Ugly Mug 7

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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 from Lulu.

Also available…

Ugly Mug 6

The House of Harley cuts ’22 in two with 100 pages of prime comix-art righteousness.

Order your copy now from Lulu.

IN THIS ISSUE: stealable dogsdangling ropestrained penguinsrising bills – country retreats comfy chairsunbreakable belt – dancing on the ceiling – street nudity – a bottomless bucket – apocalypse gumbo – social media dischord – abandoned wrecks – fresh bread aniseed balls stinging nettles Ray Harryhausen cameo hate speech clampdowns – a field full of hares

City and country are explored in story and picture by our intrepid contributors, including the krispy kreme of the British small press cartooning scene, plus a pastry platter of international guests

  • Endicott and the Case of the Five Windows – an Astorial Anecdote by Ed Pinsent
  • Sous Chef Blues – the twisted politics of food exposed by Tom Baxter Tiffin
  • Viktor Frankenstein Retired – anonymity and seclusion in a seaside town, by John Bagnall
  • In SpeluncaMarc Baines reveals the secret lodged in the caves of Whitby
  • The Young Prince Umsween – a new take on an old allegory by Chris Reynolds
  • I Got Hung on the WireJason Atomic gets tangled up in barbed wire and brambles
  • Street scenes and portrait sketches – city living illustrated by Patricia Gaignat
  • Sandecay – vast skies, truth and lies documented by Orkney vistor iestyn
  • RSD Lang Record DetectiveEd Pinsent‘s intemperate sleuth investigates The Beatles’ White Album
  • Cardboard cities – radical street plans designed by Jim Barker
  • Japanese graphix – four eye-popping drawings by the mysterious Masaman
  • Windy Wilberforce – word harvests and corrupted crops in chapter 6 of Ed Pinsent‘s The Saga of the Scroll
  • Scenes from Club Mancuso – portraits of visitors to the prestigous floating venue, by owner Vince Mancuso
  • Winter of the Asteroids – an astral gathering attended by Denny Derbyshire

“A mixture of genius and drivel, just like comics should be. I laughed! I cried! I scratched my head!” 
Roger Sabin, Professor of Popular Culture, Central Saint Martin

Plus lots more from the anonymous artists of the House of Harley studio…

  • Seb, Suspended – our heroine’s world goes topsy turvy
  • While the City Slumbers – giants walk the land
  • PCSO Dan – creates content for the community
  • Patricia does not do the dishes – and explains why
  • Smoked-Out Shindig – Greek goddess sabotages party
  • Reading the Streets – urban literacy
  • What is a Product Manager? – the House of Harley explains
  • Dora the Art Restorer – faces her biggest challenge yet
  • Into the Shadow Realm – naked abstraction awaits
  • Nothing to See Here – censorship in action
  • How to read Ugly Mug – a user’s guide
  • Voodoo Master Funnies – you’ll laugh your head off
  • Hangin’ with the House of Harley – fan questions answered

£14.99 + postage. Order now from Lulu.

Published Oct 2022. 100 pages, A4 paperback.
Not suitable for children.

“…adult oriented artwork from the world’s foremost underground cartoonists… high weirdness in the comic book sphere…” – The Bedlam Files

“As the gears in the mind of this magician (with his hieratic hat and cape) start to turn, so too do our minds churn as we struggle to make sense of the fascinating, puzzling contents of Ugly Mug 6!” – reviewed by Ed Pinsent (part 1 and part 2)

“…the Monty Python of comic books… they dragged it across the ocean from Great Britain…” – Talking Small Press Comics

“…an old school-style reminder of the breadth of self-published practice in the UK…” – Broken Frontier

Also available…

Ugly Mug 5

The House of Harley’s comics anthology Ugly Mug is back after a 30 year break.
Order your copy now from Lulu.

The forces of optimism and pessimism battle it out over 72 pages in this horror-themed mag, which features new strips and drawings by the creme of the British small press cartooning scene:

  • Organic Matter – an auxillary brain is assembled, in a twisted tale by Ed Pinsent
  • Peasholm Island – prologue to the forthcoming graphic novel The Rightful King of the North Riding by Marc Baines
  • Father Gilderoy Investigates – meet John Bagnall‘s dynamic sleuth
  • Somberline: Dreams of Power – ominous politics in this Chris Reynolds one-pager
  • Snak – an art-punk drawing from Savage Pencil‘s Animals Eating Other Animals series
  • Beserker Tom Baxter Tiffin‘s spider fellow is too mangled for the Multiverse
  • Postcards From A Nother Place – images from the interstellar travels of Denny Derbyshire
  • Put Your Best Foot Fwd – a radical self-help philosophy, modelled by Canadian contortionist and performance artist Ess Hödlmoser aka Strange and Wonderful Creature
  • Ugly Mugshots snapped by Niall Richardson
  • The Saga of the Scroll – Harry Excess encounters a giant octopus and other evil omens, in chapter 5 of Ed Pinsent‘s Windy Wilberforce epic

And from the House of Harley studio

  • Enigmatic cover star Voodoo Master undergoes a mid-life crisis
  • Harvey’s S-S-S-Secret – Hollywood actor Harvey Keitel faces his biggest fear
  • Count Dracula’s Great Secret is revealed, in a tribute to Paul Naschy, 1970s ice lolly ads and picnic vodka
  • Seb, stranded in fog – where is everyone?
  • The Kommuter Kronicle exposes the psycho-political horror of public transport policy
  • Discourage the Use of Cash – the House of Harley’s Behavioural Research Unit strikes
  • Negative Lad asks what good are superpowers in this misbegotten world?
  • Trick or Street – never drive at night!
  • Harmless Delusions about Rice Krispies and Padron Peppers
  • How to make your own Golden Flavoured Syrup
  • Dora the Art Restorer reveals a trade secret
  • Dunstan Hunna puts the washing out
  • Reflexology – a rude pictorial poem
  • A glimpse behind the scenes at the House of Harley studio

Published Nov 2021. 72 pages, A4 paperback.
Not suitable for children.

“…an irresistible compendium of non-mainstream comic strip goodness. The contents run the gamut from rational to surreal, silly to sophisticated, amusing to offensive; UGLY MUG 5 is, in short, eminently representative of the state of the art in modern-day underground comix.”

The Bedlam Files

“…a delightfully unpredictable read…”
Broken Frontier

Reviewed in Poopsheet! 8

“…the motherlode… wildly creative and inspiring…” – Ugly Mug 5 reviewed by Steve Keeter and Larned Justin on the Talking Small Press Comics podcast…

£9.95 + postage. Order now from Lulu.

A handful of Ugly Mug back issues are available from the Shop.

You can own the cover of Ugly Mug 5 on a t-shirt, sticker, pillow, tote bag and even a mug.

“There is no resolution in Ugly Mug.”
– James Heartfield, author, The ‘Death of the subject’ explained

Also available…

Ugly Mug: The Return

Coming very soon… the first issue of the House of Harley’s comics anthology, Ugly Mug, in 30 years… featuring guest cartoonists Ed Pinsent, Marc Baines, John Bagnall, Savage Pencil, Denny Derbyshire, Chris Reynolds, Tom Tiffin, Niall Richardson and a brace of comics and drawings by the House of Harley studio stevedores.

Get in touch if you would like to be notified when it’s published.