Heavy Metal (magazine)

Heavy Metal

Editor In Chief	Tim Seeley
Frequency	Monthly
Publisher	David Erwin
Founder	Leonard Mogel
First issue	April 1977; 44 years ago (April 1977)
Company	HM Communications, Inc. (1977–1992) Metal Mammoth Inc. (1992–2014) Heavy Metal Media, LLC (2014–present)
Country	United States
Language	English
Website	HeavyMetal.com
ISSN	0885-7822

Heavy Metal is an American science fiction and fantasy comics magazine, published beginning in 1977. The magazine is known primarily for its blend of dark fantasy/science fiction and erotica and steampunk comics.

Unlike the traditional American comic books of that time bound by the restrictive Comics Code Authority, Heavy Metal featured explicit content. The magazine started out as a licensed translation of the French science-fantasy magazine Métal hurlant, including work by Enki Bilal, Philippe Caza, Guido Crepax, Philippe Druillet, Jean-Claude Forest, Jean Giraud (a.k.a. Moebius), Chantal Montellier, and Milo Manara.

As cartoonist/publisher Kevin Eastman saw it, Heavy Metal published European art which had not been previously seen in the United States, as well as demonstrating an underground comix sensibility that nonetheless "wasn't as harsh or extreme as some of the underground comix – but . . . definitely intended for an older readership."^[1]

Publication history[]

In the mid-1970s, while publisher Leonard Mogel was in Paris to jump-start the French edition of National Lampoon, he discovered Métal hurlant (which had debuted in 1975). The French title translates literally as "Howling Metal".

Heavy Metal began in the U.S. in April 1977 as a glossy, full-color monthly. Since the color pages had already been shot in France, the budget to reproduce them in the U.S. version was greatly reduced.

Mogel published Heavy Metal under the name HM Communications, Inc. After running as a monthly for its first nine years, in the winter of 1986 Heavy Metal dropped to a quarterly schedule, continuing until March 1989, when it switched to a bi-monthly schedule. HM Communications published 136 issues in 16 volumes from April 1977 to March 1992. (Meanwhile, the original Métal Hurlant had ceased publication in France in 1987. It resumed in July 2002, published by Les Humanoïdes Associés, but folded again in 2004.)

Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who had grown up reading Heavy Metal, took over publication of the magazine with volume 16 in May 1992, under the name Metal Mammoth, Inc.

Eastman sold the magazine to digital and music veteran David Boxenbaum and film producer Jeff Krelitz in January 2014. Eastman continued to serve as publisher of the magazine and is a minority investor in the new Heavy Metal,^[2] which is now published by Heavy Metal Media, LLC. In 2019 Heavy Metal saw a regime change to CEO Matthew Medney, and Creative Overlord David Erwin (Formerly of DC Entertainment).

Artists[]

Heavy Metal's high-quality artwork is notable. Work by international fine artists such as H. R. Giger and Esteban Maroto have been featured on the covers of various issues. Stefano Tamburini and Tanino Liberatore's RanXerox series debuted in the States. 'Terrance Lindall's illustrated version of Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost appeared in the magazine in 1980.^[3] Many stories were presented as long-running serials, such as those by Richard Corben, Pepe Moreno and Matt Howarth. Illustrators like Luis Royo and Alex Ebel contributed artwork over the course of their careers. An adaptation of the film Alien named Alien: The Illustrated Story, written by Archie Goodwin and drawn by Walter Simonson, was published in the magazine in 1979.

Editors and features[]

Jean-Michel Nicollet's cover for the first issue

The founding editors of the American edition of Heavy Metal were Sean Kelly and Valerie Marchant. The founding design director was Peter Kleinman. He created the original Heavy Metal logo design at the request of Mogel and was responsible for the launch and art direction of the first issue. He later hired designer and letterer John Workman,^[4] who brought to the magazine a background of experience at DC Comics and other publishers.

After two years, Mogel felt the magazine's lack of text material was a drawback, and in 1979, he replaced Kelly and Marchant with Ted White, highly regarded in the science fiction field for revitalizing Amazing Stories and Fantastic between 1968 and 1978. White, Workman, and Julie Simmons-Lynch, then associate editor, immediately set about revamping the look of Heavy Metal, incorporating more stories and strips by American artists, including Arthur Suydam, Dan Steffan, Howard Cruse and Bernie Wrightson.

White's main solution to the problem of adding substantive text material was a line-up of columns by four authorities in various aspects of popular culture: Lou Stathis wrote about rock music and Jay Kinney dug into underground comics, while Steve Brown reviewed new science fiction novels and Bhob Stewart explored visual media from fantasy films to animation and light shows.

In 1980, Julie Simmons-Lynch took over as editor-in-chief, and her new slant on text material was the showcasing of science fiction by well-known authors such as Robert Silverberg, John Shirley, William Gibson and Harlan Ellison. Heavy Metal gradually evolved into a publication featuring a handful of North American, (as well as international) contributors, such as Richard Corben, Matt Howarth, Stephen R. Bissette, Alex Ebel, John Holmstrom, Paul Kirchner, Terrance Lindall, Gray Morrow, Walt Simonson, Dan Steffan, Jim Steranko, John Shirley, Arthur Suydam, Bernie Wrightson, and Olivia De Berardinis. Later, a review section labeled Dossier, was created by Simmons-Lynch and associate editor Brad Balfour, who came on board to handle text features by authors such as William S. Burroughs and Stephen King. Dossier featured short pieces by a variety of writers, and was edited first by Balfour and then by Lou Stathis, who soon replaced Balfour as an editor. Stathis continued the tradition of focusing on pop culture figures to connect the magazine to the larger hip culture context. There were also interviews with such media figures as Roger Corman, Federico Fellini, John Sayles and John Waters. Simmons-Lynch remained the editor-in-chief until 1993. Kevin Eastman had acquired the magazine the year before and became both publisher and editor after that date.

Comics writer Grant Morrison became editor in chief beginning with the April 2016 issue of the magazine.^[5] They now serve as creative advisor.

As of issue #298, Tim Seeley became editor in chief. ^[6]

In other media[]

Films[]

In 1981, an animated feature film was adapted from several of the magazine's serials. Made on a budget of U.S. $9.3 million and under production for three years, Heavy Metal featured animated segments from several different animation houses with each doing a single story segment. Another house animated the frame story which tied all the disparate stories together. Like the magazine, the movie featured a great deal of nudity and graphic violence, though not to the degree seen in the magazine; for example, its Den segment did not display the blatant male genitalia of its print counterpart. The film featured such SCTV talents as John Candy, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis and Ivan Reitman. It did reasonably well in its theatrical release and soon gained a cult status, partially because of a problem with music copyrights that resulted in a delay of 15 years before the film became officially available on home video. The home video release featured different music in the opening segment (the cause of the initial home video release delay) and included a segment that was not included in the theatrical release.

Richard Corben's Den characters returned for the March 1996 cover.

Another animated feature film called Heavy Metal 2000, with a budget of $15 million, was released in 2000. This direct-to-video release was not based on stories from the magazine but was instead based on The Melting Pot, a graphic novel written by Kevin Eastman and drawn by artist Simon Bisley, who based the appearance of the female protagonist after nude model and B-movie actress Julie Strain, then-wife of Kevin Eastman. Strain later lent her vocal talents to the movie, portraying the character modeled after her likeness.

During 2008^[7][8] and into 2009,^[9] reports circulated that David Fincher and James Cameron would executive produce and, each, direct two of the eight to nine segments of a new animated Heavy Metal feature. Kevin Eastman would also direct a segment, as well as animator Tim Miller, Zack Snyder, Gore Verbinski and Guillermo del Toro. Paramount Pictures decided to stop funding the film by August 2009^[10] and no distributor or production company has shown interest in the second sequel, since.^[11] In 2011, filmmaker Robert Rodriguez announced at Comic-Con that he had purchased the film rights to Heavy Metal and planned to develop a new animated film at the new Quick Draw Studios.^[12]

An animated 3D film entitled War of the Worlds: Goliath, created as a sequel to H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds and based on a story previously published in the magazine, was produced by The Tripod Group and released in Malaysia in 2012.^[13][14]

The series "Interceptor" is being adapted into a film.^[15]

On March 15, 2019, the Fincher project was released on Netflix as a reimagining titled Love, Death & Robots.^[16]

Video games[]

Heavy Metal 2000 inspired a video game sequel released in 2000, the PC action-adventure Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K.². It was developed by Ritual Entertainment.

In 2001, Capcom released Heavy Metal: Geomatrix, an arcade fighting game that later made its way to Sega's Dreamcast console. Though not based on any specific material from Heavy Metal, it featured character designs by frequent contributor Simon Bisley and a style generally inspired by the magazine.

In 2017, upstart pinball company PinHeadz LLC hinted that they had secured the right to use the Heavy Metal license in a physical pinball table; the table itself will be designed through a collaboration between PinHeadz, the pinball artist Zombie Yeti (known for his work on tables such as Stern's Ghostbusters) and legendary pinball designer Pat Lawlor, who has designed games such as Twilight Zone and The Addams Family.

Podcast Network[]

In 2021 Heavy Metal announced the launch of their podcast network featuring scripted and unscripted shows that focus on Horror, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Comedy, and Pop-Culture.

• Heavy Metal Magazine: The Podcast: Twice a month, hosts Lea Palmieri and Brendan Columbus critique and celebrate all things Heavy Metal, diving into the current issue of Heavy Metal Magazine.
• I Hate Myself: Hosted by Joe Trohman: Co-founder of Fall Out Boy, this unscripted series features in-depth interviews with celebrities, creators, and other "successful-types," discussing how mental health has impacted their lives, coping mechanisms they’ve learned, and how they’re able to thrive while living with depression and anxiety. Joe, along with his co-host, comedy writer Wade Randolph, will be just the giant tool you've always needed for every sad and stressful occasion!
• Geoff Boucher’s Mindspace: Each week, veteran journalist Geoff Boucher, along with notable stars and creators making guest appearances, will help you reach a state of Nerdvana with fascinating conversations, never-before-told stories, and trivia about all corners of pop culture.
• WonderWerk: Heavy Metal’s graphic audio podcast features immersive sound design and Hollywood quality production in all new mind-bending stories set in the thrilling worlds of science fiction, fantasy and horror.
• Putting The Science In Science Fiction: Explore the depths of your curiosity, with Aerospace Engineer John Connelly, Columbia Space Center’s, Benjamin Dickow and CEO of Heavy Metal Magazine, Matthew Medney as they bring scientists, entertainers and authors on a journey of discovery where fiction and science collide.
• Pumpkin Spice Podcast: "A bite-sized treat where comedy and horror meet." Brittany and Rob watch horror films highlighting fun facts, best kills, cheesiest moments, and the scenes that gave Brittany actual nightmares.
• The TV Show Show: A 90s (and beyond) recap podcast that hilariously looks back at your favorite shows with the lens of today.
• Madrigal at the Movies with Rob and Rob: Vanderpump Rules star Peter Madrigal teams up with a director and a producer to talk about the best films of all time... and Superman 2.

See also[]

• Airtight Garage
• Den (comics)
• RanXerox
• Epic Illustrated
• Raw magazine

References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• Heavy Metal Magazine Fan Page
• "Humanoids Publishing". Archived from the original on February 2, 2004.