Eclipso #42
Eclipso #42 is a remarkably dense anthology in the history of French Marvel publishing: it packs under one cover the very first French printing of Conan the Barbarian #1 — Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith's landmark 1970 debut of Robert E. Howard's barbarian hero — alongside the first appearances of Sharon Carter (Agent 13) and Batroc the Leaper from Tales of Suspense #75, and the Man-Thing's debut as a headlining feature star from Adventure Into Fear #10. For French readers in June 1974, this single digest-format pocket book delivered, in one sitting, three of the Bronze Age's most consequential character introductions — all translated into French for the first time in this or surrounding Arédit issues. The issue also stands as a record of Arédit's editorial ambition during its mid-1970s peak: curating material from across Marvel's anthology era into a cohesive, genre-spanning package that introduced sword-and-sorcery, espionage thriller, and horror-swamp-monster storytelling to a French readership that had no other legal route to this material.
In "L'Homme-Chose," Steve Ditko and Roy Thomas deliver a mind-bending chapter of Eclipso #42, where Strange is drawn into a far-flung dimension by Dormammu’s cunning use of Asti. With the Ancient One’s guidance, Strange confronts Tazza, a powerful being whose senses detect Dormammu’s spell, leading to a tense standoff that ends in an unexpected alliance—and a mutual understanding that a final, decisive battle looms. Gray Morrow’s striking cover captures the cosmic dread of the tale, while Ditko’s interior art brings the surreal realm to life.
In "Les esclaves du crépuscule," Strange is drawn into a far-flung dimension by Dormammu’s cunning, using Asti as bait, while the Ancient One guides him to a realm ruled by a being whose senses detect Dormammu’s dark magic. There, as Tazza confronts Strange with fury and chains, the sorcerer must prove his intent isn’t conquest—but truth—before a final, inevitable clash looms between him and Dormammu.
In "Namor contre Draggor," the Sub-Mariner finds his plans for surface-world domination interrupted when the island ruler Dragorr extends an unexpected alliance—only to be swiftly captured and forced into servitude. With the help of the Lady Dorma, Namor uncovers the shocking truth: Dragorr is no living king, but a robot controlled by a tiny, cunning Gnome.
In "La défaite de Thor," Thor's rivalry with Hercules escalates into a clash of gods when Odin, still furious over Thor's decision to reveal his identity to Jane Foster, strips half of Thor's powers and transfers them to Seidring. With his strength diminished and his confidence shaken, Thor faces off against Hercules in a battle that tests both their might and their resolve.
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Arédit — formed when the Presses de la Cité acquired the struggling Artima house in 1962–1963 — launched its Comics Pocket digest line in April 1966 and made Eclipso one of its first titles entirely devoted to American comics material, debuting the series in April 1968. By 1974 the line was publishing reprints drawn from Marvel's Silver and early Bronze Age anthology titles, presented in black-and-white at digest (approximately 5" × 7") format across roughly 164 pages per issue; pages were sometimes recropped or altered to fit the format. Because Arédit published the Comics Pocket line under the 'bandes dessinées pour adultes' label, it sidestepped France's restrictive youth-publication law (loi 49-956) but forfeited the right to standard kiosk display — meaning the books circulated through a separate, more limited retail channel. Eclipso #42 had no distinct editorial team credited for its French packaging beyond the house itself; no French translator or adapter is identified in surviving records.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published June 1, 1974 by Arédit/Artima (Paris/Tourcoing) as part of the long-running Eclipso Comics Pocket series, a black-and-white digest (~5" × 7", ~164 pages).
- Reprints Conan the Barbarian (Marvel, vol. 1) #1 (Oct. 1970) — the first comic-book appearance and origin of Conan the Cimmerian, written by Roy Thomas, penciled by Barry Windsor-Smith, inked by Dan Adkins, edited by Stan Lee; also contains a cameo first appearance of King Kull (Le Roi Kull).
- Reprints Tales of Suspense #75 (March 1966) — 1st appearance of Sharon Carter (Agent 13) and Batroc the Leaper (Georges Batroc), scripted by Stan Lee with Jack Kirby layouts and Dick Ayers pencils; also continues into Tales of Suspense #76.
- Reprints Adventure Into Fear #10 (Oct. 1972) — Man-Thing/Ted Sallis's debut as the headlining feature star of his own series, written by Gerry Conway with art by Howard Chaykin and Gray Morrow (Man-Thing had first appeared in Savage Tales #1, May 1971).
- Reprints Strange Tales (vol. 1) #144, featuring Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange) in an encounter involving Dormammu; Clea, Dormammu's first appearances were in Strange Tales #126, earlier in the same run.
- Reprints Tales to Astonish (vol. 1) #63 (featuring Giant-Man/Hank Pym and the Wasp/Janet Van Dyne) and #94 (Sub-Mariner/Namor), as well as Thor (vol. 1) #126 (featuring Namor, Lady Dorma, and Vashti) and Journey Into Mystery (2nd series) #2.
- Arédit published the Eclipso series under a 'bandes dessinées pour adultes' label to circumvent French youth-press law 49-956, trading kiosk visibility for freedom from the censorship commission — making these pocket digests a distinct, adults-oriented distribution channel for Marvel material in France.
- Arédit's editorial practice included recropping and occasionally modifying or removing pages to fit the digest pagination, meaning French readers received a structurally edited version of the original American stories.
Cast · 26 characters
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Tales to Astonish #63 (1965), Tales of Suspense #75 (1966), Thor #126 (1966), Tales of Suspense #76 (1966), Strange Tales #144 (1966), Tales to Astonish #94 (1967), Conan the Barbarian #1 (1970), Fear #10 (1972), Journey into Mystery #2 (1972)
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