V8.8 Heavy Metal - Nov 1984

Cover - "La Femme & Feline" - Olivia De Berardinis
p.02-03 - "Editorial" - Julie Simmons-Lynch and Lance Raichert
p.05-06 - "Dossier: Tanith Lee" - Constance Ash
p.05-08 - "Dossier: Nuvinyl" - Lou Stathis
p.07-08 - "Dossier: Ruy Guerra" - Dan Yakir and Steve Grenyo
p.09-11 - "Dossier: Nahallywood" - Ed Naha and Joyce Rudolph
p.09-10 - "Dossier: Filmstrip - Lou Stathis and Steven Maloff
p.11 - "Dossier: The Metal Projector" - Steven Maloff, Ed Naha, and Dave Friedman
p.12 - "Dossier: Hi-Tech Lowdown" - John Holmstrom
p.14-29 - "Rocco Vargas: Tritón" - Daniel Torres
p.32 - "HM's Star Dissections: The Incredible Shrinking Joe Franklin" - Drew Friedman
p.33-40 - "A Second Babel" - Joost Swarte
p.41-48 - "The Great Passage" - Jean "Jéronaton" Torton
p.49-54 - "The Hunting Party" - Pierre Christin and Enki Bilal
p.55-63 - "The Walls Of Samaris" - François Schuiten
p.64-68 - "The Most Moral Man In America: An Interview With John Waters" - Michael Simmons and Peter Hudson
p.70-77 - "Lann" - Frank Thorne
p.80-83 - "I'm In Love With An Economist!" - Élizabeth Salomon and Nicole Claveloux
p.84 - "The Bus" - Paul Kirchner
p.85-92 - "Tex Arcana: Meets The Toast Of Europe: Part 14" - John Findley
p.93 - "Chain Mail"
p.94-96 - "Critical Mass Of Cool" - Paul Kirchner
Back Cover - Alain Voss

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.