Posted in: Comics, Dark Horse Comics | Tagged: anime, Avatar The Last Airbender, Bryan Konietzko, chibi, dark horse comics, Diana Sim, Kelly Lee Miller, manga, Michael DiMartino, nickelodeon, tim hedrick
Avatar: The Last Airbender Goes Chibi in New All-Ages Books
Dark Horse Books and Nickelodeon announced a new line of books for the smallest fans of Avatar, the Last Airbender in the upcoming book line Avatar: The Last Airbender—Chibi, launching September 2021.
Avatar: The Last Airbender—Chibi launches with Aang's Unfreezing Day. When Aang was frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years, he managed to forget his birthday! Luckily his friends Katara, Toph, Sokka, and Zuko plan to surprise him with a new special day to celebrate. But they'll have to be careful while they prepare–it's a surprise!
This spinoff announcement comes during a week when big Avatar: The Last Airbender news has been pouring out, including a new movie from original creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The series has always been heavily influenced by anime from Japan, even though its tone is more Western and American. "Chibi" is certainly a Japanese manga and anime trope or subgenre where characters are redrawn as small and cute to denote a more light-hearted and humorous version of a series. It's often a subgenre designed to appeal to children and younger viewers. Chibi is all about cuteness. So you can expect Avatar: The Last Airbender—Chibi to be a much cuter series than the main story had been. Chibi spin-off series is not usually part of the main series' continuity and creates their own continuity, though the characters are still perfectly recognizable like an alternate universe where literally everyone is cute.
Celebrated children's author Kelly Leigh Miller (I am a Wolf; I Love My Fangs) teams with Avatar fandom favorite artist Diana Sim to bring young Avatar fans and their families this heartwarming tale of love, celebration, and friendship, in collaboration with Nickelodeon and Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series writer Tim Hedrick.
Avatar: The Last Airbender — Chibi Vol. 1: Aang's Unfreezing Day arrives September 7, 2021, and is available for pre-order now through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local comic shops.