Status
Available
Call number
Series
Description
Comic and Graphic Books. Fantasy. Fiction. HTML:Aang and friends must join together once again as the four nations' tenuous peace is threatened by an impasse between Fire Lord Zuko and Earth King Kuei! As the world heads toward another devastating war, Aang's friendship with Zuko throws him into the middle of the conflict! Available for the first time in omnibus format, this volume collects parts 1-3 of Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise. This is the official continuation of the hit Nickelodeon(TM) series!.
User reviews
LibraryThing member lafon
I was, and still am, a huge fan of the T.V. series Avatar the Last Airbender. I also enjoyed the first season of The Legend of Korra. So when I was approved to read the graphic novel expanding the Avatar universe I was understandably excited. And I wasn't disappointed.
The book really keeps both the
If you're not already familiar with the series this is not the work to get acquainted with it. A lot of the backstory is referenced, but not really given a recap, so those who just pick it up are going to be very lost.
All in all, if you're a fan of the show, I would highly recommend picking this up, as it really starts to bridge the gap from the first to the second series. Otherwise I would give this one a pass.
The book really keeps both the
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art style, and the sense of fun that was present throughout the series, and still manages to bring out the seriousness that was evident in much of the series. I think having the annotations beside much of the text explaining the authors thought process when writing is really quite interesting, and something to really pay attention to.If you're not already familiar with the series this is not the work to get acquainted with it. A lot of the backstory is referenced, but not really given a recap, so those who just pick it up are going to be very lost.
All in all, if you're a fan of the show, I would highly recommend picking this up, as it really starts to bridge the gap from the first to the second series. Otherwise I would give this one a pass.
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LibraryThing member Stevil2001
My wife has spent the past seven months or so forcing me to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender with her (she had just watched the series through with a friend). Well, I say "forcing," but what began as skepticism soon transformed into enthusiasm. Avatar is a great television series, of exactly the
What struck me pretty quickly is the more complicated political backdrop of this series: though the show has some nuanced Fire Nation characters, most of them are out-and-out villains. Here, though, we see that decolonization is not a simple thing, no matter how laudable its goals are, and even though the Fire Nation may have invaded the Earth Kingdom, that was a century ago, and time has changed things more than most people realize. I appreciate these additional complexities to the world of Avatar.
The story, though, is a little haphazard. I like the central idea of Aang's promise to Zuko, but it doesn't quite come off in the execution, and it feels like things fizzle out. For Aang to thing of actually fulfilling his promise would require a desperate situation, but I don't think the comic quite succeeds in making the situation seem that desperate. The characters feel too reactive, as well, especially Katara, who mostly is there as Aang's girlfriend, not the outspoken idealist she was from the beginning of the show, and Sokka is not quite the leader he became by the end.
That said, Yang and Gurihiru capture the characters' voices perfectly: it's easy to imagine the voice cast delivering the lines given here to Aang, Sokka, Zuko, Toph, et al., and Gurihuri's art is a dead match for the art used on the show. Perhaps the funnest part (and the book at its most Avatarish) is Sokka's attempts to upskill Toph's metalbenders in their showdown with the firebenders. It's fun stuff, and it bodes well for the next Avatar comic if it can get itself more focused.
(The "library edition" we own contains marginal commentary from writer Yang and artist Gurihiru. It's often interesting, moreso Yang's than Gurihiru's. I like knowing Yang's thoughts on colonialism; it's less interesting to hear Gurihiru observe that it's easier to draw scenes without backgrounds.)
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kind I like: a scrappy group of outcasts having adventures. I loved the story, I loved the worldbuilding, I loved the characters, especially Sokka and Iroh. So I was excited to read the sequel comics as preparation for proceeding on to The Legend of Korra.What struck me pretty quickly is the more complicated political backdrop of this series: though the show has some nuanced Fire Nation characters, most of them are out-and-out villains. Here, though, we see that decolonization is not a simple thing, no matter how laudable its goals are, and even though the Fire Nation may have invaded the Earth Kingdom, that was a century ago, and time has changed things more than most people realize. I appreciate these additional complexities to the world of Avatar.
The story, though, is a little haphazard. I like the central idea of Aang's promise to Zuko, but it doesn't quite come off in the execution, and it feels like things fizzle out. For Aang to thing of actually fulfilling his promise would require a desperate situation, but I don't think the comic quite succeeds in making the situation seem that desperate. The characters feel too reactive, as well, especially Katara, who mostly is there as Aang's girlfriend, not the outspoken idealist she was from the beginning of the show, and Sokka is not quite the leader he became by the end.
That said, Yang and Gurihiru capture the characters' voices perfectly: it's easy to imagine the voice cast delivering the lines given here to Aang, Sokka, Zuko, Toph, et al., and Gurihuri's art is a dead match for the art used on the show. Perhaps the funnest part (and the book at its most Avatarish) is Sokka's attempts to upskill Toph's metalbenders in their showdown with the firebenders. It's fun stuff, and it bodes well for the next Avatar comic if it can get itself more focused.
(The "library edition" we own contains marginal commentary from writer Yang and artist Gurihiru. It's often interesting, moreso Yang's than Gurihiru's. I like knowing Yang's thoughts on colonialism; it's less interesting to hear Gurihiru observe that it's easier to draw scenes without backgrounds.)
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LibraryThing member bragan
I recently watched all of Avatar: The Last Airbender on DVD at the urging of a friend, and I was bowled over by just how good it was. Not "good for a show aimed primarily at children." Just plain good, without any qualifiers whatsoever. I blazed through all three seasons and felt a bit bereft when
This volume collects all of the comics story "The Promise," which picks up after the show leaves off. I was extremely happy about this, because, although the series ends in a place that feels satisfying, it seemed to me that what comes after that ending was bound to be as interesting as what led up to it. And the comic does not disappoint in this, as it deals with all of the ways in which things are still messy, difficult, and complex, even after the triumphant happy ending. There's a lot of thoughtful moral and political nuance here. Also a lot of silliness, and some moments of outright hilarity. All of which is to say, it captures the spirit of the show extremely well. The characters feel right, too. And look right -- the artwork is spot-on. Admittedly, the action sequences the show always did so beautifully don't work nearly as well in still-picture form, but you can't have everything.
The edition I have -- a big, hefty, solid tome -- also features some annotations from the writer and artist, talking about the experience of creating the comic and where the inspiration for various elements came from, including some interesting cultural background. So that was a nice bonus.
Definitely recommended for fans of the show. Which everyone should be.
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it was over. Fortunately, I still have the sequel to watch. But before that, comics!This volume collects all of the comics story "The Promise," which picks up after the show leaves off. I was extremely happy about this, because, although the series ends in a place that feels satisfying, it seemed to me that what comes after that ending was bound to be as interesting as what led up to it. And the comic does not disappoint in this, as it deals with all of the ways in which things are still messy, difficult, and complex, even after the triumphant happy ending. There's a lot of thoughtful moral and political nuance here. Also a lot of silliness, and some moments of outright hilarity. All of which is to say, it captures the spirit of the show extremely well. The characters feel right, too. And look right -- the artwork is spot-on. Admittedly, the action sequences the show always did so beautifully don't work nearly as well in still-picture form, but you can't have everything.
The edition I have -- a big, hefty, solid tome -- also features some annotations from the writer and artist, talking about the experience of creating the comic and where the inspiration for various elements came from, including some interesting cultural background. So that was a nice bonus.
Definitely recommended for fans of the show. Which everyone should be.
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LibraryThing member quantumbutterfly
Not long after the events of the series conclude, the world is anything but harmonious for Aang and his friends. Zuko is torn by having to have members of his family locked up, Aang learned the Air Nation has a fandom. And the first efforts at bringing about unity among the world is precarious.
I
I
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loved the Avatar series, and watching the totality of Korra spurred me to seek out the continuing Avatar stories. They remain as well-developed as the show and help bridge the story between the two animated series. Show Less
LibraryThing member allyofthedawn
The characters in this set of graphic novels were absolutely true to the show. It's a great continuation of a the story.
LibraryThing member Merlucito
Cute, nostalgic, full of feels. What more can I say? This is the perfect continuation to the series I love with all my heart.
Publication
Dark Horse (2013), Edition: Illustrated, 238 pages
Language
ISBN
9781616550745