Customer Reviews

Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise Part 1 (Avatar: The Last Airbender Book Four)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

FYI: I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley for purposes of review. (I read that one, and then went out the day it arrived in stores, bought a hard copy and read it again.)

Premise: The war is over, but bringing peace to the Four Nations isn't as simple as winning a battle. This is the continuing story of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

I LOVE THIS. I loved this to pieces. This made me laugh and gasp and cry aloud. I love these characters, and this is completely in tone with the series: funny and sweet and heartbreaking.

It even starts by devoting three pages to the voiceover that opened every episode of the series, so it dropped me immediately into the right mindset for this world. I can hear the voice actors in my head. If you haven't seen Avatar: The Last Airbender, GO DO THAT. And then when you get to the end and want more, you're in luck!

The Promise interweaves some of the character moments we saw at the end of the last episode into the start of a new story, in which Zuko and Aang struggle with the Fire Nation colonies that were established in the Earth Kingdom during the war. It becomes a difficult question: what is the best thing to do, for those people who live there and for the Nations as a whole? How long have they been there? Are they Fire Nation citizens? Earth Kingdom citizens? What about the Earth Kingdom people who are angry, who lost people in the war, who want every Firebender gone? There are no easy answers for the characters.

There are plenty of great character moments, from an early conversation between Aang and Zuko that introduces the core emotional plot and had me right by the heartstrings, to the sweet moments showing the development of Aang and Katara's relationship. Toph and Sokka meanwhile maintain the right amount of comic relief to keep the tone on balance. Plenty of characters get at least a cameo, but there are occasional subtle words or references to keep the reader on track in case you forget who someone is.

You know the next element that's needed for Avatar: action! And this doesn't disappoint. The fight scenes are gorgeous: clear, dynamic, and inventive.

The art is beautiful throughout, in fact. Mostly just true to the series, although I especially liked the addition of Aang's prayer beads containing all the symbols of the elements, that he apparently uses to talk to the previous Avatars. The design work on that was beautifully done, and there are little elements to the art that I only noticed on a second look, little details that just enhance the whole.

This is a medium-short graphic novel at 76 Pages.

Be warned, this ends in a cliffhanger! And I have to wait until MAY for Part 2?

5 Stars - An Awesome Book

ARC provided by NetGalley

This book picks up right where Avatar Season 3 left off. The war has ended and Zuko is now Firelord. He's dedicated to restoring peace among the nations...with the help of the Avatar and his friends of course. His first step, withdrawing the Fire Kingdom settlements from the Earth Kingdom, the Harmony Restoration Movement. But trouble soon arises. Some of these colonies have been there for generations and have even intermarried and neither side wants to sepearte. Zuko torn between the plight of these families and the healing that needs to be done calls off the movement. But not all in the Earth Kingdom are happy about the Zuko withdrawing his support and Aang and his friends are going to have to work fast to prevent war from overcoming the world once again.

Gene Luen Yang, author of "American Born Chinese," brings his immense writing talents to the Avatar universe. Even though Gene is an avowed Avatar fan, I still approached this book with a bit of trepidation. As an outsider to the original series (or even in any of the comics) how would he approach the relationships in the series? How would he approach Aang and Zuko growing into their roles? My fears were unfounded however, as Gene has clearly immersed himself in the Avatar universe and has accurately captured the characters and their movements within his writing. He has created a well crafted story that does justice to the series and feels just like an episode (ok multiple episodes) of the TV series. I really like how he's approaching the Zuko/Ozai relationship. At the end of the cartoon series we're left with the image of Zuko asking about the whereabouts of his mother and Gene deftly weaves this interaction into the story to give the reader more information. He also accurately captures Sokka and that sense of humor/immaturity/maturity that we all grew to love. I love when Sokka sees Aang and Katara kissing and shouts out about how it's oogie, it's just so him. The one thing that bugs me, just slightly, is when Aang and Katara call each other sweetie. It just doesn't feel right coming from them. I don't know what word they should use, but it just feels weird.

The artwork...wow the artwork is absolutely fantastic. I don't think Bryan Gurihiru worked on the actual series, but man does he capture the characters perfectly. It's like looking at a print version of the cartoon. He's able to capture their expressions, even their very movements down to the last detail. And the colors are absolutely pitch perfect. I think one of my favorite scenes is at the very end where Zuko is visiting Ozai and Bryan just nails the expression on Ozai's face. Even without his firebending power you can tell its him. Compared to some of the comics I've seen that came out based upon the series this art just nails it. In my head when I'm reading the comic it's like watching the cartoon.

All in all this is the absolute perfect combination of writer and artist to work on this series and continue it for fans. For fans of the series this is just what you've been waiting for. It feels like Aang and crew never left. And if you're new to the series...why are you starting with this book? Go watch the original series and get hooked on it and then come back and read this title.

Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise Part 1 picks up pretty much where the series ended. A year after the war ended, there are still problems going on which Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko have to resolve.

I loved this book! Yes, the pages are leaked online and you can actually find the entire book online and read it there, but you should really buy the book itself. It's worth it. :) The art is beautiful, the story line follows with Avatar and the characters are pretty much the same as always.

What I wasn't crazy about, besides the length, was two things. First, the "sweetie" part. I don't know, it just seemed strange hearing "sweetie" all the time from Katara and Aang. And I mean All The TIME. A bit overkill. The second thing, and it might just be how they want to work this in the story, was more on Zuko and how he was. He seemed to take two steps back than where he was at the season finale. Maybe they're doing that for a reason, maybe not. I'm not sure, but I wasn't crazy about it.

Still, loved it, recommend it and will be waiting to purchase the next one! Even more since they left us with a cliffy at the end. ;) Let's just hope the second book is a bit longer than this book was.

This is the very thing I've dreamed of since the series came to an end in glorious fashion all those years ago. This is what I wanted from an Avatar movie instead of a live-action retelling that turned out to be tripe anyway. The story of what came after the war. Not a fan fiction, but a genuine official story with the thumbprints of the creators all over it. This comic tells that story. And its everything I wanted and more.
The characters are still the familiar heroes we know and love. The artwork portrays the world perfectly and with flair to spare. The story is as fascinating and action filled as the original series. The only complaint I have is that the dialog, while as humor-laced and smart as we remember, can be a bit rough around the edges. But somehow, I can't complain about the length. For some reason, an 80 page limit just works for the universe and this new story. All in all, I believe that any ATLA fan worth his or her salt should pick up this comic - their purchase will be rewarded with one of the best continuations of a show in ages. Welcome back, Gaang. We've missed you.

I love The Last Airbender. I love the characters, plot, premis and world. I cannot wait for Legend of Korra to be released.

These comics seem as if they are going to fill the gap between the two series. I'm very glad for them. I wasn't ready to give up Aang yet, and there can only be another avatar after one dies.

The story takes place what seems like several months after the last battle. Familiar characters are doing things they enjoy. I found it super precious that Uncle Iroh had opened a tea shop.

I don't know if it was the artist's style, art direction, or something else entirely that made Aang taller. Thank you for that! I would have found the make-out scenes much more disturbing had Aang not gone through a growth spurt. He's so much shorter than Katara in the series! I know he aged dramatically through the show, but he was still portrayed with the same voice and the same size, so I always thought of him as a twelve year old.

A few things felt a little forced. Sokka's jokes landed flat and just were not timed well. I expect more from Sokka.

Aang and Katara ended up calling each other 'sweetie' constantly. It got to the point where I wasn't sure if they were mocking each other or what, but every word bubble did not need to repeat it. Take a page from River Song's book and use it with class!

A good chunk of the comic contained Zuko and Aang yelling at each other, but other then that, I really enjoyed it. Can't wait for the next installment to be out.

This is a direct sequel to the Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series, and it takes place after the conclusion of that series. Writer Gene Luen Yang (I loved his graphic novel American Born Chinese) has a great feel for the flavor and characters of the show while loading this story with political themes and elements of classic tragedy.

The story focuses on the deadly promise that Ang has made to Zuko, and Zuko's own struggles with the burden of leadership of the Fire Nation. Starting out with the best of intentions to return captured territory to the Earth Nation, Zuko finds himself mired in political problems far more complex than he had anticipated, all while struggling with the creeping paranoia that comes with absolute power.

Meanwhile Ang and Kitara take on the role of peacemakers, but the conflicts that are brewing threaten to turn friend against friend.

The story is accessible, fast-paced, and fun. And the political dilemmas that it presents echo the situations in Israel/Palestine and in post-colonial nations around the world. And Zuko's experiences as ruler are classic Shakespearean tragedy.

This book is a worthy sequel and stands alone quite well. I could take or leave the comic relief portions, but they are in keeping with the flavor of the series and they never get in the way of the more serious elements of the story.

For those that don't know, Avatar: The Last Airbender is a popular animated TV series about a world of element benders. The series ended three years ago and in 2012 a new spin-off series The Legend of Korra will be released. Author Gene Yang has collaborated with the two creators of the show for a trilogy of graphic novels that will be set in between Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. As a fan of the series, I was beyond excited when I heard the news for the graphic novels and was ecstatic when I was given a chance to review the book and see an early look.

The Promise Part 1 starts right where the last episode of the series ended, and I mean right after. We see that perhaps the world is not in peaceful as they thought it would be. Zuko, now the Fire Lord, is finding it especially difficult to deal with the demands of being the Fire Lord and protecting his country. We see the full conversation between Zuko and Ozai - when Zuko asks Ozai where his mother is in the series. Team Avatar of course all appear in the graphic novel and I give the artist high points for drawing the characters as they appeared in the TV series but still giving them each a new look.

Sadly though, I felt that the Graphic Novel was too short - a mere 82 pages - and I felt that nothing really happened, I have a feeling the other 2 Graphic Novels in the trilogy will have a similar length and if that's the case, it would have been better off it they just combined all of them together to make one graphic novel. There was also quite a lot of bending fights in the graphic novel and although it was pretty cool it just didn't flow very well, which was a bit of a disappointment when you compare it to the epic fights of the show.

Nonetheless as a fan of the series I was happy to see my favorite old characters return and start a new adventure. I will definitely be reading the rest of this trilogy to see what happens next. We saw more of metal bending in the graphic novel and I can see how that will connect to the spin-off show, The Legend of Korra. I'm excited to see what other connections there will be. So I would say if you're a fan of this series than you definitely need to give this a try. And if you haven't watched the series yet, than what are you waiting for!!

*** THERE ARE NO SPOILERS IN THE REVIEW***

Many years ago I loved the Avatar series, and I got the first two seasons for Christmas presents. I never really watched these series, but about 3 months ago I saw them gathering dust in my DVD case and thought I'd start from the beginning and watch the series again.

I couldn't stop watching.

With Christmas just about a month later, I got the 3rd season of Avatar and watched it in less than 2 days. But wait...That's it? What happens next?!

This book is what I've been waiting for, and I was extremely satisfied. Many people have been saying it's too short, but you have to admit it's a COMIC book. It's not supposed to take THAT long to read! Seeing people give this comic book 3 or 4 stars really angered me considering in the details it says "The Promise" is only 80 pages.

The author really brings the characters from the show into the book perfectly. They do look a little older because most of the comic book takes place 1 year after the show, besides the introductory pages at the beginning. I would recommend this to any Avatar fan - As well as "The Promise" part 2 and 3 which will be coming out later this year. Seeing Team Avatar return for new adventures is amazing. Also, there's a great cliff-hanger ending to the book! I can't wait until Part 2 is out!

Hope I could help!

While this first issue was painfully short (about the length of half and episode!), it was delightful to have in my hands the much desired continuation of the story of Aang and the gang... and NOT hate it. I have to give immense props to the illustrators for keeping perfectly in line with the show's animation and to the writers for maintaining the characters' voices (they were all perfect!). The only thing I can hope is that The Promise Part 2 isn't the end to this wonderful substitute to the show and that we get A:TLAB comic books for years to come!

Do not buy this product form this company!! The pages are all out of order, half of them missing, and they started the comic before the index pages even! Some of the sections are even printed two and three times in a row! HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE!! This is so sad that such a good series is ruined by such horrible publishing and quality control. I dont think I even wanna chance buying another copy in a few months because this might happen again. I suggest buying this in a store physically so you can see the quality.