Heavy Metal Monday – Ep. 2

February 17, 2014 by Tim Granda

Welcome back to another installment of Heavy Metal Monday, a new series here on Doom Cycle which features my scans from the first 10 years of Heavy Metal Magazine. Each episode is guaranteed to blow your mind with a barrage of killer artwork from all over the globe. Though you won’t see complete stories, you will find rad panels, full pages, back covers, and some cool ads. It’s going to be a killer trip so make sure to stop by whenever you see a new episode announced.

It’s the summer of 1977, and the work featured is from the June through August issues of the magazine. The work that you’ll see will be from artists Richard Corben, Philippe Druillet, EE Davis, Nicole Claveloux, Moebius, and S Bihannic.

When you see a pic you really dig, make sure to click on it and then again on the little green arrow at the bottom of the frame. My scans are big – some say they even throb – so do yourself a favor and fill those eyes with detail!

Heavy Metal Monday – Ep. 1

February 10, 2014 by Tim Granda

Enter the first installment of Heavy Metal Monday, a new series here on Doom Cycle which will feature my scans from the first 10 years of Heavy Metal Magazine. Each episode is guaranteed to blow your mind with a barrage of killer artwork from all over the globe. Though you won’t see complete stories, you will find rad panels, full pages, back covers, and cool old ads. It’s going to be a killer trip so make sure to stop by whenever you see a new episode announced.

Heavy Metal had a HUGE influence on me as a kid. From the moment I laid eyes on it my life would never be the same. It was as if the world suddenly grew 10 times larger, and you could feel every tremor and shock as it happened. I’ve always dug stuff like Dr. Strange and Ghost Rider, and saw my fair share of E.C., Charlton, Mad, Creepy etc. so I was fortunate to know early on that comics had the potential to be more than just superhero stuff. But not like this. Not fucking like this!

Who knew comic books could be so violent? So full of sex? Not me. Not the grubby kid with the KISS posters all over his walls and a floor covered with Cheap Trick and Deep Purple albums.

Yet here in my hands was a magazine-sized comic book full of all that stuff, and more! One seriously bizarre story after another, and the art was unbelievable! But just as shocking was discovering that often the artist drew it and wrote it all himself. You could do that? You didn’t need a whole team to ink, color, and write the damn thing? Fuuuuuuck.

Heavy Metal Monday is brought to you by a young dirty kid who just rolled out of the trails on his Team Mongoose. A kid who stopped by the local 7-11 on his way home to grab the issues we’ll be seeing. I’ve been keeping them safe for the little dude ever since.

Heavy Metal #1

December 13, 2013 by Tim Granda

Some of you might dig this: it’s my copy of Heavy Metal Magazine’s very first issue. But what makes this particular copy so cool, and one of my most prized possessions, is that it’s signed by the artist Moebius.

Alexis Ziritt Will Eat Your Face

December 9, 2013 by Tim Granda

Looking at the work of artist Alexis Ziritt is like standing before a huge explosion, but with the fortunate exception of having the ability to press the pause button before you’re disintegrated by the blast. With this mass of power, chaos, and destruction frozen in time just inches from your face, adrenaline races through your body as you try to capture all the glorious details. Every shape is full of purpose and each piece of debris offers a glimpse of it’s past.

The man who attempts to tear your brain from it’s skull is Tampa-based artist Alexis Ziritt, who originally hails from Venezuela. He’s the co-founder of Fistful Apparel and the indie comics co-op Calavera Comics. His work has been featured in Complex Magazine, Barsowia, Image Comics, and Heavy Metal; the later being a magazine I wish he’d take over by force and restore to it’s former glory! His comic book series have included “Rudo”, “Mekano Turbo”, and “The Package”, and he’s done posters for bands like Mastodon, Cage, and Prefuse 73. In addition to providing concept art and storyboards for the film and TV industry, Ziritt has also freelanced for WWE Magazine, PaperWallet, Patagonia, and The Levitation Project.

Alexis’ style is far reaching. He’s absorbed all the quirky brilliance from both the Golden and Silver Age of comics, from masters like Wally Wood, to it’s mutant offspring like Basil Wolverton and Fletcher Hanks. His appreciation for Japanese, European, and old Mexican comics like “El Santo” and “Kaliman and Fantomas” also helped develop his style, and I imagine Ziritt watched more than his fair share of spaghetti westerns, exploitation flicks, and a wide assortment of other low-budget cult reels.

For those of you looking to commission an original piece from Alexis Ziritt, buy some t-shirts, prints, or want to check out some more of his incredible art, headHERE and HERE. His site’s packed with all sorts of delicious goodness!

The Work of Denis Sire

December 5, 2013 by Tim Granda

Frenchman Denis Sire’s passion for illustrating chicks and bikes is probably only matched by his love for drawing chicks and cars. He was born in 1953 in Saint Nazaire, and studied art in Paris at ‘L’Ecole des Arts Appliqués. His style is reminiscent of all those glorious washed out advertisements which were so prevalent decades ago, and his work can be seen stateside in such illustrious places as Heavy Metal Magazine and Playboy.