Following a series of announcements on new publishing initiatives, Heavy Metal is continuing to build up executive staff with the promotion of Joseph Illidge to Executive Editor and the addition of Kris Longo as Chief Sales Officer.

Illidge’s remarkable career in comics spans 27 years and a host of accomplishments with various publishers, including serving as Executive Editor for Valiant Entertainment, Senior Editor for Lion Forge Comics, Editor for the Batman line of titles for DC Comics, and editor for both Milestone Media and Archaia. His new Heavy Metal responsibilities will have him working in collaboration with CEO Matthew Medney and Publisher David Erwin, developing new content and creator relationships for Heavy Metal’s flagship magazine and intellectual properties, including the “Taarna” and “Cold Dead War” characters from the seminal 1981 Heavy Metal animated film.

Longo’s addition as Chief Sales Officer will bring new, revenue-generating projects to the Heavy Metal fold, with an eye on the development of a robust advertising, marketing and promotion strategy, custom publishing, co-publishing partnerships with similarly-spirited content providers, licensing programs, and more. Prior to joining Heavy Metal, Longo spent 13 years in DC Comics’ advertising and custom solutions group, served as VP of Business Development for Bonfire Agency and in 2014 founded the advertising and marketing firm Geek Riot Media, which he will continue to independently own and operate moving forward.

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