V8.6 Heavy Metal - Aug 1984

Cover - Steven Sabella
p.02-03 - "Illustration" - John Workman
p.05-06 - "Dossier: Starship Trooper" - Dick Lupoff and Paul Kanter
p.06-07 - "Dossier: The Godmother Of Punk" - Merle Ginsberg, Penelope Spheeris, and Robin Holland
p.07-10 - "Dossier: Nahallywood" - Ed Naha and J. D. King
p.08-09 - "Dossier: The Metal Projector" - Steven Maloff and Ed Naha
p.10-11 - "Dossier: The Clips: HM's 1984 Music Video Awards" - Alan Hecht, Julie Simmons-Lynch, Lou Stathis, Steven Maloff, Michael Shore, Merle Ginsberg, and Robert Petrick
p.12 - "Dossier: Cryptica" - Melik Kaylan and J. D. King
p.13-24 - "The Great Passage" - Jean "Jéronaton" Torton
p.26-31 - "Wings Of The Others" - Philippe "Caza" Cazamayou
p.34-36 - "Synchrony" - Jon Jay Muth
p.37-44 - "The Hunting Party" - Pierre Christin and Enki Bilal
p.45 - "HM's Star Dissections: Wallowing In Their Wacky Despair...: Laugh Makers" - Drew Friedman
p.46-51 - "Salammbô II" - Philippe Druillet and Gustave Flaubert
p.52-59 - "The Liberator" - Heriberto "Herikberto" Muela
p.62 - "The Sandwich Horror" - Nicola Cuti
p.63-70 - "Lann" - Frank Thorne
p.72 - "Chain Mail"
p.72 - "Chain Mail: Illustration" - Bjørn Ousland
p.72 - "Chain Mail: Adventures In Editing With Lou" - Matt Howarth
p.73 - "June 2050" - Bjørn Ousland
p.75-80 - "The Railways: The Exchanger" - François Schuiten and Claude Renard
p.81 - "June 2050" - William Wray
p.83 - "Manifesto" - Peter Kuper and Seth Tobocman
p.84 - "The Bus" - Paul Kirchner
p.84 - "Coming"
p.85-92 - "Tex Arcana: Meets The Toast Of Europe: Part 11" - John Findley
p.93-96 - "Rock Opera II: The Rise And Fall Of Rocky Starzborne" - Rod Kierkegaard Jr.
Back Cover - Pater Sato

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.