In a rare editorial, publisher Leonard Mogul provided a status check for the publication. Starting in 1986, the magazine would switch from a monthly to quarterly publishing schedule. The main reason cited is simple: readers wanted each story in each issue to be complete.

Finding back issues so they could read the story from the beginning was too complicated. In short, the ongoing Heavy Metal serials had accumulated too much continuity for new people to just jump on without some backstory. Or so the propaganda would have us believe.

The new cover price ($3.95, up from $2.50) was steep, but the reader got more pages, better paper quality and perfect binding. And complete stories in each issue.

(Heavy Metal issue #105, December 1985 – Page 3 Editorial)