Editing National Lampoon (magazine) (section)

=== ''Heavy Metal'' / HM Communications ===
{{main|Heavy Metal (magazine)}}
After a European trip in 1975 by [[Tony Hendra]] expressing interest in European comics, NL's New York offices attracted significant European comics material. In September 1976 editor [[Sean Kelly (writer)|Sean Kelly]] singled out the relatively new French anthology ''[[Métal hurlant]]'' ({{literal translation|lk=yes|Howling Metal}}, though Kelly translated it as "Screaming Metal")<ref name=TCJ94>{{cite news|title=Screaming Metal|pages= 58–84|work=The Comics Journal|number=94|date=Oct 1984}}</ref> and brought it to the attention of Twenty First Century Communications, Inc. president Leonard Mogel, who was departing for Germany and France to jump-start the French edition of ''National Lampoon''.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=March 1977 |title=Heavy Metal Preview |magazine=National Lampoon |editor1-last=Hendra |editor1-first=Tony |editor2-last=Kelly |editor2-first=Sean |publisher=National Lampoon Inc. |pages=91–102}}</ref> Upon Mogel's return from Paris, he reported that the French publishers had agreed to an English-language version.<ref>{{cite news |last= Lofficier |first=Jean-Marc |author-link=Jean-Marc Lofficier |date=16 March 1996 |title=Giving Credit to Mogel |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-03-16-ca-47553-story.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220131171400/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-03-16-ca-47553-story.html |archive-date=31 January 2022 |url-status=live |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref>

''Heavy Metal'' debuted in the US with an April 1977 issue, as a glossy, full-color monthly published by '''HM Communications, Inc.''', a subsidiary of Twenty First Century Communications, Inc.<ref>{{cite news|title=New Graphic Fantasy Magazine|page=1|work=Locus|volume=10|number= 2 (no. 199) |date=Feb 1977}}</ref> The cover of the initial issue declared itself to be "From the people who bring you the ''National Lampoon''", and the issue primarily featured reprints from ''Métal hurlant'', as well as material from ''National Lampoon''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Origins|page=3|work=Heavy Metal|number=1|date=Apr 1977}}</ref> Since the color pages from ''Métal hurlant'' had already been shot in France, the budget to reproduce them in the US version was greatly reduced.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}