As usual, Voss’s linework and use of blacks is the highlight of this story. It’s actually a pretty decent story (for Voss) – the conceit is that musicians are trained as gladiators and forced to play for howling crowds who eventually rise up and destroy the band members in brutal ways. The usual Heavy Metal hallmarks are there, though: vague societal unrest, manipulative overlords who twist everyday institutions to malicious ends, music as a transformative experience and, of course, commonplace brutality. But man, look at that linework.

(Heavy Metal issue #63, June 1982 – Page 66 The Gladiators by Voss)