Panels from After The Rain

Nnedi Okorafor’s short story “On the Road” has been adapted into a graphic novel.

“On the Road” is a story about a Nigerian-American woman’s quest for survival following a sudden, unexpected event. It was first published in Okorafor’s 2013 short story collection Kabu Kabu.

The story was adapted by John Jennings and illustrated by David Brame. Titled After the Rain, the novel has been touted as an exciting addition to an ever-expanding market of graphic adaptations and received glowing reviews from Publishers Weekly and NPR. and Booklist.

Here’s a description of the novel by its publishers:

A Nigerian-American woman named Chioma answers a knock at her door and is horrified to see a boy with a severe head wound standing at her doorstep. He reaches for her, and his touch burns like fire. Something is very wrong. Haunted and hunted, Chioma must embrace her heritage in order to survive. John Jennings and David Brame’s graphic novel collaboration uses bold art and colors to powerfully tell this tale of identity and destiny.

John Jennings is the founder and director of Megascope, a graphic imprint at Abrams ComicArts, and illustrator of the graphic novel adaptations of Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred and Parable of the Sower. He is also professor of media and cultural studies at the University of California, Riverside.

David Brame is a comics artist who has worked on titles such as Box of Bones and Necromancer Bill. He lives in Mexico.

Okorafor shared a promo video of the book on January 5, 2021, its publication day, via Twitter.

Buy the book here.