The combined edition of the three-part series Avatar: The Dark World was adapted into comic book form by the successful screenwriter Sherri L. Smith (The Toymaker’s Apprentice, Orleans) based on the original film script by director James Cameron (Avatar, Titanic, Aliens, Terminator, etc.), which did not live to be realized. and the feature film Avatar: The Way of Water was eventually created instead. The story takes place more than ten years after the humans were forced to leave the planet Pandora. Jake Sully settled down and started a family with Neytiri.
Avatar: The Dark World • Set more than ten years after humans were forced to leave the planet Pandora… | Comics Centrum
But now the Earthlings are coming back—with a whole fleet of heavily armed spaceships. This time Jake will not only be risking his own life in the event of a collision, as he did years ago when he stood up to the powerful Earth corporation RDA, but also the lives of his children. Jake had a hunch that this day might come one day, so together with the Na’vi warriors he prepared a plan that should prevent a possible human attack… If it works.
What has come out for sure, however, is this graphic novel that reveals Cameron’s vision in perfect color and storytelling that is very easy to fall in love with. The drawings of several creators directly draw us into the story with a similar dynamic to what we perceive from the movie screen. In some places, the action scenes seem treacherous, the reader can get lost in them. Likewise, characters can merge for a certain period of time. But as soon as we get our bearings in the visual concept and get it under our skin, it’s a ride! Of course, mostly for fans of the canon and the Na’vi people, but not only for them. The book will definitely please any fan of science fiction. At times you even get the feeling that the whole blue world was created for a comic book rather than a movie!
Visionary director and creator James Cameron during the filming of Avatar: The Way of Water. | AR: James Cameron
Among the indisputable pluses of the title is a more intimate look at the characters, which the creators presented to us very superficially in the film adaptation, without us realizing it until now. Sherri L. Smith, an award-winning author of young adult novels, knows exactly what readers of the genre like, and it shows on every page. The author, who (as she says) loves her family, travel, chocolate chip cookies, reading and really good tea, doesn’t miss them. He is an extension of Cameron’s genius, approaches his vision with respect and accepts it as his own. In short – before we see another film sequel in almost two years, the comic book Avatar is a great way to spend a long time pampered by good storytelling in the world of Pandora and its inhabitants.
Rating: 85%
James Cameron, Sherri L. Smith
Avatar: The Dark World
Drawing: Guilherme Balbi, George Quadros, Agustin Padilla, Miguel Ángel Ruiz and others • Colors: Wes Dzioba, Michael Atiyeh, DC Alonso • Translation: Alexandra Niklíčková
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Comics Centrum, 2023
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