In memory of comic book creator Terry Wiley, who died this weekend, the short story we collaborated on together for the Image Comics anthology of stories based on the songs of British indie band Spearmint. I took the song Trip Into Space, the video for which is embedded below along with the lyrics, and worked with Terry on creating a very square comic.

It has not been reproduced outside the volume in question before, and I thank Kat Salazar at Image Comics for making this available for me to run today.

Thank you, Terry.

Comic first, song second.

Trip Into Space by Spearmint – the video:

And the lyrics:

I met myself

(where'd you meet yourself, shirley?)

I met myself coming back

From the grave

By then it was too late

They were all gathered round

I hadn't seen them for ages

I was in the ground

But by then it was too late

You can see he was beautiful

Cigarette, he stops for a cigarette

Now you can't move him

He thinks a lot, writes it down

Stops for a cigarette

All the world carried in a handbag

Levitating above the bed

A shock of hair and a trip into space

The handbag drops and rolls away

Oh how on earth are we supposed to help him?

How on earth are we supposed to help him?

He had the chance

To go into space

He had the chance

To know himself

He traded it for a guaranteed

Place on earth

No

You can't move him

He won't let anybody in

Even us

We're left outside

He's inside smoking

We're left outside

The rain comes pouring down

He's inside

The rain comes pouring in

How on earth are we supposed to help him?

How on earth are we supposed to help him?

A shock of hair and a trip into space

(there's nowhere to go)

A shock of hair and a trip into space

(there's nowhere to go)

(does he know which way he's falling?)

He's sat inside on his own

He's living life inside his head

He's trying to let his feelings show

But he's scared to really open up

He had the chance to go into space

He had the chance to know himself

He dreams of getting off the floor

But he can't get up, he can't get up

You see

He was beautiful

You see

He was beautiful

A shock of hair and a trip into space

(there's nowhere to go)

A shock of hair and a trip into space

(there's nowhere to go)

A shock of hair and a trip into space

(there's nowhere to go)

A shock of hair and a trip into space

(there's nowhere to go)

You can see He was beautiful

Sat inside with nothing to do

And you see

He was so full of promise

And you see

When you look at him now

You can barely recognise him

Just lying there

Looking at the air

Looking inside his head

To see what he can do today