Description

A collection of updates and reflections on A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge.

Beyond A.D.: 20 Years After the Deluge is a “companion zine” to A.D., bringing together follow-up stories, related comics and illustrations, and previously unseen artwork connected to A.D. 

Contents include: 

• “A.D. + 10: Katrina Survivors Ten Years Later” (Comics)
• “3135 Calhoun St. and the A.D. Cosmic Connection” (Text with pictures)
• “Hamid Mohammadi (May 24, 1959–June 17, 2021)” (Text)
• “The Persistence of Memory” (Comics)
• “A.D. (BP): ‘Heck of a Job'” (Comics)
• And various other illustrations!

From the introduction

I first created A.D. in 2007–2008, profiling a cross-section of New Orleans residents who survived Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding. It was originally serialized online at Smith Magazine, and later expanded into a New York Times-bestselling book from Pantheon.

This year, 2025, marks the 20th anniversary of Katrina—a moment to reflect on the disaster’s legacy and its place in our national memory. To mark the occasion, this “companion zine” brings together follow-up stories, related comics and illustrations, and previously unseen artwork connected to A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge.

A.D. grew out of my own experiences with the storm. From my home in Brooklyn, I watched in horror as the disaster unfolded on TV. I ended up volunteering with the American Red Cross, was trained as a disaster-response worker, and deployed to Biloxi, Mississippi, just 90 miles from New Orleans. My three weeks as a volunteer informed the creation of A.D.

One of the first widely read works of comics journalism, A.D. became a bestseller, appeared on numerous best-of-the-year lists, and has since been taught in classrooms across the country. It continues to spark conversations about systemic inequality, race, resilience, government accountability, and the comics form itself.

Two decades on, what was once journalism is now history. In today’s era of escalating climate disasters and persistent questions about equity and truth, the themes of A.D. remain urgent. This feels like the moment not just to look back, but to recommit—to remembering, to resisting, to rebuilding. Defend New Orleans!