The grandiose narrative of James Cameron’s Avatar continues to expand, with a new video game coming from Ubisoft, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – and to accompany the game, Dark Horse Comics is publishing a companion comic, introducing a new Na’vi warrior, who will “go on a transformative journey across Pandora” in the six-issue limited series.
As revealed by Dark Horse, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – So’lek’s Journey comes from the creative team of Ray Fawkes, Gabriel Guzman, Michael Atiyeh, and Michael Heisler, with the first issue set to be released in February 2024.
Though the initial solicitation was released with placeholder cover art for Issue #1, it promised that the covers for the first three issues would be done by “painter and muralist Aniekan Udofia.“
So’lek Faces A Treacherous Journey Across The Frontiers Of Pandora
According to Dark Horse’s solicitation for the upcoming series, So’lek’s Journey “introduces readers to new characters and clans and provides the origin story of one of the critical characters in Ubisoft’s new game,” Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. So’lek is described as, “alone, desperate, and grief-stricken,” following the Battle of the Hallelujah Mountains, or the Assault on the Tree of Souls, which took place in Avatar: The Way of Water. Dark Horse’s comic book tie-in promises “an entirely new perspective” on the Avatar Universe, building on the story of the video game, while also bridging the gap to the next cinematic installment of the franchise.
“While the battle of the Hallelujah Mountains is over,” the solicitation for the trauma of war is never-ending So’lek’s Journey #1 reads, “the trauma of war is never-ending.” The series provides a great opportunity to expand on the world of Pandora and the culture of the Na’vi – as with many franchises, Avatar benefits from letting its main film installments tell the grand, overarching narrative of the series, while using its multimedia extensions, such as video games and comic books, to make the world of that narrative richer, deeper, and more complex. Dark Horse Comics did this for many years with Star Wars, and will continue to bring the same ethos to Avatar.
Dark Horse Is Helping To Expand The Avatar Universe
Teasing the protagonist’s journey in the upcoming six-issue series, Dark Horse Comics noted that despite everything he and his people have been through, “So’lek must look to Eywa and find a path towards healing. Though danger, doubt, and pain await him, he must answer the call.” In a grand story like James Cameron is telling with Avatar, there are no minor characters, or throwaway pieces; Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and its accompanying comic book series So’lek’s Journey, are likely to have some direct bearing on the third Avatar film, but more importantly, it will give fans of the franchise more opportunities to invest in the journey of all its characters.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – So’lek’s Journey #1 will be available February 28, 2024 from Dark Horse Comics.
