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! ( )

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 they just emphasized the lack of maturity in the story as a whole. ( )

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. ( )

A mediocre book about Stu and the early days of the Beatles. Nothing special ( )

Anyone looking for more material to fire up their Beatle mania?

It’s 1960 in Hamburg, Germany and there aren’t many people who have heard of The Beatles yet. Astrid Kirchherr’s ex-boyfriend drags her to a seedy club just to see them. She’s immediately drawn to them, particularly Stuart. What follows is a melancholy love story. I’m sure this story is nothing new to well-researched Beatles fans. It’s just a new way of telling it. Bellstorf does a fantastic job weaving song lyrics throughout this book, and I did feel a connection to the Astrid and Stuart. The art, however, didn’t match up for me. It was mostly frames of black turtlenecks, dangling cigarettes, and broody stares. He’s certainly talented; I just wanted a little more variety. The art never felt like it was helping to tell the story.

I would have preferred to read this novel in narrative form. Still, if you’re looking for some material on The Beatles in their early years, you might want to check this out. ( )