Fifty years after its debut in France, the seminal sci-fi anthology Metal Hurlant is returning in English. Now on Kickstarter, Humanoids' iconic publication is bigger than ever, promising 270+ pages packed with work from international stars in comic writing and art.
Contributors include Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Aimée de Jongh, James Stokoe, Toru Terada, Fabien Vehlmann, and Mark Waid. There's also archival content from the original French publication from the likes of Philippe Druillet and Jean-Pierre Dionnet and long out-of-print short stories from Mœbius. Inspired? Read our guide to the best drawing tablets and start creating.
The story of Metal Hurlant began back in 1974, when the filmmaker and poet Alejandro Jodorowsky was working in Paris on an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune with the assistance of Mœbius on concept art and storyboards, alongside H.R. Giger and Dan O’Bannon. Mœbius, along with fellow bande dessinée creators Jean-Pierre Dionnet and Philippe Druillet, wanted to push the boundaries of comics to tell mature, cerebral stories that embraced punk attitude. Metal Hurlant was born as a cutting-edge anthology published under publishing house Les Humanoïdes Associés (Humanoids).
Jodorowsky’s Dune never materialized, but Metal Hurlant took the sci-fi world by storm, and it has influenced generations of artists, including filmmakers like Jemaine Clement, Guillermo Del Toro, George Lucas, Hayao Miyazaki, Ridley Scott, Denis Villeneuve and Taika Waititi, who's now adapting Jodorowsky and Mœbius's The Incal for the big screen.
The Spring 2025 issue of the revived Metal Hurlant will be available through newsstands, comic book shops, bookstores, by subscription and via the Kickstarter campaign. In the meantime, here's an exclusive excerpt from Robert Crumb’s iconic comic about Philip K. Dick.
The return of Metal Hurlant in English will also include editorial features independent journalists, such as cultural commentaries, personal essays, and interviews with top talents from across the arts including Ted Chiang, William Gibson, Alan Moore, and Denis Villeneuve.
“Metal Hurlant’s ongoing mission is to enthrall readers, explore new paths and publish bold and transgressive storytellers,” said Humanoids Publisher Fabrice Giger. “The vast majority of the material in Metal Hurlant will be original, but bringing archival content – such as Mœbius’ short stories – back into print allows us to introduce some of the most iconic cartoonists of all time to a new generation. Our intention is to curate the reading experience with gems from Metal Hurlant’s storied past in France, alongside insightful cultural reportage and new, complete stories by contemporary masters."
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