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Life is Strange Comics #6
Life Is Strange Vol. 6: Settling Dust
The heart-wrenching conclusion to Max and Chloe’s story from the best-selling Life is Strange comic series.
In the face of an unimaginable threat, can Max use her power to save everyone she loves – and return home? Following on from the BAFTA award-winning videogame Life is Strange, Max Caulfield believes that she has found a way to cross the timelines and return to the woman she loves, Chloe Price. In doing so, she will have to leave behind the life she has built with a new Chloe, in a world where Rachel Amber never died. But Max is not alone, as friends and allies old and new – including Tristan, the band the High Seas, and fan-favorite ‘queen of the nerds’, Steph Gingrich – rally to help her in her hour of need!
In the face of an unimaginable threat, can Max use her power to save everyone she loves – and return home? Following on from the BAFTA award-winning videogame Life is Strange, Max Caulfield believes that she has found a way to cross the timelines and return to the woman she loves, Chloe Price. In doing so, she will have to leave behind the life she has built with a new Chloe, in a world where Rachel Amber never died. But Max is not alone, as friends and allies old and new – including Tristan, the band the High Seas, and fan-favorite ‘queen of the nerds’, Steph Gingrich – rally to help her in her hour of need!
128 pages, Paperback
First published June 7, 2022
20 people are currently reading
756 people want to read
About the author
Emma Vieceli
171 books317 followersEmma Vieceli (born June 13, 1979, in Essex) is a professional British comics artist of Italian-English heritage. She is currently a resident of a small village in Cambridgeshire, England.
From self-publishing to some of the biggest book publishers in the world, Emma loves telling stories with pictures and believes that comics should be 'For everyone, About anything, By anyone' (<--FAB!).
The writer for Life is Strange (Titan comics), she is happy to cross the streams and works as both writer and artist depending on the project. Her recent work as an artist includes: The Modern Frankenstein (Magma Comix), Olivia Twist (Dark Horse), Alex Rider (Walker books), The Adventures of Supergirl (DC comics), Doctor Who (Titan comics), Jem & the holograms (IDW) the New York Times-bestselling Vampire Academy graphic novel series (PenguinRandomHouse), Back to the Future (IDW) and Avalon Chronicles (Oni Press)
She co-creates the critically acclaimed independent web series, BREAKS with Malin Ryden (collected editions published through SoaringPenguin), with Vieceli co-writing and 'comicking' (art/tone/letters).
Alongside comics, she worked on the A&E television series, Bates Motel, providing the sketchbook found by Norman Bates, as an artist with tinyrebel on their Doctor Who Infinity games, and recently joined the writing team for Vile Monarch's life sim video game, Growing Up.
From self-publishing to some of the biggest book publishers in the world, Emma loves telling stories with pictures and believes that comics should be 'For everyone, About anything, By anyone' (<--FAB!).
The writer for Life is Strange (Titan comics), she is happy to cross the streams and works as both writer and artist depending on the project. Her recent work as an artist includes: The Modern Frankenstein (Magma Comix), Olivia Twist (Dark Horse), Alex Rider (Walker books), The Adventures of Supergirl (DC comics), Doctor Who (Titan comics), Jem & the holograms (IDW) the New York Times-bestselling Vampire Academy graphic novel series (PenguinRandomHouse), Back to the Future (IDW) and Avalon Chronicles (Oni Press)
She co-creates the critically acclaimed independent web series, BREAKS with Malin Ryden (collected editions published through SoaringPenguin), with Vieceli co-writing and 'comicking' (art/tone/letters).
Alongside comics, she worked on the A&E television series, Bates Motel, providing the sketchbook found by Norman Bates, as an artist with tinyrebel on their Doctor Who Infinity games, and recently joined the writing team for Vile Monarch's life sim video game, Growing Up.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
December 6, 2023
I'm too tired to truly get into how many retcons and narrative inconsistencies this volume brings about. I will attempt to summarize as best I can, but I could rant for a good hour here.
(Spoilers)
-The original game is supposed to be a tragedy. This comic attempts to cop-out on that by saying that in other timelines, everyone is happy. This is NOT how timelines were meant to work. Once Max makes a choice, the other timeline she didn't create CEASES to exist. It gets burned away. The other Rachel Amber no longer exists. She was only a possibility.
-The thing that made the original games such narrative masterpieces (meaning Life is Strange 1 and Before the Storm) was that it became obvious after playing both that Rachel Amber IS the storm. The story is a modern Shakespearean tragedy in the style of 'The Tempest'. This is made clear so many times, and yet there is another stupid storm in this comic while Rachel is alive. Idiotic and completely missing the point of the original narrative. This is a blatant plot hole. Put it this way: if Rachel Amber is the storm or caused the storm from the first game, then it is the single best written video game I have ever played. If Rachel Amber is NOT the storm, and it was caused by Max messing with time for some ridiculous reason, then the game is okay at best but has a good soundtrack. That is how crucial this plot point is. The entire story hinges on it. It's masterful writing, and the prequel makes it irrefutable. It's the reason I actually like the prequel more than the original game by far. The original seemed like it only barely knew what it was planning, but the prequel brings everything into focus and forms a masterpiece. Rachel is the jealous and possessive storm, and she has no dark side at all in this comic. Her dark side is what made her such a great character, and here she is just the perfect princess. It's silly. I love Amberprice so much, but they were always a much more complicated ship than this. They had way more layers than what is provided here.
Dontnod has already said that this comic is not canon, and that is the only reason I can overlook this rubbish. You cannot convince me, under torture, that this is canon. And let's not even get into the dumb new phase to Max's powers. It introduces a whole bunch of new issues to the continuity.
To summarize: Rachel Amber is the Storm. Life is Strange is meant to be a Shakespearian tragedy. This ending is abysmal. The End.
Edit: I'm back to be mad again. Upon a reread, I find myself wondering if the author even played Before the Storm. The obvious hints from the developers that Rachel Amber was the storm are delivered with the subtlety of a hammer to the face. The storm being caused by Max's powers never made sense. The storm was already coming before she used them for the first time; hence her nightmare in the classroom. God, this comic makes me sad. But not in the good way that stories are supposed to.
(Spoilers)
-The original game is supposed to be a tragedy. This comic attempts to cop-out on that by saying that in other timelines, everyone is happy. This is NOT how timelines were meant to work. Once Max makes a choice, the other timeline she didn't create CEASES to exist. It gets burned away. The other Rachel Amber no longer exists. She was only a possibility.
-The thing that made the original games such narrative masterpieces (meaning Life is Strange 1 and Before the Storm) was that it became obvious after playing both that Rachel Amber IS the storm. The story is a modern Shakespearean tragedy in the style of 'The Tempest'. This is made clear so many times, and yet there is another stupid storm in this comic while Rachel is alive. Idiotic and completely missing the point of the original narrative. This is a blatant plot hole. Put it this way: if Rachel Amber is the storm or caused the storm from the first game, then it is the single best written video game I have ever played. If Rachel Amber is NOT the storm, and it was caused by Max messing with time for some ridiculous reason, then the game is okay at best but has a good soundtrack. That is how crucial this plot point is. The entire story hinges on it. It's masterful writing, and the prequel makes it irrefutable. It's the reason I actually like the prequel more than the original game by far. The original seemed like it only barely knew what it was planning, but the prequel brings everything into focus and forms a masterpiece. Rachel is the jealous and possessive storm, and she has no dark side at all in this comic. Her dark side is what made her such a great character, and here she is just the perfect princess. It's silly. I love Amberprice so much, but they were always a much more complicated ship than this. They had way more layers than what is provided here.
Dontnod has already said that this comic is not canon, and that is the only reason I can overlook this rubbish. You cannot convince me, under torture, that this is canon. And let's not even get into the dumb new phase to Max's powers. It introduces a whole bunch of new issues to the continuity.
To summarize: Rachel Amber is the Storm. Life is Strange is meant to be a Shakespearian tragedy. This ending is abysmal. The End.
Edit: I'm back to be mad again. Upon a reread, I find myself wondering if the author even played Before the Storm. The obvious hints from the developers that Rachel Amber was the storm are delivered with the subtlety of a hammer to the face. The storm being caused by Max's powers never made sense. The storm was already coming before she used them for the first time; hence her nightmare in the classroom. God, this comic makes me sad. But not in the good way that stories are supposed to.
April 17, 2022
This series did not go the way I was expecting it to go! Is that a good thing? Well...it depends on your taste in storytelling. In regards to my taste in storytelling...it was not the greatest choice. I expected this series to be a bit more about grief after a tragedy and coming to terms with the fact that in the end, it's best not to go back because it's not good to live in the past, you eventually need to move forward. Having said that, I was expecting this to be one large volume, not 6 small ones. While I was a little disappointed that it didn't go the way I wanted it to, that has nothing to do with my rating. The first volume was my favorite by far because it did deal with some of the topics I was hoping it would, though.
Of all the timelines that Max could have ended up in, I did not like it. It erased the personalities of the original characters and rewrote them completely. All of these characters seemed to be the same but in slightly different styles. None of the romance pairings made sense to me and did not affect the plot.
While the idea of a timeline hopping graphic novel sounds interesting, the lack of distinction between realities affected the reading experience. In the first novel, faded transparency was used to show differences, but in the others, it was not there. When there was constantly going back and forth, not even a filter was used.
While I do miss the nostalgic feeling of the games, I know that a different setting and time were needed for this version of the story. This story wasn't uninteresting and the characters weren't intolerable. I liked the new characters like Tristan and the High Seas band. I loved that there was tons of casual representation in this series. Unfortunately, that is just about all I can compliment this series on.
I honestly wouldn't recommend this series if you haven't played the videos games and weren't a fan of them. This is a series for the fans written by the fans. Would I recommend this series to someone who has played the game? I don't know either! If you're a die-hard fan, go for it! If you tolerated the game, maybe it's good to skip out on this one.
Of all the timelines that Max could have ended up in, I did not like it. It erased the personalities of the original characters and rewrote them completely. All of these characters seemed to be the same but in slightly different styles. None of the romance pairings made sense to me and did not affect the plot.
While the idea of a timeline hopping graphic novel sounds interesting, the lack of distinction between realities affected the reading experience. In the first novel, faded transparency was used to show differences, but in the others, it was not there. When there was constantly going back and forth, not even a filter was used.
While I do miss the nostalgic feeling of the games, I know that a different setting and time were needed for this version of the story. This story wasn't uninteresting and the characters weren't intolerable. I liked the new characters like Tristan and the High Seas band. I loved that there was tons of casual representation in this series. Unfortunately, that is just about all I can compliment this series on.
I honestly wouldn't recommend this series if you haven't played the videos games and weren't a fan of them. This is a series for the fans written by the fans. Would I recommend this series to someone who has played the game? I don't know either! If you're a die-hard fan, go for it! If you tolerated the game, maybe it's good to skip out on this one.
March 26, 2024
This was just pure serotonin for me.
I am so sad to let Max and Chloe go, but my heart feels so at ease knowing they’re alright, together, and madly in love with each other.
I will definitely go back to reread it whenever I miss them (which will happen quite often, I’m guessing).
Loved the Alex Chen sneak peek at the end of this volume, and her and Steph’s sketches. I’m so ready to read about this new pair! And again, thanks to the authors who chose to write the story from the ending I chose for True Colors as well. I’m super excited and I’m looking forward to the next publication!
I am so sad to let Max and Chloe go, but my heart feels so at ease knowing they’re alright, together, and madly in love with each other.
I will definitely go back to reread it whenever I miss them (which will happen quite often, I’m guessing).
Loved the Alex Chen sneak peek at the end of this volume, and her and Steph’s sketches. I’m so ready to read about this new pair! And again, thanks to the authors who chose to write the story from the ending I chose for True Colors as well. I’m super excited and I’m looking forward to the next publication!
August 12, 2022
why did it take me so long to read the rest of this series
i desperately needed that max and chloe happy ending thank you
i desperately needed that max and chloe happy ending thank you
July 24, 2022
tristan jako mc następnej gry to coś więcej niż potrzeba
January 29, 2023
Will miss this series very badly
January 15, 2025
The final volume of this comic series provides a heartfelt conclusion that wraps up every major storyline nicely. In my opinion, the quality of this series was always at a consistently high level, and it overall did a great job expanding upon and reimagining the LiS universe and its characters. I love the time travel mechanic in the first game, and I really like how it's been expanded upon in the comic series.
For every fan of Max, Chloe, and Rachel out there, I think it’s worth delving into this series and seeing for yourself where their path(s) in this alternate universe may take them. I also really like the art style of this series, and even though this is maybe a trivial thing to point out, I thought that the outfits, hairstyles, and accessories that the main trio are drawn with always suited them well. It's a small detail, but it shows, to me, that the people behind the comic series put thought and care into the characters.
For every fan of Max, Chloe, and Rachel out there, I think it’s worth delving into this series and seeing for yourself where their path(s) in this alternate universe may take them. I also really like the art style of this series, and even though this is maybe a trivial thing to point out, I thought that the outfits, hairstyles, and accessories that the main trio are drawn with always suited them well. It's a small detail, but it shows, to me, that the people behind the comic series put thought and care into the characters.
April 23, 2024
Good enough ending. Not disappointing but not as great as the game's story. I guess I had high expectations.
It feels like now I don't even want to recommend this strongly to people who have played the game too. Only read if you can't get enough of Max and Chloe and are okay with a supplemental story that is not canon with the game. Ignore this series if you have high expectations about the storyline being at par or better than the game. Because it's not. It's "okay" at best.
It feels like now I don't even want to recommend this strongly to people who have played the game too. Only read if you can't get enough of Max and Chloe and are okay with a supplemental story that is not canon with the game. Ignore this series if you have high expectations about the storyline being at par or better than the game. Because it's not. It's "okay" at best.
December 31, 2025
finishing off with pricefield finally getting back together 🥹🥹❤️🫶 happy new year everyone!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2024
I love love love seeing Max and Chloe together again. loved these comics despite their confusing nature, and I'm glad to see them together again after everything and having their good ending (IGNORING DOUBLE EXPOSURE. UGH). I will say though. Chloe's outfit in the end was horrendous. Max's outfits though were always amazing. You go girl!
April 16, 2024
The perfect happy ending for Max and Chloe that I’ve needed for years now. Bae over Bay always ❤️🥰
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March 28, 2022Y con esto termina la historia de Max Caulfield y Chloe Price. Un viaje precioso, pero no por ello menos doloroso. Del videojuego al cómic, una relación que se ha negado a morir en un medio y ha dado el salto al otro.
No hacía falta esta secuela, todo podría haber quedado en píxeles, pero esta continuación en viñetas voy a agradecerla siempre. Nos da más tiempo entre las dos, da más perspectiva a Max de sus poderes y este extraño mundo en el que vive, y además ha podido conocer a Rachel. Pero lo que más agradezco son esos dos últimos números con ellas por fin reunidas y viviendo en paz, sin dramas ni tormentas casi apocalípticas. Solo dos chicas enamoradas viviendo sus vidas, felices. Ya por eso merece la pena leer esto.
Mis dieces a Emma Vieceli, Claudia Leonardi y Andrea Izzo, tres autoras que tenían un gran peso en sus hombros para seguir dando vida a las protagonistas y su entorno y han sabido hacerlo de maravilla. Ojalá verlas colaborar de nuevo en algo más.
No hacía falta esta secuela, todo podría haber quedado en píxeles, pero esta continuación en viñetas voy a agradecerla siempre. Nos da más tiempo entre las dos, da más perspectiva a Max de sus poderes y este extraño mundo en el que vive, y además ha podido conocer a Rachel. Pero lo que más agradezco son esos dos últimos números con ellas por fin reunidas y viviendo en paz, sin dramas ni tormentas casi apocalípticas. Solo dos chicas enamoradas viviendo sus vidas, felices. Ya por eso merece la pena leer esto.
Mis dieces a Emma Vieceli, Claudia Leonardi y Andrea Izzo, tres autoras que tenían un gran peso en sus hombros para seguir dando vida a las protagonistas y su entorno y han sabido hacerlo de maravilla. Ojalá verlas colaborar de nuevo en algo más.
February 21, 2024
A beautiful story to end this series, we had most of the characters back which did the comic really well. Perfect if your A life is strange fan. Beautiful graphics and art style.
When the storm enters, Max manged to get back to her Chloe. Chloe gives Max A tour of Arcadia Bay Chloe tells Max how the whale dinner was fixed after the high seas played gigs and the community helped founded the money to repair the place. Chloe also added A garage next to the whale dinner. Max sees Alyssa again, Alyssa volunteers at the whale dinner. Chloe gives A tour of hers and Maxs apartment where Max signs her name on the door. Lawrence and Tristan are dating. Max and Chloe meet Victoria at her gallery. Max agrees to take the space for her pictures but doesn't want credit given to her. Max and Chole go though A box of photos, they find one address to Max its A picture of Max, Rachel and Chloe from the other timeline and it makes Chole happy to see it. They All gather together to hold A vigil to remember those who where lost.
When the storm enters, Max manged to get back to her Chloe. Chloe gives Max A tour of Arcadia Bay Chloe tells Max how the whale dinner was fixed after the high seas played gigs and the community helped founded the money to repair the place. Chloe also added A garage next to the whale dinner. Max sees Alyssa again, Alyssa volunteers at the whale dinner. Chloe gives A tour of hers and Maxs apartment where Max signs her name on the door. Lawrence and Tristan are dating. Max and Chloe meet Victoria at her gallery. Max agrees to take the space for her pictures but doesn't want credit given to her. Max and Chole go though A box of photos, they find one address to Max its A picture of Max, Rachel and Chloe from the other timeline and it makes Chole happy to see it. They All gather together to hold A vigil to remember those who where lost.
March 12, 2022
Emocionante y alegre de un final que Max y Chloe merecen.
Historia fácil, tranquila y sin muchos altibajos, pero justo lo necesario.
Historia fácil, tranquila y sin muchos altibajos, pero justo lo necesario.
April 29, 2024
this felt like closure
June 9, 2022
so sad to see this series go but also it ended perfectly and i’m so happy it was made. was a perfect addition to the story of the games and was great on its own. i loved the evolution of max’s powers sm. i love pixie and tristan. it was great to see the characters get more interactions with rachel (and just getting more of her in general.) also victoria chase redemption arc!!
brody and steph were great cameos but i would’ve loved to see kate (!!!) or sean and daniel 😞 (i’m happy lis2 got recognition with brody tho)
the ending was so satisfying and it was nice to have a happy lis ending for once! made me very emotional
thank you for reading this long grace copps-esque review *break dances*
brody and steph were great cameos but i would’ve loved to see kate (!!!) or sean and daniel 😞 (i’m happy lis2 got recognition with brody tho)
the ending was so satisfying and it was nice to have a happy lis ending for once! made me very emotional
thank you for reading this long grace copps-esque review *break dances*
December 24, 2024
Me gustaron mucho todos los comics. Cuentan una secuela muy buena del futuro en el que sobrevive chloe. La historia está muy bien estructurada respetando los personajes y las acciones que toman durante la historia. Aparecen personajes de todo el universo Life is strange que no me esperaba que salieran, pero no están metidos con calzador. Aparecen nuevos personajes que aportan bastante a la historia y que son entretenidos. Aparecen personajes de la historia principal mostrando como les ha afectado todo lo que pasó en Arcadia Bay, como lo están llevando y a qué se dedican para poder superar la tormenta. Hay varios what if que todo fan se ha preguntado y es agradable de ver. Quizá el conflicto principal se alarga bastante más de lo que yo esperaba y se podría haber metido algo más de otras realidades. Me hubiese gustado que hubieran aparecido más personajes como Warren o Kate que son muy queridos e importantes para Max y me parece poco realista que ni se pregunten donde están. También se refleja muy bien en el personaje de Chloe el paralelismo de sufrir la tormenta o no, viéndose el mismo personaje pero claramente más traumatizado por la perdida de su madre y su ciudad. Poco se habla también de David que en el segundo juego se confirma que siguen manteniendo en contacto. Si eres fan de la saga lo recomiendo muchísimo y es mucha mejor alternativa al nuevo juego de Life is Strange Double Exposure.
December 6, 2022
I'm crying. That's all I can say.
January 12, 2023
Buona conclusione per una serie davvero carina che risponde a qualche domanda post gioco.
January 6, 2025
Fuck double exposure this is the true life is strange ending
December 30, 2025
multiversal schizophrenia is over my friend. but the journey however, is not. and the journey will always be filled with memories.
June 14, 2022
A fitting conclusion…now they just need to make a GN series about Life is Strange: True Colors because that little teaser at the end was really well done.
September 24, 2024
Estos comics no han sido exactamente lo que esperaba leer después de jugar el juego, pero no me importa porque este volumen ha sido perfecto porque solo han sido momentos de Chloe y Max siendo felices y adorables y después de tanto tiempo esperando que se reencontraran esto era lo que todos nos merecíamos :))
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August 27, 2025loved the ending!! not sure how I feel about the retcon of Max’s powers though…
at the end of the day, this isn’t canon so it’s fine as what it is 🤷
at the end of the day, this isn’t canon so it’s fine as what it is 🤷
May 28, 2024
I was excited for this series, but it was a disappointment. The plot was extremely drawn out and the character development and dialogue left a lot to be desired.
December 15, 2023
In a lot of ways I've been hedging my opinions on this series on this final volume. Will things actually become clarified from a logical standpoint, or was this more of an emotional conclusion? And it's a bit of a mixed bag on that front. I will say more is explained than I expected, though the story is definitely more about emotional closure than answers.
Most things about this volume are a spoiler, so if you need a spoiler-free takeaway, here you go: Solid conclusion, solid series, feels more like fanfiction than a canon continuation but that's probably a good thing. Means we don't have to use this story to affect our perspective on the characters/story of the games. Where I think this comic series' strength lies is in providing emotional closure for players who chose "Save Chloe" at the end of the original Life is Strange game. At the very worst it's a fun way to continue exploring these characters.
Now, onward to ALL THE SPOILERS. You have been warned.
So the volume essentially begins with Max and Tristan returning (presumably permanently) to Max's original timeline. Order is finally restored. In this process some interesting things are implied. One gaping hole in the story—in my mind, anyway—is where is the alternate timeline's Max? Chloe remembers her, so she existed (and logically I think we can infer that Max could only hop into a timeline where there is some preexisting Max presence). But the story itself acts as if there is not an alternative timeline Max that they'd be in danger of running into. And in this volume Max makes some kind of aside mention that this particular timeline shone brightest to her (all the way back in volume 1 lol) because there was not a Max blocking her. So if we follow the bunny trail of logic, if Chloe remembers Max, but there is no Max currently, somewhere in between Max leaving Arcadia Bay and the events of v.1 she... dies? Disappears? Chloe doesn't know, assuming this is "her Max" until she finds out the truth in v.3. If she knew Max was dead, her reaction in v.2 upon meeting her would have been much different. Remember, in the alternate timeline Max did NOT return to Arcadia Bay at any point (so any Blackwell acquaintances don't know her), which suggests that whatever happened happened before the events of the video game.
The other unexplained thing that is pretty major is how there's a timeline where Rachel has survived. Especially because my working theory is that the timelines Max can interact with are, essentially, timelines that have splintered from decisions she makes. Differences between her original timeline and the alternate timeline should boil down to some kind of decision Max has made, regardless of how many butterfly effect ripples it takes. But given Chloe doesn't even meet Rachel until after Max leaves, I'm really having trouble envisioning how Max could have impacted things so much that Rachel lives. I can fabricate two possibilities, neither of which answers everything for us as readers (far from it, actually), but at least would be something the writers could work with: 1. The most narratively satisfying option is that Max's absence in the alternate timeline is the same reason Rachel is present. Two big questions with one answer is a much slicker way to construct a narrative than two big questions with two answers. 2. This is a timeline where Max keeps open lines of communication with Chloe and she actually advises Chloe to leave Arcadia Bay with Rachel. Neither of those things make much sense based on what we actually know, but are structurally sound and wouldn't take much finagling by the authors to get in place. Probably better just to view these things as "ambiguous plot holes" and move on.
So one thing that I've decided is NOT a plot hole, but felt like one at the time I was reading is Steph. You remember her as the D&D playing nerd from the Life is Strange: Before the Storm prequel game. Well, she shows up in v.5 (as a stage manager, which of course tracks) and has a bit of a nice recurring presence in the alternate timeline where she knows Pixie from an online gaming group. So, despite being initially confused by her presence, this works. No Arcadia Bay destruction = Steph is alive and well. Got it. But in this volume, which she's entirely absent front, we see an odd text exchange with Pixie. In the aftermath of Max returning to her original timeline and the emotions of reuniting with her Chloe and all that (it's the majority of this volume, lol) there are plans for another memorial event—for what, 3rd anniversary by this point?—of the destruction of Arcadia Bay. And Pixie is texting her online gaming friend Steph to see if she's coming. And I had a crisis I had this entire damned series: "Wait, which timeline is this?" Because Steph is alive in alternate timeline. So this is alternate timeline again? But that looks like original timeline Chloe. And Max is here! It was very confusing. At the time I chalked it up to a writing error and moved on. But blessed with the benefit of hindsight I figured it out: Yes, Steph is alive in the alternate timeline. But she's also alive in the original timeline. She leaves Blackwell before Max starts at Blackwell in the game. She was Chloe's friend, not Max's. Max never knew her. Thus, if she left Blackwell before the storm, it's very likely she also left Arcadia Bay. Maybe she went to college or maybe she was getting various theater stage managing jobs or working, perhaps, with game development (there's a short issue—perhaps a Free Comic Day story?—which features Steph testing a game with Pixie, so that actually works well). Regardless, while I've come to terms with the in-text logic, it probably shouldn't have been included. It requires just that extra bit of timeline panic without any payoff.
So this series does one thing really well with Chloe and one (kind of two) things that aren't. The well-done thing is keeping the original timeline Chloe and alternate timeline Chloe feeling distinct from each other. There's obvious—and appreciated—visual markers, not to mention little differences in their personality that showcase they're... well, not different people, but they're also not in the same place in life or attitude. It's a subtle line to toe and they did a great job with it. But what isn't so well defined is either Chloe's backstories. Alternate timeline Chloe never really catches Max up on why she and Rachel are in California. I touched on that a bit in the Rachel paragraph so I won't belabor the point. But if you're telling me she never told Max the story of meeting Rachel (as covered in Before the Storm) and how they ended up where they are today? I call bullshit on that. Without that information, alternate Chloe feels kind of hazy and indistinct. Then there's original timeline Chloe. Like I said, most of v.6 takes place after Max returns, so in a lot of ways it's very much about catching up with what Chloe has been up to in the two year gap that Max was gone. And the answer to that is..................a mindboggling amount of stuff. You're asking me to believe that in the span of two years Chloe has: 1. Returned to Arcadia Bay after Max's disappearance (which was not immediate). 2. Rebuilt the Two Whales Diner (which she apparently manages but doesn't run). 3. Built up her own business (a garage, which makes sense). 4. Played home decorator by making and upkeeping a home for herself and a "hope will return someday" Max? That's a tall order for five years, let alone two. Oh, and she's a community leader. Not by official title, but certainly by influence and organizational drive. I have a lot of suspension of disbelief, but I can't swallow that one. Like, hate to break it to you, Max, but you did not return to your original timeline. You've eclipsed the whole idea of timelines and entered a weird dream land. A fantasy world. I am closer to thinking Max put herself into a vegetative coma state at the end of v.5, not her original timeline.
(I'm obviously being a bit snarky here; just because I can't quite suspend disbelief about Chloe doesn't mean Max is dreaming anything. It just means the writers got a bit carried away with crafting an idealized happily-ever-after. It's not a sin.)
I think that's all I really want to address. The flicker thing never getting solved? Whatever. Basically everyone within Max's sphere having some kind of super ability? Whatever. I did dig Victoria Chase's presence throughout the final three volumes (I didn't need a Victoria Chase redemption arc, but I don't mind it, either). Tristan and Lawrence's interactions were fun to track.
And the most important thing is, regardless of my qualms about the logic behind the plot, the emotional conclusion is good. That's the important thing.
Most things about this volume are a spoiler, so if you need a spoiler-free takeaway, here you go: Solid conclusion, solid series, feels more like fanfiction than a canon continuation but that's probably a good thing. Means we don't have to use this story to affect our perspective on the characters/story of the games. Where I think this comic series' strength lies is in providing emotional closure for players who chose "Save Chloe" at the end of the original Life is Strange game. At the very worst it's a fun way to continue exploring these characters.
Now, onward to ALL THE SPOILERS. You have been warned.
So the volume essentially begins with Max and Tristan returning (presumably permanently) to Max's original timeline. Order is finally restored. In this process some interesting things are implied. One gaping hole in the story—in my mind, anyway—is where is the alternate timeline's Max? Chloe remembers her, so she existed (and logically I think we can infer that Max could only hop into a timeline where there is some preexisting Max presence). But the story itself acts as if there is not an alternative timeline Max that they'd be in danger of running into. And in this volume Max makes some kind of aside mention that this particular timeline shone brightest to her (all the way back in volume 1 lol) because there was not a Max blocking her. So if we follow the bunny trail of logic, if Chloe remembers Max, but there is no Max currently, somewhere in between Max leaving Arcadia Bay and the events of v.1 she... dies? Disappears? Chloe doesn't know, assuming this is "her Max" until she finds out the truth in v.3. If she knew Max was dead, her reaction in v.2 upon meeting her would have been much different. Remember, in the alternate timeline Max did NOT return to Arcadia Bay at any point (so any Blackwell acquaintances don't know her), which suggests that whatever happened happened before the events of the video game.
The other unexplained thing that is pretty major is how there's a timeline where Rachel has survived. Especially because my working theory is that the timelines Max can interact with are, essentially, timelines that have splintered from decisions she makes. Differences between her original timeline and the alternate timeline should boil down to some kind of decision Max has made, regardless of how many butterfly effect ripples it takes. But given Chloe doesn't even meet Rachel until after Max leaves, I'm really having trouble envisioning how Max could have impacted things so much that Rachel lives. I can fabricate two possibilities, neither of which answers everything for us as readers (far from it, actually), but at least would be something the writers could work with: 1. The most narratively satisfying option is that Max's absence in the alternate timeline is the same reason Rachel is present. Two big questions with one answer is a much slicker way to construct a narrative than two big questions with two answers. 2. This is a timeline where Max keeps open lines of communication with Chloe and she actually advises Chloe to leave Arcadia Bay with Rachel. Neither of those things make much sense based on what we actually know, but are structurally sound and wouldn't take much finagling by the authors to get in place. Probably better just to view these things as "ambiguous plot holes" and move on.
So one thing that I've decided is NOT a plot hole, but felt like one at the time I was reading is Steph. You remember her as the D&D playing nerd from the Life is Strange: Before the Storm prequel game. Well, she shows up in v.5 (as a stage manager, which of course tracks) and has a bit of a nice recurring presence in the alternate timeline where she knows Pixie from an online gaming group. So, despite being initially confused by her presence, this works. No Arcadia Bay destruction = Steph is alive and well. Got it. But in this volume, which she's entirely absent front, we see an odd text exchange with Pixie. In the aftermath of Max returning to her original timeline and the emotions of reuniting with her Chloe and all that (it's the majority of this volume, lol) there are plans for another memorial event—for what, 3rd anniversary by this point?—of the destruction of Arcadia Bay. And Pixie is texting her online gaming friend Steph to see if she's coming. And I had a crisis I had this entire damned series: "Wait, which timeline is this?" Because Steph is alive in alternate timeline. So this is alternate timeline again? But that looks like original timeline Chloe. And Max is here! It was very confusing. At the time I chalked it up to a writing error and moved on. But blessed with the benefit of hindsight I figured it out: Yes, Steph is alive in the alternate timeline. But she's also alive in the original timeline. She leaves Blackwell before Max starts at Blackwell in the game. She was Chloe's friend, not Max's. Max never knew her. Thus, if she left Blackwell before the storm, it's very likely she also left Arcadia Bay. Maybe she went to college or maybe she was getting various theater stage managing jobs or working, perhaps, with game development (there's a short issue—perhaps a Free Comic Day story?—which features Steph testing a game with Pixie, so that actually works well). Regardless, while I've come to terms with the in-text logic, it probably shouldn't have been included. It requires just that extra bit of timeline panic without any payoff.
So this series does one thing really well with Chloe and one (kind of two) things that aren't. The well-done thing is keeping the original timeline Chloe and alternate timeline Chloe feeling distinct from each other. There's obvious—and appreciated—visual markers, not to mention little differences in their personality that showcase they're... well, not different people, but they're also not in the same place in life or attitude. It's a subtle line to toe and they did a great job with it. But what isn't so well defined is either Chloe's backstories. Alternate timeline Chloe never really catches Max up on why she and Rachel are in California. I touched on that a bit in the Rachel paragraph so I won't belabor the point. But if you're telling me she never told Max the story of meeting Rachel (as covered in Before the Storm) and how they ended up where they are today? I call bullshit on that. Without that information, alternate Chloe feels kind of hazy and indistinct. Then there's original timeline Chloe. Like I said, most of v.6 takes place after Max returns, so in a lot of ways it's very much about catching up with what Chloe has been up to in the two year gap that Max was gone. And the answer to that is..................a mindboggling amount of stuff. You're asking me to believe that in the span of two years Chloe has: 1. Returned to Arcadia Bay after Max's disappearance (which was not immediate). 2. Rebuilt the Two Whales Diner (which she apparently manages but doesn't run). 3. Built up her own business (a garage, which makes sense). 4. Played home decorator by making and upkeeping a home for herself and a "hope will return someday" Max? That's a tall order for five years, let alone two. Oh, and she's a community leader. Not by official title, but certainly by influence and organizational drive. I have a lot of suspension of disbelief, but I can't swallow that one. Like, hate to break it to you, Max, but you did not return to your original timeline. You've eclipsed the whole idea of timelines and entered a weird dream land. A fantasy world. I am closer to thinking Max put herself into a vegetative coma state at the end of v.5, not her original timeline.
(I'm obviously being a bit snarky here; just because I can't quite suspend disbelief about Chloe doesn't mean Max is dreaming anything. It just means the writers got a bit carried away with crafting an idealized happily-ever-after. It's not a sin.)
I think that's all I really want to address. The flicker thing never getting solved? Whatever. Basically everyone within Max's sphere having some kind of super ability? Whatever. I did dig Victoria Chase's presence throughout the final three volumes (I didn't need a Victoria Chase redemption arc, but I don't mind it, either). Tristan and Lawrence's interactions were fun to track.
And the most important thing is, regardless of my qualms about the logic behind the plot, the emotional conclusion is good. That's the important thing.
October 10, 2022
Das "Große" Finale
Fazit: Aus einem sehr guten Teil und einem sehr mittelmäßigen Abschnitt wird ein ebenso mittelmäßiger "Höhepunkt" der Serie. Gesamt: 3/5
Inhalt: Mit "Wenn der Staub sich legt" erscheint bei Panini auch der abschließende Band von Emma Viecelis "Life is Strange"-Reihe. Für Max und Chloe scheint endlich alles zu stimmen und sie können den Übertritt über die Dimensionen wagen. Werden die beiden Suchenden sich finden? Das und die Leben der beiden nach dem zweiten Sturm erkundet der Leser auf circa 128 Seiten.
Bewertung: "Wenn der Staub sich legt" ist ein zutiefst zwei geteiltes Werk, welches bildlich gesprochen eine gute und eine schlechte Seite hat. Starten wir mit der positiven Front und damit am Ende. Vieceli beweist einmal mehr, dass sie eine lebendige und angenehme Welt erschaffen kann. Mit der Schilderung der Leben von Chloe und Max nach dem Finale nimmt sie den Leser in eine alltägliche und doch zugleich magische Welt mit, die sich so manch einer sicherlich erträumen mag. Die angenehme Sprache in Verbindung mit den gewohnt schönen Zeichnungen lassen ein Wunschbild entstehen, welches den Leser so schnell nicht mehr loslässt. Mit ein wenig Fantasie baut sich ein bleibender Eindruck auf. Um zu diesem Punkt zu gelangen muss man jedoch zuvor das angepriesene Finale durchqueren. Grade dieser Höhepunkt könnte antiklimaktischer nicht ausfallen. Es fühlt sich eher so an, als wolle das Kreativteam diesen Punkt möglichst schnell hinter sich lassen und zum angenehmen Teil kommen. Ein von vorneherein vorgegebener enger Pfad wird weder nach links noch nach rechts minimal verlassen. Jedes Ereignis ist vorausschaubar und wirkt eher wie die letzten Zeilen eines vorherigen Teils, der schnell in den Abschlussband hineingequetscht werden musste. Das ist nach dem langen Aufbau dieses Schlusspunktes durch die Vorgänger äußerst schade und kratzt am Potenzial von "Wenn der Staub sich legt". Auch die farbenfrohen und emotional passenden Zeichnungen retten dieses äußerst mittelmäßige Finale nicht mehr.
Fazit: Aus einem sehr guten Teil und einem sehr mittelmäßigen Abschnitt wird ein ebenso mittelmäßiger "Höhepunkt" der Serie. Gesamt: 3/5
November 14, 2024
Dopo aver rigiocato per l’ennesima volta Life is Strange in preparazione per Double Exposure ho pensato fosse arrivato il momento di recuperare i fumetti, e che dire… è stata una montagna russa di emozioni. La tristezza e il senso di closure che questi volumi mi hanno trasmesso sono indescrivibili! È così bello poter avere uno sguardo in uno dei possibili futuri del gioco soprattutto calcolando che ho sempre scelto di salvare Chloe.
È stata veramente una lettura intensa, piena di emozioni e pianti.
Mi sono piaciuti molto i design dei personaggi e il tratto di Claudia Leonardi penso sia veramente azzeccato per il tipo di storia che LiS racconta.
È stata veramente una lettura intensa, piena di emozioni e pianti.
Mi sono piaciuti molto i design dei personaggi e il tratto di Claudia Leonardi penso sia veramente azzeccato per il tipo di storia che LiS racconta.
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