Review by Andy Williams
A young woman in a small Californian town investigates her family history and supernatural legacy as an evil entity affects those around her. Sun Green has lived her entire life in Greendale but now, at the age of eighteen, she is starting to broaden her horizons. She seems to have a semi-mystical relationship with nature and becomes interested in environmental issues.
Exploring her family history, Sun discovers many of her female relations and antecedents also have unexplained powers and some have died or disappeared in mysterious circumstances. A red-suited stranger arrives in town who seems to wield a malevolent influence over the men in Sun’s life, leading to a series of tragic events.The timeframe is noteworthy, set post 9/11 as the United States ramps up its War On Terror in the Middle East and corporations ride roughshod over environmental concerns at home. The stranger seems to be a demonic embodiment of the Military Industrial Complex and it may be telling that only Sun is aware of his presence.
This graphic novel is an adaptation of Neil Young’s 2003 album Greendale, described as a “musical novel” with the narrative consisting of ten songs. It is unclear how close writer Joshua Dysart sticks to Young’s lyrical concepts, but his script paints a convincing portrait of small town Americana and an intriguing cast of characters.
The story serves as an origin tale for Sun, transforming her from a naive schoolgirl into a super-powered eco-warrior who embraces her Earth-Mother heritage. As the main character Sun, understandably, is more developed, but it would have been nice to see a bit more of the estranged family members, particularly those of a mystical nature. There are echoes of the Green Man/Woman myths from English folklore, but not enough to embrace full-on fantasy or horror. Perhaps a follow-up graphic novel or continuing series could have addressed these points and delved deeper into the backstory and histories of the various characters that are spoken about rather than encountered.
The main draw here is Cliff Chiang’s beautiful artwork, adept at contrasting the mundane, everyday life of Greendale with the fantastical visions that Sun experiences as part of her awakening consciousness. Chiang’s storytelling is clear with crisp, vibrant linework and he manages to keep a strong family likeness throughout the various generations of the Green dynasty while ensuring that characters are distinct enough to not confuse the reader. Colourist Dave Stewart provides a subdued natural palette of earthy browns and greens with flashes of brighter hues for the more striking scenes.
Greendale disappoints on a narrative level, being merely the first chapter in Sun Green’s story, which comes across as out-dated Hippie idealism – not that there’s anything wrong with that! But no project with the saving grace of Cliff Chiang’s stunning artistry can ever be called a complete failure and the pretty pictures go an awful long way in a visual medium. The hardcover edition, published in 2010, is out of print but a 2013 paperback edition is still available.
