Editing Heavy Metal (magazine) (section)

=== National Lampoon ===
After a 1975 European trip by ''[[National Lampoon (magazine)|National Lampoon]]'' contributor [[Tony Hendra]] expressing interest in European comics, the magazine's New York offices attracted significant European comic material. On 2 September 1976, editor [[Sean Kelly (writer)|Sean Kelly]] singled out the relatively new French comics 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 company president Leonard Mogel on 3 September, as Mogel 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> (''Métal hurlant'' had debuted in early 1975 from [[Les Humanoïdes Associés]] ({{literal translation|lk=no|United Humanoids}}), an association of [[Philippe Druillet]], [[Jean-Pierre Dionnet]], [[Jean Giraud]] (Mœbius), and financial director Bernard Farkas formed on 19 December 1974.)<ref>{{cite magazine |date=April 1977 |title=Origins |magazine=Heavy Metal |editor1-last=Kelly |editor1-first=Sean |editor2-last=Marchant |editor2-first=Valerie |publisher=HM Communications Inc. |volume=1 |issue=1 |page=3}}</ref> Upon Mogel's return from Paris on 27 September, he reported that the French publishers had agreed to an English language version, and he suggested the title ''Heavy Metal'' for an April issue to be released in March 1977.<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 as a glossy, full-color monthly published by '''HM Communications, Inc.''', a subsidiary of [[Matty Simmons]]' 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>{{efn|In late 1979, Twenty First Century Communications Inc. was renamed National Lampoon Inc.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dougherty |first=Philip H. |author-link=Philip H. Dougherty |date=12 September 1979 |title=Advertising |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/09/12/archives/advertising-mccanns-head-lists-priorities-interpublic-completes.html |work=[[New York Times]] |at=sec. D, p.12}}</ref>}} The cover of the initial April 1977 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'', a colorized portion of [[Vaughn Bodē]]'s ''Sunpot'' (1971), and an excerpt from  [[Terry Brooks]]' ''[[The Sword of Shannara]]'' (1977).<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}}

In the late spring of 1980, ''[[Métal hurlant]]'' went bankrupt<ref>{{cite news|title=Metal Hurlant Goes Bankrupt|page=16|work=The Comics Journal|number=56 |date=May 1980}}</ref> and ''Heavy Metal'' severed its ties with its content partner.<ref>{{cite news|title=Heavy Metal Severs Ties with Metal Hurlant|page=11|work=The Comics Journal|number=57|date=June 1980}}</ref> ''Métal hurlant'' managed to keep publishing, however, and the two magazines reconciled in the summer of 1981.<ref>{{cite news|title=Reconciled with Metal Hurlant|page=12|work=The Comics Journal|number=64 |date=July 1981}}</ref>

After running as a monthly for its first nine years up to the December 1985 issue, the magazine dropped to a quarterly schedule (winter, spring, summer, and fall) beginning in 1986, promising an increase in length and to feature only complete (rather than serialized) stories.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Simmons-Lych |first1=Julie |last2=Mogel |first2=Leonard |date=December 1985 |title=Editorial |magazine=Heavy Metal |publisher=HM Communications Inc. |volume=9 |issue=9|page=3}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Heavy Metal Switches Formats, Raises Prices, Drops Frequency|page=20|work=The Comics Journal|number=102|date=Sep 1985}}</ref>

''Métal hurlant'' folded in the summer of 1987,<ref>{{cite news|title=Metal Hurlant Folds|pages=23–24|work=The Comics Journal|number= 117|date=Sep 1987}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The Rise and Fall: Metal Hurlant|page=24 |work=The Comics Journal|number= 117 |date=Sep 1987}}</ref> forcing ''Heavy Metal'' to expand its reach for new content.

==== Other HM Communications publications ====
In 1977–1978, HM Communications published a number of [[Trade paperback (comics)|trade paperbacks]] featuring "Heavy Metal Presents" on their covers, collecting translated material it had previously serialized in the pages of ''Heavy Metal'':
* ''[[Arzach]]'' (1977) — by [[Jean Giraud]]; originally published in ''Métal hurlant''
* ''Candice at Sea'' (1977) — by [[Jacques Lob]] and [[Georges Pichard]] (trans. by [[Sean Kelly (writer)|Sean Kelly]] and Valerie Marchant); originally published in ''Blanche Épiphanie'' #3 - ''La Croisière infernale'' by [[Les Humanoïdes Associés]] in 1977
* ''Psychorock'' (1977) — by [[Sergio Macedo]] (trans. by Kelly and Marchant); originally published by Les Humanoïdes Associés in 1976
* ''[[Barbarella (comics)|Barbarella]]: The Moon Child'' (1978) — by [[Jean-Claude Forest]] (trans. by [[Richard Seaver]]); originally published in ''Barbarella'' #3 - ''Le Semble-Lune'', published by Pierre Horay in 1977
* ''Ulysses'' (1978) — adaptation of [[Homer]]'s ''[[Odyssey]]'' by Jacques Lob and Georges Pichard; originally published by [[Dargaud]] in 1974–1975
* ''Is Man Good?'' (1978) – by Jean Giraud (trans. by Sean Kelly and Valerie Marchant); originally published in ''[[Pilote]]'' and ''Métal hurlant''
* ''Conquering Armies'' (1978) – by Jean-Pierre Dionnet and Jean-Claude Gal (trans. by Sean Kelly and Valerie Marchant); originally published in ''Métal hurlant''

In 1978–1979, HM Communications released a number of [[graphic novels]] of original content, also featuring "Heavy Metal Presents" on their covers:
* ''More Than Human'' (1978, in association with [[Byron Preiss]] Visual Publications) – adaptation of the [[Theodore Sturgeon]] novel of the [[More Than Human|same name]], by [[Doug Moench]] and [[Alex Niño]]
* ''1941: The Illustrated Story'' (1979, in association with [[Arrow Books]]) — loose adaptation of the [[Steven Spielberg]] film of the [[1941 (film)|same name]], by Allen Asherman, [[Stephen R. Bissette]], and [[Rick Veitch]], with in introduction by Spielberg; varies wildly and humorously from the film.<ref>{{Cite book|title=1941: The Illustrated Story|publisher= Heavy Metal/Arrow Books|date=Dec 1979|isbn= 0930834089}}</ref>
* ''[[Alien: The Illustrated Story]]'' (1979, with distribution by [[Simon & Schuster]]) — adaptation of the [[Ridley Scott]] film of the [[Alien (film)|same name]], by [[Archie Goodwin (comics)|Archie Goodwin]] and [[Walt Simonson]]<ref>{{cite web |author=Muir, John Kenneth |title=Remembering Heavy Metal's Alien: The Illustrated Story |url=http://flashbak.com/remembering-heavy-metals-alien-illustrated-story-59183/ |website=flashbak|date=22 April 2016 |access-date=2017-06-19}}</ref>
* ''Michael Moorcock's The Swords of Heaven, The Flowers of Hell'' (1979) — by Michael Moorcock and [[Howard Chaykin]]<ref>{{cite web|title=THE SWORDS OF HEAVEN, THE FLOWERS OF HELL|first=Frank|last=Plowright|url=https://theslingsandarrows.com/the-swords-of-heaven-the-flowers-of-hell/|work=The Slings & Arrows Graphic Novel Guide}}</ref>
* ''So Beautiful and So Dangerous'' (1979, with distribution by Simon & Schuster) — by [[Angus McKie]]
* ''New Tales of the [[Arabian Nights]]'' (1979) — by [[Richard Corben]] and [[Jan Strnad]], introduction by [[Harlan Ellison]]

In 1981, the company launched a new series, '''''Heavy Metal Special Editions''''', which consisted of fifty seasonal ''Heavy Metal'' specials published until 2008. These began with ''Heavy Metal Presents Moebius'' (1981), followed by ''The Best of Heavy Metal'' (1982), ''Even Heavier Metal'' (1983), ''Son of Heavy Metal'' (1984), ''Bride of Heavy Metal'' (1985), and ''The Best of Heavy Metal 2'' (1986). Beginning with ''The Venus Interface'' (1989, v5 no. 4), the indicia began to feature volume and issue numbers, as well as the phrase "a series of special editions published four times a year by ''Heavy Metal'' magazine." After the fiftieth issue, "Overload Special" (Summer 2008, v22 no. 2), the  numbering of the seasonal specials was merged into the main series, and continued for another nine issues until the "War of the Worlds Special" (2011).