Watch11:13
The Appalachia Comics Project presents
The story of Hurricane Helene as told by those who survived. Eleven true stories, each written by a survivor and drawn by an award-winning comics creator.
“This is the best of the best of what comics can be and the power of graphic storytelling.”
30.3ft
French Broad River at Fletcher
Helene’s crest. The previous record was 20.1 feet. Source: NOAA river gauge FLCN7.
On the road
Coming up
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Thu22OctBerea College Convocation
3 p.m. · Berea, Kentucky · Andrew Aydin and Cory Vaillancourt
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Wed28OctAn Evening with Andrew Aydin Discussing “Islands in the Sky”
6:30 p.m. discussion at Lakewood Art Supply, followed by a 7 p.m. signing at Superscript Comics & Games · Lakewood, Ohio · Presented by Rust Belt Humanities Lab
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Thu29OctMarch, Run, Vote
7 p.m. · Gannon University, Erie, Pennsylvania · Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, Jefferson Educational Society Global Summit
Every first-year student at Berea College is reading Islands in the Sky this fall.
Want the book on your campus or in your library? See teaching resources or ask about a visit.
Watch
Hear it from the people who lived it
Where it happened
Eleven stories, one storm
Helene came up from the Gulf and stalled over the Blue Ridge. The stories in the book come from every corner of the mountains it hit.
- 1NOAA building
- 2Backyard wedding
- 3Roof rescue
- 4Local journalism
- 5Cleanup
- 6Spreading ashes
- 7Animal rescue
- 8Medical emergency
In the news
What people are saying
“The stories are meant to affirm common humanity across cultural gaps, not sharpen the contradictions in our current broken discourse.”
“On occasion, a creative project might feature a winner of the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award or the Eisner Award. But safe to say, it’s extremely rare to find a work that includes contributions from all of the above.”
- PBS NewsHour2 years after the storm, graphic novel shares stories of Hurricane Helene survivors (opens in a new window)Sept. 2026
- NPR Here & Now‘Islands in the Sky’: New comic collection illustrates the real stories of Hurricane Helene survivors (opens in a new window)Sept. 25, 2026
- MS NOWAndrew Aydin and Jessica Stepp Edney talk about “Islands in the Sky” on MSNOW (opens in a new window)Aug. 29, 2026
- WLOS News 13‘Islands in the Sky’ graphic novel brings 11 Helene survival stories to comic shops (opens in a new window)Aug. 5, 2026
The people behind the book
Survivors and storytellers
Survivors, most writing professionally for the first time, paired with creators honored with the Pulitzer, the National Book Award, the MacArthur Fellowship, the Peabody and the Nobel Prize.
- Jim & Allie Bourdy
- Greg Pak
- Josh Adams
- Nick Filardi
- Matthew Wilson
- Jodie Troutman
- Cory Vaillancourt
- Steve Orlando
- June Kim
- Josh Reed
- Jessica Stepp Edney
- Matt Fraction
- Aster D’Amico
- Tera & Amy McIntosh
- Gene Luen Yang
- Thien Pham
- Briana Loewinsohn
- Suzanne Palmer
- Anthony Del Col
- Ned Wolfe
- Hannah Roy
- Brian Michael Bendis
- C.A.P. Ward
- Andrew Aydin
- Valentine De Landro
- Shannon Burcham
- Brent Schoonover
- Matthew K. Manning
- Jarrett Rutland
- Angie Stone
- Alex Segura
- Laura Martin
- David Hahn
- Dr. David Easterling
- Nate Powell
- David Marquez
- Jonathan Marks Barravecchia
For educators
Teach the people’s history
Free guides for grades 6–12 and college, with care built in for classrooms full of students who lived through the storm.
- Lesson plans, discussion questions and activities
- Trauma-informed notes for affected communities
- Standards for ELA, social studies, earth science and civics
- Class sets and library copies
ELA
Reading comics closely
Panels, gutters and captions as evidence.
Social studies
Oral history
Interview someone, then script it as a comic.
Earth science
Reading the river
Pair stories with gauge data like the French Broad’s 30-foot crest.
Civics
Who tells the story?
Compare news coverage with survivors’ accounts.
Get involved
No one saved us. We saved ourselves.
This is a grassroots effort, and it runs on neighbors.
Tell your story
Lived through Helene? We pair survivors with professional creators and pay you as a comics writer.
Submit an idea