Got Mine

My issue arrived.  I backed the Kickstarter and selected the Hildebrandt cover.  

Phfmeh says FRICKIN FINALLY, and I agree.

Weeks after they showed up in stores.  Two years after Issue #320 appeared, going on three years after Heavy Metal Magazine crumbled, and I feared it was dead forever.

I am amazed.  I thought it would never happen, but it did, and I am happy to be wrong here.  Thanks to all who worked to make it happen, and make them keep happening, ok?

At 232 pages it's the biggest issue ever.  I've just started reading it, and I'll take my time, and put together a review, hopefully before #2 (Legacy #322 I suppose) appears.  Supposed to be quarterly I hear.  Get 'em while you can.

Updates?

Well, apparently it's happened.  Heavy Metal #1 (again) has hit comic stores, so I hear.  I didn't get mine yet.  I joined the Kickstarter, and those are shipping separately.

This makes some people cranky.  There is much ranting on the HM Discord by those who felt entitled to see the magazine before it was generally available.  More elsewhere in the social media maelstrom I imagine.

Such ranting that the HM Kickstarter is posting apologies and has even promised free #2 variant issues and super secret perks to disgruntled KS backers. 

My summary misses the whinery and scrambling that's happened the last few days.  It's somewhat comical.  The HM KS responses went for edgy mea culpas and big promises, and requests for understanding how big and challenging the Kickstarter got.  The KS comments go on and on.  People can sound pretty selfish on the internet, though I can imagine quite a few backers ordered lots of stuff and really want something for all that money already.  Not everyone is cranky and some are suggesting we should be understanding and patient.

Myself, I wasn't too broken up about it, though I've been annoyed that a tracking number appeared in my USPS informed delivery, showing a label created waiting for item status, that I expect is it, a week and a half ago, and it's just sitting there.  

My opinion is that they did it to themselves, with all the variants and add-ons available, creating a serious logistical nightmare fulfilling all the various ordered combinations.  When the Kickstarter beat its goal in minutes, and exceeded it by well over 100X by the end, should have been the first clues that asses needed to be getting in gear.  And I was interested to see recently Mr Marshall Lees, who penned the bilious blather in early 2023 as the new CEO and I have not come across since, had signed one of the recent apology updates.  (I would really like to know more about the story of how and who and why Heavy Metal Magazine was brought back into existence this time, and I'd sure like to feel more confident that they can keep it going long term.)

And I just ordered the one issue, the Hildebrandt cover, since I wanted to support the Kickstarter effort, a little bit anyway, and I figured it was the surest way to get my copy.  Fooled me again.  I really hope they don't make a habit of failing to achieve self-imposed commitments.  It would be too similar to the odious Medney era.  RM Rhodes has said this whole mess is very on-brand, and I would tend to agree considering recent history.  But I'd much rather feel confident that Heavy Metal is back and on solid footing, and I've got a ways to go for that.  More to come I'm sure.

April Fools!

Having April 1st as "April Fool's Day" is a silly mostly American custom, but it can be amusing.  Like how my little adventure here amused me.

There isn't very much Heavy Metal Magazine stuff I still want to get, my Collection is pretty full.  I've got my eyes open for some HM Movie Music bits, like more of the 45s and cassette and 8-track recordings.  Maybe a shirt in a resale shop, or a laserdisc of the 1981 Movie.

And the Heavy Metal belt buckle:

Advertised in the mag from late 1981 into 1991, it's remarkably nonexistent on the internet.  I believe the only picture of one on the internet is from the fine heavymetalmagazinefanpage.com site, www.heavymetalmagazinefanpage.com/clothesbelt.jpg.  I recall around the late 2000's when Lostboy's fan page had a forum, and it was remarked how much people asked about them, and how, when once one appeared for sale on ebay or something, strangely it didn't sell quickly.  Having done searches on various shopping and other sites, I have not ever seen one offered since.

Until now:

I could tell it wasn't original, but it would still be cool even if it was a knockoff (like my HM hoodie is).  I'd never heard of the site, but I was so tempted I almost ordered one on a card I could quarantine just to see it.  I overlooked many warning signs, like the single photo with odd focus issues, the low price, the perhaps sketchy online shop, and almost did it.  But finally admitting to myself the image was not authentic, and seeing how the quantity available changed every time the page was refreshed, brought me back to earth.  The site is still up but this listing isn't there anymore, so it'll remain a mystery.  

Oh well, custom buckle fabrication exists, and maybe I'll decide to spend that much to have my own knockoff, someday.

Til then, hoping the return of Heavy Metal Magazine isn't a cruel April Fool's joke!

 

Collection

I finally took a photo of my collection put together:

 

That's a lot.  It's been over 20 years since I got back into Heavy Metal Magazine and started collecting them again.  And it's over 10 years running my favorite blog here about my favorite magazine.  Much time and money has been expended in my pursuits.  (Though maybe it's not really so much.)  I kinda wonder what it'll be like when the next issues of the rebirthed Magazine start arriving.

And this isn't even all of it.  There's the score and soundtracks:

 

Plus a hoodie and a handful of other trinkets.

Yes I'm showing off a bit.  It's not like an actual accomplishment, but it's neat to have all this.  There's always more, but I'm not looking hard for all the little bits and variations that I might not have.

And more's to come.  The "Legacy #321" issue is still slated for April, 232 pages!  The largest issue ever by quite a bit.  And #2 and #3 are planned to follow.  When a new issue is in my hands I'll really believe it.

Nice ...

A Nice screenshot of a recent day's traffic on fred's old blog here.

 

That's pretty high for a day's traffic around these parts.  There's been a little increase lately, more interest growing from the magazine relaunching I suppose.  And it's nice that it's not just the Singapore and Hong Kong bots, they've been around but less assertive, it's mostly north America and some Europe.  Presumably some of them were real persons.

 

And there is news and progress.  I got order confirmation and even a survey (I actually completed it).  The new magazine #1 (or "Legacy #321", sheesh, as if the issue numbering isn't messed up enough already.) is to be shipped in April and is to be available at comic shops too.  

 

Lostboy has a couple news links on the excellent heavymetalmagazinefanpage.com site.  The Discord is still pretty active, more chatter and more people sharing their art.  Supposedly Heavy Metal is showing up as available from comic distributors to shops.

 

So far so good.  I'm hoping they get the new first issue shipped and more coming.  I never thought it would happen, and I'll be happy to be wrong here, when it does. 

 

Waiting ...

When the Heavy Metal Magazine re-launch Kickstarter made its initial goal by over 100X when it completed the end of December, the first issue of the new mag was said to be sent out end of April.  Supposedly over 200 pages.  My card got charged so I sure hope it actually happens and I get my actual paper magazine.

But it's been pretty quiet since then.  The only HM email I got since the campaign was promoting some other Coffin Comics offering.  A few mentions on the HM Iggram or Fbook and Discord, but not much besides.  I'm ok with a lack of breathless previews and sneak peeks or other hype, but I hope there are a couple status updates to keep us hoping.  Even the Discord is pretty quiet of speculation, it's mostly people sharing their fantasy art, some pro some amateur, some ok some good.  (they run a "Drink and Draw" for arty types to get online and do art live while drinking etc, which seems popular).  With the occasional burst of conversation.  Which is cool.  

But mostly I hope that the time until April is filled with lots of planning and forethought, and execution, by the current owners and management, to ensure the mag actually happens, and they take that first big step towards making Heavy Metal Magazine real, again.  While they keep working to address the people that got screwed by the old bunch of clowns.  That's what I really hope is happening.  Maybe we can hear about progress every so often too.  Thanks

Den by RM Rhodes

RM Rhodes of heavymetalmagazine.wordpress.com/ fame, has written an article on Heavy Metal Magazine's website, about Richard Corben's Den.

Seeing that it's a rollickin' reminiscence on Den's dick in Heavy Metal Magazine, it's a fun read.  While I may not be quite so enthusiastic on the topic, and I might want more evidence for the assertion that Mr Corben was influenced by Tom of Finland before I really believed it, I do agree that the dick of Mr Corben's Den was a ... prominent ... feature of Heavy Metal's early days.  Den wasn't the only one lettin' it all hang out, but he was probably ... the biggest ....  

In fact, beyond the soaring fantasy and sci-fi and ridiculous violence and excitement in Heavy Metal, the presence of drawn dicks to go along with the bountiful bosoms and assertive asses, was really appealing to barely-an-adult me in 1977 when I first saw Heavy Metal Magazine.  I like sexy, and I also enjoyed the more open and peripheral nature of the nudity of the boys and girls in the mag, and how it wasn't always just about sex appeal.  Moebius, Drulliet, Caza, and others, often slipped in a dick or two in their work here and there, while busily serving up plenty of other nude bits besides.

But Corben was really good at it, and somehow we are still talking about it, almost fifty years later.  Thanks to RM Rhodes for the informative and amusing article, and congrats on getting your writing on Heavy Metal out there for the rest of us.

New and Old

So what's New is, the Heavy Metal Kickstarter launched, wildly successfully, surpassing its initial $5000 goal by over 80x.  More recently the Heavy Metal website shop opened again.  I did sign up for the kickstarter.  I may even order a trinket from the Heavy Metal website shop.  

Very long ago I ordered some old magazine issues from Heavy Metal as I filled out my collection in the late 2000s, but I never wanted to subscribe or order much from them, since I didn't want to be on too many mailing lists.  (how quaint.  it's funny that it kind of worked, until I used my blog email to comment on an article on the website in 2016, and a few years later I started to get HM newsletter emails, twice each, that I otherwise didn't sign up for)  And in more recent years I surely didn't order anything from them, with all the wailing I saw about unfulfilled orders.  

Now I'm inclined to take the chance, a little bit anyway, to see if it will work.  I'm just signing up for one copy with the Hildebrandt cover, not any of the dozens of variants and special metal cover this or that.  I'll just see if my card really gets charged and I really get a magazine after it closes the end of December.  I'm hoping it all goes well.

For the Old, I got a copy of Fantastic Films from November 1981, featuring the Heavy Metal movie:

As well as having the cover feature about the Heavy Metal Movie, there's a nice little HM related bonus about special effects on the movie Outland, for which there was also a feature adaptation in Heavy Metal Magazine by Jim Steranko, from mid-1981 through early 1982.

For the Heavy Metal feature, there's a nice fawning article, and an interview with John Bruno, who directed the Taarna sequence in the movie along with taking other tasks in the production:

Pretty cool going back the the days magazines being the sources of press releases and puff pieces in print media for movie promotion, with pages-long articles and two-tone photos for color movie stills.

And I'm trying to be optimistic for the actual return of Heavy Metal Magazine in print form.

Progress

Real stuff is really happening.  The HM website is up and filled with lots of things, the Discord has increasing flurries of hints and chatter.  The Kickstarter has raised some interest and may be starting soon.  No online shop as of yet, no firm magazine issue date, but social media is reactivating and linked on the site main page.

I'm pleasantly surprised.  I'll believe it when I see the new issue of the paper magazine as I hold it in my hands, but it sure looks like they're gaining momentum.  

There are still some quirks and questions, along with some great developments.  Much of the discourse on the Discord is artists speaking up and showing off and expressing interest in being in Heavy Metal Magazine.  There's also much other talk about what people want or don't want the mag to be.  I'm still trying to get used to navigating it, but it's informative to observe.  

The website includes a magazine index with cover images, some with content indexes and previews, some not, that is a work in progress.  Some of the recent issue entries only have one cover image, even though most had multiple cover images by then. 

I like how the website resurrected some of the old articles from previous website iterations, and how some links in the articles I saw were updated to refer to web archive versions.  I thought this one about Ray Harryhausen was a real treat, from 2019.

I enjoyed seeing an article again about Rock Opera including a link to a still-active youtube with Rod Kierkegaard Jr talking about it.  It's from almost 10 years ago.  Amazing.

There are newer articles too, some linking short films and other art.  A couple about the 1981 movie.  I'm not likely to read every older article, or every newer article, but I will enjoy looking at them, paging through the site every so often while waiting for more Heavy Metal Magazine developments.  I've heard it'll be a quarterly with the first issue appearing early 2025.  We'll see how true that becomes.

RIP Greg Hildebrandt

Greg Hildebrandt has passed away.  One of the famous Brothers Hildebrandt, well known and respected artists over decades-long careers.  Scifi Art had a nice feature of a handful of art pieces by them.

Perhaps most well known for work other than for Heavy Metal Magazine (such as an original Star Wars poster), their work on Heavy Metal Magazine covers, many in its earlier years, as well as illustrating a promotional release for "The Sword Of Shannara" (by Terry Brooks) in Issue #1, earns their place in Heavy Metal Magazine history.

Sadly, Greg's twin brother Tim passed away in 2006.  Remarkably, Greg continued and was active and prolific to his end.

Happily, Greg Hildebrandt had been more engaged with Heavy Metal Magazine in more recent years.  As well as a re-use of one of my favorite HM cover art pieces for Heavy Metal #314, and what I believe is a now-iconic rendering of Taarna for Heavy Metal #320, the last of its era, and a Heavy Metal 2023 Calendar, Greg Hildebrandt just recently produced a new cover art piece for the planned rebirth of Heavy Metal Magazine, which I quite enjoyed seeing.

It is sad to lose him; my condolences to his family and loved ones.  May their memories be honored, maybe even by Heavy Metal Magazine's rebirth, with the new cover art.