The Beatles: Yellow Submarine

July 16, 2018
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of George Dunning’s 1968 animated fantasia, Yellow Submarine, this pop-Dali adventure tells the full story of how the Beatles saved a magical land from some music-hating no-goodniks. The people of Pepperland lived lives “overflowing with wonderful things” due to all the peace, love, and music filling their park-like paradise. But when the Blue Meanies (to whom music is like “acid rain”) launch an assault of “anti-music missiles” and color-annihilating “splotch bombs,” it’s up to Lord Admiral Fred to man the Yellow Submarine and seek help. Landing in Liverpool, Fred meets four Beatle-like moptops with a penchant for quippy dialogue and assisting strangers. They embark on an trippy, cross-dimensional odyssey; meet little blue wordsmith Jeremy; and ultimately return to Pepperland to play “a groovy tune” and vanquish the Blue Meanies. The art style is designed to mimic the original, and just what one would imagine: wavy lines, proto–Terry Gilliam collaging, and a Hippie Britannica visual scheme that resembles a mural made by Peter Max after spending too much time on Carnaby Street. Former Disney and The Simpsons artist Morrison splashes out several rainbows’ worth of pleasing colors for this happy ode to harmless psychedelia that perfectly captures the movie’s stoned punning and rippling anti-authoritarianism. The breezy tribute takes one strange trip down memory lane for the band’s myriad fans.

June 1, 2018
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the animated film of the same name, comics and animation veteran Morrison (DC Meets Looney Tunes, 2018, etc.) presents a graphic novel adaptation of the Beatles' psychedelic journey to a utopia under siege by belligerent "Blue Meanies."Pepperland is a paradise of lovely, positive people, Technicolor foliage, and musical appreciation. That appreciation isn't shared by the Blue Meanies, a collection of maniacal, six-fingered humanoids with bodies like storm clouds and boots made for stomping. The Meanies, along with an assortment of nightmarish henchmen, launch an assault on Pepperland, silencing the music and rendering the citizenry frozen statues. One man escapes into the titular yellow submarine (Pepperland is at the bottom of the ocean, though the physics of that never come into play) and recruits musicians John, Paul, George, and Ringo to help! As they descend the depths, the group encounters a boxing tyrannosaur, meets a squirrely genius "nowhere man" and wrestles with time itself. But plot is secondary in this mind-bending adventure, where striking imagery and unbridled imagination deliver a treat on each page. The book faithfully follows the original film, from the iconic designs by Heinz Edelmann to plot points and cheeky wordplay (though some beats don't land as well removed from the animation, feeling a bit rushed and working more as homages than standing on their own). If anything, the graphic novel has a more robust look than the film, thanks in large part to colorist Nathan Kane. Here, functional narration replaces the film's musical numbers, though the lyrical quality of the proceedings is beautifully retained by Morrison's inspired paneling, where right angles are rare, favoring instead swooshes and circles and pages broken up by large, dazzling characters and ornate frames.A gorgeous tribute to a classic work of pop art.

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