Zingo's Dirge & Zingo's Lament
Obscene comix with Harley Poe's Joe Whiteford & UK artist Chris Doherty
"Just one more drink. What's the worst that could happen?"
Zingo’s Lament
Zingo's Lament is the tragic tale of a misunderstood clown with a heart of gold, looking for love in all the wrong places. Drawing strength from his supportive mother, Zingo self medicates to dull the pain while yearning to find meaning in an uncaring world. When the locals turn against the irascible clown, as simple-minded folk are prone to do, Zingo pulls out all the stops to prove his innocence. A poignant tale of alienation, projectile vomiting and the criminalisation of clownkind.
Created by P M Buchan and Joe Whiteford, Zingo's Lament first appeared in issue 378 of Starburst Magazine (June 2012), the world's longest-running magazine of sci-fi, horror, and fantasy, before being reprinted in the horror-comedy anthology BLACKOUT (November 2012).
Zingo’s Dirge
The blockbuster sequel to one of 2012's most moving comics, Zingo’s Dirge reunites readers with everyone’s favourite clown. Zingo’s tranquility is short-lived when a group of underage, unsanctioned paranormal investigators disrupt him enjoying some hard-earned peace. Little do the uncaring brats imagine that Zingo won't endure their antagonism without a little retaliation of his own. Jinkies Zingo, why do things always turn out this way? A savage indictment of youth culture, social media mishaps and misplaced cutlery.
Zingo's Dirge debuted a year later in BLACKOUT II: YOLO (November 2013), illustrated by British horror comic virtuoso Chris Doherty.
What’s wrong with you horrible people?
Ever since Rue Morgue Magazine's 100th issue in 2010 included a free digital album, Hymns From The House of Horror, Harley Poe has been my favourite band. That 17-track compilation changed the trajectory of my life. Nestled among offerings from The Creepshow and Ryan Gosling’s Dead Man's Bones was Harley Poe's It’s Only the End of the World, a gateway drug to Wretched. Filthy. Ugly. and beyond.
When the chance came to collaborate with Harley Poe frontman Joe Whiteford on a comic, I jumped at it. Together we created Zingo and Zingo’s Lament, which he illustrated. To this day, it remains one of the things in my life that I’m most proud of.
When it came time for Zingo to return for BLACKOUT II: YOLO, Joe was tied up with band commitments (or possibly smoking weed and masturbating to torture porn, it was hard to say which). He did, however, draw each of the creator portraits for the contributors' section of BLACKOUT II.
For Zingo's Dirge, we approached the one artist whose sensibilities came closest to Zingo's anarchic spirit: Chris Doherty.
Chris Doherty’s Video Nasties is one of the most accomplished British horror comics ever created. A layered and genuinely disturbing tale of adolescent obsession and obscure video rentals, it’s an absolute travesty that the book isn’t better known.
As I wrote when I reviewed it in Starburst:
"Absolutely the best horror graphic novel released in 2011, Video Nasties reads like Twin Peaks meets Grange Hill by way of your barbaric local video store... This is exactly the kind of home-grown content that British comic-buyers should be supporting." – P M Buchan
Zingo’s Dirge saw the cannibal clown return in full-colour torment, caught in the crosshairs of a society determined to punish its scapegoats. Both comics stand alone, but together they offer a complete fall from grace: from accidental murder to flaming martyrdom, trailed by blood and bile and tiny tricycles.
"Satan, killer clowns, necrophilia, lechery, insobriety, cannibalism, sex dolls, murder; this is what you love, and all this and more in full colour can be found in this nasty little book brought to you by P M Buchan with the help of some of his sick collaborators, including yours truly. Support independent comics, celebrate perversity!" – Joe Whiteford (Harley Poe)
About the creators
P M Buchan was born in the North East of England and studied BA (Hons) English Literature at the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. His stories have been reviewed and featured in Kerrang!, Rue Morgue, Bleeding Cool, and Times Literary Supplement. He has had monthly comic-strips published in Starburst and SCREAM: The Horror Magazine, written for clients including Heavy Metal Magazine and Lionsgate, and has collaborated with bands including Megadeth, Harley Poe and For the Wolf.
Buchan is co-creator of the comic-book series LA BELLE DAME SANS MERCI and BLACKOUT, and a former member of the art collective 44FLOOD. Collaborating with artists from around the world, he has exhibited at Orbital Comics, London, and Ladybeck, Leeds. He was a juror three times for the British Fantasy Awards, the longest-running fantasy awards in the UK. In 2011 he was part of the online team that helped relaunch Starburst, the world’s longest-running magazine of sci-fi, fantasy and horror, becoming a regular columnist when the magazine returned to print in 2012.
Joseph Whiteford is the founder, frontman and creative force behind cult horror-folk-punk band Harley Poe, whose discography of twisted ballads and confessionals has built a fiercely loyal international following since 2004. A former member of Christian-punk band Calibretto 13, Joe left behind the sacred for the profane, forging Harley Poe’s signature sound and singing catchy tunes about self-loathing, werewolves and cannibalism.
Beyond music, Whiteford is a visual artist, illustrator and sculptor, creating resin monsters, storybook comics and hand-drawn zines that channel the same blend of grotesque humour and aching vulnerability as his lyrics. The grotesque physicality of his artworks, combining violent profanity, heartbreak and alienation, manifest with the same impact physically as they do on the page or in song. A staggeringly original and fiercely independent trailblazer, when it comes to multidisciplinary outsider art, Joe is practically peerless. The fact that critics pay no heed to his work and that there are no art books of his available widely is close to criminal.
Chris Doherty is a comic artist and illustrator based in Manchester, UK. His graphic novel Video Nasties (2011) is widely regarded as one of the most under-appreciated British horror comics of the past two decades. His work has been published by Mirage Studios and Pegasus Books, and featured by Cinema Sewer, Electric Sheep and others. His webcomics Lowry Walk and Video Nasties are available online. There is no British comic-book artist of the past twenty years who deserved to find a wide audience and universal accolade than Chris.
Get in touch to work together on Zingo
The Zingo stories are complete, self-contained, and screaming out for tasteless adaptation and franchise agreements.
Rights are retained by the creators, who are actively entertaining offers for:
– Zingo-themed children’s cereal and birthday cakes
– Glow-in-the-dark Funko Pops that cry collectible tears of joy
– Burlesque Broadway adaptations
– Animatronic Halloween haunts
Get in touch to discuss serialising Zingo, wearing his face in your next viral TikTok, or having him entertain guests at your next dinner party.