The venerable Heavy Metal seems to have fallen on hard times, and its relaunch follows a fallow period of around two years, where it hasn’t been on the stands… Has it returned, better, faster, fitter, stronger?
Review by Luke Williams
An upfront admission: your reviewer has never read much of Heavy Metal in the past, and perhaps unfairly regarded it as a science fiction / fantasy showcase of beautiful art, violence and nudity. However, getting past reductive generalisation, it introduced English speaking audiences to some of the very best of European bande dessinee and creators such as Moebius, Bilal, Druillet and more; and to all intents and purposes gave the world Richard Corben. At the peak of its success, it even spawned a film.
Sadly, in recent times, many felt the title had not been at its best for many years. The brief fillip of Grant Morrison editorship could not save it, and after some promises of a relaunch with a Volume 2, it ceased publication in 2023.
There is no doubt that Heavy Metal has been an incredible influence over the comic world, but that reputation was forged in the 1970s and early 1980s, which hasn’t sustained it through a succession of owners (including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator, Kevin Eastman) and a high-profile editor.
If, like yours truly, you’ve only dipped into HM in the past, the first issue of its new run is exactly what you would expect. Hardcore sci fi and fantasy, some new works, others translated and reprinted. All have spectacular art and there is a variety in tone, style and quality in the genres on offer.
Highlights include Fernando Dagnino’s poignant one off “Lester : That Old Feeling“, about a robot jazz musician; hardcore sci fi is catered for by the first parts of Enki Bilal’s sombre pandemic strip, “Bug”, and the moody “Sixella: The Last Roots” by Janevsky. The dynamic “Cold Dead War: The Aftermath” by Craig Wilson sates your zombies / horror cravings, and Michael W. Conrad and Ilias Kryiazi’s “Millstone” and Sergio Gerasi’s “Valentina” brings the mystery and intrigue.
It’s not all po-faced hacking slaying / robots, however. The knockabout, quite silly and bequiffed “Burton and Cyb” by Jose Ortiz and Antonio Segura is good fun, and there is a selection of humour strips. Jim Ruggs‘ “Kecksburg UFO” seems like an odd fit for HM, but welcome relief. Keron Grant, Josh Sky and Frank Forte contribute the noisy “Austin Grimaldi”, and Jason Pell and Jok bring the big robots bashing each other vibe in “All American”.
A variety of short humorous strips, some more successful than others, provide a break from the heavier more thoughtful material, like the nihilistic and silent “Cobot” by Jonathan Wayshak, or David Quinn and Tim Vigil’s philosophical “Transcendestiny”.
Heavy Metal’s “house” character Taarna makes two appearances, one by Matt & Shawn Fillbach and Jospeh Michael Linser, the other by 2000AD regulars Leah Moore, John Reppion and Anna Morozova, the former being far lighter in tone than the latter.
For me, Vicente Segrelles “The Mercenary” looks gorgeous and has a similar painted style to the work of Don Lawrence, but the plot and script feel dated and wooden. “The Gladiatrix” by John Stanisci and Dan Gordon, and “Evil Sex Bitch” both have great art, lovely scratchy highly detailed work, but with cliched fantasy plots.
Making up the package are a cover gallery, various articles on science fiction, how technology has advanced, a profile on the late artistic contributor Greg Hildebrandt, and a series of one offs with the theme of “alien disclosure”.
A successful brand deviating from its stock in trade can lead to disaster. The editors at Heavy Metal have taken the “if it ain’t broke, why fix it” approach. They have recreated a well-established formula and confirmed your reviewer’s preconceptions of what HM is, which without questioning the quality of the package, raises the question whether Heavy Metal continues to defy convention as the editors suggest in their self aggrandising and pompous introduction, or if it has become the establishment it originally set out to destabilise.
Luke Williams
• Heavy Metal Magazine #1 is available now from Local Comic Shops | Forbidden Planet Affiliate Link
Writers: Enki Bilal, Michael Conrad, Leah Moore, John Reppion, Antonio Segura, David Quinn | Artists: Enki Bilal, Joseph Michael Linsner, Keron Grant, Janevsky, Jose Ortiz, Fernando Dagnino, Tim Vigil, Paul Kirchner, John Workman
• Heavy Metal is online at heavymetal.com | Heavy Metal Webshop
• Heavy Metal #2 is due for release on 23rd July 2025
• Cover A Brom (Forbidden Planet Affiliate Link)
• Cover B Patrick Reilly (Forbidden Planet Affiliate Link)
• Cover C Janevsky (Forbidden Planet Affiliate Link)
Please note covers may be subject to change
Enki Bilal continues with his acclaimed BUG series. Burton & Cyb returns by Antonio Segura and Jose Ortiz. Janevsky’s cult sci-fi heroine, Sixella continues. Guido Crepax’ classic character Valentina returns by Sergio Gerasi. Writing duo Leah Moore and John Reppion will pen Taarna’s ongoing adventures, with art from Anna Morozova.
Also featuring: by Joseph Michael Linsner. Fernando Dagnino brings another sci-fi short. The return of classic strips The Bus by Paul Kirchner and June 2050. Michael Conrad will pen MILLSTONE illustrated by Ilias Kyriazis. and more
- About the Author
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Brought up on a diet of Commando, British Boys Annuals and Asterix, Lucas Williams’s day job limits his reading time. Luckily for everyone else this also restricts his writing time.
Categories: downthetubes News
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