Avatar: The Last Airbender News — New Writer, Artist, Character Designs Revealed for Future Comics
While I have been attempting to get out a blog series for Avatar: The Last Airbender over the past few months, this exciting piece of news came across my laptop today, and I thought I would give my two cents on the matter.
I casually searched the show on Google Thursday afternoon, and saw that the Avatar comics are indeed living on. In the summer, then comic artist Gurihiru announced that North and South, the most recent comic, was its last one. It was also the last comic that writer Gene Luen Yang would do. Many fans were in doubt as to how the future of ATLA comics would unfold.
However, it was announced today that writer Faith Erin Hicks (The Nameless City; also contributed to art in Shells, an Avatar side-comic released in 2014) and artist Peter Wartman (Over the Wall) were confirmed to work on the new Avatar comics, with the next entry coming sometime in 2018. It was also confirmed that Hicks and Wartman, just like Yang before, will work with co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko to help develop and build the stories of the future comics.
To put it mildly, this makes me take a deep exhale. With the departure of Yang and Gurihiru, as well as with North and South falling short of expectations, many fans feared that the Avatar comics were dead. The Legend of Korra comics also have gained steam thanks to the recent release of Turf Wars: Part 1. There seemed to be so much buzz about what is to come in Korra comics, but none of it when it came to ATLA. The Avatar panel for New York Comic Con this weekend only featured Irene Koh (artist for Turf Wars: Part 1) and Janet Varney (voice of Korra when the show aired), so it seemed all about Korra at the panel and nothing centering ATLA.
So, as a hardcore ATLA fan, I am excited to see what the future holds for these comics. It was also a huge relief in reading that DiMartino and Konietzko are going to continue working on these comics with Hicks and Wartman coming on board. They could have abandoned ATLA entirely and gone on to Korra (at least DiMartino anyway, since he contributed to Turf Wars: Part 1). The fact they are sticking with it makes me so excited for what is to come.
It will be interesting to see what the next story will be about. The article did not provide that information. There are plenty of ideas that fans would love to see (Iroh’s backstory, development of Azula in her psychotic state, Aang and Katara’s maturing relationship (perhaps even marriage), Zuko’s maturation as Fire Lord, etc.). The next comic will be released in fall 2018. Again, while a plot has not been revealed yet, there is no question ATLA fans are breathing easy now that there is a future for the franchise’s comic series.
Before I finish this post, I would like to share and discuss the redesigns that Wartman made for Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph. All the redesigns are a nod to past designs. All the characters seem designed to look older than in North and South, which is also of interest considering the future stories.
(Note — I do not own any of the following images. These were taken from Entertainment Weekly for the sole purpose of using them in this article. Copyright infringement and theft are not intended.)
Aang’s design is a slight change to the outfit he wore in the comics. This design looks closer to resembling his invasion outfit. The orange is darker and more red, his pants feature more brown, and the waistband is a darker red. They all give a huge resemblance to that design. In my opinion, I love this redesign for Aang. His comic design was not awful, but the overdoing of pumpkin orange and pastel yellow made it hard to look at occasionally. Aang’s design is an upgrade for me.
You can tell that Wartman is going for mature designs when you look at Katara’s redesign. It is hard to describe just how astute she looks. Much like Aang, her design looks a lot like the outfit she wore near the end of the show. In my opinion, it is an upgrade. I did not despise Katara’s main design in the comics, but it certainly was not my favorite look for her. I am a bigger fan of designs like the one above featured in book three, as well as in the first two books. The comics hair design felt too “Fire Nation” for me, so I am glad to see Katara get an authentic Water Tribe look.
Sokka’s redesign comes very close to the outfit he wore in season two, as well as half of season three. The only noticeable difference is the fur coat piece around the waist. I did enjoy Sokka’s main comic design, as it gave him a unique look and made him resemble his father. However, the sleeveless look is always a great one for Sokka. It was an iconic design for him as the series went on, so I think it was the right choice to bring back into the fold.
Toph was the only one who did not get a major change in her design. Her outfit from past comics remains the same, and there is nothing wrong with that. I always adored her design in the comics, so I believe Wartman was on point in keeping her the same.
That is it for the post. While I am surprised there was not a design shown for Zuko, I am confident they gave him a solid look as well. What do you guys think of this big announcement? I, for one, am very excited to see what the future of these comics hold.
If any other news comes out, I will make sure to share it. Be sure to be on the lookout for future articles centering around the show itself. I am still planning and working on the blog series, and hope to have them up sooner than later.
