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Avatar: The Last Airbender Comics Reading Order

By the Bingerun team · How we choose the order →

Avatar: The Last Airbender universe

The canon Dark Horse Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novels, read in order: the six main trilogies from The Promise through Imbalance, plus the standalone one-shots slotted into their true timeline spots. Together they bridge the end of the original show and the start of The Legend of Korra.

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  1. Katara and the Pirate's Silver 2020

    Set during the original show's Book Two, after Katara is separated from the group; a self-contained adventure, optional but a fun early character piece.

  2. Suki, Alone 2021

    Set during Book Three, between the episodes Appa's Lost Days and The Boiling Rock, filling in Suki's time imprisoned before Sokka and Zuko free her.

  3. Team Avatar Tales 2019

    A one-shot collecting Free Comic Book Day shorts plus new stories set across the timeline; light and optional, read it whenever you like.

  4. The Promise 2012

    The first canon trilogy, set weeks after the finale as Aang and Zuko deal with the fallout of the war; the true starting point of the post-show story.

  5. The Rift 2014

    Aang honors a forgotten Air Nomad festival and clashes with Toph over tradition versus industrial progress, seeding themes Korra revisits.

  6. Toph Beifong's Metalbending Academy 2021

    Set after The Rift and before Smoke and Shadow; Toph runs her new metalbending school, so it slots between those two trilogies chronologically.

  7. Smoke and Shadow 2015

    Fire Lord Zuko faces the New Ozai Society demanding his father's return; a tense political trilogy centered on the Fire Nation capital.

  8. Azula in the Spirit Temple 2023

    Set after Smoke and Shadow, following Azula's campaign against Zuko until she is drawn into a mysterious forest temple and forced to face her past.

  9. North and South 2016

    Katara and Sokka return home as the Southern Water Tribe modernizes and divides; the last of the core original trilogies.

  10. Imbalance 2019

    Published 2018 to 2019, it escalates the bender versus non-bender conflict in Cranefish Town, the tension that carries forward into The Legend of Korra.

  11. The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer 2024

    Post-war one-shot starring Iroh at his Jasmine Dragon tea shop when supply trouble pulls in old acquaintance June; a relaxed side story.

  12. Ashes of the Academy 2025

    Set during Zuko's reign as Fire Lord, following his young half-sister Kiyi at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls alongside Zuko and Mai.

  13. Jet: Rebels and Rhinos 2026

    Not yet released as of July 2, 2026 (due September 8, 2026): a Jet origin story about his village's destruction and the rebel Freedom Fighters he gathers.

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Why this order?

When Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender ended in 2008, the story did not stop. Dark Horse Comics, working with original creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, continued Team Avatar's adventures in a line of graphic novels that is considered canon. That canon is what fills the roughly seventy-year gap you feel when you jump from the finale of the original show to the first episode of The Legend of Korra. If you want the full picture, pair this guide with our Avatar: The Last Airbender guide, which covers the watch order for both animated shows. The comics are the connective tissue between them.

The spine is easy: six three-part trilogies read in release order, which is also chronological order. The Promise (2012) picks up mere weeks after Aang spares Ozai. Then The Search (2013) resolves the mystery of Zuko's mother, The Rift (2014) pits Aang against Toph over tradition versus progress, Smoke and Shadow (2015) brings the New Ozai Society, North and South (2016) modernizes the Water Tribe, and Imbalance (2018 to 2019) escalates the bender versus non-bender tension that echoes into Korra. Read those six in a straight line and you have the main throughline.

Where newcomers stumble is the standalone one-shots, because some were published years after the trilogies yet are set during the original show. Katara and the Pirate's Silver and Suki, Alone both take place inside Book Two and Book Three of the series, not after it. Team Avatar Tales is an anthology of short stories scattered across the whole timeline. That is why we offer two orders below: a chronological reading order (best for a newcomer) that drops each standalone into its true story slot, and a release order that simply follows publication dates.

Everything here is canon, but the standalones are optional character detours, and we flag which are essential versus skippable in the notes. We also flag the entries that are not out yet as of July 2, 2026, so you never buy a book that does not exist.

Timeline 2012-2026

Every entry by release year: rows that share a year are a cluster, and the long droughts are called out on the rail.

  1. 2012 The Promise
  2. 2013 The Search
  3. 2014 The Rift
  4. 2015 Smoke and Shadow
  5. 2016 North and South
  6. 2019 Team Avatar TalesImbalance
  7. 2020 Katara and the Pirate's Silver
  8. 2021 Suki, AloneToph Beifong's Metalbending Academy
  9. 2023 Azula in the Spirit Temple
  10. 2024 The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer
  11. 2025 Ashes of the Academy
  12. 2026 Jet: Rebels and Rhinos

Where to play it today

Availability changes often and varies by region - links search each platform for Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Frequently asked questions

Are the Avatar: The Last Airbender comics canon?

Yes. The Dark Horse graphic novels are developed with original series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and are treated as canon. They continue the story after the show's finale and set up world events that pay off in The Legend of Korra.

What order should I read the Avatar comics in?

For the main story, read the six trilogies in release order, which is also chronological: The Promise, The Search, The Rift, Smoke and Shadow, North and South, then Imbalance. The standalone one-shots can be added at their true timeline spots, which our chronological reading order above lays out.

Do the comics connect The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra?

They fill the gap after the original show, especially the bender versus non-bender tension in Imbalance that echoes into Korra's world. They do not directly depict Korra's era, so think of them as bridging worldbuilding rather than a step-by-step lead-in to the sequel show.

Which standalone graphic novels are set during the original show?

Katara and the Pirate's Silver takes place during Book Two, and Suki, Alone is set during Book Three between Appa's Lost Days and The Boiling Rock. They were published years after the trilogies but happen earlier in the timeline, which is why our chronological order places them first.

Are there new Avatar comics coming in 2026?

Yes. Jet: Rebels and Rhinos is a standalone graphic novel due September 8, 2026. A three-issue Kyoshi Warriors miniseries began in May 2026, and the multi-Avatar anthology Avatar Legends: Masters of the Elements arrives August 25, 2026. As of July 2, 2026, Jet and the Masters of the Elements anthology are not yet released.

Do I have to read the standalones to follow the main story?

No. The six trilogies form a complete throughline on their own. The one-shots like Toph Beifong's Metalbending Academy, Azula in the Spirit Temple and The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer are optional character detours you can read whenever you want more of a specific character.

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Last verified · Sources: en.wikipedia.org, avatar.fandom.com, cbr.com, darkhorse.com, bleedingcool.com

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