Fellow metalhead comic readers
As I established in my introduction, I am also a comic book reader, especially loving comics with a kickass metal album cover vibe.
Do any of y'all read comics as well? If so, which ones? And what is the most metal comic you've ever read?
Welcome to the site David. I'm a big comic reader, and have been since I picked up Spawn issue 1 in a comic store back in the mid 90s. I became an instant Image fanboy, collecting Spawn, Witchblade, Darkness and Cyberforce for the next few years. These days I tend to focus on all things Marvel, DC and Image, but dabble in Dark Horse and Boom when something grabs my interest. It should be no surprise, given I'm a huge metal fan, that I'm attracted to the darker side of comics, so I've read a lot of the stuff you mentioned in your intro message.
To answer your question though, surely there can be no more metal comic series than Murder Falcon though!
Welcome to the site David. I'm a big comic reader, and have been since I picked up Spawn issue 1 in a comic store back in the mid 90s. I became an instant Image fanboy, collecting Spawn, Witchblade, Darkness and Cyberforce for the next few years. These days I tend to focus on all things Marvel, DC and Image, but dabble in Dark Horse and Boom when something grabs my interest. It should be no surprise, given I'm a huge metal fan, that I'm attracted to the darker side of comics, so I've read a lot of the stuff you mentioned in your intro message.
To answer your question though, surely there can be no more metal comic series than Murder Falcon though!
All of those comics are absolutely awesome. I have the three hardcovers of The Darkness Top Cow released lately as well as the first Cyberforce hardcover. Spawn compendium also rocks. Murder Falcon is genuinely one of the greatest comics I’ve ever read.
I read comics! Though the comics I read are more like children's chapter novels (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Big Nate) and newspaper comic strip collections (Pearls Before Swine, FoxTrot). I suppose the most metal thing about the comics I've mentioned is the Wimpy Kid main character Greg's brother Rodrick being the drummer of a metal band. I actually write and draw a children's chapter novel series myself, and the book I'm currently working on is a spin-off centered around metal and its golden classic age of the 80s. If you're up for some science fantasy comics with a metal aesthetic, David, I would recommend the Heavy Metal comics magazine. A friend of mine likes that comics magazine, and it's pretty cool, though the explicit content is in the same level as Game of Thrones. There are even a couple movies based on those comics.
People tend to divide manga from comics, but there have been some metal related manga over the years. Often moreso related or referencing the genre than western counterparts. (Dunno about most Eurocomics though) Detroit Metal City is a comedy series about a guy who was somehow forced into a black metal band despite being into poppy singer/songwriter stuff. I have no idea if most of the stuff it references is based off something real, but a lot of it just works off simply off reputation. Yeah, you'd believe a metal band would think up this goofy gimmick for themselves or some sort of crazy event. There's also Bastard, which has a lot of references, and generally fits the whole dark fantasy vibe a lot of metal goes for. I didn't read it yet, so I can't tell you the specifics.
I will say that if you haven't, you should watch Heavy Metal 2000, it's just a good, well-made movie. It'd work even if it wasn't based off a story in the comics, with all the licensed music.
Oh, it wasn't specifically about metal. Oh, well. I like the usual stuff, haven't read nearly as much as I'd like. Some just haven't gotten around to, others are in languages I can't read. I'd like to read more Dylan Dog, that Italian horror comic series which is massive over there, but thanks to a looser view on copyright, hasn't really been done well in English circles. My Japanese is getting good though, so soon I think I'll pay for Amazon Japan's Kindle Unlimited and see what wonders untranslated '70s manga has in store for me. Back to stuff I've actually read, I'd suggest Astro City if you haven't read it. It plays out like the culmination of the superhero comic, sort of the philosophy of the whole genre. Because it isn't tied into a particular universe it's more free to do what it wants, but doesn't abuse that freedom to make something screwy.
There's also Bastard, which has a lot of references, and generally fits the whole dark fantasy vibe a lot of metal goes for. I didn't read it yet, so I can't tell you the specifics.
Coldrain made a theme song for the anime that is a cool thought-evoking anthem:
I have every single issue of Heavy Metal magazine and 2000 A.D. (digitally). I've dipped in and out (particularly Judge Dredd), but maybe when I retire I will actually get around to reading through them.