Early morning on Monday, October 9, 2017, wildfires burned through Northern California, resulting in 44 fatalities. In addition, 6,200 homes and 8,900 structures and were destroyed. Author Brian Fies's firsthand account of this tragic event is an honest, unflinching depiction of his personal experiences, including losing his house and every possession he and his wife had that didn't fit into the back of their car. In the days that followed, as the fires continued to burn through the area, Brian hastily pulled together A Fire Story and posted it online-it immediately went viral. He is now expanding his original webcomic to include environmental insight and the fire stories of his neighbors and others in his community. A Fire Story is an honest account of the wildfires that left homes destroyed, families broken, and a community determined to rebuild.

About the Author
Brian Fies is an award-winning writer and cartoonist whose widely acclaimed first graphic novel Mom's Cancer kicked off the Abrams Image list and won the 2005 Eisner Award for Best Digital Comic (the first Web comic to win the award in this new category), the 2007 Lulu Blooker Prize for Best Comic, the 2007 Harvey Award for Best New Talent, and the 2007 German Youth Literature Prize, among other awards and recognition. He is also the author of the webcomic The Last Mechanical Monster and the acclaimed graphic novel Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? (winner of the Eugene M. Emme Award for Astronautical Literature). Although he lost his home in the fire, Brian and his wife, Karen, are rebuilding in Santa Rosa, California.

Reviews
"Drawings, words, and a few photos combine to convey the depth of a tragedy that would leave most people dumbstruck." -- Kirkus
"Vibrant coloring and fascinating secondary stories create a gripping read that will attract graphic memoir fans and anyone seeking firsthand accounts of surviving a natural disaster." -- Library Journal online
"Sometimes incorporating photographs and often communicating emotion with color, he affectingly relates the grief, rage, and powerlessness of losing one's home and possessions; each time he remembers another thing he's lost-home videos he'd been meaning to digitize, for instance-the pain feels brand-new again. Inviting, empathy-driven, and ultimately hopeful in the face of hardship." -- Booklist
"A true story of wildfire devastation and starting over makes Brian Fies' graphic memoir a must-read" -- The A.V. Club
"'A Fire Story' utilizes the techniques typically practiced by those working in the comics medium - sequential art, word balloons - to present a rich newsworthy story... 'A Fire Story' is a victim's testimony as well as a journalistic endeavor." -- The Los Angeles Times
"'On Monday, my house disappeared,' begins this quietly devastating graphic memoir...Without pleading or preaching, this affecting record guides readers through the experience of enormous loss, then out through the other side." -- Publishers Weekly
"If you want to learn more about how climate change is affecting people now, this is a good place to start." -- EcoWatch
"thoughtful, affecting, and insightful graphic memoir" -- Booklist, Top 10 Graphic Novels: 2019
"...a full-length graphic novel that shifts between his own tragedy and the larger picture of how the blaze devastated his Santa Rosa community. Breakout stories spotlighting some of his neighbors deepen the book's emotional tug." -- The Washington Post online


Awards
Short-listed for Ignatz Award 2018 (United States).



Book Information
ISBN 9781419735851
Author Brian Fies
Format Hardback
Page Count 160
Imprint Abrams ComicArts
Publisher Abrams
Weight(grams) 630g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 175mm * 26mm