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Haddon Hall: When David Invented Bowie
Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, The Thin White Duke: David Bowie had an extraordinary talent for reinvention. But at the beginning of his career, he made the most significant transformation of his life: from “David” to Bowie.
In 1969, shortly after the release of his first hit single, David and his girlfriend Angie move into Haddon Hall, a sprawling Victorian villa in the London suburbs. Part commune, part creative hub, the house becomes home to a community of musicians, hippies, and hangers-on. As egos clash and parties get out of hand, David keeps writing: “Changes,” “Kooks,” “Life on Mars”—songs that will propel him to global fame. Charting Bowie’s personal life, the development of his music, and the transformation of his image, Haddon Hall is an evocative portrait of a young artist presiding over a musical revolution.
In 1969, shortly after the release of his first hit single, David and his girlfriend Angie move into Haddon Hall, a sprawling Victorian villa in the London suburbs. Part commune, part creative hub, the house becomes home to a community of musicians, hippies, and hangers-on. As egos clash and parties get out of hand, David keeps writing: “Changes,” “Kooks,” “Life on Mars”—songs that will propel him to global fame. Charting Bowie’s personal life, the development of his music, and the transformation of his image, Haddon Hall is an evocative portrait of a young artist presiding over a musical revolution.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
157 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
February 10, 2017
In 1969 David and Angie Bowie moved into Haddon Hall, a large Victorian house in suburban London, where a then-practically-unknown Bowie wrote some of his most famous songs (Life on Mars, Changes) and created his Ziggy Stardust persona that would propel him to superstardom and rock legend.
Writer/artist Nejib’s graphic retelling of this time is a largely informative and very compelling read. It doesn’t sound like the most exciting book as not much happens – we meet his cold parents and schizophrenic half-brother Terry, David struggles to make it, he writes some music, famous people make cameos – nor does it have a driving narrative, but I was still gripped enough to fly through it in one sitting; maybe partially because I didn’t know much about Bowie’s early life but mostly because it’s just a well-told tale.
The subtitle, “When David Invented Bowie”, is kind of disingenuous in that it’s not really focused on David creating a fictional persona but rather about the quiet period before the storm of success. His manager mentions to him that image is the most important thing and then, once you have the public’s attention, to wow them with the substance he clearly had – good advice as history proved – though that’s only a passing scene. Then in the last few pages we see Bowie watching Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange and consequently decides to cut and colour his hair and adopt a raffish new look and that’s it – Ziggy Stardust is there and the book’s over!
At the same time, someone asks him “Why ‘Bowie’?” as if he’d only just come up with the name even though he’d been calling himself David Bowie for years already (his real name was David Jones but he wanted to distinguish himself from the then-more famous Davy Jones of The Monkees). Obviously the subtitle is about when he realised the full package – the eye-catching image AND great music – but his transformation is rushed through in a handful of pages and is more of an afterthought. Unless watching the Kubrick movie really was all it took, but in that case why draw so much attention to such an underwhelming reveal?
Nejib’s artwork looks unusual with crude line drawings, like a cross between the art of Ralph Steadman and John Lennon (who appears briefly in the book), and has no borders or panels on the page like most comics have. The style seems a bit amateurish at first but it works for the story, particularly given its partying, artistic, freewheeling ‘60s features.
While I’d say the concept and execution is a bit unfocused, Haddon Hall: When David Invented Bowie is a very enjoyable glimpse into Bowie’s life at this time as an artist on the cusp of stardom.
Writer/artist Nejib’s graphic retelling of this time is a largely informative and very compelling read. It doesn’t sound like the most exciting book as not much happens – we meet his cold parents and schizophrenic half-brother Terry, David struggles to make it, he writes some music, famous people make cameos – nor does it have a driving narrative, but I was still gripped enough to fly through it in one sitting; maybe partially because I didn’t know much about Bowie’s early life but mostly because it’s just a well-told tale.
The subtitle, “When David Invented Bowie”, is kind of disingenuous in that it’s not really focused on David creating a fictional persona but rather about the quiet period before the storm of success. His manager mentions to him that image is the most important thing and then, once you have the public’s attention, to wow them with the substance he clearly had – good advice as history proved – though that’s only a passing scene. Then in the last few pages we see Bowie watching Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange and consequently decides to cut and colour his hair and adopt a raffish new look and that’s it – Ziggy Stardust is there and the book’s over!
At the same time, someone asks him “Why ‘Bowie’?” as if he’d only just come up with the name even though he’d been calling himself David Bowie for years already (his real name was David Jones but he wanted to distinguish himself from the then-more famous Davy Jones of The Monkees). Obviously the subtitle is about when he realised the full package – the eye-catching image AND great music – but his transformation is rushed through in a handful of pages and is more of an afterthought. Unless watching the Kubrick movie really was all it took, but in that case why draw so much attention to such an underwhelming reveal?
Nejib’s artwork looks unusual with crude line drawings, like a cross between the art of Ralph Steadman and John Lennon (who appears briefly in the book), and has no borders or panels on the page like most comics have. The style seems a bit amateurish at first but it works for the story, particularly given its partying, artistic, freewheeling ‘60s features.
While I’d say the concept and execution is a bit unfocused, Haddon Hall: When David Invented Bowie is a very enjoyable glimpse into Bowie’s life at this time as an artist on the cusp of stardom.
June 9, 2017
I read this because I just read Patti Smith's passionate Just Kids, so thought the music and time periods of the tales would roughly connect. Both focus on ambitious artists wanting to get known and the process they go through to get there. The focus of this book is the late sixties and the creation of "The Man Who Sold the World," a commercial flop but critical success that made David Jones into Bowie (he preferred to be seen as a two-sided hunting knife and not associated with The Monkees's popular Davy Jones), in his Ziggy Stardust period.
You can see from the cover that it is a colorful book, poster art colors, maybe capturing the creative spirit of the period, but unlike Smith's book, you don't really get much of the spirit of the creative vibes that infused the music. You feel outside of it. Most of it seems to be about calculated moves with music producers to get the audience he craved. It's about image. And, ugh, it's about branding.
Haddon Hall is historical fiction in that it "recreates" conversations that took place between Bowie and Angie, and various people of the time, none of whom come alive for me. Except Bowie, who cut his hair and became Ziggy, so now he's a star! But what are the sources for such conversation, and the reflection Néjib fantasizes Bowie doing?! The book looks lovely, but feels fragmented, distant, admittedly compared to the intimate and revealing Just Kids. Haddon Hall (the building!) is also the "if walls could talk" "character" in this graphic memoir, for no really good reason except it was that place the transformation from Jones to Bowie began to take place. I like Bowie, and appreciate the tribute Néjib intended, but this book comes off flat to me. Fame as branding? Well, it's true, for the most part, I know, but this just feels cynical to me, mostly.
You can see from the cover that it is a colorful book, poster art colors, maybe capturing the creative spirit of the period, but unlike Smith's book, you don't really get much of the spirit of the creative vibes that infused the music. You feel outside of it. Most of it seems to be about calculated moves with music producers to get the audience he craved. It's about image. And, ugh, it's about branding.
Haddon Hall is historical fiction in that it "recreates" conversations that took place between Bowie and Angie, and various people of the time, none of whom come alive for me. Except Bowie, who cut his hair and became Ziggy, so now he's a star! But what are the sources for such conversation, and the reflection Néjib fantasizes Bowie doing?! The book looks lovely, but feels fragmented, distant, admittedly compared to the intimate and revealing Just Kids. Haddon Hall (the building!) is also the "if walls could talk" "character" in this graphic memoir, for no really good reason except it was that place the transformation from Jones to Bowie began to take place. I like Bowie, and appreciate the tribute Néjib intended, but this book comes off flat to me. Fame as branding? Well, it's true, for the most part, I know, but this just feels cynical to me, mostly.
December 3, 2020
Grmph. Cool art, but the narrative was just meh, disjointed and "meta". I still have no idea what Bowie was like as a person, his humanity shines through twice in the book, but that's about it. Otherwise it's a superficial look at how to engineer fame (if that's even possible, which I doubt). Weird and dissatisfying.
June 10, 2017
While I seriously love the concept of this story being told from the perspective of the house itself, as in the house has a voice, there are way too many flaws including anachronisms, which I wonder if they're because of the translation, to make it truly memorable. Firstly, "When David Invented Bowie" is totally wrong, it should be "When David Invented His Ziggy Persona" instead. The handwritten type is horrid and verges on illegible. The limited color palette is nice but should have been more consistent. But I think the biggest flaw is that this isn't for the casual Bowie fan, you really have to know who all the movers and shakers were in his life as well as his family relationships to understand what was happening. I mean, I had no problem, but others might. Also the beginning mirrors what was done in Velvet Goldmine a little too closely. Yes, that is a parody/pastiche of Bowie, but resequencing, or using different examples would have helped. Personally I'd like a sequel, following the house not Bowie.
November 26, 2017
A homage to the author's idol, this is a fun and playful tribute to the early days of David Bowie. Ultimately I felt that you had to already know his story (which I didn't!) to fully understand what was happening so it left me feeling confused rather than appreciative of the musicians journey. The colour palette didn't quite work for me, but I enjoyed the quick style and fun asides.
May 29, 2017
As a lifelong fan of Bowie, this graphic novel touched my heart. The art is beautiful and you can tell that the author truly loves David Bowie. I bought it with no expectations and I can't even describe the joy it brought me.
April 11, 2017
Interesting read. Sort of straddled the line between a comic book and an illustrated story. Lovely art style, very loose and free.
April 8, 2022
Haddon Hall to dom, w którym David mieszkał przez dwa lata na początku kariery ze swoją żoną Angie i wesołą ekipą. W komiksie autor i fan Bowiego opowiada o tym jak narodził się Ziggie Stardust, jak David się wymyślił i jak gromadził wokół siebie ludzi. Pomysł na scenariusz jest ciekawy, bo historia opowiedziana jest z perspektywy domu, który przedstawia nam swoich mieszkańców. Autorowi udało się zawrzeć sporo elementów biograficznych i podać je dynamicznie i z humorem. Jest to jednak zdecydowanie komiks dla fanów Ziggiego. Pojawia się w nim sporo uproszczeń, kontekst często nie jest wyjaśniany, ktoś kto nie zna biografii Bowiego może się pogubić. Postacie pojawiające się na kartach książki przeważnie podpisane są samymi imionami, więc ktoś kto nie zna środowiska Davida może nie wiedzieć kto zacz.
Jednak dla osoby kochającej Starmana, zbierającej wszystko co się o nim wydaje, jest to prawdziwa gratka i świetne uzupełnienie specjalnej półki na regale.
August 23, 2017
Absolutely loved this book! The simple drawings, the colors, the story...it's just perfect.
December 10, 2020
I had expected more. An easy read about Bowie with nice illustrations anyway.
September 10, 2025
195*×267 ¦ D.L. 01/2012 ¦ rear:"A64240" ¦ 19€ = eo(noté)
*of total 390mm [laid||flat] : single uninterrupted art piece
Narrative: ***
I thought that the house as narrator was awkward while the switching of scenes was so often abrupt like the entries into the next which assumed I knew too much about who or what was being jumped into. For example, I didn't know who the often spotlighted and discussed "Marc" was until near the end! My grasp on the roommate characters, especially David's wife, was very slim besides the clearly explained past and present of the NYC escapee producer.
Visual: **
He's too sloppy, with the linework and page structure, for my snobby sensibilities- I'll only deal with it for learning and adaptation. The wacky coloring looks terrible besides when he uses psychedelia.
*of total 390mm [laid||flat] : single uninterrupted art piece
Narrative: ***
I thought that the house as narrator was awkward while the switching of scenes was so often abrupt like the entries into the next which assumed I knew too much about who or what was being jumped into. For example, I didn't know who the often spotlighted and discussed "Marc" was until near the end! My grasp on the roommate characters, especially David's wife, was very slim besides the clearly explained past and present of the NYC escapee producer.
Visual: **
He's too sloppy, with the linework and page structure, for my snobby sensibilities- I'll only deal with it for learning and adaptation. The wacky coloring looks terrible besides when he uses psychedelia.
November 5, 2020
I’ve been plodding along with a book I’m working on about a comedy prog band called Boggis! for the last few months and have been idly searching for comics to go along with my steadily growing book research pile. I’ve found a few, but none has even come close to this though: a joyous, messy, giddy story of creativity and idealism and frustration and sadness and more.
I’m what you would call an interested semi fan of Bowie - he’s not the sort of musician who speaks to me fully because I’m always slightly wary of extroverts and musicians who are very image heavy (although I fully understand that no image is just as much of an image as dressing as some weird space alien glam superstar). I also get frustrated by the Newleyisms of his voice at times and the whole Bowie as eighties pop star thing leaves me incredibly cold - I’m a Berlin trilogy kind of bloke. But I’m enough of an appreciative fan to recognise the importance of this period in Bowie’s life and even more appreciate Nejib as a fan - because at times this has the giddy enthusiasm of the best fanzines, as if the ideas are pouring out so fast that he can’t always contain them all. Which means it’s probably not really a proper biographical comic at all - but his love of the material makes sure you honestly don’t really care.
The best things about the book is the art - it’s fluid and active and inventive, with occasionally stunning page design as if it’s struggling to contain all the ideas being thrown at the page. There’s life and joy and darkness in these beautifully scrawled images - it’s that enthusiasm that carries you through some probably historically rather ropey moments. It’s a book that’s like a huge fan enthusing about music at a party which is both a good and bad thing: bad because it has no distance or objectivity but good because it shows how much art can change and inspire people to make art of their own. I loved it
I’m what you would call an interested semi fan of Bowie - he’s not the sort of musician who speaks to me fully because I’m always slightly wary of extroverts and musicians who are very image heavy (although I fully understand that no image is just as much of an image as dressing as some weird space alien glam superstar). I also get frustrated by the Newleyisms of his voice at times and the whole Bowie as eighties pop star thing leaves me incredibly cold - I’m a Berlin trilogy kind of bloke. But I’m enough of an appreciative fan to recognise the importance of this period in Bowie’s life and even more appreciate Nejib as a fan - because at times this has the giddy enthusiasm of the best fanzines, as if the ideas are pouring out so fast that he can’t always contain them all. Which means it’s probably not really a proper biographical comic at all - but his love of the material makes sure you honestly don’t really care.
The best things about the book is the art - it’s fluid and active and inventive, with occasionally stunning page design as if it’s struggling to contain all the ideas being thrown at the page. There’s life and joy and darkness in these beautifully scrawled images - it’s that enthusiasm that carries you through some probably historically rather ropey moments. It’s a book that’s like a huge fan enthusing about music at a party which is both a good and bad thing: bad because it has no distance or objectivity but good because it shows how much art can change and inspire people to make art of their own. I loved it
October 23, 2017
The title of this is a little deceiving - this isn't really about Bowie's life, but rather, we follow a brief period where Bowie was still relatively unknown (despite some of the critical success of Space Oddity) to his creating his Ziggy Stardust persona.
Reading this work was a mixed bag for me. I really liked the art - the scribbly lines, the limited colour palette (that frequently changes) - but I found it very difficult to recognize and tell people apart, which was frustrating.
Also, if you're not already a fan of Bowie, this reads as very niche. I'm not at all familiar with Bowie's rise to fame, so all the appearances of famous people / other celebrities that were a part of Bowie's life went right over my head (the only person I recognized was John Lennon, who makes a brief appearance).
Having Haddon Hall, the large suburban house that Bowie moves into at the beginning of the book, tell the story was fine, I guess? It didn't particularly enrichen the telling of the story for me in any way, to be honest.
Despite these complaints, I did still enjoy the reading experience overall. I wouldn't revisit this, but I'm happy to have read it.
Reading this work was a mixed bag for me. I really liked the art - the scribbly lines, the limited colour palette (that frequently changes) - but I found it very difficult to recognize and tell people apart, which was frustrating.
Also, if you're not already a fan of Bowie, this reads as very niche. I'm not at all familiar with Bowie's rise to fame, so all the appearances of famous people / other celebrities that were a part of Bowie's life went right over my head (the only person I recognized was John Lennon, who makes a brief appearance).
Having Haddon Hall, the large suburban house that Bowie moves into at the beginning of the book, tell the story was fine, I guess? It didn't particularly enrichen the telling of the story for me in any way, to be honest.
Despite these complaints, I did still enjoy the reading experience overall. I wouldn't revisit this, but I'm happy to have read it.
July 31, 2018
This ain’t no Bowie for beginners!
Nejib assumes a great deal from the reader in regards to this quaint and mesmerizing tale that reads more like a children’s book than a graphic biography.
Despite being narrated by a house, I wouldn’t have minded a bit more on the house itself - the story has a fluidity, but is more like boxes on packing day rather than connected rooms housing some of pop’s most important creators.
The art, while triply and compelling, ignore the first rule of ‘simple sketches’ and that is consistency of character. Too often I had to rearrange the tale in my mind and figure out who was who. Not a terrible thing, but it did pull me out of the story.
Nejib assumes a great deal from the reader in regards to this quaint and mesmerizing tale that reads more like a children’s book than a graphic biography.
Despite being narrated by a house, I wouldn’t have minded a bit more on the house itself - the story has a fluidity, but is more like boxes on packing day rather than connected rooms housing some of pop’s most important creators.
The art, while triply and compelling, ignore the first rule of ‘simple sketches’ and that is consistency of character. Too often I had to rearrange the tale in my mind and figure out who was who. Not a terrible thing, but it did pull me out of the story.
July 26, 2018
Do you like David Bowie? I do!
Are you quite sure why? I'm not!
This book was about his early, heady days, when he was still wearing floofy tunics and hippie-in-love-with his lady. The transition to ROCK STAR was on the horizon. Stay a hippie! Keep your hair long! You will miss it, David Jones!
A lot of this book was about his relationship with his mentally ill brother, which is touching and hard and I feel like is a ghost in a lot of his work.
It was just a funky book, not perfect, but reminded me of what an intriguing character Bowie is, even if I don't like all or even all that much of his work. :)
Are you quite sure why? I'm not!
This book was about his early, heady days, when he was still wearing floofy tunics and hippie-in-love-with his lady. The transition to ROCK STAR was on the horizon. Stay a hippie! Keep your hair long! You will miss it, David Jones!
A lot of this book was about his relationship with his mentally ill brother, which is touching and hard and I feel like is a ghost in a lot of his work.
It was just a funky book, not perfect, but reminded me of what an intriguing character Bowie is, even if I don't like all or even all that much of his work. :)
October 24, 2017
As many people know, I'm a big Bowie fan, so when I saw this book existed, I had to get a copy. There wasn't much new in it that I didn't already know -- the autobiographical material of Bowie and Angie's life in Haddon Hall is pretty well known stuff, retreaded in every biography -- but what I really loved about this book were the simple yet complicated drawings. The one that stands out in particular is when Bowie's brother Terry, who suffered from schizophrenia and lived at Haddon Hall during a difficult period in his illness, is sitting in a garden, and Bowie is standing on the edge of the garden knowing he has to tell Terry their father has just died. Bowie watches him, hesitating and not wanting to say anything, and Terry, who doesn't know his brother is standing nearby, sits on a bench, staring off into the distance, and slowly, panel by panel, his body turns into a flock of colourful birds, showing just how delicate he was, and how easily he could fall apart. That panel took my breath away. A lovely little book about how Boho Bowie became Ziggy Stardust.
November 17, 2023
2.5, rounded down. Grabbed this from my local library, as I'm a big Bowie fan and he was possibly the most influential artist for me growing up. 4-5 stars for the artistry, it's funky and beautiful and intricate and weird. 2 stars for the story. Bowie is such a fascinating, beautiful, bizarre person and this felt devoid of all of that genius and love. The framing is interesting, though inconsistent - the concept is the narrator of the story being Haddon Hall, Bowie's place of residence during his pre-mega fame years. However, much of it takes place outside of that realm. The book essentially removed all artistry from his career, telling primarily the story of his desire for success and the machinations behind the scenes to make it happen. There was little about inspiration, motivation, the why behind it all. It's a quick easy read, and if you're less personally invested in Bowie and that era of music it's probably a fun visual adventure. Personally, not what I hoping for.
September 27, 2017
Una storia di David Bowie che è più una raccolta di aneddoti sul cantante. Raccolta piuttosto disorganica, a dirla tutta. Peccato che tutto inizi con uno stratagemma narrativo carino, che l'autore purtroppo non si cura di mantenere, se non a tratti, lungo tutto il racconto: Haddon Hall ci presenta il trasloco di Bowie, parlando come casa e lasciando intendere di essere per lo meno la cornice di quello che seguirà. La cornice si rivela troppo esile. Per i disegni la situazione è parzialmente diversa, con una bella idea grafica e una disposizione efficace di linee sottili e riassuntive e colori a campo unito, cui fa da contraltare una serie di pagine davvero poco ispirate, in cui il concetto di cui sopra si svilisce e dà luogo a qualcosa che assomiglia pericolosamente ad anonimi scarabocchi. Insomma: un volume che va a un passo dall'essere attraente, per poi sprofondare nel mediocre.
January 3, 2019
Very entertaining but rather slight. I wanted to more rock n roll details, as you might get in a good biography. (There is biographical detail, to be fair.) Also wanted to see 70's London in the artwork. The artwork makes London look like more or less anywhere in Europe in the last 50 years.
Would have been a real achievement if - for example - the artwork started out as the pen and ink equivalent of The Laughing Gnome (which it does) but developed as Bowie develops into something more spiky and precise.
Also, the book doesn't tell you this... 42 Southend Road, otherwise known as Haddon Hall, was torn down in the early 1980s and is today replaced by the road Shannon Way and a complex of dull flats.
Would have been a real achievement if - for example - the artwork started out as the pen and ink equivalent of The Laughing Gnome (which it does) but developed as Bowie develops into something more spiky and precise.
Also, the book doesn't tell you this... 42 Southend Road, otherwise known as Haddon Hall, was torn down in the early 1980s and is today replaced by the road Shannon Way and a complex of dull flats.
October 10, 2017
Pros: lovely artwork that reminds me of John Lennon's drawings, a quick pace to the story, and an interesting point-of-view. (The house is the narrator! How interesting!)
Cons: the author/artist didn't give the last names of a lot of the people featured. If I didn't already have a decent knowledge of rock music, I wouldn't have realized until near the end of the book that "Marc" is actually Marc Bolan. I'm not sure of the full names of Bowie's guitarist or drummer, who were only addressed as "Mick" and "Woody" - I'll have to look that up. That was the only thing that bugged me, because I like to know the full names of people so as not to get confused.
Cons: the author/artist didn't give the last names of a lot of the people featured. If I didn't already have a decent knowledge of rock music, I wouldn't have realized until near the end of the book that "Marc" is actually Marc Bolan. I'm not sure of the full names of Bowie's guitarist or drummer, who were only addressed as "Mick" and "Woody" - I'll have to look that up. That was the only thing that bugged me, because I like to know the full names of people so as not to get confused.
April 26, 2021
Néjib's Haddon Hall is a wonderfully whimsical trip through a specific period in the early career of David Bowie, right as he was working on the album "The Man Who Sold The World", and planting the seeds that would bloom a little later when he released "Hunky Dory".
Néjib's visual style is simple and loose, but perfectly captures the energy of the emerging pop artist and his coterie of lovers, managers, fellow musicians, and immediate family. This particular story has been told before, but Néjib re-tells it with a light touch that makes for a very enjoyable read.
Néjib's visual style is simple and loose, but perfectly captures the energy of the emerging pop artist and his coterie of lovers, managers, fellow musicians, and immediate family. This particular story has been told before, but Néjib re-tells it with a light touch that makes for a very enjoyable read.
September 21, 2017
I didn't like it much. The invention of Ziggy Stardust calls for a lot more glamour than the very simple sketches convey, and the colours feel wrong for the era. This is a book about a lot of very memorable looking people, but none of them are recognizable. The story is interesting enough for a fan (a bit niche if you're not), but very sparsely told. The gimmick of the house telling the story was pretty useless as well. Eh.
March 8, 2023
Not a particularly poor book, but I didn't derive much joy nor any understanding of what this might have helped me understand. I'm sure Bowie fans probably feel very differently and it probably helps to be a Bowie fan but as someone who hasn't read or heard much Bowie, this didn't even inspire the least bit of curiosity in me to understand more about the man and his evolution to the legend he became.
June 9, 2017
Mukavan rennolla pilapiirrostyylillä ja laajoilla väripinnoilla toteutettu sarjakuva-albumi Bowien uran alkuvaiheista. Kiva tämä oli lukea, mutta ei kovin erityinen. Kehystävänä ideana on käyttää kertojana taloa (Haddon Hall), mutta siitä ei kyllä ole saatu mitään sen kummempaa irti. Onneksi talo-kertoja on äänessä vain lyhyesti.
November 6, 2017
A colorful, loosely drawn and high energy story about the years in which David Bowie and a rag-tag band of lovers and friends lived in Haddon Hall, as narrated by the house itself. The time period is 1969-1972, just before he exploded into fame. Very enjoyable, though I wish the author had included a list of sources- I was left wondering how true to fact some of the sequences were.
December 5, 2017
A nice little mini-history of David Bowie as told from the perspective of Haddon Hall, where he lived with Angie and a few others for some time before his career truly took off. An interesting way to do a little slice-of-life history. Art a little like Roz Chast, but *bright*!
July 3, 2018
Loved this so much. A lovingly put together little slice of Bowie’s life from the perspective of the house he and his little commune lived in for a period; Haddon Hall.
The artwork pulls you through the book effortlessly.
It really is a beautiful thing.
The artwork pulls you through the book effortlessly.
It really is a beautiful thing.
January 10, 2021
The "Haddon Hall" era of Bowie's creative development is definitely an important aspect of his artistic career. The story deserves to be told in great detail. In the case of this book, it is simply trivialized into a comic strip. A shame.
February 16, 2022
It looks more like a children's book and although I got used to the art style after a while it didn't feel appropriate for the story it tells. Characters are not really explored either, you just have to already know a lot about Bowie to connect the dots.
October 15, 2023
The first graphic novel I’ve ever read. The story was good/decent, and I got to learn more about Bowie than I knew before (which was basically nothing). But the highlight of this book was the artwork, which was absolutely beautiful and entrancing. Worth picking up even if just to admire the art.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews