Inside the harrowing story of The Walking Dead's Clementine with a trailer for her first solo book

The Walking Dead: Clementine Book One excerpt
The Walking Dead: Clementine Book One excerpt (Image credit: Tillie Walden (Image Comics/Skybound Entertainment/Skybound Comet))

Return to the comic book world of The Walking Dead this June with one of the franchise's favorite characters, Clementine. Spinning out of the hit game Telltale's The Walking Dead, Clementine Book One by writer/artist Tillie Walden wades into the zombie franchise with a YA story that gives a new perspective on this massive world.

Ahead of Clementine Book One's release on June 22, Skybound Comet has shared a new trailer for the book with us. Take a look:

Clementine Book One cover (Image credit: Image Comics/Skybound Entertainment/Skybound Comet)

Walden comes to The Walking Dead franchise after a series of personal (and popular) creator-owned graphic novels, bringing her perspective into the world of The Walking Dead built by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard.

"Starting out with a character like Clementine is both a huge responsibility and joy," Walden said in the original 2021 announcement. "Clementine is a person who brings adventure with her everywhere she goes, and the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to take her beyond the world of the games, to somewhere new and thrilling (like the top of a mountain!). She is a force and drawing and writing her story has been one of the best experiences in my cartooning life."

Walden's Clementine OGN series will pick up after the events of the game, as she goes back on the road to try to carve out a life for herself. Over the course of the series, Clementine and a new character, an Amish teen named Amos, will journey into Vermont and find a walker-free settlement of teens set up in an abandoned ski resort.

But on what sounds like something of a modern take on Lord of the Flies, as friendship, rivalry, and romance begin to alter the group's dynamics, the teens learn the biggest threat to their survival might not be zombies… but one another.

Here is a preview of Clementine Book One by Tillie Walden:

Clementine Book One also marks the official launch of Skybound Comet, a new original graphic novel imprint aimed at Young Adult (Ages 12+) and Middle Grade (Ages 8-12) audiences. Other projects include:

  • Everyday Hero Machine Boy OGN by Tri Vuong and Irma Kniivila (September 2022)
  • Sea Serpent's Heir Book One (of Three) OGN by Mairghread Scott and Pablo Tunica (October 2022)

Here's a look at those two books' covers:

"The goal of Skybound has always been to create the best comics that bring new readers to the medium we love so much, and Skybound Comet is the next step in that mission," said Skybound's editor-in-chief/senior vice-president Sean Mackiewicz in 2021. "We'll be not only exploring pop culture phenomenon like The Walking Dead from a whole new perspective but also bringing you entirely new worlds and new characters that we know will capture the hearts of readers of all ages."

Skybound senior editor Alex Antone added to that, saying these three are "only the beginning of our long-term graphic novel program."

Skybound's comics are published through Image Comics.

Clementine Book One will be available at  comic book shops  and digital platforms on Wednesday, June 22 and then everywhere else books are sold on June 28. 

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Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)