Beatles with an A: Birth of a Band #[nn]

Mauri Kunnas brings his warm, caricature-driven style to the early story of the world's most famous band, and the cover sets the tone perfectly: four leather-jacketed young men stride across a zebra crossing in what looks like a bustling, neon-lit Hamburg street, guitars and drumsticks in hand, rendered with comic exaggeration and real affection. The subtitle "Birth of a Band" signals that this graphic novel traces the scrappy, formative days before the fame, and Kunnas's lively artwork — crowded with storefronts, onlookers, and period detail — captures the gritty energy of that era beautifully. If you've ever wanted the early Beatles story told with wit and charm in comics form, this 2014 Knockabout release looks like a thoroughly enjoyable place to start.