How Paul McCartney’s Love For Comics Influenced Marvel And Comics As A Whole
Sir James Paul McCartney, most known as the bassist for The Beatles and a key figure in the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership (a partnership between him and bandmate John Lennon), turns 80 today. The rocker shows no sign of slowing down, with him currently on his Got Back Tour that has been traveling across the United States and beyond.
However, there is one side of McCartney (or Macca as he is known to some) that is not well known: He is an avid fan of comics. From writing a song inspired by a Marvel hero and villain, to even meeting legends like Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, his love for the art form can clearly be seen, and he's even had a bit of an influence on it as well. Join us as we celebrate this living legend's love and impact on the world of comics!
Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool, England on June 18th, 1942. From an early age, the future Beatle had a love for comics. Here he is reading one in what appears to be his class picture. One of his favorite comics growing up was a British children's humor comic anthology, The Dandy. In fact, the rocker even appeared in its last print issue, which is something McCartney said was one of his goals.
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McCartney would continue to display his love for comics throughout his career. Here he is seen in the 1965 film Help! playing the organ, and where the sheet music would be are some select Superman comics, including Superman #165, Action Comics #314, and Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #75. Interestingly, an issue of the latter comics received a plot in which Jimmy Olsen goes back in time to Ancient Egypt and creates his own one-man Beatlemania!
However, Paul's love of comics goes deeper than simply appearing in pictures reading comics. It has actually extended into his songwriting. Though some may point to the Shazam/Captain Marvel reference in "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" from The White Album, that particular song, while credited to Lennon and McCartney, was solely composed by John Lennon.
It is after The Beatles that McCartney shows his love for comics in his music. "Magneto and Titanium Man," a track from the Paul McCartney and Wings album Venus and Mars, narrates a story of three Marvel supervillains robbing a bank. These villains are Magneto from X-Men, Titanium Man, and Crimson Dynamo, both of whom have faced off against the likes of Iron Man at some point.
McCartney was inspired to write the song after buying comics for his kids while vacationing in Jamaica. Images of these characters were featured on the tour alongside paintings by artists such as Magritte, with McCartney justifying this by saying "It's all art."
Images of the characters from the comics were also projected during the 1975/1976 Wings Tour. It was during the Los Angeles leg of the tour that McCartney met Marvel comics legend, Jack Kirby. The meeting was arranged by brothers Gary and Steve Sherman, who, along with Kirby, his wife Roz, their daughter Lisa, and the Sherman brothers were given complimentary near-front row tickets to the concert.
McCartney even dedicated the performance to Kirby. The comic book artist gave Paul a sketch of him and his then-wife Linda in the clutches of Magneto. This print was later offered for sale in the May 28th, 1993 issue of Goldmine Magazine.
The song has continued to be associated with X-Men villain Magneto, with The Roots playing it on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon as the walk-on music for Michael Fassbender during his appearance on the late-night talk promoting X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Kirby wasn't the only Marvel Legend McCartney has met. The musician also met Stan Lee, co-creator of several famous characters. They met and chatted about comic books, with them even discussing the possibility of creating a superhero based on McCartney:
"[H]e was suggesting making a superhero who would wield a Hofner bass guitar...The guitar would have super powers and we spent some time imaging what those could be. He had a great sense of humor and I must say the idea of becoming a guitar-wielding superhero in one of his comic books was very appealing."
Though McCartney might not have become a Marvel superhero, he has certainly appeared in some of the Marvel titles. McCartney, along with the other Beatles, appears in Strange Tales #130 when The Thing and The Human Torch take their dates to see The Beatles live. He also appears with his group at the wedding of Reed Richards and Sue Storm. He even appeared as a Skrull alongside his bandmates.
McCartney's work has also inspired several aspects of comics. The most notable example of this is the character of Rocket Raccoon, whose namesake was inspired by The Beatles' song of the same name. In fact, much of the character's early history was based around the song. In his first appearance, he is called Rocky Raccoon, and he spoke with a British accent.
In a later appearance in an issue of The Incredible Hulk entitled “Now Somewhere In the Black Holes of Sirius Major There Lived a Young Boy Name of Rocket Raccoon!” This title is a reference to a lyric in the song ("Now somewhere in the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota/There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon").
Other aspects of his lore include information about his planet, Halfworld, in a text called "Gideon's Bible," ("Rocky Raccoon, checked into his room. Only to find Gideon's Bible"). These aspects were later retconned, with Gideon's Bible being changed to Halfworld Bible, but his name still retains The Beatles' connection.
Other examples of his work begin referenced include the cover of Marvel Treasury #18 being a reference to the Paul McCartney and Wings album Band on the Run and the DC Comics character Scooter being designed to resemble the musician.
It is clear that comics have influenced the work of McCartney and vice versa. The Beatles and in turn McCartney's legacy will continue to be a strong influence on pop culture in general as new generations discover the history and music of the band. Happy 80th birthday, Sir Paul McCartney!
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