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Avatar #4
Avatar: The High Ground Library Edition
A deluxe collection of the full graphic novel adaptation of one of James Cameron’s original Avatar screenplay story ideas and a direct prequel to the film The Way of Water !
It has been over a decade since the humans were forced to leave Pandora—but now they’re returning—with an armada of heavily-armed starships! After years of peace, Jake Sully has settled down with Neytiri and raised a family, so for him, the stakes are even higher than when he first went to war against the corporate might of the RDA.
During the development process of creating the four Avatar sequels, a lot of new ideas and stories were created and discussed. One such EPIC original story idea that didn’t make it into the sequels was James Cameron’s original story—“The High Ground.” This beautiful library edition collects volumes 1-3 of the graphic novel series written by award-winning author Sherri L. Smith ( The Toymaker’s Apprentice , Orleans ), and illustrated by artists Guilherme Balbi, Diego Galindo, Agustin Padilla, and Miguel Angel Ruiz!
It has been over a decade since the humans were forced to leave Pandora—but now they’re returning—with an armada of heavily-armed starships! After years of peace, Jake Sully has settled down with Neytiri and raised a family, so for him, the stakes are even higher than when he first went to war against the corporate might of the RDA.
During the development process of creating the four Avatar sequels, a lot of new ideas and stories were created and discussed. One such EPIC original story idea that didn’t make it into the sequels was James Cameron’s original story—“The High Ground.” This beautiful library edition collects volumes 1-3 of the graphic novel series written by award-winning author Sherri L. Smith ( The Toymaker’s Apprentice , Orleans ), and illustrated by artists Guilherme Balbi, Diego Galindo, Agustin Padilla, and Miguel Angel Ruiz!
272 pages, Hardcover
First published May 23, 2023
About the author
Sherri L. Smith
59 books526 followersSherri 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 14, 2023
This graphic novel series is based on the original Avatar 2 script by James Cameron, before he decided it was missing something, and decided to move the story of The Way of Water from film 3 to film 2. So The High Ground is canonically "Avatar 1.5". Honestly, Cameron made the right decision. While this graphic novel was pretty good, it didn't have the necessary spark to move Avatar from a "single movie" into a "franchise".
The High Ground then becomes "The Lost Chapter", telling the story of the humans re-landing on Pandora, and Jake's battle for "The High Ground", or space. The premise, and the hook, is having the Na'vi go to the stars and fight in Zero G to fend the humans off before they land. That hook is great, but it's also the reason why this never became Avatar 2. Space is too familiar for sci-fi fans, and we really miss the lush world of Pandora. Still, this story would have been great to see on film. In graphic novel format, it suffers a bit. The Na'vi look even more similar in graphic novel format than they do on film, and the action can be pretty hard to follow. Sherri Smith has done a passable job converting the film script to graphic novel script, but it doesn't have the same cohesiveness as something that began its life as a graphic novel. The page limit also makes things feel a bit rushed. We get all of the action scenes, but very little of the in-between scenes where the worldbuilding takes place. So, as a story, it succeeds. As a graphic novel, it leaves something to be desired, which is the main reason I gave it 3 stars.
There is a lot of good to this graphic novel though. We get a proper introduction to Spider, and we see more depth in his and Kiri's strange kinship. I love the scene where Kiri, instead of subduing an Ikran (Banshee), simply walks up and asks it to be her friend. Neytiri actually has some screentime in this one, though it's mostly relegated to battle scenes. The surprising standout character in this novel is Josh, a hacker who gets some great one-liners. As stated above, the overall story is solid, and a worthy entry to the Avatar series.
Maybe someday, after Avatar becomes a successful franchise, this will become the "Rogue One" of the Avatar series, and get made as a movie. I'd love to see this story mixed with some of the events of "The Next Shadow", as there's some great thematic potential in juxtaposing Jake's development in The Next Shadow with Neteyem and Spider in The High Ground. As of now though, the Graphic Novel is just the wrong medium for The High Ground.
EDIT after 2nd Read: I read it physically, in an oversized hard cover, and need to give special note that when it's printed on a page, the art is astoundingly beautiful.
The High Ground then becomes "The Lost Chapter", telling the story of the humans re-landing on Pandora, and Jake's battle for "The High Ground", or space. The premise, and the hook, is having the Na'vi go to the stars and fight in Zero G to fend the humans off before they land. That hook is great, but it's also the reason why this never became Avatar 2. Space is too familiar for sci-fi fans, and we really miss the lush world of Pandora. Still, this story would have been great to see on film. In graphic novel format, it suffers a bit. The Na'vi look even more similar in graphic novel format than they do on film, and the action can be pretty hard to follow. Sherri Smith has done a passable job converting the film script to graphic novel script, but it doesn't have the same cohesiveness as something that began its life as a graphic novel. The page limit also makes things feel a bit rushed. We get all of the action scenes, but very little of the in-between scenes where the worldbuilding takes place. So, as a story, it succeeds. As a graphic novel, it leaves something to be desired, which is the main reason I gave it 3 stars.
There is a lot of good to this graphic novel though. We get a proper introduction to Spider, and we see more depth in his and Kiri's strange kinship. I love the scene where Kiri, instead of subduing an Ikran (Banshee), simply walks up and asks it to be her friend. Neytiri actually has some screentime in this one, though it's mostly relegated to battle scenes. The surprising standout character in this novel is Josh, a hacker who gets some great one-liners. As stated above, the overall story is solid, and a worthy entry to the Avatar series.
Maybe someday, after Avatar becomes a successful franchise, this will become the "Rogue One" of the Avatar series, and get made as a movie. I'd love to see this story mixed with some of the events of "The Next Shadow", as there's some great thematic potential in juxtaposing Jake's development in The Next Shadow with Neteyem and Spider in The High Ground. As of now though, the Graphic Novel is just the wrong medium for The High Ground.
EDIT after 2nd Read: I read it physically, in an oversized hard cover, and need to give special note that when it's printed on a page, the art is astoundingly beautiful.
February 5, 2024
This is for Avatar fans. Interesting. I like the cover
January 8, 2026
I will eat, breathe and sleep James Cameron Avatar. Anything this man can provide me I will love and this was no exception. I really loved the insight it gave me on the conflict we follow in Way of Water. I will say the space stuff was a bit iffy for me but it’s an interesting concept to explore at least in the confines of the comic medium. I don’t know how I’d feel if in avatar 4 they’re all donning the white space suits and gearing up to fight in space.
October 13, 2025
The artwork is good, but the plot adds nothing to the existing lore. It’s nearly incomprehensible at times and for the most part, I couldn’t tell who was who if there were no dialogues. I wonder if the other graphic novels are also as devoid of lore as this one…
January 6, 2025
3.5/5 ⭐️
I am so happy they changed the story for the second film; this story would have been much worse than the plot of The Way of Water (still enjoyed it, though).
Firsty, the art style.
I'm not the biggest fan, and I say this with a heavy heart since I know how hard it is to create a comic book, and I always appreciate the artists’ work. However, the art style was really inconsistent.
In the first part, the characters were almost unrecognizable, making it difficult to read and follow the story. :((
Also, the characters’ traits differ a bit from the ones we see in the movie. It’s not necessarily bad, but it did take me out of the story.
Overall, I enjoyed it because I love the Avatar world and its characters. However, I’m a bit disappointed with this piece.
The world created by Cameron is an amazing and vast place, and I feel this comic book didn’t do it justice.
I am so happy they changed the story for the second film; this story would have been much worse than the plot of The Way of Water (still enjoyed it, though).
Firsty, the art style.
I'm not the biggest fan, and I say this with a heavy heart since I know how hard it is to create a comic book, and I always appreciate the artists’ work. However, the art style was really inconsistent.
In the first part, the characters were almost unrecognizable, making it difficult to read and follow the story. :((
Also, the characters’ traits differ a bit from the ones we see in the movie. It’s not necessarily bad, but it did take me out of the story.
Overall, I enjoyed it because I love the Avatar world and its characters. However, I’m a bit disappointed with this piece.
The world created by Cameron is an amazing and vast place, and I feel this comic book didn’t do it justice.
March 5, 2025
As an adaptation of James Cameron’s original script for Avatar 2, this is an interesting piece of trivia. As a story it’s lacking a decent hook and a compelling arc, and as a graphic novel it is nearly incomprehensible.
I unironically love the Avatar movies. Yes, they’re telling a story that’s been told dozens of times, but they are excellent big budget versions of classic old school Planetary Adventure, and just because it’s been done before doesn’t mean it’s easy to do. Look at the megaflop John Carter, which is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ popular Barsoom novels (A Princess of Mars) - the same story of an Earth soldier going native on an alien planet with the books as blueprint, but it’s a mess.
People dismiss Avatar as “Dances With Ferngully’s Wolves”, but the fact people who don’t know cinema history can immediately come up with two popular movie examples underscores how often this story is retold. The sci-fi darling of the moment, Dune, is this exact same story, yet no one is attacking it. Terry Pratchett and Philip K. Dick both did this story with a humorous twist. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch features both an angel *and* a demon going native. A whole litany of movies follow this plot, from Lawrence of Arabia and A Man Called Horse to The Black Robe and The Last Samurai.
No, the real problem here is that the story is too simplistic and not very interesting, and the art makes the story impossible to follow. It was a good choice by Cameron to shelve this one and start over with a writer’s room, because Avatar: The Way of Water is superior to this book in every way. Many of the elements of the second film are here, including a few of the new characters, but it lacks the connective themes of the first film. ATWOW also has a couple of really interesting minor twists which underscore the theme of family in the film.
That said, I did like the idea of Sully training his Na’vi warriors to fight in zero gee. I wouldn’t be surprised if this story element comes back later in the film series and the Na’vi beat the humans in space then take the spaceships back to Earth to renew it, maybe taking a seed of Eywa with them to remake humanity’s home planet. Although calling it “The High Ground” works, it also invokes that hilariously terrible line from the Star Wars prequels, which has been endlessly mocked everywhere, even in an episode of Gilmore Girls.
I unironically love the Avatar movies. Yes, they’re telling a story that’s been told dozens of times, but they are excellent big budget versions of classic old school Planetary Adventure, and just because it’s been done before doesn’t mean it’s easy to do. Look at the megaflop John Carter, which is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ popular Barsoom novels (A Princess of Mars) - the same story of an Earth soldier going native on an alien planet with the books as blueprint, but it’s a mess.
People dismiss Avatar as “Dances With Ferngully’s Wolves”, but the fact people who don’t know cinema history can immediately come up with two popular movie examples underscores how often this story is retold. The sci-fi darling of the moment, Dune, is this exact same story, yet no one is attacking it. Terry Pratchett and Philip K. Dick both did this story with a humorous twist. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch features both an angel *and* a demon going native. A whole litany of movies follow this plot, from Lawrence of Arabia and A Man Called Horse to The Black Robe and The Last Samurai.
No, the real problem here is that the story is too simplistic and not very interesting, and the art makes the story impossible to follow. It was a good choice by Cameron to shelve this one and start over with a writer’s room, because Avatar: The Way of Water is superior to this book in every way. Many of the elements of the second film are here, including a few of the new characters, but it lacks the connective themes of the first film. ATWOW also has a couple of really interesting minor twists which underscore the theme of family in the film.
That said, I did like the idea of Sully training his Na’vi warriors to fight in zero gee. I wouldn’t be surprised if this story element comes back later in the film series and the Na’vi beat the humans in space then take the spaceships back to Earth to renew it, maybe taking a seed of Eywa with them to remake humanity’s home planet. Although calling it “The High Ground” works, it also invokes that hilariously terrible line from the Star Wars prequels, which has been endlessly mocked everywhere, even in an episode of Gilmore Girls.
May 7, 2023
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
This is the complete story arc for the movie that was originally supposed to be our reintroduction to the Avatar World. James Cameron decided he wanted to begin the upcoming trilogy with Way of Water instead and so gave the screenplay to be published as a graphic novel. In addition to the story we also get a few pages of the original script, line drawings, and contributions by the graphic novel team in terms of e.g., new fauna to the Pandora world.Story: Jake Sully knows that the RDA will return - and in greater numbers and strength. But he has lived 15 years of peace, started a family, and adopted two orphans from the original war. He has a family now and is even more determined to protect them and their world. But his boys are overeager to prove themselves, his adopted human son is despised by his Neytiri, and the kids have trouble staying out of danger. When the RDA finally does arrive, it is worse than feared: Sully will have to put his years-long plan into action if he hopes to save those he loves.
There are hallmarks here of what will show up in the first movie, Way of Water: the dynamics between Spider and Kiri, the kids doing stupid things and putting themselves in danger, Neytiri's mistrust of Spider, plenty of action, the youngest child always needing to be rescued, and Cameron's trademark strong and able female characters. I imagine that Way of Water was rewritten to add in these elements once this original script was bypassed.
The artwork is very detailed but admittedly it can be very hard to understand the action sequences. There are several scenes where things happen and people react - but it is very hard to tell exactly what the situation is/was. It could also be hard to tell the characters apart despite the level of detail; you really need to memorize clothing in that regard. The color scheme can be very monochromatic, often either all blues or reds (representing Na'Vi or Human worlds). I would have wished for even more depth of color in that regard to help clarify scenes. But on the whole, the illustration work is professional with interesting panels that contribute to the story.
For fans of the Avatar series, I would think this is a must have. It's from Cameron's script, was handed over for graphic novel treatment by him, and is fully canon to the franchise. Those looking for a decent graphic novel to enjoy will also find that here. The extras in the back are a nice addition, especially for those who love movies and want to see an actual example of a Cameron screenplay. Certainly, this is a very cinematic graphic novel. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
June 19, 2025
Unrealistic. This takes place over a decade after the first movie, and Sully has found out ten armed spaceships full of RDA are about to arrive on Pandora. Their plan? Take their decrepit piece of spacecraft to go on a suicide mission. This craft is not supposed to be able to handle another re-entry, it’s that old. But of course, in the end, it does.
Before that though, the Na’vi gathered together to decide a course of action. Sully wanted a preemptive attack. The Council of Olo’eyktans said no. What does Sully do? Go off to space with a war party under the pretense of peace and claim that he’s there on behalf of the Council of Olo’eyktans.
Sully planned to threaten to bomb Hellsgate as leverage to demand a peace agreement. All the while, his war party sneaks off to plant bombs on the enemy ships. How they do this without a single person on ten enormous spaceships looking out a window and spotting them in their white space suits, I have no idea. Plot armor for the win.
But, Sully has no intention of letting any of them live. He thinks this defeat will be the end of the war. Delusional. Of course, the RDA is going to send more people after this, they have no other option—the Earth is dying.
Anyways, the plan fails. People on both sides die, mostly those in the RDA.
This was a train wreck.
From Earth's point of view, the first movie happened. Humans caused a lot of damage, but in the end, they lost the fight. Still, staying on Earth isn’t an option—they have to leave. Pandora is their only option. So they come back with force and offer those remaining at Hellsgate a chance to surrender with back pay and bonuses. This is more than reasonable, because, according to Earth laws, those at Hellsgate have committed treason and would typically receive a death sentence. In Sully’s “negotiation,” they were willing to agree to a treaty to accept Na’vi sovereignty in exchange for mining leases away from sacred sites.
In response, Sully labeled them liars and oath-breakers. He then instigated a fight, throwing the entire Na’vi population into war as he did so.
They could have had peace. Would it have lasted? We’ll never know. But, humans were on Pandora for 35 years before Jake arrived and were never in an all-out war.
From the Na’vi point of view, their Toruk Makto betrayed them all, instigated a fight they have no hope of winning, has shown that he won’t listen to anyone but himself and is more than willing to take others down with him.
Far from being sympathetic to the Na’vi cause, this book left me irritated with the knowledge that both sides are idiotic murderers.
Before that though, the Na’vi gathered together to decide a course of action. Sully wanted a preemptive attack. The Council of Olo’eyktans said no. What does Sully do? Go off to space with a war party under the pretense of peace and claim that he’s there on behalf of the Council of Olo’eyktans.
Sully planned to threaten to bomb Hellsgate as leverage to demand a peace agreement. All the while, his war party sneaks off to plant bombs on the enemy ships. How they do this without a single person on ten enormous spaceships looking out a window and spotting them in their white space suits, I have no idea. Plot armor for the win.
But, Sully has no intention of letting any of them live. He thinks this defeat will be the end of the war. Delusional. Of course, the RDA is going to send more people after this, they have no other option—the Earth is dying.
Anyways, the plan fails. People on both sides die, mostly those in the RDA.
This was a train wreck.
From Earth's point of view, the first movie happened. Humans caused a lot of damage, but in the end, they lost the fight. Still, staying on Earth isn’t an option—they have to leave. Pandora is their only option. So they come back with force and offer those remaining at Hellsgate a chance to surrender with back pay and bonuses. This is more than reasonable, because, according to Earth laws, those at Hellsgate have committed treason and would typically receive a death sentence. In Sully’s “negotiation,” they were willing to agree to a treaty to accept Na’vi sovereignty in exchange for mining leases away from sacred sites.
In response, Sully labeled them liars and oath-breakers. He then instigated a fight, throwing the entire Na’vi population into war as he did so.
They could have had peace. Would it have lasted? We’ll never know. But, humans were on Pandora for 35 years before Jake arrived and were never in an all-out war.
From the Na’vi point of view, their Toruk Makto betrayed them all, instigated a fight they have no hope of winning, has shown that he won’t listen to anyone but himself and is more than willing to take others down with him.
Far from being sympathetic to the Na’vi cause, this book left me irritated with the knowledge that both sides are idiotic murderers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2026
Avatar: The High Ground, full graphic novel series, created by James Cameron
Reading history:
Normally I keep this in my private notes section, but I'm moving it. Yay!
Reading history was not added on Goodreads, but was instead kept on a small piece of paper with the book.
Note: read as an individual book comprising just volume one.
Started March 21st, 2026.
Finished June 15th, 2026.
Volume 1:
March 21st, 2026: read pp. 1-19 in physical copy of volume one.
March 26th, 2026: read pp. 1-33 in physical copy of volume one.
April 12th, 2026: read pp. 34-67 in physical copy of volume one.
April 27th, 2026: read pp. 68-end in physical copy of volume one.
Volume 2:
May 2nd, 2026: read pp. 1-22 in physical copy of volume two (through panel reading "Get out of sight, let's do this). (Actually a little beyond, roughly through middle of 24, but not paying close enough attention to really count it.)
May 4th, 2026: read pp. 23-end in physical copy of volume two.
Volume 3:
June 15th, 2026: read entire volume in physical compilation of all three volumes of The Higher Ground (begins at page 169).
Reading history:
Normally I keep this in my private notes section, but I'm moving it. Yay!
Reading history was not added on Goodreads, but was instead kept on a small piece of paper with the book.
Note: read as an individual book comprising just volume one.
Started March 21st, 2026.
Finished June 15th, 2026.
Volume 1:
March 21st, 2026: read pp. 1-19 in physical copy of volume one.
March 26th, 2026: read pp. 1-33 in physical copy of volume one.
April 12th, 2026: read pp. 34-67 in physical copy of volume one.
April 27th, 2026: read pp. 68-end in physical copy of volume one.
Volume 2:
May 2nd, 2026: read pp. 1-22 in physical copy of volume two (through panel reading "Get out of sight, let's do this). (Actually a little beyond, roughly through middle of 24, but not paying close enough attention to really count it.)
May 4th, 2026: read pp. 23-end in physical copy of volume two.
Volume 3:
June 15th, 2026: read entire volume in physical compilation of all three volumes of The Higher Ground (begins at page 169).
February 6, 2025
A child of two worlds, but also of none. Latched onto ideas from both, and unmoving in his ideals. While Jake Sully might be one of my favorite protagonists of the 21st century, it's precisely because of his flaws and faults. A man thrust into a leadership role that he has no business or experience being in. The High Ground adds such great texture to his character in Way of Water in a way that was welcome, but pretty unexpected.
Does a great job adapting the original screenplay, looks gorgeous, and fits into the world of Pandora like a glove. Read it in one sitting, and every panel was a glorious return to the world of James Cameron's Avatar. Can't wait for Fire and Ash.
Does a great job adapting the original screenplay, looks gorgeous, and fits into the world of Pandora like a glove. Read it in one sitting, and every panel was a glorious return to the world of James Cameron's Avatar. Can't wait for Fire and Ash.
June 3, 2024
As a massive AVATAR fan (just look at my profile pic) I love love loved this comic!!.
I think this should be required reading for all fans of James camerons sci fi World. It gives you more backstory on the new characters such as Spider.
Another thing I quite liked was the whole na'vi going into space thing, I thought that was pretty cool.
My only gripe would be some of the art earlier in the book is a bit meh, with characters not looking like themselves. I think as the book goes on, when they use different artists, the characters start to look way better.
I think this should be required reading for all fans of James camerons sci fi World. It gives you more backstory on the new characters such as Spider.
Another thing I quite liked was the whole na'vi going into space thing, I thought that was pretty cool.
My only gripe would be some of the art earlier in the book is a bit meh, with characters not looking like themselves. I think as the book goes on, when they use different artists, the characters start to look way better.
December 27, 2024
I eat up everything I can get my hands on from the Avatar universe. I can see why James Cameron scrapped this as the second movie but I'm delighted that they made it into a comic so we can see what happened between the first and second movie. Spider and Kiris parts was my favorite.
Also listening to the soundtrack while reading made this even more enjoyable.
Also listening to the soundtrack while reading made this even more enjoyable.
May 8, 2025
I really liked the first volume, resetting rhe stage.
there are good sction set pieces but I don't think the artists were given the space or the time to illustrate it to their best. a lot of the visual storytelling I found lacking. particularly differentiating characters.
definitely unnecessary for enjoying the universe. I'd skip it and I'm a die hard Avatar fan.
there are good sction set pieces but I don't think the artists were given the space or the time to illustrate it to their best. a lot of the visual storytelling I found lacking. particularly differentiating characters.
definitely unnecessary for enjoying the universe. I'd skip it and I'm a die hard Avatar fan.
September 11, 2024
3.75/5
This was a great ending (so far) to the Avatar Comics. I loved getting a different type of battle and getting reintroduced to the RDA (no matter how much I hate them) I loved the art and as always I had the avatar soundtrack playing in the background and it was just total bliss
This was a great ending (so far) to the Avatar Comics. I loved getting a different type of battle and getting reintroduced to the RDA (no matter how much I hate them) I loved the art and as always I had the avatar soundtrack playing in the background and it was just total bliss
March 13, 2023
Interesting! Kind of like EU for Avatar
September 6, 2023
A must read for Avatar fans! Engaging artwork and story that fits right with this universe and characters. Works better as a graphic novel than a movie as originally intended.
January 20, 2025
The art quality fluctuates quite a bit—sometimes it’s really cute, and sometimes… not so much. But other than that, I loved this book, in particular the ending was great.
January 23, 2026
so glad that they didn’t end up using this version of the story in the second movie
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews