Review by Booklist Review
Serving as a sequel of sorts to the popular Telltale "Walking Dead" video game, fan favorite Clementine sets off on her own journey of survival and self-discovery. Jaded and standoffish from a life of physical and emotional trauma, Clementine risks her life and dares to hope in order to help a group of teens working to create a walker-free settlement within the frozen mountains of Vermont. Though the pacing occasionally feels jarring and elements can be a bit disjointed, the intended audience will relate to the tone and themes, as Clementine yearns to create something of her own in a world that's been thrown into chaos. Walden unapologetically makes the character her own, driving her forward in interesting directions with new motivations and a potential love interest, while still staying true to the character's core. Her artwork mirrors Kirkman's original work well, focusing equally on the gritty horror and grotesqueness of humanity, while capturing the loneliness and fragility of the shared human experience.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Set in Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead comic universe, in which zombies have overrun society, 17-year-old Clementine travels Pennsylvania alone. While this story targets existing franchise fans, the character-focused volume, set amid a sparsely populated and frigid climate, remains accessible to new readers. After acquiring a prosthesis for her amputated foot at an Amish survivor settlement, Clementine meets 16-year-old Amos. She accompanies him to Vermont, where homesteaders are purportedly recruiting help to build a mountaintop community. Once there, they encounter the homestead's few inhabitants: a pair of taciturn twin sisters and 19-year-old Sephardic Jewish Ricca. Suspicious of the twins, Clementine stays to watch Amos's back, but as the group's plans for a stronghold crumble, she must decide whether she'll protect her new companions or return to her loner ways. While overlapping character designs occasionally cause visual repetitiveness, Walden's (Alone in Space) heavy inks and grayscale color pallet complement the eerie, dystopian atmosphere. Depictions of trauma, animosity, and romance intersect in this unflinchingly brutal survival horror tale that is not without hope. Characters are portrayed with varying skin tones and abilities. Ages 13--16. Agent: Seth Fishman, Gernert Co. (June)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Two-time Eisner Award-winning writer/illustrator Walden (My Parents Won't Stop Talking) presents the first volume in a new trilogy spinning off of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead comic book and continuing a story began in the massively successful episodic video game series by Telltale Games. At 17, Clementine is a hardened loner determined to make her way through the world alone. After meeting Amos, a naive, sweet-natured boy raised in an Amish community, the pair journey to a ski resort in Vermont, where they join a group of teenagers determined to transform an abandoned ski resort into a thriving community. As the teens set themselves to the harrowing task of forging a hospitable homestead on a snowbound mountainside with limited resources, Walden explores the unique perspective of a generation who were raised to view trust and cooperation as liabilities. She also meditates on the difference between striving for survival and leading a life worth living. VERDICT Walden's knack for character development and unique perspective result in a tale perfect for diehard fans of The Walking Dead, as well as newcomers.
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