I’d like to direct your attention to the details at the bottom of the page, specifically the Guest Editor credit. Ted White is the first guest editor for the magazine and became the new editor in the January 1980 issue. White became the Heavy Metal editor immediately following a successful run as the editor for Amazing Stories and Fantastic. To this point, White’s only real comic book experience was writing a Captain America novel and collaborating with Marv Wolfman.

(Heavy Metal issue #33, December 1979 – Page 2 Contents)