Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Kyoshi Warriors #3 (Dark Horse Comics)

Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I'm going to be reviewing the 3rd issue of Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Kyoshi Warriors

The Kiyoshi Warriors are back in action as the focus of the latest mini-series from Dark Horse Comics! After their encounter with the Avatar & Zuko, the Kiyoshi warriors have left their island to help fight the Fire Nation. They’ve been put under the command of General Andal who wants victory at any cost! So just how high is the cost? Let’s jump into it!

Credit: Dark Horse Comis // Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Kyoshi Warriors #3 by Brandon Hoang (Writer), Xanthe Bouma (Art), Adele Matera (Colors), Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt & Tyler Smith (Letters), Dani Weires with assistance from Nancy Tsai (Cover)

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

The Story

Brandon Hoang does such an incredible job capturing the feeling of the animated series that he makes this story feel straight out of the animated series. It’s a story that continues to tell a fascinating story from one of the more popular points in time of the series, and it’s just fun to read overall!

The issue picks up not long after the second issue ended and with the Kiyoshi warriors are dealing with their teammate and comrade Aika being captured by the Fire Nation. It’s a tense situation that plays off some of the same storylines you see throughout the Avatar universe in various iterations. It also sets the tone for the rest of the issue in a really nice way and raises the stakes very nicely for our heroes.

I really like the way the story developed and ended up playing out because it really does a great job capturing some of the similar feelings and story beats you’d find in an episode from season 2 or perhaps 3 of the original series. Brandon also does a good job filling in the gaps of the Kiyoshi warriors story during their absence from the main story. We only really see them for 1 episode in season 1, and then they’re gone for a good portion of the story before they reappear. So to get to see the gaps filled in and experience what they went through on their journey is sure to be a pleasure to read for long time fans.

The Artwork

Xanthe Bouma & Adele Matera both do an incredible job with the artwork for this issue that excels to capture the look of the animated series in a way that fans will instantly recognize. The artwork is seriously stunning, and looks like an exactly how the characters look from the animated series down to the smallest detail. Every single panel of the artwork in the issue feels like it’s straight from a storyboard of the animated series and lends to the overall enjoyability of the series.

Overall Grade: 9/10

Brandon Hoang concludes a fantastic end to a story that every fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender is going to enjoy. Familiar characters and artwork that is instantly recognizable make this an issue fans of the franchise will not want to miss out on!