Heavy Metal Magazine #201605

The curtain hits the cast on the debut of newly crowned Editor-in-Chief Grant Morrison's Heavy Metal debut! The legendary writer has plenty of surprises up his sleeve, with announcements to be rolled out in the weeks leading up to release of this landmark issue!

Grant's inaugural issue is a 140-page effort that includes seven comic stories from an international group of artists.

Grant Morrison opens up the issue with a tale he contributed himself, “an old school sci-fi twist-ender” entitled “Beachhead” drawn by Benjamin Marra, whim Morrison describes as a “grand guignol genius.” “Time Served” is a twisty sci-fi short by Kyle Charles and Michael Moreci. “The Key” is a hippy trippy mushroom headmelt, by Max Frezzato. In “Lepidoteran”, a jet pilot has a strange encounter, by Emilio Balcarce and Gaston Vivanco. Also--“A Mind Bomb” by Danish artist Anna Kornum. Morrison describes the story as “Raymond Briggs-y A-bomb paranoia.” "Fiendy" is a cerebral head crush by Gary T. Becks. “Magic Words” is a one pager by Eric Esquivel. Here you go! “Deliriously vivacious insect erotica,” writes Morrison of this story, an excerpt from Mozchops’ 2011 graphic novel "Salsa Invertebrexa". The “Artist's Studio” feature presents the work of Mimi Scholz, a Berlin-based artist whose work focuses on Feminism and sexuality. The magazine’s “Gallery” section, curated this issue by musician and art historian Tom Negovan, features a spotlight on Gail Potocki and "The Century Guild."

Continuing Julia and Roem by French comics master Enki Bilal. Also ongoing is The 49th Key by Erika Lewis, J.K. Woodward and Deron Bennetz.

Heavy Metal #280 has three different covers:

“Gringod” by contemporary Pop Art painter Ron English.

“Victory of the Dravenites” by Mozchops, a British conceptual painter and illustrator.

“Botanica No. 23” by Gail Potocki, a Symbolist painter whose work will also be featured in the magazine’s “Gallery” section, curated this issue by musician and art historian Tom Negovan.

List of covers and their creators: