Founded in Paris by comics artists Jean Giraud (Moebius) and Philippe Druillet and writer Jean-Pierre Dionnet, Metal Hurlant broke new ground and influenced a generation of creators, with content that included the classic science fiction saga The Incal, by Moebius and Alejandro Jodorowsky. Although the magazine was in French, much of the material was published in English in Heavy Metal.
The new magazine will be published quarterly, funded on Kickstarter, and distributed to the direct market, bookstores, and newsstands as well as via subscriptions and Kickstarter. With 29 days to go, the project has already racked up $115,000 worth of pledges from almost 800 backers.
Each issue of the new quarterly will be 272+ pages and will feature a mix of new content by well known creators, Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Aimée de Jongh, and Mark Waid, as well as archival material from the original, some of which was never published in English or has long been out of print.
The lineup of new material planned for the first year of the magazine includes:
- “Clean and Clear” by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Jacob Edgar
- “In Every Dream Home a Heartache” by writer Matt Fraction and artist Afif Khaled
- “The Rite” by cartoonist Elie Huault
- “Peppermint Wendy” by cartoonist Miran Kim
- “Retrograde” by writer Karla Pacheco and artist Sagar Fornies
- “Soldiers of Light” by cartoonist Simon Roy
- “The Laws of Physics” by cartoonist Matthew Sheean
- “Hot Ground” by cartoonists Shofela "Shof" & Shobo Coker
- “Red Planet Tomatoes” by cartoonist James Stokoe
- “A New Dawn” by writer Jake Thomas and artist Jorg de Vos
- “Nightmare Motel” by cartoonist Elene Usdin
- “The Naked King” by writer Fabien Vehlmann and artist Lionel "Alfred" Papagalli
- “Alter” by writer Mark Waid and artist Jean-Michel Ponzio
Archival material from the original French magazine will include:
- Rare short stories from Mœbius, including "Absoluten Calfeutrail” and “La Retour” (The Return)
- Content from original Metal Hurlant founders Philippe Druillet and Jean-Pierre Dionnet
- Robert Crumb’s comic about Philip K. Dick
- Stories by Caza, Nicole Claveloux, Michio Hisauchi, Angus McKie, Jean-Claude Mézières, Chantal Montellier, and Trina Robbins
Cover artists will include Mœbius, Peach Momoko, Enki Bilal, and Jean-Michel Nicollet, and the magazine will also include commentary, essays, and interviews with well known creators such as William Gibson and Alan Moore.
“Metal Hurlant’s ongoing mission is to enthrall readers, explore new paths, and publish bold and transgressive storytellers,” said Humanoids Publisher Fabrice Giger in a statement accompanying the announcement. “The vast majority of the material in Metal Hurlant will be original, but bringing archival content—such as Moebius’ short stories—back into print allows us to introduce some of the most iconic comics creators of all time to a new generation. Our intention is to curate the reading experience with gems from Metal Hurlant’s storied past in France, alongside insightful cultural reportage and new, complete stories by contemporary masters.”
The original iteration of Metal Hurlant ceased publication in 1987. Humanoids revived it in 2002 (see “New Details on Return of Metal Hurlant”) as a 48-page, bimonthly magazine in a number of different languages; that run lasted for 14 issues, and Humanoids published a collection of those works in 2021 (see “‘Metal Hurlant: Selected Works’”).
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