Hulk #3
This issue marks the first time French readers encountered Moon Knight in his own dedicated backup strip — the translated version of Doug Moench and Gene Colan's debut Moon Knight solo story from Hulk! Magazine #11 (1978), which was a decisive step in building Marc Spector from a discarded villain into a layered, multi-identity hero. The Hulk! Magazine backup run reprinted here was the creative crucible that gave Moon Knight his supporting cast — Marlene (here rendered 'Marlène Fontaine'), Frenchie (Jean-Paul Duchamp), and the street-level Jake Lockley persona — before his 1980 ongoing series ever launched. As the third issue of Arédit-Artima's Artima Color Marvel Géant Hulk series, it extended the reach of that formative storyline to a Francophone audience who had no other access to the material at the time.
In "Hulk contre l'Exosquelette," a newly unemployed circus performer named Bruno travels to Chicago to test Dr. Cranston’s experimental exoskeleton, unaware of the chaos it will unleash. When Bruce Banner finds himself in the city’s South Side and transforms again, he’s drawn into a brutal clash with Bruno—now armored and dangerous—inside the massive Soldier Stadium. Written by Doug Moench and brought to life by Ron Wilson’s dynamic art, Ernie Chan’s inks, and Janice Cohen’s colors, this 1979 issue features a striking cover by Joe Jusko.
In "Hulk contre l'Exosquelette," a disgraced circus performer named Bruno undergoes a radical experiment with an experimental exoskeleton at Chicago’s Institute of Life Sciences, while Bruce Banner, transformed and stranded in the city’s South Side, finds refuge with a Black concierge. When Banner’s rage triggers another transformation, he’s suddenly thrust into a brutal clash with Bruno, now armored and dangerous, inside the vast, echoing halls of Soldier Stadium—the largest military stadium in the United States.
In "Image de mort 1/2," Moon Knight dives into a chilling murder mystery that leads him from a deadly ambush to the hidden villa of Joel Luxor. There, he uncovers a sinister alliance between Luxor and Fenton Crane, the museum’s natural history curator, as they conspire to steal a priceless Egyptian artifact.
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Arédit-Artima, the dominant French publisher of American comics translations through the 1970s and early 1980s, launched this Hulk series in the second quarter of 1979 under its Artima Color Marvel Géant imprint. Issue #3 (4th quarter 1979) reprinted the Hulk lead story from Marvel's Hulk! Magazine #12 — featuring a cover painting by Joe Jusko and interior art credited to John Romita Jr. — alongside the Moon Knight backup transplanted from Hulk! Magazine #11, written by Doug Moench with pencils by Gene Colan and inks by Tony DeZuniga. The backup's placement in the series was no accident: assistant editor Ralph Macchio had championed Moon Knight specifically for the Hulk! Magazine backup slot in 1978 after considering other Marvel characters, and Arédit-Artima followed the same pairing format in its French editions.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published by Arédit-Artima in the 4th quarter of 1979 as part of the 'Artima Color Marvel Géant' imprint; the series ran its first issue in Q2 1979.
- The Hulk lead story reprints Hulk! (Marvel, 1978 series) #12, with a fully painted cover by Joe Jusko (signed 'JJ') and interior pencils by John Romita Jr.
- The Moon Knight backup reprints the story from Hulk! (Marvel, 1978 series) #11 — the very first Moon Knight solo backup in that magazine — written by Doug Moench, penciled by Gene Colan, and inked by Tony DeZuniga.
- The Moon Knight plot follows Marc Spector uncovering a conspiracy between Joel Luxor and Fenton Crane to steal an Egyptian artifact, and then tracking down its buyer.
- Characters appearing in the Moon Knight segment include Marc Spector (Moon Knight), Marlène Fontaine (Marlene Alraune), Jean-Paul Duchamp (Frenchie), and Jake Lockley — establishing the full core supporting cast that would carry into Moon Knight's 1980 solo series.
- Moon Knight's creator Doug Moench wrote all of the character's Hulk! Magazine backup appearances (#11–15, #17–18, #20), which collectively provided him with a partial origin and cemented his multi-identity concept (Marc Spector, Steven Grant, Jake Lockley) ahead of his first ongoing series.
- The issue is 68 pages in length and was printed in Italy by Intergrafica, consistent with Arédit-Artima's production practices for the era.
- The Hulk! Magazine Moon Knight stories were later collected in Essential Moon Knight Vol. 1 (2006), Essential Rampaging Hulk Vol. 1 (2008), Moon Knight: Countdown to Dark (2010), Moon Knight Epic Collection: Bad Moon Rising (2014), and the Moon Knight Omnibus Vol. 1 (2020) — confirming their enduring canonical weight.
Cast · 7 characters
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Hulk #11 (1978), Hulk #12 (1978)
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