Baby's in Black: Astrid Kirchherr, Stuart Sutcliffe, and The Beatles by Arne Bellstorf

May 03, 2012 Maree rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Maree by: Jo

Shelves: wishlist, music, graphic, netgalley, 2012-read, romance, beatles, favourites-2012

This is an absolutely gorgeous, heartbreaking book detailing the love of Stu Sutcliffe and Astrid Kirchherr. Stu was the real fifth Beatle, the original bass player of the band and best friend to one John Winston Lennon. During their time in Hamburg Stu and Astrid meet and fall in love, but this book is so much more than that. It is a tale of love, loss, friendship and a band at its beginning.

“I think of her, but she thinks only of him, and though it’s only a whim, she thinks of him…”

Astrid and...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Mariel rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: something important died screaming

Recommended to Mariel by: eight cans deep in the same damn seat

Black turtlenecks. That's what I've got on this. Okay, cigarettes dangling from arms that dangle from turtlenecks that are plucked out of someone's idea of 1960s European cool. Stick your arms inside the hidey hole sleeves and wait it all out. Smoke chains and hair tendrils of girl chic short 'dos and dont's of Hamburg night life in the 1960s. Hooting and clubs you aren't going to. Yawn. That's what I've got. Okay, stretch your arms over the backs of the movie theatre seat and you can't cop a fe...more Black turtlenecks. That's what I've got on this. Okay, cigarettes dangling from arms that dangle from turtlenecks that are plucked out of someone's idea of 1960s European cool. Stick your arms inside the hidey hole sleeves and wait it all out. Smoke chains and hair tendrils of girl chic short 'dos and dont's of Hamburg night life in the 1960s. Hooting and clubs you aren't going to. Yawn. That's what I've got. Okay, stretch your arms over the backs of the movie theatre seat and you can't cop a feel because the other seat is a long time cold. Astrid favored black a lot. Black as a scene, black as something to do. Black as waiting, endlessly. Mysterious and contained. That's my barely contained sigh. I like my black as a blanket. Arne Bellstorf fancies black and white pixie pixels, clearly. They float over your bar stool.

Boyfriend Klaus out the door. New boyfriend auditioning on stage with an instrument he can't play. (Murray on Flight of the Conchords called the bass "the dad guitar". Ha! Paul resumed the instrument and later, after the loss of Brian Epstein, the boys would rebel when he takes old Murray too seriously about being the dad.) Baby's In Black is a lot of the same look of Astrid looking up at Stuart Sutcliffe as he doesn't play the bass with The Beatles. Wait a minute! I thought they made Stuart turn his back so one would figure out he couldn't play. He must've had a terrific butt (Ringo wasn't around yet. We all know he followed the music from their bouncing buns like he was Helen Keller. Deaf from the screams, y'know). Anyway, it's hard work. The boys couldn't have played those marathon shows for those angry Germans without doping up on pills and booze. Stomach lining sic and it's all black and white drawings that don't pulse. Shirley Temple's good ship lollipop never had seas so rough. Wittle George was still the baby. Twenty-one, officers, really. Paul the devil on John's leather clad shoulder. John the devil on John's leather clad other shoulder. Too much burden to bear. Judy Garland had it so unwholesome. Stuart the art school buddy brought along. They weren't unlike Astrid and her former flame Klaus that way, I guess. Like minds clicking like a cuckoo clock on their same dots. A hard rock choir of little birdies (and plenty of chicks). Uniformed unisex unitards in unison. Bo-ring.

Personally, I found Klaus's discovery of The Beatles more exciting. He HAD to take the reeperbahn night after night to see the boys in that rat trap cellar filled with all of those unimpressed Germans. They'd probably break into a fight if John didn't honestly and truly mean it. What if one of them sobered enough to discover that Stuart couldn't properly play out of his ass? Huh? What then? But what was he thinking bringing along the girl he liked to watch these cute guys on stage (not Paul. He was kind of rodenty). Astrid thought Stuart was much cuter than James Dean! Cue one of MANY same stills of Astrid looking up at Stuart. She is looking up at Stuart even when she is not looking up at Stuart. You could ask her what she was thinking and you wouldn't know even if she told you. Cool girls. I never know what a groovy girl would think about. My staring problem had a problem here. Nothing to look at!

Astrid is the cool older sister who goes out every night without you. You want to come along. It's past your bed time. Get lost, runt! She falls in love without you. She plans her future without you. Sure, she was a pretty blond German girl. She always looked lovely in the photographs in Beatles books. You don't actually know her. She loved her mom. She wanted to make a life with Stuart and take photographs. I have no idea what made her tick. Author Arne Bellstorf worked closely with her in the making of his graphic novel. It can't be a case like anything made about The Runaways (a bunch of egos scrambling like roaches away from the light so that they, and only they, will look fab). She must have told him something. Made you look!

The future planned their future without Stuart. He died of a brain hemorrhage. Causes unknown. (The popular myth goes that John Lennon kicked him in the head with his Beatle boots.) This just in.... Causes unknown.

Astrid Kirchherr declined all offers for further Beatles association after 1964 because she was a friend to The Beatles and not the "mop tops' hairdresser". I gotta respect that (many made their bread and butter just for being at the right time and place when The Beatles were starting out). Personally, I never liked that look. It really isn't cute on child stars the world over. I'm sure many a disaffected and unemployed has-been cutie has cursed Astrid's name over empty containers of Rogaine. Barry Wom (doppelgänger to Ringo Starr in The Beatles spoof The Rutles, for the lay person. Astrid and Stu like the word doppelgänger. Me too) wanted to be a hairdresser. He would like to be two hairdressers. He hears their pain. It must be tough to stand beside the spotlight. I wouldn't know. Why not shine a different kind of light on things? Stage lights, dressing room lights, city lights, torch lights. There's more than just the stage. Who cares if Paul and John walk off into the sunset (for a time)? Baby's In Black wanted to carry the flame of Stuart and Astrid for a little bit longer. It could have done, a bit, like when Astrid wanders through those empty woods alone. Astrid in the woods with Stuart. Astrid seeing herself in those woods alone again, before Stuart is gone for good. Stuart could have been buried in a box made out of one of those pines, if they had seen it coming. Baby's In Black lost a little something because I did see it coming. Maybe something sweeter? Two kids who could barely speak each other's language being together. It's there, unfortunately dressed in cool black and cool sheets. Can I just say the art wasn't that good to sustain a love story? No slipping between these pages, no sir.

I don't know, if she didn't want to be their hairdresser shouldn't a story about their love story had been about their love story? That might be silly to say because no one would be talking about them at all without The Beatles. Still, a love story is a love story. Astrid was what Stuart had. He dropped out out of art school in Liverpool when he was so close to finishing to follow John to be in a band. He felt shame about not being able to play. Paul was a bitch about it. You fucked up a note, you fucker! He lost his closeness with John to the pull of something John was so good at. John and Paul had the creative spark between them. Stuart had his own art. Before he died he was making more work than ever. He couldn't turn it off even as his own legs couldn't support his weight. He wanted to go to Paris. He loved Astrid. They were going to have a life. He died. I knew all of that. How did it feel? When they didn't know they were going to lose it all? There's one panel of them sharing an umbrella (I know that's Romantic because my ex didn't share his). Stuart tells Astrid he doesn't regret a single day they spent together. Baby's In Black should have been days. The art was turtlenecks and smoke. I could have been choking in a bar, looking into stone faces of Germans. Are they angry? Does the music move them? Are they going to dance or is that bottle going over my head? No idea. I don't even own a turtleneck. My neck is cold from craning to see Love.

I do know that the Hamburg period was the Beatles favorite time. It was hard, it was grime under the nails. Scorch marks on the dirty cellar mental walls. They had each other, then. It felt like you could be there when reading them talk about in Anthology. That's love to me. Baby's In Black didn't have that. I'm not cool so I'm bitching (what do you expect? I don't own a single turtleneck, let alone turtlenecks for two). Wait for me? Fuck it, I'm sitting next to Klaus. I need it. Bring the bottle over my head. It is 1960. I'm in love. Music is my black blanket. Cover me.

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Feb 25, 2012 Phoebe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: beatles, comics, loved-it

I was ten, almost eleven, when I fell in love for the first time.

I was over my grandparents' house. The grown-ups were watching some grown-up film on the downstairs television, so I went upstairs with my art supplies and reams of computer paper and drew on my grandparents' bed while watching the Beatles anthology on ABC.

I can't deny that what stirred in me then--some groundswell of emotion at the sight of the Beatles in Hamburg, photographed by Astrid Kirchherr, may have been in some ways sexual...more

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Mar 04, 2012 Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, e, graphic-novels, 2012

“Love me tender, love me true, all my dreams fulfilled. For, my darling, I love you and I always will”.

I am ambivalent towards the Beatles.
It’s not that I don’t like them, I just don’t love them.
Throughout my life I seemed to have attracted Beatles fans as best friends. It’s like they flock to me. Whether it’s my friend who knows every single world to every single song and whose mum once nearly got arrested outside one of their gigs, to the friend who has her picture up in the pub a young Mr L...more

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Jan 25, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, graphic-novel-comic, netgalley

Baby's In Black is the true story of Stuart Sutcliffe and Astrid Kirchherr. If you haven't heard of Stuart Sutcliffe, he was in a little band called The Beatles. He was one of the original band members. The original line-up was Paul, John, George, Stuart and Pete Best(the drummer before Ringo). This was the line-up who went to play in Hamburg in the early 1960's, before they became big. This is where Stuart met a beautiful photographer named Astrid Kirchherr and they quickly fell in love and bec...more description

Baby's In Black is the true story of Stuart Sutcliffe and Astrid Kirchherr. If you haven't heard of Stuart Sutcliffe, he was in a little band called The Beatles. He was one of the original band members. The original line-up was Paul, John, George, Stuart and Pete Best(the drummer before Ringo). This was the line-up who went to play in Hamburg in the early 1960's, before they became big. This is where Stuart met a beautiful photographer named Astrid Kirchherr and they quickly fell in love and became engaged.

I already knew this story because I'm a huge Beatles fan. I saw the movie Backbeat about 10 years ago, which is the same story as this, essentially(with slightly more emphasis on John and his relationship with Stuart, as well as Stuart and Astrid's love story). So, I knew the story but this was a lovely way to re-live it. It's very well done and the drawings are striking.

Stuart Sutcliffe met John Lennon in Art College and John convinced Stuart to join his band. Once Stuart met Astrid, I think he met the other piece of himself and he realized that he wanted to be an artist and just live life with Astrid. Being in the band didn't really bring him much joy; he just wanted more time to paint and create all the things going on inside his head. So eventually, he told John he couldn't be in the band anymore.

From Wikipedia:

Sutcliffe's high spot was singing "Love Me Tender", which drew more applause than the other Beatles.
Yoko Ono remembered that Lennon mentioned Sutcliffe's name very often, saying that he was "[My] alter ego ... a spirit in his world ... a guiding force".

Stuart Sutcliffe also appears on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band. Astrid Kirchherr was one of the first people to properly photograph The Beatles(well, without Ringo anyways!) This was one of her shots from when The Beatles were in Hamburg(again, the orignal line-up without Ringo):
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She was an incredibly talented photographer and artist. She also had a role in The Beatles famous "mop-top hairstyle", even if she won't take full credit for it. She says that it was a popular hairstyle in Germany but she cut Stuart's hair in that style, and later George asked for her to cut his hair.

Astrid's friend Klaus later cut John and Paul's hair in Paris. Klaus Voormann became friends with The Beatles and even lived with George and Ringo while he was looking for work as an artist. He designed the cover of Revolver. He was also a session musician who played bass with John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Lou Reed, Carly Simon and Manfred Mann, to name a few.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel because it showed the story in a new way. I can never really get enough when it comes to The Beatles. I thought Backbeat was a good movie and I think this is a great graphic novel. It doesn't have a happy ending but it's a true story full of very talented people. I really enjoyed it.

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Dec 22, 2012 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

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 alwa...more 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 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!
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May 30, 2012 Katie Mac rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: graphic-novel, disappointing, music, own, non-fiction, beatles

Honestly, I found myself disappointed with this book. I'm quite familiar with the story of the Beatles in Hamburg, as well as the story of Stuart and Astrid, and I was hoping that this book could expand it, show it in a new light, whatever. No? Well, that's okay; even if I didn't learn anything new, it still would have been nice to see a good, literary interpretation of my favorite people. Except that was not delivered either. Most of the characters were quite two-dimensional (with the exception...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Liz rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was pretty excited to pick up this graphic novel about Stuart Sutcliffe "The Fifth Beatle", and his relationship with photographer Astrid Kirchherr. I, like almost every single other person on god's green earth, love The Beatles, and I liked the looks of the artwork. It has a very cute '60s feel, but is also very dark - probably partly in part to Astrid's love of the color black. The darkness also fits the sort of 1960s beatnik Germany setting.

What made the book fall flat for me, unfortunately...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Nicola rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reason for Reading: I love this publisher. I love graphic biographies. I love The Beatles.

The publisher's summary does a more than adequate job of describing what this book accomplishes, even to the point of telling you how it ends. Of course, this is a true story and many will know the ending before they start to read anyway, but it would be nice for them to have left that off for the few of us new to this part of The Beatles' history. I knew about Pete Best and was vaguely aware of there being...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Richie Partington rated it 5 of 5 stars

Richie’s Picks: BABY’S IN BLACK: ASTRID KIRCHHERR, STUART SUTCLIFFE, AND THE BEATLES by Arne Bellstorf, First Second, May 2012, ISBN: 978-1-59653-771-5

“And though he’ll never come back, she’s dressed in black”
-- Lennon/McCartney, “Baby’s in Black” (written about Astrid’s mourning over Stuart’s sudden death)

“’He’s got something…Something different from the others…I just wish he’d take off those sunglasses.’” (Astrid talking about Stuart.)

Anyone from my generation who was even a fraction as obsess...more Richie’s Picks: BABY’S IN BLACK: ASTRID KIRCHHERR, STUART SUTCLIFFE, AND THE BEATLES by Arne Bellstorf, First Second, May 2012, ISBN: 978-1-59653-771-5

“And though he’ll never come back, she’s dressed in black”
-- Lennon/McCartney, “Baby’s in Black” (written about Astrid’s mourning over Stuart’s sudden death)

“’He’s got something…Something different from the others…I just wish he’d take off those sunglasses.’” (Astrid talking about Stuart.)

Anyone from my generation who was even a fraction as obsessed with The Beatles as was I will be familiar with the name Stuart Sutcliffe. Anyone from my generation, or anyone from a more recent generation who has read Elizabeth Partridge’s amazing, Michael Printz Honor book, JOHN LENNON: ALL I WANT IS THE TRUTH, knows the basics of the tragic story whereby The Beatles’ original bass player, the painter who fell in love with German photographer Astrid Kirchherr, left the band to remain with her in Hamburg and pursue his art, and then died suddenly at age twenty-one when an aneurysm in his brain burst.

Utilizing extensive input from Astrid Kirchherr who, herself, contributed to creation of the image portrayed by The Beatles in the early sixties, German cartoonist Arne Bellstorf’s BABY’S IN BLACK is the graphic novelized love story of Astrid and Stuart. Originally published in Germany, the translated version is now available here thanks to the good folks at First Second.

Spanning the time period from October 1960 through April 1962 (more than a year before my cousin Pam first played me “I Want to Hold Your Hand” on her little phonograph), we are set down amidst the early days of the band’s extended stay in Hamburg when they were “living in a back room in the Bambi cinema” and “the only place they can wash themselves is in the public toilets there.”

A guilty pleasure of a pop history love story, this will be a good choice for those adolescents who, as with my kids, were raised with lots of Beatles songs.

Richie Partington
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
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May 09, 2012 Sara Thompson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

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 und...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Scott Asher rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels

Before the Beatles were the “Beatles” they were a club band playing in Germany in 1960. While playing one night Klaus hears them playing and the world changed.

Baby’s in Black
Astrid Kirchherr, Stuart Sutclffe, and The Beatles
Written & Illustrated by Arne Bellstorf
First Second
April 2012

In the 1960’s there wasn’t anyone hotter than the Beatles. Their look. Their clothes. Their hair styles. Everything about them was different and enthralling. They are the original “it” guys. This book is sheds...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Seth Hahne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics

There's no two ways about it: adaptations of non-fictional stories are a tough beast to approach—and doubly so when the non-fictional account revolves about a tragic death. The trick, see, is the fact that anyone who's aware of history, of the story being unveiled, will know how the retelling will end. When we watched The Perfect Storm, most of us were well aware that George Clooney and Marky Mark wouldn't make it to the film's credits (save perhaps through some kind of treacle flashback montage...more

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Mar 14, 2012 Gary Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Arne Bellstorf’s graphic “novel” Baby’s in Black is the true story of Astrid who becomes involved with Stuart, a guy who plays in a band. He likes the band scene but really wants to be a painter. Astrid becomes friends with the other guys in the band too as she helps Stuart follow his true artistic calling. The girl is Astrid Kirchherr, and her boyfriend is Stuart Sutcliffe. The year is 1960, and the band is The Beatles--at that time John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliff...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels, music, relationships, young-adult-literature, biography

"Then these five musicians slowly shuffled onto the stage. No one in the crowd was paying them any attention. They were messing around and didn't seem particularly nervous before their set.

They were all dressed the same, in cheap jackets, tight flannel trousers, and high, pointy buckled shoes. They looked very odd.

The bassist made me think of James Dean. He work dark sunglasses the whole time and stood completely still on stage.

One of the other guitarists looked like he'd just turned fifteen....more

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Mar 24, 2012 Marika rated it 4 of 5 stars

Though this is a graphic featuring the Beatles, it is primarily a love story, that of Astrid Kirchherr, a young photographer who discovered The Beatles in a basement club and fell in love with their bass player, Stuart Sutcliffe. Ballstorf captures Astrid's story and The Beatles' early difficulties while hinting at the post-Beatles life Stuart might have had. A glimpse at the beginnings of cultural icons, and an important period of history, Baby's in Black is ultimately the bittersweet tale of a...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Anna (Pocketful of Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels

I very much enjoyed 'Baby's in Black'. Although I'm not a huge Beatles fan (not because of their music but because I feel I was born a generation too late...my dad adores them) I loved the story and found it fascinating to read about The Beatles before anyone cared about them. They are a band so engrained in British culture that they have been put up on this pedestal of greatness and reverence, so it was nice to see them depicted as normal, fun-loving young people who drink and smoke a lot! I ha...more I very much enjoyed 'Baby's in Black'. Although I'm not a huge Beatles fan (not because of their music but because I feel I was born a generation too late...my dad adores them) I loved the story and found it fascinating to read about The Beatles before anyone cared about them. They are a band so engrained in British culture that they have been put up on this pedestal of greatness and reverence, so it was nice to see them depicted as normal, fun-loving young people who drink and smoke a lot! I have never seen John Lennon as this type of guy; the impression I have always had of him is taken from his later years when he became a hippy and stayed in bed with Yoko all day and wrote 'Imagine'. I liked the feelings I got from seeing them as passionate, creative, warm, silly (at times) boys, who knew what they were about and worked really hard to get the success they wanted from making music they loved.

The setting of Hamburg is also intriguing- I don't seem to read many books set in Germany that don't involve the Holocaust in some way! It made the underground music scene seem painfully cool and you just wanted to be there. I loved the panels depicting people dancing while The Beatles performed as it seemed so much more fun and rock-n-roll back then; not in a 'YEAHH ROCK AND ROLL' way, but in a spin people round and dip them while wearing a polka dot dress kind of way! Why can't people dance like that in clubs nowadays?! It was like that scene in Grease where they have the dance and everyone is doing the lifts and the hand-jive...that should be brought back!

I loved Astrid. I loved her gorgeous pixie hair cut and the way she had a lit cigarette in her hand on every single panel. Seriously, these people never stop smoking. It's like Mad Men...everyone smoked back then and so it is authentic to portray it...no point leaving it out even though people are so against it these days (for good reasons but I like the authenticity of including it!) It also adds a bit of humour.

Stuart and Astrid's relationship made me feel happy because they really love each other and even a language barrier doesn't prohibit them from loving each other. They are both creative and just...painfully cool. Stuart is rarely seen without his shades which is accurate going by the pictures I found in Google images! In this way I think the pictures in the novel did a really good job of conveying their love, and the growing feelings they were experiencing towards each other, as the images communicate the things they aren't able to say to each other.

I liked the way The Beatles' Englishness came through as well- they use words like 'scallies' (very Liverpudlian/Mancunian), 'blokes' and 'the lads' which all, to me, seemed to stand out as very British in the German setting. I liked that the author didn't shy away from making them look a bit awkward in their surroundings and a bit unsure of themselves; they don't understand the food and often seem like fish out of water!

If I had to make criticisms I would say that I did get quite confused between characters at times because they all look very similar! All of The Beatles look almost identical so sometimes I wouldn't know who it was who was talking! The dialogue also got a bit muddled on some panels but I think this was partly because I was reading it on my laptop which made it hard to make out the little lines which connected the dialogue box to the character.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this comic and if you love The Beatles you should definitely check it out. It did make me cry as it is very sad in places, but it really adds a new perspective to one of the most commercially successful bands ever to walk the planet and portrays them in a way that makes them feel very human.(less)

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Jun 25, 2012 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, music, comics

A story of the Beatles as pups in their Hamburg period, with the focus on the love story between Stu Sutcliffe and Astrid Kircherr. Astrid's friend drags her to a concert in a seedy basement bar, a place the young professional photographer would normally never patronize. As they get to know the band, Astrid photographs them and falls in love with bass player Stu, who only joined the band when John enticed him to leave school and travel to Germany for the adventure. Complications arise as the ban...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Sue Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

An interesting glimpse into the almost Beatle - Stuart Sutcliffe - and his integral relationship with the band in the early stages of their rise to fame. This graphic novel focuses more on his relationship with Astrid Kirchherr - how they met and how he ultimately spun off into a path of his own before he died so young from a medical condition.

So young and so talented. Always the curiosity of what else he would have done if he had lived a long and full life. It was incredibly fortunate his life...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Charles Hatfield rated it 4 of 5 stars

Baby's in Black is a sweet, and I suspect idealized, account of the love affair between artist-photographer Astrid Kirchherr and the "Beatle who got away," Stu Sutcliffe. In essence, it's the semi-fictive, or at least freely dramatized, biography of a couple, shown very much from Kirchherr's POV. It's also a story about the Beatles, their apprenticeship (so to speak) in Hamburg circa 1960-62, their sketchy, almost desperate living circumstances there, and their dependence on each other. I gather...more Baby's in Black is a sweet, and I suspect idealized, account of the love affair between artist-photographer Astrid Kirchherr and the "Beatle who got away," Stu Sutcliffe. In essence, it's the semi-fictive, or at least freely dramatized, biography of a couple, shown very much from Kirchherr's POV. It's also a story about the Beatles, their apprenticeship (so to speak) in Hamburg circa 1960-62, their sketchy, almost desperate living circumstances there, and their dependence on each other. I gather the book covers much the same territory as the film Backbeat (dir. Iain Softley, 1994), but I haven't seen that.

This may be a story that can get by on built-in poignancy: the idea of eavesdropping on the Beatles' growth is irresistible, and the story of Sutcliffe, in hindsight, cannot help but seem tragically fated. I could not quite decide whether Bellstorf's very gentle approach to the material worked wonders because of the inherent grace and vivid atmosphere in his cartooning, or because I knew just enough about the story already, and cared enough about the Beatles, to go along. The story's tensions are underplayed, and its strongest moments are evocations of environment and passages of understated tenderness. There are perhaps a few too many similar-looking young men to tell apart in the comic: sometimes I would stumble when Bellstorf shifted from, say, Sutcliffe to Klaus Voorman, who is also a major character here. Yet Bellstorf is very good at capturing subtle likenesses through minimal style: Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison are all distinct, easily recognizable persons. What's more, the settings have a wonderful, moody authenticity--by which I mean lived-in distinctiveness and telling details--that made me feel as if I'd been fairly transported to early-sixties Hamburg.

It may be that Baby's charms are fragile. It overt complications are few. But it is fairly hypnotic, with its fluent, sure-handed cartooning, wonderful pillow shots, silent intervals, dreamy transitions, elegant design, scenic particulars, and well-observed characterization (Lennon is a particular standout, acutely aware of his status as a displaced Englishman among Germans). And the last few pages, which of course lead to a foregone conclusion, startled me with the way they were handled: the book manages to end with a genuine surprise that I find rather moving. A lovely book, on balance.(less)

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Jun 18, 2012 Kathleen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: junior-library-guild, favorite-graphics

I had high hopes for this since I tend to like a bit of historical bent in the books I read. Graphics are a great place to explore non-mainstream history; I think that many of those stories can be lost in full-length novel format. I really liked the story of Astrid and Stuart - how they meet, the development of the relationship, and the fact that this *isn't* a story about the Beatles. However, I was dismayed at the choppiness of the story; it didn't flow very well for me. Turning a page expecti...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Matti Karjalainen rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Beatles-fanit

Shelves: sarjakuvat, beatles, musiikki, in-english, kotikirjasto, muistelmat-ja-elämäkerrat, swinging-sixties, 2000-luku

Arne Bellstorfin "Baby's in Black : The Story of Astrid Kirchherr & Stuart Sutcliffe" (SelfMadeHero, 2011) on sarjakuvaromaani The Beatlesin alkuperäisen basistin Stuart Sutcliffen ja hampurilaisen Astrid Kirchherrin rakkaustarinasta, joka on muuttunut vuosien varrella osaksi Suurinta Koskaan Kerrottua Tarinaa, eli meidän beatlemaanikkojen virallista mytologiaa.

Bellstorfin kaunista ja herkkää kynänjälkeä on miellyttävä seurata, ja ikoniset hahmot ovat kääntyneet sarjakuvahahmoiksi paremmin k...more

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Feb 20, 2012 Andrew Shuping rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel

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...more 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 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.
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Dec 03, 2012 Natali.D (BookCupid) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic

Reviewing someone's life should be considered a crime against humanity. Think about it. We all have ups and downs, is it just to have someone who's never met us decide if those moments were entertaining???

Call me a criminal then, cos here I go. Although Bellstorf did an amazing job drawing the pictures the cover is totally bookylicious) he didn't dig deep enough. Girl meets The Beatles, falls for a member of the band, who instantly falls for her. Yes, instant attraction happens. But not a singl...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: comics, biography

I found this graphic novel interesting, different and artsy. Often it could be artsy for being artsy's sake with story lines that dropped off the edge of the page, and a new thread picked up on the next page without a sense to it. I liked that the Beatles were a side story in the greater love story of Stuart and Astrid, but never felt that they were terribly in love. More could have been done around their courtship. Knowing about the fate of Stu helped the story make more sense, but I feel that...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Maimoona Rahman rated it 3 of 5 stars

All I ever knew about The Beatles before I read this book were John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the former because who has not heard of Yoko Ono and the latter because he has become a scary musical delight today. But, given the chance, I would read anything about The Beatles, because that is a lot like reading historical trivia and hoarding on knowledge that I can spew out over little finger sandwiches at social gatherings.

Ergo, I am glad I have read Baby’s in Black, a graphic biography about the...more All I ever knew about The Beatles before I read this book were John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the former because who has not heard of Yoko Ono and the latter because he has become a scary musical delight today. But, given the chance, I would read anything about The Beatles, because that is a lot like reading historical trivia and hoarding on knowledge that I can spew out over little finger sandwiches at social gatherings.

Ergo, I am glad I have read Baby’s in Black, a graphic biography about the love story of Stuart Sutcliffe, the band’s bassist when they played in Germany at the beginning of their career, and Astrid Kirchherr, a German photographer. What made the biography interesting was that I didn’t know I was reading about The Beatles—obviously because I had never heard of the song “Baby’s in Black”—until John Lennon is introduced, and I wondered to myself: what are the chances there are two John Lennons both of whom are in an English rock band?

Baby’s in Black is supposed to be about the relationship between Stu and Astrid, but there are also snippets of the early life of The Beatles playing in a rundown, out-of-the-way bar on the Reeperbahn, a red-light district in Hamburg. This book draws attention to the period of ridicule and invisibleness the Gods of rock music lived through. Klaus Voormann, who appears to be Kirchherr’s boyfriend, wanders to this bar and is immediately drawn to The Beatles. He makes his visits to this bar an every-night affair, and one night convinces Kirchherr to accompany him. She becomes a regular too, and gradually falls in love with Stu, the most eye-catching of the lot.

The story details Kirchherr’s and Sutcliffe’s little obsessions. Kirchherr is not just a great photographer who loves experimenting with The Beatles, she also loves giving them all haircuts. Sutcliffe is a prodigy: great in art and music and whatnot. He is always restive and often feels caught between art and music. As artists, Sutcliffe and Kirchherr often help each other, he by modelling for her photographs and she by critiquing his art.

The aha! moment of the story comes at the very end. Until then, it’s about how Kirchherr and Sutcliffe spend their days together, falling in love. It’s also a lot about The Beatles, although, clearly, that is not the plot. And of course, there are historical facts, like about The Beatles being deported from Germany, etc.

I think this story could have done with a bit more feelings. I am not sure if it is a limitation of graphic stories; in this book, feelings are difficult to decipher. You really can’t see them in the characters’ body language or facial expressions, and because it is a graphic biography, none of these are spelled out. Moreover, often times, I got confused between many of the characters because they look too alike. Kirchherr, although she’s a girl, looks like Voormann and all the other boys in the band except Sutcliffe and Lenon, who look surprisingly unique. I had to read a few panels a couple of times, or rely on other panels, to grasp who’s saying what—the characters are that alike.

Nonetheless, I think the book is good. It’s a short read, so I have no regrets. The ending is intense. If you are a diehard fan of The Beatles, then you might enjoy this book. If not, you might still enjoy it. If you surreptitiously come across it, pick it up and give it a try. You might not want to go looking for it though.(less)

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May 28, 2013 Burrito Hayworth rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Baby's in Black" is about the relationship between Astrid Kirchherr and Stuart Sutcliffe, but it works better as a look at the early Beatles. It's fun to see them when one of their primary concerns were whether they'd have access to a private toilet.

The glimpses we catch of them as individuals are illuminating: McCartney shows an interest in Stravinsky, and Lennon is portrayed as someone able to evade the authorities in a foreign city. The romance between Kirchherr and Sutcliffe is given ample...more

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Jul 13, 2012 Samantha rated it 5 of 5 stars

A love story about the fifth Beatle and his time in the band, but more importantly the relationship between Stu and Astrid Kirchherr. Illustrations are in black and white, panels are easy to follow, and John, Paul and George are best identified by their distinctive eyebrows. Artwork reminded me a little of Craig Thompson so fans of his work might enjoy this book too. I was impressed with the way characters were able to express so much with so few words. In that way the artwork spoke volumes, esp...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Tom Mukite rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: won-on-first-reads

There isn't much that everyone else hasn't said. This was a really well done book detailing the early years of the Beatles so early in fact they were playing cover songs and squatting in terrible dive bars. The story is based on the love story between Astrid and Stuart (the lost Beatle) but its when its showing the hard work and hard life that bands starting out is when it shines the most.

The only complaint that I had about the book is that it seemed as if with so much material to get through t...more

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Jan 05, 2013 GRPLTeens Grand Rapids Public Library rated it 4 of 5 stars

Appeal Characteristics: Germany, 60s, Beatles, music, Art, photography, historical

Done in an almost pop culture-esque drawings, this graphic novel follows the life of Stuart Sutcliffe, a bassist for the Beatles (in their early days) and his romance with a photographer Kirchherr. The drawings almost seem to come to life as you follow the struggle of the Beatles to get to the "top" and the conflicting feelings of pursuing your dreams and passion, and realistic expectations. This book is as if some...more

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title link	preview: Baby's in Black: Astrid Kirchherr, Stuart Sutcliffe, and The Beatles
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Baby's in Black: Astrid Kirchherr, Stuart Sutcliffe, and The Beatles

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