Heavy Metal #264

So this time was easier, I found the new Heavy Metal a week before I even thought it was coming out.  Hope it's so easy the next time.

Cover by Sperlonga - 4 - This may be my least favorite cover ever.  The cheesiest pose, the lamest outfit, the poorest execution, it was embarrassing to bring it to the checkout counter.  The crotch-wide pose and the goofy straps-and-bullets getup with a cattle skull belt buckle is bad enough, but she's wearing a wristwatch fer cryin' out loud.  I can't imagine how that fits in a Western themed cover.  Sperlonga is such a good artist it's depressing that I've disliked so many of his covers.  The logo has an interesting treatment, with a larger faded shadow behind the fiery orange letters, and the tagline now reads The World's Foremost Adult Illustrated Magazine, a couple interesting differences this time.

Inside the front cover is a public service ad "Reckless Driving is a Road to Nowhere" which has art that's better than some I've seen in HM.  Fortunately, this issue has much higher quality inside than the beginning might suggest.

Animal'z, by Bilal - 9 - It says this is Part 4, hinting that the last three we saw are actually in sequence.  Again the blue-gray and black sketch art entices me.  The storytelling is still opaque but links to previous installments.  Characters interact in mysterious ways but start coming into clearer focus.  It ends with "continued in Issue # 266".  Having a continuing story from one of the titans of Heavy Metal's history is a delight.

Milk Run, by Burnham and Englert - 4 - The art isn't too bad, and there's lots of death and dismemberment (that's ok, they're just Steezers).  The story is about space pirates who attack a drug-running freighter and kill all the Steezer crew, and find the source of the drug is - women!  Naked women hanging from weird contraptions sucking their bodily fluids.  Naturally they convince the women to reward their rescuers with sex, so they never get any clothes on.  Cripes, what dreck.  I thought this kind of juvenile and vacuous objectification went out of style in the 80s.  It reminds me of the HM 2000 movie, and some of the reasons that it stunk as well.

Gallery, by Sperlonga - 6 - Here Sperlonga's ability shows through.  The pinup poses with fantastical outfits are not so interesting to me, but his technique and skill are clear to see.  The Odalisque is the most lovely to look at.

Trial and Punishment of Nathan Bort, by Xalabarder - 7 - Xalabarder uses his ability and imagination to tell a story of sexual abuse and retribution.  I'm not sure how to view this, I need to rethink my perception of his work.  The bad guys get their punishment, but using the images and themes of sexuality and domination in this story of abuse makes me wonder what I really like about Xalabarder.  A full page with an insect-woman hybrid sucking the soul from an evildoer in engrossing but disturbing.  Kind of like some H.R. Giger I've seen.  The ending panel with notable World War I themes indicates, something?  Plenty of evil and inhumanity then too, that's for sure.  Some characters may recur from previous installments, but I still think we are seeing a fraction of this story.

Agent 88, by Millgate and Millgate - 6 - Perhaps a promo of Mr Mesch's creation, a film apparently.  I've seen some f-book chatter about it.  Adequate art with a mindless story.  Hope the film is better.

Iron First, by Cardoselli - 7 - A bit better than last time.  The furious mayhem is a little less pointless and is enhanced by the addition of a couple interesting portraits of the Queen and another pretty woman, and it ends with a fantastical destruction of the world.  I like Cardoselli's art and I hope he continues exploring emotions in his stories.

The Age, by Ozkan - 6 - Another mail-order robot wife story, ending with a cave man looking at a cave woman's butt.  If it was that easy everyone would be doing it.

Tales of Dead Earth:  Helvete, by Christian Krank - 7 - Well whaddya know, another Cthulhu reference in HM.  And zombies!  It's kind of neat, and it's hard to beat a line like "oily black semen wandered through colon".  Maybe it's a series we won't see again, again.

Titan Grave, by Sharam and Woodhead - 7 - I like the CG graphics, but it's hard to see the detail this medium provides when it's so dark.   The story rescues a princess, and wonders who is using whom.  It says Fragment A, makes me want to think there's more, that I don't think we'll see in HM.  It'd be great to be wrong here.

Battlefield X, by Forte - 5 - Lots of guys getting blown up, and an attempt at a statement about the futility of war.

Fiendy, by Becks - 7 - It's such a thin and contrived story, but the telling is so much fun.  Cam-roaches coming soon to a foodstand near you.  It's nice to see this again, wouldn't mind seeing more again and again.

Artist's Studio, by White - 6 - It's just a pile of fantasy pinups, but they're done well enough to be nice to look at.

The Vapor Cloud, by Terry - 6 - Zombies, but this time, they're space zombies.  Perhaps not an imaginative premise, but there's a lot of effort in the story.  It's worth seeing.

Orcland, by Calle - 7 - A monster fantasy cooking show, but no zombies.  Energetic storytelling and stylish art make this an enjoyable read.

An enjoyable issue with more inside than the cover indicates.