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Clueless: One Last Summer
Cher, Dionne, and Tai set off for one last summer of footloose and fancy-free fashion and fun before college starts!
The class of 1997 has left Bronson Alcott High School for good, and as the weather heats up, Cher and besties Dionne and Tai head off for their last summer vacation adventure together before, ugh, REAL LIFE!
Picking up after Senior Year , head back to the '90s for summer fun and fashion from superstar writers Sarah Kuhn ( Heroine Complex ) and Amber Benson ( The Witches of Echo Park ), and illustrator Siobhan Keenan.
The class of 1997 has left Bronson Alcott High School for good, and as the weather heats up, Cher and besties Dionne and Tai head off for their last summer vacation adventure together before, ugh, REAL LIFE!
Picking up after Senior Year , head back to the '90s for summer fun and fashion from superstar writers Sarah Kuhn ( Heroine Complex ) and Amber Benson ( The Witches of Echo Park ), and illustrator Siobhan Keenan.
112 pages, Paperback
First published December 4, 2018
5 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Kuhn
67books663followersSarah Kuhn is the author of Heroine Complex—the first in a series starring Asian American superheroines—for DAW Books. She also wrote The Ruby Equation for the comics anthology Fresh Romance and the romantic comedy novella One Con Glory, which earned praise from io9 and USA Today and is in development as a feature film. Her articles and essays on such topics as geek girl culture, comic book continuity, and Sailor Moon cosplay have appeared in Uncanny Magazine, Apex Magazine, AngryAsianMan.com, IGN.com, Back Stage, The Hollywood Reporter, StarTrek.com, Creative Screenwriting, and the Hugo-nominated anthology Chicks Dig Comics. In 2011, she was selected as a finalist for the CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) New Writers Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
July 20, 2021
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ rounded up to 4
I love the movie ‘Clueless� so when I saw this at the library I instantly grabbed it without even reading what it was about. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Cher and the gang were on a mission to solve some mysteries. There are plenty of mysteries to solve in this graphic novel as they navigate the summer before college. I enjoyed the artwork in this and I loved that they added music to some of the scenes. It really helped add to the story and I thought it was just a really fun summer-y read. The romances were extremely cute and it was just nice to see all the characters again.
I love the movie ‘Clueless� so when I saw this at the library I instantly grabbed it without even reading what it was about. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Cher and the gang were on a mission to solve some mysteries. There are plenty of mysteries to solve in this graphic novel as they navigate the summer before college. I enjoyed the artwork in this and I loved that they added music to some of the scenes. It really helped add to the story and I thought it was just a really fun summer-y read. The romances were extremely cute and it was just nice to see all the characters again.
April 1, 2019
These are just so adorable and I’m living for this group of friends who give me nostalgia. Also, Summer + Ben forever. I loved the note from Nicole Bilderback and the behind the scenes in the back!
Sooooo college years next?
Sooooo college years next?
July 8, 2019
Cher and her crew have an entire summer of shennanigans to experience before splitting up to attend different universities in the fall. Once again Cher finds that her uniqueness is her strength (rather than molding herself to a certain female detective stereotype).
July 17, 2019
It didn't get better
May 16, 2021
3.5 🌟's
May 17, 2022
I absolutely love the movie so I just had to read this! As much as I have love for the movie and the characters, I refuse to accept that Cher dates her step brother. Its beyond weird...
June 29, 2020
It’s never easy translating the chemistry and tone of a movie to another medium, but I think this does a pretty good job! There are some surprising choices and funny moments that got me through some of the clunkier bits where it felt forced. I rewatched the movie very recently; I’m not sure if that helped or hurt the book’s case. It’s cute, though!
January 20, 2019
Eh, this was just kind of tedious.
August 15, 2019
(originally reviewed at
)
It took a little while for my library to get this book in their catalog, but they did and I got it right in time for summer! As I mentioned in my review of “Clueless: Senior Year� (linked at the bottom of the post), “Clueless� is one of my favorite movies and no matter how many times I watch it I will never get sick of it. I was very excited for the next comic when I heard that it was coming out, and the sort of long wait was absolutely worth it. Just like “Senior Year� before it, “One Last Summer� brings back Cher, Dionne, Tai, and more, and gives them worthy stories of their fabulous characters. On top of that, we got some focus on characters we hadn’t even seen yet (still no Elton though. I get it, but I love that creep so much that I can’t help but be bitter).
Cher, Dionne, and Tai are the primary focuses of the story, as they all have their own conundrums to solve, while trying not to think about how things are going to be changing in their lives. Cher has taken on a summer internship as an assistant to an advice columnist (who is not a very good or honest person, much to Cher’s chagrin), Dionne is in charge of planning a beach party that her parents are helming, and Tai is preparing for her favorite aunt to come to town, and introducing her to Travis. On top of that, all three of them are hoping to solve a mystery for their friend Summer, who has a secret admirer. The stories are kind of simplistic to be sure, but the characters were just so in character and absolutely on point that I highly enjoyed every foray that they went on. I also enjoyed that for some of the characters, especially Dionne, the worries and anxieties about having to go to a new environment and leave people behind make things all the more stressful, even if they don’t totally get why. I found Dionne’s storyline to be especially compelling, as she and Murray are going to different schools across countries from each other. The anxiety and fear of a long distance relationship after high school was captured perfectly, and as someone who knows from experience hers was the story that I most related to. It’s also great seeing the spotlight being shared between these three girls once again, as they all are so endearing and different from each other.
But as mentioned above, “One Last Summer� also brings more attention to other characters that didn’t get as much last time. The biggest one is Summer, a character from the movie who is probably best remembering for her shining moments at the Valley Party, where she initiated a game of Suck and Blow, and snagged a lawn snowman for no discernible reason. I liked seeing her being brought into the main three friend group, and I liked how well she fit in. Benson and Kuhn made her a distinct and fun character who is similar enough to fit in with Cher, Dionne, and Tai, but different enough that she felt like she had her own complexities. And I mean, fine, if we can’t get Elton I was totally happy getting another awesome lady character. Along with Summer we did see a little more focus on other characters, like Josh, Murray, and Travis. And on top of that, they got to play roles that usually are reserved for female characters, which felt like a bit of a subversion and I REALLY liked it. For Josh, we got to see his own insecurities when it comes to his relationship with Cher and his worries that she still may judge him when he’s a bit of a geek. For Murray, it’s his fears about the long distance relationship, and not being sure of how to deal with Dionne when her anxiety turns into anger. And for Travis, HE IS JUST SO SUPPORTIVE AND ADORABLE AND SWEET, just there to love Tai like she’s the goddamn best thing ever. HOW WONDERFUL IS THAT?
And the art continues to be very bubblegum and perfect for the tone. The characters look enough like their counterparts that it feels like the actors and actresses, but also show off Keenan’s unique style.
“Clueless: One Last Summer� was a bittersweet but lovely story for the characters from “Clueless�. I understand that Benson and Kuhn might stop here, but honestly they could keep telling these stories with these characters and I would be filled with joy.
It took a little while for my library to get this book in their catalog, but they did and I got it right in time for summer! As I mentioned in my review of “Clueless: Senior Year� (linked at the bottom of the post), “Clueless� is one of my favorite movies and no matter how many times I watch it I will never get sick of it. I was very excited for the next comic when I heard that it was coming out, and the sort of long wait was absolutely worth it. Just like “Senior Year� before it, “One Last Summer� brings back Cher, Dionne, Tai, and more, and gives them worthy stories of their fabulous characters. On top of that, we got some focus on characters we hadn’t even seen yet (still no Elton though. I get it, but I love that creep so much that I can’t help but be bitter).
Cher, Dionne, and Tai are the primary focuses of the story, as they all have their own conundrums to solve, while trying not to think about how things are going to be changing in their lives. Cher has taken on a summer internship as an assistant to an advice columnist (who is not a very good or honest person, much to Cher’s chagrin), Dionne is in charge of planning a beach party that her parents are helming, and Tai is preparing for her favorite aunt to come to town, and introducing her to Travis. On top of that, all three of them are hoping to solve a mystery for their friend Summer, who has a secret admirer. The stories are kind of simplistic to be sure, but the characters were just so in character and absolutely on point that I highly enjoyed every foray that they went on. I also enjoyed that for some of the characters, especially Dionne, the worries and anxieties about having to go to a new environment and leave people behind make things all the more stressful, even if they don’t totally get why. I found Dionne’s storyline to be especially compelling, as she and Murray are going to different schools across countries from each other. The anxiety and fear of a long distance relationship after high school was captured perfectly, and as someone who knows from experience hers was the story that I most related to. It’s also great seeing the spotlight being shared between these three girls once again, as they all are so endearing and different from each other.
But as mentioned above, “One Last Summer� also brings more attention to other characters that didn’t get as much last time. The biggest one is Summer, a character from the movie who is probably best remembering for her shining moments at the Valley Party, where she initiated a game of Suck and Blow, and snagged a lawn snowman for no discernible reason. I liked seeing her being brought into the main three friend group, and I liked how well she fit in. Benson and Kuhn made her a distinct and fun character who is similar enough to fit in with Cher, Dionne, and Tai, but different enough that she felt like she had her own complexities. And I mean, fine, if we can’t get Elton I was totally happy getting another awesome lady character. Along with Summer we did see a little more focus on other characters, like Josh, Murray, and Travis. And on top of that, they got to play roles that usually are reserved for female characters, which felt like a bit of a subversion and I REALLY liked it. For Josh, we got to see his own insecurities when it comes to his relationship with Cher and his worries that she still may judge him when he’s a bit of a geek. For Murray, it’s his fears about the long distance relationship, and not being sure of how to deal with Dionne when her anxiety turns into anger. And for Travis, HE IS JUST SO SUPPORTIVE AND ADORABLE AND SWEET, just there to love Tai like she’s the goddamn best thing ever. HOW WONDERFUL IS THAT?
And the art continues to be very bubblegum and perfect for the tone. The characters look enough like their counterparts that it feels like the actors and actresses, but also show off Keenan’s unique style.
“Clueless: One Last Summer� was a bittersweet but lovely story for the characters from “Clueless�. I understand that Benson and Kuhn might stop here, but honestly they could keep telling these stories with these characters and I would be filled with joy.
March 28, 2021
'Clueless: One Last Summer' is the sequel to 'Clueless: Senior Year', and it is more or less the same as that, except with a Nancy Drew-spoof mystery angle to it. It arguably contains more substance and emotional stakes than 'Senior Year' does, too. It is funny and charming, and the female friendship theme is stronger than ever. I adore Tai and her story with Travis and her late great-aunt's lover Edwina. Each character is well developed, and each arc is well done. Empathy is also a key theme in all 'Clueless' media.
See my review of 'Clueless: Senior Year' here.
See also my review of the children's picture book here.
Finally, here is an excerpt from an old list on my blog, on why I love 'Clueless':
One of the earliest, smarter and funnier chick flicks to have gotten so popular as to receive spinoff material, a stage musical, and a planned remake (heaven help us all, just leave cultural milestones be, Hollywood), to this very day. Very loosely based upon Jane Austen's 'Emma', the legacy of 'Clueless' must mean it's done something right. Even though it is materialistic, meandering, a little dated, partly responsible for the valley girl culture and lingo, and full of rich white people problems, 'Clueless' has an undeniable charm to it. A lot of that is due to the star, Alicia Silverstone as Cher, who imbues the spoiled sweet trope brilliantly - she was born to play this part. When Cher is being selfish and self-serving, there is still the sense that she genuinely wants to help people and make them happy. She just might be going about it the wrong way.
Look past the fashion trends, the makeover montages, and the celebration of how great it is to be rich and pretty: 'Clueless' is a teenage girl's coming-of-age story, peppered with her honest and entertaining inner monologue. There is a sweetness, warmth and innocence to the whole thing, and humour that isn't aggressively mean-spirited (except for the "You're a virgin who can't drive!" line, that's shaming and sexist, but at least the person who says it apologises). You've got to see the funny side of a girl who's so superficial that the only traumatic thing about being robbed at gunpoint for her is getting her jacket dirty. It is also one of the first film roles of the utterly gorgeous Paul Rudd, so it has that going for it too.
Another thing to add: Amazingly, there are no mean girls in 'Clueless'! And its LBGTQ representation is surprisingly tasteful and decent for 1995.
Who knew that a chick flick written and directed by a woman would produce worthwhile quality? I know, right!
Final Score: 3.5/5
See my review of 'Clueless: Senior Year' here.
See also my review of the children's picture book here.
Finally, here is an excerpt from an old list on my blog, on why I love 'Clueless':
One of the earliest, smarter and funnier chick flicks to have gotten so popular as to receive spinoff material, a stage musical, and a planned remake (heaven help us all, just leave cultural milestones be, Hollywood), to this very day. Very loosely based upon Jane Austen's 'Emma', the legacy of 'Clueless' must mean it's done something right. Even though it is materialistic, meandering, a little dated, partly responsible for the valley girl culture and lingo, and full of rich white people problems, 'Clueless' has an undeniable charm to it. A lot of that is due to the star, Alicia Silverstone as Cher, who imbues the spoiled sweet trope brilliantly - she was born to play this part. When Cher is being selfish and self-serving, there is still the sense that she genuinely wants to help people and make them happy. She just might be going about it the wrong way.
Look past the fashion trends, the makeover montages, and the celebration of how great it is to be rich and pretty: 'Clueless' is a teenage girl's coming-of-age story, peppered with her honest and entertaining inner monologue. There is a sweetness, warmth and innocence to the whole thing, and humour that isn't aggressively mean-spirited (except for the "You're a virgin who can't drive!" line, that's shaming and sexist, but at least the person who says it apologises). You've got to see the funny side of a girl who's so superficial that the only traumatic thing about being robbed at gunpoint for her is getting her jacket dirty. It is also one of the first film roles of the utterly gorgeous Paul Rudd, so it has that going for it too.
Another thing to add: Amazingly, there are no mean girls in 'Clueless'! And its LBGTQ representation is surprisingly tasteful and decent for 1995.
Who knew that a chick flick written and directed by a woman would produce worthwhile quality? I know, right!
Final Score: 3.5/5
August 8, 2021
I had no expectations, I mean I was expecting something not so childish but also not entirely daring, and I got a fun little piece of 90s pop culture. We got to see the other side of the beloved characters of the movie, not only Cher and her adorably cheesy way of seeing life but also Dionne and Tai, even Summer who I only remembered as the pretty girl who stole the Christmas snowman from the party. Pretty cool.
COOLS ILLUSTRATIONS.
The illustrations did a lot for the comical way of telling each of the girls' stories, from the fashion style of Cher to even remembering the lovely green eye color of Dionne, to the point of giving us that tender yet sweet side of Tai with her grand aunt-in-law. And let's not forget, Summer in dark pastels. The color palette overall was a dream. I personally loved how cute Cher looked on every page, I mean even Travis turned out to be hot at some point.
INCLUSIVE AF.
I wished we had seen more of Christian, at least more than just one page where he never spoke, but I guess it was okay because this was for the girls and their way of dealing with more adult problems. I loved we saw lots of diversity with Summer’s family and her hot love interest, (BTW I was not expecting her mom to be their secret admirer). Also, there was G.A. meeting her new love interest which was sweet, however, I wish there had been a kiss between them, who knows. Pretty cool and girly in a more childish way, however, still special and related to the source material.
COOLS ILLUSTRATIONS.
The illustrations did a lot for the comical way of telling each of the girls' stories, from the fashion style of Cher to even remembering the lovely green eye color of Dionne, to the point of giving us that tender yet sweet side of Tai with her grand aunt-in-law. And let's not forget, Summer in dark pastels. The color palette overall was a dream. I personally loved how cute Cher looked on every page, I mean even Travis turned out to be hot at some point.
INCLUSIVE AF.
I wished we had seen more of Christian, at least more than just one page where he never spoke, but I guess it was okay because this was for the girls and their way of dealing with more adult problems. I loved we saw lots of diversity with Summer’s family and her hot love interest, (BTW I was not expecting her mom to be their secret admirer). Also, there was G.A. meeting her new love interest which was sweet, however, I wish there had been a kiss between them, who knows. Pretty cool and girly in a more childish way, however, still special and related to the source material.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2019
Truth: I hadn't seen
until into my 30s, more than 20 years after the movie came out. BUT I LOVED IT. I wasn't sure how I'd enjoy this graphic novel, but I also loved it. Win win all around!
First of all, I really appreciated how this series held on to the valley-girl 90s. It very much felt like a continuation of the movie: the slang, the pagers, the mix tape soundtrack. I quite enjoyed that. The art was beautiful, I loved how the characters looked and the colours - definitely a visual feast. The story was probably the weakest part, but even that wasn't lacking. I enjoyed the story as a whole, and I really liked Cher and Dionne's stories... I just thought the Summer stuff was kind of odd. Like, the introduction by her actress? I had to look up who she played, and even that didn't really tell me much. Very forgettable. So it was strange that the character Summer had such a large plot in this story when I had no idea who she was. Give me Amber or something.
Also, I don't know how slipped past my radar, but I am getting that one from the library asap!
First of all, I really appreciated how this series held on to the valley-girl 90s. It very much felt like a continuation of the movie: the slang, the pagers, the mix tape soundtrack. I quite enjoyed that. The art was beautiful, I loved how the characters looked and the colours - definitely a visual feast. The story was probably the weakest part, but even that wasn't lacking. I enjoyed the story as a whole, and I really liked Cher and Dionne's stories... I just thought the Summer stuff was kind of odd. Like, the introduction by her actress? I had to look up who she played, and even that didn't really tell me much. Very forgettable. So it was strange that the character Summer had such a large plot in this story when I had no idea who she was. Give me Amber or something.
Also, I don't know how slipped past my radar, but I am getting that one from the library asap!
July 2, 2019
Honestly, if Amber Benson and Sarah Kuhn just kept writing stories from my favorite characters from one of my favorite movies of all time I'd be incredibly happy. This time Cher, Dionne, Tai, and more find themselves having to face their last summer before college. But in typical fashion of these ladies, they do it in a charming and not at all bittersweet kind of way. What I liked a lot about this one is that we did get to see more characters, be it with a little more focus on these we'd see before (Travis Birkenstock had some ADORABLE moments with Tai), and even those who didn't get their due in the movie. This is mostly by bringing in Summer, a character from the movie who is known best for her scenes at the Valley Party. I liked that they brought her in and explored her character more! This is a super sweet and fluffy story that continues to live up to the movie that it is based upon.
September 17, 2020
I was pleasantly surprised by the first volume and enjoyed it a lot. However, this second one wasn’t as fun. I didn’t care for the major conflict. It was a nice attempt adding Summer, but it didn’t help the story. I also felt like we get very little Cher and her entertaining personality. The art is still great, but the fashion wasn’t as eye catching as with the first volume. All in all, 3.3/5.
January 10, 2021
I wish we still talk the way people did in the 90s. 😔 This was another fun, cute, and light read. All of the couples were so cute in this one my heart was melting. Great art, great dialogue, and a lot of silly moments.
December 31, 2018
Very fun and makes me want to watch the movie right now
July 26, 2019
This was another super cute Clueless comic that was fun to read!
May 16, 2020
Nice follow up to Senior year. Everything a Clueless fan needs.
August 12, 2020
Loved to see these characters again.
October 8, 2020
C’est cute. Ça se lit super bien. Les illustrations et les couleurs sont magnifiques. On reconnaît la personnalité des personnages du film culte.
January 23, 2021
Simpático, pero no mucho mas
February 7, 2021
Found it odd that Cher still dates her brother Josh.
July 24, 2021
Demasiado corto
September 17, 2021
This comic felt reductive and the characters felt more annoying but it was still a fun read nonetheless.
December 7, 2021
A fun continuing story to the original classic Clueless. The art was lovely and the little related stories were also adorable.
April 7, 2022
The first one was okay, but this one.... yikes.
May 22, 2023
ahh this was so cute and romantic and fun! i really vibed with the art style in this installment, and the writing/characterization were very charming.
July 13, 2023
The romances here are superb and so sweet, i'm in love!! And the artwork is so pretty and well done.
September 11, 2023
Art was cute but I didn’t really like this very much. Only okay.
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