A review by blkmymorris
Le Cinquième Beatles by Vivek J. Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson, Kyle Baker

5.0

This book is beautiful. Andrew C. Robinson's watercolors vibrantly depict fantasy and stunningly capture real people. Vivek Tiwary's graphic novel focuses on Brian Epstein's homosexuality and his work behind the scenes as the Beatles manager. It mostly focuses on him and John rather than the Beatles as a whole, and that takes a back seat to his life as a closeted gay man in the 1960s. As much as I like Kyle Baker, his small section is strange detour. It did feel like the right choice to illustrate The Beatles in the Philippines. I did love Robinson's use of white and black space in the story telling to focus and frame important events and imagery. Seriously, I would love more time to focus on the art and how it interacts with the pacing of the graphic novel. The pages and panels of when Epstein meets with Colonel Parker is worth an essay of its own because of its composition and beautiful coloring.