Ugly Mug 5 is a mix of humour and horror stories and mysterious drawings, by venerable UK small press artists Ed Pinsent, Savage Pencil, Marc Baines, John Bagnall, Denny Derbyshire, Chris Reynolds, Tom Tiffin, Niall Richardson and the House of Harley studio. Plus a 2-dimensional appearance by Ess Hödlmoser, performance artist and actor in Motherland: Fort Salem.

The original run of Ugly Mug was published during the late 1980s and issue 3 was ‘best indie buy’ in the NME music magazine. In the intervening years the HoH performed and recorded improvised experimental music in the bands Mystery Dick and Pestrepeller.

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 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

The 72pp, A4 paperback, high quality stock comic is published via Lulu.

Further info and previews at: https://houseofharley.net/uglymug5