Markup View

Author: emillang1000

Jan 3rd 2015 at 1:19:15 PM

The problem really comes around when the work keeps hopping around from medium to medium and time period to time period.

To wit, the AvatarTheLastAirbender comics are a direct, canonical sequel to ATLA in print form - no denying this, all Avatar comics are, by WordOfGod, canon. However, the majority of these comics concerning the Gaang were produced while TheLegendOfKorra was in production and airing.

So, then, are the comics a case of this trope, of ExpandedUniverse (because they end up being Interequels), both?

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Perhaps the dividing point should be this:

Expanded Universe: deals with stories/characters within the universe of franchise, but not following the exploits of the main cast of a previous work and/or directly continuing the narrative line of that work.

Alternate Medium Sequel: deals directly with the main characters of a previous work, and often is a direct continuation of their narrative. Alternatively can be an Alternate Medium Prequel/Interequel, as it deals directly with the characters/plot of the previous work without going off into it's own tangent of exploring the universe.

Going with my Gundam example above:
* Char's Counterattack and Gundam Unicorn are Alternate Medium Sequels of Gundam, Zeta Gundam, and ZZ, because a single linear narrative line can be drawn from Gundam > Zeta > ZZ > Char's Counterattack > Unicorn.
* IGLOO, 08th MS Team, War in the Pocket, Stardust Memory, and Ecole du Ciel are Expanded Universe, as do not follow the main characters and are peripheral material (even if they create a more-cohesive view of the universe in being so)
* F91 may count as Expanded Universe or Alternate Medium Sequel because it's a Next Generation story - none of the characters from the "Bright Noa" time period show up at all (I'll call it that since he's the one constant character from Gundam to Unicorn, after all). However, Crossbone Gundam is 100% Alternate Medium Sequel to F91, as well as being effectively EA to the "Bright Noa" timeline.
** Victory Gundam is a Next Next Generation story, as well, and falls into the same bucket of "EA or AMS" as F91.