![OPPOSITES ATTRACT](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/10290/505163/5f40dd3750b47/OPPOSITES-ATTRACT.jpg)
Keeping track of Martin Langston’s career arc is a little like following the government’s Covid-19 guidelines. Any lapse in concentration and you’re at risk of missing a major shift. As we juggle an interview over the intermittency of Skype at a time when social distancing continued to restrict face-to-face meetings, it’s apparent that the scale and variety of his creativity is as impressive as it is varied.
Let’s begin with a genre that was an influence throughout his childhood and continues to impact his style. Born in Hemel Hempstead, it was his grandfather’s job in what was the ‘print town’ of Watford in the 1960s that kickstarted his love of comic illustration.
‘I always found comics fascinating. My grandfather was a print machine operator at Odhams Press where they printed the comics Smash!, Pow! and Wham! and he would bring home copies for me and my brother. Around the age of eight I suggested to my dad, a stereotyper at the Sun Printers, that he could swap part of my pocket money for having a comic delivered every week.’ Such was the allure of the images – he proudly shows me a 1959 edition of the Dandy Annual – that Martin amused himself by reproducing his own versions and even pondered the notion of drawing comic strips as a job. Attending Watford School of Art, however, opened his mind to modern art.
Denne historien er fra September 2020-utgaven av Hertfordshire Life.
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Denne historien er fra September 2020-utgaven av Hertfordshire Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Explosive history
With bonfire night this month, author Harry Smee recounts the explosive story of his family’s firework company, Brock’s, creators of wonders and war-changing weapons
![A Day In The Life Of... A Jewellery Designer](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10290/539332/5f9675971863e/crp_A-day-in-the-life-of-a-jewellery-designer.jpg)
A Day In The Life Of... A Jewellery Designer
Laurie McGrath, senior designer at Harriet Kelsall bespoke jewellery in Halls Green, gives an insight into her working day
![Sniffig out clues in THE ASHES](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10290/539332/5f966c73d8038/crp_Sniffig-out-clues-in-THE-ASHES.jpg)
Sniffig out clues in THE ASHES
Meet the fire investigation dogs securing convictions against arsonists and murderers who otherwise may go free
![The greatest traveller](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10290/539332/5f966a6aca407/crp_The-greatest-traveller.jpg)
The greatest traveller
Exploring ancient civilisations and rising powers, Violet CressyMarcks became the most travelled woman of her age. Fifty years after her death we look at her incredible life
Return of the Queen of Romance
Twenty years after the death of record-breaking novelist Dame Barbara Cartland, Gillian Thornton talks passions, plots and a new audience with her son at the family home in Essendon
![In bed with CELEBS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10290/539332/5f965df3ef3fa/crp_In-bed-with-CELEBS.jpg)
In bed with CELEBS
Marking its 70th year, Welham Green soft furnishings company Ashley Wilde has grown from a pile-it-high, sell-it-cheap business into an industry leader with A-list partnerships
![Roam with a view](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10290/539332/5f9667ab48628/crp_Roam-with-a-view.jpg)
Roam with a view
We may not have coastline or mountains, but Herts has beautiful views all the same, if you know where to look
![Saving Mrs Tiggy-Winkle](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10290/539332/5f96707eb48f5/crp_Saving-Mrs-Tiggy-Winkle.jpg)
Saving Mrs Tiggy-Winkle
The secret life of a much-loved British mammal and simple steps we can take at home to stop its extinction
A walk down Surreal Street
Paul Crowley draws on his graphic designer’s eye to capture scenes from the country to the street, all tinged with surreality
![5 minutes with](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/10290/539332/5f966e7112591/crp_5-minutes-with.jpg)
5 minutes with
Carole Spiers, Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce member and founder of International Stress Awareness Week