Clem, her girlfriend, Ricca, and their friend Olivia are doing their best to survive the plague of killer zombies in this second series entry.Fresh off a plane crash, the girls figure themselves to be in Canada and head toward the coast in search of somewhere livable. Beset by frequent hordes of zombies (Clementine is a spin-off character from Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead comic book series), these teens rarely catch a break. Clem's prosthetic leg bothers her, Ol's lost in grief, Ric's vision is fading, and all three are constantly hungry and grimy. Haunting, expressive art renders both gruesome horror and relatable vulnerability. A few sweet moments, like the girls' triple bat mitzvah, provide some precarious comfort. While the trio briefly finds support in a small island community with Mi'kmaq and Taiwanese survivors, its leader's grim obsession with cataloging the endless dead overshadows their relief, as does the terror-filled revelation that Ol is pregnant. Plus, of course, the walkers find the trio again and kill almost everyone they know in front of them in a frenzy of action panels expertly evoking shards of broken glass. Weeks later, they find another tentative peace as the ragtag crew aboard a ship, with Clem and Ric tiptoeing toward physical intimacy. But it won't be easy to continue in this unforgiving world. Clem has medium-toned skin; her companions read white.Thrillingly escapist in a disturbing-as-hell kind of way. (artists' tools, artist bio, letter from the editor) (Graphic horror. 14-18)

Gr 8 Up— Clem's, Ricca's, and Olivia's journeys of survival continue in the second volume of Walden's "Walking Dead" spin-off. Following the events on the mountain, all three girls now have additional traumas to reconcile and increased strain due to their physical conditions. Clem's need for a prosthetic leg and Ricca's for glasses create specific challenges in a hostile postapocalyptic world. Things begin to brighten when they end up on an island commune, but trust doesn't come easily. While Clem has begun to acknowledge and even take steps forward from her accumulated trauma, peace actually disturbs her. Accompanying a more introspective plot, even the black-and-white illustrations introduce a reflective tone to the bleak survivalist mindset. At well-placed points though, life's disappointments return, often due to the "walkers," and the black inks swell to swallow everyone whole. Despite all this, the graphic novel keeps reminding readers to live life and form bonds. Fear of tomorrow should not keep one from love, growth, and fulfillment. VERDICT Volume two capitalizes on its character growth to deliver an affecting graphic novel about growing up in the zombie apocalypse.— Rachel Forbes