Clementine vol 1 by Tillie Walden

Clementine trudges through the wilderness with her bad prosthetic leg and a knife that she proficiently uses to kill Walkers. She happens upon three girls out on patrol, and one takes pity on Clem after seeing how much pain her leg is in. They take Clem inside the city to a man who had learned a thing or two about medicine and prosthetics, who sets Clem up with a much better-fitting leg. On her way out, she happens to walk next to Amos, an Amish boy on Rumspringa who is taking his horse-and-buggy up north to a "job" where the reward is flying in a plane. The two continue to this work site together, having decided safety in numbers, and find more teenagers recruiting able-bodies to build houses and get a homestead ready for folks that is far away from the Walkers. Nothing about The Twins seems trustworthy to Clem, who is always ready for any interaction with other people to go sideways at any moment. 

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This character is from the Telltale Walking Dead games, so if you're a big fan of the show and don't know who she is, that's why. There's a good chance readers are not familiar with this small portion of TWD fandom, but it isn't necessary. Walden provides enough in flashbacks for the reader to understand Clementine. There might be some other characters from her past that I lost context on by not playing the game, but they're only on-page for a few panels. Regardless of the character's backstory, this is another entry into a crowded zombie-apocalyse genre, and there isn't a ton to make this story stand out from others. It might make a good addition to junior high and high school shelves where The Walking Dead is too mature.

This story could have benefited from some color, or at least more shading than what we got. A lot of the panels that happen inside of the buildings are mostly the same shade of dark, so there's some nuance that is missing.

Other than the violence and decapitation of zombies, this is fine for high school and junior high audiences. This is the first in a new imprint of graphic novels for young adult and middle grade audiences, Skybound Comet, which brings together Skybound and Image creative teams. Skybound Coment rates this for Middle Grade and up.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12

Publisher: Skybound Comet 
Publication Date: June 28, 2022
ISBN: 9781534321281 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 7/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Graphic Fiction, Dystopian, Action Adventure, Skybound Comet