FREE digital version of the first comic

Bret Downroc Syfert
Ready to Rock #01
It’s Just Begun
Story and art: Bret Downroc Syfert
Graffiti logo and back cover illustration: Serval
From its birth, hip hop culture has been inspired by comic books.
MCs have based their own names on the titles, graffiti artists have
translated bubble letters and characters straight from the pages
and there are many DJs whose comic book collections are equally as
extensive as their record collections.
This comic flips the script by creating a whole new comic world
inspired by hip hop culture. The original printed version came with a
limited edition 45 of tracks produced by Aidan Orange. Free MP3s of
the tracks can be downloaded from my website, hydeslovelies.com.
Hyde’s Lovelies © 2013–14 by Bret Syfert.
The bit at the back
While creating this comic, I imagined it
would appeal to a fairly small audience.
You must be a member if you made
it this far, so thank you! Here’s some
backstory while I’ve got your attention.
Back in the early to mid 90s, I was
fulfilling the stereotype of a rebellious,
Philly-suburb teenager and rolling my
eyes sarcastically at most things. One
late night, I was sitting in my parents’
kitchen and wrestling with the TV’s
antennae in an attempt to get a clearer
picture. The second I switched the
channel to PBS (Public Broadcasting
Service), a graffiti train appeared on
the screen. By chance, I had just caught
the start of a documentary that would
change my life forever, and its name was
“Style Wars”.
I knew a bit about hip hop before this of
course. The Roots were just coming out
as I was just entering my teen years, and
their music became a heavy influence.
Looking even further back, riding the
school bus everyday through North
Philly’s Germantown neighborhood,
I was saturated with images of Philly
graffiti in the forms of handstyles and
rooftop pieces. I remember, as a 7-yearold, thinking that the ultra tall (and
sometimes ultra high up) tags must have
been painted by giants.
In my ignorance, however, “Style Wars”
was the first media source to give me an
idea of where this hip hop thing came
from, and most importantly, it
showed bboying in all its raw, funky
pre-commercialized glory. I went
straight out to the garage and began
working to copy Rock Steady Crew’s
footwork. You have to understand
that there was no YouTube then, and
although people were still breaking
(bboying) all across the globe at that
time, I was completely ignorant of it.
It wasn’t until I was 18 and moved back
to the inner city that I started to meet
others obsessed with this culture. I also
began to seek out and learn from the
culture’s pioneers which eventually lead
me to New York. That’s where I met my
friend Floor Phantom of the original
Bronx crew Ready to Rock, who this
comic and its villain are named after.
Let’s fast forward 14 years. I’m still
studying the craft of breaking and can
call myself a bboy without flinching.
Hip hop is a beautiful thing, because
whichever of its art forms you choose,
you can develop your skill while being
yourself, and the praise and friendships
you gain through that hard work and
raw fun give you confidence in your own
identity. No, you don’t grow out of this
culture. You grow with it. This comic
is only a fantasy story, but it is also my
attempt at capturing the magic of hip
hop culture that I feel in my everyday
life. Thank you to the pioneers. Peace,
love, unity and having fun!
Bret Downroc Syfert
(Ready to Rock, 7$)
In the desert of digital
nothingness there is still an
oasis of analog bliss. Straight
from the Ville broadcasts
100% vinyl every week
from a house in West Philly
that’s filled to the brim with
thousands of records. The
light is always on at Soulville.
Subscribe to the FREE
podcast in the iTunes store:
Straight
From
The Ville