HEAVY METAL #293
Amazing Cover by Flavio Greco Paglia
I am proud and honored to be appearing
in Heavy Metal magazine Issue 293 Beyond the Darkness special alongside such
giants as Richard Corben, Stephen King and Tim Seeley. Massive thanks go out to
Brian Quinn for being incredibly supportive and getting the ball rolling and to
Frank Forte for being an exceptional editor and an absolute pleasure to
collaborate with. I also want to send out a special thanks to R.G. Llarena and
Jeff Krelitz.
Featured story: S.O.L.U.S.
(Written and Illustrated by Timothy E. Bacon)
Here are the alternate covers:
HEAVY
METAL #302
I’m featured in another issue of Heavy
Metal (#302). This is my second appearance in the pages of HM and this time I’m
super stoked to be appearing with my frequent collaborator, Grant Fraggalosch.
This is definitely another thrilling milestone for me. This time around we’re
sharing space with some amazing talent such as Tanino Liberatore, George C.
Romero, Brendan Columbus, Vaughn Mark Bode, Matt Medney and many others. Once
again, I want to give massive thanks to Frank Forte, a truly awesome editor.
Featured story: ANGEL OF DETROIT
(Written by Timothy E. Bacon & Grant Fraggalosch - Illustrated by Timothy E. Bacon)
Alternate cover:
HEAVY METAL EDIZIONE ITALIANA #2
Featured story: S.O.L.U.S. (Reprint)
(Written and Illustrated by Timothy E. Bacon)
Very cool to have one of my comic stories reprinted in the Italian Heavy Metal magazine. Not so cool to be neither consulted nor paid for the reprint.
A FEW THOUGHTS ON HEAVY METAL
Appearing in the pages of Heavy Metal magazine is honestly a dream come true. I never thought I would ever have a piece of work in the pages of this publication.
I first became aware of Heavy Metal
back when it launched in April 1977. My father would take me to the book store
almost weekly and I would browse the racks buying Robert E. Howard and Edgar
Rice Burroughs paperbacks. On one such visit, I saw a strange magazine called
Heavy Metal which featured a robot bashing another robot and I was instantly
curious. I snuck a look inside and my young brain literally exploded. It took
me a few months to convince my father to let me buy the magazine (because it
was clearly for adults but I reasoned with him telling him that the naked
people and sometimes violent action were illustrated and not real and I knew
the difference). He eventually relented and would let me buy each monthly issue
as they arrived on the shelves.
Inside the pages of the magazine, I
was introduced to the works of so many great artists such as Richard Corben,
Moebius, Enki Bilal, Phillippe Druillet, Phillipe Caza, Tanino Libertoire,
Arthur Suydam, Jeffrey Jones and amazing writers such as Alejandro Jodorowsky,
Jan Strnad, Brad Balfour, Harlan Ellison and Lou Stathis.
Their work amazed, inspired and drove
me forward on my own creative journey. I was already determined to become a
writer and one of my goals was to work with a great artist and get a story
published in the magazine. Heavy Metal was also responsible for kick-starting
my lifelong love of comics and their creators such as Warren Ellis, Neil
Gaiman, Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Andy Diggle, Matt Fraction, Kieron Gillen, Ed
Brubaker, et al.
In 1981, at the age of 15, I wrote a
letter to the amazing Richard Corben and sent him one of my early short
stories. He was gracious enough to send me back a wonderful reply back which
thrilled me beyond belief. I was going to post the letter but alas it is buried
somewhere in a box of paperwork.
My writing career over the last three
decades has taken me on a long, winding journey which has included articles and
essays for nationally syndicated magazines, development on animated shows,
optioned screenplays and television scripts, a couple of novels, my own
magazine publication, a decade of creating advertising and branded
entertainment and culminating last year with some high-profile placements in
some major screenwriting contests and representation by a Hollywood management
company.
But, none of it has been comics. And,
despite my other successes, I’ve always wanted to write in the world of comics.
Being a writer (and not an artist)
meant I was on the search for artists to collaborate with and over the years I
have worked with a number of them (including a couple of professional artists
who shall forever remain nameless). To say my experiences with them have been
less than stellar would be an understatement. And, although nothing panned out
(despite getting a few collaborative works completed) it didn’t diminish my
resolve to keep pursuing the dream.
It became readily apparent that if I
wanted to break into the world of comics I would have to take a more DIY
approach to the artwork. So, in the early 90’s I started to experiment with
photography, 3D rendering and Photoshop, exploring all kinds of avenues,
developing methods and processes to turn my efforts into something resembling
artwork. It’s been a long road of endless creation, experimentation and
weathering the storm of armchair critics and keyboard warriors who would tell
me I’m crazy or to ‘draw or get the fuck out’. Luckily, I’m one of those people
who when told that they can’t do something makes me push all that much harder.
I love a challenge and I’ve always believed that nothing is impossible if you
work your ass off at it.
So, while the publication of two short
comics in the pages of the vaunted Heavy Metal magazine might not seem like a
big deal – it is to me – it’s a small bit of vindication on my part that
perhaps I’m not crazy and that maybe, just maybe, I might actually be on the
right path towards being a part of the world of comics.
While searching for the Corben letter, I did come across a rejection letter from Heavy Metal in 1994 which made me smile.
