Thank you NetGalley for a gifted eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

It is really unfortunate that I must review the copy I was given. This review is based solely on that file and I will likely seek out a finished print copy to fully appreciate this story.

My first heartache occured after downloading the kindle file to find out that it is in black and white. I have a strong distaste for graphic novels not in color. The purpose one reads a graphic novel (instead of or in conjuction with the original format) IS the art! From what I could tell, the art is decent, but the grayscale really does it no favors.

Then whomever inked this perticular file, used a defective font. Just throw that salt in the wound why don't you! I could only read about every third word and had to guess the context. It was a very unhappy experience.

SO I can't fully rate the art or the story of this GN accurately. I give THIS file this rating and really hope they redeem themselves in January.

"On the Road" is a short story from Nnedi Okorafor's Kabu Kabu collection. Chioma is a visiting her family in Nigeria. Shortly after arriving the town is hit with torrential rains in which should have been their dry season. As soon as the rain stops you have this young man come to her door. His head is bashed in. Chioma can see the blood matter. For all intents and purposes this young man should not be alive. He should not be able to walk or talk. But there he is, the monster at her door. And she lets him in.

Over the next few days Chioma senses she is being followed. There is a strange odor wafting through her house and she seems to possess a strange magnetism for the town's lizards. She has no idea what she has awoken or what fate awaits her. But the elders of the town seem to know something. As Chioma gets thinner and weaker the women of the village prepare for what's to come.

Okorafor does a great job with the build up. She certainly had me anxious and it definitely did not help that I was reading this story at 3 am on a rainy day when the house and neighborhood were fast asleep. Like Binti, I found that I fell right into the story and the pages of this fantasy came to life. As with the majority of Okorafor's work After the Rain is centered on African mythology.

For the most part the graphic novel is true to "On the Road" with a few departures for clarity's sake. I loved the artwork by David Brame and found that his illustrations really do make the story leap off the page.

I am hoping that this is a superhero origin story and that there will be a spin off or sequel to After the Rain. My only complaint with the galley was that the font was very fine and pixelated. Had I not had a copy of Kabu Kabu to read, I would have been very upset as there was no way that I would have been able get the story with the little bit that I could read. As I'm sure this will be rectified by the final printing I am not deducting any stars from my rating.

This is a very dark tale about a Nigerian American woman who is visiting her Grandma and Aunt in Nigeria. One day during a rain storm she opens the door to find a strange boy with his face smashed in. He touches her and shocks her. After that encounter strange and sinister things start to happen around her. This story is filled with secrets, spirits, and creepy creepy magic. I really enjoyed the story and the art was perfect for inspiring all the dark, creepy, horror feels. The story could have been developed a little more and I’m wondering if the short story this is based on fills in some of the gaps in this version. My one real complaint is that this ACR is really hard to read. Some the font on some of the pages was so grainy that it was difficult to make our the letters in the text bubbles.

Okorafor always writes something unique and a little strange which I just adore. The graphic novel form really lends itself to the excitement of her story and the artistry was stunning. The pairing is wonderful and I love this setup for a superhero cop with an ancestral purpose. It's poised for a long and successful series - namely because I'll be first in line for every addition.

I really liked the detail of this book and i flew through it my only complaint is that the font was very hard to read

I am a fan of #NnediOkorafor's work, and #AfterTheRain is no exception. I had not yet read this short story, so the graphic novel version was completely new to me. The story itself is engaging, crossing genres. Without spoilers: a woman who is a police officer in the United States returns to her grandmother's home in Nigeria and experiences an event that changes her. The artwork was a compelling accompaniment to each aspect of the story. I especially liked the external frames and how they affected inside the panels. This would be a good addition to an older school library collection. Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

I almost DNFed this book. The font and the text was weird, which made it almost impossible for me to make out what the words were saying. Hopefully the final text of this book will be easier to read.

My favorite part of this book was the illustrations. They were beautiful and they’re the sole reason why I am giving this book more than one star.

I haven’t read “On the Road” yet, so I can’t compare this graphic novel to the short story that it was based off of, but what I can say is that it didn’t feel like this story translated well to a graphic novel. The story was heavy on thoughts and descriptions. When I read graphic novels, lots of dialogue and only a little bit of inner thought flows smoother. The lack of dialogue to some extent prevented me from getting invested in the story.

This story is probably good as a short story, but this graphic novel adaptation just did not work well for me.

Thanks to ABRAMS Publishing and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available Jan 5 2021

Absolutely gorgeous. "After the Rain' is John Jennings and David Brame's comic book adaptation of the short story by science fiction writer Dr. Nnedi Okorafor. In the first few pages, we meet Chioma, a Nigerian American on vacation to see her aunt and grandmother in rural Nigeria. Soon after she arrives, Chioma is confronted with a severed head at her doorstep, a grisly reminder of her past. Quickly, Chioma's holiday devolves into a nightmare of survival. With beautiful, haunting imagery, "After the Rain" is about reckoning with our past and creating our own peace.

I loved the intrigue of this book; the story was unique and magical and the dialogue was beautifully written. The reason I have to knock it down a star is that the version provided to me was too pixelated to properly read or enjoy much of the art. What I could read was incredible and I loved this story! Incredibly relevant in terms of culture and identity.

* reviewed by uncorrected egalley / ARC via netgalley.

diverse graphic fiction-part horror, part superhero origin story (American cop visiting her grandmother and aunt in a rural village in southeast Nigeria encounters a sort of spirit monster), #ownvoices author

Based on the short story "On the Road" by Nigerian-American author Nnedi Okorafor, adapted for graphic by John JenningsDavid Brame (writer) and David Brame (illustrator).
The graphics in this grainy pre-publication proof were in black and white (not full color like the actual published book will be), but even from the little I could see this book is going to look amazing. Beautiful artwork with a creepy surreal storyline brought to life on the page. I love the lizards! The panels flow quickly and naturally and the story is fast-paced--I have not read the original story so I can't speak to how well it adheres to Okorafor's work, but this version appears to be really well done and I can't wait for Chioma to be added to the cannon of superhero lore (look for it Jan/Feb 2021).

After the Rain is essential and beautiful graphic novel storytelling. The story is powerful, jarring, and rightly described as bold. Moreover, the juxtaposition of word and image makes the experience all the more unique and provocative.

*I received a digital ARC via Netgalley*

I am a huge fan of Nnedi Okorafor (this was a collaboration of sorts with another author) but have only read a few graphic novels so this was a new experience for me. The story was creepy and good but way too short for me. I felt like it could have gone into a lot more of the main character's back story and her experience with the Other Side. This should be 2.75 but partial stars aren't an option.

On a side note, I'm not sure if the formatting was off because it's an ARC, but the text every few cells was really difficult to read even when I tried different fonts. Also it was all in black and white, which made parts of the story seem lackluster, especially the final "rebirth" parts.

One of the best graphic novels I've ever read.

"After the Pain" is a story of Chioma, a police officer from Chicago visiting her grandmother and great aunt in Nigeria. In addition to the family drama element, the story is a blend of mythology, fantasy, horror and coming-of-age as Chioma tries to find herself in the country of her ancestors. I loved the study of her search for identity written in a voice that is authentic, relatable and touching.

As far as the graphics are concerned, I really liked how it is black and white; this characteristic enhances the horror side of the story. However, the sole reason why I'm giving it less than 5 stars is that the graphics and writing were pixelated, which made my reading experience more difficult; however, **importantly** I read the advanced copy of this book, which means that this issue will most definitely be fixed in the final version.

Wonderful book for broadening your reading horizons.

*Thank you to the Publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exhcnage for an honest review.

Africa has many customs and is a mystical place. Chioma was born in the US but is Nigerian by lineage. She goes to visit and it met by rain. What she experiences is horrific and healing. The art work is exciting especially when the ancestors appear. Let this story cleanse you as the rain cleanses and nourishes. Remember things are not always as they appear, be open.
Review 200

The graphic novel, After the Rain, is based on the short story On the Road. Mystical events begin happening after Chioma is touched by an injured boy during a rainstorm. This story is mysterious and eery. I don't know about Nigerian culture or folklore, so it was difficult for me to understand some of the symbolism in the story. I still found the story enjoyable and engaging. I plan to read more books by this author and the original short story.

One of the most innovative art styles I have seen in a graphic novel. I love the way the background was both highly decorative and then occasionally entered into the actual panels of the storytelling. The art was so alive and full of movement.

The story had an overall theme of connection to a home land, but I will say I was a bit baffled by the ending. Like the short story, this graphic novel leaves some explanations up to the reader.

This is a werid dream/horror sort of graphic novel about ...I actually am not sure.

It was that weird.

A Nigerian woman who has lived in the United States, comes to visit her relatives and is touched by a naughty spirit child, which then makes her have weird visions.

Beyond that, I'm not sure what happened. The visions were very weird, and no one ever explained what it meant.

Very otherworldly, though, and great art. Weird ending.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest reveiw.

I received After the Rain through Netgalley.

This graphic novel set in Nigeria was fresh and vivid. Drawing from a short story, the plot was developed enough for a shorter graphic novel without overextending itself. There's room for developing more graphic novels with these characters and setting. There's some eye-popping horror and tension that kept me reading. The artwork was good.
The only negative is that on every device I tried reading it on, the graphics were a little pixelated and the text seemed to fade out every other letter or so. I didn't know if that's intentional or just an effect of that particular digital copy. I still enjoyed the story, and now I have the original short story on my TBR.

This was a very enjoyable book, based on a short story. I'll need to track the short story down, since I always like to compare. Creepy and suspenseful, as the lead character transforms through the book. Definitely recommend.

The graphics were absolutely breathtaking. I gathered what I could from them, and read what I could make out of the text, but it was small and pixelated and made it hard to read. I would love a more polished copy, because I think this will be a great novel!