There is no question that Avatar: The Last Airbender, or ATLA, as it is lovingly referred to by millions of fans worldwide, is an impeccable show. Originally targeted toward children, the show’s portrayal of love, loyalty, and childhood friendship at the time of war went on to win the hearts of adults and kids alike. Its addition to Netflix during the pandemic caused its popularity to boom again. Now the ATLA universe is scheduled to get a host of new content — from comics, novels, and live-action adaptations to an animated telling of the original band’s adventures post the war, and where the show ended. If there was ever a time to get into the originally existing (and quickly expanding) list of ATLA comics, it is now. The comics are all canon and produced by Dark Horse Comics. And Mike and Bryan, the original show’s creators, are heavily involved in the creation of most of these comics. So, if you, like many of the show’s ardent fans, cannot wait to get into the expanded Avatar: The Last Airbender comics universe, here is a detailed guide to the same:
1) The Lost Adventures
This is the first ATLA comic book that was ever released. It’s a one-shot collection of short stories set between different episodes or seasons of the show. Called The Lost Adventures, these one-shots were released in Nickelodeon magazine while the show was still on the air. The length of these stories varies from short 2-page tales to longer emotional stories like the one that explores Aang and Katara’s relationship beyond the scope of the show. A personal favorite is an arc that deals with Katara’s side of the story as Aang lies unconscious after Azula’s attack.
2) Katara and the Pirate’s Silver
A standalone graphic novel, Katara and the Pirate’s Silver, follows Katara’s journey after she gets separated from her friends. She goes on a mini adventure, using her wits and the help of unlikely allies, to survive the time she spends separated from the rest of the Gaang (aka Team Avatar) after the Fire Nation ambushes them. Originally published on October 13th, 2020, the book is written by Faith Erin Hicks who also wrote two other comics on this list. Illustrated by Peter Wartman and Adele Matera, Katara and the Pirate’s Silver is ATLA’s first one-shot graphic novel.
3) Suki, Alone
Another standalone comic, this one is set between the episodes “Appa’s Lost Days” and “The Boiling Rock“. Set in the dark prison where Suki spends her time locked up before the events of “The Boiling Rock”, Suki, Alone follows the adventures of Suki as she musters all her courage and her wits to build a community of prisoners to rise against Fire Lord Ozai’s indomitable forces. Suki, Alone, like Katara and the Pirate’s Silver, was written by Faith Erin Hicks. It originally came out on July 27th, 2021, and is illustrated by Peter Wartman.
4) The Promise
The Promise is the first story arc that was released as a comic trilogy. The story skips ahead to a year after the show ended, with Aang and Zuko still reeling from and struggling to deal with the aftermath of the war. The arc follows Aang and Zuko on their paths to becoming true leaders. While most of the other characters mostly take a backseat, this is the arc where Toph starts her new metal-bending school. Originally published on January 25th, 2012, The Promise is a story in three parts. It’s written by Gene Luen Yang and illustrated by Studio Gurihiru.
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5) The Search
The second graphic novel trilogy, The Search, features perhaps one of the more popular story arcs. In this trilogy, the team comes together again to help Zuko find his mother, Ursa. We learn a lot about Ursa’s backstory and the heartbreaking reasons behind her disappearance. Other than Zuko and the other members of the team, Azula also takes a front seat in this arc. Another tripartite tale by Gene Luen Yang, The Search came out on March 20th, 2013. It too was illustrated by Studio Gurihiru. Yang does a wonderful job of telling a heartbreaking tale of loss and love, making The Search one of the most popular ATLA comics ever.
6) The Rift
In this third ATLA comics trilogy, the team discovers a factory on sacred Air Nomad land. The situation worsens when they find out that the factory belongs to Toph’s father. A rift develops between Toph and Aang as the former argues for the need for modernization while the latter wishes to return to tradition. The trilogy also explores both Aang and Toph’s character development, with Toph confronting her issues with her parents while Aang goes on a spiritual journey of his own.
7) Toph Beifong’s Metalbending Academy
Set after The Rift’s events, this standalone graphic novel explores Toph’s life after establishing her metalbending academy. Initially, we meet a bored and listless Toph who longs for adventures. But soon, her seismic senses lead her on the path to new adventures and the discovery of powers she did not know existed. While it’s not a trilogy, Hicks, the writer, dove deep into the lore, exploring Toph’s ambitions, hopes, and relationships in the span of a few pages. The book is again illustrated by Peter Wartman and was first released on February 16th, 2021. Like Hicks’ other works, Toph Beifong’s Metalbending Academy is an immensely popular among fans and critics alike.
8) Smoke and Shadow
This trilogy follows Zuko as he returns to a Fire Nation resistant to his rule. This group is led by Mai’s father, who actively rises against Zuko’s rule even as children vanish into the night, taken by cloaked, shadowy figures. The tale tells how Zuko handles his new role as the Fire Lord. Fire Nation politics-focused, the story is set in the aftermath of The Search. We also see Mae and Zuko’s relationship finally taking the spotlight. Ty Lee and Suki enjoy the limelight for a bit in this one.
9) North and South
In this trilogy, Katara and Sokka return to the Southern Water Tribe, only to discover that things back home have undergone a sea change during their journey to save the world. While Sokka mostly adapts to this okay, Katara has trouble adjusting to the new order. The trilogy explores the Water Tribe’s history and politics in this trilogy and is mostly focused on Katara and Hakoda’s stories. We also get the first whiff of the modern world in the arc, with it touching upon and hinting at what events finally led to the establishment of Republic City.
10) Imbalance
In the Imbalance trilogy, we finally address what had been hinted at now and then in the original show, i.e., the growing tensions between benders and non-benders. The team again gets together to fight the rising distress and establish a sense of balance and peace. It is the sixth ATLA graphic novel trilogy and came out in 2018-19. It is written by Michael “Mike” Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the original creators themselves, in collaboration with Hicks. The books are illustrated by Wartman and Matera.
11) Team Avatar Tales and Other Free Comics
Other than the official trilogies, we also have a bunch of free comics released as part of the Free Comic Book Day event each year. Team Avatar Tales is a collection of free ATLA comics and a few new short stories. The free comics included in the collection are called “Rebound”, “Shells”, and “Sisters.” “Rebound” acts almost like required reading for Smoke and Shadow. “Shells” explores the sweet budding romance between Sokka and Suki and offers a bit of Kyoshi’s backstory. “Sisters” is centered around Ty Lee and Toph and features Ty Lee’s sisters. The last 2 free ATLA comics include “Aang’s Unfreezing Day”, which is about Aang forgetting his birthday after being trapped in ice for 100 years, so the Gaang decides to choose a new day to celebrate. There’s also “Lost and Found”, the 2023 free comic, whose events happened during the reign of Firelord Ozai. It’s about a little girl, Luumi, the only survivor of a village obliterated by the Fire Nation.
12) Azula in the Spirit Temple
The fourth one-shot graphic novel’s events take place sometime after the show and The Search and Smoke & Shadow end. Written by Faith Erin Hicks with art by Peter Wartman and Adele Matera, the comic follows Azula as she attempts to destabilize the new Fire Nation Zuko is building. We meet her immediately after one of her plans has been foiled, and she somehow finds herself inside a forest temple that has but one monk. Azula in the Spirit Temple has the mad princess finally look at herself and reflect on her past. Could this be her moment of redemption, in a half-ruined temple in the woods?
13) The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer
Iroh gets to meet his bounty hunter goth crush, June, again in this one-shot. The fifth ATLA one-shot graphic novel follows the bounty hunter and the tea brewer as they go on a search for missing tea. When Iroh’s tea supply dries up, he realizes something must be wrong and goes on a quest that has him reflect on his past while June thinks about the road ahead. Published in August last year, The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer was written by Mike and Bryan again, so you know this is gonna be a good one already. It was illustrated by Wartman and Matera.
14) Ashes of the Academy
The last ATLA one-shot released so far, Ashes of the Academy is best read after you finish reading The Search and Smoke & Shadow trilogies. Made in collaboration with Mike and Bryan, the OG show creators, it was written by Faith Erin Hicks with art by Peter Wartman and Adele Matera. It’s about Firelord Zuko’s half-sister, Kiyi, enrolling in the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. The institute is full of authoritarians and has a difficult, if outdated, curriculum. When Zuko begins to doubt the headmistress, he sends Mai to the school as a teacher. But can Mai single-handedly protect Kiyi from the influence of the institute and keep her from going astray like Azula?
15) Bonus: Korra Comics
Like ATLA, the Legend of Korra series also boasts a host of comic content, much of which is actually written by Mike and Bryan themselves. These include anthologies like Patterns in Time. There’s The Turf Wars, which is again a trilogy of comics. Set after the events of Legend of Korra, these focus on Korra and Asami as they struggle to reveal their relationship to the world. Beyond relationship troubles and dilemmas, Korra also deals with the repercussions of having a literal spirit portal in the middle of Republic City. There’s also Ruins of the Empire, a comic trilogy that follows the events that occur after the Turf Wars. Earth Kingdom politics heavy, this arc debates questions of leadership, follows Kuvira’s trial, and witnesses the rising conflict between the new Team Avatar — a conflict that may spell another war. Korra got some free comics too, including “Friends for Life”, “Lost Pets”, “Clearing the Air”, and “Beach Wars.”
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