Stereotypes in Comics Pt. I: "The Fifth Beatle"

I was most encouraged to read "The Fifth Beatle" because of watching the animated film "Yellow Submarine" for the first time a little while ago in class, and I've honestly not been able to get "Eleanor Rigby" and "Nowhere Man" out of my head for a solid week at least. I'm also embarrassed to say I have little to no awareness of The Beatles and their history as a band but was quite struck by the songs I heard and thought this book might help introduce me more to the band.

At first, the beginning was a little abrupt with the contrast of The Beatles playing a concert in their earlier days juxtaposed with the beating of a man who I would later realize is both the main character and gay. But from there it was hook, line, and sinker.  Not only was the progression of Brian Epstein character through time fascinating, but the careful attention to the steady spiral into poor physical and mental health was almost like watching a match be stuck in slow motion. His character was conveyed with such bright and charismatic energy that was constantly shadowed by doctor's visits and quite mental spirals into dejection or loneliness.

It's no wonder how he burns out so quickly with the pressure, drugs, and societal norms. Still, the story was incredibly beautiful and moving despite such a sad ending to Epstein's story, and I found that I could profoundly relate to Epstein's sense of great longing for companionship (in the sense of sharing the wonders of life and being one's true self with another human being) as well as the heavy sense of isolation between the Brian the world saw versus Brian alone.

I also could gush for days about the incredible illustrations of this novel, especially it's the use of lighting and expressions to convey delight amounts of depth in mood or tones in each panel. I also felt that the captured likeness of the characters was very well done, and I found it to be incredibly immersive to see and recognize the characters with their real-world likeness.

Overall, the most intriguing aspect of this comic was not only the deeply personal sentiments throughout the novel, and how there was such a heavy stigma against gay people that was emphasized as well. Epstein's homosexuality was addressed multiple times in the story, even during the first 5 pages. He was beaten, belittled, and questioned about qualities he had that fell into the common tropes of what a gay man should be or act like. He had a high sense of cleanliness and fashion, did art and illustrations, was thinner, and overall showed little interest in women. All of these qualities were noticed by people he encountered, and while a few showed acceptance or indifference, most people made the instant assumption that he was a gay man and enforced the stereotype on Epstein, who took drugs and medication to try to suppress his true natures.

I was intrigued to see the stereotypes of the gay man in the '60s and '70s be addressed in this comic, especially for such a pivotal character for The Beatles and their career, and how the story didn't rely on Epstein's homosexuality to tell morals or motivate the progression of the story whatsoever, but rather include it for what it must of felt like for Epstein: a quiet but ever-present truth about one's identity that could not be erased or suppressed, no matter how many pill you take.