Book Review: 'Baby’s in Black' by Arne Bellstorf (Graphic Novel)

Astrid Kircherr is a lovely young photographer in Germany in 1960 who decides to accompany a friend to a seedy nightclub on the whim of doing something a little different. What Astrid expects to see is a mediocre band through a haze of smoke and general unkemptness. What she ends up seeing is one of the earliest performances of the Beatles…through a haze of smoke and general unkemptness. That is, the Beatles with Stuart Sutcliffe as the bassist stand-in for a 17-year-old George Harrison, who is too young to play at nightclubs. It only takes about forty-five seconds for Stuart and Astrid to meet; exchange pleasantries; and fall in intense, swirling, language-barred love.

This graphic novel captures the unique love story of two people who had the extraordinary privilege of contributing to the earliest years of the most famous musical group on the planet. That’s the part that hooks you—the rest is looking at Stuart and Astrid and admiring their great love. Baby’s in Black has a style that models the smokiness of the first nightclub—smudgy black and stark white, the expression of the characters emitting unspoken dialogue. This is an extremely easy read and a visual experience that allows you to peek into a corner of history that is not often visited. (Grades 9-12)