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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
the best scenes involved lee and i really didn't care about the rest. besides amos, he didn't deserve that. and also, whoever this was? it wasn't clementine. just did not seem like our girlypop sweet pea. still enjoyable enough tho but probably just because twdg was 86.5% of my childhood.
When Tillie Walden releases anything, you can guarantee I’ll check it out. Clementine is the first of a trilogy set in [a:Robert Kirkman|12425|Robert Kirkman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1548964782p2/12425.jpg]’s Walking Dead world, with the character originating in a spin-off game series. Walden does well by capturing this narrative in her signature style, both in terms of character-driven storytelling and her mesmerizing art. The story surrounds strangers collaborating on building a mountaintop living space away from the zombies roaming beneath, each member running from their own traumas and trying to find themselves in a new world where danger lurks around every corner and painful memories are biting their heels. This is a series you can jump into without any context (I mean, zombies, you get the idea), which really works to this book’s benefit, and Walden creates a fun and introspective adventure story.
The story follows Clementine as they hope to avoid getting attached to people but can’t quite seem to stop helping people. Teaming up with an Amish boy, Amos, who is rather naive but skilled at fighting and is headed on his rumspringa, the pair travel to Vermont, fighting zombies along the way, to meet two mysterious twin sisters who are offering a plane ride in exchange for help. There we also meet Ricca, the best character honestly, and one who seems to be the Walden stand-in for this book. It’s a bit of a slow burn of a book, focusing on Walden’s signature themes of coming to terms with oneself and overcoming past traumas, which really works in a survival horror setting despite the surprise of Walden doing a survival-horror book. They construct some fairly complex characters and it was delightful to see queer inclusion in the storyline. Should Clem and Ricca become a couple? Absolutely. I’ll definitely be back for the next installments.
The art is classic Walden, and while I wish this was in color like the last few of their works, the black and white really does fit the creepy tones. They do a great job of capturing the post-fall-of-civilization world while also undeniably being their art style. Especially the characters (Amos looks a lot like Elliot from [b:On a Sunbeam|36952615|On a Sunbeam|Tillie Walden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1524076164l/36952615._SX50_.jpg|54030155], and Ricca in glasses will look familiar to any Walden fan). Still, this feels like a new direction for Walden, and while action sequences that take place in a creepy atmosphere are familiar to her work in [b:Are You Listening?|50274764|Are You Listening?|Tillie Walden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578168545l/50274764._SX50_.jpg|66378728], this is devoid of the dreamlike qualities that usually bring her work alive and drenched instead in chilling dread. And it mostly works. I did find that sometimes it can be hard to follow the action sequences and takes more than a passing glance to tell which character is which at times, but it doesn’t deter.
It does seem that this is considered a strong departure from the character on Clementine in the video game, though I have no context for this and basically just assume that will be explained at some point. Walden excels at character development and tying the present to moments of past trauma that splintered their world. But I’m also not one for feeling like a character needs to always stay the same or that any canon is too sacrosanct to play with (if the next Star Wars show randomly decides, say, Mon Mothma becomes Charal the Witch of Endor, I’d be like whatever, cool, bring it on) but I can see how that would be distressing to fans who are attached to such things, so I suppose enter at your own risk. This was fun, and hearty enough to not feel like a rushed project, though occasionally the pacing is pretty jumpy and it could have used a bit more tension. I love Tillie Walden and while I’d prefer to see them do their own story instead of a Walking Dead tale, I’ll still be back for the next two volumes.
3.5/5
The story follows Clementine as they hope to avoid getting attached to people but can’t quite seem to stop helping people. Teaming up with an Amish boy, Amos, who is rather naive but skilled at fighting and is headed on his rumspringa, the pair travel to Vermont, fighting zombies along the way, to meet two mysterious twin sisters who are offering a plane ride in exchange for help. There we also meet Ricca, the best character honestly, and one who seems to be the Walden stand-in for this book. It’s a bit of a slow burn of a book, focusing on Walden’s signature themes of coming to terms with oneself and overcoming past traumas, which really works in a survival horror setting despite the surprise of Walden doing a survival-horror book. They construct some fairly complex characters and it was delightful to see queer inclusion in the storyline. Should Clem and Ricca become a couple? Absolutely. I’ll definitely be back for the next installments.
The art is classic Walden, and while I wish this was in color like the last few of their works, the black and white really does fit the creepy tones. They do a great job of capturing the post-fall-of-civilization world while also undeniably being their art style. Especially the characters (Amos looks a lot like Elliot from [b:On a Sunbeam|36952615|On a Sunbeam|Tillie Walden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1524076164l/36952615._SX50_.jpg|54030155], and Ricca in glasses will look familiar to any Walden fan). Still, this feels like a new direction for Walden, and while action sequences that take place in a creepy atmosphere are familiar to her work in [b:Are You Listening?|50274764|Are You Listening?|Tillie Walden|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578168545l/50274764._SX50_.jpg|66378728], this is devoid of the dreamlike qualities that usually bring her work alive and drenched instead in chilling dread. And it mostly works. I did find that sometimes it can be hard to follow the action sequences and takes more than a passing glance to tell which character is which at times, but it doesn’t deter.
It does seem that this is considered a strong departure from the character on Clementine in the video game, though I have no context for this and basically just assume that will be explained at some point. Walden excels at character development and tying the present to moments of past trauma that splintered their world. But I’m also not one for feeling like a character needs to always stay the same or that any canon is too sacrosanct to play with (if the next Star Wars show randomly decides, say, Mon Mothma becomes Charal the Witch of Endor, I’d be like whatever, cool, bring it on) but I can see how that would be distressing to fans who are attached to such things, so I suppose enter at your own risk. This was fun, and hearty enough to not feel like a rushed project, though occasionally the pacing is pretty jumpy and it could have used a bit more tension. I love Tillie Walden and while I’d prefer to see them do their own story instead of a Walking Dead tale, I’ll still be back for the next two volumes.
3.5/5
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
makes no sense as to why clementine would leave the school after she said multiple times she was tired of finding a new home
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced