Ugly Mug 8

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The HOUSE OF HARLEY presents its latest INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH comics compendium.

ADULTS ONLY. Order your copy now from our Square shop.

IN THIS ISSUE: vinyl mania – whirling microphones – stuffed tigers – cable inspections – terrible mistakes – old mining railways – time travel on the cheap – floating ziggurats – tree portals – strange clouds – hand-cranked cars – mating season orgies – smoking spoil-heaps – a Tunnock’s shortage

Featuring modern machinery invented by returning Ugly Mug contributors:

  • Bearskin – travel the worlds and pass through the portals with Denny Derbyshire
  • RSD Lang Ed Pinsent‘s record collecting hero travels back in time to get a rare LP
  • Jungle Ruck – cross(species)-dressing, courtesy mayhem-maker Julian Geek
  • Big backsides – depicted with relish by Brazilian guest Alberto Monteiro
  • Windy Wilberforce – our hero imperilled under the scalpel of Dr Fengele, in chapter 8 of Ed Pinsent‘s The Saga of the Scroll

And precision-engineered parts supplied by the House of Harley:

  • Jack of All Trades – explains how to deal with a wasps nest in your bedroom
  • Life with Freda Nipple – onesies, hybrid working and urban birding
  • Mark E Smith Music Teacher – more life lessons from The Fall’s late lead singer
  • Sound of the Underground – an earth-shaking collision of politics and music

Alll wrapped in injection-molded covers designed by Northern powerhouse John Bagnall.

“Ugly Mug is a really, really interesting anthology out of the UK… doesn’t seem to be engaged in anything ‘on trend’, instead we have stark black and white cartooning with blunt, human stories. Magnetic stuff, not like the rest!”
– Austin English, Domino Books

Published Sept 2024. A4, 56 pages.

“You want something different in cartooning and storytelling? Get this! Wild, unhindered creativity on display.” – Talking Small Press Comics

“Wild fun and the epitome of sheer creativity perfection… here is more racy fare than any British X-mas Annual of yore. These cunning creations teem with turbulent narrative force and visual clout, and come packed to the gills with wry and witty visual oomph…” – Win Wiacek, Now Read This!

£8.95 + postage. ADULTS ONLY.
Order now direct from Square.

Or pick up a copy from these online and real world retailers:
Gosh! Comics, London
Domino Books, US

Also available…

Ugly Mug 7

The HOUSE OF HARLEY presents 120 pages of IN YOUR FACE comics to AMUSE and CONFUSE.

ADULTS ONLY. Order your copy now from Lulu.

IN THIS ISSUE: heavenly objects dusty shelves voting kids actors high on amphetamines burning rivers blood pressure pills ragtime jazz – horses of the future amorphous empires – police stations on fire stopped clocks green herrings art misattributed to Banksy sticky floors Philly steaks pensioners on trampolines – a dominion of shades in waiting silence

Ugly Mug, the House of Harley’s annual anthology of primo grade underground art-comix, is BACK to put 2023 in its place. The finest pens of the British small press join forces with a gaggle of international guests for an exhilarating exploration of karma and chaos

  • Otherweirdly – epic notions of another world by Denny Derbyshire
  • How a Comic is MadeJohn Bagnall goes inside the factory
  • The Imbalance of Nature – weird and wonderful extremes of life documented by Ed Pinsent
  • I Fucking Hate Steroidsiestyn demonstrates the drawbacks of prescription medication
  • Duk U SuckaTom Baxter Tiffin‘s tale of Ned Kelly lost in The Dreamtime
  • Respecto! – how do you get it, asks Hal Weaver
  • RSD Lang Ed Pinsent‘s record detective regrets discovering Noise Music
  • King Kong MemoriesJason Atomic shaves the beast
  • Cafe society scenes – captured by our on-the-spot reporter Patricia Gaignat
  • Advisory Bureau John Bagnall explains how to deal with modern living
  • Batlight Chris Reynolds takes a ride in an elevator
  • Windy Wilberforce – Harry Excess tangles with Dr Fengele in chapter 7 of Ed Pinsent‘s The Saga of the Scroll
  • DogbreathSavage Pencil‘s misanthropic mutt dreams of world destruction
  • Plus bonus slices of British life served up by John Bagnall
  • And eye popping graphix by Alberto Monteiro, Masaman, Jim Barker and Oxideguy

All the above contained within iestyn‘s bewildering wraparound cover.

“If you think comics should be fun as well as deeply serious, and want to ingest a brew of art laced with heavy doses of insanity, wonder, and escapades inside the Dream-House, then this totally unique underground publication is your beer.” 
Ed Pinsent, The Sound Projector

As if that’s not enough to unsettle your equilibrium, there’s all this and more from the artists of the House of Harley studio

  • Start Your Day the Ugly Mug Way – 100% sound lifestyle advice from our resident expert
  • Take the Children Out of Town – a crisis of adulthood played out in Seussian rhyme
  • Seb, Surrounded – our hardy heroine battles an enemy she cannot see
  • Mark E Smith Music Teacher – The Fall singer’s secret side hustle
  • PCSO Dan – cannabis farm and fur baby bulletins from your local community copper
  • There, there – when life gets on top of us, we all need some home comfort
  • Seminal Surprises – you’ll be amazed by what can be produced
  • Try Harder – Mister Tut Tut sets the world to rights
  • Voodoo Master Selfies – Instagram highlights
  • No Kisses Before Christmas – be patient, Busy Lizzie has a lot on her plate
  • Mr Jimmy Joist Biology Teacher – retrieves young Raymond’s lost homework
  • Corporate Responsibility – why everyone should apply to work at the House of Harley

Published Sept 2023. A4 paperback., 120 pages.

“As jammed-packed with beguiling thrilling stuff as any British X-mas Annual of yore, these curated creations brim with surreal narrative force and come overloaded with wry and witty visual oomph…” – Win Wiacek, Now Read This!

“Adults only… they weren’t kidding.” – Talking Small Press Comics

“…an experimental mix of comics and art, often both at the same time… a valuable resource with some great underground creators” – The Awesome Comics Podcast

“If you’re familiar with any of the previous UGLY MUGS you’ll have some idea of what to expect, but if not this mind-roasting compilation will make for an excellent introduction.” – The Bedlam Files

“…from darkly satirical tales to absurdist comedies, all drawn with a raw, expressive style… guaranteed to leave a lasting impression on readers… this is an anthology that’ll make you laugh, admire artistic flair, and maybe even question your sanity.” – Comic Book News UK

“…the tagline ‘comics to amuse and confuse’ perfectly encapsulates the breadth of material between its covers… its contents range from everything from parodic Viz-like humour through to oblique and sometimes even impenetrable experimental comics.” – Broken Frontier 

£19.99 + postage. ADULTS ONLY.
Order now direct from Lulu.

Or pick up a copy from these online and real world retailers:
Domino Books, US – SOLD OUT
Gosh Comics, London, UK (in store only)
Pushkin House Bookshop, London, UK

Also available…