dead and in Hel after all. But first, she is searching for her lost love, Sera, in Hel.
Separated for so long, and with Sera trapped in a literal hell, how will things turn out once the lovers reunite?
Sera is a dark-skinned trans angel (how's that for representation!), and a prisoner throughout her life who desperately wants to be free, once and for all, and with Angela for all eternity (I'm guessing they are both immortal, or are half-dead, or Sera was dead but is brought back to life in Hel...moving on). She wants the freedom to be herself, and not suffer in darkness and despair any longer. Her magic is as awesome as her snark, and innuendo. Refreshingly self-aware in a comic that needs it, Sera is bubbling with pop culture references; she throws them out there without being annoying, miraculously. She also breaks the fourth wall. Sera is like a POC femme queer trans Deadpool, and Loki. A comic relief (with so much depth) who is a cauldron of knowledge and party tricks. Plus she loves books! Overall, what a brilliant, surprising, if secretive, character.
While I may not know everything about the history between these two women and why and how they met and fell so deeply in love, the comic gets across well how much they mean to each other. Sera seems like the only person that the aloof and hardhearted Angela genuinely cares about, along with her missing foster mother, Loriel. Angela and Sera are like the Xena and Gabrielle of Marvel comics. Not my favourite characters in the world, but I'm glad they exist; mostly for diversity and positive representation.
Other characters include Leah: a handmaiden, a sort-of-slave like Sera, and a spirit from Hela's mutilated hand (this comic is super weird, yo), who seems superfluous at first, but she grew on me. She is the third wheel of the supernatural women's group to overthrow Hel. She wears East Asian attire, and acquires Loki's pet hellhound, Thori, on the journey. Leah, Angela and Sera become good friends to the end.
Hela, the current queen of Hel, most known for 'Thor: Ragnarok', is here, and a badass as expected. Meresyn, Angela's angel rival, first kill, dark past and trial, is another fierce warrior woman, who grows to become her trusted ally. The last few issues are a story where the women team up with Thor - female Thor! A bit disappointing that she doesn't end up doing anything, however.
After I finished 'Angela: Queen of Hel: Journey to the Funderworld' (the 'fun' play on 'underworld' is Sera's doing), I was exhausted. To say I was confused would be an understatement. Baffled, almost frustrated. But the more I thought about it (or tried not to, for my brain needed a rest), the more I loved the Hel out of it.
What I love most about it is that it is a weird, action-packed, passionate, over-the-top, totally out-there comic, like a lot of famous comics are, and it is entirely female-fronted, and female-centered. It is all about powerful women being badass and fighting for their freedom, defying gravity and the cosmos in their wake, and not giving a single fuck what any man thinks of them. They love each other. They would sacrifice so much for one another. They literally rule. They are not to be messed with, even in a mundane civilian setting. All in a genuinely well-written, well-planned and cultured story, written and drawn by women.
It is feminist. It is modern feminism, in such a fantastical context.
A line in the blurb says it best:
'To rescue her beloved, Angela must conquer this domain and rewrite laws as old as death!'
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Final Score: 4/5
...
Well...
...
I barely know what the Hel happened. And why.
But whether you know all about Marvel comics and its frustrating tie-ins, and Angela and her story, or not, or not very well, 'Angela: Queen of Hel: Journey to the Funderworld' is fucking epic.
The first comic I read to feature Angela of Asgard is 'Angela: Asgard's Assassin, Volume 1: Priceless'. I didn't like it. It certainly didn't entice me to read any other titles starring Angela, who I thought was so wooden, careless, and soulless a character that I couldn't see any romance for her, with another woman or otherwise. To me she seemed like a generic, scantily-clad warrior woman archetype, an edgelord product from the nineties, like the comic book medium doesn't have enough of those. (I was also quite surprised, in doing a little research, to find out that she was originally created by Neil Gaiman, and was an antagonist in the 'Spawn' comics).
But upon reading about the praise 'Angela: Queen of Hel: Journey to the Funderworld' was receiving, as the latest and currently final title in Angela's storyline, it sounded interesting to me. Interesting enough that I would be willing to give her another chance. Maybe the writing will be better, the characters more relatable and charismatic, and it would overall make sense.
The "sense" in this context is subjective, mind you. But what a roller coaster ride from Hel!
The action and set-pieces in this book keep going, keep changing, and the character interactions are consistent while remaining fresh and unpredictable. The artwork is fantastic. The Hel-ish monster designs are amazing, like Lovecraftian terror. There thankfully isn't too much dialogue and exposition-dumping littering the pages, in this fantasy action comic with an angels-vs-Norse mythology backdrop that pays homage to Orpheus and Eurydice. With a lesbian twist.
Really, that setup alone should entice you to read 'Angela: Queen of Hel', with not much worry for background information and collector's issues.
Just enjoy the ride. That's what I learned to do whilst reading.
There are many storytelling themes in 'Angela: Queen of Hel'. It's a treasure, a furnace even, for pop culture, literary and mythology nerds. As well as Orpheus, there is Shakespeare, and references to heavy metal bands, 'Game of Thrones', 'Scarborough Fair', and 'Final Fantasy' (they make sense in context... kinda, it's a weird comic), and Faust; where our main heroine, Angela, in an alternate reality is twisted into a demonic dragon lady and Faerie Queen named Faustia who also appears in a Shakespearean play, as magically penned by an alternate shadow version of her lover Sera (told you it was a weird comic, and that's not even scratching the surface).
I've never been a fan of Marguerite Bennett before, but her writing here is immensely clever, and covers and ties together a lot of intricate, subtle threads, in what should have been a pretentious, convoluted mess of a story.
The whole comic book is like a heavy metal album on speed, or a ballad on ecstasy, with a bloody, beating lesbian heart, as shown through the two leads, Angela and Sera.
Angela is an Asgardian and Odinson's sister, stolen from birth and raised by angels in Heven. She is a god and a princess, but speaking for herself she is an angel through and through. She is also known as the Hunter Queen, and Angela of Nowhere. Angela the dark warrior woman with the ribbons, who lives and dies by one rule: A deal is a deal, nothing is for nothing, everything has a price, and every debt must be paid. She is so fierce and fiery she would be intimidating if not for Sera to balance things out, in more ways than one. Angela is searching for the angel handmaiden who raised her, Loriel, who may not be dead and in Hel after all. But first, she is searching for her lost love, Sera, in Hel.
Separated for so long, and with Sera trapped in a literal hell, how will things turn out once the lovers reunite?
Sera is a dark-skinned trans angel (how's that for representation!), and a prisoner throughout her life who desperately wants to be free, once and for all, and with Angela for all eternity (I'm guessing they are both immortal, or are half-dead, or Sera was dead but is brought back to life in Hel...moving on). She wants the freedom to be herself, and not suffer in darkness and despair any longer. Her magic is as awesome as her snark, and innuendo. Refreshingly self-aware in a comic that needs it, Sera is bubbling with pop culture references; she throws them out there without being annoying, miraculously. She also breaks the fourth wall. Sera is like a POC femme queer trans Deadpool, and Loki. A comic relief (with so much depth) who is a cauldron of knowledge and party tricks. Plus she loves books! Overall, what a brilliant, surprising, if secretive, character.
While I may not know everything about the history between these two women and why and how they met and fell so deeply in love, the comic gets across well how much they mean to each other. Sera seems like the only person that the aloof and hardhearted Angela genuinely cares about, along with her missing foster mother, Loriel. Angela and Sera are like the Xena and Gabrielle of Marvel comics. Not my favourite characters in the world, but I'm glad they exist; mostly for diversity and positive representation.
Other characters include Leah: a handmaiden, a sort-of-slave like Sera, and a spirit from Hela's mutilated hand (this comic is super weird, yo), who seems superfluous at first, but she grew on me. She is the third wheel of the supernatural women's group to overthrow Hel. She wears East Asian attire, and acquires Loki's pet hellhound, Thori, on the journey. Leah, Angela and Sera become good friends to the end.
Hela, the current queen of Hel, most known for 'Thor: Ragnarok', is here, and a badass as expected. Meresyn, Angela's angel rival, first kill, dark past and trial, is another fierce warrior woman, who grows to become her trusted ally. The last few issues are a story where the women team up with Thor - female Thor! A bit disappointing that she doesn't end up doing anything, however.
After I finished 'Angela: Queen of Hel: Journey to the Funderworld' (the 'fun' play on 'underworld' is Sera's doing), I was exhausted. To say I was confused would be an understatement. Baffled, almost frustrated. But the more I thought about it (or tried not to, for my brain needed a rest), the more I loved the Hel out of it.
What I love most about it is that it is a weird, action-packed, passionate, over-the-top, totally out-there comic, like a lot of famous comics are, and it is entirely female-fronted, and female-centered. It is all about powerful women being badass and fighting for their freedom, defying gravity and the cosmos in their wake, and not giving a single fuck what any man thinks of them. They love each other. They would sacrifice so much for one another. They literally rule. They are not to be messed with, even in a mundane civilian setting. All in a genuinely well-written, well-planned and cultured story, written and drawn by women.
It is feminist. It is modern feminism, in such a fantastical context.
A line in the blurb says it best:
'To rescue her beloved, Angela must conquer this domain and rewrite laws as old as death!'
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Final Score: 4/5
Graphic Novel Review - 'The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars Part Three' by Michael Dante DiMartino (Writer), Irene Koh (Artist)
What a wait! And what a conclusion!
Contains just the right pacing, beats, action, and character moments, all leading up to a climax in the spirit world. Not a battle, for peace will reign there until the end. Peace can reign anywhere, it can be shared, it can be achieved. Any people can coexist together, if only we all allow it to happen.
It is so satisfying to see justice served and happiness for everyone in a story such as this. Its popularity in mainstream pop culture gives me hope.
Without giving away anything spoilery in 'The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars Part Three', I'll say that I left this series proud of the women: Korra for her undeterred strength and resolve, faltering only when she realises how her decisions might overall affect others. Her talk with Mako, which I've been waiting for since Part One shows itself; revealing that yeah, he's cool with Korrasami - saying that it's perfect, and for once he's not wrong. Korra has a talk with her father, too, so that bit of sociopolitical conflict, concerning coming out to family in particular, from Part One does go somewhere, small as it is.
I'm proud of Asami for her cleverness and ability to think on her feet even in the most dire situations. She's as much of a badass hero as Korra, and they are almost in sync. Asami's past with her father, and her current and future business dealings, also come to light, though they are not explored farther than a single page.
And of course there's Zhu Li Moon, also as much of a hero as the two queer leading ladies, if not more so. She's a president desperately needed. The political overtones in the comic are unmistakable. Worth noting is that all of the corrupt political and business leaders are men; they'll need women, minorities and nonviolent peoples to set them to rights.
Special shout-out to Jargala, turf owner and leader of the Creeping Crystal Triads. Like a modern, independent Scheherazade, she's a morally-grey badass with her Jennamite crystal power.
I'm only disappointed that Lin Beifong and Jinora are not given their moments. Jinora barely appears and says nothing, and Lin has a small talk with Korra about Asami and that's it for her. I guess that inevitably comes with a miniseries based on a franchise with so many characters - some will be given far more attention than others.
By the way, General Iroh is in this, too. His page time outnumbers those of quite a few women.
But for those of you who are worrying about a lack of Korrasami in this, the last book of the series, do not fret: Through all the danger they are engaged in, in such a short comic, separately and together, Korra and Asami have their shining moments, their banter, their heart, their knowing one another very well now. The final page is lovely; a reflection of the final scene of the TV series. Only there is no ambiguity about their relationship this time.
'Turf Wars', in conclusion, isn't perfect. For its political intrigue and representation, it is rather simple ("It's for kids" is never a good excuse, respect your audience), and the preceding issues are not as good as the first, in my opinion. But the diversity and the message of peace, prosperity, and hope are akin to salving a deep and bloody wound on a society. There are no important story threads lost at the end, at least.
'The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars' is about female empowerment, and the power of women and men working together, and how positive that is.
I'll leave the series off with the slogan of my spiritual sister Zhu Li:
"Bring peace to the portal! The portal for the people!"
Or:
"--Too often, our differences become a source of conflict. But it doesn't have to be that way. Next time you're walking down the street, look up, say 'Hello!' to that stranger passing you by. Imagine what it's like to walk in their shoes. If enough of us do that, we might someday find balance as a society, and with one another."
Final Score: 4/5
Contains just the right pacing, beats, action, and character moments, all leading up to a climax in the spirit world. Not a battle, for peace will reign there until the end. Peace can reign anywhere, it can be shared, it can be achieved. Any people can coexist together, if only we all allow it to happen.
It is so satisfying to see justice served and happiness for everyone in a story such as this. Its popularity in mainstream pop culture gives me hope.
Without giving away anything spoilery in 'The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars Part Three', I'll say that I left this series proud of the women: Korra for her undeterred strength and resolve, faltering only when she realises how her decisions might overall affect others. Her talk with Mako, which I've been waiting for since Part One shows itself; revealing that yeah, he's cool with Korrasami - saying that it's perfect, and for once he's not wrong. Korra has a talk with her father, too, so that bit of sociopolitical conflict, concerning coming out to family in particular, from Part One does go somewhere, small as it is.
I'm proud of Asami for her cleverness and ability to think on her feet even in the most dire situations. She's as much of a badass hero as Korra, and they are almost in sync. Asami's past with her father, and her current and future business dealings, also come to light, though they are not explored farther than a single page.
And of course there's Zhu Li Moon, also as much of a hero as the two queer leading ladies, if not more so. She's a president desperately needed. The political overtones in the comic are unmistakable. Worth noting is that all of the corrupt political and business leaders are men; they'll need women, minorities and nonviolent peoples to set them to rights.
Special shout-out to Jargala, turf owner and leader of the Creeping Crystal Triads. Like a modern, independent Scheherazade, she's a morally-grey badass with her Jennamite crystal power.
I'm only disappointed that Lin Beifong and Jinora are not given their moments. Jinora barely appears and says nothing, and Lin has a small talk with Korra about Asami and that's it for her. I guess that inevitably comes with a miniseries based on a franchise with so many characters - some will be given far more attention than others.
By the way, General Iroh is in this, too. His page time outnumbers those of quite a few women.
But for those of you who are worrying about a lack of Korrasami in this, the last book of the series, do not fret: Through all the danger they are engaged in, in such a short comic, separately and together, Korra and Asami have their shining moments, their banter, their heart, their knowing one another very well now. The final page is lovely; a reflection of the final scene of the TV series. Only there is no ambiguity about their relationship this time.
'Turf Wars', in conclusion, isn't perfect. For its political intrigue and representation, it is rather simple ("It's for kids" is never a good excuse, respect your audience), and the preceding issues are not as good as the first, in my opinion. But the diversity and the message of peace, prosperity, and hope are akin to salving a deep and bloody wound on a society. There are no important story threads lost at the end, at least.
'The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars' is about female empowerment, and the power of women and men working together, and how positive that is.
I'll leave the series off with the slogan of my spiritual sister Zhu Li:
"Bring peace to the portal! The portal for the people!"
Or:
"--Too often, our differences become a source of conflict. But it doesn't have to be that way. Next time you're walking down the street, look up, say 'Hello!' to that stranger passing you by. Imagine what it's like to walk in their shoes. If enough of us do that, we might someday find balance as a society, and with one another."
Final Score: 4/5
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)