If you walked into a bookstore in 1972, you’d find Meg and Mog, a cute series about a witch, her cat, and their owl friend having wholesome mishaps. Flash forward to the present, and Simon Hanselmann has basically taken those childhood memories, shoved them into a bong, and exhaled a cloud of depression, filth, and dark humor.
The megg and mogg comic isn’t for kids. It’s barely for "functioning" adults.
Honestly, calling it a "stoner comic" is the easiest way to describe it, but it’s also a total lie. It’s way more than that. It’s a brutal, watercolor-stained look at what happens when you’re stuck in your late 20s, broke, and mentally ill in a world that doesn’t really care if you sink or swim.
The Characters You’ll Love to Hate (and Vice Versa)
Megg is a witch with green skin and a pointy hat who rarely leaves her bed. She’s depressed—not the "sad for a weekend" kind, but the "peeing in bottles so I don't have to walk to the bathroom" kind. Then there’s Mogg, her cat boyfriend. Yeah, they’re in a relationship. It’s weird, they know it’s weird, and it’s one of the many things that makes the comic deeply uncomfortable and strangely human.
Then you’ve got Owl. Poor, miserable Owl.
He’s the only one with a job (usually something soul-crushing like telemarketing). He wants a "normal" life with Antiques Roadshow and a clean house. Instead, he lives with Megg and Mogg, who spend their days gleefully sabotaging his every attempt at happiness. It sounds mean because it is. Their friendship is toxic, co-dependent, and sometimes outright abusive.
And we can’t forget Werewolf Jones. He’s the wildcard. The agent of chaos. If there’s a drug he hasn't tried or a boundary he hasn't crossed, it’s only because he hasn't heard of it yet. He’s the guy who brings a cheese grater to a party and ruins everyone's night—and somehow, he’s the one fans write the most love letters to.
It Started as an Accident
Simon Hanselmann didn’t set out to create a global phenomenon. He was a "mentally ill creep" (his words, not mine) in Tasmania, drawing these characters in 2008 as a side project while working on a "serious" graphic novel. He added an owl as a roommate, and suddenly, the dynamic clicked.
He’s mentioned in interviews with The Comics Journal that he sometimes forgets the original kids' books even exist. The names were just a jumping-off point. What started on Tumblr and Vice.com eventually became New York Times bestsellers like Megahex, Megg and Mogg in Amsterdam, and the pandemic-era epic Crisis Zone.
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Why Does It Work?
You might wonder why anyone wants to read about people being awful to each other in a trash-filled apartment.
- The Art is Incredible. Hanselmann uses watercolors and colored pencils with obsessive detail. The grime in the kitchen, the stains on the carpet—it’s all rendered with a beauty that contradicts the subject matter.
- It’s Relatable (In a Dark Way). Even if you aren't a drug-addicted witch, you probably know what it feels like to be stuck. To feel like you’re failing at being an adult while everyone else seems to have it figured out.
- The Pacing. Hanselmann uses a very strict grid—often 12 or 24 panels per page. It creates this claustrophobic, sitcom-like rhythm that makes the punchlines land harder and the silent, depressing moments feel heavier.
During the 2020 lockdowns, Hanselmann started posting Crisis Zone daily on Instagram. It was raw. It was reactive. It followed the characters as they navigated the "new normal," OnlyFans, and the general collapse of society. It won an Eisner Award because it captured the frantic, nauseating energy of that year better than almost any other piece of media.
What Most People Get Wrong
A lot of critics look at the megg and mogg comic and see nothing but "edge." They see the bodily fluids and the drug use and think it’s just trying to shock people.
That's a shallow take.
If you actually sit down and read Bad Gateway or Below Ambition, you see the heart. There’s a deep sense of loneliness and a desperate need for connection underneath all the bongs and bad decisions. Hanselmann draws from his own life—growing up in Tasmania around addiction and poverty. He isn't making fun of these people; he is these people.
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How to Start Reading
If you’re new to this beautiful mess, don’t just grab a random zine. Start with the big collections.
- Megahex: This is the essential starting point. It collects the early stories and establishes the status quo of the house.
- Megg and Mogg in Amsterdam: This one follows the couple on a "romantic" trip where they immediately realize they forgot their antidepressants. It’s as chaotic as it sounds.
- Bad Gateway: This is where things get really heavy. The "fun" stoner vibes start to give way to the reality of long-term addiction and mental health struggles.
- Crisis Zone: The pandemic masterpiece. It’s loud, colorful, and completely insane.
Moving Forward with Megg and Mogg
If you’ve finished the main books and want more, there’s a whole world of self-published zines and "bootleg" content out there. Hanselmann is incredibly prolific, often working 18-hour days to produce new pages.
The best way to keep up is to follow him on Instagram or check out the Fantagraphics website for new collections. Just be prepared: once you enter this world, you can't really unsee it. It’s gross, it’s heartbreaking, and it’s probably the most honest comic series of the last decade.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check your local library: Many public libraries now carry Megahex or Bad Gateway in their graphic novel section.
- Follow the artist: Simon Hanselmann is very active on social media, often sharing behind-the-scenes process shots of his watercolor work.
- Explore the "Underground Comix" genre: If you like this style, look into artists like Robert Crumb or Daniel Clowes, who paved the way for this kind of transgressive storytelling.