The Clouds Above (Paperback)

~ Jordan Crane (Author)

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)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books (April 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560979097
• ISBN-13: 978-1560979098
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #186,385 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A whimsical and funny book, August 30, 2009

By	Alissa (NJ) - See all my reviews

The Clouds Above by Jordan Crane is a beautiful graphic novel with a wonderful story appropriate for all ages. In the story a boy and his cat, Jack, take some time off from school and go on an exciting adventure. With fantastic elements, plenty of humor and well-crafted characters, The Clouds Above proved enjoyable from beginning to end. The colorful illustrations have a touch of whimsy to them that makes them that much more appealing. This book is definitely worth a look for kids young and old alike.

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

By	Stephen Harrison "The Midgard Knight" (Sterling, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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 (REAL NAME)

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.