Secret Wars 1984 in French: Every Edition Explained

Few sagas have been reissued as many times in French as the one by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck: newsstand single issue, collection volumes, large-format hardcover, box set. Each version tells the same story, but does not offer the same object. This guide lines them up in the order they appeared, so you know which one to put on your shelf.

As always in this guide, only verified information (creators, issue numbers, dates) is stated as fact; the analysis is our own, with no reproduction of protected art or dialogue.

The original edition in brief

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars is a twelve-issue miniseries, published from May 1984 to April 1985. Jim Shooter wrote the script; Mike Zeck drew, with Bob Layton and John Beatty inking depending on the issue. The premise fits in one line: a cosmic being, the Beyonder, transports heroes and villains to a planet built for the occasion, so that they can fight there. It is the starting point of what readers today call Battleworld, a concept we detail in our explanation of Battleworld.

The series is tied to a toy line and a role-playing game, which partly explains its look of a big family reunion: nearly all the publisher's headliners appear in it. Several regular series of the time (Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Captain America, Fantastic Four, Uncanny X-Men and others) published issues set during or around the event. This detail matters for what follows: a French collection of the miniseries does not automatically contain these satellite issues.

A few more benchmarks, all tied to the original edition. The series had been announced under the working title Cosmic Champions, in Marvel Age no. 11 dated February 1984, before being renamed. Among the satellite issues are Amazing Spider-Man nos. 249 to 252, Avengers nos. 242 and 243, Captain America no. 292, Incredible Hulk nos. 294 and 295, Iron Man nos. 181 to 183, The Thing nos. 10 to 22, Fantastic Four no. 265, Marvel Team-Up no. 141, Uncanny X-Men nos. 178 to 181 and Thor no. 341. The sequel, Secret Wars II, came out a year later with the Beyonder on Earth, and a short third installment appears in Fantastic Four nos. 318 and 319 (September and October 1988), written by Steve Englehart.

Do not confuse this saga with the 2015 one by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić, which has the same title but tells something else. French shelves sometimes mix the two.

The French editions, in order of release

1985-1986: the Spidey single issues at Lug

The first French publication ran through Spidey, Lug's monthly devoted to the Spider-Man universe and its neighbors. Publication begins with issue 66, in July 1985, and extends over the following year. Sources disagree on the last issue of the run and on the closing month; only the starting point, issue 66 of July 1985, is certain.

For a collector, these single issues have the flavor of period reading: newsstand format, ads, letters pages, proximity to other stories. They also wear out faster than a hardcover album. To place the publisher and its binding habits, our guide to the history of Lug gives the context.

2007: the first Panini collection

It was not until 2007 that the twelve issues were gathered in a single French volume, under the Panini seal. The legal deposit dates from November 2007 and the release from December. Sources disagree on the name of the collection (Best of Marvel or Marvel Gold). The ISBN, 978-2-8094-0127-1, makes it possible to identify this volume unambiguously at a flea market.

2013: the Marvel Gold volume

Panini reissued the saga in May 2013, under the title Secret Wars, in the Marvel Gold collection (ISBN 978-2-8094-3107-0). Sources disagree on the page count: if that figure matters to you, count the pages of the book you hold rather than believing a listing.

2016: Marvel Events

On January 6, 2016, Panini launched the Marvel Events collection, which groups major sagas, and placed Les Guerres secrètes in it, with the twelve American issues already published in the previous volumes. It is enough for unpretentious reading.

2021: Marvel Deluxe, the large-format hardcover

The reference edition today is that of Panini's Marvel Deluxe collection, with a 2021 legal deposit: a 29-centimeter hardcover volume, about 336 unnumbered pages, in color, printed in Italy (ISBN 978-2-8094-9510-2). The script is credited to Jim Shooter, the art to Michael Zeck and Bob Layton.

2025: the fortieth anniversary box set

On June 25, 2025, Panini published in its Marvel Hors Collection a box set celebrating forty years of the event (EAN 9791039139175). It gathers the twelve issues as reproductions of the original episodes, to which is added the first issue in penciled version.

Original / French edition correspondence

How to read this table: all the collections cover the main twelve-issue series, not the satellite issues of other series.

Which edition to choose for your profile

You want to read the saga. Take the 2021 Marvel Deluxe volume if it is available, otherwise the 2016 Marvel Events, more common secondhand. Both contain the same main series; the large format brings reading comfort, not announced extra material.

You collect the first French edition. Look for the Spidey single issues, starting with issue 66. Plan to assemble a complete run rather than an isolated copy: a saga read as a serial only makes sense when continuous. Our article on the key issue of the original edition will help you compare with the American version.

You like the large format. The 2021 Deluxe is the right choice. If you want to find the original object twelve times over, the 2025 box set allows it, with the advantage of reproducing a first issue in penciled form.

You hesitate between the 1984 and 2015 sagas. Read our comparison of the two Secret Wars first: the two stories do not have the same ambition, and their French editions do not mix.

Pitfalls and points to watch

Two sagas, one title. Online bookstore listings sometimes file the 1984 saga and the 2015 one in the same series. Check the writer's name on the cover before ordering.

Collection names that move. The same content has been labeled Best of Marvel, Marvel Gold, Marvel Events and Marvel Deluxe over the years. Do not rely on a label alone: the ISBN and the legal deposit year are the reliable markers.

Page counts that vary. For the 2013 volume, sources disagree on the number of pages. Compare the copy in hand to the 2016 volume, and do not retain the figure of a listing without cross-checking it.

The satellite issues. The Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America or Uncanny X-Men episodes tied to the event belong to their own series, and the collections above cover the miniseries. If one of them interests you, look for it in the French edition of the series concerned, or in our entry on Spider-Man in Secret Wars.

The numbering of Spidey. Since sources disagree on the last issue of the saga, do not look for a fixed list before checking each issue in hand. For numbering pitfalls at Lug and Semic, see our guide to number collisions.

Recognizing your copy. Before shelving a collection, note three elements: the ISBN on the back, the legal deposit year on the title pages and the name of the collection on the spine or cover. For the collections cited above, that is enough to tell them apart unambiguously, even when two volumes carry the same title years apart.

A serialized single issue is not read alone. In Spidey, the saga shares each issue with other stories. If you are looking only for the Shooter and Zeck series, the collection saves space; if you are looking for the period object, the single issue is irreplaceable. The choice therefore depends on what you want to keep: a story or a moment of French publishing.

A simple ranking for a library. Keep one reading edition (Deluxe or Marvel Events), one object edition if your attention budget allows (the 2025 box set) and, for the memory of the French edition, a short run of Spidey single issues from issue 66. Beyond that, each extra copy repeats the same text: make it a conscious collector's choice, not an accumulation reflex.

What these editions are worth to collectors

We put forward no amount: only recent completed sales are authoritative. Here is the method instead. For a Spidey single issue, compare sales of the same issue in the same condition, distinguishing the copy with a clean spine from one with rusted staples. For a collection, look at the gap between the current edition (Deluxe, Marvel Events) and the out-of-print edition: the ratio between the two, noted over several sales, informs you better than an isolated price.

The 2025 box set is judged on its complete condition: uncrushed box, all issues present, penciled first issue included. An incomplete box set cannot be compared with a complete one. For the rest, the relationship between a newsstand first French edition and a modern reissue is read mainly in the scarcity of clean copies, not in the content, which is identical.

Finally, remember that use value counts: a collection you reread justifies its purchase even if it never gains value. If you own several editions, our guide on omnibus or original issues offers a grid to decide what you keep.

Frequently asked questions