A Thinker in Space

#4 – Imbalance

This was the last full-length Avatar: The Last Airbender comic released (though we are still getting one-shots, so it is possible we will see more), and it was a standout for me. First things first – the art has changed here. One of the huge benefits of the other 5 main-series tie-ins is that the art feels exactly like the art from the show. This one has more of a traditional comic art-style that complements the characters well. It did not distract me at all from the story – I liked it just as much as the previous artwork. The other important thing to mention is that the writing staff changed – Gene Luen Yang, the scriptwriter for all 5 previous comics, completed his run in North & South, and the incredibly capable Faith Erin Hicks took over.

Imbalance serves an interesting role in this series in that it bridges the gap between Avatar and Legend of Korra. Now, I will be upfront – I have not actually watched Legend of Korra myself (one of the many, many things on my to-watch list). But the conflicts that come to the forefront in Korra are rooted here, in this story. Interestingly, the main conflict of Imbalance is reminiscent of one of the main overarching conflicts of the X-Men franchise (which is another franchise at the top of the tongue right now due to the absolutely incredible X-Men ’97 that is currently releasing its final episodes). Just like the mutants struggle for acceptance and equality amongst non-mutants, so we see the bender vs. non-bender conflict emerge here. This was a very interesting evolution of the Avatar world, and made me want to watch Korra even more, since I am aware that it is indicative of some of the most important conflicts in the show.

Toph also gets a chance to shine in this story – she was central to the conflict, and I feel that other than The Rift, this is the place where we see her character shine the most in these stories.

Overall, this is an excellent addition to any library, and I highly recommend it!

Rating: 8.7

#3 – North & South

Smoke & Shadow, Imbalance and North and South feel pretty even to me. It was hard to rank them, but I think North and South edges the other two out just a little bit, mostly because I felt it had one of the most interesting conflicts in the series. North and South was the final entry by the team who worked on the comics up until this point, and it managed to be a solid, interesting, and engaging storyline. This story focused around the Southern Water Tribe after the events of the previous stories, and a major conflict that has built there. Without spoiling anything, this story effectively explores cultural identity, colonization, the strength of leadership, and the nuance of political morality in a way that is accessible and interesting. It continues to prove that the writers behind the show are not done telling stories that will leave you deep in thought as you experience them. Once again, the characters feel very true to their characterizations in the show, and have the benefit of their added character development throughout the show.

Rating: 8.8

#2 – Azula in the Spirit Temple

I debated for a while as to where this story should be. As you can see by the rest of the list, I was significantly less impressed with the one-shots than the full stories, likely because they served a different purpose. Azula in the Spirit Temple, however, was an exception to the rule. It feels like the goal of these one-shots was to provide the reader with an in-depth character-driven story that serves the primary role of exploring a single character’s interaction with the world of Avatar. Azula’s is the first one that does this successfully. It doesn’t have major impacts on the story, but it doesn’t need to. What it does do is get us deeper into the mind of Azula than any other story has, besides perhaps Sozin’s Comet and The Search. I came into this story with a few concerns, but it shattered them and left me impressed and wanting more content like this. This is some of the best Avatar: The Last Airbender comic material that has come out of the studio yet, and the fact that it is also the most recent release gives me hope that what the writers have in store for the future will continue to surpass expectations.

Rating: 9.0

#1 – The Search

After reading The Promise, I had set my expectations for the rest of the comics. As I stated in that review, I felt that the characters weren’t quite portrayed consistently with the show, and that there were a few things that felt rudimentary, like “Timmy’s First Philosophy Class”. But The Search blew me away. This is the second main-series story, and it is the best (and it’s not even close, in my opinion). The other stories are excellent, but this one is a cut above. Avatar: The Last Airbender is full of incredible moments I will remember for the rest of my life. Azula’s breakdown in Sozin’s Comet. Mai and Tai Lee’s betrayal in The Boiling Rock. Iroh’s confrontations with Zuko in Book 2 leading to the devastating finale. These moments defined Avatar, and are why this show has been so incredibly successful over the years. The Search gave me moments like that. It has some of the best art in the comic series, with some full-page panels that took my breath away. The story pays off a major cliffhanger from the show: what happened to Zuko’s mother?, and it does so in a satisfying way that fits the show well. This was the creative team behind the sequel stories at the top of their game.

Don’t let that deter you from reading the rest – the quality stays excellent after this. The Search is simply the most successful usage of the formula, and is easily my favorite of the comics.

Rating: 9.1