Paul is Dead

by Paolo Baron, Ernesto Carbonetti (Artist)

London, November 1966.

John Lennon can't speak, he can't take his eyes off a photo of a car in flames with the body of Paul McCartney inside. His friend is no longer there, and that means the Beatles are no longer there, either. But John wants to know the truth, and with George and Ringo, he starts to re-examine the final hours in Paul's life.

Set in the magical atmosphere of Abbey Road Studios during the writing sessions for Sgt. Pepper , the definitive version of the legend of the Paul McCartney's death.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Music, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Historical Fiction, Ebooks

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 8, 2018

Reviews

[*TUDOR^QUEEN* · Rating 2 out of 5]

I grabbed this... being a major Beatles fan and all, thinking it would be cool to read on my Kindle Fire HD 10 with all the colorful artwork. I wasn't expecting such a disjointed, confusing and pathetic excuse for a comic book. I think most people (or at least casual Beatles fans) know about the "Paul is dead" hoax which is used as the basis for this book. I only wish I had a comic book with drawings of my pained expressions as I swiped in dismay through these pages. The dialogue is a total sham. Its only saving grace was some fun artwork of The Beatles which I would actually hang up on my walls if they were posters.

Thank you to Image Comics / Diamond Books who provided an advance reader copy via Edelweiss.

[Paul Bryant · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this as a Christmas present. Pretty sinister, don't you think?

[Hosein · Rating 4 out of 5]

قضیه اینه که خیلی‌ها اعتقاد دارن ۱۹۶۶ پل مک کارتنی توی یک تصادف مرده، سرویس‌های امنیتی هم با توجه به تجربه‌ای که سر سلبریتی‌های قبلی داشتن حدس می‌زدن خبرِ مرگ پل می‌تونه باعث خودکشی خیلی‌ها بشه، چون مشخصا تمامِ اون قبلی‌ها یک هزارم پل مک کارتنی هم محبوب نبودن. پس اعضای بیتلز رو راضی کردن به اینکه بدل پل توی گروه باشه و طوری رفتار کنن که انگار هیچی نشده.

حالا بعد از حدود ۶۰ سال، این تئوری خیلی بیشتر از قبل منطقی به نظر میاد. از اشاره‌های زیادی اعضای بیتلز توی آهنگ‌ها و مصاحبه‌ها به مرگ پل مک کارتنی گرفته تا حرف‌های همسر سابقش در موردش تمام این جریان‌ها. شاید یکی از بزرگترین معماهای تاریخ موسیقیه که احتمالا تا چند سال دیگه بالاخره کامل مشخص می‌شه (می‌دونین، مک کارتنی پیره. وقتی بمیره خیلی ساده جواب‌های قطعی رو می‌گیریم.).

این کمیک هم دقیقا مربوطه به همون چند ماهی که پل مک کارتنی می‌میره و بیتلز هم در حال ضبط کردن آلبومشون بودن. خود کمیک احتمالا برای سلیقه‌ی خیلی‌ها "زیاده‌روی" به حساب میاد، چون خیلی تجربی با بیشتر بخش‌ها رفتار کرده. ولی در اصل کار خوبیه، نویسندگی قوی‌ای داره و طراحی‌ها همون چیزی هستن که به این روایت می‌خورن. برام یکم عجیبه که اینقدر نقد و ریویوی بد در موردش توی اینترنت هست.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 2 out of 5]

"It was just madness. . . there was no way we could prove he was alive"--Ringo

In 1969 I was a teenager sitting with neighbor teenagers in my and their basements with Beatle album covers and inserts and teen rock mags spread all around us on the floor and vinyl copies of the albums (the only copies available to us, natch) playing on the phonograph record player. Some records we learned gave us clues if you played them backwards and at a different speed.

The reason we did all this? Sometime in 1969 we learned the conspiracy theory that would take up months of our time, that Paul McCartney of the most popular rock band in history )of the time? still?) had died in a car crash ("Baby You can Drive my Car") and had been replaced with a look-alike so that fans paying all their money would keep paying it. They shut down rock station in my town to take call-in testimony from fans. We duly wrote all of the clues down in our notebooks. I can say many of us in my group were skeptical, and also impressed, if in fact the rock group and Brian Epstein and the record label had in fact concocted this hoax. I mean, what accounts for "I buried Paul" at the end of a song, or "I am the Walrus" or the Abbey Road album cover photograph where Paul is the only one not wearing shoes (oh, look it up!).

This graphic novel reminded me of those days, and the author proposes a silly rationale for how it may have actually happened that even he debunks in the afterword. So the story seems kind of vague and flat in spite of the brightly colorful and expressionistic artwork, which was maybe the best part of it for me, since it seems vaguely psychedelic.

Paul and Linda appeared on the cover of Life Magazine at one point just to show everyone he was alive. .. which convinced many people, I'm sure. But not me! They killed Paul and covered it all up! (just kidding). A pretty crazy, fun time, and no, I don't really know how it all came about, but it promoted the literary sleuthing skills of thousands of teenagers, for sure.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Paul is dead, quite dead." So went the rumor back in the day. This graphic novel riffs on that theme. But, wow, what a strange trip this is!

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 2 out of 5]

A graphic novel that is a bit like having someone in a pub tell you their theory about Paul having died, and why it would've happened.

Except.. his idea isn't very interesting, he doesn't at least choose to be entertaining by going over the top and being completely ridiculous, it's all just sort of ordinary and faintly deflating. One of those books that'll make you sigh "oh" upon reaching the end. There's just not much to it.

The art is more interesting. The dependance on colour blocking works well, some of the more scratchy larger drawings especially. The likeness of individual Beatles varies greatly, especially since the viewpoint jumps constantly to new angles.

It's a book that really makes me wonder: who is this for?

(Received an ARC through Edelweiss)

[Jillian Wertzberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lit read it in a cool 25 minutes gotta get that book count up

[Peter Derk · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is like your stoner friend, who is a gifted storyteller, explain to you an idea he has for a graphic novel where Paul really died or something, and Detective Encyclopedia John Lennon is on the case!

I just read this thing that said people are NOT more creative when they're stoned, however they do, across the board, THINK they're more creative when they're stoned. This makes a ton of sense. It's the same thing that makes drunk driving a problem: when you're just a little drunk, you're still with it enough to realize you shouldn't drive. Then, when you're REALLY drunk, you're so drunk you can't accurately gauge how drunk you are.

Maybe this is a good tip: If you think you're ready to drive, pull up Paul Is Dead, read it, and then write a one-paragraph book report on it.

If you're able to perform that task and feel you're ready to go, you probably are.
If you feel like you understood the book completely, you are high, don't drive.
If you kept falling asleep or trying to find chips that surely must have fallen into the backseat of your car at some point, you've been taking this car to the grocery store for decades, how could there NOT be an escaped bag of chips SOMEWHERE, then you are drunk. Get out of your car, and get some chips. On foot.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still can't believe there's a graphic novel about my favorite conspiracy theory 😂
I wish the novel had gone more into detail about Paul's lookalike interacting with the rest of the band members/their reactions to first seeing and meeting him. But overall, the art style is so spot on, it's a little scary. I really enjoyed this!

[Maxoel Costa · Rating 3 out of 5]

É uma quadrinização de uma teoria de conspiração bem popular: Paul McCartney morreu num acidente de carro e foi substituído por um sósia chamado Billy Shears. A arte é bem interessante, fazendo referências visuais com Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band e Yellow Submarine, mas o roteiro é bem básico, sem grandes nuances. Embora seja legal o uso de letras que fazem referência à tal teoria, os diálogos são bem qualquer coisa. A obra poderia ter um desenvolvimento melhor, também, principalmente mostrando o relacionamento do sósia com o resto da banda.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the art style was super interesting and I was very happy to see in the afterword that the authors don’t actually believe in the PID theory. All in all, an intriguing and extremely quick read, and artistically fascinating.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man, I love a good conspiracy theory. This one doesn’t go into detail about why people people that Paul died and was replaced, but just tells the quick story of this happening. Would’ve loved for more of this though. Regardless, this was a quick and entertaining read.

[Jimena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro ha sido un regalo de cumpleaños inesperado y no puede haber mejorado más mi día.
La surrealista historia de la muerte de Paul acompañada de, sinceramente, las ilustraciones que más me han gustado en una novela gráfica.
Más que ilustraciones, cada viñeta es una obra de arte.

[Dany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recensione su La mente affilata: https://lamenteaffilata.blogspot.com/...

[Theediscerning · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was left by this book with one question on my mind – 'what was the point?'. I've lived long enough without even being aware of some idea that Paul McCartney died and they had to find a lookalike to take his place in The Beatles. The creators of this book did know about it, however thought it was complete rubbish, so invented these pages to show it was complete rubbish, and in the end produced something else that was also complete rubbish. In summary, he did think of escaping his fame and by using a fatal car crash as a way out, but wasn't able to go through with it. But oh, the whole thing inspired a couple of naff lyrics, so it was all good. The only merit of the thing, based on a non-existent vignette turned urban myth as it is, is that it's over very quickly – the lettering is large, the word count small. That's mostly because the creators are hung up with their style, which comes across as some kind of cubist Saul Bass – jazzing all over the page, and littering it with funky 60s-styled frames and unattractive colours, and cutting away to so many wordless, world-building images it comes across like a collage. As I say, what was the point?

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A morte de Paul McCartney está envolta em uma aura de grande mistério e de muitas especulações. Mas, espera aí... Sir Paul McCarney não está morto, ele continua fazendo seus shows ao redor do mundo. Então o que aconteceu? Este ábum em quadrinhos traz a lenda urbana da morte de Paul McCartney como se tivesse realmente acontecido e o Sir Paul tivesse sido substituído às pressas por um sósia, criando toda a simbologia que sabemos que existe ao redor de sua morte. Paul Está Morto: Quando os Beatles perderam McCartney, dos argentinos Paolo Baron e Ernesto Cabonetti é uma história em quadrinhos de rápida leitura, mas bastante contundente tanto na sua narrativa como na sua arte, que por vezes lembra até a animação dos Beatles, The Yellow Submarine. Suas mais de cem páginas apresentam uma arte piscodélica bem ao estilo da transição que os Beatles estavam passando durante esse período retratado no álbum em quarinhos. Com certeza Paul Está Morto: Quando os Beatles perderam McCartney vai agradar em cheio os fãs dos Beatles e das conspirações moderna e lendas urbanas.

[Georg Purvis · Rating 2 out of 5]

john lennon didn’t drive

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a graphic novel I picked up on a spur-of-the-moment stop at the Boston Public Library, along with some others. Because I recently went on a Beatles kick, I thought this graphic novel - an exploration of the famous "Paul is Dead" conspiracy theory - would be really fun to read. While ultimately I think it was just alright, it still speaks to the popularity of the theory that an entire graphic novel could be published rehashing it.

The strength of the book is in the art. The style is a wild mixture of details and sketches, collages and portraits, colors and silhouettes. Though I didn't always love the look itself, I thought the constant shifting of approach and feeling not only reflected the mysterious theme of the book but more importantly the experimental, all-over-the-place style of the Beatles themselves. Some moments fell flat (like the semi-transparent Paul in the backseat) while other moments really soared (like the amazing trip scene with John and Maybe-Paul).

The writing, however, did not work well for me. The shifting timelines cluttered the story at first, then disappeared as the characters went on a mystery hunt with next to no payoff. Rather than diving into how the specific characters might have reacted, and reflecting their personalities in their response, the author focuses only on John, who serves as a generic angry-detective character, while George and Ringo might as well be meaningless extras. While the book mixes a handful of interesting moments, none of them feel cohesive and the narrative is disappointing. I'm also not a fan of including material just for the sake of it being interesting or referential, like Paul being the Walrus or the band meeting Pink Floyd.

Overall, a visually-engaging attempt to tell a story that mostly falls flat. It would be worth it for people who really love the Beatles but I wouldn't recommend it to most people.

[Yuri Ulrych · Rating 5 out of 5]

1967 - Doce ácido fluídico

A começar pelo repentino desaparecimento de Paul McCartney, a narrativa ficcional combina o desgaste da banda com a vontade de sumir, mistura de medo e lisergia, neurose e criatividade, pânico e fantasia. Durante ensaios e gravações dos The Beatles, lembranças de discussões técnicas para o disco de vanguarda Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Graficamente, a partir da perspectiva de John Lennon, o quadrinho italiano decompõe a orientação espacial trocando a sequencialidade tradicional de quadros, requadros pela orientação visual ora aberta ora vazada por manchas de sangue. Sequestro? Acidente? Esse escorrer vermelho apresenta em partes o caminho da saturação cromática das cenas aquareladas entre personagens frequentes ao Abbey Road Studios: os três beatles, John, Ringo e George; Brian Epstein, empresário da banda; Geoff Emerick, técnico de som, e George Martin, produtor musical.

O autor brinca com duas tramas separadas por meio da predominância de tons frios hachurados e tons quentes vazados, a de Paul McCartney sósia, também conhecido como Billy Shears, e a de John Lennon perturbado, calculadamente investigativo. Com base na teoria da conspiração que envolveu os The Beatles, a suposta imbricação destas narrativas move todo suspense dessa história em quadrinhos.

Aula de aquecer e esfriar, abrir e fechar de quadros a metaforizar a mentalidade de artistas e fãs, a leitura está crescente em "y". Nos dois pontos altos, chega-se ao cume da liberdade poética onde os dois enredos se encontram à realidade, a verossimilhança. Assim, o roteiro revela só o começo de uma das principais características da inabalável base de fãs dos The Beatles, a multiplicidade de sósias pelo mundo. E a concomitante aposta ao novo vir a ser musical daquele estúdio, o primeiro disco do Pink Floyd.

(Yuri Ulrych)

[Melike Koç · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am in love with the art. It’s very beautiful. I especially love the way Carbonetti draws Ringo and George. His caricature-like art style works very well for the Beatles and I’m a big fan of his use of bright colors and squiggly lines. Baron’s storytelling, however, felt weaker. It’s still enjoyable to read, but the art definitely carried this graphic novel. Maybe it’s because I read the Dutch translation, but the dialogue felt a bit unnatural. The ending didn’t satisfy me and left me rather confused. I have questions about the story that I can’t find answers to since I don’t see anyone else mentioning these things. Either way, I did really enjoy this novel and I would recommend it.

[Francesca Giardiello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una vera e propria opera grafica in bilico fra mito e leggenda, pertinente, probabile e sognante.

I disegni di Carbonetti sono esattamente ciò che ci si aspettava dall'atmosfera voluta dal fumetto: un po' di noir unito a intrighi e fantasie variopinte degni dei deliri causati dalle droghe.

Una vera soddisfazione sia a livello narrativo che grafico, un fumetto che sono stata felice di aver letto e che non è assolutamente da dare per scontato.

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of musical themed conspiracy theories and gorgeous art there’s this book. Based on a wildly speculative what if this novel imagines a world where in 1966 Paul McCartney drove into a tree and died. And imagines it so vividly, in such technicolor splendor, that the presentation wows the readers the same way the band’s music might delight them.
There isn’t much to the story, this isn’t a text heavy production, it’ll take you thirty minutes at most to get through. The plot is interesting, especially for fans, but the art is the star of the show here. It’s so stunning, so striking,, so spectacular. The colors sing. The panels dance. The portraiture is terrific. It’s just a thing of beauty to behold. For that alone, you gotta check it out if you get a chance. Recommended.

This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork is stunning, and worth the read for any Beatles fan. Riffing on the Paul is Dead conspiracy theory that popped up in the late 60's, this graphic novel imagines that Paul died in a car crash and a double was secured to replace him, only for it to turn out that Paul faked his death.

I wish the story had been a little more developed, had John, George and Ringo's search for answers be a little more fleshed out and intense.

[Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A graphic novel version of the conspiracy theory that Paul McCartney died and was replaced in the Beatles. I think the whole thing feels kind of ambiguous, which works in its favor, I guess. The artwork feels very abstract, at least compared to other graphic novels I've read. But it is still easy to recognize the main characters in the book.

[Maryna · Rating 2 out of 5]

to ma mniej sensu niż cokolwiek co przeczytałam na reddicie

[zuzia · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5
najlepszy w tym wszystkim byl czarny John Lennon

[howie · Rating 3 out of 5]

just a bit of fun

[Newly Wardell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one kinda bummed me out. I know its a labor of love. All those involved worshipped the Beatles and it shows on every page. The results are flat and completely uneven. If the story would have been tightened instead of exaggerating the already inflated mythos of those four guys from Liverpool, this could have been great. I mean the illustrations from this are heartbreakingly fabulous. I found out Paul is Dead was a much believed rumor about The Beatles.

[Renata Freire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just some 4 fellas from Liverpool you know, I mean... 3 fellas.
Ilustrações lindas, um bom livro pra ler em uma manhã de sexta feira quando não conseguir dormir mais.
E caso não tenha ficado claro, eu amo os beatles!

[Jenna D Morrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love The Beatles, and growing up, I was always a little obsessed with the theory that Paul was dead, so this title intrigued me. I love the artwork. It's bright and vibrant and the characters are well drawn. With that said, though, I'm a little confused about the rest. The basis for the story is there, but it feels like it just ends waaaay before the story should be over. Is there going to be another volume? Is it set to be a series? I hope so. I would like to see it developed further.

I was provided a copy of the graphic novel by Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an impartial review.