Summary

• With only three seasons, it doesn't take long to complete a binge of Avatar: The Last Airbender's entire run, leaving fans hungry for more.
• Thankfully, a long line of comics and graphic novels have expanded the story, giving viewers countless more hours of Avatar storytelling.
• Whether it's a prequel, sequel, or missing chapter revealing new events in the Avatar timeline, these are the books TV fans need to read.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is rightly lauded as television at its most spellbinding and exciting – but thankfully, for fans who can't get enough of the franchise, the world of the series extends beyond the screen. Comics have provided the perfect medium for the continuation of Avatar's story, with the events beyond the TV show's finale being explored in detail.

Especially for viewers who have finished The Last Airbender and its sequel series The Legend of Korra, many will be left with an appetite for more Avatar. The immersive world of the series is wide, its lore is deep, and much of its timeline remains unexplored – all potential that the Avatar comics released so far have leaned into. That said, most Avatar comics have primarily functioned as immediate follow-ups to The Last Airbender, while some have expanded on moments in the TV show's timeline that weren't depicted on screen. In both cases, they have proved to be a dynamic addition to the franchise.

Together, Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Lost Adventures and Team Avatar Tales elucidate key moments set during the time of the show, many of which add valuable context to the series, and the comic book sequels.

The Perfect Starting Points For Avatar Fans To Get Into The Comics

"The Lost Adventures" And "Team Avatar Tales"

Fans of Avatar will naturally be eager to dive into the sequel graphic novels, and to discover how the gaps between The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra are filled in. That said, it is worth first turning to two collections of stories largely set within the timeline of Last Airbender's "Three Books," the three seasons constituting its run on TV. Together, Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Lost Adventures and Team Avatar Tales elucidate key moments set during the time of the show, many of which add valuable context to the series, and the comic book sequels.

The Lost Adventures is a compilation of stories that were published from 2005-2011, most of them originally appearing Nickelodeon Magazine and the Avatar: The Last Airbender DVD collections, supplemented by several originals. Meanwhile, Team Avatar Tales is another collection of short comic vignettes, published by Dark Horse Comics.

The Lost Adventures is divided into three books: water, earth, and fire, corresponding to the seasons of the show. Notably, many of the writers and artists whose work appears in The Lost Adventures also worked on the TV series. For the most part, the collection comprises short, fun stories that will allow fans to spend more time with their favorite characters, including one in which Sokka pretending to be the Avatar to impress a girl, and another that centers on a competition between Bumi and Toph to see who is the superior earthbender.

Team Avatar Tales includes stories that were released for Free Comic Book Day, though a few new ones were added as well. In addition to being set during the main series, several of the vignettes in Team Avatar Tales stray into the future, giving readers a brief insight into what to expect from the comic book sequels to The Last Airbender. What will be most exciting about this collection for Avatar fans is the way it focuses more on the franchise's ing characters, such as Mai, Ty Lee, and even the Boulder.

"The Last Airbender" Saga Continues In A Series Of Graphic Novel Trilogies

"The Promise," "The Search," "The Rift"

This set of trilogies does more than just expand the world of the franchise – they test the extent of what Avatar can do in the comic book medium.

While the collections are a fun primer for Avatar comics, the graphic novels have much more in-depth, mature stories. These are true sequels to the TV show, one of the most critical functions of which is to help bridge the gap between Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. The first graphic novel trilogy, called The Promise, picks up right after the show ends before jumping forward a year. It follows the new Fire Lord Zuko as he attempts to repair the damage done by his father, starting with the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom.

As readers might expect, this proves to be more complicated than he anticipated. The story subsequently continues in The Search. As epic as what happened to Zuko's mother. This second graphic novel trilogy attempts to finally answer that question. The Search excitingly blends the present-day story of Zuko and Team Avatar's quest to find his mother with flashbacks to Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai's marriage.

In this way, The Search adds depth to the history of the characters, as well as depicting what happens to them next. The Rift, meanwhile, places emphasis on the path to The Legend of Korra, revealing Aang was instrumental in the founding of Republic City, where much of the sequel series takes place. The third graphic novel trilogy details how Aang began that process by trying to revive an Air Nomad tradition. This set of trilogies does more than just expand the world of the franchise – they test the extent of what Avatar can do in the comic book medium.

Avatar's Graphic Novel Trilogies Are An Ambitious Expansion Of The Franchise

"Smoke And Shadow," "North And South," "Imbalance"

As the universe of Avatar continues to expand with exhilarating comic book continuations of the TV series, fans of the franchise will be thrilled by every detail that gets added to the mythos of the series.

In the fourth graphic novel trilogy, Smoke and Shadow, a group called the New Ozai Society seeks to remove Zuko as the Fire Lord and restore the deposed Ozai to power. In order to keep his throne, Zuko seeks help from Avatar Aang and his now-ex-girlfriend, Mai. However, the New Ozai Society is seemingly being aided by evil spirits, and things become even more complicated when Mai learns she has a personal connection to the leader of the rebellion. Building on the first three installments, Smoke and Shadow continues to take Avatar comics in bold, engaging directions.

Taking place contemporaneously with Smoke and Shadow, North and South follows Katara and Sokka as they return home to find their once meager village has transformed into a bustling city akin to that of the Northern Tribe. Viewers of The Legend of Korra were quick to note how Southern Water Tribe received quite an upgrade in the century since The Last Airbender, and North and South contains the exciting first steps in that historical process. The emotional struggle of the story comes as Katara fears that in the name of progress, the South may be sacrificing their identity.

Finally, the sixth and final graphic novel trilogy, titled Imbalance, follows Team Avatar as they deal with a bender vs non-bender dispute in Toph's hometown, which Aang and his compatriors must find a way to quell before the conflict turns violent. Additionally, a number of stand-alone Avatar graphic novels have been released, including Katara and the Pirate's Silver and Toph Beifong's Metalbending Academy. As the universe of Avatar continues to expand with exhilerating comic book continuations of the TV series, fans of the franchise will be thrilled by every detail that gets added to the mythos of the series.