Heavy Metal (magazine)

Heavy Metal is an American science fantasy comics magazine, first published in 1977. The magazine is known primarily for its blend of dark fantasy, science fiction, erotica, and steampunk comics. Following a tumultuous period that began after Kevin Eastman's sale of the company in 2012, it relaunched in 2024 with new owners and a new editorial team consisting of Dave Kelly, Frank Forte, and Chris Thompson. By 2026, the company was once again plagued with issues of nonpayment to employees and creatives, fulfillment problems to retailers, subscribers, and kickstarter backers, and inconsistent content in the magazine, which lead to a protracted editorial shakeup and questions being raised over how new the players behind it all actually were.

Unlike the traditional American comic books of that time bound by the restrictive Comics Code Authority, the magazine-format Heavy Metal featured explicit nudity, sexual situations, and graphic violence. The magazine started out primarily as a licensed translation of the French science-fantasy magazine Métal hurlant, marking for many Americans their first introduction to the work of European cartoonists like Enki Bilal, Philippe Caza, Guido Crepax, Philippe Druillet, Jean-Claude Forest, Jean Giraud (a.k.a. Moebius), Chantal Montellier, and Milo Manara.