Suki, Alone

Avatar: The Last Airbender Comics #0.6

by Faith Erin Hicks, Peter Wartman (Illustrator), Adele Matera (Illustrator)

Even a Kyoshi Warrior can find herself in trouble.

Suki is captured by the Fire Nation and brought to the Boiling Rock, a grim prison in the middle of a dormant volcano. Separated from Team Avatar and her Kyoshi Warrior sisters, she decides to build her own community among other prisoners. But it's going to take more than an encouraging word to build trust among so many frightened people. Suki will need to draw on all her resources to do it, and even that might not be enough.

Enjoy all-new material from Faith Erin Hicks (The Nameless City; The Adventures of Superhero Girl) and Peter Wartman (Stonebreaker), with colors by Adele Matera. Written in consultation with original series writer Tim Hedrick!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Graphic Novels Comics

80 pages, Paperback

First published June 22, 2021

About the author

Born in the wilds of British Columbia, the young Faith frolicked among the Sasquatch native to the province before moving to Ontario at age five. There she was homeschooled with her three brothers, and developed an unnatural passion for galloping around on horseback, though never without a proper helmet (because you only get one skull). After twenty years of suffering through Ontario’s obscenely hot summers, she migrated east, and now lives beside the other ocean in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She worked in animation for a bit, and now draws comics full time. She’s not sure how that happened either.

Reviews

[eduarda]

I just added this book here and SUKI STANS HOW ARE YOU DOING????

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Details Suki's time in prison in Boiling Rock. The problem is there's not much new here. Some scenes of Suki growing up and then trying to get the prisoners to band together. The whole thing ends with her waiting to be rescued. It's not bad but ultimately kind of pointless.

[Lilah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't care less about Suki, but Kyoshi's short cameo is basically what I live for

Btw Suki in Russian means "whores", so when they dubbed atla into Russian, they changed her name to "Suyuki" lmao


* * *
Finally more atla comics!! And Avatar Kyoshi on the cover too?? Sign me up! 😊❤

[laurissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

so i gave this 5 stars because the avatar universe is home and i’m not gonna give it lower than that but at the same time…i expected more from this?

i was really excited to see some of suki’s backstory, which was so wonderful. the meh part was pretty much the time in the boiling rock, that’s where i expected more - like if there were just a few more pages it could have been better ya know? also maybe it was dumb for me to expect but i was hoping for more than one page of kyoshi bc i’m a simp.

BUT KYOSHIII HER LIL CAMEO WITH HER LIL SMILE I LOVE HER!!!! kyoshi best woman*

*however every other woman in the avatar universe is ALSO best woman

[joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been waiting all year for this 70 page graphic novel, and it did not disappoint. Suki is one of my favorite ATLA characters and she’s so overlooked. This book really remedied that! We got more focus on her backstory on Kyoshi Island and how she handled the Boiling Rock prison. The story was really good and had a good flow, even with the flashbacks. I really liked the art style in this one and the ending made me so emotional. Who knew kyoshi had a soft side? I would definitely recommend this one! Definitely one of my favorite ATLA comics.

[Brigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the flashbacks to Suki's life pre-show and how she became a Kyoshi warrior. I really wish it had been longer!

--------------------------------------------------------
16/02/2021
SUKI AND KYOSHI SAID GAY RIGHTS

(I'm so excited for this!!!)

[Alexandra Elend Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

“It’s a common mistake, coming to Boiling Rock prison and thinking you’ve made friends here. Friends would make surviving a lot easier. But you have no friends here. You’re completely alone. At Boiling Rock prison it’s every fool for themselves.”

Suki Alone was a really fun way to learn more about this wonderful character that has been hardly explored before.

Suki is most certainly a strong, idealistic, and kindhearted girl that, thanks to living in a close-knit community isolated from the rest of the world, learned the value of relying on others and with the company of her Kyoshi Warrior sisters had never been truly alone before.

Truly, more than anything, this comic is an exploration of what happens when you are stripped of everything that gave you safety, identity, and peace and what do you do with it. Suki may be a very optimistic person but she is a good vessel for this contemplations.

Her present story was, more or less, what I had expected it to be. What really stole the spotlight for me was the flashes of her backstory that we got. The contrast between past and present was well done and quite insightful.

Also, baby Suki is just adorable.

Overall, this is the kind of thing you read because you want to know more about a character, Suki, and not because it will add anything to the Avatar: The Last Airbender timeline or world.

“Working together can be beneficial for all of us. The other prisoners know that when we escape, we’ll do it together […] It isn’t about advantages, it’s about community. If we stand together, all of us have a better chance of making it out of this place. It isn’t about using other people to make sure we survive.”

_________________

This was just as amazing as I was hoping it would be!

RTC.
_________________

It's been a long time since the last time I read any Avatar the Last Airbender comics, and I have been missing it a lot.

So, when I saw that this little comic existed I knew I needed to read it ASAP. It comes especially well suited because I just finished a re-watch of the whole show.

Suki is such a fun character that we don't get nearly enough of in the TV Show so exploring more of her character is gonna be really interesting.

I can hardly wait.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 2 out of 5]

By kid's show standards, Boiling Rock is a pretty mean place. They get well enough across what the prisoners are going through and why nobody wants to be here. There's suffering and endurance and betrayal.

Trouble is, we knew that from the show already. We knew what Suki was all about, how determined and strong-willed she was, how steadfast with doing the right thing and helping people out wherever she went - she wouldn't be a Kyoshi Warrior, in charge of them and everything, if she didn't, after all. This comic doesn't tell us anything new, nor is it a very exciting or well-written story in its own right. Bit of a largely unexciting flashback, and an attempt at guerilla gardening going awry. That's it.

It's still not terrible, though. If you absolutely want to consume all the Avatar content, and/or if you're a big fan of Suki and want to see more of her no matter what, I'm sure you'll get something out of it. For the rest of us, skip.

[rachel, x · Rating 4 out of 5]

➸ Trigger warnings for starvation & food scarcity, imprisonment (theme) including solitary confinement and inhumane conditions, war themes.

▷ Representation: Asian-coded cast & setting; sapphic sc.

Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram

[*❆ Kαɾҽɳ ❆* · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a bittersweet story. It was nice to get a glimpse of what Suki would have gone through while at the Boiling Rock Prison.
I really liked learning about Suki’s childhood and her journey as a Kyoshi Warrior

[addie! · Rating 3 out of 5]

⁀➷ ★★.5
🩰

I’ll always be pissed that Suki wasn’t in LoK, she was honestly the best

[Dea꧂ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5

[cyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited for this since Suki is one of my favorite characters. I think my expectations were just too high because I was let down big time. The story was pointless. Suki tries to help the prisoners, gets betrayed, and stops trying. That's about it. Her emotional arc doesn't go anywhere either. She thinks she is not alone, after the events, for a moment she does believe she is alone only to get rid of these thoughts the next second. I still love Suki so I'll still give it four stars.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was short, thoughtful and excellent. Definitely a worthy expansion on the known story from the original A:TLA animated series.

[Marisha Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this!! So happy some of Suki's back story was included!

[ryan ⚡︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

12/9/20 - FINALLY, WE NEED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HER POST-ATLA! hopefully this can answer how come no one was mentioning her in LOK

[Elif · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Suki and this was an entertaining comic book. It's a bite-size story so it doesn't take much time to read. Suki tries to stay strong when she’s in boiling rock. It’s about her past, her life as a Kyoshi Warrior and trying to establish a community among prisoners.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my opinion, this is the weakest Avatar story. Suki is one of my favorite characters and I've been obsessed with Kyoshi since reading the 2 novels about her life. When I saw this included both as well as more of Suki's story in the prison, I was excited. Having the spirit of Kyoshi appear to someone other than the current avatar was really intriguing. In theory, this could've been among the best follow-ups to the series. Unfortunately, there are contradictions to the series, a weak storyline, and no satisfying end to the narrative. A surprising amount of this story involves growing beans and ridiculous conveniences. I wish I had nicer things to say, I still really recommend the graphic novels, this one is just a miss.

[Mark Rizk Farag]

OOOOOF I'M EXCITED!

[Sophie_The_Jedi_Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5

Ooh ooh this was good.

I love Suki's comic following the theme of "[character] alone," and the theme of being alone in this book is so good. This is a fantastic look at Suki's time in the prison and the ways she fights back, but there's a lot more here than just filling in those gaps. The flashbacks to Suki in her childhood, her training with the other Kyoshi warriors, and what leads her to break the rules set up by her people and leave - loved them all. It all adds a lot to her character.

I think ATLA comics, sometimes, can weaken the original source material. I've read ones that fill in the gaps in unsatisfying ways or have out-of-character characters. But this one was fantastic, and I liked the consistent serious air. There are jokes, but this feels better than the ATLA comics that are just one long string of goofs.

4.5/5 stars.

[. · Rating 5 out of 5]

[December 9th, 2020]: this is the food ive been waiting for my whole life.. thank U lord🙏❤

[Manisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Suki. And I love anything that has to do with the Avatar world, but, I felt like nothing new was conveyed in this edition. I understand that the story takes place in a moment in time within the third season so they can't mess with the timeline, but it would have been great to see something new.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice character study of Suki! If you're a fan of the character already, you'll like this. If you couldn't care less, this won't win you over. Doesn't really add anything new to the canon. But there is new queer rep in this! That was a nice surprise. (It's not Suki, don't get your hopes up.) 4/5 stars.

[Filip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suki was a criminally underutilized character so I'm glad that I got to read it. It sheds light on both her backstory that led to her meeting with Gaang again as well as her time in the Boiling Rock Prison. The art is good, in the style of the series. I really liked how Azula's mannerisms were reflected beautifully in the few panels she appeared in. And after reading this comic it's even more satisfying to see Suki kick the warden's ass.

Now she just needs to get some recognition and respect in LoK (and a life-changing field trip with Zuko, of course).

[Vinícius Sgorla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5

Quando as comics de histórias individuais de personagens de Avatar começaram a sair (sendo a primeira a da Katara), o que mais torci foi por uma história da Suki. Para o Time Avatar principal (Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph e até eventualmente o Zuko), eu acho até legal terem histórias individuais de cada um, mas pensando que TODOS tiveram um grande arco de desenvolvimento de personagem e são já muito adorados, porque não aproveitar a oportunidade e poder explorar personagens secundários tão bons quanto, como a Suki, a Mai, a Ty Lee ou até o Iroh? Então já é de se imaginar a minha empolgação ao anúncio da comic solo da Suki. Convenhamos, ela é forte, corajosa, segura de si, foda pra caramba, mas não há tanto desenvolvimento dela na série.

Essa comic alterna entre 2 linhas do tempo: a atual, entre a 2ª e 3ª temporada da série, onde a Suki é presa e levada à prisão Boiling Rock após ser derrotada pela Azula; e uma mais antiga, pegando a Suki ainda criança morando na ilha Kyoshi e observando as guerreiras, querendo se tornar uma delas, até os eventos da linha do tempo atual. Na prisão, Suki, sem suas outras amigas/guerreiras, tenta encorajar outros prisioneiros com pequenos passos e estratégias para se tornarem mais fortes e tentarem, eventualmente, escapar desse lugar 'impenetrável'.

Eu confesso que o que mais me agradou ainda foi a linha do tempo atual, porque o backstory da Suki foi... frustrante, pra dizer o mínimo. Sinto que foi mais uma oportunidade desperdiçada, onde eles "revelaram" apenas o óbvio. O intuito da comic de mostrar o passado da Suki foi puramente pra entender que ela é extremamente altruísta e sempre pensa na segurança do coletivo antes até do que ela própria, se espelhando na situação atual. Mas essa característica é óbvia pra qualquer um que já teve contato com a animação (ou até os quadrinhos de três partes de Avatar). Houve o elemento da amiga de infância que em um momento, quando ainda juntas no treinamento Kyoshi, divergem em aprendizados de vida e há uma certa consequência e resolução... mas tudo muito apressado.

Eu entendo que é uma comic de 80 páginas, mas eu me contentaria mais em então focar apenas em uma linha do tempo: que fosse então a infância da Suki até a chegada do Aang na Ilha Kyoshi, com um bom espaço pra desenvolvimento de backstory, ou então focado apenas na estadia dela na Boiling Rock até a chegada do Sokka e do Zuko, focando na construção mental da personagem, e os dilemas a serem repensados por ela ali dentro (talvez até levado um pouco na margem do 6º episódio da 1ª temporada, com a história dos prisioneiros dominadores de terra no navio -ahh, seria incrível!). No fim, foi uma mistura de tudo que acabou ficando rasa e dando a mesma profundidade à Suki que você conhece vendo a série. Ainda assim me surpreendi com o arco atual e dei uma nota 3.5, mas que se teria sido incrível se houvessem aproveitado a oportunidade melhor.

[Lizzie Hutchings · Rating 4 out of 5]

We love ourselves newly released Avatar content.

I love the idea of releasing content that takes place during the timeline of the TV show, and I thought this was such a fun idea - to get to see more about Suki and her time in the Boiling Rock.

I thought the messages of community and perseverance were strong and empowering. However, I thought the illustration style was a lot more different from the animation of the series, unlike the first few graphic novels in the series.

It was also really short - like I feel like I would have liked more substance with a plot, rather than just past and character work (I mean that's one of ATLA's strengths, so I'm not complaining).

Have a wonderful afternoon 😎.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

~3.8~
A V A T A R!!!
we love avatar.
this little graphic novel was very fun and I really enjoyed it. But I did wanted a few things fixed.
it wasn't long enough it really develop a storyline...and that made me sad. like no revenge or anything like that. i would've liked to see that.
next, as lizzie said, the animation was different than all the other graphic novels. if course Suki still looked good because she is a Q U E E N but Sokka and Zuko kind of looked like eleven-year-olds tbh.

but it WAS good! fun to get back into the avatar spirit!

have a good saturday!

[Anne (ReadEatGameRepeat) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suki has always been an interesting character to me - I loved seeing more of her in this comic, especially some of the flashbacks to as she was growing up and the decisions she made and it really showed of her as a character during this brief moment in time. It was a really fun dive into her character and showing some things that weren't really necessary for the plot of ATLA but were still really interesting to see.

[Trinh · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Nothing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning