A new graphic novel reimagines Paul McCartney’s life just after the Beatles’ dramatic breakup, charting his emotional crash and creative rebirth. French artist Hervé Bourhis crafts an intimate, colorful portrayal of McCartney's transformation from depressed has-been to leader of Wings.
“I used to be a music demigod—now I’m unemployed.” That raw line sets the tone for Paul, a touching and intimate graphic novel by artist Hervé Bourhis. The book captures the emotional and artistic rebirth of Paul McCartney in the early 1970s, following the painful breakup of the Beatles and his return to form with Wings.
The Beatles Split: A Sudden End to an Era
On September 20, 1969, the Fab Four gathered at Apple Records in London to sign new contracts. It was then that John Lennon unexpectedly told the group he wanted a “divorce.” After earlier hints of departure from George Harrison and Ringo Starr, Lennon’s words marked the beginning of the end—though not yet publicly announced. The Beatles were crumbling under clashing egos and creative tensions.
Paul McCartney—described by Bourhis as the band's steady hand since Sgt. Pepper’s—was blindsided. Bourhis, a lifelong Beatles fan whose obsession was reignited by Peter Jackson’s Get Back series and Martin Scorsese’s Beatles ’64, uses the book to dive deep into McCartney’s unraveling mental state.
From Rock God to Rock Bottom
When Abbey Road hit shelves, the Beatles were at their peak. But McCartney was at his lowest. In the comic, drawn from his point of view, “Macca” (his nickname) calls himself a washed-up 27-year-old, battling depression and starting the day with whisky.
According to Bourhis, salvation came from Linda, McCartney’s wife, who was “viciously attacked” by fans and the media. She pulled him away to their Scottish farm with their kids, where McCartney traded stardom for sheep, wearing sheepskin coats and rubber boots, looking like a dad from Little House on the Prairie.
The Rebirth: From ‘Lovely Linda’ to Wings
In that rustic solitude, McCartney began writing again, starting with a tune for “Lovely Linda.” After a family vacation in Antigua, he found the spark to compose once more. Bourhis’s book, awash in vibrant psychedelic pinks, purples, and turquoises, balances realism with a cartoon edge, rehumanizing a Paul often unfairly cast as the villain in Beatles lore.
In 1970, he officially ended the Beatles by releasing a solo album and suing his former bandmates to dissolve the group and escape their controversial manager, Allen Klein—who would later face fraud charges.
With Linda, mullet-haired and wearing floral vests, McCartney founded Wings by recruiting New York musicians via anonymous ads. Their first tour was humble—driving a van with the kids, dogs, and gear, playing for peanuts in college dance halls. “He started over from scratch, with guts and humility,” Bourhis says, though he doesn’t hide McCartney’s flaws: his controlling nature and drug use.
Triumph in Nigeria
McCartney’s full comeback came with 1973’s Band on the Run, recorded in Nigeria and featuring a legendary meeting with Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. The album was a smash—critics loved it, sales soared, and even Lennon, after years of insults, acknowledged its greatness.
By Karine ALBERTAZZI / AF
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