The 2003 concept album that Neil Young turned into a film is now also a graphic novel, reports George Gene Gustines in the New York Times (6/16/10). The album, Greendale, centers on a make-believe town where all the women are strong, the men are good looking, and the children are above average. No, wait -- it's "a story about personal responsibility, war and the environment." Published by Vertigo, a division of DC Comics, the novel features Sun Green, the great-granddaughter of Greendale founder, Jay Green.

It's called "Neil Young's Greendale," and Joshua Dysart, who collaborated with Neil Young on the storyline, describes it as "an American fable with strong supernatural elements." Neil personally recruited Cliff Chiang as the novel's illustrator after being told the artist was too busy with other projects. "I found his website, and I sent him an email telling him I was going to wait until hell froze over," says Neil, who likes Cliff's "open, clean style." Neil waited about a year and a half until Cliff was on board.

Joshua Dysart meanwhile took care to include plenty of insider references for Neil Young fans, such as "a somber funeral procession scene that features a giant Buick Roadmaster hearse," Neil's first car, which he nicknamed "Mort" and immortalized in his song, "Long May You Run." The novel may well be the first of many. "There are all kinds of things that we talked about doing that aren't in this book, that have to do with (Sun's) next episode and her story," says Neil. "These characters have been designed to last a long time."