Clarence: Vol. 1

by Liz Prince

Clarence

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics

Paperback

First published June 1, 2015

About the author

I have been a comic artist and a self-publisher since I was in high school in the mid-90's. In 2005 my book Will You Still Love Me If I Wet the Bed? was published by Top Shelf Productions; it won an Ignatz Award for Outstanding Debut. Top Shelf has since published two more of my autobio comic collections, Delayed Replays in 2008, and Alone Forever earlier this year. In September my first full length graphic novel, a memoir about adolescence and gender stereotypes called Tomboy, comes out from Zest Books.

I have had comics published in numerous anthologies, drawn stories for the wildly popular Adventure Time series, and I am a columnist for the punk magazine Razorcake.

Currently my cat Dracula is sitting on my lap, and his sister Wolfman is giving him the side-eye.

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clarence (collecting the first four issues of the kaboom! comics series of the same name) is essentially four episodes and four quick two-page sequences. While none of them are as good as the television series, they are solid stories that are faithful to the show. Realistically, the translation from cartoon to comic shouldn't be too difficult, and they do succeed in making the jump, but inconsistently so. Every story has the intrinsic feeling of Clarence, but sometimes they have Clarence speak in regular speech and other stories have his parts written phonically, as you would hear him say them in the show, like "evwything" and "It is with gweat wegwet". It's a small thing, but the inconsistency can be jarring. The only real thing that stands out from the show is the terrible little vignettes after the four stories; they are confusing, half-written pieces that don't serve any purpose other than to make the issues few pages longer. Essentially, if you are a fan of the Clarence TV show, this graphic novel is an acceptable supplement, but not as good an experience. If you hated the show, you will hate this just as much.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on an animated series, right? I haven't see it, but one of the kids in this house likes it a lot and liked the comic and I saw Liz Prince (Tomboy) had written it, or most of it, so I read it and liked it. The main (or best) story is a worm story, where Clarence, learning that worms can't be left out in the sun and need to be "cared" for, goes overboard taking care of the worms as pets. That's pretty funny for the K-6 crowd, yep! The art by newcomer Evan Palmer is colorful and appropriately goofy.

[J Kuria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a random one. I was browsing through some graphic novels when I saw it and remembered the TV show. Is it still on BTW or have the kids moved on? Anyway, I decided to pick it up as a quick nostalgic read and it was an OK, simple enough story. I really enjoyed the art style.

[Gemma · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars.

This just wasn't for me. I found the story and characters weak. The art was cute.

[LordSlaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clarence is one of my favorite Cartoon Network shows. This volume captures the style, wit, heart, and exuberance of the cartoon. Delightful.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any fan of the show will love the comic. The characters are the same as they are in show and they are just as funny.

[Marwan Waleed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time to join the fun!

Clarence, Jeff, and Sumo have lot to learn about worms when a fishing trip goes sideways for these friends. Between movie theater madness and getting a chance to use their home-made time machine, these friends know how to make the most out of every day. Don't miss out on these all-new stories about best friends who know how to have fun inside and outside of the classroom! 

[Kelly Gimmler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book three stars because it isn't for all students, though it is perfect for any kid who like things messy and funny in that way. It's based off the cartoon of Clarence, Jeff, and Sumo, which really attracts kiddos..it builds imagination and allows a free spirit in thier worm-hooking to fish and even using an interesting time traveler of their own. This crazy book is a fun comic graphic novel and is good from grades K-4.