Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Comics. These five elements are key to the ongoing narrative of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the brilliant Nickelodeon show that has seen continuation in the form of several sets of graphic novels since its finale in 2008. Now, another book is coming, ready to capitalize on the Netflix-fueled revival of the show’s fandom, and it’s set to highlight one of the show’s best characters: Toph.
As shared by the Hollywood Reporter, Avatar: The Last Airbender—Toph Beifong’s Metalbending Academy is the latest entry in the Dark Horse-published Avatar/Korra graphic novel line. To be written by Faith Erin Hicks (The Adventures of Superhero Girl, The Nameless City), illustrated by Peter Wartman (Avatar: The Last Airbender— Imbalance), and colored by Adele Matera (Doctor Who), Toph Beifong’s Metalbending Academy will take up the story of Toph’s quest to pass on her unique metalbending abilities to a new generation of students.
Featured in The Legend of Korra, the Beifong Metalbending Academy that Toph founds here is a known part of the character’s backstory, and an integral fixture of Korra’s world. Despite that, we know little about Toph’s actual founding of the academy, making this an incredibly welcome addition to the universe.
The book will be written with input from Tim Hedrick, who worked on both Avatar and Korra. According to THR, the story will open with Toph’s new life as a teacher being exceptionally dull—until Sokka, Suki, and other familiar characters enter the scene, that is. It sounds like a nice slice of life story, though knowing Avatar it’ll probably get a bit more dramatic than that.
A lot of the Avatar books have come out on trilogies, so it remains to be seen whether this story will be standalone or not. Either way, it’s slated for release on February 16, 2021.
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