THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF HEAVY METAL MAGAZINE!
Building on its rich history, the legendary anthology is coming back with an all-new lineup.
LOS ANGELES, October 14, 2024 – After months of hushed rumors and backroom whispers, Heavy Metal International is proud to announce the official relaunch of its eponymously-titled flagship publication, Heavy Metal magazine, in the new year!
With a rich history dating back to 1977, Heavy Metal began by featuring work by greats such as Enki Bilal, Richard Corben, Guido Crepax, Philippe Druillet, Caza, Jean-Claude Forest, Jean “Moebius” Giraud, and Milo Manara.
Since that time, the magazine has passed through many hands, and faced many challenges, but is returning with a dedicated new team led by Chief Executive Officer Marshall Lees.
“I have always been a huge fan of Heavy Metal and the way it influenced art and culture and exposed incredible creators to the world,” says Lees. “The new team and I stepped in after quite a tumultuous period, so we’ve been working quietly behind the scenes to make things right and pave a way for the magazine’s return to its original boundary-pushing roots. Following that we have a host of exciting new plans for the brand that we hope fans will be really interested in.”
Returning to the helm, this time as Editor-in-Chief, is Frank Forte. With over 30 years of publishing experience running Asylum Press, as well as serving with Heavy Metal for parts of the last two decades, Frank brings a wealth of knowledge and connections to the role.
Joining Frank are two new faces to Heavy Metal, though definitely not strangers to the comics industry or brand, as they’ve been vocal proponents for many years.
Dave Kelly has previously enjoyed success with the Ringo-nominated Tales of the Night Watchman through his own So What? Press, but his love of Heavy Metal dates back over twenty years to his high school days, when he began buying back issues at used bookstores across his native Kansas. He joins the team now as Executive Editor.
And former Eisner Award-winning retailer, Chris Thompson—who helped to launch the Statix Press line and other initiatives with Titan Comics before doing the same with other publishers—rounds out the oversight team as Editorial Manager. He read his first issue of Heavy Metal at far too young an age in 1985, thanks to a wayward but influential friend, and immediately became a Philippe Druillet devotee, whom he eventually met and spent time with in his Paris studio.
“We wanted to assemble a team of passionate professionals who had complementary skills and shared our vision for the brand, we believe we’ve found that in Frank, Dave, and Chris, as well as the other team members across all facets of the business”, said Lees.
The super-sized Issue 1 is already well underway, and the first round of pre-orders will be taken via Kickstarter early next month where fans will be able to grab some amazing limited-edition covers and collectibles. With a stellar line up of writers and artists contributing including mind-blowing new cover art from the incredible Greg Hildebrandt, this is set to be the best Heavy Metal magazine in many, many years!
Further details about the triumphant return of Heavy Metal will be shared over the coming weeks, but eager fans will be able to sign up for the Kickstarter Coming Soon page and be among the first to know when it launches, as well as join their growing and vibrant Discord server. We’re here to make Heavy Metal heavy again!
About HEAVY METAL
In 1977, four art-house visionaries decided to make science fiction, fantasy and horror the home of pop culture…
It has taken over 45 years, but while Heavy Metal has always been here, in the zeitgeist, other brands have attempted to claim our birthright.And now, we’ve come to reclaim our rightful throne of genre.
Come dive into the worlds of Heavy Metal – past, present, and future – as we boldly chart a course for expanding the minds and pushing the boundaries of pop culture.
