Got It Covered: 'Heavy Metal' 300 with Claudia Iannicello
Aug 19, 2020
by Troy-Jeffrey Allen
This August, Heavy Metal turns 300! Which almost certainly demands an explosive celebration rife with guest appearances by the likes of Nelson the B52 Bomber, Lucy the Australopithecus, Crunch, Vasator, the Dark Wing crew, and, of course, Taarna.
The big 300 also demands the talents of some of the sci-fi/fantasy worlds most dangeous players. Already volunteering for Heavy Metal 300 are alumni such as Richard Corben, Preacher's Glenn Fabry,as well as fans-turned-creators like Justin Jordan and Blake Northcott. Not to mention the inclusion of a rare work by the immortal Moebius. Plus: a whole new generation of creators destined to do this pulse-pounding publication proud.
PREVIEWSworld could not let such a monstrous occassion pass us by unmoored. So for the next several weeks, we'll be steering our monthly Got It Covered series exclusively towards Heavy Metal 300. We'll talk with cover artists Glenn Fabry, Augustin Alessio, and Claudia Iannicello about their first skirmish with the magazine, their work on the 300th issue, and make them confess their crimes against high space. Also, as a bonus -- because this is Got It Covered -- we'll be giving you a rare look at the artistic process behind all three Heavy Metal 300 covers.
Up first: Claudia Iannicello talks about her Taarna cover!
PREVIEWSworld: What was your first experience with Heavy Metal magazine?
Claudia: I remember when I was a teenager in the late nineties, and still unsure about what to do in my life, I received by chance some artbooks by Luis Royo. I remember I was amazed by the artist, and in the III Millennium artbook one in particular, there was the cover for the 20th anniversary of the magazine, depicting a beautiful woman (I guess the model was Julie Strain) and a huge robot rising from still waters, in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. That’s how I discovered Heavy Metal magazine and then right after, all the other amazing illustrators and artists who contributed to my personal artistic growth.
PREVIEWSworld: How did you get involved with Heavy Metal 300?
Claudia: In recent years, I remember I joined a Heavy Metal contest made for Threadless, I didn’t win at that time, but then I got a feature on the HM website, with a gallery. I guess they kinda remember my work when I [received] mail from my agent Chris Allo, who was very excited to announce to me that I got the chance to do the cover for the Heavy Metal 300 issue. I was very excited and scared at the same time too. For me it was a milestone for my career.
PREVIEWSworld: What classic Heavy Metal character does your work feature?
Claudia: My cover features the character of Taarna, the beautiful and iconic female warrior showing off in the 8th episode of the Heavy Metal movie, and already leading a lot of beautiful HM covers.
PREVIEWSworld: What were you trying to convey with this image?
Claudia: My main purpose with this picture was to show the main character in another perspective. This was my first layout. It was choosen by HM. In this one there’s a sort of expectation vibe, She is getting off her companion, staring upwards to the audience. Formerly, the idea was to paint some tentacles or monstrous limbs as another narrative detail, but then I thought it was too “informative”. I preferred the idea of a “suspended narrative”, where the spectator can build their own story [from] the illustration.
We can say I like to give hints when I do my artwork. I want people to be involved and intrigued by my characters. Plus, I’ve been told to depict her with her “classic costume”, and for sure that suit exposes a lot of skin, but I didn’t want to put the focus on her sensuality, so I choose a P.O.V. which helps not to emphasize too much on her body. Instead, [it features] more of her facial expression and body language. [It helps] the dynamism of the composition.
PREVIEWSworld: What medium/tools did you use on the cover?
Claudia: This cover was made entirely with digital media. I use my beloved Wacom Cintiq 24 Pro graphic tablet and Photoshop.
PREVIEWSworld: What was the challenge when putting together your cover?
Claudia: The main challenge for this cover was to respect the character’s essence and the mood of the magazine -- staying true to myself at the same time. As an illustrator, one of the most fun and fulfilling things to do is give my version of characters I don’t own, and make my client happy. I wanted to give my personal take on the Taarna character. At the same time, I wanted to make something recognizable in terms of personal style and character depiction, and, to cap it all, something which fans (and not only them) would have been happy about.
Up next: Artist Agustin Alessio breaks down his B52 Bomber cover to Heavy Metal 300.
About Heavy Metal 300:
Classic and new comic book creators from all over the world join the magazine to celebrate its 300th issue!
Just to name some of our VIP guests: Moebius attends with a short story published in English for the first time as well as an interview, never released, done by acclaimed comics and music writer Geoff Bucher. Richard Corben, Liberatore, Vaughan Bode, Stephanie Phillips, Justin Jordan, Blake Northcott, Jeff Rebner, Matt Medney, David Erwin, Germán Ponce, and Duke Mighten who are joined by "New Hollywood 21st century" actor/writers Dylan Sprouse & Brendan Columbus.
And this party could not be complete without the fictional characters who attend it. Among the prominent fictional guests, we have confirmation of: Taarna, Nelson the B52 Bomber, Lucy the Australopithecus, the barbarians Vasator and Crunch, and the Dark Wing crew, among many others.
You are cordially invited to join the celebration!
Classic and new comic book creators from all over the world join the magazine to celebrate its 300th issue!
Just to name some of our VIP guests: Moebius attends with a short story published in English for the first time as well as an interview, never released, done by acclaimed comics and music writer Geoff Bucher. Richard Corben, Liberatore, Vaughan Bode, Stephanie Phillips, Justin Jordan, Blake Northcott, Jeff Rebner, Matt Medney, David Erwin, Germán Ponce, and Duke Mighten who are joined by "New Hollywood 21st century" actor/writers Dylan Sprouse & Brendan Columbus.
And this party could not be complete without the fictional characters who attend it. Among the prominent fictional guests, we have confirmation of: Taarna, Nelson the B52 Bomber, Lucy the Australopithecus, the barbarians Vasator and Crunch, and the Dark Wing crew, among many others.
You are cordially invited to join the celebration!
Classic and new comic book creators from all over the world join the magazine to celebrate its 300th issue!
Just to name some of our VIP guests: Moebius attends with a short story published in English for the first time as well as an interview, never released, done by acclaimed comics and music writer Geoff Bucher. Richard Corben, Liberatore, Vaughan Bode, Stephanie Phillips, Justin Jordan, Blake Northcott, Jeff Rebner, Matt Medney, David Erwin, Germán Ponce, and Duke Mighten who are joined by "New Hollywood 21st century" actor/writers Dylan Sprouse & Brendan Columbus.
And this party could not be complete without the fictional characters who attend it. Among the prominent fictional guests, we have confirmation of: Taarna, Nelson the B52 Bomber, Lucy the Australopithecus, the barbarians Vasator and Crunch, and the Dark Wing crew, among many others.
You are cordially invited to join the celebration!
Heavy Metal 300 is available on August 19th at your local comic shop.
For more on Heavy Metal 300 (JUN201152) keep an eye on PREVIEWSworld.com's Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram.
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Troy-Jeffrey Allen is the producer and co-host of PREVIEWSworld Weekly. His comics work includes BAMN, Fight of the Century, the Harvey Award-nominated District Comics, and the Ringo Awards-nominated Magic Bullet.
