This week, Heavy Metal returns to comic shops with Heavy Metal #1! After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the magazine is back with the editorial team of Frank Forte, Dave Kelly and Chris Thompson.

Within this anticipated relaunch you’ll find Sergio Gerasi’s gorgeous revitalization of Guido Crepax’s seminal character, Valentina. This new vision of the femme fatale, which is fully authorized by the Crepax estate, was first published by Feltrinelli Editions in late 2024 and will be making its English language debut.

On the original comics front, Michael Conrad will be teaming up with Greek comics legend, Ilias Kyriazis, and letterer Simon Bowland, for an all-new series entitled Millstone. This dark and twisted fantasy tale fully embraces Heavy Metal’s bold, unrestricted style, and is sure to excite readers with its potent storytelling and immersive worldbuilding.

These new titles complement the previously announced line-up, starting with one of the magazine’s original legends, Enki Bilal, who returns for the English language adaptation of his acclaimed BUG series. He’s joined on the European front by previously unseen instalments of Burton & Cyb by Antonio Segura and Jose Ortiz, as well as Vicente Segrelles’ The Mercenary. And, in the spirit of introducing American audiences to the freshest European talent, issue #1 will present the English-language debut of Janevsky’s cult sci-fi heroine, Sixella, in an original story, The Last Roots.

This special collector’s edition release of Heavy Metal #1 also comes with a variety of cover options, including the standard Greg Hildebrandt and Frank Frazetta covers – as well as a handy Blank Sketch edition to commission your favorite artist – plus three brand new covers created exclusively for the direct market. These covers shine a spotlight on some of the interior stories, including Taarna by Tula Lotay, Grimaldi by Keron Grant, and Sixella by hot French newcomer Janevsky!

For those who love the 1981 cult classic animated film, Heavy Metal will showcase some of their most famous faces in a series of new stories. There will be special one-shot tales of Cold Dead War by Craig Wilson, Grimaldi by Keron Grant, and Legends of Taarna by Joseph Michael Linsner – as well as the debut of Taarna’s ongoing adventures, which will continue in each issue. Written by Leah Moore and John Reppion, with art by rising star Anna Morozova, colors by Ellie Wright, and letters by Tom Napolitano, this will be the definitive take on Taarna, which sets and establishes her character beyond the film and going forward. Forget what came before, here is your chance to get in on the ground floor.

Bridging the gap between European and American audiences is DC Comics superstar, Fernando Dagnino Guerra, who brings a new series of interconnected, yet stand-alone, cyberpunk shorts to the magazine – starting with Lester, That Old Feeling. Dagnino’s sci-fi splendor has most recently been seen within the pages of Blade Runner for Titan Comics, and these new stories represent a major leap forward in his futuristic storytelling abilities. Alongside these European classics and recognizable Heavy Metal characters, issue #1 will also feature the return of classic strips such as The Bus by Paul Kirchner and June 2050 by John Workman – plus a brand-new horror short, Transcendestiny, by acclaimed masters of horror, David Quinn and Tim Vigil; a tale of the Kecksburg UFO by Jim Rugg and a new story by Jonathan Wayshak.

All of that is in addition to a host of great editorial features, interviews, and coverage!

We have an  exclusive six-page preview of Taarna that you can check out below. Then, head to your local comic shop so you don’t miss the return of Heavy Metal!