One of the very distinctive things about this issue is that it contains reprints of a lot of classic covers from the 70s and 80s. It’s a clear attempt to fill pages, but it works.

This cover, in particular, is one of the most well-known Heavy Metal covers. There is a note in a later issue indicating that sales of the magazine jumped significantly this month, citing the cover as the probable cause. (The fact that it was editor Ted White’s last issue probably didn’t matter as much to readers.)

(Heavy Metal #257, March 2012 – Page 4 Gallery on Classic Heavy Metal Covers)