Huge thanks to everyone who voted! Jay got 2nd Place for Best Local Writer in CityBeat’s 2026 Best of Cincinnati!
It’s an honor to represent the indie comic community alongside such talented writers.
Read more: www.citybeat.com/best-of-2026/ @citybeatcincy.bsky.social
Big news! Creative Mussel is hitting the road, thanks to a Professional Development and Project Support grant from the Ohio Arts Council!
#AsianFoodFest (Cincinnati)
#ClevelandAsianFestival
#AsianFestival (Columbus)
Huge thanks to #OhioArtsCouncil for supporting individual artists.
A photo of a sketchbook page at an angle. Top left is a random lettering exercise. Bottom left are several small, un-detailed comic page thumbnails with various panel layouts. The right half is a more detailed page thumbnail, about the Ohio Grassman climbing a train trestle to meet up with the Louisville Pope Lick Monster.
Thumbnailing!! I always scan and clean up my thumbnails for review because I tend to fill every inch of my sketchbook with random stuff, so what even IS part of the thumbnail is not often clear.
(This is for a @messedcomics.bsky.social project where the cryptids are all friends 💖)
Huge thanks to the community for nominating Creative Mussel for CityBeat’s Best of 2026. Let’s keep the spotlight on comic creators!
Vote for:
Local Author: Jay B. Kalagayan
Local Artist: Dylan Speeg
Person Who Makes a Difference: Jay B. Kalagayan
citybeat.com/best-of-2026/
Deadline: March 22
Slate, just what the hell.
Done!
Huge thanks to everyone who splashed by the MeSseD Comics table at Frogman Festival! 🐸✨
Rain or shine, this community is unmatched. It was a blast being back in the mix with so many curious and creative folks. Massive shoutout to Jeff and the team for building such a welcoming space!
Stay strange.
The Frogman Festival is back! 🐸
MeSseD Comics is heading to Loveland this Saturday for a full day of curiosities.
Find the Cryptid Corner featuring:
🇵🇭 Filipino Lore: St. Malo & Dr. Skintag
🌽 Midwest Legends: Grassman, The GOAT
Oasis Conference Center (Loveland, OH)
Sat, March 7 | 9:30 AM - 5 PM
See us at #WWETT2026! 🪠
Look for giant sewer worms & life-size comic pages in the ICC hallways! Lilliput & Akka are back with Season 3 (#DavidMack cover), Cryptids, & local history.
Indy | Feb 16-19
Huge thanks to #UnionRamen & #BayouBarkada for hosting our Filipinx Creator event! 🇵🇭
The St. Malo debut was special because of your hospitality & guidance.
#4: Fact Behind the Fiction – Working with Historian Mākialani Kanewa-Mariano
The shadows are darker when they are cast against the light of real history. For our latest blog, we’re pulling back the curtain on the collaboration that defines St. Malo.
www.messedcomics.com/single-post/...
@feriowind.bsky.social It was an honor collaborating with you on this. You perfectly balanced the historical grit with the supernatural horror we were aiming for. This cover is a masterpiece! Thank you for being part of the St. Malo journey.
Wish you could be there! Thanks for the repost @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social
Happy New Year from Creative Mussel! 🥂
2025 was huge—5 new books! 📚
MeSseD: Dregs S2
The Intrusion #1
Dr. Skintag
Grassman
The Goat
Next: St. Malo hits in Jan! 🇵🇭⚓️
Thanks for reading, sharing, and hosting us on the road. You make this possible. Let’s get weird in 2026!
Join us as we celebrate local voices, and incredible storytelling.
Jay B. Kalagayan – St Malo & Filipino Assassin
Maika Llanea – The Gobbling Goblins
Thursday, January 8 | 7 – 9 PM
MaryMag (Above Union Ramen)
1837 Magazine St. NOLA
ADMISSION: FREE
www.facebook.com/share/1CziVN...
Art that is meant to disappear.
In Part 3 of our St. Malo series, we dive into #StephanieSyjuco’s incredible murals in New Orleans and how they are featured in our upcoming comic book.
www.messedcomics.com/single-post/...
From 1883 engravings to "ghostly" wheat pastes, history is coming alive.
Exclusive Interview! Ever wonder what happens when a legendary cryptid gets his own horror comic?
@hometownhaunts.bsky.social sits down with Jay to talk about THE GOAT.
SPOILER ALERT: Jay spills the tea on a future clash with a cryptid "no one asked for."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOWA...
We got an ArtsWave Inspire Artist Grant
With this support, we’re spotlighting a story that is rarely told in classrooms: the Manilamen of St. Malo. This historical fiction comic series will bring to life the first Asian settlement in America.
Artwork by Feriowind.
moversmakers.org/2025/12/10/a...
Artist Spotlight: Hailey Clemens!
Love the striking pin-up art inside The Goat? It's the work of multi-media artist Hailey Clemens!
She created the bold piece using a painstaking printmaking technique called a linoleum print.
Want to see her carving process?
www.messedcomics.com/single-post/...
Tis' the season to get MeSseD! 🚽
Our DECEMBER SALE is here!
Trade Paperback Pack:
Season 1: Follow the Flush
Season 2: Dregs (New!)
A $75 value for ONLY $65
Just add both trade paperbacks to your cart for the discount!
www.messedcomics.com/product-page...
The First Asian Village in North America?
St. Malo, Louisiana is a profound, untold chapter of Filipino American history!
Why was this history hidden?
Read about our next project!
Research began with the amazing @bayoubarkada. Cover art by @feriowind.
www.messedcomics.com/single-post/...
Cincy! Creative Mussel is still buzzing after our BEST. CRAFTY. SUPERMARKET. EVER. You helped us smash our 2021 record! 🏆
Huge thanks to every amazing attendee and the #CraftySupermarket team for hosting such a supportive, high-energy event. What an end to our 2025 tour!
Holiday Shopping? Treat Yourself!
Support small biz this Saturday (11/29) at Crafty Supermarket! Find indie comics: MeSseD Comics & The Intrusion!
Dylan's got new Cincinnati Stickers!
Music Hall, Cincy | 11am-5pm. FREE Admission! First 100 get a tote bag!
Full Details: craftysupermarket.com
That’s a wrap on Cryptid Con 2025!
What a weekend!
Loved sharing stories of Grassman, The Goat, and Dr. Skintag with all the enthusiastic fans. Whether you were there for the merch or the real-life encounter tales, we appreciate you stopping by!
Shout-out to Krampus for visiting the sewer worms.
#krampus can’t wait to read #grassman
#cryptidcon
Books by the Banks Recap pt 1!
Dylan and Jay had an awesome time at Books by the Banks this Saturday! 🥳
The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library was the perfect spot to celebrate books and literacy.
We signed copies of Season 1: Follow the Flush & the new Season 2: Dregs!
Books by the Banks is back! 📚
Catch MeSseD writer Jay B. Kalagayan signing Season 1: Follow the Flush and S2: Dregs.
Jay joins the Graphic Novel conversation at 12:30 PM (Room 1SA). Come meet the creators and get fresh reads!
Sat, Nov 15 | 10 AM–4 PM Cincinnati Main Library booksbythebanks.org
Massive gratitude to Columbus Academy EAST (East Asian Students Together) for hosting our writer, Jay Kalagayan!
We had an amazing time diving into Filipino Assassin and breaking down the graphic novel creation process for the students was a blast.
Hope to collaborate with CA and EAST again soon!
Thanks @gutternaut.substack.com for the connection!
Thanks @paul-pullbox.bsky.social for the #indiecomic spotlight on The Goat: Pope Lick Creek Monster!
#MeSseDComics #Cryptids #TheGoat #IndieComics #Cincinnati #BSkyComics