Posted in: Comics | Tagged: grant morrison, heavy metal, Hero Comics, jeff krelitz, matthew medney

Matthew Medney of Herø Records is the New CEO of Heavy Metal Magazine

Published Thu, 12 Dec 2019 15:30:44 -0600

Bleeding Cool has the word that Heavy Metal Magazine has named Matthew Medney as its new CEO.

Founder and CEO of Herø Projects, which publishes music as Herø Records, as well as a handful of custom comics created for musicians and music venues as Herø Comics, all of which Medney appears to write himself. He says that he will bring a creator-first sensibility to Heavy Metal, where he will focus on building a community-driven company, as well as collaborate with partners that support the core values of the Heavy Metal brand.

Medney succeeds Jeff Krelitz in the role, who walked out in October, with some controversy over his position. At the time senior editor Hannah Means-Shannon also walked out saying, 'it became clear to me that Krelitz had not resigned, but been removed, and there was an intense conflict between the partners at Heavy Metal over the future of the company.'

Heavy Metal states that former CEO Jeff Krelitz has now sold his ownership interest and exited the company. And that his departure completes his affiliation to the brand to which he gave the better part of the last decade. When asked about Jeff's departure, Medney said, "Jeff put his mark on Heavy Metal, creating new and exciting opportunities for the company. We at Heavy Metal have nothing but gratitude for the hard work and time Jeff put into the company. We wish him the best with his new endeavors."

Hmm. While Krelitz is quited as saying "The only thing constant with Heavy Metal Magazine is change. From the early days of National Lampoon and Julie Simmons-Lynch to Kevin Eastman's run to the direction Grant Morrison and I took it in, each has brought their own stimulating aesthetic and unique voice to the magazine. I'm really excited to see what new places Matt takes it."

Medney says that he will look to build on the magazine's legacy by broadening its reach with great stories across all platforms, including TV & film, consumer products, and enhancing the printed publications experience. That sounds like it could be a pop-up book, but maybe that's just my brain.

Medney also states that "Heavy Metal is the leading magazine publication in Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy, for the past forty years. I believe that with where the audience and fan community is today, it has more potential than ever before to expand beyond the printed pages. I look forward to the coming months and years in building on the legacy of this institutional brand, that will excite and engage our fans while reaching and welcoming new fans into our community."

I wonder how many of the comics featured Medey will be writing himself? Medney will remain CEO of Herø, as he runs Heavy Metal and says that he looks to leverage the assets and audience of the two companies, and lead them into the new decade.