The Best Beatles Cameos in Comics

October 5th marks the 60th day of the merchandise of the Beatles’ authoritative debut single, “Love Me Do” (in the UK, astatine least). In grant of this noteworthy day successful popular culture, I decided to instrumentality a look astatine immoderate of my favourite Beatles references successful another bastion of popular civilization that was immense successful the ’60s: superhero comics.

Now, this is by nary means a broad database of Beatles cameos successful comics. For starters, I’ve constricted my scope to Marvel and DC — and specifically to their superhero comics, meaning nary Stan Lee Presents: The Beatles Story (it’s a existent thing), nary MAD Magazine appearances, etc. I’m besides not funny successful the galore uses of the Beatles successful inheritance shots and collages meant to evoke “Hey! It’s the ’60s!” arsenic a means of mounting a scene.

No, we’re looking astatine ’60s and ’70s Beatles interactions with superheroes specifically, mostly due to the fact that thing says “How bash you do, chap kids?” similar a clump of mediate aged men trying to seizure a moptopped zeitgeist successful the pages of Jimmy Olsen of whatever.

The franchise that seems to person encountered the Fab Four the astir often is, fittingly enough, the Fantastic Four. The earliest notation comes successful Fantastic Four #34 (January 1965), erstwhile the Thing receives a gag acquisition from his recurring frenemies, the Yancy Street Gang: a Beatles wig. Though initially irritated, Ben yet dons the wig, confessing that he’s ever wanted to effort one. This sheet is worthy the 12¢ outgo of the contented alone:

I americium not convinced Jack Kirby really knew what a Beatles haircut looked like.

Just 2 months later, successful Strange Tales #130 (March 1965), the FF really met the Beatles, successful a communicative called — what else? — “Meet the Beatles!” Well, almost. Alicia Masters and Dorrie Evans, the respective girlfriends of the Thing and the Human Torch, conscionable hap to spot the Beatles wandering astir New York City, and are inspired to bargain 4 tickets to that evening’s concert, which is miraculously not sold out. Now, I’ve seen A Hard Day’s Night, which I’m assuming we tin instrumentality arsenic strict humanities fact, and I americium highly skeptical that the Beatles would conscionable beryllium meandering astir a large metropolis without being mobbed. But possibly teens are much blasé successful the Marvel universe?

Anyway, Johnny, A Youth, is pleased astir the tickets, portion Ben grumbles (though helium does bring on his Beatles wig). Tragically, conscionable arsenic they get astatine the venue, immoderate hoodlums rob the container office, and the Human Torch and the Thing indispensable outpouring into action. After defeating the thieves, they instrumentality to the venue to observe that they’ve missed the full concert. What a revoltin’ development!

Artist Bob Powell definitely didn’t cognize what the Beatles looked like. Yikes.

Other Fantastic Four Beatles references came aboriginal and were overmuch much passing successful nature: they sojourn an alternate beingness wherever John Lennon is inactive live successful Fantastic Four #47 (1998 series); some foursomes conscionable decently successful Fantastic Four: Life Story, a retelling of the FF’s history. But astir apt the champion known and decidedly the astir charming is successful 1994’s Marvels, erstwhile creator Alex Ross snuck astatine slightest the Beatles into the assemblage astatine Reed and Sue’s wedding. Can you spot them all?

Also: Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore.

Over connected the DC broadside of things, the archetypal characters to really conscionable the Beatles that I cognize of are the Metal Men, of each people/robots, successful Metal Men #12 (March 1965), wherever we larn that the 2 groups are communal fans:

Ross Andru, astatine least, had seen a representation of the Beatles astatine immoderate point.

You’d deliberation the DC characters astir apt to bent retired with the Beatles would beryllium the Teen Titans, but as I’ve said before, aboriginal Titans comics weren’t precisely plugged into younker civilization — adjacent though the Beatles appeared to beryllium fans of the Titans, astatine slightest according to Teen Titans #11. Boy, the DCU’s Beatles are benignant of a clump of fanboys, aren’t they?

Again, DC is amended astatine drawing the Beatles. Well, benignant of.

If you needed impervious that DC was little hep than Marvel successful the ’60s, enactment that thing arsenic mild arsenic “being liked by the Beatles” has to beryllium balanced retired by “also being liked by President Johnson,” lest we deliberation the Titans are juvenile delinquents oregon something. Also, this contented is from 1967. The Beatles did not look similar that successful 1967.

DC yet emerged from the ’50s successful astir 1970, and truthful they’re a small much with it successful Batman #222 (June 1970), erstwhile Batman and Robin get caught up successful the “Paul is dead” conspiracy theory. I mean, “Saul is dead.” Yes, that’s right, “Saul Cartwright,” a subordinate of the Twists, the astir thinly veiled personage cameos successful the past of comics. Whatever, I’m counting it!

Batman covers from the ’70s are ever truthful great, and this is nary exception.

In this delightfully silly story, Dick Grayson’s assemblage buddies person him, a literal detective, that Paul Saul has died and been secretly replaced by a look-alike, by playing expected hidden messages connected Twist records. Luckily, Dick is the ward of Bruce Wayne, and Bruce Wayne is simply a large stockholder successful the Twists’ grounds label, a powerfulness he’s seemingly each excessively consenting to abuse. “As Batman — I don’t privation to beryllium enactment to a hoax,” Bruce thinks, thereby justifying the nonsense he’s astir to get up to, earlier inviting the Twists to Gotham for a concert.

Inexplicably, the set agrees to enactment astatine Wayne Manor, but Saul is moody and cagey, making Bruce and Dick adjacent much suspicious. They marque assorted and progressively anserine attempts to grounds Saul’s singing dependable truthful that they tin comparison it to a pre-death way — astatine 1 point, they unreal it’s Alfred’s day to get the Twists to sing “Happy Birthday” to him and lone recognize when they perceive to the track that Saul wasn’t singing solo. Are you the world’s top detectives oregon aren’t you???

Our embarrassingly incompetent heroes are convinced that they’re connected the close way erstwhile they’re violently attacked nether the screen of darkness. That is, until Saul reveals the truth:

You mean they ne'er got to groove with the mysteries of the East?! Also: BENJI?

That’s right: it was the other 3 members of the set who died and were replaced with look-alikes! This is really a beauteous clever solution, since I fishy DC didn’t privation to either telephone its teenage readers gullible dupes or boldly proclaim that the existent Paul McCartney was wholly dead. Batman and Robin, seemingly forgetting that Lohn Jennon implicit determination tried to kill them, suggest that they travel cleanable and signifier a new band. I’m choosing to judge that the sanction of this fake band, Phoenix, inspired the existent Paul’s enactment of Wings a twelvemonth later.

(Fun fact! This comic deed stands 11 days aft Paul announced his departure from the band. Awkward.)

But adjacent this delicious zaniness pales successful examination to what is astir apt DC’s astir infamous Beatles comic, which doesn’t adjacent person the Beatles successful it: Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #79 (September 1964).

Drink it in, friends.

This genuinely sublime communicative begins with Jimmy dancing unsocial to the Beatles portion wearing a custom-made ginger Beatles wig, similar a chill and hep idiosyncratic each teenagers would admire. Suddenly, he’s visited by Kasmir, a transgression from the 30th century, who tricks Jimmy into piloting a stolen clip instrumentality 3,000 years into the past. Luckily, Jimmy speaks the section language! For immoderate reason!

Jimmy is rescued from this futuristic desperado by a mysterious, super-strong teen known lone arsenic Mighty Youth (yes, really). Inexplicably, Jimmy’s archetypal bid of concern is not to fig retired however to nonstop a connection to his clip traveling bestie Superman, but to get a job. Capitalism is simply a poison, kids.

He ends up shearing sheep for a section shepherd, but disappointed by however small it pays, comes up with a broadside hustle: dying surplus wool black, turning it into Beatles wigs, and selling said wigs to teens of past Judea:

“Who is this unusual chap who twists and twitches similar a beetle connected a blistery stone” ohio my GOD.

He’s playing “I Want to Hold Your Hand” connected a ram’s horn. I don’t cognize wherefore everyone says Superman movies are hard to marque erstwhile they’ve ne'er adjacent tried to accommodate this issue.

Unfortunately for Jimmy, Kasmir is inactive hanging around, and jealous of Jimmy’s success. He rats him retired to the shepherd, who claims the wool for Jimmy’s wigs was stolen from him (which…yeah, it was), and has Jimmy thrown successful jail. Jimmy blows connected the ram’s horn for help, and Mighty Youth shows up to prevention him…oh, and Mighty Youth is really the biblical Samson, due to the fact that of people helium is.

Kasmir attempts to revenge himself upon Team Jimmy by cutting Samson’s hair, but luckily Jimmy saw him coming and plopped his ain ginger Beatles wig onto Samson’s caput conscionable successful time, meaning Kasmir lone chopped the wig. The Beatles prevention the time again!

Superman shows up wholly astatine random astatine this constituent and handily defeats everyone who inactive needs defeating, but helium and Jimmy enactment successful past Judea for 1 past farewell concert:

The miss successful greenish up successful the beforehand having ecstasies is my favorite.

“You look to beryllium arsenic fashionable arsenic Ringo, the Beatle drummer!” Who says Superman’s not hep and with it? I should besides enactment that this epic biblical, Beatlelical communicative is lone nine pages long, with 2 different Jimmy tales successful the comic. Say what you volition astir mid-’60s DC and however cringingly embarrassing their attempts astatine relevance could be, but you got your money’s worth.

As I said astatine the start, this is conscionable a glancing look astatine the galore appearances of the Beatles successful comics, but these examples each delight me, adjacent if they betray a profoundly hapless deficiency of chill throughout. Okay, the profoundly hapless deficiency of chill is astir apt why they delight me.

If you’re looking for a comic that’s really about the Beatles, there’s nary amended spot to commencement than The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story by Vivek J. Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson, and Kyle Baker. Meanwhile, I’ll permission you with my favourite (relatively) modern quality of the Beatles successful a superhero comic, from Tiny Titans #8 (November 2008):

I can’t hold for this nonstop country to beryllium adapted successful the Blue Beetle movie adjacent year.