Avatar: The Last Airbender
Review
Writer: Gene Luen Yang
Artist: Gurihiru
Publisher: Webtoon/Dark Horse Comics
Format: Webtoon
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a solid sequel to the original animated series. In classic Avatar fashion, the webtoon tells a lighthearted story about a world still healing from its scars of war. With the whole Team Avatar back together for this series, it’s the perfect webtoon to dive into if you’re a fan of the series.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
ReviewWriter: Gene Luen Yang
Artist: Gurihiru
Publisher: Webtoon/Dark Horse Comics
Format: Webtoon
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a solid sequel to the original animated series. In classic Avatar fashion, the webtoon tells a lighthearted story about a world still healing from its scars of war. With the whole Team Avatar back together for this series, it’s the perfect webtoon to dive into if you’re a fan of the series.
Since the release of the Avatar: The Last Airbender Netflix series, there’s been a bit of a resurgence in ATLA fever on the internet. Whether you were a fan of the new live-action adaptation or not, the show was a reminder of how timeless and beloved the original Nickelodeon series is. So, to capitalize on the revived hype for ATLA, Webtoon dropped an official series that continues the story of Aang, Zuko, and the rest of Team Avatar. It tells a story that’s fresh and familiar in ways that will put a smile on any fan’s face. Since the series just debuted, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the first batch of episodes. Continue reading for my full review!
Image: Webtoon
Overview
The story takes place directly after the events of the animated series. With Fire Lord Ozai defeated, the world is on the path of rebuilding the Four Nations during a time of peace. King Kuei, Zuko, and Aang devise The Harmony Restoration Movement, a project designed to remove the numerous Fire Nation colonies spread throughout the world. But despite the early parts of the movement going smoothly, Fire Lord Zuko is eventually met with pushback from the people living within one of the oldest Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom. Team Avatar learns that healing the scars of war is not as simple as they believed.
Review
As a big fan of the animated series, revisiting the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender and its characters felt like coming back home and seeing old friends. So much of this webtoon feels familiar and nostalgic in many ways, from the expressive, anime-inspired art style to the charming personalities of the beloved characters. As much as I enjoyed The Legend of Korra for continuing the story of the world of Avatar, stories like this remind me how fun it can be to have Team Avatar together again. Writer Gene Luen Yang perfectly captures the quirkiness and dynamics that made the original cast so loveable.
Image: Webtoon
Yet, as familiar as so much of the webtoon feels, there are also plenty of things about it that are incredibly fresh. Right off the bat, there is a clear sense of progress and growth beyond the events of the animated series. Not only have the character designs been updated slightly, but the story also delves into how they all have something new going on after the war. While Toph operates a new metal-bending school, we also finally see Aang and Katara’s romantic relationship blossom. But the most notable development among the bunch comes from Zuko. Now that he’s in his Fire Lord era, so much of the story explores the pressure he feels from bearing the sins of his father. And just like the original series, the webtoon delivers a surprisingly meaningful message about the struggle of living in a new world that is still healing from the war.
The interesting thing about this webtoon is that it’s actually an adaptation of a comic published by Dark Horse Comics in 2012. Originally named “Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise,” the comic’s art was slightly altered to better fit within Webtoon’s vertical scrolling format. The transition to webtoon was done so seamlessly that it genuinely looks like it was first made for the platform. Just read through the comments and you’ll find plenty of readers surprised to see that an Avatar webtoon exists, not realizing that the story has been around for a long time. Seeing how well-received the first few episodes are shows there is a place for adaptations like this when the title, property, and art style are just right. This series is a great example of how old titles can be revived in a way and showcased to a much wider audience.
Image: Webtoon
Final Thoughts
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a must-read webtoon for fans of the original animated series. It’s packed with callbacks to the original series while also adding depth to the characters fans know so well and love. While this webtoon’s story is lighthearted enough to be read by anyone, there is so much more fun to it if you’re familiar with the original series. With its charming art and fantastic writing, this webtoon series is a great way for fans to reignite their love for all things ATLA.
Why You Should Read Avatar: The Last Airbender
- It’s a great, lighthearted series read if you’re a fan of the original cartoon.
- The art captures the show’s look, along with slick updates to the character designs.
- The story is surprisingly deep as it delves into the fallout of living in a post-war world.