It hasn’t even been a year since we had to say goodbye to Legend of Korra and we’re already nostalgic for it. But the good news is that we know what Korra co-creator Bryan Konietzko is doing next: a graphic novel called Threadworlds that sounds pretty great.
Due out in 2017 from First Second Books, Threadworlds follows a young scientist named Nova who lives on one of the most technologically behind planets of her home solar system — there are five, each with a different intelligent species inhabiting it. As part of her pursuit of science, Nova will end up on an adventure. Konietzko’s not just writing Threadworlds, he’s also illustrating the first book. Although he did tell Entertainment Weekly, “It is likely that on later volumes I’ll be bringing in some other artists to help me draw and color, but for now I’m really enjoying the task of doing it alone while I can.”
He also explained how Threadworlds came to be:
I had been pondering what my next big project would be for the last several years. I was trying to think of a sci-fi idea, and separately a fantasy idea. When the concept Threadworldspopped into my head, I found a way to weave those genres together. I definitely wasn’t aiming to be topical, but once science became the focal point of the story I knew it was important to me to have a young girl as the main character. This is basically Nova’s long origin story as scientific superhero. I hope she’ll be inspiring to readers of all genders and ages, but especially girls who are interested in studying and pursuing science.
I really can’t think of any combination of words that is more exciting to than “scientific superhero” except “young girl scientific superhero.” God, it’s going to be a long wait until 2017.
Entertainment Weekly also had previews of the art. Presumably, this one of the different worlds in the five-planet solar system Threadworlds takes place in. So pretty....
Read the rest of the interview with Konietzko — and see more art — over at Entertainment Weekly.