Racebending.com

May 21, 2013 • 285 notes • racebending

themelonlordapproves:

swan2swan:

racebending:

Just finished reading the preview version of this Free Comic Book Day comic about Mai by Gene Yang. It’s a good stand alone story that may change how you view the character, now that she is independent and no longer beholden to either Azula or Zuko.

Free Comic Book Day is this Saturday; to pick up your free copy head over to your local comic book store. The Avatar comic will be on the back side of the free Star Wars and Captain Midnight issue and most comic book stores will probably just display the Star Wars cover, so make sure to grab the stack and flip them over to show off Avatar cover! It’s exciting to see that the Avatar franchise is choosing to depict one of the series’ female characters, rather than say, Aang or Zuko.

This is promising. *envies forever*

I will not lie, I’m basically getting off work at 6 am and going to sit outside my local comic book store immediately and just waiting there until they open at 10 because I NEED THIS. IMMEDIATELY.

I’m from Europe, can someone scan this and upload this when it comes out? Would be great!!

Heads up! This comic is now available for free download through Dark Horse Digital. (This link shows the Star Wars cover, but the Mai comic is included in the issue.)

#mai #avatar #dark horse #free comic book day #maiko

May 1, 2013 • 285 notes

Just finished reading the preview version of this Free Comic Book Day comic about Mai by Gene Yang. It’s a good stand alone story that may change how you view the character, now that she is independent and no longer beholden to either Azula or Zuko.

Free Comic Book Day is this Saturday; to pick up your free copy head over to your local comic book store. The Avatar comic will be on the back side of the free Star Wars and Captain Midnight issue and most comic book stores will probably just display the Star Wars cover, so make sure to grab the stack and flip them over to show off Avatar cover! It’s exciting to see that the Avatar franchise is choosing to depict one of the series’ female characters, rather than say, Aang or Zuko.

#Mai #avatar #free comic book day #avatar: the last airbender #maiko

January 23, 2013 • 328 notes • feminspire.com

Avatar and Korra: An Exploration of Whitewashing and Empowerment

feminspire:

When I first saw Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA) on Nickelodeon, the first thing I thought was, “whoa…”

That was because the main character, Aang, had a skin colour that is similar to mine. Aang was not a stereotypical Asian. He doesn’t wear glasses or have tiny eyes. He has big eyes, like mine. That “whoa…” was one of amazement — because for once there was a character and a whole cartoon series that represents people of my skin colour and those darker than mine! Not only did the cartoon have representation I could identify with, but it is also a great series where the characters are not based on stereotypes.

But of course, awesome things can be destroyed, and racial identities can be robbed very easily…

Read the article on Feminspire

#Korra #avatar #whitewashing

January 11, 2013 • 95 notes • sea-dilemma

First Seven Pages of Avatar “The Search” Online!

sea-dilemma:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/donnad/avatar-the-last-airbender-the-search-part-1

#The search #gene yang #avatar #yang avatar

December 8, 2012 • 139 notes • swan2swan

swan2swan:

And the smash hit Avatar: The Last Airbender follows Mai as she deals with her broken heart …

http://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/1208/free-comic-book-day-2013

I’M SORRY WAIT WHAT?

Looks like it is set between The Promise and The Search! Also glad to see a FCBD title starring a girl as the lead.

#gene yang #the search #the promise #avatar

November 28, 2012 • 173 notes • pugletto

pugletto:

I’m selling sets of 10 holiday window clings for $12.00! Orders continue up until November 20th! Refer to this post for details!: [Click!]

#holiday clings #legend of korra #avatar #korra

November 20, 2012 • 130 notes • yellow-turbanfacing

Dear Everyone,STOP WHITEWASHING AANG

yellow-turbanfacing:

STOP WHITEWASHING AANG

I seriously cannot be the only one fed up with all the OFFICIAL whitewashing of Aang, never mind all the fanart of him. Regardless of the fact that Aang and the entire Avatar Universe are not located on earth, they are clearly connected to certain cultures (East Asian and Inuit/other Alaska or North Canada Native).

Aang’s skin ALWAYS has a hue. It is NEVER fully white because the people he’s based of off ARE NOT WHITE.

THIS IS AANG

THIS IS NOT

THIS IS AANG

THIS IS NOT

THIS IS AANG

THIS IS NOT

THIS IS AANG

THIS IS NOT

THIS IS AANG

THIS IS NOT

EVEN THESE ARE AANG

THESE ARE DEFINITELY NOT

I MEAN- AT LEAST COLOR THE ARROW RIGHT!

Aang does not have a milky complexion nor that lovely sky blue arrow. Aang’s skin ALWAYS has a tint to it- it is NEVER NEVER NEVER pure white.

In way too much of Nickelodeon’s official art is Aang completely whitewashed- in WAY TOO MUCH OF IT. Advocating and promoting whitewashing and the erasure of people of color to a target audience of young children is a surefire way to breed children who view minority erasure as an OK thing.

IT DOES NOT MATTER THAT THIS DOES NOT TAKE PLACE ON EARTH- THE ERASURE OF AANG’S REAL SKIN COLOR IS A REAL ISSUE THAT DOES TAKE PLACE ON EARTH. The universe of Avatar may not be real, but the show is- its a very real phenomenon that needs to get rid of its whitewashing. Aang is not the color of milk with some rose petals thrown into it. He’s not.

Furthermore, the culture he’s based on has to ENDURE this kind of treatment all the time. It’s not OK to whitewash Aang- he’s connected with them. The whitewashing continues and is ordained by every racism apologist that says that this is a nonissue.

MY SKIN COLOR IS REAL. WHITEWASHING IS REAL.

THIS IS NOT AANG NOR IS THIS KATARA NOR IS THIS SOKKA NOR IS THIS ZUKO

Hmm, never noticed the subtle difference between the official depictions of Aang and the promotional artwork for Aang. Seem to recall this happening to Katara on the official website, too. Why are the promo versions of these characters so off model?

#Aang #Avatar #whitewashing #racebending

November 11, 2012 • 120,912 notes • pugletz.deviantart.com

pugletto:

Casually emerging from the depths of sleeplessness just to cripple you with feels.

Click on the given source. It goes to my DA page and you can download it to see it as I intended for it to be seen.

#Avatar #Fan art

October 31, 2012 • 1,281 notes • etsy.com

avatar-addiction:

darlingarmy:

Appa - Avatar the Last Airbender - Cosplay Apron Pinafore

Available at (one ready to ship by Halloween <3 ) : Darling Army

If someone gets me this I’ll promo you/Marry you

(via masterarrowhead)

#now this is a halloween costume #appa #avatar #cute

October 3, 2012 • 5,479 notes • rufiozuko

rufiozuko:

Look who I had coffee with this morning. @maebirdwing & Jack DeSena #AvatarReunion (Taken with Instagram)

Reunion!

#Avatar #Dante Basco

September 23, 2012 • 70 notes • racebending.com

I know people had a lot of questions about the third installment of The Promise, the Avatar: The Last Airbender sequel graphic novel by Gene Yang. Racebending.com was given an opportunity to review the book before it’s release this coming Wednesday. Here’s the review—again, it’s our fan take on Avatar with a “racebending” perspective…

(NOTE: Our review does not contain major spoilers from part 3, but does contain info that might be considered minor spoilers, including images from Dark Horse’s currently posted preview pages.)

Aang also wrestles with the idea that stronger, more privileged Nations have and can still harm and oppress weaker ones. For readers of Racebending.com in particular, the Avatar Aang “fan club” plot line escalates to explore the issue of cultural appropriation. Aang is initially pleased to learn he has a fan club (which is comprised entirely of girls, a bit of a stereotypical oversight…) He grows distrustful when they begin to emulate Air Nomad Culture without any understanding of it.

The fans claim to respect Aang and Air Nomad Culture, but have also cluelessly appropriated Air Nomad customs. Yang shows how adoration, exotification, and good intentions can still inflict offense and harm. Is it possible for outsiders to partake in another culture, and if so, who dictates the terms of cultural practice? Racebending readers will appreciate how Gene Yang calls out and frames this issue, within the constraints of the Avatar world. I was glad to see the topic raised, since the outcome plays a role later on in The Legend of Korra, and there’s the additional meta-commentary of Avatar being inspired by so many Asian and Inuit influences. In The Promise, Aang begins to confront his position as the last of the Airbenders, and by extension, his role as the sole living gatekeeper of his lost culture and people.

You can read the full review at Racebending.com: “The Promise Ends” and “The Search” Begins!

#the promise #gene yang #avatar #avatar: the last airbender #aang #zuko #the search

August 6, 2012 • 139 notes • fangirlingforeverz

fangirlingforeverz:

racebending:

fangirlingforeverz:

Aang realizes it’s okay to kill people.

LOL THIS IS THE MOST LAUGHABLE I’VE EVER HEARD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. What in the hell is even going on in the Promise? Does Gene Yang not realize that this COMPLETELY INVALIDATES AANG’S CHARACTER AND THE ENTIRE POINT OF HIS DECISION TO LEARN HOW TO TAKE AWAY OZAI’S BENDING?

Uhh just read the preview copy of The Promise Part 3 that Racebending was sent a couple of days ago…and that is not what happens.

Ah, so did we jump to conclusions off of false information?

Without giving away too much in the spoilers department…the debate over whether or not killing is okay (and who it is okay to kill) has been a core theme of “The Promise” just as it was a core theme in the last season of “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” I guess you could say that it is a retread of a theme, but I think when the theme is killing someone (this time a friend, on their request) it probably comes up a lot when you are the Avatar.

There are some definite conflicts and loose ends in this book that set the stage for “The Search.” I would say that the spoiler leaks are definitely exaggerations of those unresolved plot threads…

If folks are interested I can do a full review of the entire trilogy. Or, even collect questions and do an interview with Gene Yang? I’m kind of wincing reading the harsh comments on the leaks (whoever is leaking them like that is not following Dark Horse’s review policy…) I feel that part three was the strongest part of the series and brought a lot together.

#Gene Yang #the Promise #Avatar

July 21, 2012 • 89 notes

Signal Boosting for Stolen Avatar Poster

My car was broken into today (7/21) at a mall in Orange County, CA and a poster I got signed at San Diego ComicCon (and was going to give to my younger brother) was stolen.

It’s the one of the old Gaang that reads “old friends” and it was signed by Bryke, Joaquim, Ryu, and Gurihuru. (Different from the ones that were from the first signing with the signatures from the actors.) If you see it on eBay coming out of a city in Southern California please let me know so I can get the police detective to follow up. (Especially if the seller is also selling a signed copy of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe or a GPS.)

My brother and I are pretty bummed that the poster is gone but at least no one was hurt. If you see the poster on eBay, please message me and let me know! Thank you! -Marissa

#Avatar #Bryke #Korra #Korra Nation #Please keep an eye out #Bryan konietzko #Legend of korra #Mike DiMartino #Comic Con #Charles Yu #Gurihiru

July 12, 2012 • 378 notes • fierymonk.deviantart.com

I don’t claim to be an expert on Chinese or Asian culture, but I can assure you we took great caution to make sure the show felt right. Yes, it’s a make-believe land, but we were clearly borrowing from a lot of Asian tradition and mythos (and of course inuit culture, and …even Star Wars). Our worst fear was that the show would come across offensive, either blatantly or unintentionally.

That’s what makes the casting on the Airbender movie so embarrassing. It completely undid all the care we put it into the cartoon.

Make no mistake, I’m not writing this to bash M. Night. For all I know, it may not have even been his call to cast white people in the prominent roles of the film. You’d be surprised how subservient even big name directors are in this business. If his superiors insisted that an asian cast would equal a lower box office performance, there’s not a lot you can do to protest short of walking away from the project. Believe me, I’ve been there on a much smaller scale myself. It happens all the time.

I’m excited that the Avatar universe is back in the right hands. I’m relieved that Mike and Bryan are telling the story of heroic, female character with brown skin - character traits that toy companies normally shun in fear of low toy sales (“But girl characters are hard enough to sell - and now you want to make her black??”) Way to break all the rules, guys! I hope the show KICKS ASS.

Giancarlo Volpe, January 29th, 2012

#Korra #Racebending #Avatar

April 16, 2012 • 147 notes • racebending.com

If I’m honest, I’m a little bothered about the main antagonists being called the Equalists. I’m thinking about everything that’s going on with backlash against affirmative action, hostility toward immigrants of colour, and extreme inequality in POC representation in the mainstream media.

These “Equalists” view bending as an unearned privilege, similar to how anti-oppression activists view for example white privilege, do they not? I’m experiencing some cognitive dissonance about trying to lessen unearned privilege in real life but at the same time rooting for the demise of an imaginary group which espouses the same beliefs as me…Might some viewers take this to mean the show is pro- white/male/etc. privilege and against equality?

I mean, if benders have distinct economic/social/opportunity-related advantages in Republic City then their privilege would depend on the (maybe subtle) oppression of nonbenders and it would need to be lessened. The way the benders in Republic City are presented so far (non benders complaining about things benders supposedly can’t help) mirrors the attitudes of many people who claim that whites/men are oppressed now and they suffer from “reverse race/sexism.”

I just think equality, which is something we strive for, is a dangerous concept to associate with villains on a tv show…But it would be great if the Equalists are not really villains and Korra has to learn to confront her privilege as a bender in a society where benders have advantages. I doubt that though…For some reason I think TV executives won’t like that angle.”

Thought provoking comment left by Kaiya on Racebending.com’s Annotated Korra! Episodes 1 and 2 article. What do you think?

#Korra #Legend of korra #Equalists #Anti-oppression #Bryan Konietzko #Avatar #Amon