So this Last Airbender movie tie-in comic was recommended over at the Avatar Parallels tumblr, and it's legitimately good. But before every Avatar fan and M. Night Shyamalan hater gets up in arms, let me explain why.


Aside from the characters' resemblance to their movie counterparts (Iroh has some serious dreadlocks), this prequel comic does a stellar job of showing what Zuko's life may have been like following his Agni Kai duel with his father, Fire Lord Ozai.


It starts with Zuko trying (and failing, until his uncle steps in) to drum up a crew for hunting the Avatar and actually does a handy job of filling in a couple of the original series' blanks. For one, it explains where Zuko got his blue spirit mask and two dao swords, which was always a dangling question during the show's run. But more importantly, a particular character makes a very important appearance during a visit to a certain Air Temple and gives some focus to an otherwise (and rightfully so) aimless Prince Zuko.

Despite all of the good plot points, there's actually something more surprising about the comic, considering it was a tie-in to the people-on-a-screen-moving-and-saying-words-with-bad-CGI (I refuse to call it a movie). Unlike the thing that inspired its creation, the comics are entirely true to the characters' personality and motivations. The Zuko you know and love from the show is the same one present in this comic. Actually, if they weren't drawn like the actors in the movie, you wouldn't really be able to tell the difference in the writing. And if you could, it'd be negligible.

Anyway, considering Avatar fans' desire for more time with their beloved characters, this is definitely worth checking out. You can find the book on Amazon for pretty cheap, which is also good news.