A review by alexandr1ne
Avatar: The Next Shadow by Josh Hood, Jeremy Barlow, Wes Dzioba
4.0
You know that specific genre of epilogue fanfiction, wherein a dedicated fan author will tackle whatever loose threads (however small and unlikely to unravel the greater work they may be) they felt were left after the original conclusion, and tie them all up into a nice little bow?
This was like that.
Which was not to say it was bad - the characterisation was solid, the art serviceable (though it did feel a little generic, less Pandoran-rainforest and more Earth-jungle), and the story worked as a vehicle for character development, which is all it was really trying to do. The issue it covered in the most depth was Jake’s imposter syndrome after the events of the first movie: still feeling like an outcast or pretender, undeserving of the role of Olo’eyktan. These feelings were resolved nicely and in a satisfying, if ultimately unnecessary, way.
However, I don’t agree that Avatar: The Next Shadow bridges the gap between the first and second movies. I’d argue there wasn’t even a gap to be bridged; I’ve never watched a movie that succeeded so thoroughly at being its own fully resolved, satisfying, self-contained narrative, while also setting up the potential of future sequels, as Avatar 2009. In fact, these comics introduced some issues that, if anything, weaken the original ending, like the conflict between the Na’vi and the remaining humans.
Still, this was some nice supplementary material - not a must-read, but enjoyable for the more devoted fans!
This was like that.
Which was not to say it was bad - the characterisation was solid, the art serviceable (though it did feel a little generic, less Pandoran-rainforest and more Earth-jungle), and the story worked as a vehicle for character development, which is all it was really trying to do. The issue it covered in the most depth was Jake’s imposter syndrome after the events of the first movie: still feeling like an outcast or pretender, undeserving of the role of Olo’eyktan. These feelings were resolved nicely and in a satisfying, if ultimately unnecessary, way.
However, I don’t agree that Avatar: The Next Shadow bridges the gap between the first and second movies. I’d argue there wasn’t even a gap to be bridged; I’ve never watched a movie that succeeded so thoroughly at being its own fully resolved, satisfying, self-contained narrative, while also setting up the potential of future sequels, as Avatar 2009. In fact, these comics introduced some issues that, if anything, weaken the original ending, like the conflict between the Na’vi and the remaining humans.
Still, this was some nice supplementary material - not a must-read, but enjoyable for the more devoted fans!