Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path

Avatar #1

by Sherri L. Smith, Jan Duursema (Illustrations), Dan Parsons (Illustrations)

James Cameron's blockbuster film is expanded upon by award-winning author Sherri L. Smith (novels Lucy the Giant, Flygirl, and The Toymaker's Apprentice) and artist Jan Duursema (Star Wars graphic novel series The Clone Wars, Legacy, and Dawn of the Jedi), with new scenes and new, revealing information about the mysteries of Eywa!

From his first fateful encounter with Jake Sully to his acceptance of Jake as Toruk Makto; the Last Shadow, Tsu'tey's life takes a path he could never had anticipated, and which the film told only a part...

Collects issues 1-6 of Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path, plus the short story "Brothers" from Free Comic Book Day 2017.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 2019

About the author

Sherri L. Smith is the award-winning author of YA novels LUCY THE GIANT, SPARROW, HOT SOUR SALTY SWEET, FLYGIRL and ORLEANS. In October 2015, she makes her middle grade debut with THE TOYMAKER’S APPRENTICE from G.P. Putnam and Sons for Penguin Random House.

Sherri has worked in film, animation, comic books and construction. Her books have been listed as Amelia Bloomer, American Library Association Best Books for Young People, and Junior Library Guild Selections. FLYGIRL was the 2009 California Book Awards Gold Medalist.

She loves her family, travel, chocolate chip cookies, reading, and and a really good cup of tea.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A retelling of Avatar from Tsu'tey's perspective. It was fine. Duursema's art is always solid. Although the characters in this look so much like one another that I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. Although, I think that's a failing of the Avatar creators and not Duursema.

[Josh Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great movie tie in, though this is set within the timeframe of the movie. I kind of felt like Tsu’Tey’s story was a bit abbreviated in the movie, and this does much to fix that. Giving him his own motivations, and a story arc to better appreciate how he saw past his hate, pride, and jealousy. His motivations are quite earned actually, as we see why he hates the “sky people” so much. It makes it all the more impressive when he overcomes his issues to do what is best for his people. A satisfying addendum to the Avatar story.

I did dock this one star for wildly inconsistent art. Later issues the art is literally redrawn screen grabs from the movie. A bit lazy, though I can see how that would be a logical step for artist to take, I would have rather seen the same scenes reinterpreted, or seen from a different angle. Overall though, the art is solid.

This one is only really for Avatar fans though. Not much here for anyone not already interested in the story.

[!Leon 🦈 · Rating 3 out of 5]

myślałem ze będzie trochę lepsze ale jakieś złe tez nie było

[Lilli Immel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eine nette Ergänzung zum ersten Avatar-Film, sehr schön illustriert. Hier wird ein Teil der Filmhandlung bzw. parallele Geschehnisse des ersten Films aus der Sicht von Tsu'tey erzählt.

Für Filmfans sehr lesenswert, aber meiner Meinung nach ohne Kenntnisse der Filmvorlage nicht zu verstehen.

[chey | bibliochey · Rating 5 out of 5]

OW!!!!! this hit me right in the heart. even as a devout avatar fan since 2009, i learned so much about tsu'tey. i loved seeing small excerpts of him and neytiri's sister aka sylwanin, his beloved, before she passed. the reasons his anger with the sky people and pride of being a warrior are demonstrated in this beautifully detailed graphic novel. the art in this is astounding. pandora is the most gorgeous dreamland and the illustrations bring it to life similarly to the movies even with the setbacks of a page. i loved this. i cried at the end and have a new respect for a character i already loved so much.

edit to add my review of "brothers" bc it is so short and not listed clearly on gr: another one full of pain even though it's only a handful of pages long. i love jake and learning more about him and his past as a human (specifically with his brother) was great. i absolutely love the comparison between his brother and toruk 🥹

[Martin]

Me in 2009: haha people are sad that Pandora isn't real

Me in 2024: reading Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path, lighting my Pandora: The World of Avatar candle, playing Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, drinking out of my two Pandora: The World of Avatar mugs, constructing my Avatar Neytiri & Thanator vs. AMP Suit Quaritch LEGO set, wearing my Disney Parks Avatar light-up Loungefly bag, planning my next visit to Pandora - The World of Avatar at Disney's Animal Kingdom

[Hadeel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justice for Tus'tey. Also loved seeing Jake pre kids trying to find his place in this new world new body.

[samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

tsu’tey my beloved 3

[Cale · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an interesting concept (retelling Avatar from the perspective of the Na'Vi only) and beautifully illustrated, but ultimately this book failed for me. Perhaps it's the decade since I've watched the movie. More likely it's due to the fact that almost all of the Na'Vi characters look so similar that I spent most of the book confused about who was doing what. I understand that it's a challenge dictated by having to fit into the movie's timeline, but it does the already convoluted plot no favors. Also, I'm pretty sure this would be completely incomprehensible to someone who has not seen the movie. That's obviously not the target audience, but it makes the entire attempt feel kind of unfriendly to readers. Also, reading it in a digital edition, where I can't refer to the glossary easily means I spent much of the book digging for context clues to make sense of the dialogue, which kept me from focusing on the story itself.
Ultimately, this is a book that only those who have deeply embraced the world of Avatar; anyone else is going to spend their time on the outside looking in and trying to determine what's going on, and never get a chance to try to understand the why. For a book that seems to be written specifically to explain some of the 'why' of the characters, that feels like a pretty big failing.

[livquebooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

wszystko super, ale styl ilustracji średni

[srisrisri]

it was j everything from the first movie
mid tbh
i mean i liked the movie n all j this added v little to everything we already know yk

[Elex · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh yawntu tsu’tey the movies BUTCHERED you biggest daylight robbery of the century

[˖⋆˚꩜｡˚liwka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Justice for Tsu'Tey,you were robbed pal

[Zeta9991 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non c'è molto di più di quel che c'è nel film.

[Johanna Pou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tsu'tey deserved to be happy. 🥲 That little story "Brothers" at the end was all we were missing in the first movie.

[gabby wicker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Giving this review a 2 mostly for the artwork than anything else. I was hoping for more introspection of Tsu'tey and what he was going through than what these issues actually gave us. It only gives slightly more characterization on what he is going through and thinking during the events of the first movie but otherwise lacks any real, new content or backstory. The pacing feels rushed and most of the characters lack any real depth past what we already know of them. Most scenes are scenes cut straight from the movie just through a washy lens of Tsu'tey's perspective, which again lacks depth. If you have watched the movie (and given you're reading this comic or going to you most likely have) much of what the comic offers is already something we can pick apart and decipher for ourselves.

It feels like they attempted to add more flavor to his character by adding Sylwanin and their love for each other, and giving names to his two students (one of whom has a crush on Tsu'tey and on multiple occasions tries to impress Tsu'tey and kiss him while stating that Neytiri clearly has the hots for Jake instead of him so what's the harm). If the comic's story had focused more on Tsu'tey's relationship with his people, his grappling with grief, and being thrust into the role of Olo'eyktan when he feels he is not ready then I feel it would have been a more meaningful story. Overall I think they did not pace it well, but the art style was good (if a bit wonky at times but I chalk this up to referencing multiple movie scenes for some panels and attempting to recreate that style without references for the rest of the panels)

[Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gave me chills!" Thay cannot take whatever they want and this this is our land!!"
I could hear they're voices. I could practically hear music. A very fun read and shows a whole new side to tsuteys character

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah Sublime!

Too much to long for more issues... In a 500 run series? Your fans would grow exponentially with every month.

[Emma Rafferty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great addition to the avatar story.

Great story. Avatar told from a different point of view. Love the art and the colours. Can't wait until the next one!

[kel · Rating 5 out of 5]

i had no business crying like that tsu’tey my love :(

[Alexandra Hyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story covers the first Avatar movie from Tsu’tey’s POV. He takes the role of lead hunter, training the next generation. It’s interesting to see how he interacts with people outside of Neytiri and Jake. How capable he is of leading the People. How much he misses his beloved Sylwanin.

I would have liked a more in-depth look into the past. Sylwanin was originally training to be the next Tsahìk, not Neytiri. Was that because she was the elder sister or because she had a stronger connection to Eywa? How does this affect Neytiri’s choices? Because when Neytiri mated with Jake, she gave up the right to be the next Tsahìk (at least while Tsu’tey lives).

It was curious to see how Na’vi view the human ‘demons.’ The reasons for the divide between the two species are dependent on human use of metal and machinery—both forbidden by Eywa. The fact that humans, small and frail compared to Na’vi bodies, are cowards because they choose to fight from a distance and/or in machines. From a human point of view, that’s simply good tactics. And yet, to fight, the Na’vi rely on human technology alongside their own.

[Brannon O'Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Avatar. This is a fun re-telling of Avatar from a new POV. I appreciate the added context and backstory that we get in this book.

POTENTIAL SPOILER BELOW!!!!!

I won't lie though, one part confused me, when Jake Sully arrived riding the big beast it seemed like some violent stuff went down but then everyone acted normally and it had me wildly confused. It definitely wasn't in the film like that. I wasn't sure if that was supposed to be how one character perceived Jake's arrival or if that actually happened. Whatever that was, it was weird. Didn't like it.

[lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

honestly this was just... fine. a lot of stuff we saw in the first movie alr but rly enjoyed seeing more of tsu'tey and his role in the clan! esp his relationship with sylwanin :( art was super cool altho some of the characters (who weren't mentioned in the movies) looked rly similar so i couldnt distinguish ngl. but all the ikran and tree of souls scenes were 10/10. sometimes the main characters looked different to how they looked in the movie which threw me off a lil but diff medium and art style so i get it :) overall, nothing too special but still enjoyable.

[Manali · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is stunning, and all the additions made to the story enhanced a wonderful character who was already my favorite outside of this comic. Tsy'tey as a teacher, a grieving man, a leader, and a rebel - are all very interesting angles the movie could not explore much. I think this could have been paced a bit slower, and over a larger period of time because this limited insider look at the navi was not enough.

[Sal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A challenging and even thankless task to retell the first film from Tsu'Tey's perspective. Only one new insight is gained: He misses his dead sister. The art is occasionally spotty. One wishes the creative team had the opportunity to write a prelude rather than stitch together the equivalent of bonus/deleted scenes.

[Sarali · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's too short. It's supposed to be Tsu'tey journey beyond the movie, but honestly it's mostly the unfinished deleted scenes you can watch on the Collector's DVD.

They added the unnecessary love drama with that hunter in training girl.

But I liked the Sylwanin added parts. It gives a new dimension to Tsu'tey character and arc.

[Jack F · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the addition that this provides to the Avatar (2009) movie. It helps build characters who were previously nameless and provides a lot of good information on Tsu’Tey’s backstory and character. I do think that the overall art style used was pretty lack luster and does take away from the experience.

[Krystal Caloia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cool getting Tsuteys perspective on things! The scene when Jake gets there with Toruk was confusing though.....was that in Tsuteys head? Was that how he viewed Jake riding in on Toruk....? As an arrogant, possessive ass instead of someone to help save their people? I thought Toruk Macto was sacred and all Navi respected the riders? That scene is really my only issue.....

[Izzys_Internet_Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Personally felt like it wasn’t as good as Adapt or Die but at the same time when the book wasn’t giving the reader a shot for shot take of the movie there were some interesting scenes that showed what else was going on that they couldn’t have added into the movie because it would feel a lot slower paced

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like the other ratings on here, my rating mostly pertains to the beautiful recreation of the original film in modern comic style. The story of Tsu-tey is far from unique, but it is nice to see some new moments from outside what was shown in the film.