Titans #74
Titans #74 (Éditions Lug, 1985) is a landmark anthology for French Marvel readers because it delivered the first French-language publication of New Mutants #16 and/or #17 — the issues in which Chris Claremont and Sal Buscema introduced the Hellions, Emma Frost's rival squad of young mutants, including first appearances of Catseye, Empath, Tarot, Jetstream, Thunderbird (James Proudstar), and Roulette. For an entire generation of French comic readers, this single magazine was their first encounter with those characters. It also continued Éditions Lug's long-running parallel serialisation of the Marvel Star Wars run alongside its homegrown Mikros strip, making it a snapshot of the uniquely Franco-Belgian-flavoured Marvel universe that Lug had constructed since 1976.
In "Lahsbane," the New Mutants face a sudden ambush by the Hellions—teenage mutants trained by the enigmatic Hellfire Club—during a desperate attempt to free Kitty and Doug. With Magik pulling Psyche to safety, the rest of the team is taken, setting the stage for a tense confrontation that tests their resolve and unity. Written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by Sal Buscema, with inks by Tom Mandrake and Kim DeMulder, and colors by Ken Feduniewicz, this 1985 issue features a striking cover by Jean-Yves Mitton.
Find on ebay
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Titans was a monthly anthology magazine published by Éditions Lug — a Lyon-based house founded in 1950 by Marcel Navarro and Auguste Vistel — that had been translating and packaging Marvel material for French readers since its first issue in March 1976. By 1985 the title had settled into a consistent four-feature format pairing imported Marvel serials (Star Wars, Dazzler, New Mutants) with Lug's own original creation Mikros, drawn by Jean-Yves Mitton. Issue #74 falls squarely in the mid-run period when the magazine had gone monthly (from issue #36 onward) and was at peak readership, delivering some of Claremont's most creatively fertile New Mutants material to a French audience roughly a year after original US publication.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Titans #74 is part of Éditions Lug's long-running French Marvel anthology series, which ran from March 1976 through late 1988 under the Lug imprint (continuing under Semic from 1989).
- The issue reprints New Mutants #16 ('Away Game!') and/or #17 ('Getaway! — The New Mutants vs The Hellions'), written by Chris Claremont with art by Sal Buscema — the debut of the Hellions (Emma Frost's rival student team) in French.
- The Hellions making their French debut here include Catseye (Sharon Smith), Empath (Manuel De La Rocha), Tarot (Marie-Ange Colbert), Jetstream (Haroun ibn Sallah al-Rashid), Thunderbird/future Warpath (James Proudstar), and Roulette (Jennifer Stavros), all created by Claremont and Buscema in New Mutants #16 (June 1984).
- The Star Wars segment reprints Marvel's Star Wars #74, 'The Iskalon Effect,' written by Jo Duffy with art by Ron Frenz and Tom Palmer, featuring Luke Skywalker, Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and Lando Calrissian.
- Dazzler #32, 'Moonlighting' (Mike Carlin / Mark Bright / Vince Colletta), is also reprinted in this issue — an instalment featuring Alison Blaire alongside Inhumans characters including Black Bolt, Medusa, Crystal, Gorgon, Karnak, and Triton, as well as Monica Rambeau (Captain Marvel) and Crusher Creel (the Absorbing Man).
- Mikros — the fourth serial — is an original Lug superhero creation by Jean-Yves Mitton that ran exclusively in Titans from #35 through #87, meaning Titans #74 falls mid-run for that strip and represents content unavailable anywhere outside the French editions.
- Titans became monthly from issue #36 (January 1982) onward; issue #74 is therefore part of the regular monthly run of a title that by 1985 had been Lug's primary Marvel vehicle for nearly a decade.
- The New Mutants series ran in Titans from #59 through #85 in its first serialisation window, making this issue part of the stretch that brought Claremont's most celebrated early New Mutants run — including the Hellions arc and the lead-up to the Beyonder storyline — to French readers.
Cast · 40 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
The New Mutants make a quick retreat and try to free Kitty and Doug by stealth. They are attacked by the Hellions, a group of teenage mutants under the tutelage of the Hellfire Club. Magik rescues Psyche, but the rest of the New Mutants are captured.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.