‘The Legend of Korra’ (2012), the sequel series to the critically acclaimed ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ (2005), has officially received an order for 26 more episodes from Nickelodeon. The show’s huge viewership and steady ratings through season one, which premiered April 14, 2012, encouraged the Nickelodeon executives to give it another shot.

The new order for episodes will be in addition to the 14-episode second season, which is set to premiere some time in 2013. The creators of ‘Korra’ held a panel at San Diego Comic Con on July 13 where they showcased new character models and backgrounds for the upcoming season. The cast and crew for ‘Korra’ also showed up to answer questions and sign autographs for excited fans.

‘Korra’ tells the story of the 17-year-old Korra (Janet Varney), the new Avatar following Aang. It takes place seventy years in the future as she has learned to master earthbending, waterbending, and firebending, but needs to learn airbending to become a completely realized Avatar. Aang’s eldest son, Tenzin (J.K. Simmons), was set to teach her airbending, but he is called away to Republic City, a large city riddled with crime and tension between the benders and non-benders. Impatient, Korra follows him to the city and gets into trouble, but through her determination, Tenzin decides to let her stay at the airbending temple with his family and start her training.

However, Korra has a difficult time understanding that airbending requires patience, peace, and repetition. She feels frustrated with her inability to airbend and her isolation on the island. She sneaks out one night after listening to a pro-bending match. Pro-bending is a competition where benders compete to knock each other out of a ring and Korra finds herself in love with the sport.

She bumps into Bolin (P.J. Byrne), an earthbender for the Fire Ferrets, and he invites her to watch the match. Bolin’s brother, Mako (David Faustino), assumes Korra is just another one of Bolin’s many fangirls and treats her coldly until he realizes she is the Avatar. Soon afterward, their third team member quits and Korra volunteers to take his spot so the Fire Ferrets can compete in the championship tournament.

Tenzin discovers that Korra is playing in the arena and demands that she return home, but she refuses. She struggles to stay on her feet in the match, but then she remembers Tenzin’s training and eventually helps the team win. After seeing her improvement and her zest for probending, Tenzin agrees to let her stay on the team.

The main plot of ‘Korra’ is centered around the tension between benders and non-benders in Republic City. A mysterious masked man named Amon (Steve Blum) appears and claims that he and his followers, the Equalists, will stand up for non-benders. He demonstrates that he has the ability to remove a person’s bending, thus becoming a threat to all the benders in the city.

Furthermore, Councilman Tarrlok (Dee Bradley Baker), wants to hunt Amon down and secure himself as the savior of Republic City in the meantime. He and Korra butt heads repeatedly because of his misuse of the police force and blatant manipulation of Chief Lin Bei Fong (Mindy Sterling), daughter of Toph.

The 12-episode season ended June 23, 2012 and fans are still reeling from the action-packed, emotional roller coaster the show put them on. The season finale was one of the highest rated and widely watched shows on that Saturday morning and contributed greatly to the decision to order more episodes.

‘Korra’ is expected to return with a 14-episode second season some time in 2013. Don’t miss it.

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Nickelodeon’s ‘The Legend of Korra’ (2012), the sequel to ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ (2005), premiered its ninth episode, “Out of the Past”, on June 9, 2012.

Spoiler alert!

Seventy years after Aang and his friends defeated Fire Lord Ozai, Korra (Janet Varney) is the newest Avatar and is training in Republic City to master airbending with Aang’s son, Tenzin (J.K. Simmons). She is also friends with Mako (David Faustino), a Firebender, and his brother Bolin (P.J. Byrne), an Earthbender, and plays on their team, the Fire Ferrets, in a competition known as pro-bending. Right now, Korra and her friends are embroiled in a struggle with Amon (Steve Blum), leader of the Equalists, who has developed the ability to remove a person’s bending permanently. He wants to conquer Republic City and destroy everyone’s bending abilities. Meanwhile, Councilman Tarrlok (Dee Bradley Baker) has been waging his own war with the non-benders, thus butting heads with Korra.

In the previous episode, “When Extremes Meet”, Tarrlok wrongfully imprisoned Mako, Bolin, and Asami (Seychelle Gabriel), Mako’s girlfriend, and Korra went to his office late that night to demand that they be set free. When Tarrlok refused, the two engaged in a brutal fight and Tarrlok only won because he revealed that he is a bloodbender. He kidnapped Korra and threw her in the back of a police car, driving her miles away from the city.

In “Out of the Past”, Tenzin finds out that Korra has gone missing. When he confronts Tarrlok, the councilman lies and says that Equalists kidnapped Korra. When former police chief Lin Bei Fong (Mindy Sterling) hears that the Avatar has been kidnapped, she gears up and breaks Korra’s friends out of jail and joins with Tenzin to go find Korra as well as her kidnapped police officers, whom Amon captured in an earlier episode.

Meanwhile, Korra, who is trapped in a cage in an abandoned house miles outside of Republic City, heeds Tenzin’s words and meditates in order to figure out what the past Avatar, Aang, has been trying to tell her. She discovers that a vicious criminal named Yakone (Clancy Brown) had been menacing Republic City with his bloodbending back when Aang and his friends were adults. He was put on trial and found guilty, but then he attacked the entire courtroom and tried to escape. Aang gave chase and just barely managed to stop him by taking away his bending.

Bei Fong and Korra’s friends find a tunnel beneath Republic City where the Equalists are holding the kidnapped police officers. However, they find that Korra isn’t there and realize that Tarrlok lied. They free the officers and confront Tarrlok, who continues lying, but his assistant reveals that he saw Tarrlok kidnap Korra. This forces Tarrlok to bloodbend the group and run away to go ransom Korra off. However, when he arrives, Amon and the Equalists burst in to capture Korra for themselves. Tarrlok tries to bloodbend Amon but it doesn’t work and Amon removes his bending and captures him. Korra manages to bust out of her cage and escapes. Her polar bear-dog Naga finds her and takes her back to Republic City where her friends get her to safety.

Like the episode before it, this episode is outstanding. The dramatic tension between the new Team Avatar, as Bolin coined them, Tarrlok, and the Equalists, is executed perfectly. Everything builds towards a truly exciting conclusion and leaves tons of problems in its wake. Almost everyone got their moment to shine as they searched for Korra and continued digging for the truth about Tarrlok. Furthermore, the reveal that bloodbending does not work on Amon sent the entire fandom into a frenzy with wild theories about just who and what Amon really is.

It was particularly nice to see Aang, Sokka, and Toph as adults who still share the same level of respect and friendship as they did when they were children. The flashbacks manage to remind us of who they are and how they have changed while still giving an air of familiarity. Fans were especially delighted upon the reveal that Tarrlok was Yakone’s son, as many of them held this theory when they found out he could bloodbend.

This episode also increased the romantic tension between Mako and Korra as Mako was desperate to find Korra and treated her with an amazing amount of tenderness when he finally found her. Bolin told Asami that Mako and Korra had once kissed, so there will definitely be some emotional drama in the next three episodes that remain in the season.

If the preview for the finale is any indication, ‘The Legend of Korra’s’ first season will be just as awesome and heartwrenching as the first season of ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender.’ Fans are eagerly awaiting the finale’s one-hour premiere June 23, 2012.

‘The Legend of Korra’ premieres Saturdays at 11a.m. EST. Be there.

Grade: 5/5

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I hate to admit it, but Part 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise was something of a mixed bag.

In this issue, Aang and Katara are shunted off to a subplot, leaving Toph and Sokka as the stars. The main story revolves around Toph’s efforts to establish a school for metal-benders. Naturally, her students are a plucky band of misfits, including Ho-Tun, a chronic worrier, Penga, a spoiled brat with a crush on Sokka and ‘the Dark One,’ a boy whose eternal angst is reminiscent of Zuko’s girlfriend Mai.

A group of fire-benders have taken over Toph’s school, and if she wants to get it back, her students must duel against their fire-bending counterparts. Most of the issue is taken up with Toph’s efforts to whip her band of wanna-be metal-benders into shape. Sokka is principally there to provide comic relief, which he does quite nicely.

In the B plot, Aang and Katara (who are now officially an item) must travel to Ba Sing Se to meet with the Earth King. If you are feeling a sense of déjà vu, it is because they had to do the very same thing in season 2 of the TV show. But this time, the circumstances are quite different.

For one thing, the city is now host to a very enthusiastic ‘Official Avatar Aang Fan Club,’ staffed by a bevy of excitable young girls who have the hots for our bald hero. As they squeal in delight over him, Katara puts on her jealous face and the whole thing stirs memories of season 1’s “The Warriors of Kyoshi.”

Eventually, Katara is able to pull Aang away from his female admirers in order to meet the Earth King, Kuei. But he is a much different man from what we saw on the show. On the show, he was little more than a clueless figurehead; a puppet ruled by his ruthless adviser, Long Feng. Years of manipulation seem to have hardened Kuei so that he is now determined to get his way no matter what, even if it means acting against the Avatar’s advice.

The C plot was actually the most interesting part of the issue. Alas, it is also the most brief. Fire Lord Zuko is increasingly frustrated with the state of the world and he grudgingly seeks the counsel of the father he deposed. Their dialogues provide an interesting perspective on the nature of power, and it is cool to see Zuko struggle with his new responsibilities as Fire Lord.

Although the writers and artists have done a great job of capturing the Avatar characters (they did a great job with Sokka in particular), their decision to recycle earlier plot points made the issue feel a bit stale. In addition to the bit that was taken from “The Warriors of Kyoshi,” Penga’s crush on Sokka was similar to Meng’s crush on Aang from “The Fortuneteller.”

Not to mention the fact that the whole ‘plucky band of misfits get their act together and beat the bad guys’ storyline is about as fresh as week-old cantaloupe. The whole thing felt filler, but at least the third and final issue looks promising.

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Nicktoons premiered ‘The Legend of Korra’ (2012), the animated sequel series to the beloved cartoon ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ (2005), on April 14. The series takes place 70 years in the future from the time of Avatar Airbender Aang and his gang of friends who saved the world from the wrath of Firelord Ozai. Sadly, most of the characters except Katara have passed away but they each have family to carry on in their place.

Spoiler alert!

The Avatar is “the physical embodiment of the world’s spirit” and is capable of bending all four elements: water, air, earth, and fire. In the first episode, “Welcome to Republic City,” we find out the new Avatar is named Korra (Janet Varney), a Waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe.

However, where Aang was a cheerful, carefree young man, Korra is high strung and impatient. Her bending skills are excellent, but she lacks restraint and does not think ahead while fighting. Having learned water, fire, and earth already, Korra is set to be taught her final element, air, by Tenzin (J.K.Simmons), the son of Aang and Katara.

However, when Tenzin visits her home he informs her that he has been called back to Republic City: a settlement several miles away where benders and non-benders live in an urban setting. Upset, Korra follows Tenzin to Republic City and is blown away by the technology, rules, and the corruption she sees on the streets.

She stops a group of men trying to extort a poor shop owner and gets herself arrested by Chief Bei Fong (Mindy Sterling), the daughter of famous Earthbender Toph, one of Aang’s friends who helped save the world years prior. Tenzin bails her out and demands that she return to her home. Korra argues that Republic City needs her help to get rid of the crime and Tenzin reluctantly agrees to train her just outside of the city limits.

In the second episode, “A Leaf in the Wind,” Korra has begun training with Tenzin to learn how to airbend. It requires a lot of meditation and patience, which Korra hates because she is passionate and loves fighting.

Friction arises between her and Tenzin because she wants to continue exploring the city but he refuses to let her go until she has learned her lessons. After hearing a radio broadcast of a probending match, where benders compete in a tournament to knock each other off a platform using their bending, Korra sneaks off to Republic City to watch a match.

She meets Bolin (P.J. Byrne), an Earthbender, and his brother Mako (David Faustino), a Firebender, and both are a popular probending team called the Fire Ferrets. Bolin is cheerful and flirtatious, inviting her to watch the match from great seats, but Mako is serious and brooding.

Mako assumes she is just another one of Bolin’s fangirls, but when Korra reveals she is the Avatar he acts a little less cold around her. The Fire Ferret’s third team member quits just before the match that would put them in the championship and Korra volunteers to take his place, much to Bolin’s delight and Mako’s disapproval.

Tenzin overhears of her appearance in the ring and shows up, demanding that she go home, but she refuses. She struggles through the matches, but then remembers the training Tenzin gave her and helps Mako and Bolin win the tournament. Tenzin is impressed by her bending abilities and apologizes for being so hard on her and she apologizes for losing her temper with him.

‘The Legend of Korra’ stands up well to its predecessor. ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ has been celebrated for its excellent storytelling, wonderful spread of characters, beautiful cultural inspirations, gorgeous animation, and top-notch voice acting. ‘Korra’ is no different. The new time period provides many interesting opportunities for Korra and her friends to explore as well as new threats to test their fortitude.

Whereas the villain in ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ was Firelord Ozai, the villain in ‘Korra’ is Amon (Steve Blum), the leader of the anti-bending movement. So far, he has only been shown in promos for future episodes and is implied to want to take over Republic City to wipe out all the benders, providing a very real threat to Korra and everyone she cares about.

In just two episodes, ‘Korra’ has already proven it has the ability to go the distance. The characters are introduced well and have their own distinct styles to them. They carry the familiar air of the characters we loved in ‘Avatar’—Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, Appa, and Momo—but make their own mark in the world the generation before them made.

‘The Legend of Korra’ comes on Saturdays at 11am EST. If you loved ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’, or if you love great stories in general, make sure to tune in.

Image Courtesy of   The Legend of Korra

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The world of Avatar: The Last Airbender follows the life of Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Zuko as they try to bring balance back to the Earth Kingdom. Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water are together the four elements present in the Earth Kingdom and various nations rule under the banner of each element.

Aang, as the Avatar, has been fighting with his friends to end the tyranny of the Fire Nation. Upon the end of the series, Zuko was crowned ruler of the Fire Nation because Aang and his friends, among them prince Zuko, defeated Zuko’s father.

The comic is excellently written by Gene Luan Yang, who has received a Members’ Choice Award Winner from the American Literary Awards, along with accurate art and cover work done by Gurihiru and lettering by Michael Heisler. Created originally by Michael Dante DiMartino and Brian Konietzko, both creators were also the executive producers for the animated series.

The story takes off where the series ends, setting the stage for a two-part epic continuation of the Avatar universe. Efforts have begun by Fire Lord Zuko to begin a Harmony Restoration Movement to remove Fire Nation colonies that have settled in Earth Nation locations. Avatar has always been a story about relationships, whether this is between elemental combat or mental combat between people.

In “The Promise-Part One,” Zuko has risen to the position of Fire Lord, Fuler of the Fire Nation, while his father Ozai languishes in prison. The first of the many complicated relationships is certainly between Ozai and Zuko, Zuko’s youth and passion waging war against his father’s cunning and treachery. Even against his own judgment, Zuko knows that he lacks experience and thus seeks his father’s counsel.

Zuko’s relationship with his position as Ruler of the Fire Nation is also featured in “The Promise” as pressure mounts for him to be a good ruler. There are many who view Zuko as a traitor to his father’s strength while other’s still question his sanity. There is a sense of paranoia in Zuko’s restlessness which is not entirely unwarranted either as he faces assassins that are in fact out to get him.

As a result of Zuko’s push for the Harmony Restoration Movement, it appears that Fire Nation is once again on the brink of war while trying to restore balance to the Earth Kingdom. The relationship between Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang however, are the centerpiece of this two-part comic. The ‘Promise’ refers to one made between Zuko and Aang, on the basis that Aang becomes the safety net for Zuko if his position as Fire Lord compromises his goal to bring peace to the Earth Kingdoms.

Aang promises, on the encouragement of Katara no less, to help Zuko on the path to equalizing the Earth Kingdoms. This promise is put to the test when Zuko does indeed retract orders for the Harmony Restoration Movement, causing a fight to break out between the two friends.

The relationship between Katara and Aang is least complicated since these two are now closer than ever before. The power of the Water Tribe manifests itself in a strong protectiveness over Aang when Fire Nation soldiers attack Aang on the orders of Zuko. Her powers have grown, with her control of the water element becoming a strong asset to Aang’s own skill set. Whereas Aang is carefree and quick to anger, Katara is passionate and yet serene.

The Avatar: Last Airbender series, ending at three seasons and 61 Episodes, has won numerous awards and other accolades from various international organizations. The Last Airbender movie received mixed reviews, while the animated series has a huge following amongst animation fans.

Whereas the movie was denigrated for its actors and screenplay, the animated series has pleased fans for a very long time. “The Promise-Part One” therefore, thankfully, falls into the second category, surely pleasing fans of the series with not only exciting action sequences, but the continuation of the series greatest characters.

Avatar: The Last Airbender- The Promise Part One Trade Paperback is available for pre-order through January 25th at Dark Horse Comics here. Part two of “The Promise” won’t be available until May, but fans will surely wait for what appears to be yet another exciting continuation into the world of Avatar the Last Airbender.

This series will hopefully be able to bridge the gap between the end of Avatar The Last Airbender and The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra.

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