Jeff Krelitz bristles a bit at the word "reboot." Heavy Metal, he explains quickly, never really went away. That's not to say that the American science-fiction magazine of record from fine artists like H. R. Giger and French cartoonist Jean "Moebius" Giraud didn't lose its way.
Once the stateside surrogate to beloved from comics anthology Métal Hurlant ("Howling Metal"), the magazine's image brought decidedly more graphic connotations following the release of 1981's animated film of the same name, inspiring, among homages, a South Park episode called "Major Boobage."
Krelitz, a film producer now serving as the magazine's co-CEO, is helping helm Heavy Metal's return to form, and this year's Comic Con marks its coming out party, beginning with the announcement earlier in the week that psychedelic comics writer and former X-Men/Superman/Batman scribe Grant Morrison has signed on as its new editor-in-chief.
"We're taking it in the direction of what is was always meant to be," explains Krelitz. "This is the playground of the masters, that Mobius, [Philippe] Druillet and [Alejandro] Jodorowsky built. When it was brought to America, after the movie, I think they really pushed to a degree, the T&A up front and the art to the back. There was a level of gratuitous sex involved in the magazine, and we want to return it to avant garde and classy art."
Morrison's Heavy Metal reign beings next February with issue #269, featuring a cover depicting the besuited Invisibles writer sitting cross-legged, flipping the bird with both hands. "Even on the poster where he's giving the double finger, it's because Grant has been in the system so long," adds Kreliz. "This is the last time he gives the double finger - we're changing it to the metal horns because now he is the system. By allowing him to have the opportunity to shape that particular part of the company, it speaks to the original intention of [the magazine's] creators."
The magazine executive is quick to add that, in spite of this newfound focus, the Heavy Metal of the past quarter century still offered plenty for fans of the genre. In 1991, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman took over as publisher and editor, after parent company National Lampoons was sold off.
"There would be no Heavy Metal without Kevin Eastman," says Kreliz. "When National Lampoon sold itself to J2 communications, their first order of business was to shut it down. He caught wind of it and bought it. The last 25 years have been Kevin Eastman making sure it's great."
The magazine's site is set to celebrate that heritage, celebrating Heavy Metal's past, while looking ahead to Morrison's vision.
"On the site we're going to be doing featured stories from past issues," he explains. "Some of the past covers were overtly sexual and people imagined that's what would be inside. But, [for example], there's an issue from '94 that has the absolute weirdest Ninja Turtles story. They get caught up with these rednecks that turn them into gumbo. It's the most beautiful art you've ever seen, experiment with something we're all familiar with."
Stay tuned to T-Lounge all week long for more from Comic-Con 2015.
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