Strange #132
Strange #132 (Éditions Lug, December 1980) is a representative artifact of how Marvel's Bronze Age reached francophone readers during what historians of Éditions Lug recognize as the publisher's creative peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Its most historically significant inclusion is the French-language reprint of Tales of Suspense #57 — the origin and first appearance of Hawkeye — presenting a character who debuted as an Iron Man antagonist before becoming one of the Avengers' most enduring members, here translated and packaged for an audience that would otherwise have had no access to a 1964 Silver Age story. The issue also continues a substantial Green Goblin/Silvermane gang-war arc from Amazing Spider-Man #178–179, one of Len Wein and Ross Andru's tightly plotted Bronze Age Spider-Man storylines, and concludes Marv Wolfman and John Buscema's multi-part Jester saga in Daredevil. As part of the Strange anthology format that ran from January 1970 to 1996, this issue exemplifies Lug's long-running mission to bring Marvel's full publishing range — from Silver Age classics to then-recent Bronze Age storylines — to French readers in a single monthly package.
In "Le labyrinthe fatal," the Goblin’s plan to deliver Spider-Man to Silvermane hits unexpected roadblocks as rival criminals intervene, giving Spidey a chance to break free. With Aunt May recovering in the hospital, Peter Parker is pulled into a new crisis when Jonah sends him to photograph a violent clash at Radio City Music Hall—where Spidey confronts the Goblin, who’s now targeting Silvermane. Harry’s escape from a deadly trap adds another layer of urgency to the chaos. Written by Len Wein and illustrated by Ross Andru with inks by Mike Esposito and colors by Glynis Wein, this 1980 issue features a cover by Jean Frisano.
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Éditions Lug was founded in Lyon in 1950 by writer-editor Marcel Navarro and businessman Auguste Vistel, taking its name from Lugdunum, the Gallo-Roman name for Lyon. The company launched its first Marvel translations in the digest Fantask (1969), but that title and a companion magazine both fell to French censorship; Navarro relaunched the Marvel line in Strange beginning January 1970, and it proved durable, running for over 25 years. Strange regularly subjected its reprinted material to editorial alterations — removing or redrawing sound effects, erasing bladed weapons, and occasionally cutting entire panels to satisfy French youth-publication oversight bodies. By the time Strange #132 appeared in December 1980, the late-1970s/early-1980s period had become widely regarded as Lug's strongest era, with the Strange anthology anchoring a family of Marvel reprint titles including Titans, Nova, and Spidey.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published December 1980 by Éditions Lug (Lyon, France); legal deposit date confirmed as 12/1980.
- Contains four stories: (1) Daredevil (translated as 'L'Intrépide Daredevil') reprinting Daredevil #137 (September 1976), scripted by Marv Wolfman, penciled by John Buscema, inked by Jim Mooney — the conclusion of the extended Jester (Jonathan Powers) storyline that began in Daredevil #124.
- Contains (2) Iron Man (translated as 'L'Invincible Iron-Man') reprinting Tales of Suspense #57 (September 1964), written by Stan Lee and drawn by Don Heck — the origin and first appearance of Hawkeye (Clint Barton), who debuted as a villain manipulated by the Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) against Iron Man; supporting characters include Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts.
- Contains (3) and (4) two consecutive Spider-Man chapters (translated as 'L'Homme Araignée') reprinting Amazing Spider-Man #178 (March 1978) and #179 (April 1978), both scripted by Len Wein and drawn by Ross Andru — parts three and four of a five-part arc pitting Spider-Man between the Green Goblin and Silvermane (Silvio Manfredi) fighting for control of the New York underworld, with Aunt May near death in hospital awaiting surgery.
- In Amazing Spider-Man #178–179 the identity of the new Green Goblin is deliberately withheld as a plot mystery; supporting cast appearances include Mary Jane Watson, Anna Watson, Glory Grant, Harry Osborn, and Robbie Robertson.
- The Tales of Suspense #57 reprint gave French readers their first encounter with Hawkeye's villain-origin story — a Silver Age tale then sixteen years old and never previously available in French.
- Éditions Lug routinely modified its reprinted art to comply with French youth-publication regulations, potentially altering some panels in any of the four stories in this issue.
- Strange #132 sits within the Lug 'Album Recueil' trade-paperback reprint cycle: issues #131–133 were later collected in Recueil Album #44 (July 1981).
Cast · 38 characters
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Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
The Goblin is on his way to deliver Spidey to Silvermane when other criminals interfere and Spider-Man gets away. Peter checks on Aunt May who is now in stable condition at the hospital. Jonah, through Robbie, sends Peter to take pics of a battle going on in Radio City Music Hall and Spidey finds the Goblin gunning for Silvermane. Harry escapes from the Goblin's trap.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).
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