Newspaper Article

Modern comic genius

Love, Emma

2009

Overview

On Tuesday night, Lightspeed Champion, aka Dev Hynes, who has also contributed to a new exciting book and exhibition Ctrl.Alt.Shift Unmasks Corruption at the Lazarides Gallery, will play a live set amid heated comic-strip discussions. For the book, a collaborative project between charitable youth initiative Ctrl.Alt.Shift (which is known for highlighting social issues through culture) and heavy-hitting comic world names who have provided comic strips on corruption, Hynes has written the story of an exploited intern at a television station who has his brilliant script dumbed down into a trashy tale. \"It's the first time that I've just written the words and let someone else do the drawings,\" he says, grinning away from behind thick black glasses at the exhibition's opening on Thursday night. \"I have a short attention span and I do what I like, whether it's disco or orchestral music, photography or comics.\" Another interesting pairing for the book is that of music artist VV Brown with music video producer David Allain and fellow comic collaborator Emma Price. The three of them started writing a graphic novel together, The City of Abacus, about an imaginary land ruled by a corrupt queen, a while ago (they tested the audience with an excerpt at Glastonbury) and a comic strip from their first chapter is in the book. \"I don't usually do comics but it's a passion project for me,\" explains Allain. \"Last year I did VV Brown's music video and the idea of a comic started from there. The reaction at Glastonbury was great and we're planning to do a whole saga.\"

• Publisher: Independent Digital News & Media
• Subject: Gravett, Paul