Strange #108
Strange #108 (December 1978, Éditions Lug) holds a clear and concrete place in Marvel history because its Daredevil installment — translated from Daredevil vol. 1 #111 (July 1974) — delivers the first appearance anywhere in the French market of the Silver Samurai (Kenuichio Harada), a character who would grow into one of Marvel's most recognizable antagonists and later receive live-action treatment in the 2013 film The Wolverine. For French readers in 1978, this issue was also their introduction to Steve Gerber's densely plotted Black Spectre arc, which wove together Daredevil, Shanna the She-Devil, the Black Widow, Nekra, and the Mandrill into an unusually ambitious Bronze Age conspiracy story. As part of the long run of Strange subtitled 'Le Journal de Spider-Man' (from #99 onward), the issue also continued bringing American Bronze Age storytelling to a Francophone audience that had no other regular access to Marvel continuity at the time.
In "L'épèe du Samouraï !", the Silver Samurai—now aligned with the enigmatic Black Spectre—clashes with Daredevil and Shanna, capturing the latter in a high-stakes confrontation. Determined to strike back, Daredevil prepares to infiltrate the Spectre’s airborne fortress to confront Mandrill head-on. Written by Steve Gerber and illustrated by Bob Brown, with inks by Jim Mooney and colors by L. Lessmann, this 1978 issue features a striking cover by Jean Frisano.
In "L'épèe du Samouraï !", the Silver Samurai—now an uneasy ally of the Black Spectre—clashes with Daredevil and Shanna, capturing the latter in a swift and brutal encounter. With Shanna in peril, Daredevil resolves to storm the Black Spectre’s airborne fortress, turning the tide of battle into a desperate, high-stakes assault.
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Éditions Lug, the Lyon-based publisher founded by Auguste Vistel, had been issuing Strange as a monthly Marvel reprint magazine since January 1970, originally in a small pocket bi-chrome format before switching to full-color comics format with issue #11. By issue #108 the magazine was well into its mature phase, reprinting stories that ran roughly three to four years behind their American originals — a scheduling gap that meant French readers encountered Bronze Age Marvel storylines as a coherent, ongoing experience rather than as back-issue archaeology. The cover for this period was the work of Jean Frisano, whose painted covers became a signature of the Lug era from issue #25 onward. Lug practiced editorial self-censorship on artwork — softening violence and removing certain sound effects — to comply with French youth-publication regulations, meaning translated stories were sometimes mildly altered from their source material.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published December 1978 by Éditions Lug (Lyon, France) as part of the long-running Strange monthly series, subtitled 'Le Journal de Spider-Man' from issue #99 onward.
- The Daredevil feature reprints Daredevil vol. 1 #111 (Marvel, July 1974), titled 'L'épée du Samouraï' in French — the first appearance of the Silver Samurai (Kenuichio Harada), created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Bob Brown (inks by Jim Mooney).
- In that Daredevil story, the Silver Samurai debuts as an enforcer for Mandrill's Black Spectre organization, battling Daredevil and Shanna the She-Devil; Nekra and a mind-controlled Black Widow also appear.
- The Iron Man feature reprints Iron Man vol. 1 #106 ('Then There Came A War!', Marvel, January 1978), written by Bill Mantlo, continuing the Tony Stark / Madame Masque / Midas storyline.
- The Spider-Man section reprints two consecutive Amazing Spider-Man issues: #131 ('My Uncle...My Enemy?', April 1974) and #132 ('The Master Plan of the Molten Man', May 1974), both from the Gerry Conway era.
- The issue was later collected in Lug's Album relié #36, which gathered Strange #107 through #109, released January 1979.
- As part of Strange's editorial policy, artwork could be modified — onomatopoeia removed, weapons erased, or panels cut — to satisfy the French commission overseeing youth publications, potentially affecting the reprinted stories.
- The cover art for this period of Strange was painted by Jean Frisano, whose work defined the visual identity of the Lug Marvel line for over a decade.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints The Amazing Spider-Man #131 (1974), The Amazing Spider-Man #132 (1974), Daredevil #111 (1974), Iron Man #106 (1978), Une Aventure de l'Araignée #4 (1978), Une Aventure de Conan #8 (1978), Spécial Strange #14 (1978), Une Aventure des Fantastiques #17 (1978), Titans #18 (1979)
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