As information of Aftershock Comics’ chapter submitting unfold yesterday, new has additionally been breaking that Heavy Metal is additionally present process a reorganization after lacking some funds to creators.
The firm, which has a protracted legacy of publishing in the US, earlier this yr introduced a partnership with Twitch-meets-Ebay public sale firm WhatNot that noticed WhatNot taking over printing and different administrative features, and the debut of the “WhatNot Publishing” model
However, rumors of gradual funds from Heavy Metal had been spreading of late, and individuals who wrote to the firm inquiring about funds acquired a response from new CFO and “Chief Restructuring Officer & Corporate Secretary” Joseph S Durko, who stated that funds had been on maintain. Durko’s web site lists him as a enterprise and administration marketing consultant so the firm appears to ave a agency hand at the tiller – one from very a lot exterior the comics trade.
Asked for remark a Heavy Metal spokesperson despatched a press release:
“Due to a sum of receivables not being collected on time, our payments to creators have slipped further than what’s acceptable. Luckily we have a dedicated and committed investor group whose support is allowing us to pay all creators before Christmas, while we catch up on our invoicing.”
The cost points had been additionally mentioned on the 12/16 More to Come podcast by Calvin Reid, the place the story first broke.
According to OOF replies, the Heavy Metal places of work are shut down over the holidays.
Heavy Metal is persevering with to publish Heavy Metal, its flagship journal, the American model of Metal Hurlant. Tjat groundbreaking French SF journal made an indelible impression on teenagers of the 70s with thoughts boggling and attractive work by Moebius, Enki Bilal, Philippe Druillet and different Euro comics masters. In its early years the journal had numerous house owners together with J2 and National Lampoon, earlier than being bought by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman in 1992. Eastman ran it is a little bit of a interest publication over the years, whereas persevering with its model of trippy science fantasy. Eastman bought the journal and identify to new buyers David Boxenbaum and Jeff Krelitz in January 2014. This administration revitalized the model with stunts corresponding to making Grant Morrison the EIC for a yr. However, anthologies and magazines are nonetheless a troublesome promote, gross sales dwindled and the firm was acquired by music exec/novelist Matthew Medney in 2019. Since then the writer has launched a number of formidable ventures, together with Metalx, a Web3 arm, in addition to quite a few authentic comics sequence.
The partnership with WhatNot augured a brand new period for the writer, nonetheless, with Heavy Metal Vol. 2 #1 deliberate for February – now with the WhatNot Publishing emblem on the entrance. Hopefully this relaunch will assist refresh the coffers.
Disclosure; Heavy Metal is a paid advertiser at ComicsBeat – together with the wrapper advert at this very second.
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