V6.1 Heavy Metal - April 1982

Cover - "Zipper" - Jim Burns
p.02-03 - "Illustration" - Bucky Montgomery
p.04, 41 - "Editorial" - Brad Balfour and Hughes Colson
p.06 - "Shakespeare For Americans: After Dark" - Walter Simonson, Howard Victor Chaykin, William Shakespeare, and George Simon Kaufman
p.08-11 - "The Mercenary" - Vicente Segrelles
p.13-20 - "The Incal: The Incal Light: Animah!" - Alejandro Jodorowsky, Jean "Mœbius" Giraud, and Yves Chaland
p.21-24 - "Den II" - Richard Corben
p.25-32 - "Nova 2: Chapter II: A Gun For Sale" - Luis Garcia
p.33-37 - "Prince Charming And A Very Patient Young Lady" - Nicole Claveloux
p.38-40 - "J. G. Ballard: Visionary Of The Apocalypse" - Toby Goldstein and Alexandra Allinne
p.41, 50 - "Chain Mail"
p.42, 50 - "The Poetics Of Derangement" - Brad Balfour and Arthur Rimbaud
p.43-49 - "Yragaël" - Philippe Druillet
p.51-59 - "The Voyage Of Those Forgotten" - Pierre Christin and Enki Bilal
p.61-64 - "Gallery Section: She: H. Rider Haggard" - Mike Embden, Tim Gill, and Karl Edward Wagner
p.65-71 - "At The Middle Of Cymbiola" - Claude Renard and François Schuiten
p.72 - "I'm Age" - Jeff Jones
p.73-75 - "The Moment" - Harry North
p.78-85 - "Zora" - Fernando Fernandez
p.87 - "Dossier: Prison Reading" - Legs McNeil and Alan Lynch
p.87 - "Dossier: Im-Prisoned" - Brad Balfour
p.88 - "Dossier: Nu Vinyl: Daryl Hall" - Lou Stathis and William Coupon
p.88 - "Dossier: Black Into White" - Daphne Davis
p.89 - "Dossier: Guitar God-Dom: Part Two" - Timothy R. Lucas
p.89 - "Dossier: The State Of Science Fiction" - John Shirley
p.89 - "Dossier: Heads Or Tails" - David Black
p.90 - "Dossier: Specially Effective" - Michael Gross
p.90 - "Dossier: Making Myth" - Steven L. Kaplan
p.90 - "Dossier: Blood Lest" - Timothy R. Lucas
p.91 - "Dossier: American Fantasy" - Peter Stampfel
p.91 - "Dossier: AddendA" - Brad Balfour
p.92-95 - "Rock Opera: Space Opera" - Rod "Killer" Kierkegaard Jr.
p.96 - "Coming"
Back Cover - "Safari Between The Ears" - Luis Rey

Heavy Metal is an American science fiction and fantasy comics magazine, published beginning in 1977. The magazine is known primarily for its blend of dark fantasy/science fiction, erotica and steampunk comics. Unlike the traditional American comic books of that time bound by the restrictive Comics Code Authority, Heavy Metal featured explicit content.

The magazine started out primarily as a licensed translation of the French science-fantasy magazine Métal hurlant, including work by Enki Bilal, Philippe Caza, Guido Crepax, Philippe Druillet, Jean-Claude Forest, Jean Giraud (a.k.a. Moebius), Chantal Montellier, and Milo Manara. As cartoonist/publisher Kevin Eastman saw it, Heavy Metal published European art which had not been previously seen in the United States, as well as demonstrating an underground comix sensibility that nonetheless "wasn't as harsh or extreme as some of the underground comix – but . . . definitely intended for an older readership".

Heavy Metal's high-quality artwork is notable. Work by international fine artists such as H. R. Giger, Frank Frazetta, and Esteban Maroto have been featured on the covers of various issues. Stefano Tamburini and Tanino Liberatore's RanXerox series debuted in the States. Terrance Lindall's illustrated version of Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost appeared in the magazine in 1980. Many stories were presented as long-running serials, such as those by Richard Corben, Pepe Moreno and Matt Howarth.

Illustrators like Luis Royo and Alex Ebel contributed artwork over the course of their careers. An adaptation of the film Alien named Alien: The Illustrated Story, written by Archie Goodwin and drawn by Walter Simonson, was published in the magazine in 1979.