Fab 4 Mania

by Carol Tyler

Critically acclaimed cartoonist Carol Tyler recreates the exhilaration and excitement of Beatlemania at its height in 1965, her personal obsession with the Beatles, and her odyssey that leads her to the famous Beatles Chicago concert later that year. Told in the voice of its 13-year-old author, Fab 4 Mania is a facsimile of the diary that she kept throughout 1965, and is brimming with rich period details, humor, and insight. It's a look into the life of a teenager from a working-class family whose love of music awakens her senses and opens her up to the world beyond that of small-town Fox Lake, Illinois. It is also about the Beatles, as seen through the eyes of a young, giddy teenager and a reflective, adult artist, and the joy the band gives.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Music, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 19, 2018

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really need to start reading the back covers of graphic novels I scoop up at the library. If I did I would have known that instead of reflecting on Beatlemania in a general way, the author was literally adapting her 7th and 8th grade diary pages. Sure, the Beatles are front and center in her mind, but we are also subjected to every other boring ass thought that goes through a 13-year-old's head. Giant blocks of text and a slow, meandering progression toward the Beatles concert that serves as a finale make this a chore to read.

I also didn't like the order in which text blocks and full-page cartoons were placed. Frequently, the image came first, but made no sense until the following text block was read. Other times, the image came a couple pages after being mentioned in the text blocks. And basically, looking at the images just made me wish Tyler had delivered a full-on graphic novel instead of this tedious hybrid.

What did I like? Well, it was sort of fun reading through the Top 40 lists of pop singles that are included several times. I made a game of trying to see how many songs I could remember. And the red-inked recounting of a Beatles concert actually had some energy and sent the book out on a high note, even if it made for an abrupt ending that left all other plot lines dangling.

This is a hugely disappointing follow-up to Tyler's engaging You'll Never Know: The Campaign to Understand My WWII Veteran Father: A Daughter's Memoir. Please read that before you attempt this.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was FAB and I’m not just going for the easy pun here. Adapted from Carol’s authentic eighth grade diary, this is an adorable Beatle-crazy and extremely gifted then-budding cartoonist’s flashback at the year she fell head-over-heels for the Fab Four, and was fortunate enough to see them live (in a 37 (!) minute long concert at Cominsky Park in Chicago. The way she weaves her fangirlling into almost every conversation is hysterical. Pretty text-heavy, which could get tedious, but overall a win.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skimmed. It was interesting at first but the handwriting-style font was a bit hard on the eyes and I wasn’t really that interested in the author’s life. The illustrations were, however, quite nice and full of humor, and did have me humming the songs. I’m sure someone who’s a super Beatles fan, or was, would get more from this memoir than I.

[J.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Carol Tyler's book about her father (Soldier's Heart). Fab 4 Mania is definitely a different beast. It lacks the depth of Soldier's Heart, but I assume that's largely due to the source material (her pre-teen diaries). This is mostly a lushly illustrated and hand-lettered recreation of that diary full of giddy excitement over The Beatles.

This does get to the heart of that obsessiveness and feeling of possession kids can have when discovering music, movies, books, etc. they relate to.

While I enjoyed it, I would recommend Soldier's Heart over this book.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh dear, and she's literally my favorite comics author/artist of all time. I was just so bored. Sorry Carol! I love you! The Beatles sing-along at Fantagraphics was such a blast! Sorry, sorry, love you.

[Derek Royal · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting account of Tyler's thoughts growing up as a young teen in 1964-1965, when The Beatles first hit these shores. The text is a little different from what I was expecting. It was the ending of her memoir, ending in an explosion-like manner, with The Beatles playing at Comiskey Park. She handled that section particularly effectively.

[Courtney]

Picked up at the library without reading the synopsis.
I’m not interested in the juvenile perspective (POV) on this.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

In "Fab4 Mania," Carol Tyler recreates her girlhood journal from the summer of 1965, when she road trips with an older sister from Fox Lake, Illinois, to see the Beatles play Comiskey Park. Her notebook entries capture a kind of teenage innocence, as she navigates Catholic school and all its guilt, bullying brothers, brooding parents, and other problems that spur her angsty observations. Lined pages are also dotted or filled with quirky illustrations and great period details, such as the six different household radios she might have used while listening to Top 40 radio. But more than anything, it's the Fab Four she dreams about and draws pictures of, while using Beatles lyrics throughout her story to emphasize notes and feelings on any given topic. Overall, "Fab4 Mania" really gives the reader a sense of how much sway the early Beatles had in the hearts and minds of young girls, obsessed with the Liverpool hearthrobs, just as an unknown future of adulthood lurks at summer's end.

[Rebecca Cairo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very sweet, however, there was a few things that hindered my overall enjoyment. For one, a lot of the narration dragged for me. I understand it’s supposed to be a memoir that directly takes her adolescent diary and showcases it to the reader, but it should definitely have been edited a bit more (imo). If the writing was a bit more snappy, I feel as though there would be more of an impact in the words and there would be an actual focus and significance to the mostly mundane events of this story. Furthermore, the order of a lot of the illustrations really bothered me.

My favorite recurring illustration was the little troll doll! I have some trolls myself so that was a fun personal connection for me. The art style was where this book shined for me and I wish it was just a full on graphic novel.

[Debbie Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for big Beatles fans who want to see what it was like from a teenage girl perspective. I grew up with their music -- too young to see the Beatles live in concert......but this book gave me a sense of the excitement of those high school girls you often saw crying, screaming and fainting! Written in the style of a teenage girls diary - it is filled with teenage angst and doodles and time period references. It's very light hearted - best read by those who want a light read. As a female who wrote in diaries and still journals, I found this book lighthearted and fun.

[Emilia P · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kept thinking I would put this down because it was getting repetitive as a young teen girl is apt to do. But nope, I just kept reading of the shenanigans and Beatles obsession and became entranced with the impending excitement of going to a Beatles concert, and the payoff was as exciting and obvious and teen-y as one could ever dream. Carol Tyler's slice of life style is quietly enchanting and I'm glad she shares it with the world.

[Misun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was going to be more of a graphic novel memoir, with more art and illustrations. It is the diary from when the author Carol was 14. It does have quite a bit of her art. It took me awhile to get into reading her diary, but half way in, I got into it's rhythm. And enjoyed her storytelling from 1964 and 1965. I was especially interested in reading this because the Beatles are one of my favorite bands.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adapted from the author's own diary, this is a slice of life graphic novel about 60s Beatle-mania. It's a very cool assembly of pop charts, ad jingles, and almost mixed media presentation accompanied with the author's own words. It has the POV of a 13 year old girl. So if that voice is not what you're wanting to hear, definitely not the graphic novel for you. I really enjoyed it. It's also nice to see the author's mom and dad pop up, who were characterized so well in A Soldier's Heart.

[Kathy Shimpock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous introduction to Beatlemania! This book brings back the joy of fandom from the eyes of a young girl. Author, Carol Tyler, shares her love of the Beatles through her diary entries. Her illustrations provide elements of the Fab4 experience that have long been forgotten by most of us. It's like stepping into a time capsule, a most delicious time capsule, that most of us wish we could return to again.

[Terrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this peek into the life of cartoonist Carol Tyler, and her love for The Beatles. Her clever manner of presently the story as a teenager's journal, complete with doodles in the margins, made it all that more appealing.
I do hope that the author has shared this book with Paul and Ringo. I am sure that they would it agree that it is F-A-B!

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun book, love to see a fan's teenage journey through the era of Beatlemania. This teenage journal was fun to read, what a fabulous keepsake. Glad Carol saved it and shared with other Beatle fans.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun comic memoir that gives a snapshot of 60s suburban life and the American Beatles fan experience.

It was cool hearing about the Beatles American releases. Going to try to listen to them in that order to get a sense of the experience that Tyler captures here.

[Bobby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yep, I lived this too, Carol Tyler. Fun memories!!

[Comics Alternative · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://comicsalternative.com/comics-a...

[Jay Gabler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely cute. I reviewed Fab 4 Mania for The Current.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look into a 14-year-old girl's psyche during the height of Beatlemania in the US. But not much beyond that.

[Andria Kerkof · Rating 3 out of 5]

#BookBingoNW2019
About music or musicians

[Reading with Cats · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this, amazing graphic-diary; a wonderful exploration of fandom.

[Evan Whitlock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this! Oh how I wish I had been there for the ‘65 Chicago concert!

[Marv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute I enjoyed it

[Tracey · Rating 1 out of 5]

graphic memoir (partly fictionalized/I'm guessing some details and names may have been changed) - 8th/9th grade Catholic girl's fandom of the Beatles in 1964-65 suburb outside of Chicago.

I read to page 148--more than halfway and probably another hour to go, but just couldn't bring myself to care. This is mostly for nostalgia, I guess--if you don't have any appreciation for that particular time, or for Catholic school, it is pretty dull since not a whole lot happens outside of Carols' obsessing, and her character is not that much fun to spend time with. It's also mostly text, as it's a reproduction of her handwritten journal from that time, though there are some drawings and (drawings of) scrapbook items--not really a "graphic" memoir, but sort of in that genre.

[Abby Frye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young Carol had me cracking up often. While I was not alive during Fab 4 Mania I would imagine this book gives a pretty clear picture of what thousands of fans were experiencing at the time.

[Sally]

Would this be a good book to pair with "Blackbird Fly"?

[Gregory K. Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fan four fun reading with great memories of growing up in this era. Well written and a lot of with wonderful illustrations!

Well with your time to hear Carol Tyler's description of life in the mid 60s centered around the Beatles performance in Chicago on August 20, 1965. The illustrations are great and the top 40 hits charts add to the fun