Close Menu
NERDBOT
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    Subscribe
    NERDBOT
    • News
      • Reviews
    • Movies & TV
    • Comics
    • Gaming
    • Collectibles
    • Science & Tech
    • Culture
    • Nerd Voices
    • About Us
      • Join the Team at Nerdbot
    NERDBOT
    Home»News»Interview»Heavy Metal’s New Virus Comic Line Leads off with ‘The Red’ [Interview]
    Interview

    Heavy Metal’s New Virus Comic Line Leads off with ‘The Red’ [Interview]

    Bill WattersBy Bill WattersMay 26, 20203 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

    Heavy Metal is leaning into its efforts behind CEO Matt Medney’s push to discover new talent by launching a new comic imprint, “Virus.” Launching a new creator-owned imprint in the midst of a pandemic, while many publishers had closed up for a time, might seem like a risky move, Medney saw it as a prime opportunity. Leveraging Heavy Metal’s existing distribution channels enabled them to begin printing in late April and are shipping to comic fans directly.

    Medney and writer/creator Morgan Rosenblum sat down and spoke with us via Zoom recently. Medney expressed how with the national shelter-in-place orders, there would be casualties in the retail space and that perhaps some publishers might not make it through. But they were in the unique position to be able to serve as an alternative and would have the ability to service all the fans, as well as the creators.

    The team at Heavy Metal has been pulling together a collection of both new and existing talent to seed the initial titles into the platform. A key differential for the creative teams, Medney highlighted, is that rather than having to meet certain thresholds for creators to see revenue back as it typical in other creator arrangements, they receive 15% of the cover price for each book sold.

    With Virus, Medney is hoping to continue to push to the forefront the elements that helped establish Heavy Metal as one of the pop-cultural touchstones spanning decades. Where the titular magazine stories and imagery continues to resonate through film, television, and art, they are hoping that the various lines being introduced through the Virus imprint will do the same.

    One of the opening titles is a long-running collaborative project between Medney and Rosenblum, with art by Jon Lam, “The Red.” Set in the distant future, a nuclear world war has changed the course of history forever. A single government entity now presides over what’s left of the world, and prohibits certain content that is deemed emotionally dangerous, or “red”, in attempt to maintain order and keep society working. A collection of gifted musicians, who possess the rare ability to create red content, discover they are the key to overthrowing the totalitarian government that has taken their emotional freedoms.

    We asked them about their decision to go with publishing physical comics rather than continuing the shift towards digital, and they both expressed strongly their belief that part of the comic experience is having the tangible object in hand, to be able to flip through it, and to have something that could still be on the shelves when comic stores were able to re-open.

    New issues continue to be released each Wednesday, and are available via the Heavy Metal online store.

    Do You Want to Know More?

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous Article“The Simpsons” Will be Available to Watch in Original Aspect Ratio May 28th
    Next Article Forgotten Toys: Playskool Definitely Dinosaurs
    Bill Watters
    • Facebook
    • X (Twitter)

    Bill Watters is a child of the late 70s- he walked into a theater to watch Star Wars, and emerged to become a lifelong fan of cinema and television. Spending nearly a decade as a projectionist, he fell into the Silicon Valley dot-com boom and became a codemonkey for a range of game companies. These days he's a frequent speaker, moderator, and panelist at pop-culture events and conventions, as well as a prolific film and television critic and genre news writer. He is also a member critic of both the San Francisco Film Critics Circle and the Broadcast Film Critics Association. In addition to his writing, he is also a photojournalist and can be found on Getty Images.

    Related Posts

    Jason Coming to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights

    June 13, 2025

    Car Branding Solutions: Do’s & Don’ts to Promote Business

    June 13, 2025

    “The Twilight Zone” Returns in September in Comic Form

    June 12, 2025

    APPLEJACK’S Caramel Apple by JOYGROUND COFFEE is a Sweet Treat All Year-Round

    June 12, 2025
    “Mufasa: The Lion King,” 2024

    Disney, Universal File Lawsuit Against Midjourney AI

    June 11, 2025

    Things That Shouldn’t Exist But Do: Pizza Flavored Vodka

    June 10, 2025
    • Latest
    • News
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Reviews

    Warzone 3.0 Complete Player Guide: Dominating the Battle Royale in 2025

    June 15, 2025

    What Does a Call Answering Service Do?

    June 15, 2025

    “King of the Hill” Revival Gets Father’s Day Clip

    June 15, 2025
    Mobile App Development

    Why Flutter is the Future of Mobile App Development for Startups

    June 15, 2025

    Jason Coming to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights

    June 13, 2025

    Car Branding Solutions: Do’s & Don’ts to Promote Business

    June 13, 2025

    APPLEJACK’S Caramel Apple by JOYGROUND COFFEE is a Sweet Treat All Year-Round

    June 12, 2025
    “Mufasa: The Lion King,” 2024

    Disney, Universal File Lawsuit Against Midjourney AI

    June 11, 2025

    Kathleen Kennedy on Future of “Star Wars” at BFI Screening

    June 14, 2025

    David Lynch’s Family Wants to Publish His Final Work

    June 13, 2025

    Robert Eggers to Adapt “A Christmas Carol,” Wants Willem Dafoe to Star

    June 12, 2025

    Mel Brooks, Bill Pullman, Rick Moranis Return for “Spaceballs: The Sequel”

    June 12, 2025

    “King of the Hill” Revival Gets Father’s Day Clip

    June 15, 2025

    What is BFDI (Battle for Dream Island)? An Interview With My Kid

    June 15, 2025

    Celine Song Developing Esports Drama Series “Damage” at HBO

    June 14, 2025

    Upcoming “Crystal Lake” Series Adds Three More to Cast

    June 13, 2025

    Car Branding Solutions: Do’s & Don’ts to Promote Business

    June 13, 2025

    APPLEJACK’S Caramel Apple by JOYGROUND COFFEE is a Sweet Treat All Year-Round

    June 12, 2025
    “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,” 2025

    “Ballerina:” Ana De Armas Shines in Fun, Violent Return to the World of Wick [Review]

    June 4, 2025

    “The Life of Chuck” Joyous, Hopeful, Life Affirming [Review]

    June 1, 2025
    Check Out Our Latest
      • Product Reviews
      • Reviews
      • SDCC 2021
      • SDCC 2022
    Related Posts
    • Join Nerdbot and Heavy Metal for SDCC 2020 After Hours!
    • Amazon's "The Vast of Night" is the Way Anthology Sci-Fi Should Feel [Review]
    NERDBOT
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    Nerdbot is owned and operated by Nerds! If you have an idea for a story or a cool project send us a holler on [email protected]

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.