'Why me? Why not?'. Cartoon by John Lennon, featuring himself.
The British songwriter and musician John Lennon is world famous as one of the members of The Beatles. As a solo artist, he gained additional fame for his peace activism and protest songs. Around the time of the group's breakthrough, he released two books with self-illustrated poetry and short stories, 'In His Own Write' (1964) and 'A Spaniard in the Works' (1965). Lennon kept making drawings in his spare time, some following a comic strip format. In 1968, he drew a promotional comic for the health magazine Harmony, and made a three-page comic about his honeymoon, printed in the sleeve of his 'Wedding Album' (1969). Personal sketches, some erotic in nature, were released in 1970 as part of his 'Bag One' press portfolio, causing scandal. Many of Lennon's private drawings, often autobiographical in nature, have been posthumously released in books, on album covers or as part of Lennon-themed merchandising. Along with Peter Blegvad, Herman Brood, Kurt Cobain, Yamatsuka Eye, Daniel Johnston, Tuli Kupferberg, Jon Langford (Chuck Death), Bent Van Looy and Charlie Watts, Lennon is one of the few rock musicians who once drew comics.
Early life and career
John Winston Lennon was born in 1940 in Liverpool. His father was a merchant sailor who was rarely at home. The situation got more complicated when John's mother started a relationship with another man and got pregnant. Barely able to make ends meet, she put five-year old John in custody of his aunt Mimi. Feeling rejected by his biological parents and ostracized by the social stigma of having an "adulterous" mother, Lennon built up a combative, sarcastic attitude, becoming more rebellious as a teenager. A typical "teddyboy", he often engaged in street fights, disrupted classes and frequently skipped school. Like so many teens, Lennon was liberated by rock, adoring Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, The Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly. Later he enjoyed Motown soul musicians too, like Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Larry Williams, Gary U.S. Bonds, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, while also admiring Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Eric Clapton, Elton John, David Bowie, Harry Nilsson, Blondie, the B-52s and some punk and reggae musicians.
At age 15, Lennon formed his first band, the Quarrymen, named after his high school, the Quarry Bank School. They mostly covered rock 'n' roll hits. Two years later, Paul McCartney joined in, since he was skilled in guitar, piano and songwriting. He brought along George Harrison as an extra guitarist. Interestingly enough, Lennon's aunt Mimi felt rock was a waste of time, while his mother actually shared his passion and bought him his first guitar. Just when their shattered relationship seemed to recover, Lennon's mother was killed in a car accident. The 18-year old John was heartbroken and traumatized over this event. It tightened his friendship with McCartney, who also lost his mother at a young age.
Childhood drawing by John Lennon, serving as cover art for the 1974 'Walls & Bridges' album.
Besides music, Lennon also had a talent for writing and drawing. As a child, he enjoyed copying Ronald Searle's cartoons and reading the comic magazine The Beano. His favorite book was Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland', illustrated by John Tenniel, which he re-read annually, even in adulthood. He loved the short stories of Edward Lear and James Thurber, who also illustrated their own writings. Starting at age 15, Lennon claimed to be "Thurberising" his own drawings. In high school, Lennon drew and wrote a self-made comic magazine, named The Daily Howl, filled with poems, cartoons and short stories. One of his friends, Bill Turner, recalled that a teacher once confiscated it, but showed it to the entire staff before Lennon got it back. Between 1957 and 1960, Lennon studied at the Liverpool College of Art. While not always turning up for the lessons, one of his fellow students, Stu Sutcliffe, also joined his band, while another, Cynthia Powell, later became Lennon's first wife. Other favorite artists were painters Henri Matisse, Salvador Dalí and René Magritte. Later in his career, Lennon also read underground comix. Photographed in Cannes in 1971, he imitated the walking pose from Robert Crumb's 'Keep on Truckin'' cartoons. In 1974, Lennon used drawings he made at age 11 as cover art for his album 'Walls and Bridges'.
In some of his song lyrics, Lennon occasionally referenced comics. In the Beatles song 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill' (1968), we learn that C.C. Beck's Captain Marvel "zaps him right between the eyes". The title from the song 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun' was lifted from a line Lennon read in a U.S. weapon magazine, unaware it was a pun on the quote 'Happiness Is A Warm Puppy' from the Charles M. Schulz comic 'Peanuts'. In Lennon's 1969 protest single 'Give Peace A Chance', E.C. Segar's 'Popeye' is referenced in the line: "C'mon everybody's talking about (...) Popeyes and bye-bye, bye-byes".
A self-illustrated Christmas letter to Lennon's first wife Cynthia (1959).
The Beatles
Despite many adults discouraging them, Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Sutcliffe kept performing with the Quarrymen. In 1960, Lennon changed the band name to The Beatles, while a booking agent from Liverpool, Allan Williams, became their first manager. Decades later, Williams would be subject of a graphic novel 'Liverfool' (Emmanuel Proust Éditions, 2012), scripted by Gihef and drawn by Damien Vanders. Williams arranged several gigs for The Beatles in the local nightclub The Cavern and, from August 1960 on, also in Hamburg, Germany. At this occasion, the band took Pete Best as their drummer. In the late 1970s, the Dutch comic artist Aloys Oosterwijk would draw a comic about Best for the alternative comic magazine Talent.
The group members had a lot of fun being so far away from home. In Hamburg, they met the local art students Astrid Kirchherr and Klaus Voormann, who became their earliest fans. The group returned to Hamburg two more times, in 1961 and 1962. Back in Liverpool, The Beatles had professionalized themselves to such a degree that they set themselves apart from other amateur rock bands. Discovered by talent scout Brian Epstein, who became their new manager, the group cleaned up their act to appeal more to a mainstream audience. Epstein gave them a uniform look, with specific haircuts, suits and boots. At first, Lennon was reluctant to these changes, but in the end his quest for success won him over. Half a century later, Epstein would inspire no less than two graphic novels, namely Vivek Tiwary and Andrew Robinson's 'The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story' (Dark Horse Comics, 2013) and Jaron Beekes' 'Epstein' (Oog & Blik, 2013). The early years of the Beatles have been adapted into a graphic novel by Finnish artist Mauri Kunnas: 'Beatles with an 'A' (Knockabout, 2014).
The Fab Four enjoying "a movement they need on Lennon's shoulder", 1964.
Through Epstein, the Beatles started playing gigs in bigger venues, until in 1962 they were finally signed by EMI Music. By that point, Sutcliffe had already left the band and died at age 21 from a brain haemorrhage. His life would later inspire the graphic novel 'Baby's In Black' (Reprodukt 2010, English version by JHU Comic Books, 2014) by Arne Bellstorf. A few months later, The Beatles replaced Best with a drummer they met during their gigs in Hamburg: Richard Starkey, AKA Ringo Starr. EMI producer George Martin became the Beatles' lifelong creative associate. Thanks to Martin, the band's songs could be polished into radio-friendly material, while still maintaining their fresh energy. The Beatles quickly climbed the charts with a string of hit singles, many reaching number one for weeks. By 1963, they were already the most popular band in the UK and a year later, Beatlemania became a global phenomenon. They became the first British band to conquer the US Billboard charts. Their arrival at JFK airport in 1964 attracted as much press attention as a political state visit. One girl who jumped in George Harrison's arms at the airport was registered by the cameras and would later become a well-known comic artist: Aline Kominsky, the future wife of Robert Crumb. Touring expanded The Beatles' fame. Their stay in Paris inspired the graphic novel 'The Beatles à Paris' (Robinson, 2024), drawn by Vassilia & Philippe Thirault, Christopher and Degreff, while their visit to Amsterdam, where future novelist Jan Cremer attended one of their concerts, formed the backdrop to Guido van Driel's graphic novel 'Vis Aan De Wand' (1994). The Beatles spreaded their fame even further by making promotional music videos and several films, such as 'A Hard Day's Night' (1964) and 'Help!' (1965). In one scene of 'A Hard Day's Night', actor Victor Spinetti is seen reading the Mad Magazine paperback 'Son of Mad' (1959), with an illustrated cover by Frank Kelly Freas.
The Beatles owed their success to their catchy sing-a-long melodies, performed with fun and energy. The lion's share was written by McCartney and Lennon together, with Harrison usually getting one or two self-written songs on each album and Ringo a solo vocal track. The group revitalized pop music in an era when most pop music material sounded bland and corny. Many bands tried to copy their sound and look, while also writing their own songs. The Beatles appealed to the youth through their self-assured but level-headed attitude. Uninspired press questions were tackled with witty replies. The fact that older generations initially despised the Beatles' "filthy long haircuts" and "obnoxious loud songs" only made them cooler. Gradually even the establishment warmed up to them. Parents felt the Beatles were charming, especially compared with the more "dangerous" bands that followed in their wake, like The Rolling Stones. In 1965, The Beatles became the first band to receive a MBE medal from the Queen. Out of protest, some previous decorated war veterans wrote angry letters or sent their medals back.
'In His Own Write' and 'A Spaniard in the Works'.
In His Own Write / A Spaniard in the Works
Around the time of the Beatles' global breakthrough, Lennon released the book 'In His Own Write' (1964). The work collects surreal poems, short stories and cartoons. Some hailed back to his high school days or were scribbled in between gigs. Others were directly created for the book's release. Inspired by James Thurber and the Lewis Carroll books 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Alice Through the Looking Glass', everything is written in a whimsical style, filled with word play. Several words are deliberately misspelled to create double-layered puns. The minimalistic drawings are very reminiscent of Thurber's self-illustrated writings. Paul McCartney penned the foreword to 'In His Own Write', and co-wrote two pieces, 'On Safairy with Whide Hunter' and an unidentified piece. In 'On Safairy with Whide Hunter', Lennon uses a character named 'Jumble Jim', a pun on Alex Raymond's jungle comic 'Jungle Jim'. Another line, from his poem 'All Abord Speeching', reads "practice daily but not if you are Mutt and Jeff", a nod to Bud Fisher's newspaper comic 'Mutt & Jeff'.
From 'In His Own Write'.
'In His Own Write' was released on 23 March 1964 and sold out so quickly that new copies had to be printed. Despite its reliance on puns, the book was also translated in several languages. The nonsensical poetry, surreal storylines and slightly subversive undercurrent were very unusual to the average young Beatles fan. At the time, most of their songs had straightforward romantic lyrics about normal topics. The book surprised not only Beatle fans, but also their detractors, since they wouldn't associate a pop star with a talent for writing and drawing. As a result, 'In His Own Write' helped distinguish Lennon from his fellow band members, adding to his intellectual public image.
Success and good reviews paved the way for a follow-up book, 'A Spaniard in the Works', released on 25 June 1965. Again featuring short stories and poems, one piece parodies Arthur Conan Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes' stories. Since 'In His Own Write' was frequently compared to James Joyce's 'Finnegans Wake', Lennon bought a copy. He enjoyed Joyce's wordplay, but felt the book was difficult to read in its entirety. Nevertheless, 'A Spaniard in the Works' feels more Joycean than 'In His Own Write'. And in 1967 photographs of both James Joyce and Lewis Carroll were included on the collage cover of the Beatles' album 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'. Lennon considered writing a third book, but eventually gave up the plan. In 1968, 'In His Own Write' was adapted into a play by the National Threatre Company in collaboration with playwright Adrienne Kennedy and actor Victor Spinetti. Spinetti had previously acted in the Beatles film 'A Hard Day's Night'.
The success of Lennon's books motivated the publisher of Rolling Stones Monthly to release a university book by Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts as 'Ode to a Highflying Bird' (London's Beat Publications, 1965). Bob Dylan's book 'Tarantula' (1971) also has a poetic style but no illustrations. Dutch singer Boudewijn De Groot was inspired by Lennon's books to write his song 'Wie Kan Me Nog Vertellen?' (1968) in a similar lyrical style, with several puns and wordplay. In John Hughes' teen film 'Pretty in Pink' (1986), the character of Andie gives Blaine a copy of 'In His Own Write' as a gift. When 'Simpsons' creator Matt Groening made a list of his 100 Favorite Things, he put 'In His Own Write' and 'A Spaniard in the Works' at number 82. Other celebrity admirers of Lennon's book were Prince Philip (husband of Elizabeth II), the cartoonist Michael Maslin and Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. In 2014, the manuscripts of 'In His Own Write' and 'A Spaniard in the Works' were auctioned at Sotheby's.
For those interested in Lennon's art, Scott Gutterman's book 'John Lennon: The Collected Artwork' (2014) is highly recommended.
From 'A Spaniard in the Works'.
The Beatles (1965-1970)
While The Beatles' phenomenal success was initially a dream come true for Lennon, the timing wasn't ideal. In 1962, he got his college girlfriend Cynthia Powell pregnant, married her and had a son together, Julian. Since the Beatles were often on tour he, just like his father, was often absent from home. Also, he couldn't resist the temptations offered by female admirers, drugs and other aspects of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle. By the mid-1960s, Lennon also felt overwhelmed by the screaming crowds who often almost crushed the band, drowning out their live performances into an ear-piercing ordeal. The band decided to reinvent themselves with each new release. The latest recording techniques were applied to give their songs an innovative, original sound. Bob Dylan's songwriting and the use of hallucinogenic drugs led to more thought-provoking lyrics and psychedelic arrangements. A voyage to India made Lennon and Harrison interested in sitar music, Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism. By 1966, they effectively stopped touring and concentrated on studio albums instead.
While their 1965 album 'Rubber Soul' already showed hints of this new direction, the 1966 follow-up 'Revolver' pushed the envelope much further. The record features innovative tape loops, echo effects and influences from traditional Indian music. Their old friend Klaus Voormann designed the cover. To coincide with the record's release, London Magazine Nova asked Alan Aldridge to make illustrations inspired by the song lyrics. Lennon called Aldridge to inform him some of his interpretations were wrong, but still wanted to meet him. Aldridge gave Lennon the original print of his 'Dr. Robert' illustration and a few weeks later the artist received a Penguin paperback of Lennon's 'A Spaniard in the Works' and 'In His Own Write'. Aldridge also designed the covers for a reprint edition of the latter two books. Aldridge's graphic interpretations of 'Revolver' were later collected in an official book, 'The Beatles' Illustrated Lyrics' (Macdonald Unit 75, 1969), expanding additional Beatle song lyrics with artwork by many other notable graphic designers and cartoonists. In 2016, Voormann released 'Revolver 50: Birth of an Icon' (Genesis Publications, 2016), a graphic novel based on his memories working on 'Revolver'.
'A Day in the Life'.
The next Beatles album, 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' (1967), impressed many people with their new public image. The cover, designed by Peter Blake, became one of the most parodied images of all time, including spoofs by Cal Schenkel (Frank Zappa's 'We're Only In It For the Money', 1967), Henk Albers (a 1969 poster for the comic magazine Pep, starring characters that appeared in its pages), Gotlib (a 1979 cover for Fluide Glacial with his favorite artists), Koen Hottentot (a 2007 tour poster for the band Fairport Convention), Gerben Valkema (a 2009 spoof with Disney characters), Harry Edwood (with 'Tintin' characters) and Francisco Munguia. All new Beatles albums took experimental risks, without losing their ear for melody. 'Magical Mystery Tour' (1967) was the soundtrack to their TV movie of the same name. Bob Gibson, who earlier made drawings for the fanzine Beatles Monthly, drew the comic strip inside the sleeve. Their next record, simply titled 'The Beatles', but better known as 'The White Album' (1968), was the group's first double album. It featured a bold, tremendous variety in musical styles, themes and experiments, effectively going further than they had ever gone before. Afterwards, the band went back to their roots and focused on a simpler, more stripped down sound for the albums 'Abbey Road' (1969) and 'Let It Be' (1970). The 'Abbey Road' cover, where the Beatles cross a road single file, has also been parodied regularly, including by Gerben Valkema (with Disney characters) and Mark Crilley (with 'Akiko' characters).
The group also received its own animated TV series, 'The Beatles' (1965-1969), produced by ABC TV, and scripted by Jack Mendelsohn. John, Paul, George and Ringo hated this very low-budget animated adaptation of their public image to such a degree that when the Walt Disney Studios contacted them to be special guest voices in their upcoming feature film 'Jungle Book', they outright refused. The studio still included four Beatlesque vultures in the film, voiced by actors. Even when EMI greenlighted the official animated feature film 'Yellow Submarine' (1968), which included preexisting Beatles songs and four new ones, the band refused to voice their animated counterparts. Again voice actors were hired, but when the group saw the first rushes, they were pleasantly surprised and delighted with the psychedelic and highly imaginative picture, designed by Heinz Edelmann. Since the movie was almost ready, they had to settle for a brief live-action cameo at the end. 'Yellow Submarine' was also adapted into a comic book, scripted by Paul S. Newman and drawn by José Delbo. Released by Gold Key Comics, it was however based on an early draft of the film and therefore has many scenes not present in the final picture. In 2018, Bill Morrison also released a comic based on 'Yellow Submarine', published by Titan Comics.
The cracks within the Beatles started to show when their manager Brian Epstein died in 1967 from a drug overdose, possibly a suicide. Before his passing, he had been reorganizing their finances into their own company, Apple, which would have a lower tax rate. In January 1968, it was officially introduced to the press. The logo, inspired by René Magritte's paintings, was designed by Gene Mahon, with Alan Aldridge designing its copyright notice and various album covers, wallpaper and postcards for the company. Unfortunately, the Beatles themselves were very inexperienced and naïve regarding business matters, which led to many people profiting from their lack of organization and vanishing with money. By the late 1960s, the individual members were already settling down in stable relationships, making them more intent on going solo. In 1970, the Beatles officially split.
Self-portrait of John and Yoko.
Yoko Ono / Lennon's solo career (1969-1970)
On 7 November 1966, John Lennon met his soulmate, Yoko Ono, during an art exhibit in London. They felt sexually attracted, but Lennon was also intrigued by her bold conceptual art and experimental music. During their meeting, he told her that he wished he could also exhibit art like her. Yoko was puzzled, since as a member of the Beatles, he would instantly receive all the media attention he wanted. But Lennon explained that, as a Beatle, he simply wouldn't be taken seriously and couldn't be as bold. They started an affair and when Yoko later turned out to be pregnant, his legally wedded wife Cynthia divorced John. On 11 November 1968, Lennon released a recording he and Yoko had made as his first solo album, 'Two Virgins'. At that point in time, Paul McCartney and George Harrison had already released solo albums, both soundtracks to nowadays forgotten films, respectively 'The Family Way' (1967) and 'Wonderwall' (1968), but 'Two Virgins' received far more media attention, albeit more for the scandalous cover, depicting John and Yoko in full frontal nudity. The record itself baffled listeners even further, since it was basically one long improvised take on which they experimented with loud and dissonant sounds, feedback, delay and instrumentals.
Within the Beatles, Lennon already had a reputation for being a snarky, intellectual rebel. During a performance at the Royal Variety Show (1965), he asked the people in the cheaper seats to "clap their hands", while the ones in the better seats "could just rattle their jewelry". In 1966, he claimed in an interview that Christianity "would vanish and shrink" as the Beatles were already "more popular than Jesus now", a simple observation that caused a scandal in the United States months later, with several radio channels banning their music and religious leaders organizing public burnings of Beatles records and memorabilia. Lennon played a supporting role in Richard Lester's anti-war film 'How I Won the War' (1967) and was always interested in the latest experimental media. Lennon actively promoted musicians like Bob Dylan, Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa and midnight movies like Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968) and later Alejandro Jodorowsky's 'El Topo' (1970). He, McCartney and Harrison also recorded a few experimental Beatle songs with unusual sounds, like 'Rain' and most of the songs on 'Revolver', 'Sgt. Peppers' and 'Magical Mystery Tour'. But it wasn't until Yoko Ono became a mentor figure to him that his experimental and socially conscious side became more outspoken. She actively encouraged him to "let it all out", even getting him addicted on heroin for a year. Even during Beatles recording sessions, she barely left his side. It led to far darker, stranger and, at times, very dissonant songs. Some were still accepted on Beatles albums, like 'The White Album' ('Yer Blues', 'Cry Baby Cry', 'Revolution 9') and 'Abbey Road' ('I Want You (She's So Heavy)'), while others were deemed thematically unsuitable for the group.
'A Short Essay on Macrobiotics, health magazine Harmony', drawn on 7 November 1968 in London's Queen Charlotte's Hospital.
Around the time 'Two Virgins' was released, Yoko was hospitalized for her pregnancy. Lennon stayed at her side, making drawings to pass the time. One of them was the comic strip 'A Short Essay on Macrobiotics', drawn on 7 November 1968 for Gregory and Craig Sams, owners of the London macrobiotic restaurant Seed (AKA the Macro) and publishers of the health magazine Harmony. Growing more into a pacifist hippie, Lennon changed his eating habits and became a vegetarian. The comic chronicles how he started eating according to a macrobiotic diet, being partially an advertisement for the magazine. He portrays himself and Yoko in the nude, as they appear on the cover of 'Two Virgins'. Drawn with a potbelly, Lennon describes himself as "already a vegetarian" but "slow". After reading the Sams' macrobiotic book 'You Are All Sanpaku', he decides to visit his restaurant, eating rice "for 10 days" and becoming slim and healthy "fast" as a result. In the final panels, Lennon depicts himself having become an enthusiastic reader of Harmony, making the pun: "So we all need Harmony", while he and Yoko sit on a cloud of happiness, greeting Sams. Lennon and Ono often visited Seed and ordered food that Sams delivered to them, even while in the hospital. When Yoko needed compatible blood donors, Sams drove around London to find people willing to give her a transfusion. Unfortunately, she eventually had a miscarriage.
On 20 March 1969, John and Yoko got married in Gibraltar, going on a long honeymoon. Four days later, they were in Paris, where photographer Robert Whitaker arranged a lunch meeting between them and Salvador Dalí. Whitaker had previously shot the infamous cover for the Beatles' album 'Yesterday and Today' (1966), on which the band poses amidst raw meat and dismembered baby doll parts, an idea inspired by Dalí's works. Ono asked for a hair from the surrealist painter's signature mustache, but he rejected this, fearing she might use it for "occult ceremonies". In a 2012 interview by the French magazine VSD, Dalí's associate Amanda Lear claimed that Dalí later sent Ono a dry blade of glass cut from his garden, for which she supposedly paid 10,000 dollars. No details about Lennon and Dalí's lunch conversation are known, but he did seem to have made an impression on the painter. Dalí later hung a photograph of Lennon on a coathanger on the wall of his house.
When on 25 March 1969 Lennon and Ono checked into the Amsterdam Hilton hotel, they stayed in bed for a week to promote world peace. On 31 March, they held another press conference in Vienna, this time sitting inside bags. Ono was inspired by a line from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's novel 'Le Petit Prince', which states that one sees rightly "only with the heart", not the eyes. By hiding in a bag, they hoped there would be less attention for their celebrity status and more for their pacifist message. On 26 May, Lennon and Yoko held another "Bed-In" stunt for peace, this time at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. While these media stunts brought their plea for world peace global attention, there was also criticism. In Montreal, the US comic artist Al Capp (of 'Li'l Abner' fame) scolded Lennon and Ono for their "phony peace campaign", nude photograph on 'Two Virgins' and "Christ (…) they're gonna crucify me" line in the Beatles song 'The Ballad of John and Yoko'. Their heated debate can also be seen in the documentary 'Imagine: John Lennon' (1988).
"Bed Peace" (poster with the 'Wedding Album').
Lennon's next two solo albums, 'Life With the Lions' (1969) and 'Wedding Album' (1969) were again mixtures between avantgarde music and fly-on-the-wall recordings, with Yoko being audibly present. Either as a wailing singer, or song topic. Side 2 of 'The Wedding Album' consists of recordings made during their Bed-In in Amsterdam, ranging from press interviews to casual conversations. The sleeve featured photographs, press articles and newspaper cartoons about their well-publicized marriage and peace campaigns. Among them cut-outs from British newspaper cartoonists like Emmwood (who actually sent Lennon a signed copy of his cartoon), Stanley Franklin, Carl Giles, Gren, Keith Waite and Richard Wilson, but also Dutch newspaper cartoonists like Fritz Behrendt, Nico Rolle and Peter van Straaten. It also features a three-page balloon comic by Lennon, chronicling his marriage, honeymoon, airplane travels, hotel visits, bed-ins and bag-ins. Yoko and he are portrayed as two people inside bags, with their heads sticking out. The story ends with the couple dissolving into question marks, uncertain what the future will bring.
In January 1970, Lennon released 14 lithographs under the title 'Bag One Portfolio'. The drawings portray him and Yoko during their honeymoon. Some are pornographic in nature, depicting the couple nude or having sex. Conservative groups scolded the drawings for being "obscene". When the London Art Gallery exhibited the drawings, the expo was closed down on the second day by Scotland Yard, who confiscated all the erotic artwork. In April, it was taken to the Marlborough Street Magistrates' Court, but the judge threw the case out, since the erotic images were "unlikely to deprave or corrupt." Later that year, when the British underground magazine Oz was sentenced for obscenity, Lennon and Ono recorded a benefit single, 'God Save Us' to help raise money for legal appeal. Much of the scandal revolved around a special Oz issue that was written and created by high school students, with a pornographic collage comic by 15-year old student Viv Berger. This explains the line 'God save Rupert' in Lennon's song. Eventually the trial was redone and dismissed over too many legal errors, with Oz's editors being freed.
'Power to the People!' (1972).
Solo career (1970-1980)
In 1969, Lennon established his own group, the Plastic Ono Band. Klaus Voormann played bass in it. Officially branded as a solo side project, since the Beatles hadn't officially split, it was basically already his post-Beatles solo band. Contrary to his first three albums, 'Two Virgins', 'Life with the Lions' and 'Wedding Album', the singles had a more conventional rock sound. Several were protest songs, advocating peace ('Give Peace A Chance' [1969], 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)' [1971]) and benefiting social causes ('Power to the People' [1971], 'Woman Is The Nigger of the World' [1972]). Others dealt with more autobiographical topics, like 'Cold Turkey' (1969), about Lennon's experiences with withdrawing from heroin, or philosophical themes ('Instant Karma', 1970).
With his fourth album, 'John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band' (1970), fans were relieved to hear Lennon continuing on this more traditional melodic path. Two other albums, 'Imagine' (1971) and 'Mind Games' (1973) were likewise well-received. Still, Lennon kept challenging his worldwide audience with songs that couldn't be described as safe and mainstream-friendly. Many were uncompromisingly socialist, anti-war and atheistic. In the song 'God', Lennon disregards all the people, ideologies and religions he no longer believes in, including the Beatles, concluding he just believes in himself and Yoko. In his signature song 'Imagine', he imagines an utopian world without countries or religion, where people can live in peace and harmony. Other tracks were almost exhibitionistic, exploring his inner psyche ('Mother', 'My Mommy's Dead', 'Jealous Guy', 'Gimme Some Truth') or paying homage to Yoko and their son Sean (born in 1975).
Self-portrait of John and Yoko.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Lennon made more headlines by demonstrating against the Vietnam War and engaging in bizarre media stunts. Some felt narcissistic, like Ono's art movie 'Self Portrait' (1969), depicting a 40-minute static shot of Lennon's penis. Other critics considered their Bed-Ins and Bag-Ins to be "naïve". Many Lennon songs were militant or so autobiographical that they seemed of little interest to anybody but himself, his family and the most obsessed fans. Others were "ruined" by avantgarde noise or Yoko's tendency to scream throughout the performances. Fans and critics gave Lennon's solo output a mixed reception, with Paul McCartney's albums vastly outselling him and George Harrison's 'All Things Must Pass' (1970) being the best-selling solo Beatle record overall. But to other listeners, Lennon's personal anxieties were recognizable and relatable quests for the inner self, while his social consciousness was admired. He became a spokesperson for the anti-Vietnam War movement and solidified his status as an influential counterculture figure. In 1969, he sent his MBE medal back to Buckingham Palace, out of protest against Britain's involvement in the Vietnam and Biafra War, again causing scandal. After moving to New York City in 1971, the Richard Nixon administration considered him dangerous enough to actively try to deport him. In early 1973, they actually succeeded in ordering him to leave the country within 60 days. Luckily for Lennon, the end of the Vietnam War that year and the ensuing Watergate scandal eventually led Nixon's attention away. When Nixon resigned in 1974, his successor Gerald Ford showed no interest in continuing the deportation matters and by 1975 the former Beatle was allowed to stay in the country.
Now in his thirties, finding relative stability in his relationship with Yoko, Lennon mellowed out. He dismissed and apologized for his abusive, irresponsible behavior in previous relationships, while chasing his inner trauma's away through Arthur Janov's "primal scream" therapy. In 1975, he put his musical career on hold for five years to focus on raising his new-born son Sean. This time, he was more ready for this parental role than he had been with his first son, Julian. During this period, Lennon made more private drawings again, depicting him, Yoko and Sean as a happy family. He often scribbled during business meetings or while waiting for restaurant meals. If somebody wanted a drawing, he simply gave them away. During summer vacations to Karuizawa, Japan, Lennon also drew a lot. He sketched visual reminders on how to pronounce certain Japanese words and what they meant. These drawings were later collected in the book 'Japan Through John Lennon's Eyes: A Personal Sketchbook, 1976-1977'. His drawings for his son Sean were collected in 'Real Love - The Drawings for Sean, 1975-1980'. In 1978, John's first wife, Cynthia Lennon, also released an autobiography, 'A Twist of Lennon' (Avon, 1978), partially illustrated with her own drawings. Lennon tried to prevent its release.
'Jazz Man' (1979). The dialogue reads: "I've been getting into jazz, man." - "I've been trying to avoid it all my life!".
Graphic and written contributions
In 1970, Lennon wrote the foreword for Tony Palmer's novel 'Born Under A Bad Sign', illustrated by Ralph Steadman. In 1972, Lennon also made a drawing and a poem for Len Richmond and Gary Noguera's book 'Gay Liberation', supporting LGBT causes. Artwork by Lennon has also been used as cover or sleeve art for posthumous releases, such as 'Milk and Honey' (1984), 'Free As A Bird' (1995), 'Anthology' (1998), 'Acoustic' (2004), 'Gimme Some Truth' (2010) by John Lennon and 'Warzone' (2018) by Yoko Ono.
Recognition
Most of the recognition for Lennon happened posthumously. Various statues and memorials have been erected for him, while a lunar crater (11 October 2009) and crater on Mercury (20 December 2013) were named after him. His art has frequently been exhibited, like the 'Art of John Lennon' expo (2014) at the Pacific Edge Gallery in Laguna Beach, California.
'Taste' (1977), Lennon's attempt to remember certain Japanese words, how to pronounce them and what they mean.
Final years and death
In 1980, Lennon released a new album, 'Double Fantasy', but his comeback received mixed reviews and was sadly overshadowed by his unexpected murder. Later that year he was shot in the back in New York City. The assassin was a lunatic whom he had given an autograph to a couple of hours earlier. Lennon's death sent shock waves around the world, leading to various tributes. The Belgian comic magazine (A Suivre) released a special collective homage book, with contributions by André-François Barbe, Enki Bilal, Michel Blanc-Dumont, François Boucq, Jean-Claude Denis, Jacques Ferrandez, Fred, Daniel Goossens, Andreas Martens, Luc Nisset-Raidon, Benoît Sokal, Jacques Tardi, Martin Veyron, Jacques Violeff and Philippe Vuillemin. Dutch artist Peter Pontiac, who had once made a portrait of John Lennon for the magazine Muziek Express, saw this particular illustration being bootlegged as a poster after Lennon's death. On 2 September 1982, the Mexican comic book series 'Los Supermachos' by Rius also devoted its 868th issue to John Lennon.
In 1982, Lennon's manuscripts of unreleased poems, short stories and drawings were stolen from his New York apartment, but recovered in 1986, when Yoko Ono made them public in the book 'Skywriting By Word of Mouth' (Harper and Row, 1986). Some of her late husband's black-and-white artwork has been colorized by her.
While Lennon's murder seemingly made a Beatles reunion unlikely, the surviving members released a documentary in 1995, 'The Beatles Anthology', while bringing out three CD's worth of unreleased outtakes and two newly recorded and modified songs, based on the Lennon demos 'Free As A Bird' and 'Real Love'. The album cover was once again designed by Klaus Voormann. 'The Beatles Anthology' was such a success that the band effectively became the best-selling global musical act of 1995-1996. In 2023, another old demo by Lennon, 'Now and Then', was released in a digitally cleaned version.
John Lennon artwork, colorized by Yoko Ono.
Lennon and The Beatles in comics
John Lennon's legacy as a musician, activist and counterculture icon still continues, both as a Beatle and solo artist. Apart from the immeasurable impact on pop music and its industry, The Beatles also influenced teen subculture, fashion, film, comedy, everyday language and comics. As early as 1964, many youth magazines featured biographical comics about the band. In Sweden, for instance, Charlie Bood drew a serialized Beatles-themed biopic in Bild-Journalen. The Spanish artist Enrico Bagnoli drew a biographical comic for ABC Magazine. In July of that year, Dell Comics in the USA released a comic book, 'The Beatles', scripted by Paul S. Newman and drawn by Dick Giordano and Joe Sinnott. The publisher Herald House brought out a photo comic about the band, titled 'Talking Pictures No. 1'. The screaming girls at The Beatles' concerts couldn't be ignored by savvy editors and so many romance comics of the mid-1960s feature John, Paul, George and Ringo prominently on their covers. Even though in most of the stories they were regulated to throwaway references. In the British girls' magazine Valentine, for instance, published by the Amalgamated Press/Fleetway, various comic story plotlines were inspired by pop lyrics, including ones by The Beatles. Florenci Clavé, for instance, drew a 1964 comic based on their song 'If I Fell'. In Girls' Romances issue #109 (1965), the Beatles are prominently featured in a dream sequence by a girl named Penny.
As The Beatles became global celebrities, the members often received cameos in many 1960s newspaper strips and comic books. In the satirical newspaper comic 'Mafalda' (1964-1974) by the Argentine cartoonist Quino, the title character is a huge fan of the band. Superman's reporter sidekick Jimmy Olsen was also revealed to be a Beatle fan in 'Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen' issue #79 (1964), written by Leo Dorman and drawn by George Papp. In this issue, Jimmy time-travels and introduces the group's songs and haircuts to ancient generations. However, many of these elderly cartoonists didn't always understand the Beatles' appeal and had trouble telling the individual members apart. More often than not they were drawn as four indistinguishable, long-haired clones of each other and their music as annoying noise. In Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder's 'Little Annie Fanny', the group is tellingly satirized as 'the Bleatles'. In Ogden Whitney's 'Herbie Popnecker' #5 (1964), Herbie interrupts a Beatle concert and steals the show. In René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo's 'Asterix in Britain', the Beatles are given a cameo when the Gauls visit Britannia and notice "the four most popular bards of the country". When Martin Lodewijk's 'Agent 327' from the Netherlands was still a short story comic, one plotline involved the secret agent escorting the band from the airport to one of their concerts. On a 1967 cover of Mad Magazine, drawn by Norman Mingo, the Beatles and the Maharishi worship the Mad mascot Alfred E. Neuman. In Belgium, in Marc Sleen's 'Nero' story 'Arthur de Vetvogel', Nero and his friends start singing 'All You Need is Love' while in the jungle. The Beatles also receive a cameo in another story, 'De Paarse Futen', when Adhemar teaches some young students in Oxford. In Batman issue #222 (1970), made by Frank Robbins, Irv Novick and Dick Giordano, Batman investigates the "Paul is dead" urban legend by meeting a band named The Twists, very obviously modeled after the Beatles.
Even after the Beatles' split, the group kept inspiring cartoonists. Guy Peellaert, for instance, made several paintings romanticizing rock celebrities, including The Beatles. In 1978, Marvel Comics released Marvel Super Special #4, devoted to 'The Beatles Story', a comic scripted by David Anthony Kraft and drawn by George Pérez. Around the same time, Marvel was also involved in the official comic book adaptation of 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', also made by Kraft and Pérez. However, when this movie flopped, the comic wasn't released in the USA. Foreign editions did come out in Dutch, French and Japanese. Stella H. Alico published the biographical comic 'The Beatles and John Lennon' (Pendulum Press, 1979), with artwork by Ernie Guanlao. After Lennon's death, both he and the Fab Four experienced a revival of interest. In 1981, 'The Beatles Story', by Angus Allan and Arthur Ranson, ran in the British comic weekly Look-In. The story was published in book format by Rebellion Publishing in 2017. A German edition was published in 2015 by Boiselle & Ellert. Naturally, The Beatles were also give a full chapter in Dominique Farran, Michael Sadler and Serge Dutfoy's 'Histoire de Rock en B.D.' ('The Cartoon History of Rock 'n' Roll', 1986) and Vincent Brunner and Mathias Malzieu's 'Tunes: A Comic Book History of Rock and Roll' (Universe, 2010). In the 'Rock 'n' Roll Comics' series, 'The Beatles Experience' (Revolutionary Comics, 1991) was released, an eight-part comic book series scripted by Todd Loren and drawn by Mike Sagara. In 2009, publisher Bluewater Productions reprinted the comics and updated the content. In 2003, Sean Ward released 'Tomorrow Never Knows: A Comics History of the Psychedelic Beatles'.
In the 'Légendes en BD' series, the one-shot graphic novel 'The Beatles en Bandes Dessinées' (2008) was released, a series of short comics based on several moments from the group's career. Among the contributing artists were Mathieu Akita, Joël Alessandra, Anthony Audibert, Clément Baloup, Christophe Billard, Pierre Braillon, Pierre Braillon, Edwina Cosme, Virginie De Lambert, Richard Di Martino, Efix, Víctor Giménez, Romuald Gleyze, Laurent Houssin, Patrick Lacan, Julien Lamanda, Lapuss', Ben Lebègue, Lu-K, Filippo Neri, Piero Ruggeri, Odile Santi, Anne-Sophie Servantie, Ludivine Stock, Martin Trystram, Amandine Wadre Puntous and Vox. The French comic artist Hervé Bourhis released the graphic novel 'Le Petit Livre Beatles' (Dargaud, 2010). Enzo Gentile and Fabio Schiavo released 'The Beatles in Comic Strips' (Skira, 2012), while Jason Quinn and Lalit Kumar brought out 'The Beatles: All Our Yesterdays' (Campfire, 2017). In 2022, Tidal Wave Comics released 'The Beatles' as a graphic novel in their 'Orbit' biographical comics series. The script was written by Carlos Pagola Morales, Marc Shapiro, Richard Elms, David Cromarty, while artwork was provided by Angel Bernuy, Luciano Kars, Orlando Maro and Victor Moura. In 2023, yet another graphic novel was published in Spain: 'The Beatles: Historia De Una Amistad' (Ma Non Troppo, 2023) by Luciano Saracino and Nicolas Brondo.
John Lennon has been the subject of comics too. In 1985, his songs were among the many pop lyrics visualized into comic strips by István Fujkin for the Yugoslavian music magazine Rock Magazine. In 2001, Yuiko Asano (script) and Jun Watanabe (art) made a biographical manga about John Lennon, printed as a paperback in the 'Tetsuwan Atomu Pocket Biography' series. This peculiar manga is told with Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy as a narrator. In France, Horne drew a graphic novel, 'John Lennon' (Marabout, 2015), scripted by Éric Corbeyran and David Foenkinos. In Germany, Steffen Boisselle and Olga Carmona Peral also released a biographical comic about Lennon's solo years, 'John Lennon: Sein Leben nach den Beatles' (Boiselle & Ellert, 2015). In 2012, Pablo Stanley made a comic based on the lyrics of John Lennon's 'Imagine'. The Italians Paolo Barron and Ernesto Carbonetti released the graphic novel 'Chiedi a John. Quando i Beatles Persero Paul' (80144 Edizioni, 2019), translated in French ('Paul est Mort: Quand les Beatles Ont Perdu McCartney, 2019), Spanish ('Paul Ha Muerto', Nueve Nueve, 2019) and English as 'Paul Is Dead' (Image Comics, 2020). As a counterculture icon, Lennon often received guest roles in alternative comics, like Ceesepe's 'Slober' (1975-1979), Dick Matena's 'Mythen', Joe Matt's 'Peepshow' and Gary Panter's 'Jimbo in Purgatory' (2004).
Special edition of the Belgian magazine (A Suivre), dedicated to John Lennon.
Other Beatles in comics
As for the other Beatles, Paul McCartney also enjoyed drawing entire comic books as a teenager. In 1952, between age 9 and 10, he was snapped in a class photograph, looking at an issue of The Dandy. McCartney's favorite comic series was Alfred Bestall's 'Rupert Bear', while in adulthood he also read DC and Marvel Comics. In the film 'Help!' (1965), McCartney is playing piano at home, while having copies of Superman issues #165 and #166, Action Comics #304, #311 and #314 and Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #65, #67 and #75 in the place where his sheet music ought to be. He was also photographed reading 'Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen' issue #75 on a bed. As a solo artist, he recorded the song 'Magneto and Titanium Men' (1975), named after villains from Stan Lee & Jack Kirby's 'X-Men'. During his tour in L.A. that year, McCartney also met Kirby, who gave him a sketch portraying the ex-Beatle with his wife Linda. Later, McCartney dedicated the L.A. concert to Kirby, and on 28 May 1993 the Kirby drawing was auctioned by Goldmine Magazine. When The Dandy folded in 2012, McCartney wrote the editors a letter, telling them it had been his lifelong ambition to ever appear in this magazine and gave them the right to portray him, if possible. His wish was granted in The Dandy's final issue, released in December 2012, where various regular comic characters from the publication all sing a rendition of 'Hey Jude' besides him. Dandy cartoonist Nigel Parkinson also drew a comic starring Paul McCartney for that issue, but the half-finished pages weren't used and in 2022 donated to The Liverpool Beatles Museum. Interestingly enough, an early McCartney girlfriend, Jane Asher, later married the cartoonist Gerald Scarfe. Paul McCartney's solo career was the subject of a biographical comic, 'Paul McCartney: Carry That Weight' (Tidal Wave Comics, 2018), by Orlando Maro, Richard Elms and Darren Davis.
There is no record of George Harrison being a comic reader, although an unrelated 1940s U.S. comic artist and sci-fi writer was also named George Harrison. The Beatle was the subject of a biographical comic, 'George Harrison. An Illustrated Tale' (TidalWave Comics, 2012), written by Carlos Pagola Morales and drawn by Angel Bemuy. Ringo Starr was photographed in 1964, reading a copy of 'Amazing Stories of Suspense' issue #23, with a cover drawn by Steve Ditko. Decades later, Ringo met the comic editor/publisher Stan Lee a few times in 2005 to discuss a potential superhero cartoon series starring the Beatle. The plans led to nowhere, but Ringo and Lee were photographed together with the former Beatle reading a Spider-Man comic and Lee playing drums. Ringo too has been the subject of a biographical comic, 'Orbit: Ringo Starr' (Tidal Wave Comics, 2022), scripted by David Cromarty and drawn by Victor Moura.
The character Rocket Raccoon in Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' series was based on the Beatles song 'Rocky Raccoon'. Marvel comic creator Paul Cornell created Skrull John Lennon, a British secret agent investigating superhuman situations. Launched in 2007, the stories were drawn by Trevor Hairsine and Paul Neary.
Self-portrait.