Matthew Medney, CEO of Heavy Metal, has stepped down, Variety experiences, following a month of reorganization because the writer struggled to pay its payments.
Myth founder Marshall Lees will take over as CEO with Jamie Penrose taking on as COO. Joseph Durko, an expert reorganization professional, stays aboard heading up finance.
Medney took over the storied writer in 2019, with a dedication to extra authentic materials and a renewed publishing slate. The main push was to license extra materials to Hollywood, and final 12 months the signed a primary look take care of Range Media. The firm additionally had a profitable foray into NFTS. And a take care of WhatNot, will see the the favored public sale app begin to publish the flagship journal, Heavy Metal, subsequent month.
However, money circulate issues emerged, and at the top of final 12 months, the corporate shut down to compensate for invoicing.
Matthew Medney was a shareholder within the non-public group that owns the corporate, as are Lees and Penrose.
Medney’s exit assertion ran on Variety:
Heavy Metal has been at the core of my existence for 3 years, it’s the place I discovered a model that I understood from the bounce, one thing I might assist shepherd again into the dialog of storytelling manufacturers. I’m so grateful for the expertise, the time, and the belief in delivering such an iconic and vital model again from legacy standing to energetic. That journey will stick with me eternally.
But with that stated, it’s time for me to concentrate on artistic endeavors equivalent to my mental properties, narrative video games that I’m helming and initiatives that I care about from a artistic place and let Heavy Metal be guided by somebody who soaks within the pleasure from the enterprise constructing that’s wanted from this plateau to carry it to the subsequent. I can be moving into my function as a associate within the enterprise and cheering on and serving to in vital initiatives and relationships.
I’m thrilled for this subsequent chapter of my life the place I’ll focus solely on artistic endeavors whereas being assured that the operations of Heavy Metal are in trusted palms.
However, Medney leaves amid critical accusations that he offered the international rights to one of many sequence that ran in Heavy Metal with out the creators information or compensation. At difficulty is the sequence The Last Detective by Claudio Alvarez and Geraldo Borges.
The sequence was printed within the pages of the US version of Heavy Metal, nonetheless, the creators struggled to receives a commission for it, and had been shocked when Medney advised them it had been printed within the Italian model of Heavy Metal with none compensation – one thing he claimed he had the correct to do, though international rights are often negotiated on a rustic by nation foundation.
The creators took to social media to make the case over the weekend with Borges tweeting:
Fellow colleagues: @HeavyMetalInk offered our comedian The Last Detective to a writer in Italy with out having any publishing proper over it and with out paying us something. Be conscious of their unlawful habits!
Fellow colleagues: @HeavyMetalInk offered our comedian The Last Detective to a writer in Italy with out having any publishing proper over it and with out paying us something. Be conscious of their unlawful habits!
➡️https://t.co/a4FYjiZF91 pic.twitter.com/SGgsOG2hqs
— Acción Comics (@AccionComics) January 14, 2023
In a for much longer FB submit, translated from Spanish, Alvarez advised the entire story intimately:
Being an “international author” has plenty of goodies. But there’s additionally the darker facet of coping with unscrupulous and chatty editors, a world that lots of the creators who supply their content material from Latin America know – sadly – all too properly.
I keep in mind how glad we had been with Geraldo when The Last Detective was printed by Heavy Metal Magazine . That pleasure of fulfilling the objective of being in a historic journal diluted with the months, when fee for publishing rights became an odyssey of emails, damaged guarantees, forwarding of invoices and an extended etcetera. The identical months it took to get a report of gross sales and funds for our titles on the Virus line, funds for the company Artistgo (some subjected to a nonsense of successive and infinite corrections), or any c bear that meant to take advantage of primary of the agreements signed.Until sooner or later we stated sufficient. In assembly with Matt Medney, the “CEO” of the journal, I confirmed what he had expressed by mail: I ended the enterprise relationship, demanded fee of the debt and communicated that Geraldo wouldn’t proceed drawing Adrienne James, the title he was writing And that another person became an comprehensible script). I nonetheless keep in mind when Pam got here in from the subsequent room and requested me “hey, who was the gringo yelling at you so much?” “. Matt was livid and raised his voice. The state of affairs was absurd to me. I didn’t agree to barter something, and I attempted to make him perceive it wasn’t nearly cash, it was about respect. Since then we don’t discuss anymore. It was because of Joe Illidge (a bloke) that we acquired – after months – to course of funds, get our rights again, and at last shut that bitter chapter.
The last shock got here final December, when Matt reappeared by way of e-mail telling us “as a courtesy,” that The Last Detective could be printed within the pages of the brand new Heavy Metal Italy. According to him, he “notified us in good faith” even when in his view it wasn’t even needed, as a result of the journal – once more in keeping with him – might reproduce the English comedian by contract. We couldn’t imagine it.
I needed to clarify to him that the contract with Heavy Metal had not solely expired in June 2021 and that I not had any rights over the play, however was by no means licensed to license our comedian in one other language (for some purpose it was apparent) even that in Italy is printed in Italian). Not solely that: I advised him we had a publishing contract in Italy and he might get his companions in bother in that nation. It took me a few emails to know and conform to remark to the Italian writer that the work wasn’t obtainable.
Imagine the outrage to see our comedian printed in quantity 3 of Italian Heavy Metal. With our names featured on the contract. Without having the rights to it. Without paying us a dime.
For lately, I’ve notified the editorial in Italy of the details and potential conflicts that the habits of your “partner” can carry them. They’re shocked and sophisticated on the topic, particularly since they acquired the rights in good religion and like historical past.
I do know we’re not the one ones who’ve gone by means of issues like this and a few a lot worse in the previous few years. I additionally know that I’m positive many have stored quiet and made their finest makes an attempt to repair the difficulty privately, to not shut doorways or to keep away from the slogan of “conflict” in a market the place you don’t wish to shut doorways. I’d do the identical factor. I did, the truth is … however now i’ve no why. I do that submit as a result of I can (neither Geraldo nor I stay from the rights of our works), and since with my associate we wish to warn creators who’re considering of publishing exterior to care for the ‘Matts’ which might be going round .
It’s unhappy {that a} model as beloved and highly effective as Heavy Metal has been pushed – in gentle of latest information – to damage by a CEO who doesn’t perceive what respect for creators is and who doesn’t have the slightest work ethic. Now, are we going to cost our illegally printed comedian in Italy? It positive does. But it’s not nearly cash: it’s about respect.
“Heavy Metal takes allegations of impropriety very seriously, in particular those related to our relationships with talent and contributors. We intend to communicate with all relevant parties and fully investigate this allegation, and we will provide further comment on the matter once we have absolute clarity,” including that they “want to ensure the community that any legitimate claim will be properly explored and rectified.”
Developing.
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