This page is for comics based on the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. There may be various publications based on the show, but this page is only for those put out by Dark Horse. (The majority of books by other publishers are of little or no interest to me anyway, though you might be interested in The Last Airbender Prequel: Zuko's Story.) There was a book of art from the series that came out in 2010, which I haven't got, and I don't know if I will. (Not sure if I'd bother reviewing it anyway, since it's not comics.) But there have been some things to come out in 2011-12, which are of definite interest to me. And if anything comes out in the future, I'll be sure to let you know....

tek's rating: ½
The Lost Adventures
Avatar Wiki; Dark Horse

This is a collection of previously published comics, which was released in 2011. It includes comics I'd previously read in a couple of Nickelodeon magazines, as well as a Free Comic Book Day comic from earlier in 2011. There are also comics I've never read before, from various sources, and some stories which appear for the first time in this collection. The book is divided into four parts, the main ones being for stories set in each of the first three seasons of the show, plus a section with a couple of bonus stories. There were a number of different writers and artists involved in making these comics, but the stories are all fairly fun, if you're a fan of the series. Many of the stories are pure comedy, while others include a fair amount of drama (like the series itself). Some stories provide information that, while not essential to understand what's going on at any point in the series, does help fill in some gaps. Other stories don't really serve any purpose other than entertainment, and do nothing to enhance your understanding of events from the show. However, I believe all but the two bonus stories are considered canonical. (One of those stories is an SD short similar to the animated ones on the season 2 DVD. The other is drawn more in the normal style of the comics, but includes some story elements which simply don't fit within the canonical universe- but which I still think would be fun to see followed up on.) Anyway, the end of the book also has some samples of artwork that can be found in the actual "Art of the Animated Series" book. For details on all the stories in this collection, see the wiki link above.

tek's rating:
The Promise
Avatar Wiki; Dark Horse; TV Tropes

Caution: Spoilers! (I'm serious, don't read any of this unless you've seen the entire TV series, first.)

This is a three-part series, released in 2012. It will bridge the gap (or at least part of the gap) between the original series and the spinoff, "the Legend of Korra," which is to air later in 2012. So far I have read Part 1, and I can say it's as good as any episode of the series. All the same humor, drama, awesome bending, character interactions, moral conundrums, etc. It starts out with a slightly modified version of the familiar opening narration from each episode of the TV series. There are then a couple of brief scenes set within the timeframe of the final episode, after Fire Lord Ozai had been defeated. The first scene introduces the fact that Avatar Aang, Fire Lord Zuko, and Earth King Kuei promised to restore the four nations to harmony. (One might guess this was the "promise" of the story's title, but one might be wrong.) The next scene is the final scene of the series, which as you know, ends with Aang and Katara kissing. However, the comic book scene extends just a bit further than the TV scene did... with Sokka showing up and interrupting their kiss. (The fact that Aang and Katara's new romantic relationship gives him "the oogies" will be a running gag. And the fact that Aang and Katara frequently call each other "Sweetie" doesn't help; though it's darn cute, IMHO.) But more importantly, the Gaang head out for quick flight on Appa, while waiting for King Kuei's celebration (which marks the announcement of the Harmony Restoration Movement to the public) begins. As our heroes enjoy the fireworks display from their aerial viewpoint (except Toph, of course, but she makes her own fun), Zuko totally harshes the mood by making Aang promise that if he ever starts to act like his father, Ozai... Aang will "end him." (This seems to be the real "promise" of the title. Of course, there are two parts left to the story, so you never know... it could turn out that the title refers to the Harmony Restoration Movement, after all, or maybe even to something else entirely.)

Anyway, the story then flashes forward one year. Apparently, there have been five attempts on Zuko's life already, by assassins who believe he's a traitor to the Fire Nation. On this particular night, Zuko captures such an assassin, a teenaged girl named Kori, whose father, Morishita, is mayor of Yu Dao, the oldest Fire Nation colony in the Earth Kingdom. Zuko and his soldiers take Kori back there, and Zuko intends to personally enforce the return of all Fire Nation citizens to the Fire Nation proper. (Some of the newer colonies have apparently already been evacuated of Fire Nation citizens, without incident.) But Zuko learns that the situation in the older colonies, like Yu Dao, is not as simple. There are Fire Nation citizens who have been there for generations; while they may see themselves as citizens of the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom is their home. (Some colonies were started over a hundred years ago, making them older than Aang himself.) So Zuko rethinks his position, and decides to withdraw his support from the Harmony Restoration Movement.

I should mention, by the way, that we also get a flashback to another scene from the series finale, when Zuko had gone to talk to his father in prison. That scene is also extended for the comic, and it sets up some troubling developments for the present story. But speaking of the present, Aang and his friends hear about what Zuko's done, so they head to Yu Dao to talk to him. But also, Aang has to be prepared to keep his earlier promise to Zuko, if need be... something he really doesn't want to do. Oh, we also find out that Toph has opened the "Beifong Metalbending Academy," in the Earth Kingdom. She joins Aang, Katara, and Sokka as they near Yu Dao. When they get there, they find a group of Earth Kingdom protestors outside the city walls, led by Freedom Fighters Smellerbee, Sneers, and Longshot. Aang and Katara head into the city to talk with Zuko. After a heated confrontation, Zuko explains his actions to his friends. Katara gets him to agree to a meeting with the Earth King, to decide what to do about the situation. So the Gaang head to Ba Sing Se, to arrange the meeting. Although the Freedom Fighters say they'll allow just three days for the situation to be resolved, otherwise they'll find their own solution. Meanwhile, Zuko heads back to the Fire Nation, where it turns out Mai has arranged for the Kyoshi Warriors to serve as Zuko's new bodyguards, in the hopes that he'll be able to get a good night's sleep for a change, without constantly worrying about assassination attempts. However, the final scene of Part 1 is... disturbing. That's all I'll say for now.