- This article is about the comics from Avatar: The Last Airbender. For comics from The Legend of Korra, see List of The Legend of Korra comics.
Avatar: The Last Airbender comics are visual publications that depict events and situations unseen during the series' run. Most of the first comics released occur during and between episodes as a means of supplementing the series, while comics released following the conclusion of the show's official run pertain to events after the end of the Hundred Year War. Official comics are released by various sources, including Nickelodeon Magazine and Nickelodeon Comics Club; the official Avatar: The Last Airbender DVD volumes; and numerous publications by Dark Horse Comics, including minicomics released as part of Free Comic Book Day.[1] The comics were archived at a sub-site of Nickelodeon, but taken down and rendered inaccessible upon the cancellation of Nickelodeon Magazine in early 2010.
The first twenty-eight comics were published by Nickelodeon Magazine and its offshoots from 2005 through 2009 and later compiled in The Lost Adventures, which was released on June 14, 2011.[2] The twenty-ninth comic, "Rebound", was published as a special tie-in to the series on May 4, 2013. Team Avatar Tales was published in 2019 as an anthology series including new comics. Dark Horse Comics has also collaborated with Nickelodeon since 2011 to produce and publish trilogies of graphic novel pertaining to the series, starting with The Promise and followed by The Search, The Rift, Smoke and Shadow, North and South, Imbalance, and a trilogy of one-shots featuring Katara and the Pirate's Silver, Toph Beifong's Metalbending Academy, and Suki, Alone. Minicomics related to the series have also featured in several issues of Free Comic Book Day, including "Rebound", "Shells", "Sisters", and "Matcha Makers".
The comics reveal certain key information pertaining to the narrative, including Joo Dee's immediate appointment as the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se following the Coup of Ba Sing Se and the exact method of how Team Avatar commandeered a Fire Nation cruiser. Several other comics also release new information on characters from the series and introduce new characters absent from the series. The graphic novels released by Dark Horse Comics following the end of series' run also serve to bridge the seventy-year time gap between Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.
Comic anthologies[]
The Lost Adventures[]
- Main article: The Lost Adventures
- Publisher: Mike Richardson
- Collection editor: Samantha Robertson and Daniel Chabon
- Series editor: Andrew Brisman, Chris Duffy, and Dave Roman
- Collection designer: Stephen Reichert
- Digital production: Ryan Hill and Susan Tardiff
- Cover illustration: Bryan Konietzko
The Lost Adventures is an anthology of comics collecting previously unpublished comics, minicomics included as part of the Book Two: Earth and Book Three: Fire DVD volumes, the Avatar comic from Free Comic Book Day 2011, and the numerous works released by Nickelodeon Magazine and Nickelodeon Comics Club from 2005 through 2009. The first twenty-six comics included occur in between episodes of the first series, while the last two are non-canonical stories.
Team Avatar Tales[]
- Main article: Team Avatar Tales
- Publisher: Mike Richardson
- Cover illustration: Sara Kipin
- Editor: Rachel Roberts and Jenny Blenk
- Collection designer: Sarah Terry
- Digital art technicians: Christianne Gillenardo-Goudreau and Samantha Hummer
Team Avatar Tales is the second anthology of comics, which includes the previously published Free Comic Book Day issues as well as brand new minicomics that are set during and after the series' run.
Graphic novel trilogies[]
The Promise[]
- Main article: The Promise
- Story: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Bryan Konietzko
- Art and color: Gurihiru
- Lettering: Michael Heisler and Comicraft
The Promise details the events that occur immediately and one year after the end of the television series, detailing the difficulties that come with a war-torn world that, with rebel groups and dissatisfied citizens at every turn, takes a unified effort to return to peace.
The Promise Part One[]
- Main article: The Promise Part One
One year after the Hundred Year War, Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko are working together with the reinstated Earth King Kuei to remove the Fire Nation colonies from Earth Kingdom territory, but one of the colonies, Yu Dao, complicates matters by taking a stance against the Harmony Restoration Movement and declaring that it will stay no matter what. Aang must take into consideration a promise he made to Zuko just after the end of the War: do whatever it takes to keep the new Fire Lord from becoming like his father, whether that means locking Zuko up or killing him.
The Promise Part Two[]
- Main article: The Promise Part Two
Ever since Zuko began to visit his father for advice about handling the Yu Dao crisis, Team Avatar has had to find different ways to resolve the conflict of the colonies and make peace between the nations. However, the situation becomes dire when Kuei and Zuko revert into the atmosphere of war.
The Promise Part Three[]
- Main article: The Promise Part Three
Zuko and Kuei have sent their armies on a collision course in order to secure the city of Yu Dao, bringing the world to the edge of war once again. Aang is stuck in the middle of this conflict, having promised Zuko a year previously that he would do whatever it took to keep the peace of the world, even if it meant killing the Fire Lord himself. As his continued attempts to mediate the conflict are repeatedly seen as inadequate and futile, his options become fewer and fewer until he may just have to fulfill his promise.
The Search[]
- Main article: The Search
- Story: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Bryan Konietzko
- Art and color: Gurihiru
- Lettering: Michael Heisler and Comicraft
The Search is about Zuko's quest to find his mother Ursa with the help of his sister and a few old friends.
The Search Part One[]
- Main article: The Search Part One
Zuko makes a deal with Azula, releasing her from the mental institution in exchange for her help in his quest to find his mother. The two of them set out on a journey to Hira'a with Aang, Sokka, and Katara, but tensions between the group and dangers on the journey there could end their search before they discover the truth.
The Search Part Two[]
- Main article: The Search Part Two
In search of their long-lost mother, Fire Lord Zuko and his sister Azula have brought Avatar Aang and his friends into Forgetful Valley, but what they discover within may be more than they bargained for.
The Search Part Three[]
- Main article: The Search Part Three
When Azula goes off alone to find Ursa after learning some startling information, Zuko and Sokka pursue her and try to arrive at the location first. Meanwhile, Aang and Katara remain with Rafa and Misu, contending with the Mother of Faces and her army of spirit animals, and the flashbacks into Ursa's past continue, revealing how her children's search and her new life may come to coincide.
The Rift[]
- Main article: The Rift
- Story: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Bryan Konietzko
- Art and color: Gurihiru
- Lettering: Michael Heisler and Comicraft
The Rift trilogy surrounds Aang, most of his friends, and the inaugural members of the Air Acolytes on a journey which culminates in a conflict between the spirit and physical worlds.
The Rift Part One[]
- Main article: The Rift Part One
Aang asks his friends to help him celebrate Yangchen's Festival, one of the highest Air Nomad holidays, which has not been held in over a hundred years. However, visits from the spirit of Avatar Yangchen herself lead Aang to discover a jointly owned Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom refinery which is operating on land sacred to his people.
The Rift Part Two[]
- Main article: The Rift Part Two
The members of Team Avatar find themselves in trouble as mysterious forces threaten to destroy land sacred to the airbenders. While Aang journeys to the Spirit World for answers, Toph confronts her own past.
The Rift Part Three[]
- Main article: The Rift Part Three
The members of Team Avatar are in peril as a dangerously powerful ancient spirit awakens with vengeance and destruction on its mind. Bonds are tested and new truths revealed as Aang must decide whether humans and spirits can co-exist.
Smoke and Shadow[]
- Main article: Smoke and Shadow
- Story: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Bryan Konietzko
- Art and color: Gurihiru
Smoke and Shadow follows Aang and Zuko as they attempt to resolve conflicts both physical and spiritual. While struggling to deal with the rising insurrection of the New Ozai Society, Zuko asks Aang to assist him when an ancient and mysterious enemy appears.
Smoke and Shadow Part One[]
- Main article: Smoke and Shadow Part One
The Fire Nation is threatened when the Kemurikage, mysterious figures thought only to exist in legend, tell of a prophecy that Zuko must be removed from the throne or the country will perish. Aang and his friends escort the Fire Lord and his family back to the Fire Nation Capital, but unbeknownst to them, unrest brews as the New Ozai Society prepares to make their move against the throne and children go missing from their homes under mysterious circumstances.
Smoke and Shadow Part Two[]
- Main article: Smoke and Shadow Part Two
With the disappearances of children in the Fire Nation Capital, Aang and his friends try everything they can to figure out what is going on. He and Zuko must work together to keep the peace, but the New Ozai Society and the appearance of the Kemurikage may prove too much for even the Avatar when the true culprit of the kidnappings is revealed.
Smoke and Shadow Part Three[]
- Main article: Smoke and Shadow Part Three
When children are disappearing in the Fire Nation Capital, Avatar Aang and his friends do everything in their power to save them. When Azula reappears after having vanished in the Forgetful Valley, Fire Lord Zuko locks down the capital in order to apprehend her. However, this action gives rise to fear and riots in the streets, leaving Zuko to decide to which lengths he is willing to go in order to save those he holds dear.
North and South[]
- Main article: North and South
- Story: Gene Luen Yang, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Bryan Konietzko
- Art and color: Gurihiru
North and South focuses on Katara and Sokka, who return to the Southern Water Tribe to discover that their village has become a bustling city with Hakoda in charge. The changes seem to have largely been due to the efforts of Malina, a member of the Northern Water Tribe who is seemingly striving for greater unification of the Water Tribes but has unknown intentions.
North and South Part One[]
- Main article: North and South Part One
When Aang leaves to aid Zuko with the Kemurikage, Katara and Sokka return to the Southern Water Tribe by themselves. Katara is shocked to find that her beloved village has become a bustling city, with none other than their father, Hakoda, in charge! A Northerner named Malina seems to be behind this change, pushing the North and South to be more unified ... but what are her true goals?
North and South Part Two[]
- Main article: North and South Part Two
After attempting to kidnap Katara and Sokka, Southerner Gilak leaves a haunting note for Hakoda: "Soon you will see the truth, chieftain". The vow leaves everyone on edge–including Katara, who remains wary of the two tribes' integration. As Northerner Malina announces a partnership with the company owned by Toph Beifong's father, her own brother comes forward to defame her. Have Katara's worst fears been confirmed?
North and South Part Three[]
- Main article: North and South Part Three
Fire Lord Zuko and Earth King Kuei arrive in the Southern Water Tribe amid protests of Gilak's imprisonment. While the leaders hold council to solidify Malina and Hakoda's unification plans, Gilak breaks free and leads a powerful rebellion! In the face of these two opposing tribes, Katara will have to make peace with her nostalgia and distrust to save the home she loves from being permanently torn apart.
Imbalance[]
- Main article: Imbalance
- Story: Faith Erin Hicks, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Bryan Konietzko
- Art and Color: Peter Wartman
Imbalance follows Team Avatar as they return to the Earthen Fire Refinery in Cranefish Town. Their arrival, however, is met with disapproval, and the group has to bring about peace once again, as a conflict between benders and nonbenders erupts.
Imbalance Part One[]
- Main article: Imbalance Part One
Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph return to Earthen Fire Industries—the factory owned by Toph's father—and find that the once-small Cranefish Town is now booming. Expecting a warm welcome, Aang is surprised when their arrival is met with disinterest and even open hostility. At a business council meeting, they learn that a massive bender versus nonbender conflict has gripped the town's inhabitants and is threatening to turn violent.
Imbalance Part Two[]
- Main article: Imbalance Part Two
Aang and Team Avatar race to resolve rising tensions between benders and nonbenders before a town is torn apart!
There is something fishy going on in Cranefish Town, and it is up to Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph to find out what, before the simmering conflict between benders and nonbenders boils over into all-out war. But danger lurks where they least expect it, and uncovering the truth will reveal a threat unlike any they have ever faced–and a fateful choice for Aang he can never unmake!
Imbalance Part Three[]
- Main article: Imbalance Part Three
Team Avatar faces their most dangerous foe yet as the bender vs. nonbender conflict turns into an all-out war in this action-packed conclusion to the Imbalance arc!
While Aang grapples with a life-changing decision that only he can make as the Avatar, Toph and Katara implore him–from opposite sides–to choose a path. Meanwhile, Ru and Yaling concoct a fiery ploy to get their mother back. The bender vs. nonbender conflict finally reaches a powerful boiling point, and for better or for worse, Cranefish Town will never be the same!
Standalone novels[]
Katara and the Pirate's Silver[]
- Main article: Katara and the Pirate's Silver
- Story: Faith Erin Hicks and Tim Hedrick
- Art: Peter Wartman
- Color: Adele Matera
- Lettering: Jimmy Betancourt (Comicraft)
It's sink or swim for Katara! When Team Avatar is suddenly ambushed by the Fire Nation, Katara gets separated from the group. Unable to rendezvous with Aang, Toph, and Sokka, Katara must avoid capture by aligning herself with some unlikely allies! The normally sweet and sensitive Katara will need to explore her tougher side if she is going to reunite with the rest of Team Avatar...
Toph Beifong's Metalbending Academy[]
- Main article: Toph Beifong's Metalbending Academy
- Story: Faith Erin Hicks
- Art: Peter Wartman
- Color: Adele Matera
For some, perfection just isn't enough.
Things are looking bright at the Beifong Metalbending Academy! But after all the adventures Toph's had with Aang, Sokka, Zuko, and Katara, the whole thing feels a bit dull. Luckily, Sokka and Suki come to visit and reintroduce some familiar faces from their wandering days. And while out and about to celebrate, Toph discovers something that just might put the sparkle back in her eye...
Suki, Alone[]
- Main article: Suki, Alone
- Story: Faith Erin Hicks
- Art: Peter Wartman
- Color: Adele Matera
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 is 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.
Azula in the Spirit Temple[]
- Main article: Azula in the Spirit Temple
- Story: Faith Erin Hicks
- Art: Peter Wartman
- Color: Adele Matera
Azula continues her destabilizing campaign against the Fire Nation and her brother, Fire Lord Zuko.
But after a failed attack on her latest target, Azula finds herself in a mysterious forest temple inhabited by a solitary monk…or is it something more mysterious? Azula must confront her past, and finally face her chance at redemption.
The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer[]
- Main article: The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer
- Story: Faith Erin Hicks
- Art: Peter Wartman
- Color: Adele Matera
Deliveries to Uncle Iroh's tea house, the Jasmine Dragon, have dried up! Further complicating Iroh's life, a familiar face – the bounty hunter June – has captured him in hopes of a payday large enough to set her and Nyla up for life. Who hired June, and what do they want with the former Dragon of the West? In an epic trek across the Earth Kingdom, Iroh must confront a part of his past while June considers her future, but however things go...someone's got to free the tea!
The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer is an standalone graphic novel centered on June and Iroh. In consultation with Avatar Studios, the book was released on August 20, 2024.[3]
Gallery[]
Avatar: The Last Airbender—Screen Comix[]
- Main article: Avatar: The Last Airbender—Screen Comix
Avatar: The Last Airbender—Screen Comix are comics retelling the original series, Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Volume 1[]
An action-packed retelling of Avatar: The Last Airbender with full-color scenes and dialogue from the series ... Screen Comix style!
The mysterious origins of Aang, the Avatar and last Airbender, are retold in the new Screen Comix format! Based on the epic Nickelodeon series, this first book reveals how Aang emerges from a hundred years frozen in an iceberg to find the world is very different from the one he once knew. With the help of a waterbender named Katara and her brother Sokka, Aang searches for teachers to help him master his skills and escape Prince Zuko in order to end the Fire Nation's war and bring balance to the world.
The stakes couldn't be higher in this 320-page full-color retelling of the first six episodes of the show, featuring final frames and dialogue from the series. This book will delight Avatar fans of all ages.
Volume 2[]
An action-packed retelling of Avatar: The Last Airbender with full-color images and dialogue from the series!
Aang's voyage to find a teacher and defeat the Fire Nation continues in volume two of the Nickelodeon Avatar: The Last Airbender Screen Comix! Aang, Katara, and Sokka continue their journey north in search of a water bending master, making new friends-and enemies-along the way. Meanwhile, Prince Zuko's chase to capture the Avatar heats up as other Fire Nation parties get involved. Will Aang and his friends successfully make it to the Northern Water Tribe, or will the Fire Nation capture the group and continue their quest of world domination?
The epic adventure continues in this 320-page retelling with full-color scenes and dialogue from the series that will delight Avatar fans of all ages!
Zuko Finds His Way[]
An action-packed retelling of Zuko's journey back to his Uncle Iroh in Avatar: The Last Airbender with full-color scenes and dialogue from the television series!
After his continued failure to capture the Avatar, a disgraced and disgruntled Zuko decides to part ways with his uncle and mentor, Iroh, and venture out on his own. But as he wanders, he discovers parts of himself long buried and learns what is truly important in life. Follow Zuko's journey in this 80-page full-color retelling featuring final frames and dialogue from the series, perfect for Avatar fans ages 8 to 12.[4]
The Power of Toph[]
An action-packed retelling of when Toph Beifong first joined Team Avatar — with full-color scenes and dialogue from Nickelodeon's hit animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender!
Aang is worried he will not be able to master earthbending in time to stop the Fire Nation. Then, he meets Toph Beifong, a young girl living a secret life as a master Earthbender known as the Blind Bandit. She is not the teacher Aang expected, but she may be exactly who he needs. Follow Toph's journey as she joins Team Avatar and trains Aang to help him defeat the Fire Nation in this 80-page full-color retelling featuring final frames and dialogue from the series, perfect for Avatar fans ages 8 to 12.[5]
Avatar: The Last Airbender—Chibi[]
Vol. 1: Aang's Unfreezing Day[]
- Story: Kelly Leigh Miller
- Art: Diana Sim
Celebrated children's author Kelly Leigh Miller (I am a Wolf; I Love My Fangs) teams with Avatar fandom favorite artist Diana Sim to bring young Avatar fans and their families this heartwarming tale of love, celebration, and friendship, in collaboration with Nickelodeon and Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series writer Tim Hedrick.
Can you imagine not knowing your own birthday?
That's the situation for Aang, who was frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years! Luckily his friends Katara, Toph, Sokka, and Zuko have a plan to surprise him with a new special day to celebrate. But they'll have to be careful while they prepare--it's a surprise!
Free Comic Book Day minicomics[]
Rebound[]
- Main article: Rebound
- Story: Gene Luen Yang
- Art: Ryan Hill
- Lettering: Michael Heisler
Mai finds herself in a state of turmoil after her breakup with Fire Lord Zuko, but a handsome young man who visits her at her new workplace may change her luck, for better or for worse.
Shells[]
- Main article: Shells
- Story: Gene Luen Yang
- Art: Faith Erin Hicks
- Lettering: Michael Heisler
Sokka follows Suki as she gives a lesson in manners and encourages a young girl's strength.
Sisters[]
- Main article: Sisters
- Story: Gene Luen Yang
- Art: Carla Speed McNeil
- Lettering: Michael Heisler
Though she thinks the Kyoshi Warriors are amazing, Ty Lee feels down. Toph sees this and takes the chi-blocker to her old circus, where she reunites with her six sisters.
Matcha Makers[]
- Main article: Matcha Makers
- Creators: Nadia Shammas and Sara Alfageeh
- Art: Sara Alfageeh
- Coloring: Savanna Ganucheau
- Lettering: Richard Starkings and Jimmy Betancourt
Uncle Iroh's tea shop is the center of some strange spirit activity! Humans and spirits together give Iroh the push he needs to do something exciting that's outside his normal comfort zone!
Lost and Found[]
- Main article: Lost and Found
- Creators: Amy Chu
- Art: Kelly Matthews & Nichole Matthews
- Coloring: Kelly Matthews & Nichole Matthews
- Lettering: Richard Starkings and Jimmy Betancourt
Aang and his friends come across a village decimated by the Fire Nation. One survivor—a young child named Luumi—refuses to open up to anyone except fellow Earth Kingdom native, Toph.
Gallery[]
Non-canon comics[]
New Recruits[]
- Main article: New Recruits
- Story: Dave Roman
- Art: Justin Ridge
- Color: Hye-Jung Kim and Sno Cone Studios
- Lettering: Comicraft
The gang goes to a local Earth Kingdom tavern in search of some new recruits and allies to join them in their fight against the Fire Nation. While there, their elderly contact, Yahshi, introduces the gang to four unique benders.
Gym Time[]
- Main article: Gym Time
- Story: Benjamin Wilgus
- Art: Ethan Spaulding
- Color: Wes Dzioba
- Lettering: Comicraft
Avatar Kyoshi arrives at class to instruct Team Avatar, along with Zuko, Mai, and Azula, on their game for the day: dodgeball.
The Last Airbender Prequel: Zuko's Story[]
- Main article: The Last Airbender Prequel: Zuko's Story
- Story: Dave Roman, Benjamin Wilgus
- Art: Nina Matsumoto
An hour after the Agni Kai with Ozai, Prince Zuko wakes up in an infirmary. The comic starts with him running to his room, chased by Iroh. He dreams about the Agni Kai, crying violently, when he hears a knock on the door, who he thinks is Ozai, but it is actually his eleven-year-old sister, Azula, who has come to taunt him about his banishment. Through later events, she gets Zuko a ship, a crew, and Iroh to come along. He scours the Western Air Temple and visits Fire Sage Shyu, looking for information on the Avatar.
Trivia[]
- One apparently scrapped comic, tentatively titled "Baby Badgermole", involved Aang, Katara, and Sokka discovering a baby badgermole in an environment uncharacteristic to the species, the woods. Unable to defend themselves against the animal's powerful earthbending, craziness ensues until Toph arrives.[6]
- The cover for The Lost Adventures was taken from the first edition of Avatar's own magazine, Nick Mag Presents: Avatar: the Last Airbender,[6] which ran during the show's original airing.
- Combined, Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Art of the Animated Series, The Lost Adventures, The Promise, and The Search have sold over a hundred thousand copies.[7]
References[]
- ↑ The Lost Adventures, page 5.
- ↑ Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Lost Adventures release date. Dark Horse Books. Retrieved on October 6, 2016.
- ↑ Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer. Penguin Random House. Retrieved on August 4, 2024.
- ↑ Zuko Finds His Way (Avatar: The Last Airbender). Penguin Random House.
- ↑ The Power of Toph (Avatar: The Last Airbender). Penguin Random House. Retrieved on July 2, 2022.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 nickmag comics (2006-09-10). for those of you who enjoy behind the scenes stuff .... Nickelodeon. Archived from the original on November 13, 2006. Retrieved on December 20, 2012.
- ↑ Avatar: The Last Airbender Digital Comics Now Available Through All Dark Horse Platforms!. Dark Horse Comics (5 July 2013). Retrieved on November 30, 2013.