If you grew up sneaking peeks at Heavy Metal issues that were absolutely not meant for children, this one’s for you. Heavy Metal has cracked open the vault with the new Library Unlocks campaign, a Kickstarter dedicated to resurrecting its most provocative, most gloriously unhinged classics as deluxe hardcover collections. And it is already a runaway success.
The campaign launched on November 18 and, within a week, fans basically threw money at the screen, blowing past the modest US$10,000 goal and cruising past US$22,000 like Ranxerox tearing through a dystopian alley.
This first wave focuses on hardcover, archival-grade editions of some of Heavy Metal’s most defining works: Stefano Tamburini and Tanino Liberatore’s cyberpunk fever-dream Ranxerox, Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri’s beautifully illustrated and aggressively NSFW Druuna, and the late Richard Malka and Juan Gimenez’s sci-fi epic Segments. There’s also a hardcover anthology of Heavy Metal cover art spanning decades, perfect for anyone who wants their coffee table to radiate “sensual apocalypse” energy.
The campaign also serves as a clean, no-nonsense return to form after Heavy Metal’s messy 2024 Kickstarter, keeping the focus on actual physical books instead of subscription models or shifting promises. Straightforward, collectible, built to last—exactly what longtime readers wanted.
Backers seem to agree. Over 100 supporters have already jumped in, with average pledges hovering around US$195, which tells you everything about how badly fans want these classics preserved in proper hardcover.
The campaign runs until December 12, 2025, with pricing starting as low as US$20 for the Heavy Metal Magazine Issue #4 Variant, and running up to US$199 for the holy grail of the collection, the All in for the Library category. The latter will be perfect for your secret man dungeon.
Images: Heavy Metal Magazine.
