Art & scenario: Aimee de Jongh

1937, Oklahoma, the United States. John is a young photographer, who is sent to the Dust Bowl: a region where devastating dust storms blow. His mission is to capture the people living there on film. But as time goes by, John discovers that he needs to face something bigger than blazing storms of sand, if he wants to complete his assignment. The subject of man-made climate change, drought and heat connects the past with the present; the Dust Bowl is more relevant today than ever.

Nominated for an Eisner Award
in the Best Digital Comic (2022) and Best Graphic Reprint (2023) category

Eisner Award Nominee, Best Graphic Reprint (US) 2023
Eisner Award Nominee, Best Digital Comic (US) 2022
The Guardian: The Best Graphic Novels of 2022 (UK)
Forbes: The Best Graphic Novels of 2022 (US)
15th Japan International Manga Gold Award (JP)
MoCCA NYC Best Of Show Award (US)
Stan Lee Excelsior Award Nominee (UK)
Finalist Grand Prix De La Critique ACBD (FR)
Cutting Edge Award Best One-Shot (BE / NL)
Finalist Prix BD Fnac France Inter (FR)
Stripschappenning Album of the Year (NL)
Prix Ouest-France Quai des Bulles (FR)
Prix Bulles de Cristal 15-18 ans (FR)
Prix Atomium Cognito 2023 (BE)
Prix des Libraires Canal BD (FR)
Prix BD d'Aventures SNCF (FR)
Etoiles du Parisien, BD (FR)
Prix Social'BD 2023
FNAC Stripprijs (NL)
Prix Libr'A Nous (FR)
Prix BDstagram (FR)

Follow this link to view 36 pages from the book (French).

Original title: Jours de Sable
English title: Days of Sand
Details: 288 Pages / Hardcover / Full Colour / 12+
Languages: French, English, Dutch, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Croatian, Serbian, Portuguese.
Rights and licensing: Mediatoon Foreign Rights

"De Jongh's artwork is glorious."
- Forbes

"The stand out new book at MoCCA was the stunning Days of Sand by Aimee de Jongh. This one will pile up awards."
- Derf Backderf

"In a bittersweet way, through drawings with a welcome realism, the album offers an interesting reflection on the role of photography and, more broadly, on being a witness to dramatic events."
- Le Monde

"For me, this is the comic of the year, don't miss it, it's a pure masterpiece!"
- Canal+

The book is based on true events. In 1937, the federal FSA agency hired photographers to document the lives of farmers across the United States. The Dust Bowl was an oval-shaped region in the Mid-South, that was struck by severe droughts and heavily blowing dust storms. To research the story, Aimee made a study trip to Oklahoma and California. She received a travel fund from the Dutch Foundation For Literature to make this trip possible. On the way, she stopped at museums and archives, to interview experts and historians about the Dust Bowl.

A detailed travelogue of this trip is available in English on her blog. Click below to read it:

Days of Sand is for sale at any comic book store or regular book store, or via
Amazon.