Avigon: Gods and Demons by Che Gilson, art by Jimmie Robinson

Avigon is the greatest clockwork ever made.  Her creator, Pulsifer, is the Master Clockworker of the realm, and gave her the ability to think and feel.  Avigon now begins to question herself.  Is she more than a clockwork?  Are her feelings real, or it is just that she's been created to be that way?  In order to discover who she really is, Avigon must leave her creator and venture out into the world.

This was a really cool twist on the much explored "are machines capable of human emotions" story.  Avigon is the most exceptional clockwork ever created, and because of this she has much more feeling than any other clockwork.  She lives and works for Pulsifer, as an assistant but also a guard.  Although she doesn't look it, she is a combat clockwork.  When Avigon begins to truly struggle with who she is, the only thing she can do is run away and explore it.

Pulsifer lets her go.  This has happened before with other clockworks and they always come back.  Pulsifer is confident that Avigon will come back too.  And she does come back.  Avigon has one unfortunate experience after another.  She researches clockworks at a library, where she meets a university student.  They become friends (she is so expertly crafted she doesn't look like a clockwork).  Avigon hoped that he would be able to love her even as a clockwork, but she soon realizes that is not true.

She abandons her key and allows herself to wind down and is found by an amateur clockworker who takes her in.  He knows she's a clockwork, and claims he's in love with her.  When Avigon says she does not love him back, he says it's not a problem, he can just reprogram her so she will.  Avigon begins to realize that she really had the most freedom when she was with Pulsifer.  Out in the world she is something to either be taken advantage of or looked down on.

There's a side plot going on about Pulsifer being challenged as Master Clockworker, and Avigon being sold to the empress, but mostly it was about Avigon's journey.  It was a good story, and such an interesting twist with her deciding to return to Pulsifer and being happy about it, and satisfied with her life now.

The art was very interesting.  Black and white and everything is drawn very long and thin.  It gives the world and people a strange and slightly creepy feeling.