The Fifth Beatle Features Forewords by Billy J. Kramer and Andrew Look Oldham

The Beatles don't need any help in getting people to pay attention to them. They're one of the most recognizable bands in music history and still have a lasting impact on people around the world. Still though, when other music legends like Billy J. Kramer and Andrew Look Oldham offer up their words to a work by Dark Horse written by Vivek J. Tiwary and painted by Andrew C. Robinson chronicling the life of the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein, it's kind of a big deal.

“Telling the Brian Epstein story in The Fifth Beatle has been a true labor-of-love, as I've long considered Epstein my "Historical Mentor” and someone I never had the good fortune to meet, but whose life story I have been greatly inspired by and have tried to learn from. So it is incredibly humbling and affirming to have the input and support of Andrew Loog Oldham and Billy J. Kramer, two music industry superstars who truly knew Brian Epstein. I'm extremely grateful to them both, and I can't wait to share their illuminating contributions with our readers,” said Tiwary.

The standard hardcover edition will be available for $19.99 in an oversized library format on November 19. Both a collector’s-edition and limited edition hardcover of this groundbreaking graphic novel will also be available, featuring a wraparound, textured cover and a section of bonus materials including Beatles and Brian Epstein memorabilia, artist sketches, and alternate covers, for $49.99 and $99.99. Tiwary will be signing limited prints of The Fifth Beatle at FanExpo America in Toronto, Ontario this Friday & Saturday, August 23rd & 24th at the Dark Horse booth #856.

Full press release below.

THE FIFTH BEATLE TO FEATURE FOREWORDS BY 

BILLY J. KRAMER & ANDREW LOOG OLDHAM!

“If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian.”—Paul McCartney

AUGUST 20, TORONTO, ON—The anticipation around The Fifth Beatle continues to grow as Dark Horse announces the involvement of music legends Billy J. Kramer and Andrew Loog Oldham lending their words and support to this remarkable piece of graphic literature chronicling the life of Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein. Billy J. Kramer was managed by Epstein in the 1960’s and had a string of hits including “Do You Want to Know a Secret?”, “Bad to Me”, and “Little Children”; and Andrew Loog Oldham was The Beatles’ publicist in 1963 before he went on to discover, produce and manage The Rolling Stones. Today, Kramer continues to record and release albums, and Oldham is a bestselling author and broadcast personality.

More than merely the story of “The Man Who Made the Beatles,” The Fifth Beatle is an uplifting, tragic, and ultimately inspirational human story about the desire to leave behind a legacy, amidst the struggle to overcome crushing personal obstacles and insurmountable odds. Written by multiple Tony Award–winning producer Vivek J. Tiwary (Green Day’s American Idiot, The Addams Family, Mel Brooks’ The Producers) and painted by fanboy favorite Andrew C. Robinson (Dusty Star, King Conan, Starman, Superman) The Fifth Beatle will be released on November 19.

“Telling the Brian Epstein story in The Fifth Beatle has been a true labor-of-love, as I've long considered Epstein my "Historical Mentor” and someone I never had the good fortune to meet, but whose life story I have been greatly inspired by and have tried to learn from. So it is incredibly humbling and affirming to have the input and support of Andrew Loog Oldham and Billy J. Kramer, two music industry superstars who truly knew Brian Epstein. I'm extremely grateful to them both, and I can't wait to share their illuminating contributions with our readers,” said Tiwary.

The standard hardcover edition will be available for $19.99 in an oversized library format. Both a collector’s-edition and limited edition hardcover of this groundbreaking graphic novel will also be available, featuring a wraparound, textured cover and a section of bonus materials including Beatles and Brian Epstein memorabilia, artist sketches, and alternate covers, for $49.99 and $99.99.

Tiwary will be signing limited prints of The Fifth Beatle at FanExpo America in Toronto, Ontario this Friday & Saturday, August 23^rd & 24th at the Dark Horse booth #856 at XX

Tiwary is represented by David Alpert and Lawrence Mattis at Circle of Confusion.

ABOUT VIVEK J. TIWARY

Vivek J. Tiwary is an award-winning producer, writer, and financier for film, television, theater, music, and graphic novels. He is the producer and writer of “The Fifth Beatle,” a feature film and graphic novel based on the life of Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein. “The Fifth Beatle” has secured unprecedented access to Beatles’ music and is in development to shoot in 2014. He is also exclusive producer of Amelia Rules! — a children’s film franchise and television series based on the series of tween graphic novels by New York Times best-selling author Jimmy Gownley. In television, Vivek sold a sitcom pilot “Punk Rock Dad” to CBS, based on the bestselling memoir/parenting manual by Pennywise lead singer Jim Lindberg, and he is developing a number of additional series including “Ascension,” a historical fiction / thriller juxtaposing the history of astronomy with mankind’s future in the stars. On Broadway, Vivek’s productions have won a combined 25 Tony Awards from 44 Tony nominations—every single one of his shows have been decorated. They include “The Addams Family,” Green Day’s “American Idiot” (the groundbreaking adaptation of the superstar rock band’s multi-platinum album), Mel Brooks’ “The Producers” (the most Tony Awards ever) and “Young Frankenstein”, “A Raisin In The Sun” (starring Sean Combs), and “A Little Night Music” (starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury). Off-Broadway, Vivek produced a theatrical collaboration between electropop/performance artists Fischerspooner and avant-garde theatre collective The Wooster Group (founded by Willem Dafoe, Spalding Gray, and others) that launched the 2008 Sao Paulo Art Bienal. Vivek also serves on the Board of Directors for Valiant Entertainment (www.valiantentertainment.com), a multi-platform company that boasts the third largest and most-loved universe of comic book characters and has been hailed by the New York Times as “Marvel 2.0”. Prior to founding Tiwary Entertainment Group (www.tiwaryent.com)  and online music education/empowerment company StarPolish, Vivek held a number of major label music-industry positions, including launching and heading the Alternative Marketing Department at Mercury/PolyGram Records, and managing Video Promotion for Mercury/PolyGram, where he worked closely with MTV and VH1. Vivek has worked with artists covering the entire musical spectrum including Bruce Springsteen, Shania Twain, Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam, Kiss, LL Cool J, John Mellencamp, Allen Ginsberg, Oasis, Hanson, 311 and The Mighty Mighty BossTones to name but a few. Among many charitable pursuits, Vivek is the Co-Founder of Musicians On Call (www.musiciansoncall.org), a nonprofit organization that uses music and entertainment to complement the healing process. He is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of both the Wharton School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania’s College of Arts and Sciences. Vivek also holds a filmmaking certificate from The New York Film Academy and is an acting student of Susan Batson/Black Nexxus Acting Studio.

ABOUT DARK HORSE COMICS

Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, including The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton’s Tragic Toys for Girls and Boys, Serenity, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.