All you need to know is that Avatar: The Last Airbender: Katara and the Pirates’ Silver is about Katara and pirates. And it is created by Faith Erin Hicks, Peter Wartman and Adele Matera.
But if you need more, our Avatar and his friends Sokka and Toph have a side story, that deals with a Fire Nation/Fire Bender Solider. This man, of course, believes the lies the nation has created about the Air Benders. And Ang takes it upon himself to try and change his mind. Therefore, he and the others are not with Katara, or looking for her, when the other Fire Nation soldiers have attacked and she thrown from Appa (those not in the know, Appa is a big, fluffy flying bison).
But this is a humorous distraction from the main story. Which is all about our Waterbender. It is set during the war of the Four Nations and Ang is coming into his own as the Avatar. But it is a new original story and an adventure based on the fact the others have told Katara she is a “soft crockitten” and her trying to figure out “WWTD” (What Would Toph Do) or BATAT (Be As Tough As Toph). And it is different from many of the episodes and other graphic novels by not focusing on Ang or directly with the Fire Nation issues. Instead of the capable soldiers they tend to be, the Fire Nation soldiers are mostly shown as bumblers who try and attack Katara and the pirate crew.
While I was hoping for more (the pirates themselves could have been fleshed out more or at least the leader of the pirates should have had more presence) this would have been an amazing episode for the show. The text is minimal (you need to read the illustrations in all their colors and details) and leaves you relying on the action shown. Sokka has a few “Sokka Moments” and Toph is right there, too (the 10-year-old boy in me really liked how they show that Toph is cleaning her ear). The humor we all know is right there with the action we all loved.
This is not for someone who has just decided to pick up any ol’ graphic novel and read. It is seeped in the Avatar mythology and therefore, best suited for people who have watched a few episodes, or even better, the entire series. Or if they have read the other graphic novels and looking for an Avatar fix.
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