Tillie Walden takes on zombies in The Walking Dead spin-off Clementine
You know how you’ll hear a word for the first time, learn what it means, and then hear that word over and over again in the weeks that follow? It’s like you picked up something on your radar and now you can’t get rid of it. Tillie Walden and her new graphic novel Clementine is like that for me. I’d not heard of Tillie Walden before this past May 7th-Free Comic Book Day-when Clementine had a FCBD preview, which I included in my FCBD blog highlighting which books should be first on your Free Comic Book Day list.
I also had not heard of Clementine, the character from the popular The Walking Dead video game from Telltale games. In that storyline, she’s 8 years old when the zombie apocalypse breaks out and throughout each game’s season the player literally watches her grow up alongside zombies. Tillie Walden continues Clementine’s story after the storyline of the game ends, which gives her the opportunity of making Clementine her own.
Clementine and Tillie Walden both are important for several reasons-one being that the character of Clementine is canonically gay and Walden is too. I bring this up only to highlight how difficult it is to rise up in a straight, male dominated industry as the comic book industry is. But things are definitely changing. In a Polygon.com article they say this of Tillie Walden’s work:
Since releasing her debut comic The End of Summer in 2015, Tillie Walden has become one of the most prolific, influential, and awarded cartoonists of our time. She’s created some of the most affecting and powerful comics of this century, from her sprawling queer science fiction epic On a Sunbeam to the intimate autobiography of Spinning.
Over the years, queer graphic novel bestsellers like This One Summer, Gender Queer, The Witch Boy, and They Called Us Enemy have began to appear on the bestseller list with more regularity… And it’s not a stretch to say that Walden and her catalog have played a key part in this landscape.
-Rosie Knight
Again, to quote Polygon: “Walden’s in-depth explorations of love, the cosmos, or coming-of-age can feel achingly cool thanks to her striking illustration skills and unique choices, but she’s quick to contradict that notion: ‘I’m not cool! I’ve never been cool!’ But with the upcoming release of Clementine: Book One, that might all be about to change. Still, taking on the high-profile queer video game character didn’t feel like a gear shift for Walden. ‘For me, it felt very natural.'”
But there’s another layer to Clementine’s story that has yet to be mentioned…Clementine is also an amputee. In Clementine: Book One she’s had to cut off part of her leg due to a zombie bite. Meaning, she has to navigate a zombie infested world on crutches. This adds an entirely new layer to Clementine’s story, and a new wrinkle in how Walden had to think about writing her.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people to learn about life as a unilateral below-the-knee amputee,” she explained, “because it really is a different experience for her and how she goes through the world.”
Tillie Walden talking to Polygon.com
The thing about Clementine is that I can’t figure out which I’m excited about most: reading a zombie apocalypse graphic novel set in the world of The Walking Dead, or reading a coming-of-age story with a strong female protagonist who’s queer and disabled. Luckily I don’t have to choose, with Clementine I get to have my cake and eat it too.
And just to rest any fears, Walden assures us that there’s no “required reading” when it comes to enjoying this new continuation. If you haven’t played the games or aren’t familiar with The Walking Dead, this story will usher you into its world all on its own.
Clementine: Book One is out now in book stores everywhere, but please try to buy from your local comic book shop as you are vital to those independent book stores’ survival. Not sure where your LCS (Local Comic Shop) is located? Just visit www.comicshoplocator.com and it’ll help you find one closest to you.