Life Is Strange: Forget-Me-Not

Life is Strange: Forget-Me-Not #1-4

by Zoe Thorogood, Claudia Leonardi (Illustrator)

Alex Chen returns in this graphic novel sequel to the award-winning videogame Life is Strange: True Colors, written by Zoe Thorogood (It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth) - winner of the Russ Manning Newcomer Award at the 2023 Eisner Awards!

It’s been a year since Alex and Steph Gingrich left Haven Springs, Colorado, at the end of Life is Strange: True Colors. Though Alex might have found control over her psychic powers, she struggles with knowing when to use her powers and when to let those around her battle their own demons, if they’ll be strong enough to do so.

Touring across the states in their band Manic Pixie Nightmare Girls, and preparing to meet with an interested record label, Alex and Steph find another lost soul on the side of the road – Lily.

A mysterious girl in the middle of nowhere, Alex and Steph take the teenager under their wing to uncover the truth of what she’s running from. But there’s more to Lily than meets the eye – who silently struggles under the weight of heartache and memories from lives she hasn’t lived, to protect those around her from the truth of pain. An all too familiar story to Alex, but is there time to save the Lily from a similar, lonely, fate?

A graphic novel about found family, confronting demons, generational trauma, and living, loving, & losing the best you can.

Life is Strange: Forget-Me-Not collects issues 1-4 of the comic series of the same name, written by Zoe Thorogood (It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth, The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott) and drawn by fan-favorite Life is Strange artists, Claudia Leonardi and Andrea Izzo. Featuring bonus behind-the-scenes content about the development of the series.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, LGBT, Lesbian, Graphic Novels Comics, Video Games, Comic Book

112 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 2024

About the author

Zoe Thorogood is an English cartoonist. While studying video game art at university, Thorogood began working as a freelance comic book artist. She achieved notoriety with her graphic novels The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott (2020, Avery Hill Publishing) and It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth (2022, Image Comics).

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always happy to be back in the Life Is Strange world, like coming home. ❤️

[Robin]

If you are wondering: you can totally pick this up, even if you know nothing about the game.

[Kanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely and nicely illustrated graphic novel about life, loss and love.

[SteveL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex Chen and her girlfriend Steph are on the road trip to bring their music to the people. They just left Haven Springs after solving the murder of Alex's brother and for the first time in her life, Alex feels like she has her empathic powers under control. As they travel the pair meet a troubled teen with special powers and no way to control them, similar to Alex.

I am a huge Life is Strange fan and have consumed every game, comic and novel. I was a bit hesitant about this comic as I had heard it was taking place in a specific timeline that can't actually happen in the games, which is still an odd choice as the characters presented as alive are only in the beginning and don't really do much, but this might be my favorite Life is Strange comic to date. Seeing Steph and Alex's journey along with meeting the new character, Lilly, and their journey was a lot of fun. It was also not a grand definitive ending, like the last comic series had. It feels like there is still plenty more for Alex and Steph to do, even if we don't get to see it.

The art style is also in line with the other comics, which is still very well done. I really enjoyed the variant covers breaking up the issues and at the back of the book. They are fantastically done and honestly would have loved to have seen more of those artistic choices. The characters are recognizable and feel like the natural growth of when the game would have ended. The only thing that stood off to me as off, which wasn't bad just stood out in my brain, was a few moments where Steph was reminiscing about Kate Marsh. It just felt a bit off about me because the two characters were never even in the same game. Overall just a fantastic quick read.

[Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

As seems to be the name of the game with Zoe Thorogood's IP work, this book was decent at best.. It's always fun to return to the world of Life is Strange, especially when the first game's characters are involved.

Here Thorogood takes us in a roadtrip with budding musicians Alex and Steph from True Colors. Chloe and Rachel make a brief appearance in the first issue . Because yes, this happens in an alternate timeline where Rachel didn't die and Max never came back to Arcadia Bay. Meaning she also couldn't save Kate from committing suicide, which also plays a fairly prominent role in the story as Steph was friends with her in Before the Storm.

Honestly, she did a pretty bang up job tying all the games together in a surprisingly organic way. And she also adds her own bit of lore to the series, creating a new powered character that can take away memories and store them in their own psyche.

But still, despite all the building blocks, it just feels kind of bland and cringe at the same time. Maybe I'm just past it all. The original LiS is celebrating its first decade this week, and I'm pushing thirty now..

ANYWAYS

Not quite my jam but still worth a read if you're a fan of the games

[Amber | backinthebookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was so fun to see more adventures with Steph and Alex, and get to know others with powers. The LIS world is so rich and interesting to follow. I think the only thing that threw me off was that it was set in a world where Max never came back to Blackwell and Chloe and Rachel got out of town. I didn’t really see what purpose that served. So much of why Steph left Arcadia Bay is from the events that happened in the original story. And what happened to Kate in this graphic novel would still apply if the original world was left alone. I also am just protective over the original story and how it affects the entire LIS universe, so that also may have affected my experience.

[Rei Smoak · Rating 5 out of 5]

While it's always struck me as odd that True Colors has had more followups in novels and comics than the original Life Is Strange, I have no complaints about it either - it was an amazing game with wonderful fleshed out characters and a great story, and it's been so nice being able to revisit their world. Forget-Me-Not adds in another powered character, and does a good job examining what the ramifications of a power that manifests at a young age can be and the way that Alex can relate and help. And while it was a minor subplot, the collision of Alex and Steph with a record label exec that wants to use AI to replace them was prescient and entertaining. Great book overall.

[Thom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: I received access to read this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Forget-me-not is a low stakes romp that takes a very specific timeline (one that didn't match up at all with my playthrough) and sends Alex and Steph on tour. Individual scenes are well written but Alex and Steph's personalities from the games don't really come through here. The continuity that Chloe and Rachel are somehow friends with Alex didn't really add anything either. It was better than it's individual prices thanks to zoe thorogood's natural dialogue.

[Helen West · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

An adorable nugget in this wonderful world. True Colours is by and far my favourite LiS game so I was very excited to jump into this.

It's so silly but the only reason this isn't 5 stars is because in one frame, Steph says "I shouldn't of got mad." Like...come on. This will have been through multiple editors and they left that in? It annoyed me lol and got half a star docked.

Looking forward to more stories from this world.

[Ethan Park · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine but I don't like the Alex taking people's emotions thing at all and it feels like every spin-off rehashes that. (Minor spoilers) Alex knows it's bad but it makes sense that she would do it that part is fine, but having Steph make Alex use it on a kid having a panic attack so she'd feel it instead felt insanely out of character.

[Sky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible imagery, beautiful story with amazing twists and loveable characters from one of the best game series ever!! (in my opinion) plus a little added bonus character,literally.
My only wish is that Chloe and Rachel showed up/ stayed around a little longer.
4.8⭐️

[carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

the PR lady in this volume is literally a walking microaggression and probably the most hateable side character in the entirety of this franchise’s spin-off content

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's too short to really be anything. A possible ending of True Colors leads to a girl with really interesting powers that we don't get to see enough

[Emily Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always happy to step back into the LIS universe ✨

I’m yet to be let down by a LIS comic. I ended up collecting every issue and staring at my mailbox in the weeks between like a a 1900s housewife, awaiting her husband returning home.

Theatrics aside this was such a solid read. The art was awesome and occasionally the lesbian flag colours were featured in the background which was a nice detail.

The story itself felt different from anything else I’ve read in the universe, but held its own as a standalone read without the need to back read issues from other series in the universe.

Obviously it helps if you’ve played the game, but you can still follow along easily enough if you haven’t (you might get a few spoilers though.)

Rep// Chinese-Vietnamese American Bisexual MC, White Lesbian MC.

TW’s listed below, please skip if you don’t want any vague spoilers.






TW// themes of depression and suicide, abandonment, trauma.

[Dominique · Rating 2 out of 5]

This comic was okay