Heavy Metal Entertainment and Tripwire’s Editor in Chief Joel Meadows are teaming up to celebrate Tripwire’s 30th anniversary. The 200-page paperback edition is out October 25th with a hardcover edition featuring art prints is also on the way via Zoop. Tripwire 30th Anniversary will feature an introduction by Previews editor Marty Grosser, classic interviews with the likes of Alan Moore, Frank Miller and Mike Mignola, feature stories and other reprinted material, a photo gallery, Scott Braden’s Lost Tales comic series, a new Sherlock Holmes and The Empire Builders comic by Meadows and co-creator/artist Andy Bennett, and a new Fred The Clown comic strip by Roger Langridge.
Tripwire was first a fanzine starting in 1992, then switched to a professional magazine in 1997, and it launched on the web in 2015. Known for its comics, film, and TV coverage, it has featured interviews with some of the biggest movers and shakers in the world, including Guillermo del Toro, Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Alan Moore, and more. Tripwire’s magazine returned to print in 2020.
“Tripwire hit a real milestone this year and we felt we had to commemorate it with something special. We had been talking with Heavy Metal for the last year or so and it all came together over the past few months. We had been looking at different ways of working with Kris Longo and Joseph Illidge at Heavy Metal and it has been great that this has come to fruition,” said Joel Meadows, Tripwire Editor-in-chief. “The Tripwire 30th Anniversary book is the ultimate celebration of three decades of Tripwire and thirty years of comics and pop culture seen through our unique journalistic prism.”
For more on this news, read the official press release below.
LONDON, UK – Heavy Metal Entertainment, the premiere storyteller of cutting-edge science fiction, fantasy, and horror, is thrilled to announce that it is partnering with Joel Meadows, Editor-in-chief of the famous UK pop culture outlet Tripwire to publish a book celebrating the 30th anniversary of the magazine and website. Simon & Schuster is distributing the over 200-page paperback edition, coming out October 25th, which will be a snapshot of what Tripwire has covered in the comics and genre industry over the last 30 years, plus brand new content. Additionally, a crowdfunding campaign just launched through Zoop; fans can now pre-order a hardcover edition of the book and art prints through the campaign page here.
Tripwire has been the pre-eminent UK comics and pop culture magazine since it launched back in 1992. Starting as a fanzine, Tripwire switched to a professional magazine in 1997 and it launched on the web in 2015. Known for its comics, film, and TV coverage, it has featured interviews with some of the biggest movers and shakers in the world, including Guillermo del Toro, Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Alan Moore, and more. Tripwire’s magazine returned to print in 2020 after a decade away and has produced two lavish print annual editions with a third on the way later this year.
“Tripwire hit a real milestone this year and we felt we had to commemorate it with something special. We had been talking with Heavy Metal for the last year or so and it all came together over the past few months. We had been looking at different ways of working with Kris Longo and Joseph Illidge at Heavy Metal and it has been great that this has come to fruition,” said Joel Meadows, Tripwire Editor-in-chief. “The Tripwire 30th Anniversary book is the ultimate celebration of three decades of Tripwire and thirty years of comics and pop culture seen through our unique journalistic prism.”
This year also marks the 45th anniversary of Heavy Metal, best known for being the home of the legendary illustrated Heavy Metal Magazine and the source for the cult classic animated film Heavy Metal. It is a natural fit for a dual anniversary celebration with Tripwire, a beloved institution in comics and pop culture journalism. Both iconic brands are known for their exploration into genre entertainment, cutting-edge art, independent comics, and for having their fingers on the pulse of edgy pop culture.
Added Heavy Metal Executive Editor Joseph Illidge: “Just as the seminal British Invasion of comics changed the medium, industry, and world-at-large forever through the talents of luminaries such as Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean, and Alan Moore, it was Tripwire magazine that charted the evolution of artistic and literary perspectives in comics and graphic novels through a unique lens. Through the ups and downs of comics journalism, Tripwire endures, and we are a better community for it.”
The Tripwire 30th anniversary book is graced by a cover by designer Kit Caoagas and includes a foreword by Image Comics’ Dirk Wood, an introduction by Previews editor Marty Grosser, classic interviews with the likes of Alan Moore, Frank Miller and Mike Mignola, feature stories and other reprinted material, a photo gallery, Scott Braden’s Lost Tales comic series, a new Sherlock Holmes and The Empire Builders comic by Meadows and co-creator/artist Andy Bennett, and a new Fred The Clown comic strip by Roger Langridge.
The book will also include pinups and art from the likes of Jock (Batman), Drew Struzan (Indiana Jones), Frank Miller (Sin City, Dark Knight), Walter Simonson (Thor, Ragnarok), Bill Sienkiewicz (Moon Knight, Batman), Laurence Campbell (Hellboy), and many others. Meadows is also contributing new 30th anniversary themed feature stories, including a story about Heavy Metal’s history, an examination of Marvel movies over 30 years, a list of 30 independent creators who have impacted the industry, and much more.
The Tripwire team will be doing a signing on October 22nd at London’s prestigious Gosh Comics, where fans can meet Editor-in-chief Joel Meadows and creators Simon Davis (2000AD), Frazer Irving (Gutsville, Batman), Roger Langridge (Fred The Clown) and Dan Schaffer (Dogwitch). Tripwire will also be present at MCM Comic Con’s Artists Alley in London’s Excel from October 28th-30th, with Meadows and Senior Editor Andrew Colman attending, with possible drop-ins from creators. The Society of Illustrators is also hosting a Tripwire 30th Anniversary book event and signing in New York City on October 8th, with contributors like Frank Miller joining; fans can get tickets to attend here.
Fans can also catch Joel Meadows at NYCC; Meadows will do a book signing, potentially alongside artists contributing to the book. To stay up-to-date on Heavy Metal’s NYCC schedule, be sure to follow Heavy Metal’s Twitter and Instagram pages, and Joel Meadows’ Twitter page.
The Tripwire 30th Anniversary book, priced at $40.00 (U.S.), will hit shelves on October 25, 2022. Retailers can now order the book via Diamond and readers can now pre-order the book via Amazon or Simon and Schuster’s portal. Through the Zoop campaign, fans can now pre-order a hardcover edition of the book and art prints through the page here.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
You must be logged in to post a comment.