Our editorial column for this issue has a response for all the unsolicited story ideas--you've got no chance. They've also been getting a lot of letters asking what, precisely "Heavy Metal" means. The first definition they give is "guns of large size" which apparently can be used to imply that someone is very intelligent--never heard that one before. The second is the genre of music. The third is a quote from the William Burroughs novel Soft Machine, which I'm totally unfamiliar with.
The Black Queen by Marcel Gotlib and Philippe Druillet
Our title character has probably the least covering codpiece I've ever seen. He's basically about as naked as Den, except this guy wears a sword on a belt, and has a quiver slung over his shoulder with a bow and arrow, and has the aforementioned codpiece. The codpiece itself is nothing more than a horn he's got his p**** inside, which in turn has strings going around his waist. Otherwise, his genitals are swinging in the breeze. Oh, and unlike Den, he's got body hair. Oh, and he has rather substantial claws.
He's taken before the titular Black Queen (pun unintended--her boobs are swinging out in the breeze), who is offended by his claws and has her minions cut his hands off and then the body is dumped outside. The final panel reveals that she has her own considerably substantial claws, even larger then the humans. She also has a crown with an image of a phallus on it, which I can't post a picture of because of her toplessness. Not a good start for the issue.
Den - Part 5 by Richard Corben
So, previously the rebel chief, Gel, had Den by the throat and was about to kill him, while the Queen's insectoid army attacked. So, Den manages to get out of this by crushing Gel's testicles with his bare hand. Ow! Anyway, one of the insect riders takes Kath and flees with an escort. Den persues on foot. As he persues, a third insect rider attacks the two, retrieving Kath and downing one of the insect riders (which Den kills when he lands on the ground). The mount is ridden by Kang, the first person I've seen in this comic wearing clothes. Kang takes Den and Kath to the other major leader in the setting, Ard. Ard also appeared in the film, though when he appeared in the film he was a scumbag right off the bat. Not so much here. Also, he's the first male figure we've seen who isn't absolutely ripped. To Be Continued.
Fever - Halmos
Wordless story. An Asian woman walks through a forest, sees a decaying corpse, vomits, and continues on. A female warrior bursts out of the corpse, armed and follows the first woman. The first woman goes into a hut and meditates next to an older master, and levitates slightly. The warrior comes in and chops the master in half with her sword (with the appropriate spray of gore). The woman produces weapons and she engages in a wuxia martial arts fight with the warrior. However, the fight ultimately leds to a draw.
Roger - Part 2 - D. Locquet and Souchu
I wasn't impressed with the first installment. This isn't better, and it doesn't help that the writer refers to a female character as a "gash"--his words. From what I've heard, that word's even worse than cunt. Hopefully this is the last installment of this series.
Polonius by Philippe Picaret and Jacques Tardi
This feels like I'm popping into the middle of something, particularly considering the opening narration. The title character is traveling towards the mysterious town of Ru, with nothng but the bag over his shoulder and his loincloth. He gets attacked by soldiers, accused of being a spy, and sentenced to death by hard labor in the quarries by a tribunal of Klansmen. There he ends up working alongside a bunch of similarly dressed men, while being regailed with homophobic insults by the guards.
After a general over-seeing the laborers is thrown from his horse into a river and is saved by Polonius, he is freed and becomes the general's trusted companion. He gets a slave woman, and then starts following the theories of a person (who we don't see) called Chimos. We don't know what his ideas are, but he know what his sign is--a pocket watch. We then see Chimos, who has recieved another watch, and who was told that you could find more over the desert. Chimos and Polonius put togeather an expedition to investigate. To Be Continued.
The Green Hand by Elisabeth "Zha" Salomon and Nicole Claveloux
A woman buys a talking plant, and takes good care of it. However, her talking bird becomes jealous and poisons the plant. The woman then falls through a wall (losing all her clothing in the process), is caressed by a "religious ivy" which then lifts her up through the cealing to the floor above, where she curls herself up like a cat.
Age Of Ages by Norman Rubington and Akbar Del Piombo
END! EEEEEEENNNNNNNDDDDDDDDD! Seriously, it makes no sense! None at all. It's bizarre incomprehensible psudosurrealist nonesense. It's also to be continued.
Our Own Little Mardi Grass by Richard Allen Lupoff and George Barr
This is a work of short prose fiction, excerpted from Lupoff's Space War Blues, which in turn was adapted from a story that Lupoff wrote for Again, Dangerous Visions. Anyway, the main character, Leon, has come to the planet of New Alabama with his military aide to contact their goverment's ambassador. Of note, Leon is black, and not only is everyone on New Alabama white, but they're also psycho racists who are willing to lynch anyone with dark skin. Subtle piece of social commentary here, with the added bit that I'm wondering if Lupoff ever actually went to Alabama.
And then the narrative voice changes gears without engaging the clutch about halfway through the story, and the ensuing lurch knocks me right out of it, to the sound of grinding gears. Seriously. It's like it's going in a first person perspective by someone who I presume is a local of New Alabama. I really can't keep track of what happens from here.
The Coincidence by Alain Voss
The story is about a man who ends up going back in time and siring himself without any paradoxical reprocussions.
The Long Tomorrow: Part 2 by Dan O'Bannon and Jean "Moebius" Giraud
Ah, this is one of the stories I was really looking forwards to this volume. So, Club catches up with the Assassin, who is also apparently a member of the Assassin's union, at a launch pad. Unfortunately, the Assassin doesn't have anything to tell him. So, Club wings the Assassin with his gun and makes him try to run across the launch pad before the rocket ignites his engines. The Assassin doesn't make it.
He returns to his apartment and discovers that inside the woman's briefcase was, indeed, the McGuffin. The client comes in, and reveals that the body that was found earlier was an android duplicate she'd had prepaired earlier in case of emergencies. The detective makes love with the girl, and after making love discovers that the girl is the alien spy, and is also a shapeshifter. She's also in love with him and begs for him to spare her, but he doesn't, and shoots her dead. The McGuffin is returned to it's rightful owner, and the story ends with an appropriate grim noir ending. The End.
Hamilton Potemkine by Philippe Druillet
Bathroom humor with a too-long setup.
1996 by Chantal Montellier
Some hunters go bird hunting, and by bird they mean women. Come to think about it, no women have ever been depicted in a postive light in this series. They've either been stupid, "Big Sister", or getting killed like in this story.
Ah, a nice train wreck to clense the palate. Our hero arrives at a gothic spire standing out in the desert. There he's attacked by a winged worm creature, which can fly but emerged from the ground. He continues until he comes to the Golden City of Sarus. Upon arrival he's set upon by the townsfolk who kill his horse and eat it. He's captured and is ordered to be executed by the city's ruler, because he's ugly. *Headdesk*. The sad thing is, actually, this installment was an improvement up to that point. I could see townsfolk attacking the horse because it was the first meat they'd seen in ages. The fight with the worm-critter was pretty decent. Instead, the writer decides that the reason our hero's execution is to be ordered is because he's "ugly".
Package For You, Missus Jones - Alex
A woman opens a package, a white goo emerges, and attacks the woman, stripping her naked and paralyzing her. Then a man walks in, is attacked as well, and is stripped naked and paralyzed. Finally the goo departs, leaving Mrs. Jones and the unnamed man naked togeather. Then Mr. Jones comes in, and the story ends as the man tries to explain.
I'd say this issue was on par with the last issue, but if we're not getting anymore Conquering Armies, and we're not getting any more The Long Tomorrow, I'm a little concerned about what we'll get next issue. We'll see.
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