Heavy Metal 283, the Fear Issue: See All 3 Covers and a 13-Page Preview!

November 1, 2016

Heavy Metal 283 cover A by David Stoupakis

It’s issue 283 of Heavy Metal Magazine, the Fear Issue. You can find a copy at your local comics shop, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, or the Heavy Metal shop. But what’s inside? As a shattered visage once said: Look on these works, ye mighty, and despair!

We’ve got three collectible covers for you—horror-riffic and spook-tastic scenes by David Stoupakis, Rob Prior and Justin Cherry.

Heavy Metal 283 cover A by David Stoupakis

Heavy Metal 283 cover B by Rob Prior

Heavy Metal 283 cover C by Justin Cherry

Within the mag proper, Editor in Chief and Head Lunatic of this asylum Grant Morrison launches into a 6-page reminiscence that might explain a lot about this issue and even more about the next.

This is the Fear Issue, remember. Don’t get too cozy with it. You could lose a finger, or a limb. This thing has sharp teeth. They’re bared in the first story, “Das Fischerhaus”:

“DAS FISCHERHAUS” by DERIC HUGHES, BENJAMIN RAAB, & MIKE MAY

Survive that one and you’re on to a feature about cover artist David Stoupakis, who descrives his epiphany as a painter: “it felt like a relief, it felt like therapy, like punching something and reducing it into pieces, although rather than destroying the object of my obsessions, I then opted for a more ‘alchemic’ manipulation.”

“THE WITCH” by DAVID STOUPAKIS

Still with us? Read “Nightfeed,” a chompy, superbrief tale that might be the heart of the whole damn issue, but don’t dawdle — the limbs, remember, you want to keep your limbs from the teeth that gnash. On to “The Smile of the Absent Cat,” set in some alternate Interwar period, starring a feline detective who has a sixth sense, if not nine lives.

“THE SMILE OF THE ABSENT CAT” by GRANT MORRISON & GERHARD

Written by Morrison, it’s a classic chat noir, with a missing heiress and a wicked pack of cards and a dark rite. And before the blood has a chance to dry, we’ve moved on to a garden of deadly delights: The artwork featured in the Morpheus Gallery:

“SERPENT’S EYE” Oil painting by Dariusz Zawadzki

Up next is “Constriction,” by Mike Walton and Daniel Govar, and if you’re thinking it’s the pleasant sort of constriction, well, you need a dictionary. Constriction is only ever pleasant if you’re a masochist. But we’re no one to judge. Read on…

“CONSTRICTION” by MIKE WALTON & DANIEL GOVAR

Next it’s “Semiautomagic, by Alex de Campi and Jerry Ordway. “I’m Alice Creed,” says a mysterious woman to a Hollywood producer. “I’m here to talk about what’s eating you.”

“SEMIAUTOMAGIC” by ALEX de CAMPI & JERRY ORDWAY

Yes, eating, again—more chewy intrigue and gnawing terror. This would be a good time to count your fingers, make sure they’re all present. Moving on to an interview with tattoo artist Tim Lehi:

DESIGN GALLERY BY TIM LEHI

Bear in mind, the Lehi feature is called “Guts ‘n Blood” — so yeah, we’re not done with the carnage just yet.

“HOLIDAY OFFERING” by DIEGO AGRIMBAU & GABRIEL IPPÓLITI

Diego Agrimbau and Gabriel Ippoliti touch upon a memorable panic for their “Holiday Offering,” and there’s no blood at all! Ok, that was a lie, there is blood. But nobody eating anyone else.

“ZENTROPA” PART 3 by JOHN MAHONEY

In the latest installment of John Mahoney’s “Zentropa”, there is much exquisitely-drawn space-drifting, but again — nobody getting eaten! Or even stabbed. A feature on our cover artist Justin Cherry is also relatively bloodless.

“SEPARATION ANXIETY” BY JUSTIN CHERRY

Well, yeah, that appears to be a figure stabbed with four swords. Or maybe just three swords and a big knife. No stabbing with swords or knives in the latest chapter of “Salsa Invertebraxa” by Mozchops. No, that’s a mighty friendly looking centipede…

“SALSA INVERTEBRAXA” PART 4 by MOZCHOPS

…though we’d be lying if we were to say it wouldn’t hurt a fly. Tom Burns, Maxx Marshall and Chris Chuckry’s “Felt” is one of those stories that’s just too sweet to be true. Young and cute Betty wants a prom date, and everyone in her world is a Muppet-like fuzzy character.

“FELT” by TOM BURNS, MAXX MARSHALL & CHRIS CHUCKRY

What could possibly go wrong for Betty? What could possibly go right? That brings us to the last story in this edition, “Gutt Ghost” by Enzo Garza. And if you were thinking there’s no more chomping and ingesting, you’d be wrong about that.

“GUTT GHOST” by ENZO GARZA

Well, that finishes off this gruesome meal of an issue. Unless anyone has room for dessert…?

Get your copy of Heavy Metal 283 at your local comics shop, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, or our own Heavy Metal store, which carries the variant covers as well as the subscriber/newsstand edition.

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About Heavy Metal

First published in 1977, Heavy Metal Magazine, the world’s foremost illustrated magazine, explores fantastic and surrealistic worlds, alternate realities, science fiction and horror, in the past, present, and future. Writers and illustrators from around the world take you to places you never dreamed existed. Heavy Metal Magazine was the first publisher to bring European legends like Mœbius, Philippe Caza, Guido Crepax, Philippe Druillet, Tanino Liberatore, Milo Manara, Enki Bilal, and Pepe Moreno to the U.S. while showcasing non-mainstream American superstars like Richard Corben, Berni Wrightson, Arthur Suydam, Vaughn Bode and Frank Frazetta. The magazine continues to showcase amazing new talent along with established creators. Heavy Metal Magazine features serialized and standalone stories, artist galleries, short stories in prose and interviews. Recent creators have featured Grant Morrison, Stephen King, Kelley Jones, Bart Sears, Tim Seeley and Kevin Eastman. With new issues on the horizon, Heavy Metal promises to boldly go where no magazine has gone before. Explore ancient secrets, forgotten worlds and savage futures…experience Heavy Metal.

Join us at www.heavymetal.com‍

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‍About Heavy Metal (film)

Heavy Metal is a 1981 Canadian adult animated science fantasy anthology film directed by Gerald Potterton (in his director debut) and produced by Ivan Reitman and Leonard Mogel, who also was the publisher of Heavy Metal magazine, which was the basis for the film. It starred the voices of Rodger Bumpass, Jackie Burroughs, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Don Francks, Martin Lavut, Marilyn Lightstone, Eugene Levy, Alice Playten, Harold Ramis, Percy Rodriguez, Susan Roman, Richard Romanus, August Schellenberg, John Vernon, and Zal Yanovsky. The screenplay was written by Daniel Goldberg and Len Blum.

The film is an anthology of various science-fiction and fantasy stories tied together by a single theme of an evil force that is "the sum of all evils". It was adapted from Heavy Metal magazine and original stories in the same spirit. Like the magazine, the film features a great deal of graphic violence, sexuality, and nudity. Its production was expedited by having several animation houses working simultaneously on different segments.

Its soundtrack was packaged by music manager Irving Azoff and included several popular rock bands and artists, including Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult, Sammy Hagar, Don Felder, Cheap Trick, DEVO, Journey, and Nazareth, among others.

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