“Banishing me was the best thing you could have done for my life. It put me on the right path. Perhaps your time in here can do the same for you.”
“Why are you really here?”
“Because you’re going to tell me something. Where. Is. My. Mother?”
What a cruel way to end on a series finale. Quick searches on Google and YouTube will explain why this arc didn’t progress. But alas, the story continues with The Search! From the beautiful minds of the creator Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino and scriptwriter Gene Luen Yang, we finally discover what happened to Zuko’s mother! I happen to have all three parts of the comic, but for this review, I compiled it all into one.
In continuation of Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise, Fire Lord Zuko is desperate to find out what happened to his long-lost mother, Ursa. He even recruits his mentally unstable sister, Azula, to coax information out of their imprisoned father, Ozai. Of course, the favor comes with a condition. The Avatar gang comes together on an incredible journey fill with pain, spiritual awakenings, and sibling love.
This, by far, is my favorite stop in the series. Trying to find out what happened to Zuko’s mom has been a fascination since it was mentioned on the show. I can’t stress enough how well Yang brought everything together. Between the flashbacks telling Ursa’s story and the current frame that showed Team Avatar’s journey, we got to see the final moments when everything clashed together.
I also like the family-love Yang highlighted throughout the entire chapter. We have seen how tumultuous Zuko and Azula’s relationship can be for those who watched the show. I like how they were shown different types of sibling love from other characters while trying to tolerate each other. Their family dynamic is very damaged, and it’s going to take more than a village to get Zuko and Azula on the right track to sibling freedom.
I want to dedicate this review to my siblings, especially my youngest brother. We may fuss and fight. We may not talk to or see each other every day. But we’re always going to be siblings and there for one another when needed the most.
