Avengers #13
Avengers #13 (Panini France, February 1998) holds a specific place in French Marvel publishing history as the final issue of Panini's inaugural Avengers magazine series — the very run that introduced Marvel's kiosk comics to French readers when Panini launched five titles simultaneously in February 1997, each with a distinctive metallic adamantium-effect cover. As the capstone of that debut thirteen-issue volume, it delivered French audiences their translated look at the Onslaught crossover event through two Marvel universe titles running in parallel — a storytelling format that let readers follow a sprawling superhero crisis across interconnected monthly storylines in a single publication. It represents the editorial ambition of Panini's early French operation: bundling complementary US issues into one magazine to give readers narrative context they could not get from a single-title reprint.
In "Sanctuaire," Iron Man and War Machine face off against a trio of villains sent by Tony's cousin Morgan Stark to raid his armor vault—only to be overwhelmed by a swarm of dormant Iron Man suits suddenly activated by Morgan's remote. As the battle escalates, Tony must confront not just the mechanical onslaught, but the emotional weight of proving to War Machine that this younger version of his old friend—rejuvenated by the events of Timeslide—is truly the man he once knew. Written by Terry Kavanagh and James Felder, with art by Joe Bennett and inks by Mark McKenna and Tim Dzon, this 1998 issue features a cover by Mike Deodato Jr. and Tom Palmer.
In "Mise en faillite," Iron Man and War Machine face off against a trio of villains sent by Tony’s cousin Morgan Stark to breach his armor vault—only to be overwhelmed by a swarm of dormant Iron Man suits suddenly activated by Morgan’s remote. As the battle escalates, Tony must push himself to the limit to regain control, testing not just his tech, but the trust between him and Rhody, whose doubts about the younger, time-displaced Tony are put to the ultimate test.
In "Les péchés du père," Gambit teams up with the Avengers to track down Magneto, leading them to Virginia where they mistakenly confront Joseph—only to realize he's not the master of magnetism. Once the confusion clears, Joseph joins the mission, stepping into a growing storm of secrets and danger tied to Onslaught.
In "La longue nuit," as Giant-Man and Quicksilver fight to hold the line against relentless Sentinels, Tony and T'Challa race to forge psychic shields—just in time to shield Earth's heroes from the growing threat of Onslaught.
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In January 1997, Panini — then a property of Marvel Entertainment — secured the Marvel Comics license for France through its Marvel France imprint and immediately launched five titles to French newsstands in February 1997, with Avengers #1 among them. Each launch issue featured a metallic 'adamantium effect' cover finish, a deliberate marketing choice to make the debut run stand out at the kiosk. The series ran for exactly thirteen issues, concluding in February 1998, making #13 both the series finale and a one-year anniversary bookend for the entire Panini France Marvel launch.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published February 1998 by Panini France (Marvel France imprint); issue #13 is the final issue of the first Avengers magazine series (Vol. 1, 1997–1998).
- The series launched in February 1997 as one of five simultaneous Panini France Marvel titles (alongside Marvel, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, and X-Men), all featuring metallic adamantium-effect covers on their debut issues.
- Issue #13 reprints four US stories in French translation: Captain America (Vol. 1) #454 ('Sanctuary,' by Mark Waid, Ron Garney, and Scott Koblish, August 1996); Iron Man (Vol. 1) #331 ('Going for Broke,' by Terry Kavanagh, James Felder, and Joe Bennett, August 1996); Avengers (Vol. 1) #401 ('Sins of the Father,' by Mark Waid, Mike Deodato Jr., and Tom Palmer, August 1996); and Iron Man (Vol. 1) #332 ('Night Neverending,' by Terry Kavanagh, Joe Bennett, and Tim Dzon/Mark McKenna, September 1996).
- The Avengers story reprinted here — Avengers #401 'Sins of the Father' — is an Onslaught Phase 1 tie-in in which Earth's Mightiest Heroes, alongside Gambit and Rogue, investigate the de-aged and amnesiac mutant Joseph, whom they initially mistake for Magneto.
- The Iron Man stories reprinted in this issue (#331 and #332) are also Onslaught Impact tie-ins, written by Terry Kavanagh, making this issue a concentrated snapshot of the 1996 Onslaught crossover as it spread across the Avengers family of titles.
- The Captain America story reprinted here — Captain America #454 'Sanctuary' — is part of Mark Waid and Ron Garney's celebrated mid-1990s run on the character, the creative collaboration widely regarded as one of the strongest Cap runs of its era.
- The French-language title of the Avengers story as published in this issue is 'Les Péchés du père' ('The Sins of the Father'), and the Iron Man stories appear as 'Mise en faillite' and 'La Longue Nuit,' demonstrating Panini's practice of providing full translated titles rather than transliterations.
- The series' cover price at issue #13 was 24 FF (French francs), equivalent to approximately 3.66 euros, consistent with kiosk magazine pricing of the period.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Captain America #454 (1996), Iron Man #331 (1996), The Avengers #401 (1996), Iron Man #332 (1996)
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