Phénix

Phénix: revue internationale de la bande dessinée (which translates to Phoenix: International Comics Review) is a magazine series published in France commencing in 1966 thru till 1977. The publishing history of the Phénix series is divided into two distinct eras, as the magazine grew from a specialized niche journal into a more mainstream commercial publication:

The SERG Era (1966–1972): The magazine was initially published by SERG (Société d’Études et de Recherches Graphiques), a publishing house closely tied to the foundational French comic preservation movement and the Club des bandes dessinées (later SOCERLID). Claude Moliterni and his co-founders used this platform to establish the journal’s scholarly reputation.
The Dargaud Era (1972–1977): As the magazine grew in popularity and scope, the major French publishing giant Dargaud, famous for publishing Pilote magazine and iconic series like Asterix, took over the publication of Phénix starting around late 1972 (beginning with issue #24). Dargaud published the series until it ultimately wrapped up its run in 1977 with issue #47.

Phénix: revue internationale de la bande dessinée was a seminal French journal founded in 1966 by Claude Moliterni, alongside prominent comic historians Pierre Couperie and Édouard François. Operating during a transformative era for sequential art, the publication was dedicated to the serious academic study, historical preservation, and critique of comic books and graphic novels. Alongside its contemporaries, Phénix played a foundational role in elevating comics from dismissed juvenile entertainment to their recognition as a legitimate art form, frequently referred to in Europe as the “9th Art”.

The magazine distinguished itself through its rigorous, analytical approach to both classic newspaper comic strips and emerging contemporary movements. Its pages frequently featured deep-dive essays analyzing the structural myths, visual geometry, and creative evolution of iconic American characters. Simultaneously, Phénix was highly attuned to the changing cultural landscape, documenting the birth of the raw, counter-culture American underground comix scene through translated accounts and artwork from pioneering artists like Robert Crumb, Art Spiegelman, and Jay Lynch.

Backed by an impressive global network of correspondents spanning from the United States to Japan, Phénix served as a vital bridge for the international comic community. The journal actively reported on the industry’s evolution, covering major European milestones such as the growth of the International Comics Festival in Lucca, Italy, and early regional French initiatives that would eventually pave the way for the famous Angoulême International Comics Festival. Through this blend of scholarly history, sharp artistic critique, and current industry reporting, Phénix treated comic creators not merely as commercial illustrators, but as true avant-garde artists and architects of modern mythology.

Issue number 25 of Phénix, published by Dargaud in 1973, comprises 64 pages in black and white. This issue contains a 15-page article entitled “The Phantom of Bengal”. The front and back covers are shown below.

The article titled “Le Fantôme du Bengale”, authored by Édouard François, is a deep-dive analytical essay that deconstructs the core structural myths of Lee Falk’s The Phantom. François breaks down the psychological elements of the character’s universe, exploring how an unbroken family lineage maintains a global illusion of immortality (the “Ghost Who Walks”), alongside analyzing the visual impact of the Skull Cave and the character’s costume. The essay balances this appreciation with a highly critical, candid evaluation of the strip’s artistic evolution, praising the stark, atmospheric work of original artist Ray Moore while sharply dismissing Wilson McCoy’s tenure as “infantile”. Furthermore, François laments the strip’s modern writing, arguing that the Phantom was unfortunately downgraded from a feared, mysterious jungle myth into an official, UN-adjacent bodyguard for the fictional President Luaga.

A sample of pages which feature the Phantom can be seen below.