paused at pg 39

So, I realize I need to finish LoK before reading this because I need to know more about Kuvira. She seem like she had Korra on the ropes. I have only seen the first 2 seasons I think because everything else went to online, and I have forgotten a lot. I'll revisit this at a later time!

This continues the post-show storyline of Legend of Korra from Turf Wars, focusing on Kuvira. Now, I'm not gonna lie, despite watching Legend of Korra second, I have a much hazier memory of it than Avatar, and that negatively impacted my enjoyment of this volume. I didn't dislike it-- in fact, I liked it a lot-- but I think someone who actually remembered who Kuvira was would get more out of it than I did! I was too often remembering things after they became relevant (Toph lives in a swamp? Kuvira grew up with Toph's family?), not before.

If there's any fault to this book, it's that it's not really Korra's story, or any of Team Avatar's; it's Kuvira's. It's her decisions and choices that provide the emotional crux of the story. And it's a good story, too, about where your identity comes from and what choices you make and what new choices you can make. Kuvira is a sad character, and Ruins of the Empire does a good job of exploring that, as well as exploring the difficulties of transforming a society (something the Avatar comics have long been interested in). Michelle Wong's artwork is strong stuff, with a good sense of character and design. I liked this; if you were more into Legend of Korra than I was, you will probably love it.