Two copies have surfaced of this extremely rare self-published comic from 1987, the first, and to date only, issue of Captain Maroon. Starring “the superhero with a difference”, the difference being that the nature of the Captain’s super power is never made clear.
In two fun tales, CM encounters crime lords the Black Scab and Mr Large. With a bonus single page joke strip, ‘Invasion of the Argobots’.
This was the first House of Harley release from before the House of Harley had a name, and a glimpse into our early days as an aspiring cartoonist. We were still at school when this was made and were learning quick.
That said, page 2 claims “The Best Comic You Will EVER Read!” and who are we to argue?
Published December 1987. A5, 24 pages.
£5 + postage.ADULTS ONLY. Order now direct from our Etsy shop.
Attention US readers – Ugly Mug 8 (along with earlier issues) is now available from Atomic Books, purveyor of ‘Literary finds for Mutated Minds’. It’s available online and in their Baltimore store.
Treat yourself or treat a loved one to these limited availability packages of House of Harley comics and art books, available now in our Etsy shop…
Ugly Mugs 5, 6, 7 and 8
All four 21st century editions of our comix-art anthology.
Over 340 pages of comics to amuse and confuse with contributions from the krispy kreme of the British independent comics scene – Ed Pinsent, John Bagnall, Denny Derbyshire, Tom Baxter Tiffin, Chris Reynolds (RIP), Marc Baines, Savage Pencil, iestyn Pettigrew, Jim Barker, and Jason Atomic alongside all new strips and drawings from the House of Harley studio. And there’s a gaggle of graphics and stories by international guests.
Featuring unforgetting one-off gags and stories, plus recurring features including: Windy Wilberforce’s Saga of the Scroll, Mark E Smith Music Teacher, the mysterious adventuries of Seb, Marc Baine’s The Rightful King of the North Riding, PCSO Dan, Voodoo Master and Dora the Art Restorer.
“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!
Five pocket-sized limited edition art booklets in a red ribbon, totalling 164 pages of highlights from the House of Harley sketchbooks. Featuring expressive figure drawings of women and men, portraits of London Underground commuters and wildly coloured fashion illustrations. In this bundle: Go Figure 1, Go Figure 2, Dwellers of the Deep 1, Hands Up 1 and Flying Away 1.
Look for an exclusive two page House of Harley comic strip, ‘It’s a Voodoo Christmas’, in the OCCULTZ Weird Christmas Special. This festively fungal A5 zine was created by Owen Michael Johnson and Satanic Mojo’s Jason Atomic as a souvenir for visitors to the OCCULTZ Weird Christmas Market, which took place in Oxford on, yes, Friday 13th of this month.
Other highlights include Mutartis Boswell’s Horrific Holidays and ‘The Sinister Siberian Shamic Psychedelic Roots of Santa Claus’ by Jason Atomic.
There’s a few copies left so contact the Occultz guys if you’d like to bag one before Santa lays his mitts on them.
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!
“…things can get a little mad and sometimes leave you thinking ‘what have I just read?’ but it’s that eccentricity and flair that means you can’t stop reading and admiring what’s been put together.” – Comic Book News UK
“Ugly Mug continues to occupy a space in our indie scene that no other small press anthology series comes close to visiting. An unrepentant oddity, it’s that very outsider ambience that makes it such a continued draw in the UK self-publishing world.” – Andy Oliver, Broken Frontier
If your mission is erudition, you’ll love Naked Knowledge, the new series of House of Harley mini-comics where the wonder of learning collides with the world of risqué entertainment. Enlightenment and naughtiness – what’s not to like? ADULTS ONLY.
Published April 2024. A4, 12 pages.
£4 + postage.ADULTS ONLY. Order now from our Etsy shop.
Or pick up a copy from these online and real world retailers: – Zine Freak, Lancaster, UK
The HOUSE OF HARLEY presents 120 pages of IN YOUR FACE comics to AMUSE and CONFUSE.
ADULTS ONLY. Order your copy now from Lulu (cheaper for international readers) or our Etsy shop.
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 Made – John Bagnall goes inside the factory
The Imbalance of Nature – weird and wonderful extremes of life documented by Ed Pinsent
I Fucking Hate Steroids – iestyn demonstrates the drawbacks of prescription medication
Duk U Sucka – Tom 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 Memories – Jason 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
Dogbreath – Savage 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!
“…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 (cheaper for international readers) or our Etsy shop.
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
I’ve been interviewed by iestyn pettigrew of the ZineLove blog about life, 80’s UK small press comics and my return to publishing. It’s a long form interview with lots of illustrations by myself and various Ugly Mug contributors. A lot of fun. Read it on ZineLove.
The House of Harley cuts ’22 in two with 100 pages of prime comix-art righteousness.
Order your copy now from Lulu (cheaper for international readers) or from our Etsy shop.
IN THIS ISSUE: stealable dogs – dangling ropes – trained penguins – rising bills – country retreats– comfy chairs – unbreakable 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 Spelunca – Marc 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 Wire – Jason 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 Detective – Ed 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
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
