Start with The Promise, the three-part Dark Horse series first published in 2012 — it picks up directly after the final episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and per Dark Horse's own solicitations it is official canon, written with input from the show's creators. That's your entry point. Everything else branches out from there in a straight line, and you can finish the whole post-series run in a weekend of focused reading.
SSS Comics publishes reading guides, not appraisals or purchasing advice — editions and availability shift, so always check the publisher's current catalog before ordering.
Do the Avatar comics actually count as canon?
Yes. The post-series graphic novels from Dark Horse are treated as official continuations of the Nickelodeon show, which ran from 2005 to 2008. Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the show's co-creators, are credited as story consultants on the early trilogies, and later series were developed with the franchise's continuation in mind. That makes them a different tier from typical licensed tie-in comics: these books are the continuation, not a side-story.
The distinction matters if you care about what "really" happens after the finale. Tie-in material from other publishers over the years has been looser with continuity, but the Dark Horse line was built to slot cleanly between The Last Airbender and its sequel series The Legend of Korra (2012–2014).
What is the reading order after the show?
The books follow each other chronologically, so release order and story order line up almost perfectly. Read them in this sequence, per Dark Horse's collected editions:
- The Promise (2012) — the immediate aftermath of the finale, and the bridge everyone asks about first.
- The Search (2013) — the trilogy that finally addresses the show's biggest unresolved family question.
- The Rift (2014) — a standalone story rooted in one character's past and a town's industrial future.
- Smoke and Shadow (2015) — a politically charged story set in the Fire Nation.
- North and South (2016) — a two-thread story anchored in the Water Tribes.
- Imbalance (2019) — the first trilogy in the line's second wave, tackling bender-versus-non-bender tension.
One volume at a time, that's the whole commitment — each trilogy runs roughly 240 pages in its library-edition format, so the entire post-series saga is a comfortable month of reading, not a shelf-consuming project.
What about The Legend of Korra comics?
They exist, and they're canon too. Turf Wars (2017) and Ruins of the Empire (2018–2019) pick up after Korra's finale the same way The Promise picks up after the original show. Read them only after finishing all four seasons of The Legend of Korra, because both series assume you know how that show ends — and its ending is the single biggest thing these books build on.
If you came to the franchise through the 2024 Netflix live-action adaptation, note that the comics continue the animated continuity, not the new show's retelling. Different starting point, different river.
Do I need the library editions or are paperbacks fine?
Content-wise, they're the same story. The Dark Horse library editions hardcover collections bundle each trilogy with sketch material and commentary pages, at a larger trim size. The paperback omnibus editions are cheaper and easier to find. As of late 2025, the omnibus collecting the first three trilogies — The Promise, The Search, The Rift — is the most economical way in for a first read, while library editions are the collector's pick.
One practical note: check the printing before you buy used. Early individual issues went through multiple printings, and condition varies wildly in the secondary market.
Are there Avatar comics I can safely skip?
The lost adventures and short standalone pieces — magazine strips, Free Comic Book Day shorts, and anthology one-shots — are fun extras but not load-bearing. They add texture, not plot. If your goal is "what happens next," the six main trilogies plus the Korra sequels cover everything essential.
Spoiler line — everything below discusses plot setup in detail.
The Promise opens with the Fire Nation colonies question — what to do with settlements in the Earth Kingdom after the war ends — and it's the story that explains how the world of Korra came to include the United Republic. If you've ever wondered why Republic City exists, this trilogy is the answer, and it's the strongest argument for reading the comics rather than skipping to the sequel show cold.
The Search, meanwhile, delivers the franchise's most-requested reveal: the truth about Zuko's mother. It's the one comic story fans consistently rank alongside the show's best episodes, and it's the reason the canon line is worth your shelf space at all.
Where should a total newcomer begin — show or comics?
Show, always. The comics assume you know all 61 episodes of the original series. Watching first also gives you the emotional payoff the books are built to extend; reading The Promise cold is like reading a sequel before the original exists.
The full path, in one line: watch Avatar: The Last Airbender, read the six trilogies in order, watch The Legend of Korra, then read Turf Wars and Ruins of the Empire. That's the complete canon saga as of 2025 — and it's a satisfyingly closed loop, no cliffhangers dangling.
How many hours does the full canon take?
Set expectations before you commit. The animated series is 61 episodes across three seasons, roughly 20 hours of television. The six post-series trilogies add around 1,400 story pages — call it six to eight hours of comfortable reading. The two Korra comic sequels are another few hours on top, but only after the 52 episodes of that show. The complete canon saga, screen and page together, is a month-long project at a relaxed pace, or a focused fortnight if you binge.
The pacing payoff is worth planning for: the comics read fastest right after finishing the show, while the finale's emotional residue is still fresh. Fans who wait a year often report the comics feeling like a colder reunion — same canon, less charge.
Are there digital editions worth considering?
Yes, and for first reads they're genuinely practical. Dark Horse's digital editions of the post-series trilogies have been available through major digital comics platforms for years, usually at a lower entry price than print. Digital solves the out-of-print problem that occasionally hits older paperback printings; print solves the shelf-pride problem that digital never will. A reasonable split many readers land on: digital for the first pass, library editions for the trilogies you know you'll reread.
Whatever format you choose, read the trilogies in order — the emotional throughline of the Fire Nation royal family in particular rewards sequence over sampling.
For more context, read Where to Start With Invincible: The Animation Viewing Order.
For more context, read star wars animation watch order.
For more context, read 5 Animated Shows Comics Readers Should Watch Next.