Decades

I've noticed that I've been at this for over 10 years.  My first post was in October 2011.  By then I had been back into Heavy Metal Magazine for a few years, my collection was just about complete, and I'd been on the HM website forum for a couple years.  When the forum was shut down when they could not control the spam onslaught, I was annoyed enough to start this little blog (I accused them of destroying the village in order to save it, a throwback to a Vietnam War statement).  

Much has happened to the mag, and to my life, in this past decade.  Well into my seventh decade, with the mag into its fifth, it's been eventful, both good and bad, for us both, and with most of my life behind me instead of ahead of me now, I've been reflective.  Despite pain and annoyance, I am aware enough to be grateful for the good fortune I do have.  Despite the overwhelming greed and stupidity displayed by humanity's worst, I still try to emphasize to myself what good there is in this world of ours, and I hope for myself and others (including the few who actually read this) that the good will overcome the worst.  Take care all.

To celebrate, I made a copy of Lostboy's HM Checklist (it's a word doc near the bottom of the page) and modified it to reflect my collection:

Hey kids!  Try it at home!

Looking at it this way, it's pretty apparent to me how they landed on #259 when they went to numbered issues in 2012.  Not that I understand why Mr Eastman decided to not count the "Special" issues, as he was responsible for most of them.  With the last few years' issues checked off on the month I actually got my copy, it's also apparent that there have been problems publishing consistently in the recent years.  It concerns me about the mag's future, especially considering my opinions about the current big shots.

Anyway, I also recently decided to include the early "Heavy Metal Presents" special books on my list, per this list on Lostboy's fan page, since I already had some, and I can work to gather the others.  They can be pretty pricey these days, so I'll take my time.  One thing is that they're not the same size as the mag, so my bags don't fit.  Good thing the copy of Conquering Armies I recently got came with a bag, since it's an enormous 10" x 13.25":

This is a good time to point out that the richly detailed black and white art in Conquering Armies, and several other stories in the mag's early days, is something that is missing in today's HM.  I don't expect to see it like this again:

("Conquering Armies" by Gal and Dionnet, appeared in the first 4 issues of Heavy Metal, April - July 1977, and in January 1978.  It's excellent, beautiful and horrifying.)

So this was a fun diversion to start this new year with.  Best wishes to all, especially the few of you actually reading this.

Heavy Metal #310

Heavy Metal #310 has the $13.99 cover price, but comes in with just 128 pages.  I got it in mid-October 2021 from mycomicshop.com again, this time the Cover A by Santa Fung, photo of my copy:

The image almost completely obscures the logo, and for some reason is for a story "Dogma Resistance" which appeared in issue #299, almost a year ago.  Of course, there is no further reference to this story in this issue.

The two big shots again succeed in pissing me off in their editorials.  First Mr Medney says some crap about MAD Magazine being DC's attempt to dethrone Heavy Metal.  This is just stupid.  MAD Magazine existed long before Heavy Metal, and besides the internet, I know because I was reading them in the 60s.  Likewise Mr Erwin, who seems to have some predisposition to making up HM taglines ("The Best Illustrated Magazine"?  When did it ever say that?) also refers to MAD, making vaporous claims about MAD's demise and about his loyalty to HM readers.  I don't believe that for a moment.  These two are gleefully eroding what little respect I had for them, and my optimism about the mag's existence.  Oh well, I'll keep trying to enjoy it the best I can, while I still can.

"Segments - Neo Sparta" by Richard Malka, Juan Giménez, JAME, Carol Burrell, and with Fabrice Sapolsky noted as Editor. - 7 - Another 45 pages in two parts, this is turning out to be a massive saga.  And unfortunately for us, this one notes "The End", along with "Original title Segments Tome 3 - Néo-Sparte" with a 2014 copyright.  As some characters are about to be annihilated, there is clearly more story to be had, but not for us.  Too bad.  While I still suffered from confusion and problems following it, this has been a still-enjoyable classicly HM story.

"Swamp God - Chapter 6" by Ron Marz, Armitano, Werner Sanchez, ALW Studios' Troy Peteri - 6.5 - And with Tim Seeley still getting an Editor credit.  With a flashback to a Civil War battle, with unflinching gore, and some slight effort to find some humanity among the currently allied enemies, this one is succeeding in gaining some of my interest.  I hope it keeps getting better.

"Savage Circus" Chapter Eight" by Brendan Columbus, Al Barrionuevo, Candice Han, Dave Sharpe, Joseph Illidge - 3 - Did this one get better too?  Nope.

"How Marvel Took On Heavy Metal & Lost" An interview with Jim Shooter by Joshua Sky - 6 - A lengthy and informative interview with Mr Shooter.  I bet this would be more valuable to someone who actually cares about mainstream comics history, and purported insider knowledge, than to someone like me, who hardly cares about stuff that's not really about Heavy Metal Magazine.  Still, even though the opening has a weird photo of Mr Shooter looking weirdly down an (apparently) early German semi-auto pistol (I would use my right eye to sight when holding it in my right hand), there was enough info close enough to actual Heavy Metal history, to get through to my old brain.

"Outer Demons" by Camille Willaford - 6 - Another installment of "Outer Demons" in HM, last seen in issue #307.  I enjoyed it, despite the mess.

"Black Beacon - Chapter 4" by Ryan K Lindsay, Sebastian Piriz, JAME - 6.5 - with Joseph Illidge getting an "Edited By" credit.  My attention to this is starting to slip away.  The art is pretty and inventive, and the writing is evocative, but it's not coming together for me, it's more coming apart, like leaves falling from a tree.  The characters are dwelling on themselves, and I get less insight as it goes on.  I'm sorry to lose the interest I had, how long will it go?

"Moon Lake - Phase 2 - Mish Mosh" by Stephen Christy, Dan Fogler, Warren Allman, Dan Dougherty, Wesley Wong - 6 - Justin Mohlman gets an Edited By credit, and that's how it's spelled, which makes me wonder even more about the typo in the masthead, which has been there since #304.  Curious.  This story is about a woman who lives and dies, alone and forgotten in her hoarder's house.  Her only happiness comes in death, when she animates her house as it's to be demolished, with the destruction she wreaks.  A simple story with serviceable art.

"Starward:  Chapter Five" by Steve Orlando, Ivan Shavrin, Saida Temofonte - 6 - With Joseph Illidge credited as Editor.  So we're in the "protagonist finding the disparate sisters in her battle against Kaos" part of the story formula, but it's being done with such verve I'm starting to be impressed.  There's some dispensing with details to move the story along, but it's gaining momentum.

"Swamp God - Chapter 7" by Ron Marz, Armitano, Werner Sanchez, ALW Studios' Troy Peteri - 6.5 - And with Tim Seeley still getting an Editor credit. With a bonus "Continued from Page 36", this second installment in this issue has more gore and violence, as the now-allied enemies fight off the Swamp God again, taking more losses but vowing to destroy it.  Bets on how many of them are left by the end?

"Imagining Heavy Metal"

I recently came across a reference to "Imagining Heavy Metal", something of a "making of ..." documentary of the 1981 Heavy Metal movie, from 1999.  I had no idea this existed.  It can be funny how often that happens.  

Even funnier, is that it's actually on my copy of the 1981 Heavy Metal movie (Columbia DVD) and appears to have been made for this DVD release.  It seems ... I ... never ... watched it?  I won't rule anything out, considering my advanced years, but I'd think I would have remembered.

Well, I remember it now.  With segments with Ivan Reitman and others who worked on the movie, and Kevin Eastman, HM's publisher then (only about 7 years into his decades-long reign), talking about seeing it in the theaters as a teen.  I found this informative and enjoyable to watch.  

With some fun stuff about shooting and modeling tech, story development, voice talent, and behind the scenes gossip, and maybe some revisionist history, this was great to find out about and see.  One thing I learned was that the "NeverWhereLand" sequence, which I really liked, was actually cut since Mr Reitman apparently thought nothing could follow it.

While the 1981 Heavy Metal Movie is not my favorite part of HM lore, there's much to enjoy, and it's a big piece of the puzzle.  Seeing this documentary (finally) adds a great deal of enjoyment to my Heavy Metal fanboyhood.