I went to the comic book shop today and they had some new early Heavy Metal magazines in, among them a copy of issue 1 (April 1977) for $40(!), so of course I grabbed it. There is some slight creasing on the cover in the lower right corner where the page got folded at some point but otherwise the book is in excellent condition and according to the indicia is a real first print and not a reprint or anything.
Can’t believe my luck. Never thought I’d find this book in the wild and at an affordable price. I love the Heavy Metals from the ‘70s and ‘80s and try to buy them whenever I find them.