Heavy Metal remains one of the most iconic and culturally significant anthology magazines in publishing history, making its long-awaited return to comic shops all the more thrilling. After a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign, the legendary series relaunches with a new volume hitting stores on Wednesday, April 30.
IGN is proud to present an exclusive first look at Heavy Metal #1 below. Scroll through our gallery to preview story pages from the debut issue along with all previously announced variant covers:
This groundbreaking new volume blends veteran Heavy Metal contributors with fresh creative voices while bringing back fan-favorite characters. Most notably, readers will witness the triumphant return of legendary warrior Taarna. Here's the complete lineup of stories and creators featured in this landmark issue:
- BUG - Enki Bilal
- Burton & Cyb - Antonio Segura & José Ortiz
- The Mercenary - Vicente Segrelles
- Valentina - Sergio Gerasi
- Sixella: The Last Roots - Janevsky
- Taarna: Rebirth - Leah Moore, John Reppion, Anna Morozova
- Cold Dead War: The Aftermath - Craig Wilson
- Grimaldi - Keron Grant, Josh Sky, Frank Forte
- Legends of Taarna: "Autophonomania" - Matt and Shawn Fillbach, Joseph Michael Linsner
- Gladiatrix - John Stanisci
- Evil Sex Bitch - Steve Mannion
- Lester, That Old Feeling - Fernando Dagnino
- The Bus - Paul Kirchner
- June 2050 - John Workman
- Millstone - Michael Conrad, Ilias Kyriazis
- Transcendestiny - David Quinn, Tim Vigil
- Cobot - Jonathan Wayshak
- All American - Jason Spell, Jok
- Kecksburg UFO - Jim Rugg
- They Dug Too Deep - Dwayne Harris
- Floyd the Giant Killer - Michael L. Peters
- GUNK - Curt Merlo
- Harry Canyon - Josh Sky, Frank Forte
- Zeke & Edsel - Frank Forte
- The Devil's Teeth - Lia Bozonelis, Agustin Alessio
Heavy Metal #1 boasts an impressive 73,000-copy print run—the largest for any issue in decades. This massive 232-page collector's edition carries a $14.99 price tag.
The historic issue arrives in comic shops April 30, followed by newsstand distribution on May 13. While initially planned as a quarterly publication, Heavy Metal may increase frequency based on reader demand.
In related comics news, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola returns to his signature universe this summer, and we recently interviewed the creative team behind Marvel's Spider-Man & Wolverine series.
