| The Fifth Beatle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date | November 2013 |
| Publisher | Dark Horse Comics |
| Creative team | |
| Writer | Vivek Tiwary |
| Artist | Andrew Robinson Kyle Baker |
The Fifth Beatle is a graphic novel by writer Vivek Tiwary, artist Andrew Robinson, and cartoonist Kyle Baker. It debuted in Italy as part as the tenth anniversary of the country's Rolling Stone magazine and was published by Dark Horse Comics in November 2013. [1]
The novel tells the true account of Brian Epstein, the manager of The Beatles, considered to be and coined as the "Fifth Beatle", so-called as he was the one who discovered the Liverpool band and was the driving force behind their worldwide success.
Despite being turned down by several record companies, Epstein believed the group would be "bigger than Elvis." To that end, Epstein seriously cleans up the band's public image, such as having them wear suits and ties as well encouraging them to continue their distinctive mop-top hairdos. So prepared, Epstein is able to masterfully promote their careers, with a major triumph being negotiating a series of headline appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show by offering to cover the band's travelling expenses and accepting an unusually low payment for the appearances, which produced spectacular publicity for the band's first American concert tour. As the group grew in popularity, Epstein struggled with his sexuality, being gay at a time when it was still criminalized, and there were few options for gay men to meet publicly, and his drug addictions. After The Beatles ceased touring in 1966, he feared about their future, and his role with the group.
After a film adaptation was announced in 2013, [2] Sonar Entertainment optioned the rights to The Fifth Beatle for development as a multi-part television event series. Tiwary will pen the series adaptation and serve as executive producer. [3] The series has also acquired rights to Beatles songs from Sony.
In October 2016 The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story was released in trade paperback. The new paperback edition included new art and concept material from artist Kyle Baker. [4]
The Fifth Beatle was released and became a New York Times Best Seller. [5] It climbed to number one in its third week. USA Today called scenes of it "touching," as well as having some "fanciful aspects." [6]
The Fifth Beatle was named as a finalist for the prestigious 26th Annual Lambda Literary Award ("The Lammys") for "Best LGBT Graphic Novel". 2014 marks the debut of the Graphic Novel Category. [7] On March 14, 2014 The Fifth Beatle was named a finalist in Foreword Review's 16th Annual Book of the Year Awards. [8]
In March 2014, Andrew Robinson, artist of The Fifth Beatle, was nominated for the 68th Annual National Cartoonist Society Divisional Reuben Award for "Best Graphic Novel." [9] On May 25, 2014 it was announced that Robinson was selected as the Reuben Award Winner for "Best Graphic Novel." [10]
In April 2014, The Fifth Beatle received two Eisner Award nominations in the categories of Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art) for Robinson and Best Reality-Based Work. [11] On July 25, 2014, The Fifth Beatle received the Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based work. [12]
In 2014, The Fifth Beatle was nominated for the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Award under the category "Great Graphic Novels for Teens". [13] The winner of this award will be announced in January 2015.[ needs update ]
The Fifth Beatle creative team, including Tiwary, Robinson and Baker, have been selected as guests at the 14th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival on August 30, 2014 in Washington, D.C. U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were honorary chairs for the event. [14]
In June 2014, The Fifth Beatle was nominated for a True Believers Comics Award for "Favourite 2013 Original Graphic Novel". [15]
The Fifth Beatle was also announced as an INDIEFAB 2013 GOLD Winner for Graphic Novels & Comics. [16]
In July 2014, The Fifth Beatle was nominated for two Harvey Awards, "Best Graphic Album - Original" and "Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation". [17] On September 6, 2014 at Baltimore Comic-Con, The Fifth Beatle won two Harvey Awards for "Best Graphic Album - Original" and "Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation". [18]
Colleen Doran is an American writer-artist and cartoonist. She illustrated hundreds of comics, graphic novels, books and magazines, including the autobiographical graphic novel of Marvel Comics editor and writer Stan Lee entitled Amazing Fantastic Incredible Stan Lee, which became a New York Times bestseller. She adapted and did the art for the short story "Troll Bridge" by Neil Gaiman, which also became a New York Times bestseller. Her books have received Eisner, Harvey, Bram Stoker, Locus, and International Horror Guild Awards.
Scott McCloud is an American cartoonist and comics theorist. His non-fiction books about comics, Understanding Comics (1993), Reinventing Comics (2000), and Making Comics (2006), are made in comic form.
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry, often referred to as the industry's equivalent to the Academy Awards.
The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be a successor to the Kirby Awards, which were discontinued in 1987.
Nelson Alexander Ross is an American comic book writer and artist known primarily for his painted interiors, covers, and design work. He first became known with the 1994 miniseries Marvels, on which he collaborated with writer Kurt Busiek for Marvel Comics. He has since done a variety of projects for both Marvel and DC Comics, such as the 1996 miniseries Kingdom Come, which he also cowrote. Since then he has done covers and character designs for Busiek's series Astro City, and various projects for Dynamite Entertainment. His feature film work includes concept and narrative art for Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004), and DVD packaging art for the M. Night Shyamalan film Unbreakable (2000). He has done covers for TV Guide, promotional artwork for the Academy Awards, posters and packaging design for video games, and his renditions of superheroes have been merchandised as action figures.
Jeff Smith is an American cartoonist. He is best known as the creator of the self-published comic book series Bone.
Bryan Lee O'Malley is a Canadian cartoonist, best known for the Scott Pilgrim series. He also performs as a musician under the alias Kupek.
James H. Williams III, usually credited as J. H. Williams III, is an American comics artist and penciller. He is known for his work on titles such as Chase, Promethea, Desolation Jones,Batwoman, and The Sandman: Overture.
Boom! Studios, is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher. They are headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. The company is a subsidiary of Random House division of Penguin Random House since September 2024.
Mariko Tamaki is a Canadian artist and writer. She is known for her graphic novels Skim, Emiko Superstar, and This One Summer, and for several prose works of fiction and non-fiction. In 2016 she began writing for both Marvel and DC Comics. She has twice been named a runner-up for the Michael L. Printz Award.
Vivek J. Tiwary is an American author and theater producer.
Andrew Aydin is an American comics writer, known as the Digital Director & Policy Advisor to Georgia congressman John Lewis, and co-author, with Lewis, of March, Lewis' #1 New York Times bestselling autobiographical graphic novel trilogy.
Notable events of 2013 in webcomics.
Notable events of 2014 in webcomics.
Notable events of 2015 in webcomics.
Flutter is a comic series published by Dark Horse Comics. The first graphic novel in the series, Flutter, Volume One: Hell Can Wait, was published in March 2013. The Advocate named it one of the best LGBTQ graphic novels of 2013. The following year, Bleeding Cool named Flutter one of the 15 best indie comics.
Notable events of 2018 in webcomics.
The Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Comics is an annual literary award, presented by the Lambda Literary Foundation, to a graphic novel with LGBTQ+ themes. As the award is presented based on themes in the work, not the sexuality or gender of the writer, non-LGBTQ+ individuals may be nominated for or win the award.
| |||||
| Staff | |||||
| Imprints | |||||
| Publications |
| ||||
| Dark Horse Entertainment |
| ||||
