Strange #3
Strange #3 is one of the earliest issues of what would become the primary gateway for Marvel Comics in France, arriving just two months after the series launched in January 1970. It brought the X-Men, Daredevil (in combat with the Owl), Iron Man, and the Silver Surfer to a French-speaking readership for the first time in a stable, ongoing format—the previous Éditions Lug Marvel title, Fantask, having been shut down by French censors after only a handful of issues. The cover, adapted from John Buscema and Dan Adkins's artwork for Silver Surfer #8, also established the magazine's practice of recoloring American source material for its own distinctive presentation. The series Strange would ultimately run for over 25 years and spawn multiple spin-off titles, making these earliest issues foundational to the entire French Marvel publishing ecosystem.
In "Prenez garde au Colosse !", Stan Lee and Jack Kirby deliver a standout moment in the X-Men saga as Professor X detects a new mutant and sends the team to investigate a traveling circus. There, they encounter the Colosse—a towering, elastic-skinned performer whose abilities make him a living fortress—only to find their mission complicated by his unexpected awareness of their secret. The story, illustrated with dynamic energy by Kirby and Reinman, and featuring a striking cover by John Buscema and Dan Adkins, explores trust and identity in a 2 FRF comic from 1970.
In "Prenez garde au Colosse !", the X-Men are sent to investigate a new mutant detected by Professor X, leading them to a traveling circus where they encounter the Colosse— a towering, elastic-skinned performer whose abilities make him a living fortress. Though invited to join the X-Men, the Colosse declines, only to return to the circus, forcing the team to confront the danger of his knowledge before Xavier makes the difficult decision to erase his memory.
In this 1970 tale from *Strange #3*, the wealthy and ruthless financier known as the Hibou launches his criminal reign, hiring Matt Murdock to clear his legal troubles. When the Hibou assembles a gang and traps Daredevil and Karen in a deadly ambush, the hero must break free and stop the villain’s bid to control the underworld—before the city falls under his shadow.
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Éditions Lug, founded in Lyon in 1950 by writer/editor Marcel Navarro and businessman Auguste Vistel, had attempted to bring Marvel to French readers via two prior titles—Fantask and Wampus (1969)—both of which were cancelled after only six issues following pressure from French censors who objected to their violent content. Navarro relaunched the Marvel material in a newly formatted magazine called Strange in January 1970, tailoring it to pass scrutiny under French youth-publication laws (loi n° 49.956 du 16 juillet 1949). Issue #3, released on March 5, 1970, was among the first issues published; it appeared in a small digest/pocket format printed in bi-chrome rather than full color, with the stories reformatted to fit the French page size. The direction of Marvel licensing at Lug was significantly driven by Claude Vistel—daughter of Auguste Vistel—who had returned from a trip to New York in 1968 having negotiated access to Marvel material.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Released March 5, 1970 as the third issue of Strange, Éditions Lug's French-language Marvel reprint magazine, which launched January 5, 1970.
- Reprints four stories in French translation: an X-Men story ('Prenez garde au Colosse'), an Iron Man story ('Mon ami mon ennemi le Monstre'), a Daredevil story featuring the Owl ('Combat contre le Hibou'), and a Silver Surfer story ('Quand frappe le fantôme').
- The cover reproduces recolored artwork by John Buscema and Dan Adkins originally used on the cover of Silver Surfer #8 (September 1969).
- Published in a small digest/pocket format ('petit format') in bi-chrome (two-color) rather than full color; pages were reformatted from American dimensions to fit the French pocket-book layout.
- Strange was the direct successor to Fantask (1969), which had been cancelled under pressure from French censorship authorities; Strange survived by practicing editorial self-censorship, removing or altering panels deemed too violent.
- The X-Men story introduces the core original team to French readers under their Lug aliases: Cyclope (Cyclops/Scott Summers), Strange Girl (Marvel Girl/Jean Grey), Le Fauve (Beast/Hank McCoy), Iceberg (Iceman/Bobby Drake), Angel (Warren Worthington III), along with villain Magnéto and Brotherhood members such as Le Colosse (Blob/Fred Dukes), Le Crapaud (Toad/Mortimer Toynbee), and Vif-Argent (Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff).
- The Daredevil story features Le Hibou (the Owl/Leland Owlsley) as antagonist alongside supporting cast Matt Murdock, Foggy Nelson, and Karen Page.
- Strange #3 is one of the first issues in a run that would eventually reach 324 numbered issues (plus a later DC-era continuation), making it part of the deep foundation of the longest-running licensed Marvel publication in continental Europe.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Fantastic Four #3 (1962), The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (1963), The X-Men #3 (1964), Daredevil #3 (1964), Marvel Super-Heroes #12 (1967), Iron Man #3 (1968), The Silver Surfer #8 (1969), Marvel #1 (1970), Strange #4 (1970)
Reprinted in Strange #2 (1970)
Key issues in Strange
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