My interest, which had remained dormant for twenty years, was rekindled when the DVD was released in 1999. Taarna captivated me when I first saw Heavy Metal at the impressionable age of seventeen.
Taarna the tarakian movie#
The plethora of reviews of this movie have been far from uniform (see reviews and user comments at the Internet Movie Database), but many viewers have expressed the opinion that the longest and final story, The Legend of Taarna, directed by John Bruno, was well-executed and entertaining. The movie consists of eight stories linked together by the "Loc-Nar," a glowing sphere, unbounded by time or space, that represents "the sum of all evils." In each story, the Loc-Nar demonstrates its capacity for evil, and its malevolent influence and manipulation of human affairs. KEEP READING: Frank Frazetta Jr.Heavy Metal was originally released on August 7, 1981, and in several respects was a ground-breaking piece of animation. The entire miniseries will be collected and on sale in paperback on July 6. Written by Stephanie Phillips and illustrated by Al Barrionuevo and Bryan Valenza, Taarna: The Last Taarakian #6 goes on sale June 23 from Heavy Metal. Phillips: I first saw Taarna in the Heavy Metal film, so it was really cool to have the opportunity to tell her story and expand the Heavy Metal universe. Just to close out, what are you most proud of getting to put your own spin on in this Taarna story? Shaan lets the audience see Taarna in a new way, and also pushes Taarna to form a more personal relationship with someone than she's ever had. Phillips: I felt like Shaan was a really good vehicle to help explore Taarna's heroic calling. How has it been putting them together in this cosmic war? This story has revolved around the burgeoning dynamic between Taarna and Shaan. Both Al and Bryan are incredibly talented and a great team to close out the story with. Al and Bryan created some of the coolest armor for Taarna that I hope we get to see beyond the issues we worked on together. Phillips: One really cool element to the finale was getting to design new battle armor for Taarna (for issues #5 and #6). How has it been working with them on this epic finale? This final issue is illustrated by Al Barrionuevo and Bryan Valenza. RELATED: Heavy Metal Humble Bundle to Benefit the Hero Initiative Each team did a great job of keeping things cohesive while bringing their own sensibilities and take to the universe. Phillips: Every artist working on this story is incredibly talented and it was interesting to get to see how each new artistic team approached the characters and story. How has it been writing for each of these team's creative sensibilities while maintaining that throughline for Taarna? With this miniseries, you've got the story divided into three distinct acts, each with their own art team. Taarna's universe allows for a lot of cool play between different characters and the universe. Phillips: I really enjoy getting to be creative about the way Taarna fights and how those fight scenes might work in different environments. How has it been leaning into that as Taarna battles the villainous Kako? In a lot of ways, this story has highlighted what Heavy Metal does best: Blending fantasy and science fiction in all its bloody, no-holds-barred glory. She's such a cosmic character, and that's very different from the other stories I'm currently writing. Stephanie Phillips: It's been a lot of fun to tell a story about Taarna and expand her universe. CBR: Stephanie, as this story reaches its end, how has it been being able to craft a new tale starring Heavy Metal's flagship character Taarna?