Upstart publisher and livestreaming marketplace teams with legendary magazine and entertainment veterans in a powerhouse deal built to bring their unique brand of sci-fi, fantasy and horror to the masses. 

Los Angeles, CA – Veteran magazine publisher Heavy Metal Entertainment announces a strategic partnership with ascendant upstart Whatnot Publishing, in an arrangement that sees both parties partnering to co-publish much of the Heavy Metal line, inclusive of the monthly magazine, floppy comics, trade paperbacks and specialty books.

“This may sound hyperbolic, but this partnership represents an astonishing new chapter in Heavy Metal’s history,” says Matthew Medney, Heavy Metal Entertainment’s CEO. “In seeking a partner to help us grow our standing in the marketplace and offer an unfettered and unshackled version of our publishing line, Whatnot was not only the strongest contender, but the only logical candidate. We see this partnership as the start of a brave new age in mainstream counterculture by Heavy Metal. Which is why we are going to be starting an entirely new volume of the magazine.”

Whatnot Publishing is uniquely positioned for a partnership with a legacy brand like Heavy Metal. Their mission—to build a space where creators, retailers and fans are part of a united community—serves Heavy Metal’s own mission as well, which is to reach beyond the legacy fans of the brand and engage with a new audience hungry for compelling sci-fi, fantasy and horror content.

“Heavy Metal is an institution with over 40 years of history in the comic marketplace, and we are excited to have the opportunity to become part of that storied tradition while finding new and exciting ways to reach potential readers,” says Michael Calero, Publisher of Whatnot Publishing. “We envision a future where legacy readers and new fans come together to create a Heavy Metal Community unlike any the brand has seen.”

“Having the Whatnot Publishing team and their extraordinary live streaming platform supporting our titles is a dream come true,” adds Kris Longo, Associate Publisher and CSO of Heavy Metal. “Not only will our ability to serve the direct market and book channels exponentially increase, gaining access to a legion of potential new fans and readers is an extraordinary opportunity, and we are putting our best foot forward as a result with some truly amazing content.”

Some of that content includes the following serials, magazines and collected editions:

• Heavy Metal Magazine #1: scheduled for early 2023, the first issue in a new era of Heavy Metal Magazine, featuring the launch of all new stories and content.
• Crashdown: the first joint release from Whatnot Publishing and Heavy Metal. Written by comic influencer “Comic Tom” Garcia, Ryan Sargeant and veteran artist Ben Templesmith (30 Days Of Night).
• Ranx: the complete collection, a 208 page omnibus featuring the entire RanXerox library. The Italian sci-fi graphic novel series by Stefano Tamburini and Tanino Liberatore, following a bizarre antihero, Ranx, a mechanical cyborg.
• Dark Wing: a collected edition of the sci-fi adventure serial following Captain Benedict Gunn and his crew, who journey across the stars searching for a new sun to power the spaceship that is home to a whole civilization. Written by Matthew Medney (Beyond Kuiper) and illustrated by German Ponce (Cold Dead War).
• A Darker God: a nightmarish sci-fi horror serial, following a group of friends who must confront their deepest fears. Written by Homero Rios (Mundo Diablo), with art by Carlos Fabián Villa (Black Cat), Oscar Carreño, Andrés Esparza, and JAME.
• RAMGØD: a cyberpunk action thriller serial revolving around a new player recruited for a dangerous high-octane global sport. Co-created by Morgan Rosenblum (Stable) and Owen Rosenblum.
• Aeon: an existential sci-fi serial about a society of sentient robotic beings. Co-created by Matthew Medney (Dark Wing), John Connelly (Beyond Kuiper), and Joe Harris (The X-Files).
• Lucy: a historical fiction serial following in the footsteps of Lucy, the ancestor of mankind. Written by Patrick Norbert and illustrated by Tanino Liberatore (Ranx).

The strength of the Whatnot app and its formidable community proved to be a winning strategy with the recent success of their launch title Alpha Betas, which topped the new series sales charts. Heavy Metal and Whatnot feel this particular group of titles can capitalize on those strengths and empower retailers to get more copies into readers’ hands. Among the highest profile projects distributed out of the gate includes Heavy Metal’s 321st issue, branded as the first issue of Volume 2 of the historic magazine, the long awaited Ranx collected edition, and the collected edition of Medney’s Dark Wing serial which is set for a major adaptation announcement before the end of this year.

Heavy Metal and Whatnot commemorated their new partnership with a strategic push at New York Comic Con this past weekend, with Heavy Metal talent signings at the Whatnot Publishing booth. Taarna cover artist Peach Momoko, Heavy Metal cover artist Tehani Farr, WhatZit writer and illustrator Gideon Kendall and writer of the Heavy Metal-published Tripwire 30th Anniversary book, among others, appeared there.

ABOUT HEAVY METAL ENTERTAINMENT:

First published in 1977, Heavy Metal Magazine, the world’s foremost illustrated magazine, explores fantastic and surrealistic worlds, alternate realities, science fiction and thrillers, in the past, present, and future. Writers and illustrators from around the world take you to places you never dreamed existed. Heavy Metal Magazine was the first publisher to bring European legends like Mœbius, Enki Bilal, and Pepe Moreno to the U.S. while showcasing non-mainstream American superstars like Richard Corben, Vaughn Bode and Frazetta. The magazine continues to showcase amazing new talent along with established creators. Now published monthly, Heavy Metal Magazine features serialized and standalone stories, artist galleries, short stories in prose and interviews.

Heavy Metal Entertainment is home not only to its iconic magazine, but also an incredible slate of comics and prose novels, a podcast network, and a studio division. Heavy Metal Studios, spearheaded by President Tommy Coriale, is developing and producing TV and film content adapted from Heavy Metal’s rich and vast library of original IP. Heavy Metal Studios also has partnered with top-tier management firm Range Media Partners to co-produce screen projects. The iconic home of cutting-edge sci-fi, fantasy, and horror stories is moving at warp speed toward the future, so buckle the f*ck up. With CEO Matthew Medney and an incredible team at the helm, Heavy Metal promises to boldly go where no one has gone before. Explore ancient secrets, forgotten worlds and savage futures…experience Heavy Metal. Join us at www.heavymetal.com.

ABOUT WHATNOT PUBLISHING:

Whatnot Publishing is a new comic publisher launched in 2022 as a partnership between livestream marketplace app Whatnot and Massive Publishing, the editorial team behind Starburns Industries Press (publishing arm of the animation studio responsible for Rick and Morty, HBO’s Animals and the Oscar-Nominated Anomalisa).

Whatnot, the live-streaming marketplace, launched in 2019 and has since gained notoriety as a space where creators, sellers, and fans are able to feel they are a part of a united community. Creators and Retailers alike have celebrated the platform for its innovative ability to unite the local comic shop with the digital world and credited it for expanding their business. In keeping with their mission to provide new, exciting opportunities to sellers, Whatnot and their new editorial partners now aim to bring that same mandate to comics publishing.

The inaugural Whatnot Publishing slate of books include an impressive spectrum of talent, ranging from up-and-coming creators, blazing new trails in the comic industry, to superstar veterans established both in the pop culture community and on the Whatnot app platform. Their debut line of titles will feature work from fan-favorite artists such as David Mack, Kyle Starks, Jim Mahfood, Kim Jacinto, BossLogic, Kevin Eastman (co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), and many more!

Whatnot Publishing’s first retail release, Alpha Betas, was the #1 new comic book series in the country according to DIamond Comic Distributors sales charts, which track orders to retail stores across the globe. The comic book series is the companion and prequel to the animated show, produced by 3Blackdot and Starburns Industries (the animation studio behind Rick & Morty), which features voice talents of op Youtube gaming creators such as Vanoss Gaming and Hollywood all-star voice talent Stephanie Beatriz (Encanto). The show’s Pilot has over 7.5 million views on Youtube with new episodes airing this fall.

Whatnot Publishing will continue its momentum into 2023 with their first release of the year scheduled to be “The Exiled”, a series co-created by legendary