(Gibson) A selection of songs by The Smiths has inspired a soon-to-be-released comic book story collection. As reported by The Guardian, the project was conceived by Shawn Demembrum, a "comics geek" based in Phoenix, Arizona.Titled Unite and Take Over: Comic Stories Inspired by The Smiths, the book will feature a series of four-to-eight-page comic strips, each based on a Smiths song. Thirteen writer/artist teams have been gathered for the project, which Demembrum says will consist of at least 72 illustrated pages. The contributors, he says, are using the songs as "an inspiration, a jumping-off point, a theme or a mood."
In an e-mail to The Guardian, Demembrum added: "As a teen in the '80s, one of my favorite soundtracks was the Pretty in Pink soundtrack. While training for cross country, I played the cassette over and over on my Walkman as I ran. There was always something about The Smiths' 'Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want.' It tapped into my teenage psyche, a combination of loneliness and yet hopeful optimism, that only Morrissey's vocals seem to capture." more on this story