A sample of Simon Hanselmann's work, "Meggs-Depression"

Fantagraphics Books To Publish Simon Hanselmann's Megahex 1

Fantagraphics is excited to announce the acquisition of the first book by acclaimed Australian cartoonist Simon Hanselmann, to be released in the summer of 2014. Megahex will be a deluxe hardcover featuring over 200 pages of Hanselmann's beloved Megg, Mogg, and Owl comics, including over 70 never before seen pages. Hanselmann's Tumblr site Girl Mountain has already propelled Megg, Mogg, Owl & Co. to Internet infamy, and Megahex will be the solid collection those fans have long been waiting for.

Megg (a green-skinned witch), Mogg (a black cat), and Owl (an anthropomorphic owl) are a trio of ne'er-do-well roommates cohabiting in a suburban flophouse. Megg and Mogg spend most of their time smoking pot and having sex, while Owl works various office jobs and usually comes home to find himself as the butt of every joke. Behind the crass poop jokes and stoner humor are the depressed and misanthropic lives of these characters. They all possess tragedies that weigh on their shoulders, keeping them from escaping the nihilistic pit into which they've fallen. Equally funny and melancholic, Hanselmann is able to evoke empathy for his characters, making it easy for readers to fall in love with this disdainful bunch. Part Tennessee Williams, part Peter Bagge, Megahex will make people laugh, cry, and then take a shower.

"This is literally a teenage dream," explains Hanselmann, "Fantagraphics has been my favorite / the best comics publisher since forever. I've had a Fantagraphics poster hanging over my bed since I was fourteen. My brain is doing confused celebratory cartwheels."

"Simon has the deadly combination of talent and work ethic," says Fantagraphics Associate Publisher Eric Reynolds. "He has a sneaky awareness of the language of comics and a pitch perfect sense of dialogue and humor. He is almost too good to be true. The first Megg & Mogg strips I read were so effortlessly funny and fully realized that I almost couldn't believe he wasn't a pseudonym for someone more established."

Megahex is set to release in June 2014 from Fantagraphics Books, Inc.