Heavy Metal Subscription Strangeness...
Sep
16
2012
Six years ago, I began a three-year subscription to Heavy Metal magazine. When my subscription was due, I promptly renewed my subscription for another three-year period and received a subscription confirmation from Wine magazine. Later, I got another renewal notice from Heavy Metal. I continued to receive subscriptions for another year. Then, around May 2010, my last issue arrived. I wasn't expecting it to be the last issue, it just turned out that way. To be honest, I should have picked up the phone or wrote a letter, but, at first, I just didn't bother. Then, even more shockingly, I allowed myself to forget about the remaining portion of my subscription. I was resigned to just not even think about Heavy Metal magazine for the foreseeable future. Then, more than two years later, a mysterious postcard arrived.
The postcard bore the following image and made the following bizarre assertions:
A quick check of the web turned up the following:
Just today, as if the intervening two years had never happened, my subscription has resumed. The back cover is really cool... Art by Michal Ivan at Deviant Art... I haven't decided yet, if I'll renew my subscription for another three-years, but, if I do decide to renew, I'll probably want to sign up as a new customer rather than a renewal.
The postcard bore the following image and made the following bizarre assertions:
Dear Heavy Metal Subscriber,
Your subscription is current and all of your issues will be fulfilled. The last issue we published was issue #258, the 35th Anniversary issue. The next magazine you will receive will be #259, currently scheduled for the end of September. Although there have been delays, you have not missed an issue and your full subscription will be adjusted and remains current.
Thank you for your patience!
The Heavy Metal Crew
Your subscription is valid through issue #261!
Hi - I am Kevin Eastman, Publisher of Heavy Metal.Color me very confused. It remains to be seen if anything useful will come of this. But, I've decided to keep an open mind. After all, this isn't the only strange thing to happen to me recently. My evil counterparts have been very busy lately.
I would like to begin by thanking each and every one of you for ALL your support for Heavy Metal - without you, we would not be here or be as strong as we are thirty five years after the first issue. As a fan I bought the first issue off the newsstand, and as a publisher it has been an honor to find and work with some of the most amazing artists on the planet--and share them with all our readers!
To celebrate our 35th anniversary year we have been making several major changes to not only our our publishing policies, but overall business so we can continue to bring you the high quality you expect from us for the NEXT thirty five years! So far we've streamlined our magazine distribution and editorial operations (to put far fewer trees into landfills!), expanded Heavy Metal's digital publishing, and refocused our specialty book programs - and we are in full development on a new Animated feature film with the amazing Robert Rodriguez!
Since March we have closed our Long Island, New York offices and consolidated/transferred all aspects of operations to our Massachusetts location, where I have had a studio and the Heavy Metal distribution center for over two decades. This summer we have also relocated our 16,000 square foot warehouse, re-designed our website and order processing systems and always professional customer service. If there is anything you need with a Heavy Metal logo on it, we'll help you find it!
As exciting as all these developments are, we unfortunately ran into a hiccup with the production, printing, and shipping of the July issue - and as part of our course correction the July magazine will be shipping in September and will simply be called issue #259. Moving forward we will continue to be published every other month and the magazines will be numbered instead of stamped with a specific month. This offers a much simpler way for subscribers to know how many issues they have in their subscription and longer shelf life for small stores who were previously forced to take it off their shelves by a set date.
This is a good thing for everyone, but as this change was made suddenly after the May (issue #258) 35th Anniversary Issue had been printed and distributed. I do want to apologize for the lack of advance notice of this change in schedule, and want you all to rest assured this will not affect any subscription commitments, nor any other related Heavy Metal business.
As for Issue #259 - it's an AMAZING special event, guest edited by our friend Dave Elliott and features cover to cover non-stop high octane fun! Great job Dave, THANKS!
I look forward to sharing with you all the latest and greatest on the final two issues of 2012, so stay tuned to Heavy Metal for all the breaking movie news, latest digital products, and Heavy Metal events schedule.
I personally want thank you again for ALL your support and understanding - Heavy Metal has been a lifelong adventure for me, and I'm thrilled to have you along for the ride!
Sincerely and Respectfully,
Kevin B. Eastman
Oct
17
2012
Update
Just today, as if the intervening two years had never happened, my subscription has resumed. The back cover is really cool... Art by Michal Ivan at Deviant Art... I haven't decided yet, if I'll renew my subscription for another three-years, but, if I do decide to renew, I'll probably want to sign up as a new customer rather than a renewal.
