Clementine: Book Three

Clementine #3

by Tillie Walden

ADVANCE SOLICIT
From the world of ROBERT KIRKMAN’s THE WALKING DEAD comes the highly anticipated and heart-wrenching finale of CLEMENTINE. Clementine finally has it all—a safe place to live, a girlfriend, even a cat...but nothing lasts forever. And when Clementine suffers a loss unlike anything she’s ever faced, a new mentor called the Gardener offers her a new family and a new way of living...but at what cost? TILLIE WALDEN (On a Sunbeam, Spinning) doesn’t hold back in the epic conclusion of the Eisner Award-nominated CLEMENTINE.
“CLEMENTINE is an absolute triumph in every way.” —MICHAEL WALSH (UNIVERSAL FRANKENSTEIN, THE SILVER COIN)

Genres: Graphic Novels, Horror, Comics, Young Adult, Queer, Zombies, Dystopia

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 8, 2025

About the author

Tillie Walden is an American cartoonist and illustrator.
Born in 1996 in San Diego, California, Walden graduated from the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont, where she is currently a professor.
Walden started publishing short comics when she was just a teenager. Her first long-form graphic novel The End of Summer was published by the British publisher Avery Hill in 2015. Her second book I Love This Part came out only a few months later, winning the 2016 Ignatz Award for promising new talent. Later Walden received the 2018 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work for her memoir Spinning (2017). Among her other works are A City Inside (2016), On a Sunbeam (2018), Are You Listening? (2020), Alone in Space (2021) and the series Clementine.

Reviews

[Jenna-booklooksbyjenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

read a tillie walden book without crying level: impossible

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh clem. i’ve been following your story since 2012 and i wish your ending was happier, but at least you found love, and a family, and a home.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A middling series fizzles in the concluding volume.

Clementine is hit with some major grief and in her mopey state falls in with a security force in her new community that is run as a cult of personality.

It's all slow, dull, and predictable. Then the big climactic battle isn't particularly well drawn and feels like it is missing a page. By the time I worked out what was happening in the crucial moment, I no longer cared what had happened at all.

Disappointing.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sorry to see this end..
it had its own little cherished place in the ever expanding WALKING DEAD universe.
it was sometimes a difficult read...loss and reconnection .but told in an amazing way.

[Emily Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8 ⭐️ Probably my favourite volume in this sapphic zombie series.

First of all, I’m glad the plot in this changed up from the repetitive cycles of the last two. Parts caught me off guard, and the pacing was great.

I really enjoy Walden’s art style and will gravitate towards more of their works because of this. I’m not as keen on the black and white but it does add to the haunting atmosphere.

I feel very mixed on the story for this because I did enjoy it and feel like more was done to create something that set itself apart from the prior volumes. However, there were some parts of the story that I felt lacked value and meaning and were more thrown in for some low effort impact.

Rep// WLW MC who uses a cane and has a prosthetic leg, WLW Jewish MC with vision/sight loss who uses a guide cane. Central romance is WLW/sapphic.

TWs listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.






TW// complications during a birth, death, outbreak, zombies, bodies, violence.

[Landon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was even worse than book 2 which I thought was impossible. Half of the comic is in two (?) different languages that aren't english and there are no translations, so most people who read this will just skip half of the panels because we have no idea what's going on.

Also I believe that a grown woman drawing teenagers having sex, being pregnant and giving birth is gross. Tillie Walden leaves a note at the end stating that she was pregnant while writing book 2, and she had a newborn while writing book 3. Somehow that's exactly the same thing that happens in those books? And somehow Ricca is the love interest and looks THE SAME as the author. I feel like she made this comic about herself which is why it was so horrible. Self centered much?

The only good thing in this comic was the cat.

[shvtdown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't believe this lacked the same feel as book two had which is probably the best one of the series, this book could have been the perfect way to wrap it all up but instead we got a death scene for Ricca off screen which was so unnecessary & the ending was so mid, I'm so disappointed in this....

[Beastie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well. The comics went downhill really fast. This last book was just bad. As a Telltale TWD fan I’m just going to imagine Clem’s story ended with the game.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad to see this finished but oh what a devastating final installment :(

Clem you’ll always have my heart

[Meggie Ramm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clem and her friends have finally made it to a safe haven and are trying to have lives outside of the constant struggle for survival. When Clem suffers a devastating loss, she finds a new mentor called The Gardener, who will either help her find herself or bring Clem's new peace to ruin. 

Some of this summary is taken from the back cover copy, you read "Clem suffers a devastating loss" and add a zombie apocalypse with true love and come to only one conclusion. But it's Tillie Walden, and the truth rips into your heart and is far more tragic than anything you could imagine. This is the last Clementine book, and Walden reminds you once again why they are a rockstar writer and cartoonist. There is a new beautifully barren new landscape, and new characters whose personalities immediately leap off the padr. This conclusion is worth the wait, and you'll get to see if Clem finds peace at last.

[fullmetalgiro · Rating 1 out of 5]

idk…this one just fell so flat for me. the plot was very meh and felt plain. didn’t like ricca dying, just made no sense and clem still doesn’t have another happy ending. just like in the games it’s bittersweet. just a big bold beautiful waste of my time honestly

[albie · Rating 3 out of 5]

☆3,5

C'est la fin. Je dis une seconde fois au revoir à Clémentine, après les jeux et maintenant avec cette trilogie. C'est vraiment un personnage qui est et restera cher à mon cœur parce qu'elle a accompagné ma vie pendant longtemps !

J'ai aimé les trois livres et l'aventure de Clem. Elle a toujours visé le nord et termine au g r a n d nord... Elle a beaucoup perdu, mais aussi beaucoup gagné.

Ce tome 3, comme le tome 2, m'a malheureusement encore donné un sentiment de "rush" : les éléments se passent vite, comme si on manquait de temps et de pages pour les détails. Dommage car j'aurai eu + d'émotions sinon.

Maintenant, j'aimerai presque une trilogie sur AJ. Pour savoir ce que l'école et lui sont devenus, après le départ de Clem...

[André Habet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book far too quickly, and it's the last in the series. So good. It is everything I want from genre fiction. I like how the zombies remain a threat, but also the difficulty of resuming something akin to normalcy after the trauma of living in a more explicitly violent world.

Walden knows how to write people who makes mistakes and use her drawing to evoke tenderness towards characters even as they hurt themselves and others.

Tonally, I read this book as 'O baby.' As in 'o baby, you don't need to join a paramilitaristic cult to suppress your emotions' and 'o baby, losing your hand is not something you gotta get over asap.'

O baby

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished up this series. Always makes me want to go back and play the TT Walking Dead games.
In this Volume, Clem seems to have everything going her way when a sudden death changes her world completely. Eventually she falls in with a very charismatic but twisted leader called The Gardener, but is able to overcome and save the community she lived in.
Tillie Walden did a fantastic job with not only this Volume, but also the entire series.
You should check it out. Maybe consume all three back to back. Recommend.

[Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you liked the first two books, I think you'll like this one too. There is a lot of text in Danish and Greenlandic with no translation. Overall, I thought this series was really nice. Clementine has settled down in a town in Greenland, but not everything is perfect. Olivia survives childbirth, but then Ricca dies suddenly. In her grief, Clem joins a gang of girls with Fen that patrol the walls and bury some walkers. But the leader is too demanding and tries to take over the town. Clementine manages to convince the rest of the girls to leave the gang.

[mihailo · Rating 2 out of 5]

That was.. Something alright.


First off the drawings were good but the story not so much, the best part of the story was the flashback with Amos (which was about 4 pages), couldn't care for the characters at all this book besides Olivia who was barely used during this comic (great one, knowing she was one of the main characters for the last 2) Ricca's death was unexpected and felt rushed, I get why Tillie Walden did it, but at the end of the day it wasn't done well. During my time played all 4 games and beating them (also watching other endings, choices, and more) I've never seen Clementine grieve so much for such a character (besides Lee, who went above and beyond for her during the first game). It just made me feel odd, like I wasn't reading the Clementine I knew, just a girl with the same name. Couldn't care less for the villains, The Gardner felt dumb and got old quick. They ruined Fen as well. It was not enjoyable but wasn't miserable. 2.5/5

[Logs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this graphic novel series, and this last one is the perfect conclusion. Easily the best of the Clementine graphic novels, with such strong and consistent characterisation and a clear demonstration of how the trauma of living in this world effects people, and how there’s more than one way to lose your humanity.

[angelofmine1974 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

Such a good story and a great way to end the series.

For the rest of my review, visit my Vlog at:

https://youtube.com/shorts/fnBsWTvfw0...

Enjoy!

[Kipper The Dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried 500 million tears reading this its a wonder I was even able to see the pages

[Brandon Tindle-Cowgill · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing conclusion to one of my favorite stories.

[Claudio Calia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ne ho scritto qui: https://claudiocalia.substack.com/p/c...

[Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bear in mind, I read the first half of this on my laptop, and the second half on my phone because my laptop died out on me. Neither are optimal reading experiences and likely impacted my enjoyment.

I did enjoy it overall though. It ends on a happier note than the previous two books, and really feels like a happy ending for Clem. It's hard to truly believe in endings in TWD tho, as communities can turn to shit in a second.. I'm also a little bummed she didn't make it back to AJ...

[yuilixkiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, it wasn't what I'd aspired for.

Ricca's death didn't do anything but introduce us to another issue, which didn't help with character development at all.

[Jess Esa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect end to this wonderful series.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one really missed the mark, in my opinion. Zombies are barely there, except for this lunatic security leader that has a "garden" of planted zombies, with their heads sticking out of the dirt. Which, fine, a lot of TWD is about the horrors of humans anyway, which it kind of hit, but not in a believable way at all. The main character that was leading up the last two books was just killed suddenly without reason, which only sort of made Clementine mopey. The drawings seemed more rushed, everyone looked the same so it was hard to tell people apart, especially amongst the girl security group. About 1/3rd of the book is in Danish/Greenlander (it mentions both, but I think primarily Danish).
I wouldn't have read a book 4 if it had continued.

[norah melden (death by tbr) · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have read this too many times plz send help

edit: this book breaks me more and more every time i read it. the characters and storyline become more in depth and complex with every book/page, and when ricca died part of me died. the part that keeps making me cry is clem at riccas grave saying something along the lines of "im thinking i should have told you what you meant to me more...but if i ever love anyone like i loved you...i'll tell them every day."
she obviously is still grieving, but can move on to a certain extent which is the one thing keeping me alive right now. also it's so detailed in perfect every way that i can read it 12 times (which i have) and still feel like im missing something. tillie walden i love you bro.

[Devon · Rating 2 out of 5]

i remember enjoying the first one; the second one was eh but this one was mehhhhhh
weird cult uprising plot?
killing off character randomly even though series is ending?
just not great overall

[Cody Wilson]

I’ve enjoyed the previous two installments of Tillie Walden’s Clementine trilogy, and this concluding volume doesn’t disappoint. Walden ruthlessly puts her characters through the wringer, fitting given the post-apocalyptic zombie setting. However, the greatest tragedies that her characters endure owe less to zombies than to humans’ existential condition and capacity for cruelty to each other.

This marks the darkest installment in the Clementine series, both thematically and artistically. Compared to the wispy detail and fine linework I’ve come to expect from her, Walden heavily leans into silhouettes, oppressive blacks, and negative space in this volume. While readers behold a few gorgeous, intricate landscapes from Walden’s pen, her finishes are rougher overall. In less confident hands, the approach might register as awkward or lazy; in Walden’s, it serves the story effectively. Her strong page designs and underdrawings anchor the storytelling such that she can obscure pages in shadow without losing clarity. I appreciate that Walden pushed herself in this way artistically, and the risk pays off terrifically in these pages.

Despite bleak moments (especially in its first third), Clementine Vol. 3 ends on a hopeful note. Walden has empathy for these characters and the darkness they endure brings their strength into relief. Walden puts real work into figuring out what it means for these girls to come of age in a post-apocalyptic landscape. While YA readers may get the most out of Clementine, this is trilogy suitable for anyone who appreciates thoughtful comics craftsmanship. This is the cream of the crop for cartooning.

[jackson abell · Rating 2 out of 5]

such a poorly written end to clementine's story.

ricca, the "not" self-insert, dies pathetically and out of nowhere, which would USUALLY make me feel bad, but walden managed to ruin it by turning clem into a mopey mess, which could be justified... IF clem had EVER acted like that before. clementine has seen death most of her life, she watched her parents as walkers, most of her found families get killed or kill themselves, she spent months trying to find any clue that the boy she raised from birth could be alive, and yet, never once did she act like this, over someone she'd apparently known for months!

plus, this trilogy ended with clem apparently realizing she DID want a home, which is in complete opposition to why walden thought she left her SON, and potentially loved ones.

also, the main antagonist is a very clear ripoff of most walking dead villains, most likely lilly to get some nostalgia credit, but they were so boring and useless. clementine was also totally not her badass self AT ALL. some random woman shot her in the face, when clementine was hit once and pushed to the ground. BOOOOO!!!!

overall, im obviously biased and have clearly loved the source material more than this poorly written graphic novel, but I only ask, why not just write an original character instead? or, in fact, replace clem in all these books with AJ! there would be no doomed yuri, unfortunately, but it at least wouldn't be AS out of character.

(if you're wondering why I gave this two stars, the art was pretty good, as expected!)

[Guy Raber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's the thing - I love Tillie Walden, I think she's one of the most talented comic artists currently alive. In some ways I think Walking Dead is a good fit for her, because often zombie fiction is about the spaces inbetween the horror more than it is about the actual horror. And Walden's art lends itself well to quiet, contemplative moments. It has a specific ethereal quality that I adore. At the same time, zombie horror is a different genre than her previous stuff, and I think it never quite comes together for me in the way that her works Spinning or On a Sunbeam do, where everything jives organically. And that's ok, I think it's still a great read, a compelling three-volume story set in a universe that resonates for good reason, and it's unsurprisingly beautiful art. Also, it's nice having a story in this universe written by a queer woman and recent mother -- I think you can tell it's not another Robert Kirkman story, and with no disrespect to Kirkman, that's a good thing here.

Originally I was going to give it a 4, but I'm bumping up to 5. As I was thinking about the series, I realized that it had a good number of emotional, cathartic moments that I want to come back to on a reread, and that's really what I want out of a comic, or at least a Tillie Walden one.