Avatar: The Last Airbender - Team Avatar Tales
Synopsis
Saddle up your air bison and plunge into the thrilling world of Avatar the Last Airbender with the captivating graphic novel Team Avatar Tales. This anthology collection follows the lives of Aang and his friends on some of their shorter adventures. Find out what life is like for Team Avatar when they’re not battling it out with the Fire Nation. Whether you're a die-hard fan or newly discovering the Avatar: The Last Airbender series, you will surely enjoy this small collection.
Review and Recommendation
With its resurgence on Netflix and my students' newfound interest in everything related to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I decided to reenter the world of Avatar again through comic book form. I had no idea a graphic novel version of Avatar existed until a few months ago when my students discovered them at our school library. I did not grow up with the Avatar series. I had heard about it throughout middle and high school, but I didn’t watch the show until I was in my twenties, when the entire series was available to stream. I thought the animated series was incredibly well crafted, with intricate world-building and a slew of loveable and fierce characters. The graphic novel series is no different. The collection has several books, some connected and others almost in a digest comic form. Team Avatar Tales is similar to a digest comic in that the stories are not strictly connected and are told in around ten pages or less. I liked this choice for this book because it showcased different art styles and stories without using the same characters throughout. Some stories are hilarious (Toph and the Boulder was the absolute best), while others have a slightly more serious tone, but there is always a meaningful message at the end. Overall, Team Avatar Tales is a great and quick read for fans or anyone just getting interested in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe.
Cautions
*Spoiler Alert* (A spoiler alert is being issued because there are mentions of specific plot points that relate to the rating of this review.)
Team Avatar Tales is thoughtfully tailored for young readers, featuring only mild action and violence. There is a single instance where a shop owner refers to Suki and another woman as “mouthy broads.” However, this is a minor element in an otherwise perfectly suitable comic for all readers, providing a reassuring choice for parents and guardians.
