…a phenomenal and haunting story…
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.
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
“…a phenomenal and haunting story…”—Comic Book Resources
“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
“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
“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
“…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 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.
01/04/2021
Upon Chioma’s arrival to the remote Nigerian village where her great-aunt and grandma live, heavy, unseasonable rain begins to fall, in this vibrant, succinct graphic adaptation by Jennings (Kindred) and Brame (Baaaad Muthaz) of Okorafor’s short story “On the Road.” On the third night of rainfall, a boy with brains busting out of his broken skull calls on Chioma and declares her “it.” A Chicago detective, Chioma isn’t easily shaken by gore, but even she isn’t able to grasp the strange happenings that follow, the unknowable entity that stalks her, and what that entity will do when it catches her. Though, the original is open to interpretation, the adaptation, which was created in conjunction with Okorafor, outright states a moral to the story: “I am Nigermerican... and where those two parts meet is where I am whole again,” slightly marring the enigma of the ending. But 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. Agent: Donald Maass, Donald Maass Literary Agency (Jan.)
This exploration of trauma and family history through the body is perfectly adapted to the graphic medium.
…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.
11/01/2020
A Chicago cop visiting her Nigerian grandmother submits to a terrifying initiation she doesn't understand. But she comes to realize it will augment powers she hasn't recognized in herself, integrating her Nigerian and American heritages. This is a horror story involving body changes, a monstrous bush deity, and a grotesque supernatural pervading everything. Rich, fantastic colors emphasize purple, rose, fiery gold, and aquamarine, defined by urgent, slashing black strokes.
★ 02/01/2021
Gr 9 Up—Nigerian American Chioma's first mistake was not trusting her instincts; her second was opening the door. While she is visiting her Igbo relatives in Nigeria, a wounded child knocks on the door. She's horrified; she's never seen anything this gruesome, not even in five years working as a cop on Chicago's South Side. The boy passes something on to her, a dark energy that she can't quite articulate. Its sulfuric stench lingers in every room of her grandmother's house and seeps into the dark corners of her mind. Chioma turns to her relatives for help, but they tell her what comes must come. In Jennings's adaptation of Nigerian American author Okorafor's short story "On the Road," a woman haunted by her past finds healing in her ancestral home. Brame's artistry is bold; no space on the page is left untouched. Vines and flowers weave menacingly around the minimal panels, heightening the suspense. Jennings and Brame draw attention to the margins and backgrounds, where Chioma's spiritual transformation evolves in a brilliant showcase of West African traditional folklore. VERDICT 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.—Elise Martinez, Racine, WI
