Aang, Katara, Sokka, and the rest are back and ready to face off against the evil Fire Nation! With M. Night Shyamlan's adaptation of The Last Airbender hitting theaters in August, Nickelodeon has decided to release a new special edition Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Complete Book 1 Collection for fans to own on DVD. This new release features the first 20 episodes of Book One: Water, which is the main story arc being adapted to the big screen.
 

Over 100 years ago there was an Airbender who had mastered all four of the elements and was called the Avatar. Avatar: The Last Airbender tells the story of a young monk named Aang, who is the last surviving member of the Air Nomads. During his absence, the Fire Nation has taken control of the world and has dominated the remaining members of the Water and Earth Nations. Aang is joined by two young Waterbenders named Katara and Sokka, his faithful flying bison Appa, and a flying lemur named Momo. Together, they set out to master the elements, stop the evil Firelord and reunite the Four Nations.

Episode Highlights:
"Boy In The Iceberg"- The series premiere introduces us to the Southern Water Tribe, who have been living in fear of the evil Fire Nation. Two young members, Katara and Sokka, are out fishing and stumble upon a boy who is frozen in an iceberg. They quickly help him escape, only to learn that he is actually the last member of the Air Nomads, a race that everyone thought had died out over 100 years ago. Aang learns of his lost time and finds that only he can master the elements and become the next Avatar. Aang and his new friends set out on Appa, Aang's flying bison, in search of masters who can train Aang in the ways of the other nations. We are also introduced to Prince Zuko, son of the Firelord, who is in search of redemption and must seek out and destroy the Avatar. This episode features a fantastic introduction to the world of the Four Nations, as well as a colorful cast that will follow Aang throughout his journey to become the Avatar.

"The Warriors of Kyoshi"- Aang and his friends encounter the mysterious Warriors of Kyoshi while taking a detour from their journey. Suki, the leader of this all female group, teaches Sokka a lesson or two about sexism and demonstrates the skills that the female warriors possess. This was an extremely fun and important episode as the Kyoshi Warriors play a key role through the series. Suki becomes a fantastic reocurring addition to "Team Avatar" over the course of Aang's adventures.

"The King of Omashu"- The gang make it to the Earth City of Omashu, where Aang hopes to learn Earthbending from the King of the city. The King, however, seems to be quite crazy and forces Aang to undergo tests to prove that he is who he claims. Throughout the episode we get a glimpse of Aang's past as well as his connections to Omashu.

"The Great Divide"- The group must cross a massive opening called The Great Divide in order to get to the Earth city of Ba Sing Se. They encounter two feuding Earth tribes who are in need of a guide to traverse the divide and make it to the city. Aang volunteers to travel with the tribes and attempts to broker a truce with the groups and learn more about his abilities along the way.

"The Blue Spirit" – Sokka and Katara become ill after being exposed to a violent storm and Aang must find a way to help his friends. While seeking a cure for their illness, he stumbles upon Admiral Yuko of the Fire Nation and becomes captured by his forces. A mysterious masked fighter called the "Blue Spirit" helps Aang escape and it is revealed that he has close ties to Aang! This episode features more of the history of the Fire Nation and we learn more about Prince Zuko.

"The Siege of the North, Parts 1 and 2"- After a long and perilous journey, Aang, Sokka, and Katara have finally made their way to the Northern Water Tribe and are given the opportunity to study with a Master Waterbender. Shortly after they arrive, a fleet of Fire Nation ships appear and launch an attack on the Water Nation. The Waterbenders must fight to stay alive and fend off this new attack while Aang searches for a spiritual way to reach the Avatar-State and channel the raw energies of the elements to stop the Fire Nation fleet. This episode was the perfect culmination of events from the season as we truly saw how far the characters had come from the first episode. Aang finally begins to access the power and energy of the Avatar and leaves fans with an exhilarating end to a fastastic season.

Special Features:
New Special Features for this set include:

-Avatar Documentary- This new 30 minute documentary with series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko takes fans behind the scenes as we learn more about the development of the series with the cast and crew. This was definitely the highlight of the new set and provides great new insights into the series with never-before-seen production art and storyboards!

-Preview of the upcoming release of Avatar – The Last Airbender: The Art of the Animated Series. This preview includes additional commentary, production designs, storyboards and further stories about the development of the characters. This is a must have for any fan as it provides more background on the process that the development team went through to bring Aang and his friends to life.

Previously released Special Features:
– Behind-the-Scenes with the Avatar Cast & Crew

– Avatar Pilot Episode with Audio Commentary- Take a look at the short pilot episode that was used to pitch this amazing series.

– The Making of Avatar – Inside the Sound Studios

– The Making of Avatar – Inside the Korean Animation Studios

Overall:
I honestly hadn't watched any of this show until about 4 months ago when one of my friends at work insisted that I borrow their copy of Book 1. With the hype of the new movie and all of the amazing imagery that had been released I felt compelled to give the show a shot, and I can say without any hesitation that I am extremely happy with what I found. I quickly discovered a rich and vibrant world filled with amazing characters and stories which exceeded any expectations that I had. Over the course of one week (seriously, I need a life) I powered through the entire series and became hooked on the success of Aang and his quest to master the elements. While this new edition has some new content, it is really designed more toward those who don't already own the series. If you already own it, I would tell your friends to buy it so that they can experience the show (and so you can experience the new content). I highly recommend this series and I look forward to the upcoming movie and hope that it does justice to the world that the animated series created.

ComicsOnline gives Avatar: The Complete Book 1 Special Edition Collection 5 out of 5 flying bisons.

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