This is a great little metafictional story about a restaurant where the patrons are handed a script instead of a menu. And it gets weird from there. The ending is great, where we pull out to see the audience.

(Heavy Metal #246, March 2010 – Page 79 On Stage by Darlot and Holgado)

This story isn’t too bad, but the creator could have easily used the space more efficiently during layout. This material on this page, for example, could have only taken half a page to present.

(Heavy Metal #246, March 2010 – Page 56 Forgive Me, Father by Barone and Rom)

In addition to the body horror that’s part and parcel of this story, this page leans heavily into incoherence with the placement of the word balloons. The color of the balloons helps the reader identify which portion of her personality is talking, but it’s not entirely clear what order the balloons are meant to be read in. Try it for yourself.

(Heavy Metal #246, March 2010 – Page 22 Two Little Sisters and a Riddle by Xalabarder)

This is easily the most baffling ad I have every run across in an issue of Heavy Metal. Who, exactly, was this ad aimed at? Who is the artist? There are a lot more questions than answers is what I’m saying.

(Heavy Metal #246, March 2010 – Page 19 The Bible ad)

I’m not quite sure why a woman in a post-apocalyptic environment would choose to only wear a thong when wandering around said environment. Thongs aren’t comfortable and, if you are forced to endure a location where societal norms and standards of beauty have broken down, wouldn’t you go for something comfortable?

(Heavy Metal #246, March 2010 – Page 12 Gallery on Root)

This is a nice little interview with Alan Bean, who flew on Apollo 12 and is the only trained artist who has ever set foot on the moon. The interview is solid, middle-of-the-road material, but I want to draw your attention to the fact that in the year 2010, the people at Heavy Metal still didn’t know how to layout their pages in such a way that the words didn’t disappear into the crease in the middle of the magazine. Shameful, really.

(Heavy Metal #246, March 2010 – Page 8 Dossier by Ringgenberg)

The discussion on the right side of the page – about the “vibe” or “feel” of the magazine – is fascinating. As of right now, I’m taking a “ship of Theseus” approach to criticism of the magazine, in that your view of it depends in large part on what issue from what year you’re reading and forming an opinion on. That is to say, the content and quality thereof, varies wildly over time.

(Heavy Metal #246, March 2010 – Page 6 Publisher’s Note)

New Heavy Metal t-shirt designs! What’s interesting to me is that these aren’t ordered the way that most merchandise has been ordered in the past – through a central clearinghouse. Instead, you have to go to the webpage of the vendor and buy the stuff directly from them.

(Heavy Metal #245, January 2010 – Page Inside Back Cover House ad)