“We’ve both invested dramatically in Marquis and that’s not going to go away any time soon. But Heavy Rubber is once again all his own…”

And it certainly looks like Peter has had a ball creating the relaunch issue.

Working with graphic designer David Kirchgässner, he has divided the new magazine’s content into five categories: Latex Photos, Latex Fashion, Photo Stories, Fetish Models and Fetish Art.

Within these categories we find features ranging from a single page to a maximum of a dozen pages, with the emphasis massively on pictorial content, and text mostly in a very minor supporting role. 

Maximum space for individual topics in the relaunch issue is devoted to two pictorials, both running to 12 pages. 

One, Zlatexa, features the fetish scene’s favourite latex-loving contortionist Zlata, shot by young lensman Nikitzo. The other is devoted to Reflective Desire, the USA’s critically acclaimed rubberist photography project (subject of a previous Fetishistas cover story).

Photographer Nikitzo has been Zlata’s official photographer for a couple of years now, and his work here represents the best photos of Zlata in latex I’ve seen in a long time.

(Interestingly, the Zlata pictures also include a couple of this edition’s few exceptions to HR’s natural preference for latex, as confirmed in Czernich’s observation that there’s “hardly any leather, vinyl and plastic any more”. You might not immediately spot the interlopers but they are there!)

The very first major pictorial in the Heavy Rubber reboot is a Czernich shoot with his protegée Jess Janssen and puckish cutie MadMoiselle Peachy, an increasingly familiar sight at major fetish weekends these days.

This photo set provided us with the image for the banner over this article — also our April 2018 cover picture. And my thanks to Peter for recycling my High On Heels headline from an old issue of Skin Two. If it’s worth using once, it’s worth using again!

More traditional Heavy Rubber territory is explored in the six-page Freaksinside pictorial (which also includes one of the issue’s few texts longer than a couple of paragraphs or a few lines of credits).

Among the hooded women frolicking in this selection of shots from Matthias Kohl’s lair in the Canaries are well-known denizens of the London clubbing scene Amy Statik, Cynth Icorn and Slutty Affection. I am truly shocked.

In another six-pager, Phoebus, one of my favourite European photographers, provides the issue’s second photo story. Room Service features two popular Dutch models, Miss Mirjana and Lara Aimée, providing on-bed entertainment for a male voyeur who bears an uncanny resemblance to Mister Czernich.

Perennial Czernich favourite Bianca Beauchamp pops up, and indeed out, in an 11-page pictorial by longtime Latex Lair (and life) partner Martin Perreault. 

For the record, it is this edition’s only substantial representation of the megaboob style that was previously endemic to the Marquis and Heavy Rubber aesthetic. Some may mourn its reduced presence here but others will perhaps not be too sad.

British latex sheet producer and clothing designer Rebecca Allsop models a selection of her own pretty latex styles in a seven-page pictorial devoted to her Yummy Gummy label, shot in suitably ‘fashiony’ style by Dan Thomas.

And America’s ExxEss Latex, who spent much of last year touring various European events with an amazingly loyal troupe of models acquired along the way, are the subject of another seven-pager with photos shot by Peter Czernich at Avantgardista, accompanied by the issue’s single most substantial chunk of text.

The final major feature in this Heavy Rubber reboot is devoted to the 3D fetish art of Nemain Ravenwood. So much fetish art is of low quality, and so much of the low quality stuff is now digitally generated, that it’s a delight to discover these criticisms don’t apply to Ravenwood. Her work is of a very high standard. 

Breaking up these major pictorials you’ll also find numerous single pages or spreads covering brands such as Avantgardista, Bondinage, Chiracc, Dawnamatrix, Divamp, Katvoodoo, Lady Lucie, Sebastian Cauchos and VinNoir.

In addition there are pages devoted to models Hiro Kondo, July Shine, Mrs Brooks, Sabrina Violet and Shine Stephensson, and to artists Gernot, Manfred Holz and Numan.

It all adds up to a very impressive line-up for the Heavy Rubber reboot. But you don’t have to take my word for it. In the two galleries below, we reproduce 24 actual pages from the magazine so you can see for yourself!

Issue 37 of Heavy Rubber is available directly from the marquis.de web shop via the link below, price €19.95 (£15.30/$22.31 at time of writing) plus shipping.

shop/marquis.de/magazines