So shortly after I got back into Heavy Metal Magazine, around 2005, I found Lostboy's Heavy Metal Magazine Fan Page. At the time, there was a forum, and I put up a handful of reviews. Lostboy was kind enough to recently send them to me, and I'm going to amuse myself by putting them here as written (with a note or two added perhaps). So here goes:
'December 1985 - the last monthly', I liked the monthly issues. I liked seeing a new one every month and I liked continuing stories. However, when this one came out I had lost interest, and I didn't see it until I recently got back into Heavy Metal Magazine.
The cover is unique, that type of cut paper sculpture always makes me wonder how they did that. It's also well done, and the biting the bird is almost subtle.
The editorial might be my favorite part. Saying that the change to quarterly was because readers wanted it was disingenuous, but also funny considering much of the previous editorial comment consisted of either "we'll do what we want and you cretins will take it (thanks Lou Stathis)" or "we put boobies on the cover because it sells."
Modern Image doesn't do much for me, it's well drawn and all but it's not what I like.
I always liked Tex Arcana, which is good because it went on forever. The convoluted story and great line drawing were what I liked about it. This last episode ended up seeming rushed by comparision. By the way if you haven't seen www.texarcana.com you should. The whole thing is online, with a few little changes, including the ending, and more.
The Jealous God was cool, I enjoyed the art and the pacing, rapid changes in perspective and unusual panel arrangement are exhilirating, and the fanciful animals and, um, people, were imaginative. I like it like that. I liked it so much that I'm not bothered by the not-really-an-ending.
Jessie, this is Sahamis Base Calling, was admirable in that it attempted and succeeded for me in showing an attempt to cling to power, by any means, and the risks of dehumanizing yourself and others. I guess it could be called a classic story, it was based on Jack London after all.
Rock Opera, my favorite. I always looked forward to seeing this. The evolution of this story from a couple panels to a humongous blob, belching satire and invective, leaving behind a slimy trail, kept me buying the magazine for a while. The art style was neat, the way photos were altered and copied into the frames. The lack of a real story, letting the author pick and choose the targets, kept me interested. Seeing it now reminds me how topical but dated it was. Compared to the meanderings that came before, this one seemed rushed to me too.
The Duel by Voss. I liked his style, this story is pretty light, but it's ok.
the bus, it was good, I miss it.
Foxx-Hole by Howarth, you know, I like it, but it doesn't stand out.
I did always like HM's Hollywood Hell by Drew Friedman, they didn't even have to make sense for me.
Papa Superstar by Ribera. I like the drawing, but that type of coloring sometimes misses the lines, sometimes that bugs me. The story is kind of funny, the Master of Darkness is worried about the kind of people his daughter is hanging out with. The way it points out the fatuousness of all parties is funny to me too.
I always like looking at the ads in old issues too. Things really are different now. How about that hand lettered t-shirt ad that shares a page with the bus on p. 73?
thanks again Lostboy,
fred
'December 1985 - the last monthly', I liked the monthly issues. I liked seeing a new one every month and I liked continuing stories. However, when this one came out I had lost interest, and I didn't see it until I recently got back into Heavy Metal Magazine.
The cover is unique, that type of cut paper sculpture always makes me wonder how they did that. It's also well done, and the biting the bird is almost subtle.
The editorial might be my favorite part. Saying that the change to quarterly was because readers wanted it was disingenuous, but also funny considering much of the previous editorial comment consisted of either "we'll do what we want and you cretins will take it (thanks Lou Stathis)" or "we put boobies on the cover because it sells."
Modern Image doesn't do much for me, it's well drawn and all but it's not what I like.
I always liked Tex Arcana, which is good because it went on forever. The convoluted story and great line drawing were what I liked about it. This last episode ended up seeming rushed by comparision. By the way if you haven't seen www.texarcana.com you should. The whole thing is online, with a few little changes, including the ending, and more.
The Jealous God was cool, I enjoyed the art and the pacing, rapid changes in perspective and unusual panel arrangement are exhilirating, and the fanciful animals and, um, people, were imaginative. I like it like that. I liked it so much that I'm not bothered by the not-really-an-ending.
Jessie, this is Sahamis Base Calling, was admirable in that it attempted and succeeded for me in showing an attempt to cling to power, by any means, and the risks of dehumanizing yourself and others. I guess it could be called a classic story, it was based on Jack London after all.
Rock Opera, my favorite. I always looked forward to seeing this. The evolution of this story from a couple panels to a humongous blob, belching satire and invective, leaving behind a slimy trail, kept me buying the magazine for a while. The art style was neat, the way photos were altered and copied into the frames. The lack of a real story, letting the author pick and choose the targets, kept me interested. Seeing it now reminds me how topical but dated it was. Compared to the meanderings that came before, this one seemed rushed to me too.
The Duel by Voss. I liked his style, this story is pretty light, but it's ok.
the bus, it was good, I miss it.
Foxx-Hole by Howarth, you know, I like it, but it doesn't stand out.
I did always like HM's Hollywood Hell by Drew Friedman, they didn't even have to make sense for me.
Papa Superstar by Ribera. I like the drawing, but that type of coloring sometimes misses the lines, sometimes that bugs me. The story is kind of funny, the Master of Darkness is worried about the kind of people his daughter is hanging out with. The way it points out the fatuousness of all parties is funny to me too.
I always like looking at the ads in old issues too. Things really are different now. How about that hand lettered t-shirt ad that shares a page with the bus on p. 73?
thanks again Lostboy,
fred
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