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Ugly Mug 9

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LAW AND ORDER are at stake in the House of Harley’s latest BOOBY-TRAPPED BLISTER PACK of CONTENTIOUS COMICS and IMPROPER ART.

ADULTS ONLY. Order your copy now from our Etsy shop or Amazon.

Julian Geek‘s glorious colour cover tribute to 1950s Gold Key comics let’s us know there’s a new sheriff in town and he’s here to make things right for law-abiding citizens. But it may be too late, because someone has thrown open the jails…

IN THIS ISSUE: robot dogs – radioactive popcorn – broken glass – canoodling couples – different kinds of dealers – stale beer and chips – ADHD – a black-and-white rainbow – pavement potholes – symbolic sheep – naked giants – shopping receipts – miracle cures – crime scene cakes – savage cabbage – two birds with one stone

Ready yourself for the big showdown with these insights into the causes of social collapse shared by our guest contributors:

  • Hex Patterns – foam spells, glass visions and empty curses invoked by Ed Pinsent
  • The Pit Pool – John Bagnall investigates a forgotten mining town tradition
  • The Art of Complaining – a surreal infographic devised by Miranda Smart
  • 321 with Mean Bean and Da Bug – Julian Geek‘s disgraceful duo argue about TV snacks, with apocalyptic consequences
  • The Horrible Story of Monster Pig – how he became so fat, revealed by Ed Pinsent
  • Beware! the Claws of The Cat and Project Final X – posters designed to scare the pants off the public by Jason Atomic
  • The Shillelagh of Temptation – Dave Kilburn‘s Leps and their misadventures with alcohol
  • Seven Sisters Road – colliding city faces depicted by Adam Falp
  • RSD Lang Record Detective – jewel case troubles with Ed Pinsent
  • Twin Peeks – words become pictures in the hands of Denny Derbyshire
  • Several intense scenes – witnessed by Brazilian visitor Alberto Monteiro
  • Windy Wilberforce – Harry Excess gets delirious in the desert, in chapter 9 of Ed Pinsent‘s Saga of the Scroll

“What more could the jaded consumer want?”
– Roger Sabin, Professor of Popular Culture, Central Saint Martins

Meanwhile, the artists of the House of Harley studio strive to keep things from spinning out of control:

  • The Cancer Detection Dogs – are prowling the streets in search of the Big C
  • Mark E Smith Music Teacher – talks about Taylor Swift and the importance of plastic bags
  • Life with Freda Nipple – jail-broken rental bikes, rag’n’bone men and post office arguments
  • Let’s Bake Up a Batch of Ugly Mugs – when all else fails, there’s always the oven
  • Seb, Superimposed – our desperate heroine searches for something to drink
  • PCSO Dan – answers your questions about two-tier policing
  • While the City Slumbers – a giant-sized generation clash
  • Busy Lizzie – takes issue with Woody Allen
  • Scatter – abandoned rental bikes in suburbia
  • Dr Anandi – grapples with everyday illness

Published Sept 2026. A4, 88 pages.

£9.99 + postage. ADULTS ONLY.
Order now direct from our Etsy shop or buy the print-on-demand version from Amazon (cheaper postage for international readers).

Or pick up a copy from this real world retailer:
– Gosh! Comics, London

What people say about Ugly Mug…

“…a supercharged, in-your-facial-area assemblage from people who don’t care if pastors complain, Mumsnet worries or The Telegraph pitches a disingenuous, profit-seeking hissy-fit…” – Win Wiacek, Now Read This!

“…butting heads with the definition of comics… somewhere between modern art, comics and a little touch of Viz.” – Awesome Comics Podcast

“Glorious experimentation.” – Tony Esmond, Tony’s Substack

Also available…

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 (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!

“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 (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 – SOLD OUT
– Pushkin House Bookshop, London, UK

Also available…

Ugly Mug 6

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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

£14.99 + postage. Order now from Lulu (cheaper for international readers) or from our Etsy shop.
Or pick up a copy from these online and real world retailers:
– Atomic Books, US
– Zine Freak, Lancaster, UK
– Pushkin House Bookshop, London, UK

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…