It’s a good time to be a fan of magazine format comics. Heavy Metal is going strong into the second year of its reboot, MegaZine now has a North American distributor, the English edition of Metal Hurlant brings grade-A content every issue, and Titan has brought the Hyborian warrior back to the big page with The Savage Sword of Conan. Now, another major player is entering (or rather, re-entering) the scene.
In 2024, Penthouse Comics was revived. The comic was published in magazine format, serializing stories and featuring editorials and interviews. Based on the 1990s publication in both name and erotic themes, the first year of the refounded magazine focused on identity and race in its selection of strips, rooted in hard-boiled crime and thrilling action. There were several standout works, including I Spit On Your Grave, adapted from the novel by Boris Vian. Some of the talent involved hailed from Europe as well, making it a nice alternative for Heavy Metal and Metal Hurlant readers who were (in 2024) left without a steady avenue for mature-themed, European-made, comic book content in English.
Penthouse Comics ran for six issues, with several of the serialized stories left incomplete. Their continuation, along with the start of several new stories, was planned in the second year of publication. However, this second volume never came, largely believed to have been a casualty of Diamond’s collapse.
The magazine’s website remained active, with advertisements for digital products and standalone graphic novels on the horizon, but no updates were given. Post Rendered reached out for comment earlier this year on the state of the publication but received no reply.
However, Bleeding Cool has reported that Massive has re-solicited the magazine’s Vol. 2 issues, starting this October.
There are still no updates to the magazine’s homepage as of this writing, and it remains unknown whether digital editions or subscriptions will be offered through them, but at least you should be able to find it on the shelves of your local comic store.