What do you think?
Rate this book
Avatar: The Legend of Aang Comics #1
Avatar Volume 1: The Last Airbender
In the perilous environment of the South Pole, a tribal village struggles to eke out its survival. When young Katara and her warrior brother Sokka rescue a young boy named Aang, they have no inkling that this mysterious stranger can save them -- and the entire world.
96 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2006
About the author
Michael Dante DiMartino
88 books1,486 followersMichael Dante DiMartino is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. His directing credits include the animated series King of the Hill, Family Guy, and Mission Hill. He is a co-creator of the award-winning animated Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel, The Legend of Korra. DiMartino lives in Los Angeles with his wife. The Rebel Geniuses series is his debut prose work.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
Read
January 3, 2010i have this theory about television (well, really all pop culture, but let’s stick with t.v.) – that it can, in its entirety, be reduced to three things, my holy trinity of pop culture:
1) schadenfreude
2) panty-sniffing
3) happy tears
the first requires no explanation: taking delight in the misfortune of others is the bread and butter of talk shows, reality t.v., most sitcoms, and hour long dramas. the second is all that obligatory sex shit and covers just about all cop procedural shows, law and order svu, csi, etc… and the third is best seen on daytime television, oprah, dr. phil and the final few minutes of most reality shows.
i’ve been taking care of these two kids -- the boy is 9 and the girl is 12 -- and have had to sit down and watch kid t.v. with 'em. now there’s watered down versions of the pop culture trinity but I saw something else that freaked me the fuck out.
the one that left the deepest impression was their favorite animated show avatar: the last airbender. and here’s the thing: on the surface it’s really good: visually sophisticated, emotionally complex, well crafted. the episode i saw had the main group of good guys, led by avatar, trying to help refugees who were kicked out of their village by a marauding warlord. it felt and looked like bosnia circa 1998: crying babies and people in rags and bombed out huts, etc…
so my friend julian told me a story about his nephew who consumes all this shit like I consume glenfiddich and one day the kid looks over at julian and says “bill (his stepdad) is my nemesis. who’s your nemesis?”
this kind of shit, the natural assumption of a 'nemesis', comes out of the strange fascist mythos of these shows. they offer a manichean view of the world with little or no shading in which all people are good or bad. now, I might be some old bastard crying about how the old days were better and smarter, but loony tunes did offer a more complex view of the world, didn’t it? or alice in wonderland in which everything is not so simple, not so black and white, and the protagonist is a smart girl who, despite getting caught up in some silly shit, at a certain point, won’t take any more crap. kids are always smarter than we think; they understand the machination behind all this stuff, they understand the nature of power and how it’s used and abused.
and it’s strange dealing with kids. I mean, it freaks me out sometimes in that I feel that there’s no weight to anything I say… that it goes in there and kinda goes away. For such a narcissistic prick as myself this is wholly unacceptable.
and then it hit me that it’s kind of a relay race – and everyday I’m handed the baton and at the end of the day I hand it off and that the short daily heat i’m engaged in might not matter, but over the long haul it’s all of one piece, y’know? the words disappear, but every day i can tell that there’s a little more there. that it means something. that it’s important.
and what of all these children’s films? these warrior sagas (the lion the witch and the wardrobe, star wars, lord of the rings, avatar: the last airbender) with the message that the world’s problems can be solved with a sword? is it 'just a film'? am i being crazy? getting old?
and what of the ‘adult’ crap that is so highly praised by ‘smart’ people? iron man? the dark knight? this is the shit everyone loves? what’s amazing to me is that all these films inadvertently shill for fox news... they all offer the same manichean picture of absolute evil -- an evil with no shade of gray, an evil that needn’t be understood just eliminated -- as the shit that’s used to inculcate kids into the fascist mindset. the dark knight is right-wing wetdream disgused as liberal fantasy.
it will be hard for people in 200 years to believe that we just didn’t get it.
and jon favreau is the leni refienstahl of the 21st century.
shit yeah, cowgirl.
1) schadenfreude
2) panty-sniffing
3) happy tears
the first requires no explanation: taking delight in the misfortune of others is the bread and butter of talk shows, reality t.v., most sitcoms, and hour long dramas. the second is all that obligatory sex shit and covers just about all cop procedural shows, law and order svu, csi, etc… and the third is best seen on daytime television, oprah, dr. phil and the final few minutes of most reality shows.
i’ve been taking care of these two kids -- the boy is 9 and the girl is 12 -- and have had to sit down and watch kid t.v. with 'em. now there’s watered down versions of the pop culture trinity but I saw something else that freaked me the fuck out.
the one that left the deepest impression was their favorite animated show avatar: the last airbender. and here’s the thing: on the surface it’s really good: visually sophisticated, emotionally complex, well crafted. the episode i saw had the main group of good guys, led by avatar, trying to help refugees who were kicked out of their village by a marauding warlord. it felt and looked like bosnia circa 1998: crying babies and people in rags and bombed out huts, etc…
so my friend julian told me a story about his nephew who consumes all this shit like I consume glenfiddich and one day the kid looks over at julian and says “bill (his stepdad) is my nemesis. who’s your nemesis?”
this kind of shit, the natural assumption of a 'nemesis', comes out of the strange fascist mythos of these shows. they offer a manichean view of the world with little or no shading in which all people are good or bad. now, I might be some old bastard crying about how the old days were better and smarter, but loony tunes did offer a more complex view of the world, didn’t it? or alice in wonderland in which everything is not so simple, not so black and white, and the protagonist is a smart girl who, despite getting caught up in some silly shit, at a certain point, won’t take any more crap. kids are always smarter than we think; they understand the machination behind all this stuff, they understand the nature of power and how it’s used and abused.
and it’s strange dealing with kids. I mean, it freaks me out sometimes in that I feel that there’s no weight to anything I say… that it goes in there and kinda goes away. For such a narcissistic prick as myself this is wholly unacceptable.
and then it hit me that it’s kind of a relay race – and everyday I’m handed the baton and at the end of the day I hand it off and that the short daily heat i’m engaged in might not matter, but over the long haul it’s all of one piece, y’know? the words disappear, but every day i can tell that there’s a little more there. that it means something. that it’s important.
and what of all these children’s films? these warrior sagas (the lion the witch and the wardrobe, star wars, lord of the rings, avatar: the last airbender) with the message that the world’s problems can be solved with a sword? is it 'just a film'? am i being crazy? getting old?
and what of the ‘adult’ crap that is so highly praised by ‘smart’ people? iron man? the dark knight? this is the shit everyone loves? what’s amazing to me is that all these films inadvertently shill for fox news... they all offer the same manichean picture of absolute evil -- an evil with no shade of gray, an evil that needn’t be understood just eliminated -- as the shit that’s used to inculcate kids into the fascist mindset. the dark knight is right-wing wetdream disgused as liberal fantasy.
it will be hard for people in 200 years to believe that we just didn’t get it.
and jon favreau is the leni refienstahl of the 21st century.
shit yeah, cowgirl.
July 17, 2016
I love and adore everything to do with Avatar, but this little book was really just a cut and paste of screenshots from the TV show, and that doesn't exactly work well for a book.
If there had been new art that was created for a book format, it would have looked better and flowed better for a written story. A lot of the time the action wasn't clear, because the panels weren't created to make that action clear on paper.
Other Avatar comics that I've seen (like The Search or The Rift) were actually created to be comics, and those are wonderful and work perfectly and the artwork is fantastic! So I was disappointed to see that this is so poorly organized.
As far as the story goes, of course I adore Aang and Katara and Sokka! The plot is perfection, the characters are marvelous, and the world building is phenomenal! I just wish this little comic did them justice.
If there had been new art that was created for a book format, it would have looked better and flowed better for a written story. A lot of the time the action wasn't clear, because the panels weren't created to make that action clear on paper.
Other Avatar comics that I've seen (like The Search or The Rift) were actually created to be comics, and those are wonderful and work perfectly and the artwork is fantastic! So I was disappointed to see that this is so poorly organized.
As far as the story goes, of course I adore Aang and Katara and Sokka! The plot is perfection, the characters are marvelous, and the world building is phenomenal! I just wish this little comic did them justice.
November 14, 2012
Ah, Avatar: The Last Airbender. It was and still is one of my favorite cartoon series ever! Although there are some parts that I found unrealistic, corny, and/or not well thought out, it managed to keep me hooked until the very last episode! That reminds me, I never checked the new Avatar series yet... Oh, well.
This comic is a tie-in with the cartoon series. It's pretty loyal to it and the pictures are taken from the series itself (at least that's what I think). It was a fun read and a must-have if you're an Avatar collector. But if you were already satisfied with the cartoon series, you don't need to buy it.
This comic is a tie-in with the cartoon series. It's pretty loyal to it and the pictures are taken from the series itself (at least that's what I think). It was a fun read and a must-have if you're an Avatar collector. But if you were already satisfied with the cartoon series, you don't need to buy it.
April 5, 2013
Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, these four nations lived in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. A hundred years have passed, and Katara and her brother, Sokka, are out fishing in the seas of the South Pole. What they catch, however, is the last thing anyone expected—a boy frozen in an iceberg. Aang is only twelve years old, and carefree as can be, but there is a secret he is hiding. Could he be the Avatar the world has desperately needed, the one who can bring balance to a world at war?
*yawn* How much lazier can you get? The dialogue in this book is almost word-for-word from the show, and the art is simply screenshots. Any changes made to said dialogue wasn’t an improvement, and were made in an effort to hide the exclusion of some of what was said in the show.
I’ll admit I wasn’t reading the dialogue too closely, as I’ve seen the episode this book came from over and over again, and I more of was hearing the characters saying their lines than anything. In that sense, it threw me off whenever I did notice there was a change of wording from the show.
I also noticed a typo and some errors… The very first page of the book gives false information about Prince Zuko. He isn’t trying to capture the Avatar dead or alive. If the Avatar dies, s/he is simply reborn. Therefore, if Zuko kills the Avatar, he’ll just have to start his search all over again, and he very much doesn’t want that.
Second page, Sokka is Takara’s brother? No, he would be Katara’s brother.
Also, page 46. A flashback scene for Aang started at the end of the previous page. In all of the screenshots, it is very clear there is just Aang and Appa in a stormy seas. The exact words on that page are, “Aang, Appa, Katara and Sokka are swept under a wave.” While the flashback isn’t clearly explained in this book, it happened a hundred years ago… I don’t think Katara and Sokka are there. Plus, neither of them mention being caught in a storm at all, when Aang wakes up at the village.
The other two major errors I saw were in the back of the book, as well as a small complaint. After the first episode, there is a section on each of the four nations. My small complaint is that each nation is “strongly associated” with a season, without any explanation being given as to what that means. The Lost Scrolls book states the same thing, but then it EXPLAINS why that is the case (more benders are born during the associated season).
The Air Nomads have this said about them, “They have not been seen for hundreds of years”. Hundreds? I’ve been lied to all my life. I thought only one hundred years had passed, not several.
Lastly, about the Earth Kingdom, “Little is known about the people of this nation”. Look, just because they’re not mentioned in this book doesn’t mean we don’t know anything about them. In fact, I bet more is known about them than about the Air Nomads and probably the Water Tribes as well. Just sayin’.
Overall, whoever wrote this book probably never saw the show, but more of was handed the script and given some screenshots. How else can you butcher such an amazing show so badly? Wait, Shyamalan did it even worse… Maybe it’s a good thing the author to this book was given the exact script of the show.
This book offers nothing new to the Avatar world. I understand getting this series of books as an Avatar collector, as that’s what I’m thinking about doing, but it’s not worth paying a bunch of money for and not worth more than a quick skim if you do take the time to read it. I could have written a better book at the age of twelve. No, probably younger than that.
*yawn* How much lazier can you get? The dialogue in this book is almost word-for-word from the show, and the art is simply screenshots. Any changes made to said dialogue wasn’t an improvement, and were made in an effort to hide the exclusion of some of what was said in the show.
I’ll admit I wasn’t reading the dialogue too closely, as I’ve seen the episode this book came from over and over again, and I more of was hearing the characters saying their lines than anything. In that sense, it threw me off whenever I did notice there was a change of wording from the show.
I also noticed a typo and some errors… The very first page of the book gives false information about Prince Zuko. He isn’t trying to capture the Avatar dead or alive. If the Avatar dies, s/he is simply reborn. Therefore, if Zuko kills the Avatar, he’ll just have to start his search all over again, and he very much doesn’t want that.
Second page, Sokka is Takara’s brother? No, he would be Katara’s brother.
Also, page 46. A flashback scene for Aang started at the end of the previous page. In all of the screenshots, it is very clear there is just Aang and Appa in a stormy seas. The exact words on that page are, “Aang, Appa, Katara and Sokka are swept under a wave.” While the flashback isn’t clearly explained in this book, it happened a hundred years ago… I don’t think Katara and Sokka are there. Plus, neither of them mention being caught in a storm at all, when Aang wakes up at the village.
The other two major errors I saw were in the back of the book, as well as a small complaint. After the first episode, there is a section on each of the four nations. My small complaint is that each nation is “strongly associated” with a season, without any explanation being given as to what that means. The Lost Scrolls book states the same thing, but then it EXPLAINS why that is the case (more benders are born during the associated season).
The Air Nomads have this said about them, “They have not been seen for hundreds of years”. Hundreds? I’ve been lied to all my life. I thought only one hundred years had passed, not several.
Lastly, about the Earth Kingdom, “Little is known about the people of this nation”. Look, just because they’re not mentioned in this book doesn’t mean we don’t know anything about them. In fact, I bet more is known about them than about the Air Nomads and probably the Water Tribes as well. Just sayin’.
Overall, whoever wrote this book probably never saw the show, but more of was handed the script and given some screenshots. How else can you butcher such an amazing show so badly? Wait, Shyamalan did it even worse… Maybe it’s a good thing the author to this book was given the exact script of the show.
This book offers nothing new to the Avatar world. I understand getting this series of books as an Avatar collector, as that’s what I’m thinking about doing, but it’s not worth paying a bunch of money for and not worth more than a quick skim if you do take the time to read it. I could have written a better book at the age of twelve. No, probably younger than that.
December 8, 2020
This book was very good it is pretty much the same as the nickelodeon tv show that i've watched a while ago. it left off with a cliffhanger which is exciting so i can't wait to read the next book the only thing though is i wish the book had more pages in the book that's the only complaint that i have for this book.
July 16, 2021
Me: Mom, can we get Avatar?
Mom: No, we already have Avater at home.
The Avatar at home:
Mom: No, we already have Avater at home.
The Avatar at home:
June 27, 2012
I bought this as a tangible token of my favorite animated series in Nickelodeon. The scenes on tv seemed to jump out of the screen and into the pages of this book. I've watched it so many times with my children that I can already anticipate the dialogues of each graphic scene. I still read them anyway and came close to brain injury! The grammatical error is over the top! Everytime I encounter one it's like hearing a crystal glass break. I can understand a couple of typos, or a few that the editors missed. But come on! This is just a copy of an already edited/aired program and still the numerous mistakes????
The Legend of Aang has a truly timeless and beautiful plot- A coming of age story of the young Avatar Aang who must quickly master the control of air, water, earth, and fire to stop the Fire nation from taking over the four nations that make up his world. Aang struggles with the 12 year old kid in him who just wants to play against the heavy burden and duties of being an Avatar. I hate to see this amazing story ruined by mere grammar. Below is an example of how bad it is--- I assure you it is all over the book, but this excerpt of the dialogue and annotation all came from just one and the same page 82:
KATARA: THAT WAS GREAT...
-AFTER PASSING THE CAVE, AANG SAW SOMETHING AMAZE HIM.
AANG: WOOW...WHAT IS THAT? HAVE YOU EVER SEE THIS?
KATARA: I USED TO SEE IT FAR FROM THE TRIBE.
--THEY HAVE FOUND A BIG WRECKED SHIP LIES AT THE SEA.
The Legend of Aang has a truly timeless and beautiful plot- A coming of age story of the young Avatar Aang who must quickly master the control of air, water, earth, and fire to stop the Fire nation from taking over the four nations that make up his world. Aang struggles with the 12 year old kid in him who just wants to play against the heavy burden and duties of being an Avatar. I hate to see this amazing story ruined by mere grammar. Below is an example of how bad it is--- I assure you it is all over the book, but this excerpt of the dialogue and annotation all came from just one and the same page 82:
KATARA: THAT WAS GREAT...
-AFTER PASSING THE CAVE, AANG SAW SOMETHING AMAZE HIM.
AANG: WOOW...WHAT IS THAT? HAVE YOU EVER SEE THIS?
KATARA: I USED TO SEE IT FAR FROM THE TRIBE.
--THEY HAVE FOUND A BIG WRECKED SHIP LIES AT THE SEA.
Read
March 8, 2009well, i love avatar its my fav show and its interests me by the friendship and the fighting skills and thats what ive learned from this book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 30, 2019
In a lost age, the world is divided into four nations: the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. Within each nation, there is a remarkable order of men and women called the "benders" who can learn to harness their inborn talent and manipulate their native element. Bending is a powerful form combining martial art and elemental magic. In each generation, only one bender is solely capable of controlling all four elements. That bender is the Avatar. The Avatar is the spirit of the world manifested in human form. When the Avatar dies, it reincarnates into the next nation in the cycle. Starting with the mastery of his or her native element, the Avatar learns to bend all four elements. Throughout the ages, the countless incarnations of the Avatar have served to keep the four nations in harmony. Then, the Fire Nation launched a war against the other three nations. Just as the world needed the Avatar the most, he mysteriously vanished. A hundred years later, the Fire Nation is near final victory in its ruthless war of world domination. The Air Nomads were destroyed, the Air Temples ravished, and all airbender monks eradicated. The Water Tribes were raided and driven to the brink of extinction. The Earth Kingdom remains and fights a hopeless war against the Fire Nation. Many believe the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and the cycle is broken. In the desolated South Pole, a lone Water tribe struggles to survive. It is here that the village's last remaining waterbender Katara and her warrior brother Sokka rescue a strange 12-year-old boy named Aang who has been suspended in hibernation in an iceberg. The Water tribe soon discovers that Aang is not only an Airbender--the extinct race no one has seen in a century--but also the long lost Avatar. Now Katara and Sokka must safeguard the child Avatar in his journey to master all four elements and save the world from the Fire Nation.
Season 1 is titled "Book One: Water", and Season 2 is titled "Book Two: Earth." Each of these seasons contains twenty "chapters." Season 3 is titled "Book Three: Fire", and contains 21 "chapters."
Season 1 is titled "Book One: Water", and Season 2 is titled "Book Two: Earth." Each of these seasons contains twenty "chapters." Season 3 is titled "Book Three: Fire", and contains 21 "chapters."
October 31, 2021
Katara "Some people believe that the avatar was never reborn into the air nomads and that the cycle was broken. I haven't lost hope. I believe that somehow the avatar will return to save the world!"
Volume 1/17 of Avatar: The Legend of Aang Comics Series is the graphic novel adaptation of the hit Nickelodeon cartoon. It covers the prologue up till when Prince Zuko thinks he has discovered the Avatar at the South Pole, so there is no "new" content unlike the succeeding Avatar: The Last Airbender Comics Series which details Aang's adventures AFTER the cartoon ends.
There's no new content and the art feels like screen captures from the show, so there's not much special about it except it's a good opportunity for us to spend some time with Aang, his companions. Penguin sledding anyone?
Volume 1/17 of Avatar: The Legend of Aang Comics Series is the graphic novel adaptation of the hit Nickelodeon cartoon. It covers the prologue up till when Prince Zuko thinks he has discovered the Avatar at the South Pole, so there is no "new" content unlike the succeeding Avatar: The Last Airbender Comics Series which details Aang's adventures AFTER the cartoon ends.
There's no new content and the art feels like screen captures from the show, so there's not much special about it except it's a good opportunity for us to spend some time with Aang, his companions. Penguin sledding anyone?
December 25, 2020
Katara and Sokka are fishing in a remote area when they find aang frozen in the ice. Katara knows he is special right away. Katara is a water bender and aang is an airbender. Katara hopes to learn from aang. When they ride appa, aang's pet, back to their home, they learn that airbenders haven't been around hundreds of years. They learn just how special aang might be.
Meanwhile, on a navy ship, Uncle Iroh is training his nephew, Prince Zuko, in the art of firebending. The two have been searching for the last airbender for eons. Prince Zuko's father and grandfather searched before him and now Zuko is obsessed with finding the avatar. Aang is unaware that he is being sought by a man who believes his honor hinges on capturing the avatar.
Meanwhile, on a navy ship, Uncle Iroh is training his nephew, Prince Zuko, in the art of firebending. The two have been searching for the last airbender for eons. Prince Zuko's father and grandfather searched before him and now Zuko is obsessed with finding the avatar. Aang is unaware that he is being sought by a man who believes his honor hinges on capturing the avatar.
January 20, 2019
I love this show so, so, so much, and I was super excited to see these at my local library. It stays true to the show, almost like a manuscript to each episode, so I have no complaints besides that I wish there was more than one chapter in each book.
If anyone knows where I can find some larger editions or other fun Avatar books please let me know!
If anyone knows where I can find some larger editions or other fun Avatar books please let me know!
February 5, 2018
5 stars just because it's Avatar
March 8, 2018
Exciting plot and relatable characters in this comic book. We had some good laughs over some of the characters' exclamations.
July 3, 2018
A young boy named Aang is rescued by Katara and her warrior brother Sokka. The siblings have no idea how important that young boy is in this adventure.
January 4, 2019
it was a good book
February 12, 2019
Very imaginative and fun. Good for the kids and adults alike.
April 23, 2019
Why cant I read this!!😒
May 2, 2019
I really love and adore avatar,the last Airbender.
Want to read
June 10, 2019It's crazy when I've been a fan of Avatar far longer than I was of Cassandra Clare, but have not read its (Graphic) Novelization, yet.
July 29, 2019
This was literally just the first episode of the show. Got this and the second for my 9-year-old at the local used bookstore, just read it because I wanted to remember it.
October 19, 2019
muy pocos autores saben crear un buen mundo y contar una excelente historia tan bien como los que crearon Avatar. Envidio sus habilidades
November 4, 2019
I thought it was okay beacuse it was a graphic novel and I am not a big fan of graphic novels.
December 29, 2019
Me encanta todo lo que tenga que ver con avatar, no mucho Kora
March 16, 2020
Me gustó mucho, las ilustraciones y la trama es muy entretenida, los problemas son difíciles de resolver y quería sabes que pasaba.
March 19, 2020
I like this
July 4, 2020
I adore this series so much, but this book is a 3.5 stars for me. Absolutely loved the animated TV series too. But still...
Read
July 17, 2020the best book ever
January 2, 2021
Good comic
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews