Book Review: Avatar The Last Airbender: North and South Part Three by G.L. Yang et al.

Avatar The Last Airbender: North and South Part 3 written by Gene Luen Yang, art and cover by Gurihiru, lettering by Michael Heisler

Team Avatar works to protect a meeting between Southern Water Tribe leader Hakoda and the newly arrived Fire Lord Zuko and Earth King Kuei. They have come at Hakoda's invitation to discuss plans and support for economic development in the Southern Water Tribe's kingdom. Oil has been discovered and a refinery is under construction but some locals oppose development that might turn the Southern Water Tribe into a pale imitation of the other nations. Resistance leader Gilak (who was imprisoned in the last issue) breaks out of jail and makes trouble for everyone.

As always, Yang does a great job balancing the action and jokes with a more substantive storyline. Waterbender Katara has both nostalgia for the tribe's past and fear of a future assimilation into the other cultures. The story presents many sides of the issue and gives a nice, hopeful resolution.

Highly recommended!

Book Review: Avatar The Last Airbender: North and South Part 2 by G. L. Yang et al.

Avatar The Last Airbender: North and South Part 2 written by Gene Luen Yang, art and cover by Gurihiru, lettering by Michael Heisler

Having avoided kidnapping by Southern Water Tribe separatists in Part 1, Katara and Sokka try to strike a balanced response to the Northern Water Tribe's activities. The Northerners are developing the south's infrastructure and social order. Katara is very cautious while Sokka is very enthusiastic. Their father Hakoda is romantically interested in one of the Northerners, causing more complications, especially as he is the newly elected head of the Southerners. The situation only becomes more tense when they find out that the Northerners have discovered a huge oil deposit and plan to exploit it for their own benefit. Can the recently arrived Avatar Aang help smooth over some pretty horrible developments?

I was very worried when the oil issue came up that the story would turn into an "oil bad, bad, BAD!!!!" political screed. Yang takes a more balanced approach, showing both sides as having both valid points and extreme, unhelpful attitudes that lead to horrible actions. The storytelling continues to amaze me and I look forward to the final volume of this story line.

Book Review: Avatar The Last Airbender: North and South Part 1 by G. L. Yang et al.

Avatar The Last Airbender North and South Part One written by Gene Luen Yang, lettering by Michael Heisler, art and cover by Gurihiru

Sokka and Katara return home to the Southern Water Tribe only to find a lot of progress has happened in their absence. Instead of a bunch of igloos and huts, their home village has been transformed into a city. After the war with the Fire Nation ended, some Northern Water Tribe people came to improve and modernize things for the locals. Sokka is all for it but Katara worries about their own culture and attitudes being lost. Their father is on board with the developments and is now chief of all the whole Southern Water Tribe. An underground resistance element has sprung up with which Katara sympathizes. They try to recruit the brother and sister, but are their methods too questionable?

The issue of preserving cultural identity while being part of the larger world is an interesting one, though I feel like it has been covered in this series before. I am looking forward to some new angles or ideas that will come out of this series, though I'll have to wait till January for the next installment of the story.