Heavy Metal

I still don't understand the anomaly that is Heavy Metal.  You have a regular monthly magazine that is both adult, a "comic book," and is regularly sold in magazine racks next to Playboy, making it semi-popular, even mainstream.  You also have the first Heavy Metal movie, an anthology cartoon that has good stories, adult themes, and bearable art. 

How can Heavy Metal exist in a world that fears and hates cartoons & comics? 

(Oh wait, the stories are made in Europe.  It's mostly imported).  

Different tastes for different people, I guess.