Avatar: The Last Airbender lasted for
three seasons, ending on a 4-part conclusion in 2008. The series won and was nominated for many
awards during and after its run. The
lovable characters and engaging story had pulled me right along to its
conclusion. However, there was one main
question that fans were dying to have an answer for: what became of Prince Zuko’s
mother, Ursa?
Oh,
how I wish this was animated! Avatar: The Last
Airbender – The Search is a 3-part comic series written by Gene Luen Yang and
drawn by Gurihiru. It is the story that
reveals the fate of Zuko’s mother named Ursa.
Those who haven’t watched the television series will not likely find
much interest in this; however, fans who have wanted answers ever since the TV
series ended will want to pick this up.
Instead of buying the individual issues, I recently bought the complete
hardcover edition. The wide margins
allowed the author, artist, and the original creators add their commentary for
certain scenes, which was a neat extra. The
quality of the print and the thick paper pages is what makes me glad I
purchased this version. On the hand, the
binding is something that could have been better. Every time I touch the spine or open the
book, terrible cracking sounds soon follow.
The book is still holding together perfectly fine, but it didn’t take
long for the glue to fail.
Readers
are reunited with the well-loved characters from Avatar once again as they follow clues to find Ursa. The author did a wonderful job in making the
dialogue believable for each character and fit with their established
personalities. Also, I appreciate that
the artist seemed to emulate the animated series’ art style. Even though their faces appear a tad chubbier
and their eyes bigger at times, the characters retain their unique designs and
appearances from the show. A few panels
feel jarring with their sudden white backgrounds, which make the characters
appear like their standing in mid-air. I
imagine it was used to for emphasis in the particular scenes, but it was
somewhat distracting for me. Occasionally,
hands and feet look smooshed, toes morphing together in some instances. Such errors aren’t too blatant, however, and
the beautiful coloring and backdrops pull the reader beyond these small flaws.
At
one moment in the story, a spirit is coming out from the forest, shining in the
night and towering over the group of friends.
It’s a lovely scene depicted through detailed artwork. Sometimes the art style and the fantastical
elements of this storyline made me feel like I was reading a Studio Ghibli
story. Much to my delight, the side
commentary from the creators of the Avatar
universe only confirmed my feelings as they describe getting inspiration from
such sources.
The
story is broken up into two timelines: the past and the present. Ursa’s history and origin is told through flashbacks
as Zuko and his friends discover new secrets and leads about her. As the group’s journey progresses, the reader
becomes more involved and invested in Zuko’s emotional struggles to come to
terms with his past. He must ultimately
accept who he really is, learning from and letting go of a past filled with
regrets and lost possibilities. Since he’s
my favorite character of the series, I had no trouble being immersed into Zuko’s
inner plight and the mystery of his mother.
What
made the story even more compelling was the inclusion of Azula, Zuko’s younger
sister. In the end of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Azula became
mentally unhinged, her mind filled with
delusions and hysteria about her mother conspiring against her. This comic explores just how crazed she’s
truly become, and I love how her unpredictable personality caused some scenes
to be downright uncomfortable. I never
knew when she might lose her calm, which added a lot of suspense at certain
points. The Search’s consideration of her relationship with her mother and
Zuko was an interesting aspect of the narrative. I was drawn into her inner workings, almost
to the extent of feeling sorry for her.
Even though Azula was such a thorn in Aang’s side during the events of
the television series, I genuinely was getting as invested as Zuko was in
trying to coax her out of her untrusting, miserable mental state.
The
ending was a little too neatly packaged for my liking; it felt overly
simplistic and predictable after a certain point. I probably am judging it too harshly, seeing
as how it is a story targeted toward kids.
I understand why the creators would want to end on a more light-hearted
note, but I would have preferred some deeper twists. In addition, I was frustrated by a particular
outcome of a character that I wish had not been so abrupt in execution. An extra chapter or a few more pages would
have gone a long way in assisting the pacing near the end.
Although
there were occasional artistic flaws and a few jokes fell flat or felt forced
in areas, I enjoyed reading this. The
actual size of the book may be unwieldy to hold for some people, especially for
kids and their little arms, but the print quality makes this edition hard to
pass up. I’m glad I was able to add this
to my library, and getting an answer to one of the biggest questions left by
the television show was quite satisfying.
Long-time fans won’t want to miss out.
Rating: Read it
*images from Amazon, Avatar wikia, & Google Images
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