As an avid follower of the Life is Strange games, the comic tie-ins often add another layer of in-depth storytelling the games don’t touch upon. Even though these stories take place in an alternate timeline where things go a bit differently, they are successful in making beloved characters we already know feel more complex and complete. Life is Strange: Forget-Me-Not, a four-issue collected graphic novel, is now added to this list. In fact, I will go one step further and say, this book is a must-read for fans of the franchise.
Life is Strange: Forget-Me-Not continues Alex Chen’s story after the events of Life is Strange: True Colors. Except that in this reality, girlfriends Alex and Steph leave Haven Springs to pursue their musical career as a band, trying to make a name for themselves by performing at dive bars across the country. However, on the road they stumble upon a quiet teenager, Lily, who is silently struggling and might have a lot more in common with Alex. Taking Lily under their wing, Alex and Steph find themselves at a crossroads. Juggling between building their career and helping Lily, these two are also forced to face their own personal demons.
There is no lack of surprises in this book, as we also see familiar faces from True Colors along with Chloe Price and Rachel Amber in two separate moments. Life is Strange: Forget-Me-Not is a grounded story about loss, healing, and found family. By the end, this graphic novel is a moving read that has everything you’ve come to love from this franchise.
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Zoe Thorogood has a unique talent of captivating the reader with her simple yet very relatable writing style. This is seen in the opening moments of the comic, where Alex narrates the struggle of an artist to be seen as she performs at a dive bar. This further leads to her concluding that what started as an enjoyable experience has turned into a fear of an unexpected future as more than one livelihood depends on it. Let’s be real, in this current economic climate, these particular words felt like getting hit by a reality truck.
Like any story in this franchise, Life is Strange: Forget-Me-Not’s beating heart is human connection. Thorogood excellently shows this through the eyes of our two leads by crafting their relationship on mutual respect and care. Their lives are by no means perfect, making them feel less like fictional characters and more like seeing yourself in the pages of this book. The connection they share with Lily is that of protective older sisters who would leave everything behind if it means to help her and in the process, little do they realize, the young girl who they saved eventually helps them too. I haven’t read Zoe Thorogood’s other works, but this book made me want to immediately change that.
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You can’t talk about the writing solely without mentioning the art and colors. Fan favorite Life is Strange artists Claudia Leonardi and Andrea Izzo return to make this book feel larger than life. As the story is told mainly through Alex’s point of view, her empathic powers play an important role. These are highlighted through colors forming an aura around other characters showing the readers what emotion Alex feels from them. But when the story shifts to Lily’s perspective, there is a lot more black and white which symbolizes the pain and trauma she carries. The stark contrast between how both of these characters are portrayed shows the significance of colors through the sheer power of art, once again remaining true to this series. And as a reader, this was when the book was at its best for me.
With the ever-growing collection of Life is Strange comics, the best part is not just endless exploration of storytelling with the characters we love but also the perfect opportunity to further expand and set up new characters with new powers. Even though it is just four issues, Life is Strange: Forget-Me-Not does this beautifully, making it a worthy sequel of the game. While maintaining the Life is Strange formula, Thorogood, Leonardi and Izzo have created a story that tugs at your heartstrings, leaving you wanting more.
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