#alison wilgus

[hokulazuli]

Did a bit of a reorg last week, culling some books to gift and donate, and stacking up what I'm trying to read in the first quarter of the year. (Not pictured: all the audiobooks I have in my library holds 😅)

The World We Make by NK Jemisin

The Obelisk Gate by NK Jemisin

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

Last Exit by Max Gladstone

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

When Women We're Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

Messy Roots by Laura Gao

Destroyer by Victor LaValle and Dietrich Smith

Chronin vol 1 by Alison Wilgus

Knock Out! By Reinhard Kleist

MADI by Duncan Jones and Alex de Camp

ExtraOrdinary by VE Schwab and Enid Balam

Thirsty Mermaids by Kay Leyh

Ducks by Kate Beaton

[swan2swan]

I know you said the sources are unofficial but can you please let me know what they are?—the ones that suggest Mai may have helped Zuko in the aftermath of their mother's disappearance?

Oh, you mean when Ursa disappeared while Zuko was a kid?

This is old Forum Talk. Back in the day, when Livejournal thrived and there were individual message boards devoted to topics, you sometimes got little fandom discussions. Sometimes, you'd have people who talked to writers and crew members, whether in person or on message boards.

Also, you had some freelance or part-time writers who would be fans of the show would then be pulled into supplementary work. One of them was Alison Wilgus (writer on Kids Next Door, also, please don't go bothering her, this was ages ago, just trust me), and she helped co-write some of the comics for the Avatar magazine between Book 2 and 3.

The word is that there was a black, heart-shaped stone that Mai gave Zuko when he was feeling down (obviously, we can assume that it was probably when his mom vanished). He was supposed to reveal that he'd held onto it the whole time he was banished-- a cute little keepsake.

This was probably just a draft for the "Going Home Again" comic, and thus has no True Canon Power; something from supplemental information that Aaron provided, or that they brainstormed in a writer's room. They just wanted some way to show that Zuko was always thinking of Mai. But it probably became too difficult to justify him still having it after his whole ship blew up (IT WOULD RULE IF HE'D FOUND IT IN THE WRECKAGE THOUGH) and him going through all of his adventures...and it was just easier to have her play with Jin and express herself verbally.

Bottom line: it's a concept that could be canonized at any time, burt also may just be in the scrap heap with all sorts of things like Equalist Asami and....didn't someone have a sibling or something? Guy Toph, I guess, though that's more extreme.

Again, don't hunt 'em down or bother them. You've just gotta have some faith in me as a Fandom Elder. This is part of the writing process, part of fandom growth. Feel free to use it as fuel, though! Fanart. Fafic. Whatever you want. But overall, it's probably just deleted material that was considered to show connections and just couldn't be organically worked in. Would have added some weight to the end of the Boiling Rock episodes if we'd seen Zuko holding it--showing that he took it with him. But they kinda did a little too much ZK ship-baiting and leaned away from the Maiko melodrama (and I do think it was a little to the story's detriment, but that's My Opinion). This is all just part of the writing process, though...you've gotta find things to streamline.

It's also just easy to assume that Mai probably got closer to Zuko after Ursa's disappearance. Whether through hugs and comfort or just bullying him a little harder to keep his mind off things. Becoming a proper Nemesis. Who knows?

And that's just what I picked up. For all I know, there was a whole deleted plotline where Mai and Zuko fell down a hole or something. Did a Fire Nation Goonies. Again. That's writing. You gotta come up with Stuff and sometimes the Stuff doesn't Stick. Asami was supposed to hook up with Iroh Jr. in early drafts. Things change. Have fun. Life's short.

[book4air]

Social Media: https://linktr.ee/book4air

Showrunners: Ryoma Ishizuka Lucía Lobosvilla Based on "The Last Airbender Prequel: Zuko's Story" by David Roman & Alison Wilgus Published by Del Rey Manga Illustrated by Nina Matsumoto Additional Art Taylor Sameyah Kamen Randall Additional Writing Lucía Lobosvilla Voice Directors: Lucía Lobosvilla Anthony Rodriguez Composers: James A. Reilly Aneesh Kashalikar Ty Porter Head Audio Engineer/Mixing Engineer: Ryoma Ishizuka Assistant Head Audio Engineer: Sam Gabriel Line Placement: Grant Corvin Sam Gabriel Xuan Vinh Huynh Valravn Mixing Engineers: Luca Nando The TVBunny Mastering: Kim Morton Video Editors: TheRealizer367 (Walter Vitola) Astrid EV Curtis Creates Stuff Hazco Fox Ryoma Ishizuka Special Thanks: Book 4 Restoration Project Team Dark Horse Comics Nickelodeon Gene Luen Yang Gurihiru Aaron Ehasz Bryan Konietzko Michael Dante DiMartino Dave Roman Kevin Coppa Baby Lion Turtle Subscribers and you! Voice Cast Zuko - Cade Watts Iroh - D. Tyler Fultz Azula - Lucia Lobosvilla Ozai - Jakob Dillon Fire Sage Shyuu - Justin Cabanting Head Fire Sage - Christian Sekhanan Extras (Walla) Howie K Mike Medina Brianna B Lucia Lobosvilla Jakob Dillon Maia Harlap Sam Gabriel Iris V Nate Roberts Carmilla Jo Jazzy Oliver Francisco Hernanadez Kauthar Harrak-Sharif James A. Reilly Adam New Sirach Deen

[classicallassitude]

Chronin, Vol. 1: The Knife at Your Back by Alison Wilgus

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

With graphic novels/comics, it seems like either I can't get into it and then question the point of the entire medium, or I'm drawn in and enticed to devour it all at once. This one was the latter. I'm intrigued by the plot and setting (the best way to bother with historical fiction is through time travel imo) and eager for my hold on the second one to come through. With the art, I really liked how the panels allowed time to breathe, simple and spaced out. Character expressions, however, seemed flat or awkward. I also don't understand why either of the women liked Kuji to begin with since he only ever seems like a butt, or what Kuji's whole deal was with his history obsessions, why he cares so much about the antiquated factions of the conflict.

View all my reviews

[dewitty1]

Fantastic comic by Alison Wilgus at The Nib.

[shadow27]

I Came Out Late in Life. And That’s Okay.

On mourning the versions of ourselves that will never exist.

by Alison Wilgus via @thenib

[firstsecondbooks]

COMICS EXTRAVAGANZA: THE BLOG TOUR

Do you love comics? Or are you curious about comics and want to know more about them? Or are you irresistibly drawn to comics? Or are you and comics arch-nemeses? Then this is the blog tour for you! It is full of comics every day.

Follow along throughout the week for all-comics, all-the-time interviews and book recommendations from a selection of authors with books full of video games and space aliens and dimensional portals and murder and magic like Nick Abadzis, Landis Blair, Box Brown, Nidhi Chanani, Shannon Hale, Mike Lawrence, Molly Ostertag, MK Reed, Tillie Walden, Scott Westerfeld, and Alison Wilgus.

7/10 -- YA Bibliophile interviews Shannon Hale

7/10 -- Fiction Fare interviews Tillie Walden

7/11 -- A Backwards Story interviews Landis Blair

7/11 -- Bluestocking Thinking interviews Mike Lawrence

7/12 -- Book Crushin interviews MK Reed

7/12 -- Miss Print interviews Scott Westerfeld

7/12 -- Ex Libris Kate interviews Box Brown

7/13 -- Love Is Not a Triangle interviews Nick Abadzis

7/13 -- I’d So Rather Be Reading interviews Alison Wilgus

7/14 -- The Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia interviews Molly Ostertag

7/14 -- Adventures of a Book Junkie interviews Nidhi Chanani

Happy reading!

[comicweek]

SPX 2019 Panel - Queer Science Fiction and World Building

Science fiction has long been used as a means to address any number of society’s ills through the use of alien settings and advanced technology. Many cartoonists address queer-specific issues in the way that they actually create the foundations of their worlds. Critic and publisher Carta Monir moderates Hannah Templer (Cosmoknights), Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (What Is Left), Shing Yin Khor (Salvage Station No. 8), and Alison Wilgus (Chronin) as they discuss how their settings create explicitly and implicitly relate queer themes.

[torontocomics]

Debuting at TCAF 2017 - Science Comics: Flying Machines by Alison Wilgus and Molly Brooks

Published by First Second Books $12.99

Every volume of Science Comics offers a complete introduction to a particular topic—dinosaurs, coral reefs, the solar system, volcanoes, bats, flying machines, and more. These gorgeously illustrated graphic novels offer wildly entertaining views of their subjects. Whether you’re a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty-year-old with a secret passion for airplanes, these books are for you!

This volume: In FLYING MACHINES we follow the famous aviators from their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, to the fields of North Carolina where they planned to make their famous flights. Thanks to their carefully recorded experiments and a healthy dash of bravery, the Wright Brothers’ flying machines took off, blazing a trail for the airplanes, jets, and helicopters that would follow.

[minderrific]

KND 2x4 Technology Handbook [COMPLETE]

I haven’t tried something like this before so forgive me if the link is broken or badly organized, but I scanned this paperback (by the lovely Alison Wilgus) for fans who are curious but can’t afford a copy (I’m pretty sure it’s out of print, and nearly every copy I’ve seen for sale is used anyway, so I’m not intending to cause any harm or loss of profit to the creators by sharing).

I don’t know what the ToS is like or how much / if anyone will care I’m doing this so I’d suggest downloading instead of bookmarking. The files are .jpg so it’s not a bad filesize.

[DROPBOX LINK]

[zuko-always-lies]

You know, Aaron Ehasz, Katie Mattila(writer of “The Beach” in addition to being a staff writer), May Chan(staff writer for Book 3), and Alison Wilgus(a comics writer) wrote an official comic where Azula goes “my personal power doesn’t matter; only the will of the Firelord matters) and Zuko is puzzled by it.  I do wonder what the divide in the writing room(Aaron Ehasz mentioned there was one over Azula in general) over the idea of Azula being power-hungry.

[loopy777]

Well, we do know that Iroh was originally intended to be a villain who, on Ozai’s orders, was directed to teach Zuko incorrect firebending. Ozai being the younger sibling implies that there’s a story behind how he succeeded his father as Firelord instead of Iroh, and it probably wasn’t a very friendly one. So it would seem strange that Iroh would do that for his brother if they weren’t cool.

[continued] And the simplest way around that, to me, would be if the whole stealing the throne from Iroh thing wasn’t an issue in the first place cause Ozai was born first and thus always meant to be the Firelord.

Ah, I getcha now.

However, I don’t think the idea of Iroh betraying Zuko survived to the final script draft of the premiere episodes, if it even got that far.

Alison Wilgus, a scriptwriter for animated childrens’ series who helped script the Avatar comics that came out during the show’s run, said that Aaron Ehasz came on board late during the production of the first two episodes and influenced the character. I presume, at that point, Iroh’s voice actor and character design were already finalized, but we don’t know if the Traitor Iroh concept itself was still in play. Even if it was, then by the third episode, Iroh’s characterization was finalized, according to that quote.

The key question, though, is when Ozai’s casting and design were finalized. Was he the younger sibling even then, or was he changed based on the new direction for Iroh?

Personally, I feel that Ozai probably wasn’t changed. I think Iroh was designed to be old and short and fat to contrast with his brother, who would be young and tall and muscular. And, given that we know that Ursa’s backstory was never finalized before the cartoon even ended, I tend to think that the story behind Iroh not becoming Fire Lord was probably a can kicked down the road, to be addressed only when needed or as an opportunity arose.

And that was a good decision, if that’s how it went down, because they wound up not needing to explain things for that version of Iroh at all.

I know people like to harp on movies and television these days for not having details plans at the outset, but this goes to show why it’s not always a good idea. Plans can change, and often do, and it’s more important to have a consistent vision for the story, rather than the plot details all worked out, as well as a willingness to provide answers in a timely manner. “Change things up based on the complaints online” and “Resolve every mystery with three more mysteries” are much worse plans.

Right, X-Files?

(You all thought I was talking about the Star Wars sequels, didn’t you? :P)

[loracarol]

So far the guests have been (afaik) 

- Carey Pietsch 

- Alison Wilgus!

- Janet Varney (!!)

- Erika Ishii (!!)

- Felicia Day (!!!)  

- Brandon Routh (!!!!!)

- Rachel Miner

- Demi Adejuyigbe 

I’m forever surprised and delighted at how wide the McElroy’s friend/coworker circle is tbh 

(I’m going to be updating this post as more guests show up, for my own delight)

[trillscienceofficer]

Read this zine, you'll not be disappointed

[theteashopgirl]

The Dai Li are a terrifying bunch. Just don’t yell at them…(or they might cry)

(from “Going Home Again” in: A:TLA - The Lost Adventures. Story by Aaron Ehasz, May Chan, Katie Mattila and Alison Wilgus. Art by Amy Kim Ganter, colours by Wes Dzioba, lettering by Comicraft)

[serpentcast]

On this episode, we're talking wizards! We're comparing the magic systems of Brandon Sanderson's The Emperor's Soul and RB Lemberg's "Geometries of Belonging". Also, Freya has designed a fun game for Alex and Macey!

What We’re Into Lately

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh The Name of All Things by Jenn Lyons Chronin by Alison Wilgus Catalyst by Jennifer Mace A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine Lots of Good Omens shit, including: Alex’s Good Omens fanvids “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Hallelujah”. “vintage demon art, vape pens, & other treasures” by kyrilu “Don’t Stop Me Now” and “My Best Friend” fanvids "Making An Effort: Queer (Trans) Masculinity in the Ethereal & Occult Beings of Good Omens" Much Ado About Nothing (2011)

Other Stuff We Mentioned

Oxford Time Travel series by Connie Willis Dragon Age: Inquisition DA:I fanfiction Analog July/August Issue (ft. Freya’s short story) Moving Pictures Soul Music Unseen Academicals Wayward Children series Every Heart a Doorway Ursula K. Le Guin Freya’s fairy fic ‘Hood & Glove’ The Magicians Machineries of Empire series by Yoon Ha Lee The Birdverse section of R.B. Lemberg’s website Kingdom (2019-) “What We Named the Needle" by Freya Marske Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik The Elenium series by David Eddings The Tamuli series by David Eddings The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner Tamora Pierce

For Next Time

Nothing! It's the Episode 40 Extravaganza!

Transcript

The transcription for this episode can be found here. Thanks as always to our wondrous scribes, the lights of our life!