Jean-Marc Lofficier

THE SEA KING, a young naval officer who gained the power to breathe underwater thanks to his uncle's experiments... MARINO and EGA, two "kidz" from the alien sunken city of Kosmos with their own strange aquatic powers... MISS METEOR, a scientist who traveled to the negative dimension of Zhud where she gained cosmic powers in a freak accident... THE ZORR-KO, a powerful android built millions of years ago by the mighty Fomore civilization and abandoned on Earth... These characters, all "strangers," have been brought together by TANKA, a former jungle lord recruited by entities from our planet's farthest future and now empowered to protect our world from extra-terrestrial menaces. In this seventh volume of Strangers, the mission of our heroes is to travel to the Kosmos to reclaim the water component of the powerful Kera weapon, and to Zhud to rescue their fellow Stranger Homicron, while thwarting the evil schemes of two would-be conquerors.... Guest-starring: COMMANDER NEPTUNE These two incredible journeys to the lowest depths of the oceans and the furthest reaches of space are beautifully drawn by Alfredo Macall and Nestor Manuel Vargas.

It is Christmas Eve in Paris and the dead emerge from the catacombs, dressed as ghastly Santa Clauses, plunging the French capital into total panic. Faced with this terrifying threat, the Guardian of the Republic and Marianne find two unexpected allies: the immortal Count Saint-Germain and the vampire Scarlet Lips. But will even they be enough to stop the threat posed by the Hangman of Bethune and his mysterious new ally, Baphomet? A blood-curling Holiday saga told at the fireside by Jean-Marc Lofficier and Manuel Martin Peniche.

Hexagon Comics isn't merely Wampus, Zembla, Phenix, and the Strangers. For well over sixty years, they published a number of anthology comics in the tradition of DC's Mystery in Space, Strange Adventures, etc., with colorful titles such as Yuma, Nevada, Mustang, Rodeo... In addition to the regular hero-driven series, these books also contained many one-shots: war stories, western adventures, supernatural tales, etc. A few of the characters who first appeared in these eventually returned, but most never went beyond these initial appearances. In this book, we have translated and reprinted five of these one-shots, published between 2000 and 2003. Only two have ever been published in the U. S. before and, as they were all drawn by remarkable artists, we felt that they deserved greater exposure. Contents: Phantom Of Which Opera? Story: Jean-Marc Lofficier * Art: Timothy J. Green II The Restaurant Story: Jean-Marc Lofficier * Art: Timothy J. Green II Cassandra Troy Story: Jean-Marc & Randy Lofficier * Art: Gerald Forton Hogun Temu: The Clay Dogs Story: Jean-Marc & Randy Lofficier * Art: Philippe Xavier Nightspeeder Story: Jean-Marc & Randy Lofficier * Art: Kevin O'Neill

From the first appearance of Zembla in 1963, to the recent successes of Strangers and Guardian of the Republic, the 70 year-old Hexagon Comics Universe demonstrates a true French passion for comics. But with so many characters, many of whom were created decades ago, where should a new reader start? How are they to disentangle the best from the anecdotal, the masterpiece from the ordinary? To give someone just coming to the Hexagon Universe a leg up, popular French author and game designer Romain d'Huissier has selected his 100 favorite characters, then takes us on a journey of discovery (or rediscovery) through a very special universe; one not limited to superheroes, but which also offers thrillers, fantasy, science fiction, westerns and swashbuckling sagas. Newcomers will learn the origins and history of the major heroes. Connoisseurs will find new details about obscure and never translated characters in these treasures of French popular comics.

Meet Starpuck, the courageous canine member of the Galactic Guardians of the Towers, the same cosmic corps to which belong Starlock and Starcyb of Strangers fame. Learn of the secret origins of this dogged defender when he was only Inspector Pucktoon of the D. O. O. G. Patrol on the far off planet Bone Zone... See Starpuck team up with Jaleb the Telepath to defeat a monstrous space vampire, and with Marianne, the Guardian of the Republic's sidekick, to challenge the dastardly menace of Dr. Morbyde Three barking mad adventures of the pluckiest pooch of the galaxy illutrated by Gabriel Mayorga and Eduardo Garcia. COVER BY STAN SAKAI

Chicago's super heroine, the fearless leather clad, bike-riding Phenix, and the mysterious Italian enchantress Sibilla, once fought together alongside Top Cow's Witchblade against the infamous mass murderer, Gilles de Rais in Blood Oath (2003). But the story of their first encounter has never been told -- until now In these pages you'll discover how Phenix first crossed paths with Sibilla, with a bonus 12-page story featuring one of Sibilla's supernatural investigations in New York, drawn by Stephane Roux. Also included in this comic is a stand-alone Phenix adventure in which our indomitable heroine takes on the merciless Vega Cartel.

After the mighty shaman Ozark triumphed over the evil wizard Maleficus, the seven powerful mystic gems known as the "Fingers of Shivar" were scattered through time and space. But the witch Alecto plots to reunite them in order to take revenge on Morgane, whom she holds responsible for the death of her lover, the sinister Lord Raven, and resuscitate the latter in the body of Maxime Saint-Clair, the Guardian of the Republic Only the combined efforts of Zembla and Ozark can save the French hero from such a dreadful fate. Guest-starring: Ivan Karine the Cossack and the Napoleonic Guardian This prodigious saga takes us from Tsarist Russia to the City of Lights via the African Republic of Karunda and Rapid City, South Dakota. It is brilliantly illustrated by the Hexagon Comics team: Eduardo Garcia, Alfredo Macall, Manuel Martin Peniche, Gabriel Mayorga, Jos Luis Ruiz P rez, and Roberto Castro

JAYDEE, a teenage, alien metamorph, abandoned on Earth as a baby, who may well be the deadliest killing machine in the known universe... FUTURA, a mysterious woman from a parallel dimension with strange abilities... XANI-RHU, former agent of a Galactic Federation of telepaths... THE BRONZE GLADIATOR, exiled prince of the powerful planet Arena, gifted with awesome powers... These characters, all "strangers" to Earth, have been brought together by TANKA, a former jungle lord recruited by entities from our planet's farthest future and now empowered to protect our world from extra-terrestrial menaces. In this sixth volume of Strangers, the mission of our heroes is to travel to the deadly prison planet of Vo'tun to rescue their fellow Stranger Jaleb and crush the evil Overbrain and his schemes of galactic conquest.... Guest-starring: the STAR KNIGHT This incredible journey to the furthest reaches of space is beaitifully drawn by Christophe Ouvrard.

Berlin, April 1945... Amidst the ashes of the Nazi defeat, a quartet of mad scientists decides to continue the experiment of the Third Reich by creating a futuristic version of Nazi Germany, which they christen-Metropolis The Guardian of the Republic and Marianne, on leave from the Partisans, managed to infiltrate Metropolis at the time of its creation, but become its prisoners while it now threatens to invade and conquer other dimensions... The mysterious space-time traveler known only as Doctor Omega joins forces with the modern-day Guardian to destroy Metropolis, but what will happen when these two Guardians from different eras clash... What if one of them was to commit the ultimate sacrifice? An essential chapter in the prodigious history of the Guardian of the Republic is revealed at last, brilliantly illustrated by Manuel Martin Peniche.

Across the gulf of time, the dreaded Demon Queen Mauve has pitted Kabur, exiled Prince of Thule, against Zembla, the Lord of Lions. Torn from their native worlds, the two heroes become the pawns in an inter-dimensional game of carnage and conquest... No matter who wins, Earth will lose Drawn by top Spanish artist Mike Ratera, this 66-page saga was the first major crossover event of the relaunched Hexagon Universe twenty years ago. It is accompanied here by new maps and documents showing Pangea, the World of Kabur.

On Christmas' Eve, during a particularly cold, wind-swept night, Parisians rush through the streets, eager to arrive home... Suddenly, an unexpected threat appears: NUMBER-ONE, a sentient robot created by the mad scientist ASTAROTH, has returned to wreak havoc on the French capital Only the GUARDIAN OF THE REPUBLIC, his sidekick MARIANNE, and the powerful NIGHT PRINCE can stop the mechanical killer. But behind Number-One looms the sinister shadow of its creator, long thought to be dead, who plots to use the robot to further a new, mysterious plan... The GUARDIAN and MARIANNE, now assisted by KIT KAPPA and AGENT BOURASK of C. L. A. S. H., must uncover ASTAROTH's real goal, and defeat him before he can inflict more destruction on the City of Lights... This Santa-mental super-saga full of guest-stars and candy canes, is brilliantly orchestrated by Roberto Castro and Eduardo Garcia.

1942. North Africa. Under the direction of Erwin Rommel, the Nazis prepare to seize the mysterious city of Heliopolis, once the home of the mythical Egyptian gods and the depository of all their secrets. This will insure Germany's victory and her domination of the world. But in order to stop him, French General Leclerc has gathered a team of PARTISANS, comprised of Baroud, the Guardian of the Republic of Senegal, the amazon Antales, young Tanka, the legendary Imhotep, and the powerful Wazilla. 1945. Pacific Theater. The Americans' plan to seize Okinawa is compromised by the sudden arrival of a powerful alien, Lord Manduk of Vaur, who teams up with the formidable Japanese scientist known as Madame Y. President Roosevelt asks Dan Diamond of the O. S. S. to assemble another team of PARTISANS. These are Borneo jungle lord Corsak, Tibetan martial artist Xiu Kappa, sun-powered Apollo from the Midwest, the mystic Cheyenne warrior Red Feather, and super-fast Ricky Rox. This book presents two World War II sagas about crucial events that, if allowed to unfold, might well have changed the course of history, without the intervention of the heroic champions known as... THE PARTISANS

Have you ever wondered what happened to some of your favorite heroes (and heroines) of classic literature after the last page of their adventures? Did they quietly retire to play Scrabble or do macram ? Or did they have further adventures, as yet unrelated? John Peel opts for the latter - and reveals some of the hitherto-unknown adventures they enjoyed, perils that they faced and companions they discovered. Professor Lindenbrock never did make it to the center of the Earth... or did he? Professor Moriarty plunged to his death after a clash with Sherlock Holmes. Are you quite sure of that? Did you ever wonder why the Germans never managed to take Paris in World War 1? Could it be...? Nijinsky took Paris (and the world) by storm with his dancing in the Twenties. And Stravinsky changed the sound of classical music with The Rite of Spring. But did you know that this almost didn't happen? Biggles was the greatest fighter ace the British had in World War 1 - but when did he take his first solo flight? And why? And how did someone suspiciously like the Lone Ranger really come into being? Return with us now to those daring days of yesterday - days of steam and shadows...

Journalist Joseph Josephin, aka Rouletabille, is an idealized projection of its creator, Gaston Leroux, and was originally conceived as a "rival" of Sherlock Holmes and Ars ne Lupin. He "borrows" his prodigious deductive powers from Auguste Dupin, M. Lecoq, Holmes and Hercule Poirot, and solves the mysteries he encounters using what he calls "the good bit of reason." The Rouletabille series has justly become a classic of detective literature. Martin Gately, author of the authorized sequel to Philip Jos Farmer's The Green Odyssey, has also written the Starblazer comic book published by DC Thomson and occasionally contributes to the British edition of the Fortean Times. His latest work is an adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Pirate Blood as a comic book. Martin is also a regular contributor to Tales of the Shadowmen, where the Rouletabille stories gathere in this collection were first published..

While on vacation in Australia, the GUARDIAN OF THE REPUBLIC sees a flying saucer invade a secret Australian army base. With the providential help of two stalwarts heroines, the American PHENIX and the Australian SOUTHERN CROSS, he rushes to the rescue, only to discover a new and deadly foe, the fearsome KUDLEY KOALA...

In the summer of 1921, young doctor Francis Ardan and his father are exploring the most remote regions of Upper Siam (now Thailand), when they encounter a dying man whose skin is the color of jade. His revelations lead the intrepid father-and-son team to discover the existence of Inramonda, a secret, underground realm ruled by an immortal tyrant known as His Eternal Wisdom, whose subjects are a race of artificially created "Jade Men." He plots to seize power in Southeast Asia. Scientist and world-saving explorer Doctor Ardan was created in 1928, five years before Doc Savage, by French author Guy d'Armen. The Fall of Inramonda, originally published in 1935, has been adapted by the award-winning team of Jean-Marc & Randy Lofficier. The book also includes a Doc Ardan novella by renowned Doctor Who author John Peel.