It introduces itself to the terrified girl as "the sum of all evils". When he opens his case, a green, crystalline sphere rises out and melts him. In the framing story, the astronaut Grimaldi arrives at home, where he is greeted by his daughter. An astronaut seated in the car then begins descending through Earth's atmosphere, landing in a desert canyon. The bay doors open, releasing a 1960 Corvette. The title sequence story opens with a Space Shuttle orbiting the Earth. Despite the mixed reviews by film critics on its initial release, the film was a modest success at the box office and has since achieved cult status.Ī sequel titled Heavy Metal 2000 was released in 2000.īased on the comic of the same name by Dan O'Bannon and Thomas Warkentin. Its production was expedited by having several animation houses working simultaneously on different segments. Like the magazine, the film features a great deal of graphic violence, sexuality, and nudity. It was adapted from Heavy Metal magazine and original stories in the same spirit. The film is an anthology of various science fiction and fantasy stories tied together by a single theme of an evil force that is "the sum of all evils". The screenplay was written by Daniel Goldberg and Len Blum. It starred the voices of Rodger Bumpass, Jackie Burroughs, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Don Francks, Martin Lavut, Marilyn Lightstone, Eugene Levy, Alice Playten, Harold Ramis, Percy Rodriguez, Susan Roman, Richard Romanus, August Schellenberg, John Vernon, and Zal Yanovsky. KEEP READING: Frank Frazetta Jr.Heavy Metal is a 1981 Canadian-American adult animated science fantasy anthology film directed by Gerald Potterton, produced by Ivan Reitman and Leonard Mogel, who also was the publisher of Heavy Metal magazine, which was the basis for the film. The entire miniseries will be collected and on sale in paperback on July 6. Written by Stephanie Phillips and illustrated by Al Barrionuevo and Bryan Valenza, Taarna: The Last Taarakian #6 goes on sale June 23 from Heavy Metal. Phillips: I first saw Taarna in the Heavy Metal film, so it was really cool to have the opportunity to tell her story and expand the Heavy Metal universe. Just to close out, what are you most proud of getting to put your own spin on in this Taarna story? Shaan lets the audience see Taarna in a new way, and also pushes Taarna to form a more personal relationship with someone than she's ever had. Phillips: I felt like Shaan was a really good vehicle to help explore Taarna's heroic calling. How has it been putting them together in this cosmic war? This story has revolved around the burgeoning dynamic between Taarna and Shaan. Both Al and Bryan are incredibly talented and a great team to close out the story with. Al and Bryan created some of the coolest armor for Taarna that I hope we get to see beyond the issues we worked on together. Phillips: One really cool element to the finale was getting to design new battle armor for Taarna (for issues #5 and #6). How has it been working with them on this epic finale? This final issue is illustrated by Al Barrionuevo and Bryan Valenza. RELATED: Heavy Metal Humble Bundle to Benefit the Hero Initiative Each team did a great job of keeping things cohesive while bringing their own sensibilities and take to the universe. Phillips: Every artist working on this story is incredibly talented and it was interesting to get to see how each new artistic team approached the characters and story. How has it been writing for each of these team's creative sensibilities while maintaining that throughline for Taarna? With this miniseries, you've got the story divided into three distinct acts, each with their own art team. Taarna's universe allows for a lot of cool play between different characters and the universe. Phillips: I really enjoy getting to be creative about the way Taarna fights and how those fight scenes might work in different environments. How has it been leaning into that as Taarna battles the villainous Kako? In a lot of ways, this story has highlighted what Heavy Metal does best: Blending fantasy and science fiction in all its bloody, no-holds-barred glory. She's such a cosmic character, and that's very different from the other stories I'm currently writing. Stephanie Phillips: It's been a lot of fun to tell a story about Taarna and expand her universe. CBR: Stephanie, as this story reaches its end, how has it been being able to craft a new tale starring Heavy Metal's flagship character Taarna?