The Bugle features comic strips drawn and written in a vintage northern British vein. Meet the characters of Slackdale in its colour pages – Misery Gutz, Mayor Wagstaff, Lance Gumm, Bobby Minto and many more. The creation of small-press artists John Bagnall and Phil Bartle, this first issue also features strips by Ed Pinsent, the House of Harley and Marc Baines. Don’t be frugal, buy the Bugle!
Featuring the first appearance of a new House of Harley character, Lady Backenforth… she’s the Lord of the Manor!
Get yourself a copy of The Bugle for just £5.00+p&p at Baggy’s Etsy shop.
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
The House of Harley’s comics anthology Ugly Mug is back after a 30 year break. Order your copy now from Lulu(cheaper for international buyers) or our Etsy shop.
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.”
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.
