Review: Avatar- The Last Airbender: The Rift

Quick Summary

Pros: The main storyline is compelling and works as an interesting piece of the timeline of this series. The volume’s main message is mostly handled well. The narrative has some awesome Aang and Toph storylines that work well for their characters. The artwork is positive and suits the series.

Cons: Some complications in the main message end up being left unaddressed.

Overall: Though not as mindblowing as other volumes in this series, this storyline still manages to capture the always-compelling tone of the Avatar series. The book contains an engaging storyline, centers around an interesting moral dilemma, and works well as a character showcase for both Aang and Toph. It also continues to provide a satisfying bridge for the gap between The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. Anyone interested in further exploring this time-period or who wants to know more about the relationship between Toph and her parents should read this volume.

Story

Avatar: The Last Airbender- The Rift, by Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and Gene Luen Yang, does not stand out quite as well as its predecessors but is still a very worthwhile addition to the Avatar series of comics. This volume continues the general story of this series by explaining how the main characters continue to deal with problems erupting from the fall of the Fire Nation’s empire. This leads to a compelling story that debates the merits of tradition versus progress and shows how this debate will inform the world going forward. Though not every piece of the issue is handled perfectly, for the most part, it is an enjoyable take on a complex issue. Plus, the entire volume significantly develops Aang and Toph as characters.

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The main storyline in The Rift centers around tensions caused by a factory in a small Fire/Earth nation industrial town. Aang’s side of the titular rift focuses on preserving tradition and holding onto ideas from the past, while Toph’s side focuses on moving past tradition in order to make the future better. The general message of the story is that tradition helps inform the present but should not be used as an excuse to prevent important progress from being made. It is a nice message that suits the tone of Avatar, particularly in this time of transition between the undeveloped world of The Last Airbender to the industrial revolution taking place across The Legend of Korra.

The downside to the story is that it brushes past a few rather serious complications in its message. The violence caused by humanity and even Aang’s violent solution to the story’s main conflict is essentially dismissed by Tienhai’s conversation with Aang, rather than being seriously addressed.

While this larger narrative is going on, some great character development is also taking place. Aang’s realization that old and new ideas are essential in making society better is a important step in creating a world that will one day house Republic City. Meanwhile, Toph reunites and makes amends with her estranged father, finally receiving the level of love and respect she always wanted. Plus, there are smaller bits of character development as well, with Aang continuing his work on creating the Air Acolytes and Toph even creating some romance. All in all, it is great to see these characters continue to grown and change through these comics.

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Art

The artwork in The Rift mostly continues the visual successes found in the other volumes from this series. The characters and world of this book match the art style found in the television show and, because of this, help bring forward the show’s charm. This leads to scenes that feel like they could have aired alongside any moment from the show and others that actually feel like they work better as a comic book. Plus, the page layouts allow the story to progress and flow in a suitable way. The only downside is that there aren’t quite as many breathtaking moments in this volume as there were in previous volumes. However, in general, the visuals here are positive and allow this book to read well.

Continuity

Avatar: The Last Airbender- The Rift directly continues the story from Avatar: The Last Airbender- The Search (Review).

The story here continues in Avatar: The Last Airbender- Smoke and Shadow (Review).