Just Buy It Already--Avatar: the Last Airbender

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Just Buy It Already--Avatar: the Last Airbender

07/29/2010 2:57pm

If you've been keeping up with last week's coverage from San Diego Comic Con, you probably noticed that we had a pretty full list of signings with some of the biggest names in the industry -- Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Joss Whedon -- guys that draw serious crowds whenever they show up. Well, one of signings that we hosted were with two guys whose names you might not be as familiar with: Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. And while you might not know their names, there's no excuse for not knowing their show, the critically acclaimed Avatar: The Last Airbender.

We hosted a signing with Michael, Bryan, series director Joaquim Dos Santos, and character designer Ryu Ki Hyun in San Diego and expected a decent turnout with a few of the show's fans coming out to meet the creators and maybe buy a couple of books. What we got was a line around the booth, fans in Avatar cosplay, and over 240 copies of the art book sold at the show alone. Now on it's third print run (the first and second printings sold out within weeks), Avatar: The Last Airbender-The Art of the Animated Series is not only one of our best selling books of the year, but it's also one of our personal favorites. But no need to take my word for it, Dark Horse Graphic Designer Stephen Reichert worked his fingers to the bone to make this project happen. Here's Stephen now to tell you why it was totally worth it.

So, I could sit here and try to convince you to run out to your nearest bookstore and buy Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Art of the Animated Series, but I don’t need to. Instead, I’m going to say the same thing to you that I say to all my buddies on a daily basis: If you haven’t seen Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, do yourself a favor and fix that right away. I admit, I’m a fan who came late to the game; I thought to myself, “Another cartoon to give parents a break and appease bored eight-year-olds? Hmm . . . I think I’ll pass.” Holy zombie Jesus on a flapjack, was I wrong. Don’t let the Nickelodeon tag fool you; this show is amazing.

I’m going to geek out for a second, so you Avatar fans out there, feel free to skip ahead a bit. Actually, scratch that; feel free to read onward while nodding your head in silent approval. The story sounds simple enough: a ragtag bunch of kids goes out to save the world from an impending evil. I know, who has ever told that story? Trust me, you haven’t seen it told like this.

From a story that never lulls, to phenomenal voice acting and top-notch choreographed fight scenes, not a single episode is wasted. You’ll laugh, and you’ll cry. I’m not kidding around. I found myself tearing up at this “kids’ cartoon” more often than my masculinity will let me publicly admit. The thing is, although anime influenced, this show was dreamt up by two guys in California. No obscure jokes that English-speaking audiences wouldn’t understand, no rehashed themes you’ll find in every anime that’s ever existed. It’s the kind of humor we grew up with, and it’s truly funny stuff.

This is why I don’t need to convince you to buy this book; if you take a good look at Avatar: The Last Airbender (and you should—don’t make me come over there), you’ll be scrambling for more without any help from me.

As you might imagine from reading the above, working on this tome was a complete dream come true. The amount of never-before-seen artwork I was fortunate enough to go through was staggering. Although not quite all of it made the cut, speaking as the true Avatar fan that I am, you can rest assured the very best stuff is in there. And there’s a lot of it. Besides an avalanche of beautiful conceptual artwork, there are also storyboards, breakdowns of fight-scene choreography, translated calligraphy, hybrid animals, chibi (or super deformed) artwork, poster art, background paintings, props, and doodles from studio meetings.

Phew.

The real icing on the cake is the commentary from creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, which takes you through the whole series, episode by episode, from start to finish. Not only are they two of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, but their unbridled passion for this show shines through in every word they say as you read along. If anything, finding out how it all started is easily worth the price of admission. Did you know that Momo was originally going to be a robot . . . in space?

Perhaps I’ve said too much.

-Stephen Reichert
Dark Horse Graphic Designer

As a special treat to any of you that might have missed it, here's a few pics from last week's signing. Bonus points to the guy dressed as the cabbage farmer!