A review by ofclumsywords
Avatar: The Next Shadow by Josh Hood, Jeremy Barlow, Wes Dzioba
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
5.0
This graphic novel picks up right where the movie ended. Jake is Olo'eyktan and it opens with him looking down over the grave of his human body. It immediately becomes clear that he is still adjusting to being fully Na'vi and not dependent on a machine to make the link to his Avatar. Then we quickly find out that the tensions are still high between the Na'vi and the humans that stayed behind when the rest left back for earth. Jake has to quickly deescalate the tension and it works until we are introduced to the parents of Tsu'tey and his little brother, Arvok. We learn that not all Na'vi are ok with a "Dreamwalker" leading them and they cook up a plan to get their son to take the position of Olo'eyktan as he should have been next in line after Tsu'tey's death. Even though Tsu'tey gave Jake the title as he lay dying, his parents are not convinced. One thing leads to another and Jake and Arvok battle for the title of Olo'eyktan and without Arvok knowing, his blade is coated with a poison to make sure that Jake dies.
When Jake is cut with the blade and the poison begins to take effect on his body he begins to have dreams of being visited by his human self which represents his guilt. He is in the burning Home Tree and visited by the Na'vi that died in the disaster. As he descends more and more into his guilt Eytukan, Neytiri's father and the former Olo'eyktan, visits him to save him from himself. Tsu'tey shows up as well and they tell him that to defeat his guilt he needs to forgive himself. It was a great moment where we get to see Jake finally accept his Na'vi body and give up his old life and forgive himself for things that the other Na'vi have already forgiven him for. It is the final stage that he needed to go through before he can become the Olo'eyktan the People need to rebuild and heal from all the humans have done to them. It was a perfect bridge between the first movie and all that we never got to see in the ten years that happened before the second movie takes place. Jake fully understands his role and that it is ok to show mercy and to be a different leader than what came before. Everything has changed since the humans showed up and the Na'vi do need a "Dreamwalker" to lead them, someone who can bridge the gap between humans and Na'vi.
When Jake is cut with the blade and the poison begins to take effect on his body he begins to have dreams of being visited by his human self which represents his guilt. He is in the burning Home Tree and visited by the Na'vi that died in the disaster. As he descends more and more into his guilt Eytukan, Neytiri's father and the former Olo'eyktan, visits him to save him from himself. Tsu'tey shows up as well and they tell him that to defeat his guilt he needs to forgive himself. It was a great moment where we get to see Jake finally accept his Na'vi body and give up his old life and forgive himself for things that the other Na'vi have already forgiven him for. It is the final stage that he needed to go through before he can become the Olo'eyktan the People need to rebuild and heal from all the humans have done to them. It was a perfect bridge between the first movie and all that we never got to see in the ten years that happened before the second movie takes place. Jake fully understands his role and that it is ok to show mercy and to be a different leader than what came before. Everything has changed since the humans showed up and the Na'vi do need a "Dreamwalker" to lead them, someone who can bridge the gap between humans and Na'vi.