Ctrl.Alt.Shift’s Unmasks Corruption competition is a comic book fan’s wet dream. The charity competition aims to expose corruption and poverty, with an all-star comic and Ctrl.Alt.Shift 'Unmasks Corruption' exhibition held later this year at the Lazarides Gallery in Soho.

Enter the competition on their website to win the chance to collaborate with Dev Hynes of Lightspeed Champion on a unique comic style story. After the first round of judging, shortlisted entrants will be given Dev Lightspeed's comic script as inspiration to create a visual adaptation of the story. The judging panel includes Persepolis writer and director Marjane Satrapi, VV Brown, Comica founder Paul Gravett, and Dev Lightspeed. The winning commission will also be published in a comic and form part of an exhibition around the theme of corruption for Ctrl.Alt.Shift, the experimental initiative polticising a new generation of activists for social justice and global change.

Dev’s Top 3 Comics:

1. David Boring by Daniel Clowes

I've read this comic at least twice a year since I was 16. It tells the story in first person of a young man named David Boring whom ends up throughout the book tangled in truly fantastic and bizarre situations. Clowes's comic style is probably one of the most recognizable from the indie comic world, and a true pioneer. This, his third graphic novel (although it was originally told through issues 19 - 21 of his comic Eightball) is truly a masterpiece. Clowes is truly the master of pacing in his work, creating subtleties not too dissimilar to Lynch at his best. Fully aware that comics is an entirely different medium to movies, he sucks you in at your own pace whilst weaving themes on the end of the world, sex, growing up but all in ways you could never imagine, yet staying completely grounded with an uneasy air.

2. Black Hole by Charles Burns

The ten years in the making, 12 issues that collectively create the graphic novel Black Hole are I feel the best works of Charles Burns. An artist who's material always rates highly in my eyes. Black Hole tells the story of suburban seattle in the 70's. All the usual teenage strife is in the air, but the addition of a sexual disease that is ravaging through the town, that makes people that contract to mutate somewhat. Whether in a big way or in a small way. Amazingly deep and engrossing book with Burns patented elegant shading throughout.

3. The Push Man & Other Stories by Yoshihiro Tatsumi

Leader of the Japanese Gekiga movement, Tatsumi broke the mould when describing the dark underbelly of post-war Japan. His stories in this book are dark and short, and filled with a wonderfully, at time brutal, sense of honesty that is always appreciated when shown.

Dev’s Top 3 Comic Book Writers:

1. Jason

Norwegian master of deadpan humour, surreal, touching, suspenseful, funny and very reminiscent of early silent films. Another layer to it all is the fact that he draws every single person as a Mammal of some sort. Genius stuff.

2. Adrian Tomine

Huge influence of mine. True purveyor of human like emotions and feelings through independent comics.

3. Chester Brown

The way he tells stories are so beautiful, full of lots of spaces and a wonderful emptiness.

Dev's Top 3 Comic Book Artists:

1. Michael Allred

2. Chris Ware

3. Jamie and Gilbert Hernandez

Dev's best comic book character. Ever:

Michael Allred's Madman will always have a special place with me. A truly original, relatable, super hero for all ages!