Review: Avatar- The Last Airbender: Team Avatar Tales
Quick Summary
Pros: There are fun moments throughout the book. A few of the stories offer seriously enjoyable reads that expand on the Avatar universe.
Cons: The majority of the book’s stories are just average.
Overall: This short collection of stories trends positive the whole way through. All of the stories gathered here offer moments of fun humor or charming character spotlight. A few of them also stand out well on their own. None of the stories here are “must reads” but all of them provide something. Overall, this collection will appeal to readers looking for more Avatar, not to those looking for the best Avatar comics out there.
Story
Avatar: The Last Airbender- Team Avatar Tales is a lot like Avatar: The Last Airbender- The Lost Adventures (Review), in that both are mostly average collections that have a few standout stories. The bulk of the chapters within this volume consist of a few charming moments, a few jokes, or just a short, fun time with a character. Some of the stories stand out in a more positive way but most simply offer readers a chance to spend more time with the characters from Avatar: The Last Airbender. This will likely appeal primarily to diehard fans of the show, who simply want to see more from it.
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As mentioned above, most of the stories in Team Avatar Tales are simply short looks at a character that offer a few positives. “Toph and the Boulder” and “The Scarecrow” are good for some laughs while “Rebound” and “Sisters” provide unique looks at Mai and Ty Lee. These stories are not revolutionary or monumental but are worthwhile for what they are.
Alongside these, are a few better stories as well. “Shells” is heartfelt, addresses real-world issues, and does a great job in highlighting Suki as a character. Meanwhile, “Origami” addresses the beauty of non-bending in the world of Avatar. These stories stand well on their own and help give the entire volume additional credibility.
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Art
Like the quality of the stories, the quality of the artwork in Team Avatar Tales jumps around a bit but generally trends positive. This volume offers some more unique interpretations of the show’s characters than are typically seen. In most places, this produces average results. However, in a few places, it produces a chapter that stands out slightly, with a visual style that helps emphasize either the serious or comedic nature of the story. This can be seen in Faith Erin Hick’s work on “Shells”, which gives the adventure a lighthearted tone, or in Gene Luen Yang’s work on “Sokka’s Poem”, which is more serious. Altogether, this mix of quality works out well for the book.
Continuity
Avatar: The Last Airbender- Team Avatar Tales takes place across the entirety of the Avatar: The Last Airbender series.
The story of the series continues in Avatar: The Last Airbender- The Promise (Review).