''Grateful Dead Origins'' is a

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

about the rock band the Grateful Dead. A work of non-fiction, it tells the story of the early days of the band and how it emerged as part of the San Francisco music scene amid the counterculture of the 1960s. The book was written by Chris Miskiewicz and drawn by

Noah Van Sciver Noah Van Sciver (born July 7, 1984) is an independent American cartoonist. He currently resides in Columbia, South Carolina. Early life Van Sciver grew up in a large family in New Jersey. A self-taught artist, he was influenced by many comics, ...

. It was edited by David Lemieux, colored by Aladdin Collar, and designed by Tyler Boss. ''Grateful Dead Origins'' was published by

Z2 Comics Z2 Comics is an American publisher of graphic novels, comic books, and popular culture merchandise. Known for its music-related projects and partnership with musical acts, the company uses "a data-driven approach to identify acts with strong follo ...

in July 2020. A deluxe edition of the book was published in January 2021.

Deluxe edition

The deluxe edition of ''Grateful Dead Origins'' is larger in size than the regular edition and has a hard cover. It includes an LP record of the Grateful Dead performing at the

Fillmore West The Fillmore West was a historic rock and roll music venue in San Francisco, California, US which became famous under the direction of concert promoter Bill Graham from 1968 to 1971. Named after The Fillmore at the intersection of Fillmore Str ...

in San Francisco on August 21, 1968. The deluxe version is a limited edition of 6,800 copies. The LP was also offered for sale as a separate item, without the book.

Critical reception

In ''AIPT'', Christopher Franey wrote, "Noah Van Sciver has a style that is caricatured but not way off base. His layouts are great, as they flow nicely and have an interesting vibe to them – they move along in a structure, but when the musical scenes happen, the panels get bigger and livelier. I really appreciate Aladdin Collar working on the colors as it helps to evoke that free spirit, counter-culture feel that these guys embodied.... Chris Miskiewicz does a great job telling a story that makes us feel like we are there.... This is a great graphic novel musical mash-up that does more than any Wikipedia page can do." In ''

The Comics Journal ''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing r ...

'', Tegan O'Neil wrote, "Coming to the book from the perspective of someone with, if we're being blunt, pretty much zero desire to ever again have to think about the Grateful Dead, it was a very pleasantly readable narrative.... oah Van Sciver'spen is extraordinarily expressive.... Written by Chris Miskiewicz, the book flows pretty well considering how choppy these kind of biopic projects can read in comics form.... The book will find a happy home on many fans' shelves.... It doesn't work completely as a comic book because it's not supposed to be encountered in a vacuum apart from the music."

Album

As noted above, the deluxe edition of the ''Grateful Dead Origins'' book includes an LP record of the same name. The album was also sold separately, without the book. It was recorded live in concert at the

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

on August 21, 1968.

Track listing

:Side 1: # " Dark Star" ( Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart,

Bill Kreutzmann William Kreutzmann Jr. ( ; born May 7, 1946) is an American drummer and founding member of the rock band Grateful Dead. He played with the band for its entire thirty-year career, usually alongside fellow drummer Mickey Hart, and has continued to ...

, Phil Lesh,

Ron McKernan Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

, Bob Weir, Robert Hunter) – 14:33 # " St. Stephen" (Garcia, Lesh, Hunter) – 4:45 :Side 2: # "The Eleven" (Lesh, Hunter) – 11:07 # "Death Don't Have No Mercy" (

Reverend Gary Davis Reverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis (born Gary D. Davis, April 30, 1896 – May 5, 1972), was a blues and gospel singer who was also proficient on the banjo, guitar and harmonica. Born in Laurens, South Carolina and blind since infan ...

) – 8:09

Personnel

Grateful Dead * Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals * Mickey Hart – drums *

– drums * Phil Lesh – bass, vocals *

– keyboards * Bob Weir – guitar, vocals Production *Produced by Grateful Dead *Produced for release by David Lemieux *Mastering: David Glasser *Recording:

Dan Healey Dan Healey (born March 21, 1957) is a Canadian and English historian and Slavist. He is a pioneer of the study of the history of homosexuality in Russia. In 1981 he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Russian Language and Literature at the Uni ...

*Cover art:

*Art direction, design: Steve Vance

References