Titan ComicsAn authorized graphic-novel adaption of the animated Beatles film Yellow Submarine, created in honor of the movie’s 50th anniversary, has just been released. The book was written and illustrated by current MAD magazine editor Bill Morrison, who also has worked on The Simpsons.
Morrison tells ABC Radio that, for him, getting to work on the officially sanctioned Yellow Submarine novel “is kind of the pinnacle, because…what’s bigger than The Beatles?”
He points out that “The Simpsons is huge, but The Simpsons is something that was created when I was an adult, so I don’t have that childhood reverence and nostalgia for it. But…I never imagined that I’d be doing…an official Beatles project…that millions of Beatle fans would see and hopefully love.”
Morrison also admits that although he was thrilled to be hired to do the book, he also felt pressure for it “to be really good” to please the Fab Four’s large fan base.
The novel faithfully recreates the Yellow Submarine film’s colorful, surrealistic images.
Explaining the story, Morrison says, “The Blue Meanies, who are evil villains and also hate music with a passion, they’ve taken over Pepperland…is a beautiful, colorful, psychedelic place that’s full of love and peace and music. And one person from Pepperland, Old Fred, who’s a sea captain, escapes in a yellow submarine to our world and enlists the aid of The Beatles to come back and defeat the Blue Meanies.”
While the tale reflects the 1960s’ flower-power sensibilities, Morrison says its themes still resonate today.
“[I]t’s about love conquering hate, it’s about peace conquering evil, and not just conquering it, but changing it,” he maintains. “[S]ort of like bringing the enemy over to your side.”
Check out a preview of the graphic novel at Titan-Comics.com.
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