Eclipso #46
Eclipso #46 is a representative example of the pivotal editorial turn the Arédit-Artima 'Eclipso' series made from its fifteenth issue onward, when it became the primary French-language vehicle for Marvel Comics material that rival publisher Lug had declined to pick up — delivering French readers their earliest encounters with characters such as Man-Thing, Doctor Strange, Conan the Barbarian, Thor, Sub-Mariner, and Captain America in a single affordable digest. The issue's lead story, 'Le combat de l'Homme-Chose,' brought Steve Gerber's swamp-horror creation Man-Thing to Francophone audiences at a moment when the character was only one year into his own Marvel title, making Eclipso an unusually timely conduit between U.S. Marvel innovation and the French market. As part of a series that ran for 84 issues across fifteen years, it stands as a building block of the Comics Pocket tradition that — alongside Lug's titles — defined how an entire generation of French readers first encountered the Marvel universe. The issue also exemplifies the broader cultural significance of Arédit-Artima as a publisher: the two houses (operating under both names) collectively hold the record for the highest number of distinct comics magazines published in France.
In "Le combat de l'Homme-Chose," Jack Kirby and Stan Lee deliver a taut, pulpy thriller as Captain America faces off against a bizarre chemical android in a high-stakes clash at Avengers Mansion. With Jack Kirby handling both pencils and inks, and Alan Weiss crafting the cover, the issue pulses with the energy of a secret war—fueled by mysterious "THEM," a hidden lab growing androids like crops, and a SHIELD badge that could change everything.
In "Dormammu contre Eternité," Doctor Strange is drawn into a high-stakes mystical duel when Dormammu, wielding ancient power, binds the slumbering Eternity and challenges him across dimensions. As the battle erupts, Eternity breaks free—only to be betrayed by Dormammu, who turns on him in a flash of cosmic violence. The clash sends shockwaves through reality, scattering Strange across realms before the Ancient One pulls him back.
In "Eux!", Cap's training is interrupted when Nick Fury arrives with urgent intel on the shadowy organization known as "THEM." A mysterious flying craft descends on Avengers Mansion, unleashing a chemical android that Cap barely fends off—only to learn the creature is just one of many, grown in a hidden lab where "THEM" cultivates a battalion of androids in a hydroponic garden. With Fury declaring the threat SHIELD's domain, Cap is left with a Priority A-1 badge and a growing sense that the fight is just beginning.
In "Une nouvelle arme," Hank's latest innovation—a power to alter the size of objects beyond himself—sparks a creative spark in Jan, who takes it upon herself to design a new costume to match his evolving abilities. The story captures the quiet intimacy of partnership as they navigate the balance between heroism and personal expression.
In the frozen wastes of a forgotten Hyperborean battlefield, Conan stands amid the clash of steel and sorcery, facing the enigmatic God Borri Borri in a moment of grim communion. As the sky bleeds crimson and the dead rise in silent fury, the Cimmerian confronts Malachi in a clash that will echo through legend.
In "Le défi du Cobra humain," Don Blake’s visit to India takes a dark turn when he discovers his former teacher has been killed by a serpent-powered villain. Back in New York, Thor confronts the Cobra in a clash of strength and resolve, while Jane Foster grapples with her new boss’s fear—and the choice to return to Doctor Blake.
In "La mort de Monstrollo," a frustrated movie producer faces ruin when negative publicity threatens to shut down his ambitious sci-fi project—a giant robotic monster built for a film. Just as he prepares to scrap the machine, an alien invasion forces him to send it into battle, where its cold, unfeeling frame proves utterly immune to nerve weapons and toxic gas. As the invaders flee in panic, the producer stands amidst the wreckage, silently knowing the truth: his creation wasn’t just a prop, but a savior.
In "Les Gorgones déchues," ancient alien gorgons, long thought myth, send an agent to Earth ahead of a planned invasion—only to find her power to turn people to stone fails when she encounters two blind men. The story hinges on a quiet misunderstanding, where the agent’s inability to achieve her purpose leads to an unexpected pause in her mission.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The Eclipso series launched in April 1968 as part of Arédit's Comics Pocket collection, succeeding the earlier Spectre title and initially reprinting DC Comics material; from issue #15 it reoriented almost entirely toward Marvel properties that Lug — Arédit's principal competitor — had not licensed. Arédit itself was born when Presses de la Cité acquired the financially troubled Artima house in 1962–1965, with the intent of adapting Fleuve Noir paperback novels into comics, before the imprint pivoted heavily toward American reprints. To sidestep France's restrictive loi 49-956 on youth publications, all Comics Pocket issues including Eclipso #46 carried a 'bandes dessinées pour adultes' designation on the cover — a legal workaround that simultaneously barred them from front-of-newsstand display. Arédit's editorial practice of reframing and sometimes excising individual panels or pages for the digest format means the stories in #46 do not appear in their original American page layouts.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published November 1974 by Arédit-Artima; digest format (approximately 13×19 cm), 160–164 pages, black and white.
- Cover title: 'Le combat de l'Homme-Chose' — French translation of the Man-Thing lead story originally published in Marvel's Fear #14 (June 1973), written by Steve Gerber.
- Contents include nine reprinted Marvel stories: Fear #14 (Man-Thing), Sub-Mariner #8, Strange Tales #146 (Doctor Strange vs. Dormammu), Tales of Suspense #78 (Captain America), Tales to Astonish #65 (Giant-Man), Conan the Barbarian #3, Journey into Mystery #98 (Thor), Tales of Suspense #25, and Journey into Mystery #96.
- The Journey into Mystery #96 story also appeared in black-and-white reframed form in the Italian Editoriale Corno title I Fantastici Quattro #87 and the German BSV-Williams Hulk #12, both also in late 1974 — illustrating the simultaneous pan-European circulation of early Marvel material.
- All stories were reproduced in black and white and reframed (panels recomposed) from their original American full-color, full-size pages — an Arédit house practice that altered the visual rhythm of every story it touched.
- The Eclipso magazine series ran from April 1968 to February 1983 for a total of 84 issues, making it one of the longest-running Comics Pocket titles from Arédit-Artima.
- From issue #15, the series served as the primary French outlet for Marvel series that competitor Lug had not licensed, giving French readers their first access to early adventures of characters including Man-Thing, Conan the Barbarian, Doctor Strange, Thor, Namor, Iron Man, and Captain America.
- Issue #46 was later bound into the Arédit collected album Rec3216 (paired with Étranges Aventures #38), released November 1974, allowing the content to circulate in a hardbound format alongside another Arédit title.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Tales of Suspense #25 (1962), Journey into Mystery #96 (1963), Journey into Mystery #98 (1963), Tales to Astonish #65 (1965), Tales of Suspense #78 (1966), Strange Tales #146 (1966), Sub-Mariner #8 (1968), Conan the Barbarian #3 (1971), Fear #14 (1973)
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