The Clouds Above [Hardcover]

Jordan Crane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 14, 2005

A beautiful, all-ages fantasy in the tradition of Where the Wild Things Are.

This is gorgeously-packaged yet affordable all-ages fantasy is sure to become an instant classic. On their way through the city to school, Simon and his cat Jack keep taking shortcuts that lead them through fantasy worlds of wooden monsters and insatiable appetites, just for starters. Will they make back home safely?

Printed in full-color, this book will be undoubtedly be one of the more handsome and unique packages in recent memory, with a brilliant graphic novel inside that justifies its elegant format. The Clouds Above calls to mind everything from Where the Wild Things Are to The Wizard of Oz to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, with its depiction of a fantastic world that lurks just around the corner from reality and that only children believe exists.

The characterizations of Simon and Jack, with their delightfully scrappy dialogue, adds brilliant depth to the already-fantastic adventure that Crane has crafted for them. His clean, crisp drawing style calls to mind such greats as Hergé and Chester Brown, and his masterful use of color adds even more depth to Crane's lovely pictures. 280 pages in full-color.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Crane has made his reputation with subtle, heart-tuggingly depressive comics like The Last Lonely Saturday and Keeping Two, so his new project is a delightful surprise: a rip-roaring adventure about a kid named Simon, who skips school one day with his cat, Jack, and climbs a magic staircase leading skyward. There, they encounter a sad cloud named Perch and get mixed up in a conflict involving him, some nasty storm clouds and an irritable flock of birds. Crane's story piles absurdity on delicious absurdity, operating with the peculiarly linear logic of children's storytelling. Everything's exciting, even if it doesn't make much sense, and the dialogue is witty and bubbly ("Don't say fall when we're up so high," Jack tells Simon. "Say autumn"). Crane has a sense of all of his characters' body language—Jack may talk, but his motion and expressions are totally catlike, and the shifting expressions and indistinct, grasping limbs of the clouds are exactly what clouds would look like if they had body parts. The book is a joy to look at—Crane's loose, gliding lines burst with character, and his compositional gifts make every panel worth contemplating on its own. (July)
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From The New Yorker

After heroically escaping his beastly teacher, Simon and his cat, Jack, enter a dream world that only a child unburdened by school could conjure. Like many great adventures, this one begins with a passageway—here a rickety staircase—to a universe situated just beyond the familiar. As Simon and Jack climb, they befriend a helpful cloud, battle heavy weather, trick a flock of belligerent birds, and question their own existence. Crane's drawings are clean, yet full of nuance; his writing is playful and sharp. The artistry is in the detail: Jack's movements are consistently catlike, and the teacher is a mangy figure surrounded by flies, an amalgam of the forces that oppose creativity and imagination.
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books (September 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560976276
• ISBN-13: 978-1560976271
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,826,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Imagination, June 20, 2009

By 

Stephen Harrison "The Midgard Knight" (Sterling, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Clouds Above (Paperback)

There is so much to say about this book, however I will try and keep it to a minimum. This book is fantastic. It's a short, little book with a story that flows out from the pages and into your imagination, casting you away into childhood. Well, that is, if your childhood contains a talking cat. I thought of how the relationship between the boy and his cat had reminiscent characteristics to the beloved Calvin and Hobbes. However, this story is more fantastical and heart-warming. After reading this, I felt happier and better about myself. I wanted to partake in the same journey the boy does. I recommend this to everyone and show them my copy. The art is beautiful, the story is beautiful. I'm glad I own this.

4.0 out of 5 stars Bones into snow!, December 22, 2007

By 

Heath Row "h3athrow" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Clouds Above (Hardcover)

An extremely fun, linear, humorous fantasy in which a boy and his cat go off the beaten path on their way to school only to befriend a cloud, anger the birds, and have a series of adventures. More fantastic than much of Jordan's work, and his line seems to have sharpened. The colors are glorious. Good for children of all ages.

5.0 out of 5 stars Graphic Daydreaming, August 13, 2007

By 

K. Nishikawa (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Clouds Above (Hardcover)

Jordan Crane's The Clouds Above is a beautifully designed book and an entertaining graphic novel for kids and adults alike. The book's rectangular shape and inside cover ("This Book Belongs To:") reference old-timey children's books, and this lends a nostalgic or youthful quality to its design. But the narrative itself, with a single panel featured on each page, is a pleasing blend of childlike innocence and dark humor. There's enough to Simon and Jack's story of daydreaming and exploration to keep everyone entertained. Highly recommended, especially to graphic novel fans.