Vengeur #7
Vengeur #7 is a key node in the French-language history of Marvel Comics distribution, presenting a dense anthology of early-Marvel material — most notably a French translation of Avengers #9, which introduced Wonder Man (Simon Williams), one of the few Silver Age characters to debut as a villain, apparently die in his first appearance, and later become a cornerstone Avenger. For French readers in 1973, this pocket-format issue was among the earliest accessible printings of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's foundational Avengers mythology, Thor's Norse family tree (Odin, Bor, Buri, Surtur, Ymir), and Spider-Man stories, all under one cover. Its multi-feature format, mixing Avengers, Thor cosmology, and Spider-Man content, mirrors the editorial model Arédit/Artima used throughout the Comics Pocket run to introduce an entire generation of French readers to the Marvel Universe years before dedicated solo-hero titles reached French newsstands.
In "L'Homme-Araignée," Nick Fury is thrust into a high-stakes mystery when he arrives at the Pentagon to find Life Model Decoys of himself—perfect replicas that unsettle even the most seasoned agent. As he's whisked away in a gadget-laden car that transforms into a flying vehicle, Fury uncovers the existence of SHIELD, an international defense force dedicated to thwarting HYDRA's global ambitions. With Tony Stark overseeing SHIELD’s arsenal and a hidden bomb threatening the Heli-Carrier, Fury must quickly decide whether to take command of the mission—his first step into a world where every move could mean the difference between peace and chaos. Written by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, illustrated by Jack Kirby with inks by Dick Ayers, and featuring a cover by John Romita, this 1973 Arédit-Artima issue captures the era’s bold, cinematic energy.
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Vengeur was launched by Arédit/Artima in January 1972 as part of their Comics Pocket line — small-format, black-and-white anthologies labeled 'bandes dessinées pour adultes' so the publisher could sidestep France's restrictive press law 49-956, which otherwise governed kiosk display rights for youth-oriented publications. The series ran 18 issues in its first Comics Pocket run (ending March 1976), reprinting primarily The Avengers alongside backup material from Journey into Mystery, Strange Tales, and early Amazing Spider-Man. Arédit/Artima, based in Tourcoing in northern France, was effectively the only French-market publisher handling Marvel content that its rival Lug had passed on, making the Vengeur line the primary gateway for Marvel's Silver Age output to French readers during the early 1970s.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published by Arédit/Artima on October 1, 1973, as issue #7 of the Comics Pocket 'Vengeur' series (2nd series), cover-titled 'L'homme araignée' (The Spider-Man).
- The issue's character roster — including Simon Williams, Kang, Nick Fury, Giant-Man, the Wasp, Captain America, Tony Stark, and Rick Jones — corresponds to the French translation of Avengers #9 (October 1964), the debut issue of Wonder Man (Simon Williams), created by Stan Lee, Don Heck, and Jack Kirby.
- Wonder Man was introduced in Avengers #9 as a villain empowered by Baron Zemo's ionic-ray treatments, apparently dying in that same issue after switching sides to save the Avengers — one of the more structurally unusual debuts in Silver Age Marvel.
- The extensive Norse mythology cast (Odin, Bor, Buri, Surtur, Ymir, Vé Borson, Vili Borson, Bestla) points to reprinted Journey into Mystery or early Thor material tracing the Asgardian cosmology, a type of mythological world-building content Arédit/Artima regularly paired with Avengers stories in this series.
- The presence of Peter Parker / L'Araignée (Spider-Man) as a named character gives the issue its cover title and likely reflects a backup story from early Amazing Spider-Man, consistent with Arédit's editorial practice of combining Avengers lead features with Spider-Man backups.
- Wilson Fisk (Le Caïd), Le Maître, Arnold Brown, Laura Brown, Nick Fury LMD, and Agent H indicate additional Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. or Daredevil-era backup content, making this a rare single issue presenting characters from at least three distinct Marvel series simultaneously.
- The entire Vengeur Comics Pocket run was printed in black and white and small pocket format; Arédit/Artima classified these as adult publications to navigate French press law 49-956, which restricted how youth-oriented comics could be displayed at kiosks.
- Issue #7 was later included in Recueil 3, which collected issues #7, #8, and #9 of the Vengeur (Arédit Marvel) reprint cycle, extending the reach of this content into the mid-1980s French market.
Cast · 30 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Nick Fury reports to the Pentagon, encountering Life Model Decoys: replicas of himself. He is driven in a gadget-filled car that converts to flying mode. Fury learns about SHIELD, an international organization whose job is to stop HYDRA, fanatics bent on world domination. Fury meets Tony Stark, in charge of SHIELD's weaponry, who tells Fury he was chosen to lead SHIELD. Fury acts quickly when he finds a hidden bomb, throwing it out a window moments before it explodes. Fury learns he is aboard the Heli-Carrier, SHIELD's mobile headquarters. Realizing the impending danger Fury accepts the job.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).