Baby's in Black: Astrid Kirchherr, Stuart Sutcliffe, and The Beatles in Hamburg

Reading two graphic novels about the Beatles seemed like a good idea at the time, but when one is so clearly better than the other (both in terms of writing and art) it becomes a let down.

The artistic stylings of this book - stark black, whites, and greys combined with a rudimentary line treatment - fall extremely flat in comparison to the lush colours and emotive lines of The Fifth Beatle. Maybe the artist meant to evoke a feeling of bleakness (counterpoint to the illness of the "lost Beatle") or to represent the artistic motifs of Germany in the post-war period, but I still feel like they elementary quality of the artwork really let the story down. Repetitive elements of the story (such as the lovers in the woods) did not help, as show more they just emphasized the lack of maturity in the story as a whole. show less

Wow what a sad and wonderful history. I picked Baby’s in Black because it had something to do with the Beatles (my family are huge fans). This is the story of Stuart Sutcliffe who was the original bassist for the Beatles when they started in Germany in 1960. Stuart did not consider himself a great musician but followed for the sake of his friend John Lennon. He was soon discovered by Astrid Kirchheer. They fell in love and she nurtured the artist that he was meant to be. Sadly, Stuart had an underlying illness that the doctors were unable to determine which resulted in his death. The beauty of the story is in the telling of their relationship. Drawn in black and white, this graphic novel has a haunting yet light touch. You can’t show more help but feel for both Astrid and Stuart who never were able to marry. His future was so bright and yet was not meant to be. That did not mean that he didn’t influence the lives of others who went on to have amazing careers. This is a must have for any Beatles fan even though it does not focus on them exclusively. The story is simple and fairly modest making it suitable for young fans. show less

This book is based upon a true story.

Astrid Kircherr is a young photographer in 1960 Germany, when her life is thrown for a loop. Through Klaus, her sometimes boyfriend, she is introduced to a new band from the UK that is performing at a local bar. The Beatles...before they were the Beatles. Astrid and their bassist Stuart Sutcliffe quickly fall in love. When the Beatles have to return to the UK, Stuart quits and stays behind. He picks up the paintbrush again and is quickly accepted as a rising star in the modern art world. He and Astrid, madly in love, are soon engaged. Their life seems absolutely perfect. And then...the unthinkable happens.

There’s something special about this book. Not that it focuses on the Beatles, but because show more Arne crafts a tale of personal relationships and what makes them work. He makes it easy to relate to the characters, to sympathize with their struggles of communicating across language but being united by some of the things that make us who we are--music, art, hope, friendship, love. It sounds sappy I know, but I left the book feeling like I really knew the people that were introduced in the story, especially Astrid and Stuart. It’s easy to see that Astrid and Stuart care about each other, even while struggling to communicate in different languages. I think one of my favorite parts is when a friend is asking Astrid how Stuart’s German is coming and she says “he could speak old Siberian and I’d still be in love.” My one minor grip, and this maybe due to differences in culture since the book was written in German, is that sometimes the transitions between stories are a bit rough. It seems like we jump scenes and times in a couple places, with no warning or no advanced knowledge, we only know that time has moved forward by comments the characters make, which is a bit different from what we see in typical American story telling. Once you get into the story though, its easy enough to recognize the pattern.

The artwork really reminds me a lot of David B’s (author of Epileptic) and the type of style that he taught to his students, which includes Marjane Satrapi author of Persepolis. It’s a very sparse line drawing that captures just the bare essence of the characters and surrounding world, yet is very evocative, especially in capturing the smoky essence of the bar. In just a few lines Arne captures the the characters and the emotion, the tenderness, the hope that the Astrid and Stuart felt for each other. I love how in some places the lines leave the panel, as if the energy being created by the characters is powerful enough to transcend the boxes that we may put them in. Some of the most powerful scenes are the ones right at the end, where Arne captures that feeling of being told bad news. Where people are speaking around you and you can’t hear them.

I do want to make special mention of the fonts chosen, as it is something that folks are likely to notice. There are two different types, one hand drawn for the noises (such as ring) but a typewriter type font for the spoken word. While it might appear a bit different this is what the original looks like as well (at least based upon image searches that I was able to find) so it remains true in style to what Arne chose.

I really enjoyed this book and found that it made me want to know more about Stuart and Astrid’s lives, before and after the events depicted in the book. I would highly recommend this book, not just to fans of the Beatles, but to people that enjoy a good biographical story. 5 out of 5 stars.

A review copy of this book was provided by Gina at FirstSecond. show less

For as much as I've read about the Beatles' time in Hamburg, nothing has shed light on Stuart and Astrid as clearly as this book has. I loved the black and white as well as seeing the world mostly through Astrid's experiences and getting to know Stuart as an artist more than anything. Well done!

This ful-length comic looks intensively at the romance between German Astrid Kirchherr and the little-known "Fifth Beatle," bassist-turned-artist Stuart Sutcliffe. Atmospheric, smoky illustrations bring the Beatles' early Hamburg career to life. Astrid, known for photographing the Beatles but perhaps best known for transitioning the Beatles into their classic mop-top hair, is appealing and likable (not to mention a chain smoker!). While the ending is abrupt, end matter bridges the time gap between Sutcliffe's death and the present day. Highly recommended for teen and adult collections, this is a quick and satisfying read. (15)

You can probably tell that I am a huge music fan. Well, what you may not know is that I grew up a child of the 60s/70s so far as musical taste goes. Until sixth grade, I didn't really have a conception of 'modern music,' because I listened to what my parents listened to: oldies CDs and the oldies radio station, which tragically went out of business some time in high school. Although my tastes have diversified, I will always have a soft spot for music of that time period, and some of it will always be a favorite. Primary among my favorite bands, oldies or not, are The Beatles. Thus, upon spying this graphic novel about The Beatles in NetGalley, I just had to have it, and First Second was kind enough to approve me.

The cover is a bit show more misleading, though. The marketing makes this appear to be more about The Beatles than it actually is. The real story that the graphic novel is telling is that of the romance between Stuart Sutcliffe, bassist for The Beatles during the time when they were playing in Germany, and Astrid Kirchherr, a photographer. Reading real life love stories is always so charming, although they are not as neat and happy as fictional ones.

Now, I know I said that this isn't ABOUT The Beatles, but there is still so much to be learned about their early days in here. As a fan who doesn't research music history much, I found those details fascinating. The Beatles were implicated in a fire in Hamburg! Weird, right? One thing I learned, which I should have known, was that The Beatles smoked constantly. I mean, obviously I knew that, but, in my mind, no one smokes, so that reminded me why I would not want to go back in time and hang with The Beatles.

The one thing that I did not, personally care for was the artwork. It's very crude and simplistic, and just did not jive with me at all. However, I do imagine that Kirchherr would approve. Art is a very personal taste, so you should really take a look for yourself. It's just like what you see on the cover.

I wanted to know more and to test the accuracy, so I consulted my good friend Google and found this awesome article from the Daily Record, which pretty much sums up this period in the history of The Beatles, who thankfully changed their name from The Quarrymen. So cool! Also, I would recommend doing a search for Astrid and The Beatles, because you can see a bunch of pictures of her and pictures she took, which is just amazing.

A graphic novel weighing in at just 200 pages, this is a really easy read. Beatles fans, you should definitely check this out! show less

I read so few graphic novels that it really isn't fair for me to rate or review them. You need a good story and you need good artwork to make me happy. The artwork here, with just a couple exceptions, I thought was rather bland. It didn't hit me with any emotional impact and it felt repetitive and unexciting. The story starts with Klaus Voorman finding the Beatles playing in a club in Hamburg in October 1960. He tells his ex-girlfriend Astrid that she must come see them with him the next night. The story ends on April 10, 1962 with the sudden death of Stu Sutcliffe.

I approached the book with a bit of excitement but was ultimately disappointed. I love the Beatles but can't recommend this.