The Clouds Above appeared originally as a weekly webcomic, under the name "Cloud Country." This series was a precursor to the final book, with some pages omitted and others only black and white drawings. Crane even went as far as changing his name to "Jane d'Rancor" on these early strips. The series ran from April 2003 to January 2004. The eventual hardcover edition of the completed work was released in September 2005 by Fantagraphics comics.