Exclusive: Kiara Brinkman & Sean Chiki Keep the Fab Four’s Legacy Alive in New Graphic Novel, Lucy in the Sky

The most influential rock band—or hell, musical, cultural entity of the 20th century—infected a new generation of listeners with their pristine, sterling rock last Christmas Eve when The Beatles released their discography on Spotify. The move set a new record for the freemium streaming service, with 250 million plays counted in less than a month. Most surprisingly, 79% of those listeners were born after John, Paul, George and Ringo called it quits in 1970.

Lucy Sutcliffe (a possible relative of this gentleman) fits squarely into this new demographic, although she discovered the group from her dad’s vinyl collection—AKA the real way to listen to The Beatles. Sutcliffe is also the, um, star of Lucy in the Sky, a new graphic novel from writer Kiara Brinkman and illustrator Sean Chiki, published by First Second. The plot follows the young Beatlemaniac as she takes up the drums and starts a new group, The Strawberry Jam, with two close pals. Tensions mount when a new guitarist joins the fold, presumably leading to some Yoko-ish standoffs.

Brinkman wrote the 2007 novel Up High In The Trees for Grove Press, as well as various short stories published by One Story and McSweeney’s. Lucy in the Sky is the print debut for web cartoonist Sean Chiki, who’s also Brinkman’s husband.

“We first met while working at a bookstore, so it makes sense that our marriage would produce a book or two,” Brinkman said. “This project is truly a labor of love. Not only does it allow us to combine our crafts (writing and cartooning), but it also gives us an excuse to geek out about music in general and The Beatles in particular.”

Lucy in the Sky will arrive in bookstores 2018 via newspaper taxis. Check out some preview pages and concept art below.

Lucy in the Sky Interior Art by Sean Chiki

Lucy in the Sky Interior Art by Sean Chiki

Lucy in the Sky Interior Art by Sean Chiki