Eclipso #69
Eclipso #69 — titled 'Sinistre confrontation' — is a representative milestone of what the Arédit Comics Pocket line achieved across its run: delivering a curated anthology of American Marvel material to French readers who had no other affordable, domestic access to those stories. By 1980 the Eclipso series had been running for twelve years, and issue #69 reflects the maturing shift in the anthology's content from DC horror reprints toward Marvel Bronze Age action, headlined by a Shang-Chi (Master of Kung Fu) story and a run of Astonishing Tales installments featuring Ka-Zar's companion Colossus. That editorial pivot documents, in miniature, the broader French market's growing appetite for Marvel's 1970s output at a moment when Lug's Strange dominated the newsstand competition.
In "Sinistre confrontation," Dr. Vault unleashes Fin Fang Foom in a bid to seize control of It, setting off a high-stakes clash that pits Bob O'Bryan—still fighting to reclaim his body—against Lord Granitor. With Dick Ayers' dynamic art and Jack Kirby’s legendary designs shaping the action, the battle for Earth reaches a fever pitch as allies and enemies alike collide. The cover by Paul Gulacy and Dan Adkins captures the chaos, a 5 FRF comic from 1980 that delivers a pulse-pounding showdown with no clear victor in sight.
In "Chapitre 1 Le retour de Colossus," Bob O'Bryan—once a master of special effects—finds himself trapped in a nightmare when a vengeful actor shatters his legs. Now confined to a wheelchair, he stumbles upon a terrifying power: the ability to possess It, the Living Colossus, after the creature is stolen from his film set by the enigmatic Dr. Vault. But this transformation comes with a chilling limit—each time he takes control, he risks losing himself before time runs out.
In "Chapitre 2 Le Colosse Vivant," Lord Granitor—once confined to Stonus Five—breaks free to launch his conquest of Earth, threatening to reshape the planet under his rule. As rebel Gargoyle Magnor warns Bob O'Bryan of the impending invasion, Bob must take control of It, the Living Colossus, in a desperate bid to stand against the unstoppable force. With Diane taken hostage, the fate of Earth hangs in the balance as the colossus stumbles forward, its power no match for the dread that follows Lord Granitor’s advance.
In "Chapitre 3 Conquérants 3 !", Dr. Vault unleashes Fin Fang Foom in a bid to seize control of It—but when Bob O'Bryan reclaims his body, he must team up with the awakened dragon to stop Lord Granitor’s assault on Earth. As the battle rages and the line between mind and monster blurs, O'Bryan’s fate hangs in the balance after a final confrontation that leaves the world shaken.
In "Chapitre 4 Les cinq griffes de la mort," Dr. Vault once again wields Fin Fang Foom to hunt down It, forcing the elusive figure to flee. As the battle unfolds, Bob O'Bryan awakens from a near-death state, his mind reclaimed just in time, while the monstrous reptile’s control unravels when live wires disrupt Dr. Vault’s command. With the tide turning, It and Fin Fang Foom share a moment of uneasy understanding before parting ways—leaving Dr. Vault to silence Dr. Braun in cold blood.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Arédit launched the Comics Pocket format in April 1966 and devoted the Eclipso title entirely to comics reprints beginning in April 1968, making it one of the first French pockets fully committed to American comics material. Published from Tourcoing by Émile and Janine Keirsbilk, the line operated under a 'bandes dessinées pour adultes' label — a deliberate workaround to France's 1949 youth-press law (loi 49-956) — which exempted it from regulatory oversight at the cost of newsstand front display rights. Arédit's production practice involved systematically reframing pages and excising panels from the original American stories to fit the digest format, meaning every story in the run, including those in #69, reached French readers in an editorially altered, black-and-white form.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover-titled 'Sinistre confrontation'; published January 1, 1980 (1st quarter 1980) by Arédit-Artima, Tourcoing, France.
- Digest format: approximately 5" × 7", approximately 164 pages, printed entirely in black and white.
- Lead story is a French translation of Master of Kung Fu (Marvel, 1st series) #27 ('Confrontation,' April 1975), featuring Shang-Chi.
- Also reprints Astonishing Tales (Marvel, 1st series) #21 ('IT!' Dec. 1973), #22 ('We, the Gargoyles,' Feb. 1974), and #23 ('Conquerors Three!' Apr. 1974) — all Ka-Zar/Colossus stories.
- Part of the long-running Eclipso Comics Pocket anthology series, which launched in April 1968 and ran to #84 in February 1983 — a 15-year run of 84+ issues.
- All American stories were reprinted with panels reframed and some pages modified or removed by Arédit to fit the pocket format.
- Issue #69 was subsequently collected in Recueil Album #3763 (paired with #70), released March 1980.
- The series was published under an 'adults only' press classification that bypassed France's 1949 youth-publication law but restricted newsstand placement.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Astonishing Tales #21 (1973), Astonishing Tales #22 (1974), Astonishing Tales #23 (1974), Astonishing Tales #24 (1974), Master of Kung Fu #27 (1975)
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