Spécial Strange #21
Spécial Strange #21 is the first French-language publication of Uncanny X-Men #117 ('Psi War!'), the Claremont/Byrne issue that introduces Amahl Farouk — the corporeal form of the Shadow King — in Xavier's pre-X-Men origin flashback, a character who would go on to become one of the most persistent telepathic threats in Marvel history. Bundled with it is X-Men #116, the Savage Land conclusion that contains an early, explicit articulation of Wolverine's healing factor and indestructible bones, a moment of foundational importance to how that character would be defined for decades. For an entire generation of French readers who had no access to American back issues, this Éditions Lug quarterly was the sole venue where these landmark stories existed in print, making it a genuine cultural gateway to what was then the most creatively charged run in superhero comics.
In "X-Men à la rescousse !", the X-Men step in when Daredevil and the Thing find themselves caught in a web spun by the Mad Thinker, who’s using a star witness to frame the Thing and lure Daredevil into a trap. With the stakes rising, the team must unravel a mystery that leads straight to the Thinker’s latest scheme—before it’s too late. Written by Marv Wolfman and Roger Slifer, with art by Ron Wilson and Jim Mooney, and colored by Janice Cohen, this 1980 issue features a cover by Jean Frisano.
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Éditions Lug, a Lyon-based publisher whose name derived from Lugdunum — the ancient Roman name for the city — had been reprinting Marvel material in French since 1970. Spécial Strange launched in July 1975, initially conceived to serialize Marvel's quarterly Giant-Size specials; when Marvel discontinued that format in 1975, Lug restructured the title around a rotating formula of an X-Men lead story, a Marvel Team-Up Spider-Man adventure, and a Marvel Two-in-One Thing team-up, a format it maintained for years. Issue #21, carrying a dépôt légal of August 1980 and part of the 'Collection Super Héros Lug' imprint, was produced during the title's quarterly phase, before it shifted to bimonthly publication in 1986; it was later collected alongside issues #19 and #20 in Recueil Album #7, released September 1980.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Contains the French-language first printing of Uncanny X-Men #117 ('Psi War!', Claremont/Byrne, January 1979), which marks the first appearance of Amahl Farouk — the Shadow King — in a Cairo flashback recounting Professor Xavier's first battle with a rival telepath.
- Also reprints Uncanny X-Men #116 ('To Save the Savage Land!', Claremont/Byrne, December 1978), the concluding chapter of the Savage Land arc in which the X-Men ally with Ka-Zar and Zabu against Garokk the Petrified Man and Zaladane, and which contains the earliest on-page description of Wolverine's healing factor and unbreakable skeleton.
- The X-Men stories were co-plotted by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, with inks by Terry Austin and colors by Glynis Wein (Oliver), under editor Roger Stern — the core creative team at the peak of their celebrated Uncanny X-Men collaboration.
- Third story: Marvel Team-Up #56 ('Double Danger at the Daily Bugle!', April 1977) — script by Bill Mantlo, breakdowns by Sal Buscema, finishes by Dave Hunt — teams Spider-Man and Daredevil against Blizzard (Gregor Shapanka) and Electro (Max Dillon) during a blackmail siege of the Daily Bugle, featuring J. Jonah Jameson, Glory Grant, Barney Bushkin, and Robbie Robertson.
- Fourth story: Marvel Two-in-One #38 ('The Thing Behind Bars', April 1978) — script by Marv Wolfman and Roger Slifer, pencils by Ron Wilson, inks by Jim Mooney — teams the Thing and Daredevil/Matt Murdock, with Foggy Nelson, against the Mad Thinker.
- Published by Éditions Lug (Lyon) under the 'Collection Super Héros Lug' banner; dépôt légal August 1980; trimestrielle frequency at time of publication; 66 pages, full color, French-language format.
- Éditions Lug later collected this issue with issues #19 and #20 into Recueil Album #7 (September 1980), giving the Claremont/Byrne X-Men material a second French-language print run in album format.
- X-Men #117 also features Lilandra Neramani, Moira MacTaggert, Misty Knight, Jean Grey/Phoenix, and a cameo by Crystal (Crystalia Amaquelin) and other cast members, while Xavier departs for the Shi'ar Empire with Lilandra at the story's conclusion.
Cast · 40 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Trying to get the Thing out of jail, DD tracks down the star witness against Grimm and begins on a trail that leads him and the Thing directly to the Mad Thinker. Thinker captures Grimm and tries to force Daredevil into his service.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).