THE FIFTH BEATLE TO PARTNER WITH ROLLING STONE FOR INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Tenth anniversary issue of Rolling Stone Italy will include Italian version of Brian Epstein graphic novel three weeks prior to official release date

MILWAUKIE, OR, OCTOBER 24– Thanks to a collaboration between Dark Horse Comics and Panini Comics, the world premiere of the long-awaited graphic novel written by Vivek J. Tiwary, drawn by Andrew C. Robinson and Kyle Baker and dedicated to the manager of the Beatles, Brian Epstein, is arriving in Italy. The Fifth Beatle is the latest addition to the prestigious 9L Panini catalogue and will be released in Italy in partnership with Rolling Stone Italy to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the magazine.

With this joint venture between Panini Comics and Rolling Stone, The Fifth Beatle will be first made available at newsstands in Italy at the beginning of November, three weeks before it is released in other territories. A special Italian version of The Fifth Beatle will be sold bundled with the tenth anniversary special edition of Rolling Stone Italy – the Italian version of the most popular music magazine in the world.

The graphic novel chronicles the early years of The Beatles seen through the eyes of the brilliant Brian Epstein, an entrepreneur, but above all a friend of the Fab Four. His tragic and inspiring human story is meticulously reconstructed by Tony Award-winning Broadway  producer, Vivek J. Tiwary (Green Day's "American Idiot", “The Addams Family”, “A Raisin In The Sun”) and is made ​​concrete by the beautiful drawings of Andrew C. Robinson and Kyle Baker. The graphic novel is being adapted into a feature film which will be produced by Tiwary and Oscar-winning producer Bruce Cohen (AMERICAN BEAUTY, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK.) Tiwary will be a Panini Comics special guest at Lucca Comics and Games, an Italian event held in the heart of the Tuscan city from October 31^st until November 3^rd.to present “The Fifth Beatle” to Italian readers and press and give fans an opportunity to meet the author.

“I’ve been researching The Fifth Beatle for more than two decades,” says Tiwary, “it’s a true labor of love! And since Italy is a country passionate about the Beatles, music and graphic novels, I'm simply honored that we are debuting The Fifth Beatle in partnership with Rolling Stone Italy. I could not be happier that our Italian fans will be the first in the world to read The Fifth Beatle and to learn the untold true story of the Beatles manager Brian Epstein. It's a story that I know will inspire them as much as it has inspired me.”

The Fifth Beatle follows the Liverpool quartet from obscurity to the release of Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the album that marked a watershed in the history of rock music and established The Beatles as true cultural icons. But The Fifth Beatle is above all the story of a visionary-- Brian Epstein, the man who, with his intuitions, led the Fab Four to unprecedented international stardom. A life of triumphs and tragedies, ambitions and fears – Epstein suffered to hide his homosexuality from the world – friendship and loneliness, until his premature death at the age of 32. It is a story full of dreams and music, the greatest music of all time 

The Fifth Beatle will be available outside of Italy on November 19^th in a hardcover, oversized library format for $19.99. In addition, 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.

“If anyone was the fifth Beatle, it was Brian,” said Paul McCartney in 1999.

Watch the official trailer of The Fifth Beatle at www.FifthBeatle.com