Heavy Metal Reboot Lands Distribution Deal

Massive Publishing is helping relaunch Heavy Metal Magazine as part of the first wave of the recently announced Massive Indies distribution partnership with Lunar Distribution. Heavy Metal #1 is now available for pre-order through Lunar and will arrive this April.

Per Massive, the upcoming Heavy Metal volume will debut with a 240-page Giant-Sized issue crafted by an impressive lineup of creators, including Enki Bilal, Craig Wilson, Sergio Gerasi, Michael Conrad, Leah Moore, John Reppion, Anna Morozova, Antonio Segura, David Quinn, Joseph Michael Linsner, Keron Grant, Jose Ortiz, Fernando Dagnino, Tim Vigil, Paul Kirchner, John Workman, and Jim Rugg. The series will feature covers illustrated by acclaimed artists such as Greg Hildebrandt and Frank Frazetta, as well as Tula Lotay, Keron Grant, Janevsky, and David Palumbo. To celebrate Heavy Metal #1's launch, Massive Select will release Walking Dead Co-Creator Tony Moore's special variant cover, which homages the original 1977 Heavy Metal Magazine debut issue.

Massive Publishing CEO Michael Calero is ecstatic about the Heavy Metal relaunch and the partnership with Lunar Distribution. "A few years back, Heavy Metal partnered with Massive to release the historic final issue of Volume One of the magazine," he said. "Now, It's thrilling to be a part of the magazine's rebirth, working with both Heavy Metal and Lunar to get these books onto comic shop shelves and ultimately into the hands of excited fans."

Heavy Metal Magazine Editor-in-Chief Frank Forte also shared his excitement. "I'm really excited to be working with Massive Indies and Lunar to release Heavy Metal #1 to a wider audience," he stated. "The team has really put together a great issue that is sure to blow the minds of old and new fans. We have curated a great selection of foreign licenses, brand-new stories from top-notch creators, and a few characters from the cult classic film."

The Massive Publishing and Lunar Distribution Partnership

Last month, Massive, which also publishes titles like Assassin's Creed: The Fall, Astrobots, and Zorro: Man of the Dead, announced its partnership with Lunar for direct market distribution of its titles and imprints. Before that, Massive's titles were only available to comic shops through Diamond Comic Distributors.

The publisher launched its new initiative, Massive Indies, a sub-distribution program aimed at helping independent publishers and self-published studios get their works into comic book shops worldwide. The open platform allows creators to submit titles for consideration.

Massive Publishing's Heavy Metal #1 is available for pre-order through Lunar Distribution and will arrive in comic book shops on April 30, 2025.

Source: Massive Publishing