The Life is Strange comic book series will introduce the protagonist of the recently announced installment Life is Strange: True Colors with the Free Comic Book Day 2021 edition. Alex Chen and another familiar face will be tied into the comic series' ongoing story.
Though Life is Strange is known as Dontnod's flagship series, Deck Nine is handling the newest chapter of the series, Life is Strange: True Colors. Deck Nine also developed Before the Storm, the successful prequel chapter following Chloe from the original game, and is in the process of remastering Life is Strange, due out later this year. The story follows Alex Chen, who harnesses the power of viewing people's emotions through color as a version of telepathy. Feeling others' emotions will sometimes be overwhelming and catastrophic for Alex, who is struggling with the death of her brother.
While most gamers chose the good ending of Life is Strange, as noted by the in-game statistics, the Life is Strange comic series follows Max and Chloe after the bad ending as they come to terms with the aftermath, though neither is considered canon according to Dontnod. This new issue, the Free Comic Book Day 2021 edition, finds a familiar face, Steph Gringrich, who fans might remember from Before the Storm. Steph appears in a Dungeons and Dragons session within the game and can be befriended by Chloe.
This arc of the Life is Strange comic series is set between the events of Before the Storm and True Colors, which is a large gap of time considering Steph is in high school in the former, but it's not been revealed how she makes it to Haven Springs. According to a press release, the FCBD issue will tie together Max and Chloe's ongoing story with Steph and Alex.
The press release also says this is the "first" comic book appearance for Alex Chen, implying that fans can expect her story to continue in future issues. It looks like the comic issue will be split into two arcs: one that follows Max and Chloe and the other following Alex in Haven Springs.
What role Steph will play in the comic is currently unclear, but it's known that Alex and Steph meet during the events of True Colors, as shown in the trailer. Also, Steph is an openly queer character of the Life is Strange saga, both suggested by notes in Before the Storm and confirmed by her voice actress in an AMA. It's thought that Steph will be a romantic interest for Alex in True Colors, which could be further alluded to in the comics.
The Life is Strange Free Comic Book Day 2021 issue will release August 14.