Amazing Rain [Paperback]

Sam Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2004

This graphic novella by comic artist Sam Brown, whose website (explodingdog.com) has become an online phenomenon, entwines unusual fable with unconventional comic style. Combining the deceptively simple lines of Matt Groening, the deft and elegant colors of Herg‚, the cinematographic eye of Eric Drooker, and the dark humor and nostalgic sadness of Edward Gorey, Amazing Rain is Sam Brown's most beautiful novella to date. Presenting a story within a story, a fable embedded in a narrative of urban disenchantment, Brown's latest work surpasses the drawings for which he is already known. In an era when graphic novels have reached a critical mass in the popular consciousness, Sam Brown's highly personal style stands out in the crowd. This book will delight both the new convert and the longtime fan.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Amazing Rain is an excellent display of Brown's unique imagination and his uncanny ability to marry text and art, a skill at the core of what "comics" and graphic fiction are all about" - PopMatters "The pictures feature simple colours and sticklike figures in a distinctive style that is widely recognised and admired by online regulars" - The New York Times "His spare style lends a slightly distended look to his stick-figure characters, but his cartoons are funnier than anything you'll find in the Sunday paper." - Wired Magazine "He eloquently combines his attractive visual style, sense of fun, and sometimes sick humor with raw emotion...Brown captures true postmodernist themes in a surprisingly effective and natural way." - MIT Tech"

About the Author

Sam Brown's website, www.explodingdog.com, has attracted a cultishly devoted following and receives over half a million visitors a month. His work has been profiled in The New York Times, USA Today, The Houston Chronicle, The Independent, The Sydney Morning Herald, Wired magazine, Ironminds magazine, as well as on CNN. He lives in Hartford, Connecticut.

Product Details

• Paperback: 100 pages
• Publisher: Soft Skull Press (November 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932360506
• ISBN-13: 978-1932360509
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 10.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,440,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Amazing!, November 3, 2004

By 

Nathan Blaney (carlstadt, nj United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Amazing Rain (Paperback)

I suspect that there are two types of people in the world: those who love Sam Brown's www.explodingdog.com and those who haven't discovered it yet!

I fall squarely into the first category. I am always thrilled when new work appears on the site. Why? Because Exploding Dog is a unique art concept. It is a semi-collaborative art project where visitors are invited to submit phrases, ideas, or titles, and drawings are created to fit. Well, kind of. Sam Brown has a unique vision. Quite often, the drawings he creates take a radically different approach to what might seem like a straightforward subject. Many truly defy explanation... yet are still wonderfully interesting.

The world that Sam has created for his art is one inhabited by stick figure people, robots, rockets, and various small creatures. All are drawn in a minimalistic linear style, which at first glance may seem unsophisticated. Spend a little time really looking, though, and you'll be quite surprised. These drawings can convey a huge amount with only simple lines and (generally) flat areas of color.

In addition to the drawings featured on the site, there are also Exploding Dog shirts, prints, and books available. These items help many people get their Exploding Dog "fix" during the occasionally lengthy periods between updates to the site. Soon to be added to this collection is Amazing Rain. 116 full color pages, fantastic from beginning to end. In this somewhat dark, odd tale, Sam "weaves a story within a story, a fable intertwined in a narrative of urban disenchantment and pastoral escape." I won't even begin to try to explain or capture the essence of it. Trying to do so would not only be impossible, but never stand up to actually seeing, reading, and absorbing this book.

More interesting than any illustrated novel and vastly more sophisticated than any comic, this book is a literary and visual art piece. One of the greatest strengths of Amazing Rain is that, although this is a continuous story, each page works on its own in the same way that the single panel drawings featured on Exploding Dog do. I can think of no other work that stands up in this way.

All in all, I have nothing but the highest praise for Sam and his most recent effort. My only complaint is that there aren't a couple hundred more pages!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good mood book, November 5, 2011

By 

ItsWinston - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Amazing Rain (Paperback)

This is one of my favorite books. Simple, creative and very entertaining. It always puts me in a much better mood.

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Rain, September 12, 2009

By 

Elizabeth Padilla "Lizzie" (CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Amazing Rain (Paperback)

This is a great piece because of its compelling and fearless approach. It brilliantly explores the subjects melancholia for the land while expressing a clear fear of technology-- a dehumanizing catalyst in the eyes of Sam Brown. In sum, it is a dark yet touching story that leaves you feeling strangely warm inside, and thinking about the other.