'The Fifth Beatle': Brian Epstein gets his moment in new graphic novel

The Fab Four wouldn’t have been the Fab Four without the genius of the man Paul McCartney called the “fifth Beatle” — Brian Epstein. Epstein discovered the Beatles and guided them through their path to fame with a mix of marketing madness, business savvy, and inspiration. He died at age 32, just as the band was seeing the height of their success, but he’s getting his due (finally!) in a graphic novel that will debut at Comic-Con. Titled (fittingly), The Fifth Beatle, the story follows Epstein and the band through their early days in Liverpool, their first record deal, and Epstein’s epic 1961 proclamation that “The Beatles will be bigger than Elvis!” The novel also focuses on Epstein’s life apart from the band and his personal struggle with being gay in a time when homosexuality was still a crime in England.

Check out an exclusive trailer for the graphic novel below, complete with ’60s fashion homages and a dreamy score by record producer David Kahne.

The trailer will be screened as part of a continuously looping video throughout Comic-Con at the Dark Horse Comics booth. The novel’s artist, Andrew Robinson, and writer/producer Vivek J. Tiwary will host a Fifth Beatle signing at the booth on Friday at 3 p.m.

The graphic novel will be released on Nov. 19 by Dark Horse Comics and already has a film adaptation in development.