The Avatar: The Last Airbender comics are an official continuation of the original Nickelodeon animated television series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The series includes The Lost Adventures, published from 2005 to 2011 and set between episodes of the original series, and the graphic novel trilogies, published since 2012 and set a few years after the original series. A related comic continuation, taking place seven decades later, The Legend of Korra, began publication in 2017.
Short stories Free Comic Book Day issues Since 2011, there have been eight short comics of Avatar: The Last Airbender or The Legend of Korra at Free Comic Book Day offerings from Dark Horse Comics.
Title Date Story Art Colors FCBD issue"Relics" 7 May 2011 Johane MatteJoshua Hamilton Johane Matte Hye Jung Kim Avatar: The Last Airbender / Star Wars: The Clone Wars "Rebound" 4 May 2013 Gene Luen YangRyan Hill Star Wars / Captain Midnight / Avatar: The Last Airbender "Shells" 3 May 2014 Gene Luen Yang Faith Erin Hicks Cris Peter Avatar: The Last Airbender / Itty Bitty Hellboy / Juice Squeezers "Sisters" 2 May 2015 Gene Luen Yang Carla Speed McNeil Jenn Manley Lee Avatar: The Last Airbender / Plants vs. Zombies / Bandette "Matcha Makers" 14 August 2021 Nadia Shammas Sarah Alfageeh Savanna Ganucheau Avatar: The Last Airbender / The Legend of Korra"Aang's Unfreezing Day" (preview) 7 May 2022 Kelly Leigh Miller Diana Sim withChristianne Gillenardo-Goudreau Michael Atuyeh Avatar: The Last Airbender / The Legend of Korra"Lost and Found" 6 May 2023 Amy ChuKelly Matthews withNichole Matthews Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures / Avatar: The Last Airbender”Ramen Rumble” 3 May 2025 Brandon Hoang Bell Bessa C.E. Chant Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures / Avatar: The Last Airbender
Comics Giveaway Day issues In 2026, Dark Horse began participating in Comics Giveaway Day instead of Free Comic Book Day. As of September 2026, there has been one Avatar: The Last Airbender short story released for Comics Giveaway Day.
Title Date Story Art Colors CGD issue"Earth and Water" 2 May 2026 David M. Booher Bailie Rosenlund Cris Peter Avatar Legends / Minecraft: Heart of Cobblestone
The Lost Adventures The Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Lost Adventures graphic novel is a collection of comics previously published in Nickelodeon Magazine and the Avatar: The Last Airbender DVD collections between 2005 and 2011. It also includes the Free Comic Book Day issue "Relics" and all-new comics. Published 15 June 2011, it is an anthology that includes twenty-eight stories by various writers and artists, many of whom worked on the original animated series.
Team Avatar Tales Avatar: The Last Airbender – Team Avatar Tales is the second anthology book, collecting the 2013–2015 Free Comic Book Day stories along with all-new stories. The book was released on 2 October 2019. Creators include Gene Luen Yang, Dave Scheidt, Sara Goetter, Ron Koertge, Kiku Hughes, Faith Erin Hicks, Ryan Hill, Carla Speed McNeil, Little Corvus, and Coni Yovaniniz.
Avatar Legends: Masters of the Elements Avatar Legends: Masters of the Elements was released on 25 August 2026. It collects the Avatar: The Last Airbender FCBD stories Lost and Found and Ramen Rumble, the Avatar: The Last Airbender CGD story Earth and Water, the The Legend of Korra FCBD story Beach Wars, and multiple new stories.
Graphic novels Dark Horse Comics published a series of graphic novels that serve as a continuation of Avatar: The Last Airbender television series. It consists of trilogies and stand-alone graphic novels. The first five stories are written by Gene Luen Yang and drawn by artist team Gurihiru. In December 2018, Faith Erin Hicks took over as writer with Peter Wartman as artist.
Episode Title Date Story Script Art Colors Notes62The Promise 26 January 2012Michael Dante DiMartinoBryan KonietzkoGene Luen YangGene Luen YangGurihiru 30 May 2012 26 September 2012 63The Search 20 March 2013 10 July 2013 30 October 2013 64The Rift 5 March 2014 16 July 2014 18 November 2014 65Smoke and Shadow 6 October 2015 29 December 2015 12 April 2016 66North and South 28 September 2016 25 January 2017 26 April 201767Imbalance 18 December 2018Michael Dante DiMartinoBryan KonietzkoFaith Erin HicksFaith Erin HicksPeter Wartman Ryan Hill 14 May 2019Adele Matera 1 October 2019 29.5 Katara and the Pirate's Silver 13 October 2020 Faith Erin HicksTim Hedrick 64.5 Toph Beifong's Metalbending Academy 16 February 2021Faith Erin Hicks 53.5 Suki, Alone 27 July 2021 65.5 Azula in the Spirit Temple 1 November 2023 63.5The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer 20 August 2024Michael Dante DiMartinoBryan KonietzkoFaith Erin HicksFaith Erin Hicks 66.5 Ashes of the Academy 25 March 2025 10.5Jet: Rebels and Rhinos 8 September 2026 4.5–31.5The Kyoshi Warriors 6 May 2026Brandon HoangBellBessa 17 June 2026 15 July 2026
Avatar: The Last Airbender Chibis Avatar: The Last Airbender Chibis is a series of graphic novels featuring chibi-style versions of Avatar: The Last Airbender characters. As of September 2026, two volumes have been released, both by Dark Horse Comics. As noted earlier in this article, a preview of Aang's Unfreezing Day was the 2022 Free Comic Book Day release for Avatar: The Last Airbender. Volume Title Date Story Art Colors 1 Aang's Unfreezing Day 4 April 2023 Kelly Leigh Miller Diana SimChristianne Gillenardo-Goudreau Michael Atiyeh 2 Sokka's Boomerang Class 28 July 2026 Kelly Leigh MillerRuka Ito
Collections The stories are collected in oversized hardcover library edition featuring notes from the creators and a sketchbook section. They are also collected in paperback omnibuses, printed at digest size.
VolumeTitleDateCollectsISBNNotes1The Promise20 February 2013 (LE)30 June 2020 (Omni) The Promise 1–3 (LE) (Omni)2The Search5 February 2014 (LE)27 October 2020 (Omni) The Search 1–3 (LE) (Omni)3The Rift24 February 2015 (LE)23 February 2021 (Omni) The Rift 1–3 (LE) (Omni)4Smoke and Shadow21 September 2016 (LE)5 October 2021 (Omni) Smoke and Shadow 1–3 (LE) (Omni)5North and South25 October 2017 (LE)22 February 2022 (Omni) North and South 1–3 (LE) (Omni)6Imbalance3 June 2020 (LE)9 August 2023 (Omni) Imbalance 1–3 (LE) (Omni)7The Lost Adventuresand Team Avatar Tales10 November 2020 (LE)3 June 2025 (Omni) The Lost Adventures Team Avatar Tales (LE) (Omni)8Team Avatar Treasury29 October 2024 (LE)11 November 2025 (Omni) Katara and the Pirate's Silver Toph Beifong's Metalbending Academy Suki, Alone (LE) (Omni)9Fire and Family Treasury 9 June 2026 Azula in the Spirit Temple The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer Ashes of the Academy
The Promise
Plot The Promise is the first comic to continue after the show ended on Nickelodeon and picks up right where the series left off. For example, in the last episode of the series, Katara and Aang start their relationship and The Promise Part One explores their new romance. The comic also explores Toph's metal bending practices and Zuko's reign as Fire Lord. The audience sees more of the dynamic between Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko as they both work with the Earth King over a conflict: the Fire Nation colonies in Earth Kingdom territory. This issue escalates as Yu Dao, one of the Fire Nation colonies, fights against this order.
In The Promise Part Two, Team Avatar begins to try to resolve the Yu Dao issue, while Fire Lord Zuko aims to receive advice from his father who was previously Fire Lord. Zuko experiences an internal war, in which he feels the need to do what is best for the four nations but he fears becoming like his tyrant father. The issue becomes tense as Earth King Kuei and Zuko come closer to war.
In The Promise Part Three, tensions escalate as Zuko and Kuei both aim to keep Yu Dao through military means. As both send their armies to fight, Avatar Aang has to decide what he needs to do to maintain peace between the four nations, even if that means killing Fire Lord Zuko, his best friend.
Critical reception In June 2012, The Promise Part Two was a New York Times Bestseller and the top of the BookScan charts. Critics say that this comic is great at displaying the characters authentically and the illustrations are a "great success."
The Search
Plot The Search is about Fire Lord Zuko's adventure to find his presumably deceased mother Ursa who left the Fire Nation in order to save his life when he was a child. This comic also includes a large piece of Ursa's life.
In The Search Part One, Zuko makes a deal with his sister Azula: she has to help him find their mother and he releases her from the mental institution. Zuko, Azula and Team Avatar set out to find his mother by going to Hira'a, the town where Ursa grew up.
In The Search, Part Two, Avatar Aang dismisses Fire Lord Zuko's enthusiasm upon finding out Ozai may not be his biological father and expresses his worry that if Ozai is not Zuko's real father then Zuko has no right to the throne. Team Aang, Zuko and Azula continue searching for Ursa and go to Forgetful Valley. Here, Aang meets "The Mother of Faces" in the spirit world.
In The Search, Part Three, Azula finds out important information about Ursa and aims to find her mother herself but Fire Lord Zuko and Sokka try to find Ursa first. Avatar Aang and Katara deal with the "Mother of Faces" and her spirit animals.
Critical reception In July 2013, The Search Part Two was a New York Times Bestseller. Critics say that this comic explained the missing pieces about Zuko's mother well, but the story only expanded the narrative with coincidences rather than purpose.
The Rift
Plot The Rift mostly revolves around Aang's roots: the Air Nation. This comic also explores Toph's past, specifically her complicated relationship with her father. In The Rift Part One, Aang wants his friends to celebrate Yangchen's festival. This festival was one of the most sacred Air Nomad holidays which Aang never learned much about it because he and Gyatso were flying kites, but was not celebrated in 100 years due to the Air Nomad genocide. Aang meets with Avatar Yangchen and finds out that a jointly owned Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom factory is on Air Nomad sacred land. Toph reunites with her father, whom she had not seen in two years.
In The Rift Part Two, Team Avatar continues to try to save sacred air nomadic land from industrialists. Aang and Avatar Yangchen enter the Spirit World and she speaks about her experience with a man named General Old Iron and his grudge against the city of Boma for the death of Lady Tienhai. As they speak, the place is hit by an Earthquake.
In The Rift Part Three, Aang connects with Avatar Yangchen and learns that the only way to prevent the bitter spirit of General Old Iron to return is to destroy the town. Toph does not agree with this solution, as she respects the refinery's symbol of international cooperation between the Fire and Earth nations. Ultimately, Aang fights General Old Iron and wins. After meeting with Lady Tienhai in the Spirit World, Aang recognizes that spirits deserve to live with human civilization in peace and creates the "Spirits Friendship Festival."
Critical reception In March 2014, The Rift Part One was a New York Times Bestseller. Critics say that the message of this comic, that tradition should influence the present, but it should not prohibit progress, is a suitable transition to Avatar: The Legend of Korra.
Smoke and Shadow
Plot Smoke and Shadow continues Zuko's and Ursa's relationship where The Search leaves off. This comic also goes further in depth with Zuko's family in general. This comic mostly revolves around Zuko's and Aang's mission to settle both issues in the physical and spiritual world.