After the Rain

Description

After the Rain is an adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor's short story "On the Road." The adaptation begins in Nigeria during a violent and unexpected storm. A young NigerianAmerican woman named Chioma answers a knock at her door and is horrified to see a boy with a severe head wound standing there. When he touches her, his hand burns like fire and he disappears. Chioma knows that something is wrong, and that the boy has "marked" her in some way . . . Haunted and hunted, Chioma must embrace her heritage in order to face her future. John Jennings and David Brame's collaboration uses bold art and colors to powerfully tell this tale of identity and destiny.

Nnedi Okorafor, PhD, is a novelist of Nigerian descent known for weaving African culture into her work. Her novels include Zahrah the Windseeker, The Shadow Speaker, and Binti. She also wrote the introduction for Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation. John Jennings is the curator of Abrams ComicArts Megascope list and illustrator of the graphic novel adaptations of Octavia E. Butler's Kindred and Parable of the Sower. He is a professor of media and cultural studies at University of California, Riverside. David Brame is an upandcoming illustrator who has worked on titles such as Is'nana the WereSpider, Box of Bones, and Necromancer Bill.

"...a phenomenal and haunting story..."-- "Comic Book Resources" "...the story is best experienced rather than described, since its force is in its lush visuals and destabilizing twists. Okorafor's original language gets heavily employed in swathes of text boxes and Damian Duffy's kinetic lettering. That text from Okorafor's story conveys the fearsome uncertainty in being carried into this frightening sequence of otherworldly trials."-- "Multiversity Comics" "After the Rain explores the boundaries we draw within ourselves, the way we seek to compartmentalize to fit in, and the remarkable people we find within ourselves when we break those barriers down."-- "Book Riot" "Brame's bold and arresting use of color and shading lends an unnerving atmosphere to the setting, while his attention to facial expressions injects the panels with emotion. This mostly faithful adaptation honors Okorafor's voice and paints a potent portrait of Nigeria and its folklore."-- "Publishers Weekly" "This exploration of trauma and family history through the body is perfectly adapted to the graphic medium."-- "Booklist" "After the Rain is far more than a well-rendered tribute to a trailblazing black female writer. In this case, it's also a kind of visual incarnation of the story's theme... You don't simply observe Chioma's unwilling confrontation with the world her ancestors mythologized, you experience it."-- "NPR Books" "After The Rain is an intense realization of Okorafor's short story and uses the horror elements to thematic effect in a visceral and important way, and as a statement of intention for what will follow at Megascope, it hints at exciting work to come."-- "Comics Beat" "Jennings paints an initially terrifying reality, highlighting the vulnerability of self-discovery and the tension of being from two different worlds and cultures. Part horror, part magical realism, this #OwnVoices story is a worthwhile addition to any collection." -- "School Library Journal STARRED review"