Well, that was dissapointing.
I give it 2.5 stars, because it has such potential but the ending went completely downhill.
This review will be split into three parts.
Part One: The election
I really really like the first issue. I would give it a 4 stars and I was hoping the rest would be as good. The characters' face were pretty good (which was a complaint I had with Turf War where the faces were drawn odd). Visually good, the main characters are pretty consistant with their appearance/personnality in the tv show, Korra+Asami are a great couple and it's nice that the comics expend on that.
However there are also a fair share of questionable stuff.
Then we see Kuvira. First, why she in a cave? The bad lotus people were all kept in prisons that were designed for them, to prevent them from using their bending. Zaheer was in an underground rock cave because he's an AIRBENDER. Kuvira is a powerful, dangerous individual and she is chained alone in a private cell, so it makes sense that they would design a cell specifically for her. But she's a freaking EARTHBENDER!?!?! And a metal bender! Why chain her with metal on a metal disc in a cave made of rocks???? Also the "we gotta bring mean lady with us on a quest because only she can help us" has already been used in The Search and it didn't end well.
And then Korra's like "hey guys can I bring Kuvira?"
Asami: "She killed my father."
Korra: "Please."
Asami: "You son of a bitch, I'm in."
Ok but then they get to the election and Guan shows up with big army, Kuvira tries to 1v1 him but he's smart and then PLOT TWIST he wants to put his name up as a candidate in the election!?!? Really? And he says he wants to appoint Earth Empire candidate in all the other provinces and recreate the Earth Empire diplomatically!? I gotta say, I was not expecting that (even if in hindsight it's a logical plot direction) and I was pleasantly suprised!!
Oh boy I can't wait to see what direction this story is going to take!
Part 2: ...there's always a but...
Guan wants to join the election as a candidate? This is a very interesting turn of event and I can't wait to read the rest! The readers knows all about the bad things that were done by the Earth Empire, yet it could be possible to construct a story whereas the Earth Empire could have legitimate arguments in favor of their election, even today there are fringe authocratic parties that can manage to get seats in democratic elections around the world using populist rhetoric that can appeal to some people. The mongols under Genghis Khan were a ruthless empire that massacred neighbouring countries by the million, but inside their territory there was so much peace and prosperity that it was said that a lonesome girl could walk from one end of the Empire to the other (if you know how immense the mongol empire was, you'll know that is one long-ass walk) without being attacked by bandit because the country was that secure. The nazi party gained power in Germany democraticly (at first) by appealing to a people that was still suffering from the backlash of the first world war and going through a tough financial depression.
What makes this storyline so interesting is that we know that in real life, authocratic government can be (and have been) elected through democratic process.
Reeling from the assassinations, wars and destruction that happened not long ago, the Earth Kingdom was still not back on its feet and the Earth Empire could have argued that a strong firm hand was better to bring peace and prosperity in the Kingdom, and it would be scary to see Korra trying to argue with a wannabe dictator that her way is better, that compassion and freedom is more important than stability and prosperity, or maybe Team Avatar and co. could argue that the Earth Empire wouldn't actually bring prosperity for, reasons, I don't know, maybe the writers have smart political commentary to dole out and-
Oh it's mind control. That's it. The Earth Empire's plan is just: brainwash everyone.
You know, when Legend of Korra came out, the cast of characters were all olders than the Gaang and some people thought that this would signify that the story would be more adult. Don't get me wrong, I love the last airbender, it's one of my favorite show ever, but one thing I liked about Korra was that it allowed itself to visit more mature themes. So when a fringe authocratic political party forms in an unstable region, pardon me for expecting something smarter than "and then they brainwashed everyone with magnets."
I love Toph, but the political debate between "this character is a character you love and cherish from the first series, while this character only gets votes because he brainwashes people!" is weak and lame.
You could have USED Toph's candidature in the arguments of Guan, like "hey look the Avatar, the most powerful person in the world (and actually a citizen of the water tribes, not the earth kingdom!) is trying to appoint her friend as politician, how come we're the one being called power-hungry?" And that brings up interesting questions. Is the Avatar's nepotism more justified than the EE's democratic candidature? Jeez this storyline makes me so angry about all the wasted potential I'm seething.
Part 3: You get a redemption arc! And you get a redemption arc! And also you get a redemption arc! Everybody's got a redemption arc!
Zuko's redemption arc is one of the best in storytelling history and I think the Avatar creative team knows that because they've been trying to recreate it like 15 times in Korra. Tarrlok eliminates the antagonists of s1, Varrick becomes a good guy (sorta), Asami's dad becomes a good guy and a martyr, Bataar Jr switches back to the good side, and now Kuvira is now this tragic figure that is not so bad after all!
I wonder if the next comic they make will be about Commander Guan's redemption arc.
Kuvira was a bad person. She killed Asami's father and tried to murder her own husband, after subjugating almost a whole continent, I have no doubt that the Earth Empire left a trail of nameless deaths in its conquest of the Kingdom. I really don't buy her quick turn to the light side and the subsequent love she received from everyone else at the end. There's specifically a flashback that shows Opal calling her a stray dog to show that she had a difficult childhood?? What? Opal's not a huge asshole? Why you gotta bring her down to prop up Kuvira?
Overall, a dissapointment because it could have been so much deeper and smarter but it resorted to cheap tricks and rehashed ideas.