TCCDM Dig and Flip: "Neil Young's Greendale" - Joshua Dysart, Cliff Chiang (2010)
Neil Young's Greendale
by Joshua Dysart
Cliff Chiang (Illustrator), Neil Young (Adapted from)
Vertigo (2010)
Hardcover Graphic, 160 pages
I really wanted to like this. I hoped I would, anyway. But Greendale is a bit of an octopus to read. The story is based loosely on Neil Young's album of the same name released back in 2003. The story follows a nature-girl named Sun Green as she tries to unravel her mysterious family's past while discovering just where she fits into the big picture. And to grab some spice from the rack, there are some supernatural goings-on as well. The artwork panels look really nice. That would be Cliff Chiang's skillful doings. But everything has a rushed "what to leave in, what to leave out" kind of vibe in the telling. A lot of "i's" left to dot and backstories to connect in the limited amount of pages allowed.
Neil Young's Greendale (inside)
Even Young prefaces his adaptation with a short introduction acknowledging that he doesn't understand what's going on either and not to worry about it. So I won't and I don't. However, Greendale would have greatly benefitted from being fleshed out a little more and practically begs for a second volume to clear things up.
This is still a neat curiosity for someone's Neil Young collection. But find yourself a "used" copy in a book store somewhere like I did and you'll be much happier. In the meantime, do pick up the Neil Young album "Greendale"...if you can find one. It was recorded with those Crazy Horse bass-stids and has become one of his more underappreciated squares...in need of rediscovery.
"Carmichael" - Neil Young / "Greendale" (2003)
Good stuff.
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